Page 22 of Paging Doctor Grump

“Sure thing.”

As the waiter disappears into the crowd, I focus on Jessie with a grin. She laughs as she buries her face in her hands and shakes her head. My cheeks hurt from smiling as she looks back up at me, amusement dancing in her eyes.

“I cannot believe I just said that in front of him.”

I shrug a shoulder. “I don’t know, I thought it was pretty funny. But if we want to circle back to what kind of friend wants their friend to ride their face in a forest, I am very much that friend. Although, I wouldn’t say the forest part is necessary.”

Jessie rolls her eyes, the corner of her mouth twitching. “You’re unbelievable sometimes. You know that?”

“Thank you.” I lean forward and take her hand, running my thumb over the back of it. Out of my peripheral vision, I can see the waiter approaching with the pitcher of beer. “Back to the matter at hand though. If you want to ride my face again, it doesn’t have to be in the forest. I could think of several other locations.”

The waiter doesn’t look at either of us as he sets the pitcher and two glasses down on the table. Jessie’s mouth drops open before she stars laughing. The waiter hurries away like the hounds of hell are on his heels.

“You did that on purpose,” Jessie says as I pour her a glass of beer. “You know that the staff is going to be talking about us all night. I don’t know how I’m going to look that poor man in the eyes when he comes back with the wings.”

I push her glass of beer toward her and pour one for me. “I wouldn’t be too worried about looking him in the eyes. He’s probably going to be thinking about what it would be like to even get close enough to touch a woman like you.”

Jessie snorts and takes a sip of her beer. “You might be the biggest flirt I’ve ever met. Don’t you have any shame?”

“What’s the point in having shame when it makes you blush?” I sip the beer, hoping that it quenches some of the nerves coursing through me.

I might have gone out with a lot of women, but this feels different. Jessie knows things about me that no other woman has. I normally don’t let anybody close enough to tell them the things I’ve told her about my life.

She’s also the first woman I’ve spent this much time with. Quick relationships are easier. Less attachment, less risk of getting hurt.

“Are you going to spend the rest of the night flirting with me, or are we going to eat some wings?” Jessie leans back and crosses her arms, but there’s still a smile curving her lips.

“Maybe a little bit of both,” I say as our dinner arrives.

The way she looks at me makes me think she’s got other things in mind than just the wings. I can see the hesitation in her eyes though. She doesn’t know what she’s doing here, and if I’m being honest, neither do I.

Maybe inviting her out for drinks and wings was a bad idea.

Except, when I take another look at that smile, I can’t think of anything else I would rather be doing right now.

“You know, that was a surprisingly good night,” Jessie says as I walk with her through the falling snow. “Thank you for inviting me out. I’m a little disappointed though.”

My heart starts to race as I stop to face her. “What part disappointed you?”

She leans against the brick wall behind her, crossing her arms. “I thought I was going to find something else to bust your balls about. You gave me nothing.”

Amusement dances in her eyes as I lean closer to her. When her breath hitches, my gaze drops to her lips. Her arms fall away from her chest as she looks up at me.

“I’m sure you’ll find plenty of other ways to bust my balls if you try hard enough.”

I lean forward, bracing my forearms against the wall on either side of her head. She raises an eyebrow as her gaze connects with mine. Heat flows between us, igniting the otherwise cold night.

“What are we doing?” she asks, her voice raspy as my head dips closer to hers.

“Living in the moment.”

I close the distance between us, capturing her mouth in a kiss I don’t want to end. Jessie sighs into the kiss, her hands sliding up my chest. I press against her as I deepen the kiss, my tongue tangling with hers. She moans as her fingers sink into the hair at the nape of my neck.

I keep kissing her until we’re both breathless and need air. As I look down at her, I can’t imagine the night coming to an end. I need more time with her. There’s no way in hell that I’m ready to say goodnight just yet.

“Want to come back to my apartment?” I ask, my stomach tying itself into knots.

9

---