by Shae Ross
“Wow,” I say to Jett. “What a way to recover from a fumble.”
He smiles and winks. “Yeah, well, I’d rather not have to recover at all, but it does seem like since we’ve met the lovely ladies from Michigan State we’ve gotten pretty good at picking the ball back up and running with it.”
“I have a little surprise for you tonight, too,” I say, glancing at Ben and Vaughn. “I can’t share it with you here, though.”
“Sounds exactly like the kind of surprise I like.
“Are you limping?” he asks. I can feel him watching my backside as I’m walking down the dock of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club to his dad’s boat slip. This will be the second night I’ve spent with him on his dad’s yacht. The first was his surprise to me after my graduation ceremony from State.
“Oh, I think I pulled a muscle running…or something,” I respond in a dismissive tone. I am dipping my step a little more than normal on the right to avoid the brushing of my jeans over the raw tattoo. He gives me a speculative look that I pretend not to see as the white half door leading to the front deck clicks open. He unlocks the entry to the galley, slides the door back, and we step in. The scent of polyurethane adds to the smell of diesel and fresh water coming from the docks as I move into the galley kitchen and set the bag of groceries on the counter. Jett throws the keys on the counter and clicks through a series of buttons on a wall panel.
“Hey, c’mere,” he says, grabbing my arm and swinging me into his chest. I weave my fingers behind his neck and we kiss.
“That was an amazing thing you guys did for Jade. Truly. Thank you.”
“It was the right thing to do, Ryan, and we were all happy to do it.”
“Very generous of all of you.”
“Hey, if we can spend five grand on a pair of underwear, I’d like to think we can all man up and spend it on a friend in need.”
I press onto my toes and kiss his cheek. “I love you,” I say into his ear, “and I have got the best surprise for you, I can hardly stand myself right now.”
He sets me back with his hands on my hips and studies the sneaky smile on my face. “Do I get a hint?” he asks, moving his gaze down to the cleavage pressing against the V of my shirt.
“Tell ya what. I’ll give you five questions that I’ll answer with either a ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ and if you guess, I’ll tell you before dinner. If not, you’ll have to wait.
He crosses his arms over his chest and leans back on the counter.
“Something to eat?”
“Hmmmm…no.”
He’s staring at me with a narrowed gaze. I’m trying to keep the glint of excitement out of my eyes, but I’m not sure it’s working.
He rubs a contemplative hand over his jaw. “Whatever it is, it must be something good…something really good.” His gaze trails slowly down my body and back to my eyes.
“Is it something you’re wearing?”
“Well…not really in the sense of clothes…”
I move to the refrigerator for a lime, stepping gingerly on my right foot, feeling his eyes measuring me.
“Is it something I’ve asked for?” His voice has lowered.
I pause and look back at him. “Yes.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Is it something I won?”
I pause and nod my head slowly. The corner of his mouth curls ever so slightly, and he sets his beer down on the counter. His hands rest on his hips and he raises his chin. “Is it something I won when we were competing in New York?” His voice is low and seductive.
I lean back against the sink and smile. “Yes. And that’s your last question until after dinner.”
He braces one hand against the white speckled Formica counter and rubs the other over his mouth. I feel like I’m going to burst from the anticipation.
“You got the tattoo, didn’t ya, Rose?” He smiles…a wicked, knowing, stalking smile.
“Ummm, that would be question number six and I don’t have to answer that until after dinner.”
He takes a step toward me and I sidestep and nod my head. A nervous laugh bubbles up and I hold a halting spatula out. “You can’t see it yet,” I protest.
He lets out a small laugh, shaking his head at me. “Oh no. I gotta see it now, baby.” He takes two more stalking steps toward me. I straighten and ease closer to the doorway.
“Jett, seriously… I was going to make you dinner…”
He’s shaking his head and advancing. I let out a small nervous laugh, but I’m not giving up the fight that easy.
I bolt toward the doorway and shriek as he lunges. I’m two steps into the hallway and he’s caught me. Rat crap! His arm connects with the crook of my knees and he scoops me up, pinning me against his solid chest. I squirm in his arms to try to loosen his hold, but I’m no match for the strength of his forearms.
We’re both laughing as he opens the door with his foot and drops me on the center of the bed. I move my hair out of my face and hear the latch click shut. When I look up he smiles, leans against the door,and crosses his arms over his chest.
“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, Rose.”
I return his wicked smile. “Oh, by all means, let’s do it the hard way.”
A single black eyebrow raises and his eyes spark with challenge.
“Game on, Rose.”
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About the Author
Shae Ross grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. She discovered a passion for romance novels while on summer vacations, reading by the shores of Lake Huron. Shae attended Michigan State University and Detroit College of Law and spent the majority of her career practicing corporate law and running a title insurance business. She now writes romance full time and lives with her husband and three children in the greater Lansing area.
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