Laci gave me a grateful smile. As we walked out of the pizza joint, I put my hand on her back. For a moment, I thought she’d brush me off. But she stepped closer, until her hand brushed against mine. The temptation to take her in my arms and kiss was almost overwhelming, but I managed to push it aside.
As I walked Laci through the dark streets of Boston, my mind was torn in two different directions. I couldn’t stop thinking about Leo – what the fuck was he doing out of prison? Surely, he was violating his parole…if not worse, considering he’d just attacked Laci. And then there was Laci herself. I met dozens of women every day, but Laci was somehow like none of the other girls I’d ever met. She was both funny and sweet, with confidence and just the right amount of sass.
I knew I had to see her again.
“This is me,” Laci said softly. She paused by the door of an older building. It was slightly shabby, but not too rundown, and I wondered just how much of Laci’s small income went to taking care of her younger sister.
“Please,” I said, reaching out and putting my hand on her elbow. “Please let me see you again.”
Laci hesitated. “I just don’t think I could give you what you want right now. I don’t have the time for a relationship, especially with Jenna starting college in the fall.”
I sighed. “I’m not asking for a commitment, or a promise, or anything like that. I just want to see you again. Please.”
For a moment, I could tell she was really considering it. But then she pressed her lips together and shook her head.
“No,” Laci said. “I’m sorry, Jordan. You’re a really great guy, but I have to go now.”
And just like that, she was gone.
Chapter Four
Laci
As soon as I let myself inside, I regretted not giving Jordan my number. Jenna was on the couch, surfing through channels without even looking at the television. Her phone was in her hand and she yawned.
“Where the heck were you?” Jenna asked. “You were gone forever.”
“I took a long walk,” I said.
Jenna finally looked up. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” I lied. “Are there any fries left?”
“I ate them all,” Jenna said, tossing her head. “Seriously, Laci – you’re never gone for that long. Did you meet someone?”
I sighed. “One of these days, you’re going to have to learn a little about boundaries,” I said, shaking my head.
“So, you did meet someone,” Jenna crowed. “Oh my god, like a guy? Did someone ask you out?”
“Yes. And I said no,” I replied. “I don’t have the time to date right now.”
Jenna rolled her eyes. “What was he like?”
Ignoring her, I walked down the hall and into my bedroom. I closed the door behind me and sat down on my bed, kicking my shoes off and curling up under my favorite blanket. I knew that what I’d done was the responsible thing – there was no way I had time to date anyone, much less a gorgeous, rich man who couldn’t possibly want to be with someone like me. But now that I was home, Jordan’s sexy face refused to disappear from my mind. I couldn’t shake the image of his perfect chiseled jaw and his close-cropped brown hair. His dark brown eyes had been some of the most intense I’d ever seen, and in the garish lighting of the pizza joint, I’d seen a few tattoos snaking over his chest under his shirt.
Idiot, I thought, rolling over in bed and pulling a pillow over my head. Just when you meet the perfect guy, you have to go and fuck it up somehow.
It was crazy – I barely knew anything about Jordan West. But I wanted to know more. I wanted to know him deeply, to know him intimately in a way that almost frightened me.
I’d been on a few dates in the past – mostly to get Taylor to shut up – but I’d never fallen in love. And until now, that had always seemed an unattainable dream, like something from someone else’s life. But now that I’d met Jordan, I couldn’t stop thinking about how it would feel to fall in love with him.
You’re being stupid, I told myself as I rolled over in bed and groaned into my pillow. He’s probably got some horrible secret, like a diaper fetish or a lifelong obsession with eating nothing but cabbage.
But as much as I tried to talk myself out of being interested in Jordan West, I could tell that I was going to be thinking about him for a long, long time.
***
The next day, I left school without even chatting with Taylor. Instead of going straight home, I walked back and forth through the Boston neighborhoods. I was frightened of seeing my attacker again, but I figured that in daylight, I’d be perfectly fine…and maybe, somehow, I’d have the chance to see Jordan West again. I knew it was insane: a man like Jordan wouldn’t hang out in the kind of place where we’d accidentally met. But I couldn’t help it.
When I didn’t wind up seeing him, I couldn’t believe how disappointed I felt. My heart thudded slowly in my chest as I began the long walk home. I’d been out for hours – the sun was starting to set – and I knew Jenna would be full of questions by the time I got home. As I made my way across the street, I stopped dead in my tracks.
There he was – Jordan West! And he was standing right outside of my apartment building! Blushing furiously, I made my way over and flipped my hair back, trying to look cool.
“Hey,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
At the sound of my voice, Jordan turned around and grinned. “I had to try again, Laci,” he said in a deep voice that made me go weak in the knees. “I had to see you.”
I flushed hotly, biting the inside of my mouth so I wouldn’t grin like an idiot. “I see,” I said.
“You weren’t out looking for me, were you?” Jordan stepped closer and narrowed his eyes. “Because I don’t want you going back to that neighborhood, Laci.”
I nodded. It was all I could do – the way he said my name made me want to swoon.
