Page 12 of A Heart Worth Finding
He felt more than heard her gasp when she bumped into him, and when she tilted her head back to check him out, her look ofindignation quickly became one of excitement and, dare he say…want? She looked at him like a snack she wanted to consume.
Jack didn’t understand a single word of the song that blasted from the massive speakers hanging from the ceiling, but instinctively, his body knew how to sway side to side to the beat. The girl backed her ass into his crotch and took control, and Jack could do nothing but settle his hands tighter on her hips and grind with her
One song melted into the next, and the next, until Jack was so parched he had to disentangle himself from the girl—whose arms were wrapped around his neck, her fingers scraping at his nape—and head back to the bar for a drink.
As he weaved through the crowd, it was impossible not to bump into bodies as he carved his path in search of hydration, but when he collided—hard—with someone, it was enough that he staggered a step and threw his arms out to steady them both.
“I’m so sorry—” the girl started, then cut off when her gaze collided with Jack’s.
Jessica.
Even in the dim lights, he didn’t miss the angry set to her mouth or the sheen in her eyes he somehow knew had nothing to do with alcohol.
“What happened?” he asked.
“How do you know something happened?”
“You just ran into me with enough force to knock a college linebacker on his ass, and your whole face sayspissed off.”
Jessica choked on a laugh, then fell into Jack when someone bumped into her from behind. He gripped her gently by the elbow and steered her to the bar, ordering two shots of tequila.
“I shouldn’t even be mad,” she said while they waited for their drinks. “And I’m actually mostly mad at myself for even being bothered by it.”
“What happened?” he asked again.
“Joe,” she said with a sigh and a wave of her hand. “Some girl threw herself at him, and he started making out with her right in front of me.”
She glanced back over her shoulder, and even through the crowd, Jack’s gaze zeroed in on the man in question. Joe sat in a plush armchair in one of the roped off VIP sections, a girl in a silver-sequined dress perched on his lap, his hands grabbing fistfuls of her ass as they consumed each other with their mouths.
Without making the conscious decision to do so, Jack stepped in their direction, but was halted by Jessica’s hand on his forearm.
“He’s not worth it,” she said quietly, and Jack nodded.
When the bartender arrived with their shots, Jessica wasted no time in licking the backside of her hand and sprinkling it with salt, then picking up a lime wedge in one hand and the glass in the other.
She looked at Jack expectantly.
He hurriedly followed suit, and before downing their shots, Jessica clinked hers against his and said, “To Mexico.”
Jack echoed her sentiment, but before he could tip the liquor back, Jessica gripped his hand and licked the salt from his skin, then downed her own. Not wanting to be upstaged, he mimicked her, sweeping the salt from her skin with one quick pass of his tongue before throwing the shot back. It scorched a path to his stomach, a sensation he was quickly growing accustomed to after only two days in Cancun.
Jessica shoved her lime between his teeth, and he returned the favor. Once she withdrew enough juice, she dropped it into her shot glass and set it on the bar, then turned a wide, self-satisfied grin on Jack, leisurely licking the lingering juice from her lips.
Jack’s eyes grew to the size of golf balls, and Jessica chuckled softly.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” he said.
“Huh?” Jessica asked, and Jack laughed.
“I’m sorry I was such a dick during the volleyball game. I’m an athlete, you know? It’s not an excuse, but I’m really competitive. I hate to lose.”
Jessica waved her hand. “It’s fine,” she said. “You can’t spell ‘jackass’ without ‘Jack,’ right?”
Okay, he deserved that, and he told her so.
Conversation halted while they ordered fresh drinks—Jack another beer, Jessica some fruity concoction she’d already consumed a few of if the unnatural red stain on her lips was any indication.
The bartender returned, and Jessica quickly sucked up some of her drink. Jack’s gaze focused on the way her lips wrapped around those flimsy straws. When she let them go, a bead of liquor clung to her full bottom lip, and Jack fought the urge to bring her mouth to his and kiss it away, to suck that lip into his mouth.
