Page 12 of Entice

“The small, green SUV over there.” She was parked at the end of the lot.

“Okay, follow me. It won’t take us long.” He watched her move to her vehicle and get in before he got into his own. He’d have to make sure she got a spot closer to his. He didn’t like that she parked in the back of the lot where there wasn’t a lot of light. It was January and dark by four-thirty.

He started his SUV and backed out. When he glanced in his rear view mirror, she was right behind him. On the way home, he called in a pizza order to be delivered.

He kept glancing in his rear view mirror to make sure Crystal was still behind him. She was. When they stopped at a red light, he could see her frowning. The area they were in was residential with no restaurants. He hadn’t said anything about eating at his house, probably because he didn’t want her to refuse.

But damn, the argument could be made he’d lied by omission. If she wanted to go to a restaurant, they’d go. He wanted to know what happened in the office from her perspective—because he was sure he had an email from Kendra about it—and what questions she had. Both conversations were best done in private. He made a left and then a right before turning into his driveway.

He began to relax as his small home came into view, and a sense of peace invaded him. He’d been lucky to score this house. He didn’t like apartment living, and it was close enough he didn’t have a long drive to the club.

Jordan parked, got out, and waited for Crystal to park. “Where are we?” she asked as she stepped out of her car, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

“My house.”

“Jordan.”

He held up his hand. “I should have said something before we left the office. I’m sorry. I blame my tired and hungry brain. Also, we need privacy if we’re going to talk about the case.”

She nodded. “We could have gone into one of the conference rooms and ordered food to be delivered.”

“Agreed, we could have.” He sighed. “My mistake. If you want, we can go back to the office.” His shoulders slumped a bit.

“Okay, you’re off the hook. But this is a one-time pass.”

He smiled. “Thank you. I ordered pizza. It should be here in fifteen minutes.” He cupped her elbow and walked to the front door.

“Sure of me, were you?”

“Hopeful, besides I could always eat the pizza tomorrow.”

Inside, he shut off the alarm.

“Come on.” He guided her into the family room. “Make yourself comfortable. If you don’t mind, I want to go change out of my court clothes.”

“All right.” Her voice was soft as she looked around the room. Jordan turned and jogged to his bedroom, hoping she wouldn’t run for the door while he was gone.

* * * *

Crystal hadn’t expected this at all. When Jordan said dinner, she pictured someplace in town, not his home. Her stomach twisted itself around. She was alone with him.

Needing a distraction, she wandered around. His home was another surprise. She’d figured he had one of those new loft apartments, but no. Instead, they were in an older residential area of Pleasant Valley, an area she’d been scoping out for a house of her own.

Jordan’s home was one of the old-fashioned log cabin types. The family room had a vaulted ceiling with beautiful exposed beams. There was a light brown leather sofa and love seat, and what looked like a very well broken in recliner.

A large TV was mounted on the wall. Crystal turned around slowly. Tall windows let in natural light, except it was dark now, but she’d bet, during summer, the room was awash with light.

She spied the entrance to the kitchen and the hallway Jordan had gone down to go change. Setting her bag next to the sofa, Crystal slipped off her shoes and sank onto the cushions.

The butter soft leather cupped her body. Ah, this was heaven. She hadn’t realized how tired she was. It had been a while since she’d put in a full day at an office. With a sigh, she leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. She should be mad Jordan didn’t tell her they were going to his home for dinner. He was right. They needed total privacy for this discussion. She wished he’d told her before they left the office.

She jumped when she heard footsteps. Sitting up straight, she brushed her hands down her shirt.

“I’m a bad host. What would you like to drink?” He strode through the family room to the kitchen and flipped on the light.

Crystal’s mouth dried out. Jordan in a suit was one thing, but in sweats and a Washington State t-shirt, her mind went right into the gutter. The t-shirt molded to his chest and showed off his toned arms. His sweats, while a little loose, didn’t hide his fine ass. He looked deliciously lickable.

“I have beer, wine, soda, and water,” he called out from the kitchen. “What’s your poison?”

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