“I wasn’t,” I lied. “I was just taking a long walk before coming home.” I stepped closer and a wave of deliciously musky cologne washed over me. “You know, living with an eighteen-year-old little sister and all that.”
Jordan laughed. It was a warm, deep sound that filled me from my head to my toes. Ask me, I thought impatiently, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. Ask me out again!
“I can imagine,” Jordan said. He smirked at me. “Laci, I think you know why I’m here.”
All I could do was nod. “Yes,” I said softly. “I think I do.”
“So, would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner on Saturday night? There’s a great new Italian spot that just opened up in West End, and I think you’d love it – they’re getting great reviews.”
I flushed. I liked that he hadn’t asked where I wanted to go, that he’d already had a plan in mind when he asked me. It was oddly sexy.
“Yes,” I said. “I’d love that. I love Italian food,” I added, feeling like a giddy schoolgirl.
“Good,” Jordan said. He winked at me and pulled a slim, silver card case from his breast pocket. “How does eight-thirty sound?”
I looked into his deep brown eyes and shivered. Beyond the exquisite manners and impeccable suit, there was something different about Jordan, something raw and hungry and unlike anything I’d ever felt before. He was powerful, like a wild animal – I could sense it, just from standing next to him.
“That sounds perfect,” I said.
Jordan took my hand and I stepped closer, hoping he would kiss me. To my surprise, he lifted my hand to his mouth and turned it over, gently kissing my palm. The sensation of his lips against my sensitive skin was delicious, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from moaning.
“Good,” Jordan said. “I’ll see you then.”
I knew I should turn around and walk away, but I didn’t want to leave Jordan. Finally, I lifted my hand in the air and waved awkwardly.
“See you then,” I said softly, forcing myself to turn on my heel and walk down the sidewalk. When I was a few feet away, I turned my head and blushed when I s
aw he was watching me leave. Idiot! I thought to myself.
When I got home, Jenna was sitting on the couch, watching TV. She perked up when she saw me.
“Hey,” I said, flashing her a big grin. “How are you?”
Jenna snorted. “Someone seems like she’s in a good mood,” she said airily. “I’m fine.” She shifted positions and threw a pillow at my head. When I darted to the side, the pillow flopped to the floor and I grabbed it, throwing it right back. Jenna burst out laughing and squealed, giggling as I jumped on the couch and tickled her sides with my hands.
“Oh my god, Laci,” Jenna gasped. “What the hell is the matter with you?”
Grinning, I pulled away. Now or never, I thought. “I have a date on Saturday,” I said.
Jenna smirked. “I knew it would be something like that,” she said. “I totally had a feeling.”
I rolled my eyes. “I bet you did,” I said, pushing her to the side and sitting down on the couch. “And no, you don’t get to meet him.”
“Is he cute?”
Jordan’s sexy dark eyes flashed across my mind. I couldn’t get over that heart-stopping grin, the way I practically melted every single time I saw him.
“I’m going to take that as a yes,” Jenna said.
“He’s really hot,” I said.
“I can’t believe it,” Jenna said dramatically. She reclined on the couch and kicked her feet up on the living room table. “My big sister is finally growing up.”
“Don’t start that with me.” I groaned.
“What, you figured I could finally handle the possibility of you dating?” Jenna snorted. “Believe me, Laci, I’ve been waiting for this to start for years. I think I can deal with it,” she added. “At least, if you let me date as well.”
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “You’re eighteen,” I pointed out. “And I assume you’re going to meet a lot of guys at college. Just no bringing anyone home at two in the morning.”
Jenna gave me an odd look and blinked.
“What?” I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t think that’s unreasonable,” I said. “I mean, plenty of people your age have boyfriends.”
Jenna snorted. “No, it’s not that.” She bit her lip. “It’s just, um, wow. You’ve really changed in the past couple of days, you know that?”
I frowned. “I don’t think that’s necessarily true,” I replied.
Jenna made her eyes wide. “Are you kidding me? It’s so true,” she replied. “You’ve gone from like, crazy uptight to super relaxed.”
I laughed shortly. “No, I haven’t.”
Jenna tossed her hair over one shoulder and shrugged. “Fine,” she said, climbing off the couch and walking into the kitchen. “Don’t believe me. That doesn’t make it any less true.”
Alone in the living room, I lay back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. For once, the din of our noisy upstairs neighbor didn’t bother me. All I could think about was Jordan – and how much fun I was going to have with him on Saturday night. Was there any truth to what Jenna had said? Was my excitement over Jordan responsible for making me loosen up when it came to my baby sister?
Or was I starting to learn that she was an adult – an adult who was more than capable of making her own decisions?
The week seemed to drag by. I spent as much time gossiping with Taylor at work as I could without ignoring my students. Taylor, who was much more experienced when it came to dating, was excited for me. But there was something she said on Friday afternoon that gave me pause.
“Look, Laci, he seems like a really nice guy,” Taylor said slowly as we were walking out of the staff room and into the hall at the end of the day.
I frowned. “I’m sensing there’s a ‘but’ there,” I said. “What is it?”
