I’m not going to be around something that would tempt me.” Especially with you attached to my side. It had taken her almost two hours of searching the internet to find that dive where she met Jack.
Jack pushed through one last door. “I know. That’s why we’re taking the service elevator.”
Chapter Five
J ack kept her in his arms until they were at the door to her suite. She took her keycard out of her pocket with a shaky hand. Jack took it from her and swiped it in the lock. “We’re safe now. What do you need me to do, Kamaria?”
She relished having a moment where someone else took charge. She may have argued otherwise when he first came upon her with security, but that had just been her pride talking. Jack had “rescued” her then and he was doing it again now.
“Tell me what you need, baby girl.”
She slid down his body until she was standing on her feet. What did she need? She needed him. But no… “I, uh, just need a few moments to process what happened.”
“I can do that.” He held out his hand to her. “Come with me.”
She took his hand without hesitation. Those three words together could mean so many things. They could mean something as simple as coming inside the room or allude to a promise of more to come. But from what she’d seen so far, Jack wasn’t one to hide his emotions. So she knew she could literally take his invitation at face value. And, right now, his face told her he was simply being a gentleman.
She had no good reason to be nervous. He wasn’t leading her to a seduction. He wasn’t some random hot guy she picked up at a bar anymore. Her emotions weren’t cloaked by the fog of alcohol. He was Jack. This man had her on the verge of breaking her most basic rule regarding men within the first twenty-four hours of knowing her: don’t get caught up. But, more and more, she found herself wanting more from this man than just sex. She did not need any reason to linger in Vegas past Sunday, nor a reason tempting her to return. But…
She tightened her grip around Jack’s hand like the emotional anchor it was. It wasn’t the fact that he was assigned to be her babysitter that kept her out of the casino. It was him . His mere presence made her feel like she might be not only good enough, but strong enough to kick her gambling habit for good. He made her want to be a better person.
“Have a seat.” He guided her toward the loveseat. After settling her on the couch, he stepped back, took off his suit jacket and laid it over the arm. “I’ll be right back.”
He went into the bathroom without another word.
She could hear Jack puttering around. She assumed he was throwing some water on his face to give himself a moment to compose himself. That mob downstairs had been intense. It wasn’t like he had anticipated being stuck on a babysitting detail requiring mob control when he reported to work this morning.
Kamaria was grateful to have this moment of quiet. She leaned back and closed her eyes. And tried not to think about how this could be an everyday scene of domestic bliss for them one day. Conflict sold books, not depictions of the actual “happily ever after.”
Her brief semi-solitude was broken by the sound of running water. She flicked one eye open. He must be one of the uber neat freaks, she mused. The type to obsessively wash if he even broke out into a single bead of sweat. Kamaria sucked her teeth. Finally! Something to make Mr. Jack Alderisi a little less perfect.
The next thing she knew Jack was gently pulling on her hand. “Come on. I have a surprise for you.”
“Does this surprise have anything to do with the water I heard running?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Jack’s mouth quirked into a mysterious smile. A flash of them naked and intertwined in the shower overtook Kamaria’s imagination. The side of her face pressed against the cool tile as Jack slid into her from behind. She stumbled over an imaginary pucker in the rug. Jack’s
Jack pushed through one last door. “I know. That’s why we’re taking the service elevator.”
Chapter Five
J ack kept her in his arms until they were at the door to her suite. She took her keycard out of her pocket with a shaky hand. Jack took it from her and swiped it in the lock. “We’re safe now. What do you need me to do, Kamaria?”
She relished having a moment where someone else took charge. She may have argued otherwise when he first came upon her with security, but that had just been her pride talking. Jack had “rescued” her then and he was doing it again now.
“Tell me what you need, baby girl.”
She slid down his body until she was standing on her feet. What did she need? She needed him. But no… “I, uh, just need a few moments to process what happened.”
“I can do that.” He held out his hand to her. “Come with me.”
She took his hand without hesitation. Those three words together could mean so many things. They could mean something as simple as coming inside the room or allude to a promise of more to come. But from what she’d seen so far, Jack wasn’t one to hide his emotions. So she knew she could literally take his invitation at face value. And, right now, his face told her he was simply being a gentleman.
She had no good reason to be nervous. He wasn’t leading her to a seduction. He wasn’t some random hot guy she picked up at a bar anymore. Her emotions weren’t cloaked by the fog of alcohol. He was Jack. This man had her on the verge of breaking her most basic rule regarding men within the first twenty-four hours of knowing her: don’t get caught up. But, more and more, she found herself wanting more from this man than just sex. She did not need any reason to linger in Vegas past Sunday, nor a reason tempting her to return. But…
She tightened her grip around Jack’s hand like the emotional anchor it was. It wasn’t the fact that he was assigned to be her babysitter that kept her out of the casino. It was him . His mere presence made her feel like she might be not only good enough, but strong enough to kick her gambling habit for good. He made her want to be a better person.
“Have a seat.” He guided her toward the loveseat. After settling her on the couch, he stepped back, took off his suit jacket and laid it over the arm. “I’ll be right back.”
He went into the bathroom without another word.
She could hear Jack puttering around. She assumed he was throwing some water on his face to give himself a moment to compose himself. That mob downstairs had been intense. It wasn’t like he had anticipated being stuck on a babysitting detail requiring mob control when he reported to work this morning.
Kamaria was grateful to have this moment of quiet. She leaned back and closed her eyes. And tried not to think about how this could be an everyday scene of domestic bliss for them one day. Conflict sold books, not depictions of the actual “happily ever after.”
Her brief semi-solitude was broken by the sound of running water. She flicked one eye open. He must be one of the uber neat freaks, she mused. The type to obsessively wash if he even broke out into a single bead of sweat. Kamaria sucked her teeth. Finally! Something to make Mr. Jack Alderisi a little less perfect.
The next thing she knew Jack was gently pulling on her hand. “Come on. I have a surprise for you.”
“Does this surprise have anything to do with the water I heard running?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Jack’s mouth quirked into a mysterious smile. A flash of them naked and intertwined in the shower overtook Kamaria’s imagination. The side of her face pressed against the cool tile as Jack slid into her from behind. She stumbled over an imaginary pucker in the rug. Jack’s
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