Page 3 of Ghost of a Chance
He took her hand and did the same.A shiver of awareness spread up her arm at the touch of his tongue against her bare skin, tightening her nipples in a way that had her squirming in her seat.
They did another shot.As the tart lime wedge drowned the aftertaste of cheap tequila, she realized that she actuallylikedthis guy.He was fun.Just what she needed more of in her life.
Normally she hooked up with a guy in the hotel bar while on a book tour.An average bloke she’d never regret not seeing again.Jasper was fresh—a nice guy that she had more than off-the-charts chemistry with.Plus she was leaving in a day, so there was no way this could get complicated.
Three hours later the show was over and they were standing outside of the bar.She was drenched with sweat, slightly buzzed from a third round of shots, and feeling good in a way she hadn’t in a long time.
His blue eyes looked bright and fascinating as she stared up at him under the umbrella that he’d offered to share with her.It was September; she should have anticipated rain when she left her hotel, but really had just wanted to get to the concert so she’d have a good spot to see the band.
They were so close; his body heat kept her warm against the chill of the rain.Glancing up she couldn’t tear her eyes from his jaw and his full mouth.That lower lip of his caught her attention and there was no way she could look away.She licked her own lips without even thinking about it.
He groaned.
Going up on her tiptoes, she sucked his lip into her mouth as she’d been wanting to do for hours.
He groaned again.The sound reverberated through her body.
His free hand gripped her butt, pulling her closer, more fully into contact with him.He was warm and tasted of beer and tequila.Her ears were buzzing with the drums’ beat and lyrics from the Dead Boys’ last song, “Find Joy.”
Joy was one thing she didn’t really give much time to.There was writing and worrying about royalties and if she’d be paid on time.There was adulthood and figuring out what would happen next.And there was the anxiety that someday her fans would discover that she, unlike her famous heroine, couldn’t actually speak to ghosts.
But as Jasper’s tongue rubbed over hers…joy exploded through her fuzzy brain.
Her body buzzed with need.Desire consumed her as a car pulled up next to them.Jasper broke off the kiss and lifted his head.
“This one’s ours,” he said.
She got into the back seat, sliding all the way across.Once Jasper had the umbrella closed he draped one arm along the back of the seat, his fingers playing with a tendril of her hair that had come free, wrapping one of her curls around his finger while he cupped the back of her neck.
Then his mouth was on hers again.Jasper was tequila, joy and freedom.No responsibility or consequences.
Delicious.
They got out in front of a building that wasn’t her hotel.
“Where are we?”
“My place.I didn’t know your address,” he said, his arms around her waist.The rain had lightened up as they stood outside.“That okay?”
For a minute she hesitated.He was a stranger.A cute, racy one, granted.But a stranger all the same.
“I’m a decent dude.If you want to go somewhere else, the Uber will take you,” he said.“My mom raised me right.”
She wasn’t really worried about going with him.Her gut said this guy was okay, and frankly her body didn’t really care.It had been a long time since she’d been laid.And this hookup felt right.
“I’m good,” she said, kissing him again.
He let the Uber driver go and then took her hand, leading her into his building.It was a blur as they climbed up two flights of stairs.And then he opened his door.
* * *
The music of the night still floated through Jasper’s mind, but really, he couldn’t think of anything else but Kirsty.It had been too long since he’d brought a woman home.He didn’t dwell on the fact that there was still a chance things could go wrong tonight.
Instead the energy and primal need that had been coursing through him since they first locked eyes was in charge.
His apartment was neat-ish.There were dishes in the sink, but he wasn’t planning on taking her to the kitchen.His apartment was a mix of furniture his mom had given him and IKEA stuff.He wouldn’t say it had any style except for the corner where his record player, vinyl albums and an old recliner that had been his dad’s sat.
His dad had worked at a local hotel while he’d been studying to become a high school physics teacher, but his dream had been to be a science fiction writer.He’d been working part-time at a local hotel to try to pay his way through college, then when he graduated he’d pursue writing full-time.According to Jasper’s mom these albums were the soundtrack of that project he’d been working on when he died.