Taylor cleared her throat and looked embarrassed. “It’s probably nothing to worry about,” she said.
“What? Tell me?”
“You don’t think he’s…” Taylor trailed off. “Oh, forget it. It’s silly.”
I rolled my eyes. “Now you have to tell me,” I said. “Come on, you know you can’t do that.”
Taylor flushed. “Fine,” she said. “it’s just…don’t you think it was just a little too perfect?”
“What?” I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, the fact that he jumped in to save you when that other guy attacked you,” Taylor said. “And the fact that you went back to the spot and saw him there.”
“Well, he wasn’t right there,” I said. “And I wanted to see him.”
“You’re right,” Taylor said. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything. I’ve just never seen you get so excited about a guy before, Laci. I want to make sure things are okay.”
“Things are fine,” I said firmly. “And I know I’m going to have a really great time with him tomorrow.”
“Then that’s all that counts,” Taylor said. She smiled, but I could tell it was forced.
I left school that afternoon with a bad taste in my mouth. I didn’t want Taylor to be right – was it possible that she was jealous? After all, I’d always been the quiet friend, the “girl-next-door” type. Whenever Taylor and I went out to happy hours, guys were all over her like moths to a candle. They’d always ignored me in favor of her big bright smile and obvious cleavage.
Now you’re the one being ridiculous, I told myself, shaking my head as if to brush the feeling off like droplets of water. And Taylor’s always said she’d never let a guy get between our friendship.
I stayed in with Jenna that night, watching mindless movies and eating microwaved popcorn straight from the bag. Jenna kept asking questions about Jordan and I found that they were getting harder and harder to deflect. It wasn’t just that my sister was insistent – which of course, she was – it was that I genuinely wanted to talk about him. I was happy thinking about him all the time.
And that was beginning to scare me.
At eight-twenty-five on Saturday night, I walked into the flashy, new Italian restaurant Jordan had recommended. It was crowded – the waiting area was completely filled with couples – and for a heart-stopping moment, I wondered if Jordan was going to stand me up. But then I felt a firm hand on my lower back and I shivered.
“Hello,” Jordan said in a low growl. He stepped in front of me and smirked. “You look good enough to eat.”
I flushed. I’d borrowed a dress from Jenna – it was shorter than anything I’d worn in years – and Jordan leaned down to kiss my cheek. His chin and jaw were covered with dark stubble that brushed against my skin and made me shiver. I wonder what it would be like to kiss him, to throw myself in his arms and pull him close, I thought, glad the lighting was dim so Jordan wouldn’t see my bright red cheeks.
“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I said. It was true. Jordan was wearing pants of an expensive, grey material and a bright white button-down shirt that made his skin look golden and tanned. His close-cropped hair made his dark brown eyes look intense and deep, and I could see the faintest trace of black ink on his chest where the top button of his shirt was undone.
“You have tattoos?”
Jordan smirked. “There’s a lot I’ve got, baby,” he said.
I felt weak in the knees as Jordan took my hand and confidently pushed through the crowd to the hostess stand. The hostess was a pretty girl in her late teens, and when she saw Jordan she practically started drooling. I felt a hot rush of possessiveness flood my body.
“Hello,” the hostess said, beaming at Jordan. “Do you have a reservation?”
“Two for West at eight-thirty,” Jordan said.
The hostess looked down at her book and frowned. “Sir, I’m sorry – we just gave that table away.”
“What?” Jordan narrowed his eyes. He glanced down at his watch. “It’s eight-twenty-nine!”
“And our policy requires all guests to check in fifteen minutes before their scheduled time,” the girl said. She batted her eyelashes at Jordan.
“Tha
t’s bullshit,” Jordan said. “You’re going to seat us, right now.” He leaned over the podium. “I don’t care what it takes.”
My heart fluttered with excitement as Jordan spoke. I knew it was wrong – Jordan was basically threatening a girl who had the power to kick us out entirely – but I couldn’t deny that it was a turn-on. I felt my lower belly grow warm and heated and the space between my legs grew wet as Jordan leaned in close.
The girl stammered and flushed. “Um, sir, I really don’t think I can—”
“Now,” Jordan growled in a low voice that sent chills down my spine. “Or else I’ll make sure this place shutters in a week.”
The girl’s eyes went wide and she nodded. “Yes, sir, very well.” She grabbed two leather menus and gestured for us to follow behind her.
“Wow,” I whispered to Jordan, stretching up on my tiptoes. “I can’t believe you did that.”
Jordan gave me a lazy grin. “Baby, sometimes you’ve just gotta know when not to quit,” he said. He winked at me and I blushed.
“Here we are,” the hostess said. She was back to her usual chipper self as she handed the menus to Jordan and I. Glancing around, I saw that we were in what was clearly the best table in the restaurant – a cozy corner booth with high backs that made it look private and intimate.
“Thank you,” Jordan said. There was no hint of danger or malice in his voice now and I watched as he smoothly took a crisp twenty-dollar bill from his wallet and passed it to the hostess. She scurried away and Jordan and I slid into the booth.
The Secret: A billionaire romance Page 4
