“Yes!”
Chloe jumped at the muffled shout from the living room. Whatever he was watching must be pretty exciting. Although probably not as exciting as her shower fantasies.
She rinsed, then shut off the water. After drying and redressing, she bunched her hair on top of her head and twisted an elastic band around it. A spritz of body spray, a touch up of mascara and liner, and she was ready.
“Okay, I’m all set.”
Jason stood. “Super.”
She nodded toward the TV. “Good game?”
“Yep. Hawks are up three to one.”
“Do you want to finish watching?”
He clicked off the set with the remote. “Nope. We have more important things to do.”
“Like checking something off my list?”
“Yep.”
Chloe’s heart pounded. Was it finally time? She licked dry lips. “Well it’s about time, Williams.” Then she paused. “Wait. You said we were going for a drive.”
“We are.”
Was he planning on taking her to a hotel somewhere? Wasn’t that kind of sordid? “Why can’t we just...um...do it”—she gulped—“here?”
“Here won’t work for what I have planned.” The low drawl made her knees weak.
She swallowed. “Remember, I’m pretty much a beginner. I think here is fine. Unless you want to go to your place?”
“We can go wherever you want.” He threaded his fingers through the loose hair at her temples and tilted her face up. “You’re in the driver’s seat.” The deep blue of his eyes scrambled her brain.
She lost herself in the depths for long drawn out moments. “Then I want to stay here.”
He smiled, but shook his head. “Not an option for what I have in mind.”
Yikes. She was in over her head. Like she’d always known. Better to be in familiar, comfortable surroundings. “Really, my bedroom’s right down the hall about ten feet away.” She gestured. “Won’t that be easier?”
“Nope.” He brushed a kiss across her forehead. “Come on.” He tugged her hand.
“Jason, really, I—”
“Trust me.”
Calm settled over her, stilling the twist of nerves. She did. Enough to follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked.
At the bottom of the stairs he stopped. “Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“It’s a surprise.” He stepped behind her and placed both hands over her closed lids. “Just to make sure you don’t peek.” He guided her around the sidewalk leading to the front of the house. There he stopped. “Okay. Now you can look.” He removed his hands.
At the curb sat a poppy red Mustang convertible.
Her mouth dropped open. “What? How?”
He grinned. “I rented it for you. It’s yours for the next twenty-four hours.”
She threw her arms around him. “Thank you.” Then she leaned back. “Wait. This is the item we’re checking off my list today?”
“Yep. Why, what item did you think we were checking off?” The innocent words held more than a trace of poorly suppressed amusement.
She smacked him on the arm. “You know damn well what I thought you meant, you big tease.”
He tugged her into his arms and clasped his hands at her lower back. “Are you really mad?”
She sighed and settled deeper into his embrace. How could she be mad when he held her like that? When their hearts beat the same rhythm and his breath stirred the wisps of hair around her face like a warm summer breeze.
But he wasn’t getting off the hook that easy. “Yes, I’m mad.” Her tone lacked any real conviction to lend weight to the words.
And he knew it. He slid one hand into his pocket and pulled out the keys. “So does that mean you don’t want to drive the car?”
She snatched them from his fingers. On the way to the car, she looked over her shoulder. “‘I feel the need. The need for speed.’”
“Well, then let’s go, Maverick.”
Chapter Five
Jason squeezed Chloe’s hand. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? Once you do it, there’s no going back.”
She took a deep breath and nodded. Now or never—before she lost her nerve. “Yes. I’m ready.” She had to get over her fear. If she couldn’t do this, what did that say about her?
“Okay, let’s do it then.” Jason held open the door. “After you.”
Inside the shop, a girl with straight, black hair looked up and greeted them with a smile. Colorful tattoos covered her arms and her lip sported a curved ring. “May I help you?”
Chloe cleared her throat. “I want to get a tattoo.”
“Great. Do you know what kind of design you want? Or you can take a look at the wall over there.” She gestured toward several frames. Each featured twenty or so colorful drawings.
“I know what I want.” Chloe handed her the paper with the design sketched on it.
“It’s beautiful. Where do you want it?”
“My left ankle.”
“Perfect.” The girl’s attention shifted to Jason. “How about you?”
“I’m just here for moral support.” He squeezed the back of Chloe’s neck.
“Are you sure?” Her gaze lingered on the tight fit of his T-shirt. “Something on your bicep maybe?”
Or maybe someone should pierce her eyelids shut.
Chloe glanced down. Pink polished toes peeked out from her flip-flops. Cargo shorts. A navy tank top. Yep, there she was, clear as day. Apparently she was only invisible to brazen chits with more artwork on display than the Louvre.
“No thanks,” Jason said.
Disappointment laced the girl’s sigh. “Okay, well, Tanya can take you at the first station.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder.
Tanya, a blonde version of the receptionist, walked to the low wall separating the waiting area from the work area. “Let’s take a look.” She examined the design Chloe provided. “Nice. On your ankle, right?”
“Yep.”
