Page 80 of Make You Love Me
Plant a kiss on Jordan after all the friends talk? I can’t. It’s too soon, and things are going so well. What if he pushes me away? What if a kiss makes things awkward for the rest of the night? “We’re having fun, and I don’t want to ruin it.”
With a tsk, she shuffles past me and holds open the door. “Now,” she demands, ignoring my hesitation. “Stop wasting time.”
“Alright. I’m going. Thank you,” I say with more force than necessary, but the old woman has me on edge. She’s like a wise grandmother—warm and loving, tough and unwavering. One you don’t dare defy. She could make the most stubborn of souls crumble with a finger wave or stern glare. I would have loved to have a grandmother like her. Maybe I did. I just never had an opportunity to find out.
“Show him your heart,” she calls as I head back toward the restaurant. “And good luck.”
I watch her rock back and forth between her good leg and the one requiring a cane and wish I’d gotten her name.
“You missed the last race,” Jordan says as I approach the table. “And your beer’s warm again.”
“Don’t care.” Bending down, I take his face in my hands and plant a kiss on his lips before I could talk myself out of it. He surprises me by welcoming it instantly, parting our lips for more and squeezing the back of my thigh with a firm grip. I sigh into his mouth at his surrender before stepping back to lean against the adjacent rail. My legs are too weak to stand without support.
“What was that for?” he says breathlessly as he looks me over with wide, clouded eyes. God, I love it when he soaks me in like I’m the only woman in the world.
“I was following orders.”
“I like this person. Who is it?”
Ignoring the question I can’t answer and sound sane, I change the subject. “Did you win?”
He shakes his head, attempting to follow along with the incomprehensible conversation and new complication in our friends-only arrangement. “No. Tried your tactic. Didn’t work.”
“Darn. Ready to head to the casino?”
“Hell, yeah.”
I wave for the waiter, and after paying the bill, we follow the signs to the attached casino. The combined noise of bells, music, conversation, and excitement is almost as loud as the gaudy carpet and flashing lights coming from every direction. I don’t know which to shield first—my eyes or my ears. But I do neither since my hands are busy clutching the wheelchair handles and fighting the urge to run my hands down Jordan’s chest. He’s making me want things I can’t have in his sexy, white button-down shirt and black shorts.
We opted for slightly more than casual, and he’s pulling it off with minimum effort. I, in contrast, packed nothing to fit that description. After rummaging through my suitcase and trying on outfits for thirty minutes, I snagged a black, off the shoulder, cropped sweater from Josie’s closet to wear with my ripped skinny jeans and ankle boots. It’s giving off casual, sexy chic vibes and boosting my confidence whenever desirous male eyes glance my way. One set of navy eyes, in particular.
“Tables first?” I have to yell so Jordan can hear me.
“Sure.”
We make our way to the blackjack tables and claim two stools. A waitress in a short miniskirt and low-cut top stops by to flirt with Jordan. He relishes in the attention before calmly ordering two drinks.That’s right, my eyes say when she looks over his shoulder at me before stomping off.
“Did you order something she’ll have to hand-squeeze?” I joke when he leans on the edge of the slick wooden table. “She looks perturbed.”
“Nope. Just a beer and a glass of wine for you.”
“Well, she looked as though she wanted you all to herself.”
“Not tonight,” he says with a wink. “I have a bet to win.”
“I could have worn that dress tonight. All you had to do was ask.”
He stares at me, agitated that he hadn’t thought of that. “If I win, I plan to collect in New York and let the entire city know you’re—”
Stopping himself, he frowns.
Mine. Say it, I urge silently, but he collects the chips and first draw from the dealer.
“Damn,” he says after checking the cards.
With a smirk, I peek at mine and toss in a hefty bet.
Jordan folds immediately.
