Page 33 of Unleashed

“Date appropriate?” She skipped ahead, twirling around to face me and skip backwards. Her hair bounced around her shoulders, her tits wiggled beneath the little white scrap of nothing she wore and, best of all, her eyes shone with a mischievous glint. “I mean, thisisa date, right? With the one and only Jack Vignier?”

The corner of my lips kicked up into an almost smile. I’d never seen this teasing, flirty side of Sutton. I wanted to grab her hand and hold on tight. “This is a date.”

As we moved into the elevator, I tugged her into my side.

“Good thing.” She smirked up at me. “I’d have wasted a lot of effort otherwise.”

Her words soaked into my skin, warmed me from the inside out. “Effort, eh?”

“I didn’t bring ‘date appropriate’ clothes with me to Austin. I had to raid Adele’s closet.”

We exited the lift and made our way out to my truck. I opened her door and waited for her climb inside, before dragging the seatbelt into place across her slender frame. The action brought my face a breath away from hers. I lingered, savoring the skip in her breathing, the way her eyes darted down to my lips before focusing on mine again. Whatever she saw put a flush of color in her cheeks.

“Good haul,” I said, my voice gruff.

She blinked, and I could practically see the moment my comment clicked. She grinned. “You like my top.”

I flicked the thin ribbon over her shoulder. “Like what’s under it even more.”

Her fingers covered mine on the seatbelt, pushing until the mechanism snapped. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Mr. Vignier. First dates don’t come with the kind of bonus you’re thinking about.”

I grunted a laugh and backed out of her space. My lips still held a grin as I rounded the vehicle to take my place behind the wheel. “How you feel about some Austin barbecue?”

“I know this looks like I’m wearing a bib, but I am not.”

“I bet they have one you can use at the restaurant.”

“I shouldn’t admit things like that, should I? That I’m a sloppy barbecue eater? Not sexy at all.”

“I’ll be the judge of what’s sexy or not.”

Chapter Eleven

Lily

Hockey Rule #31: Stand up for your teammates

Media Rule #31: Throw anyone under the bus for a scoop

Jack’struckrumbledtoa stop, the familiar purr of the engine fading into the Texas night. Sweet jasmine drifted through his open window, mingling with fresh-cut grass and the promise of rain overnight. Our laughter as we compared notes of Riley’s latest puppy-dog antics in his pursuit of Adele died away, but warmth lingered in my chest.

I didn’t want my night with Jack to end.

Didn’t want to walk away from our bubble of barbecue and beer. And that? That terrified me more than any career setback ever had. But I’d gotten good at shoving down inconvenient truths lately. Tonight I’d be selfish. Bank these precious moments with Jack like a squirrel hoards acorns for the winter.

His hand rested on the gearshift, those strong fingers that could deliver brutal checks now relaxed against worn black leather. The same fingers that had “accidentally” brushed mine all through dinner, each touch lighting up my nerve endings like a nuclear power surge. My skin still hummed with the memory.

“I should probably let you get some rest.” His voice came low, gravelly, but he made no move to open his door. Just sat there watching me with those intense blue eyes I could stare into for hours.

I shifted in my seat to face him, my heart thundering against my ribs. Sodium lights painted shadows across his face, highlighting his killer cheekbones and the sharp line of his jaw. Dinner had melted a layer of his legendary intensity, revealing something warmer underneath.

Something addictive.

“Or...” The word stuck in my suddenly dry throat. I swallowed and tried again. “You could come up for coffee.”

His eyes darkened, turning midnight blue in the dim light. “Coffee.”

Heat bloomed in my chest. “Well, I do have coffee and I do own a coffeemaker, as you know.” I wet my lips, heating as his gaze tracked the movement. “But mostly I’m not ready to say goodnight.”

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