“Okay, just a sec.” She disappeared through a back door, but returned in a less than a minute and squatted next to Chloe. With a blue polished fingernail, she peeled the backing off the paper in her hand and pressed it to Chloe’s ankle. “This will transfer the design to give me an outline to work from. There. Go check it out in the mirror to make sure the placement is right.”
Chloe twisted her ankle to examine the black outlined rendering of her design. “What do you think?” she asked Jason.
“Perfect.”
She nodded. “It’s just what I wanted.”
“Great.” Tanya opened the swinging door and gestured. “Let’s get started.”
Chloe looked back at Jason. “Are you coming?”
“Sorry,” Tanya said. “Only customers are allowed in the work area.”
“Oh. I wanted…” She didn’t do well with pain and had counted on holding Jason’s hand.
“You’ll do fine.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be right here.”
She bit her lip. “Okay.” With a deep breath, she followed Tanya toward the dentist-like chair. She gulped. Was she ready for this?
“Just have a seat right here. Prop your foot up and tilt it sideways.” Tanya squirted ink from various bottles into a small, partitioned tray. Then she fiddled with a scary looking silver instrument.
Needles. Chloe hated needles. What made her think she’d be able to do this? She cast a desperate glance over at Jason, who leaned on the low wall.
He smiled. “You can do this.”
Tanya scooted a wheeled stool closer. “Is this your first tattoo?”
“Yes.”
“Congratulations. You ready?”
Chloe cast another glace at Jason. He nodded.
She straightened. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
****
“I did it.” Chloe darted from the back room and threw her arms around him.
Jason hugged her. “Yeah you did.” He kissed her hair. The honeys
uckle scent teased his senses. “I’m proud of you.”
She leaned back but kept her arms around his neck. “I’m proud of me, too.” Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were flushed. “I never thought I’d be brave enough to do this in a million years.”
“I knew you could do it.”
She cocked her head to the side. “You mean that, don’t you?”
“Of course, why wouldn’t I?”
“You always have faith in me.” The words were as soft as the palm she laid on his jaw. “Thank you.” She guided his face down and fused her lips to his.
As always, the taste of her sent blood pounding through his veins and shooting to his groin. The sincerity of her gratitude settled in his heart to join the other little pieces of Chloe he hid there.
One hand splayed in her lower back to draw her nearer. Chest to chest, their breath hitched in synchronization. He angled his head to deepen the kiss and take in her essence, letting it sink into every cell in his body.
The girl behind the desk cleared her throat.
Although he cursed the interruption, it was probably for the best. He shouldn’t be groping Chloe in the middle of a tattoo parlor. Hell, he shouldn’t be groping her anywhere. Jason pulled back and touched his finger to her nose. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Wh...where do you want to go?”
Anyplace they could be alone so he could kiss her again. Stroke his fingers over her body. Cup her perfect butt in his hands to lift her against the hard length of him.
Crap. Better plan. Take her someplace there were lots of people to prevent him from giving in to temptation. “How about if we go to Easy Street to celebrate? You can show off your new ink.”
Chloe wrinkled her nose. “Actually, I was thinking.” She dragged a fingernail down his chest. “Since we’re on a roll with my list today, maybe we should check off something else.” She glanced over at the receptionist, then lowered her voice. “You know, the big ticket item?”
He ground his teeth against the pull of her touch. The flutter of her eyelashes. The husky note in her voice that wrapped around him and made his erection strain against the zipper of his jeans. “I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day.”
Her lower lip jutted out.
He forced a laugh. “Come on.”
“Don’t forget,” the receptionist called as he pushed open the door. “Take the gauze off in about an hour and then wash the area with soap and water. No scented lotions for a week and be sure to use sunscreen if you’re outside.”
“Got it,” Chloe said. “Thanks again. I love it.”
“No problem.” Her gaze shifted to Jason. “Remember, if you ever change your mind about a tattoo, you know where to find us.” The purposeful seductively flirty tone of her voice did nothing for him.
“Right.”
Out in the parking lot, he opened Chloe’s door so she could hop up onto the seat. “So, Easy Street?”
“Honestly, I’m not in the mood. What about driving out to the lake and taking a walk? It’s a beautiful day.”
He hesitated. His brain warned him of the danger of being alone with Chloe. Unfortunately the little brain in his pants urged him to take her someplace very, very private. Then again, chances were there’d be plenty of people at the lake. And if all else failed, he could jump in; the water was sure to carry some remnants of winter’s chill. “Sure.”
As they headed toward Shoal Lake Road, Chloe leaned down and pried the tape from the gauze on her ankle. She tossed him an impish smile. “I know it hasn’t been an hour yet, but I’m impatient.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.”
She propped her bare feet on the dashboard. “There. Do you like it?”
He glanced from the road. Long, toned legs stretched from the hem of her shorts. The muscles in the shapely calf flexed as she shifted. Her toes tapped against the windshield next to the NRA sticker in the corner. The pink polish on the nails glinted in the sunlight. He looked forward briefly, then back at her, this time focusing on the colorful ink on her skin.
The purple bloom flowed gracefully above the delicate bone of her ankle. Green leaves spread out to wrap partly around her leg. “Why a violet?”
“They’re my favorites. What do you think?”
