Something Great
Page 10

He wore beige casual pants and a black sweater that fit perfectly to the tone of his body. His hair was brushed to the side, showing his nice forehead. Whatever kind of cologne he had on made me want to dive right into his arms…maybe it wasn’t the cologne, but just him.
“Pretty cheesy, huh?” he chuckled.
I shyly giggled as I stared down at my shoes. What’s wrong with me? Answer him. “Umm…kind of,” I smiled as I peered up, only to have him take my breath away again.
“Sorry. I just had to say that. You looked so lost and vulnerable. Did you need some help?”
Great! To him I was just a lost puppy…lost and vulnerable. “I actually found what I was looking for.” I was staring into his eyes, melting, feeling myself sinking into him. Snap out of it!
“You certainly did,” he said with a playful tone.
Arching my brows in confusion, I thought about what I’d said. From his perspective, my words had been about him.
“We meet again, for the third time.”
He was counting?
“You left so abruptly at Café Express, I didn’t get to ask you for your name.”
“Umm…my name? Oh…my name is Jeanella Mefferd, but you can call me Jenna.”
Extending his hand, he waited for me. “I’m Maxwell. But you can call me Max.”
Nervously, I placed my hand in his to shake. It was strong, yet gentle…just right, and heat blazed through me from his touch.
“Are you here with someone?”
“Yes.” I looked away shyly.
“Are you lost? Do you need some help?”
“Actually, I was looking for the restroom. Since I didn’t know where it was I thought I’d ask the bartender, but I guess there isn’t one, and I’m on my way to the restroom.” I rambled nervously as I slowly pulled my hand back to point in the direction I meant to go. I had just realized we were holding hands during our short conversation. “So…I’d better go.”
“I’ll walk you there.”
What? “Oh…no need. I’m sure I won’t get lost.” Feeling the heat on my face again, I turned before he could say another word, but it didn’t matter what I had said. His hand was gently placed on my back, guiding me to the women’s room. I turned my back to the bathroom door to thank him, but he spoke first.
“I think this is my stop,” he muttered, looking straight at me. “I’m not wanted in there. What do you think?” He arched his brows, and his tone held a note of challenge.
Huh? He wants to go in with me? I gasped silently, as I was still lost in his eyes. “I think the women in there will throw themselves at you.” I couldn’t believe I’d said those words. I couldn’t take it back. What was I doing, flirting with him?
He seemed to like what he heard. His arms reached out, his muscles flexing as he placed one on each side of me on the wall. With nowhere to go, I was trapped inside the bubble of his arms. He leaned down toward the left side of my face and brushed my hair with his cheek. “You smell…delicious,” he whispered. His hot breath shot tingles to places I hadn’t expected them.
Out of nervousness and habit, my left index finger flew inside my mouth. Max gave a crooked, naughty grin and slowly took my hand out of my mouth. “Did you know that biting one’s finger is an indication one is sexually deprived?” His words came out slowly, playfully, but hot. “I can fix that for you, if you’d like.”
He did not just say that to me! I parted my lips for a good comeback, but I couldn’t find one. Feeling my chest rise and fall quickly, I tried to control the heated desire. Sure, he’d helped me once, but that didn’t mean we were friends, or flirting buddies, or that I would allow him to fix my sexual deprivation. Oh God…can guys tell if you haven’t done it in a very long time? This had to stop or else…oh dear…I wanted to take him with me into the restroom.
Needing to put a stop to the heat, I placed my hand on his chest… big mistake. Touching him made the heat worse, and tingles that were already intensifying burst through every inch of me. I had to push him away.
As if he knew what I meant to do, he pulled back, but his eyes did the talking instead. There was no need for words; I felt his hard stare on my body, as if he was undressing me with his gorgeous eyes. His gaze was powerful, as if his eyes were hands; I felt them all over me, completely unraveling me.
Just when I thought I was going to faint, his eyes shifted to mine again. “It was really nice to meet you, Jenna. I’m sure we’ll see each other again, real soon. I better let you go. Your someone must be waiting for you. By the way….” There was a pause as he charmed me with his eyes again. “You…took my breath away. If I were your someone, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight for even a second, because someone like me will surely try to whisk you away.” He winked and left.
Oh no…don’t ever wink again. That wink made me shiver even more, let alone his words. I pushed the door with my behind without thinking. Thank goodness there was no one by the door, or I would have knocked a stranger over with the force of my push. Max was right. How long had I been away, but did Luke even care? Oh no…what if he came to find me and he saw…oh no! I quickly took care of business and headed back toward our table.
Wiping Max and his words out of my head, I had to think of an excuse. What would I say if he saw us? How could I explain? Anxiety was rising to the surface, and so was my blood pressure. Just as I turned the corner to our table, I saw that another couple had been seated next to us. I gazed around the room, a little upset. Why would they seat another couple next to us when there were other empty tables around us? I didn’t understand.