Page 11 of Alluring

"A romantic? Maybe. But hopeless? Never. I will always have hope."

CHAPTER FIVE

As soon as Alexis hung up the phone, it rang again. Thinking it was Steph, forgetting to tell her something, she answered without looking at the screen. "What did you forget now?" Alexis asked, with a laugh. Silence greeted her, and she thought she dropped the call. "Steph?"

"I'm relieved to know you were talking to a woman and not a man."

"Who is this?" Alexis asked, though she knew exactly who it was.

"I liked the sound of that. I've never heard it before."

"What?" Alexis's hand tightened on the phone, and her heart rate picked up speed at the sound of his gravelly voice.

"Your laugh."

She sighed into the phone. "Why are you calling me, Jack?"

"I'm calling to see if you've changed your mind about dinner."

"I've already eaten."

"How about tomorrow?"

"I'm working."

"Not tomorrow night."

"How do you know that?"

"You told me, remember. I'll pick you up at seven."

"I don't even get home until six-thirty. I can't be ready by then." Oh God, what did she just say? Did she just agree to a date?

Jack chuckled, noting her slip. "Eight then. Dress casual."

He hung up before she could respond. She went into her call log to call him back, tell him she wouldn't go out with him, but the last call that came through was a blocked number. She threw her phone down on the bed and laid down snuggling into her pillow. Just one date. That's all he would get. Then her life could go back to normal. Work. Eat. Sleep. Boring but safe. Her head and her heart agreed. Boring but safe was best.

Jack stood in front of Alexis's door at exactly eight o'clock the following night. Wow, he was gorgeous, she thought as she admired him from her doorway. He wore dark jeans with a black button-up shirt, untucked with the sleeves rolled up, and black boots. His light-brown hair fell in unruly waves around his face that bore a five o'clock shadow and a rakish grin.

"You look ... exquisite." His green eyes devoured her from head to toe.

Alexis liked the outfit she decided on, dark pink skinny jeans with a short sleeve black sweater and open-toed black pumps. She'd wrangled her curls into a messy bun, leaving a few to hang around her face and neck. She added some blush and mascara to her standard red lipstick (not that she was trying to impress anyone) and called herself done.

She felt her cheeks grow warm at his intense stare. "Thank you. You look," Alexis waved her arm up and down to indicate his whole body, "beautiful as always."

Jack raised both brows in surprise. "No one's called me beautiful before."

Alexis felt her face growing warmer. God, she felt like an idiot. She tried to explain herself. "Handsome didn't seem a strong enough word."

Jack leaned in close, brushing his lips lightly across her cheek. He took her keys from her hand, shut her door, and locked it before returning them to her. He took her by the elbow. "Come on, let's go eat," he said, leading her to his car.

They reached the parking lot, and Jack angled them to a black Range Rover parked in the corner. Her step faltered then slowed. She expected him to drive some flashy sports car. She was pleasantly surprised that he didn't.

"What?" Jack asked, when he noticed her hesitancy.

Alexis shook her head. "Nothing really, I'm just surprised. I was expecting some over priced, ego inducing sports car. You know the kind that can go about a million m.p.h. which is a total waste, seeing as, on average, you can only go about thirty down the strip."

Jack tipped his head back and laughed. Alexis enjoyed the view. He righted his head and looked at her with eyes still sparking with merriment. "So, I take it, you like my ride?"

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