“I think it suits you.”
“Thanks. And thanks again for going with me.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I love this song.” She turned up the volume.
His lips twitched as she sang along, slightly off-key, with Justin Moore.
With the window rolled down, the wind scattered her hair until it tumbled around her head in wild disarray. She must have felt his gaze on her, because she turned. With another mischievous smile, she took the ball cap from his head and tugged it down over her forehead. Her blue eyes danced with mirth.
God she was beautiful.
And he wanted her.
Not because of her stupid plan. But because she was sassy and crazy and full of life and joy. Because she was Chloe.
The truck lurched and shuddered as the tires drifted onto the shoulder. He jerked the wheel to steer back to the pavement. Hell and damn.
Chloe laughed, the sultry sound full of the age-old power women held over men. “Best keep your eyes on the road, Williams.”
“Right.” Easier said than done when she sat beside him looking flirty, saucy, sexy, and far too tempting.
****
Jason pulled the truck into a spot next to the lake and killed the engine. “So, what next?”
She peered from beneath the brim of his ball cap. “Do these seats recline?”
He gave a rueful chuckle. “Yes, but we’ve already checked one item off of your list today.”
“There are no rules for the list. And even if there were, it’s my list. You don’t get to make the rules.”
“Ah yes, but it’s my syllabus, remember?”
“How can I forget when you remind me all the time? How about if we go for some extra credit today?”
“You have a one track mind.”
“True.” She paused. “This is important to me, Jason.”
He tugged the cap off her head and turned it around so the brim faced backwards. His open gaze held hers while he traced a finger down her cheek. A tingle spread. “I know. That’s why I want everything to be perfect.”
Her breath caught at the sincerity in his voice.
“Which means it needs to be special. And not in a car.”
She smiled despite the serious turn the conversation had taken. “All the Right Moves. Nice.” She sighed. He was right. She didn’t want to do it with him in a car. At least not the first time.
The first time? Whoa. There wasn’t supposed to be a second time. She’d asked for one great night. Then again, that didn’t rule out a more-than-once scenario. What was it supposed to take? Fifteen minutes? Even with some recovery time between for him, you could fit a lot of fifteen-minute segments into one night.
She buried the enticing thought. “You’re right.”
“How about a walk instead?”
She smiled. “Perfect.”
He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “Ah, one of those quintessential moments in a man’s life. ‘Having the right girl smile at you.’”
“Hey, Kirby Kieger, you only get one quote per conversation.”
“Now who’s making up rules? C’mon, let’s take that walk.”
As Chloe swung her legs out of the truck, she glimpsed the tattoo on her ankle. “Shoot.”
“What?”
“Well, the girl said to wash it with soap in an hour.” Damn. Maybe they should head home. She didn’t want to wind up with some crazy infection or something.
Jason smiled. He reached behind the seat and handed her a small blue and green polka dot printed bag. “Here.”
Inside the bag was a bar of soap and a bottle of lotion. “How did you know?”
“I did some research on the internet. It said use plain soap and unscen
ted lotion to care for a tattoo for the first week. And since you always smell like honeysu—” He stopped. “I, uh, wasn’t sure you had any.”
He recognized the scent of her lotions and shampoo? W.O.W. The sweet and sexy combination of the revelation took her breath away. She placed her palm against his cheek. The slight abrasion of stubble grazed the sensitive skin. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He cleared his throat. “You can use that water to rinse off the area.” He nodded toward the plastic bottle in the cup holder.
As they strolled along the rocky shore of the lake, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed. He smiled.
“I want to do something for you.”
“What?”
“Anything you want.”
“No, I guess why would have been a better question.”
“You’ve done so much for me. You agreed to help me with my plan, even when you had a hard time understanding why I wanted what I do. And even though we haven’t gotten to the big ticket item yet, because of you, I’ve actually accomplished things I thought were really only fanciful daydreams.
You’ve made them real. And I want to do something nice for you. I mean, I guess, when we have sex, obviously there’s something in that for you, too. But, uh, then again maybe it won’t be so great for you.”
He stopped, bringing her to a halt as well. “What does that mean?”
She looked down at her feet, out over the lake, and then down again. She kicked at the loose rocks. “Well, what if you, uh, don’t, um, enjoy yourself? I, uh, don’t know what I’m doing, remember?”
After several heartbeats of very loud silence, filled only by the gentle lap of the water as it brushed the shore, she glanced up.
And had no idea how to read his expression.
His mouth opened slightly. Then closed. He squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them he tilted his face toward the sky. Finally he tugged her into his arms. The heavy thump of his heart beat beneath her ear as he held her for endless moments. Then he framed her face in his hands and locked his gaze with hers. How had she never noticed the darker flecks in the blue irises?
“Oh Chloe. My wonderful. Sweet. Innocent. Beautiful Chloe.” Each word was punctuated by the brush of his lips as he kissed her forehead, cheeks, nose, temple. His mouth claimed hers in a fierce kiss, which he gentled almost immediately. Warm and moist he stroked against hers with soft intent, which for some inexplicable reason made tears prick her eyes.
One Great Night Page 5
