Page 58 of Forever and Other Lies

“You also have a smart mouth, and you take pleasure in showing up men.”

“What? How?”

“At playing pool, cards, drinking, telling dirty jokes.” Jessica raised a finger for each item she listed.

“Okay, okay. It’s just so much fun to beat them at their own game.”

“Men don’t like that.”

“My perfect guy would,” Jayna said wistfully and immediately frowned.

“If Lance was your perfect guy, then none of this would be necessary,” Jessica spoke softly again.

“Ah, BUT,” Jayna’s mouth twisted into a sad smile. “There is no such thing as the perfect guy. Just close enough.”

“That, my friend, is just about the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.” Jessica shook her head, then sucked in a breath. Her hand raised, and she pointed. “Your window. I saw a face!”

“What?” Her back tensed and she spun around, staring at the bedroom window. No one was there.

She turned back around, her scalp tingling, goosebumps covering her arms. This wasn’t the first time she had the sensation of being watched. “No one is there, Jess.”

“I swear I saw a face,” Jessica let out a nervous chuckle. “Guess it was just a shadow or the monitor playing tricks on my eyes.”

“Okay, I better finish getting ready. You’re sure about the second dress?”

“It’s a showstopper,” Jess told her, and then her face grew serious again. “Please be careful.”

“I will.” She hit the disconnect and sat for a moment, staring at the window. Had Jess’s warning been about Derek, or the possibility that someone was watching her? She stood and walked to the window, pulling the curtains shut.

Be careful. She swallowed hard and rushed to shower before Derek showed up at her front door.

Chapter 28

Derek swallowed hard. Jayna stood with a towel wrapped around her head and a second around her midsection.

“Do you always open the door without clothes?” he grumbled. The intense frown on his face was more about the immediate, unwanted attraction that surged through him than about caring how she answered her front door. “I could have been a degenerate stalker.”

“Could have been?” she snorted, holding open the door for him to enter. “You’re early.”

“I’m right on time.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “Seven on the dot.”

Jayna looked over her shoulder at the oversized clock on the wall above the console table. “Shit. You should get used to the fact that I am never on time.”

He didn’t want to get used to any of it. Of course, the most annoying woman on the planet would also be chronically late. He prided himself on being punctual and had zero tolerance for tardiness. What the hell? Tardiness? He sounded like his father or his uptight older brother.

“Wow, Derek, who knew you owned a tie, let alone knew how to tie one?” She reached out and grabbed the lapel on his tux jacket. “Is this made out of boyfriend material? Because you look halfway presentable.”

“No, it is not! And I can look presentable.” This woman!!

“Make yourself at home,” she laughed and waved toward the living room just off the front hall. “I’ll hurry, I promise.”

“Be sure you do. I, unlike you, am never late,” he snarled and wandered into the inviting room.

He sat on the overstuffed sofa, more like sank into it. This was a cozy home. He liked the stone fireplace and the neutral décor. It was layers of texture with soft creams and whites along with wood tones mixed in. It was soothing and shocking. Jayna was ‘Ritchie Rich’ rich, and this understated small home was not what he’d expected. He’d pictured her in a McMansion with ultra-modern designer furniture and priceless artwork, not a home that felt like a warm hug.

Fifteen minutes later, Jayna appeared in front of him, and he swallowed hard again. The gown she wore was floor length. The black silk looked fluid, flowing down her body, accentuating every curve. His eyes slowly descended, taking in every inch of the strapless gown, starting at the plunging sweetheart neckline that barely contained her ample cleavage. He paused at her impossibly small waist that flared into curvaceous hips. There was a slit on the right side that stopped mid-thigh, exposing a leg that was endlessly long.

Jayna was breathtaking. He almost told her that she was worth the wait. Worth making him late. But he caught himself, a frown replacing the instant smile that had formed.

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