Page 5 of Bounced Into Love

Ishould’ve known better than to think that a guy like him would really be interested in me. It wasn’t like I thought I was hideously awful or anything like that. But I tended to be a tad awkward, and I was definitely out of place in a club like Ice. It was owned by a former hockey star, filled with female employees who looked like they used to be models, and the guys seemed like jocks who could be on underwear ads. Jaxson was no exception, but I was just…me. The girl who’d been two years younger than everyone else in school. The one who’d been too shy to even think about asking anyone out. Who’d ended up getting her bachelor’s degree in three years instead of four and started her first job three months ago with her master’s degree in hand when she was barely twenty-one.

“C’mon, my little angel.” Jaxson’s low voice pulled me out of my inner thoughts. My eyes popped open, and I saw his pale green eyes burning into mine. “Whatever you’re thinking that has that look on your beautiful face, you need to get it out of your head because you’re wrong.”

“But what if I’m right?”

“You’re not,” he insisted.

“How do you know?”

“Because the light in your pretty blue eyes dimmed in a way that made it clear you think my reason for not making my move sooner had to do with something that’s wrong with you.”

My inability to hide what I was feeling was only one of the roots of my awkwardness. “And that’s not why it took you five weeks to approach me?”

“Not even for a second.” He leaned a few more inches closer as his green eyes darkened a shade. “My hesitation was all about my baggage and not wanting to bring it into your life.”

I wasn’t sure how bad his past was, but there was one thing of which I was certain. “Everyone has baggage.”

“But some people’s is worse than others.”

I felt like I was a lot tougher than I looked—which admittedly wasn’t hard considering I was a tiny red-head people tended to underestimate. “I get that, but how about you let me be the judge of what I can handle?”

I watched with fascination as a muscle in his jaw jumped before he answered, “I can do that.”

I took another sip of my drink for courage. When I realized I’d already downed more than half of the glass, I pushed it towards the center of the table. Being a lightweight, I knew that two drinks in one night were enough to make me more than a little tipsy. I didn’t want to drink too much because I wanted to remember every moment I spent with Jaxson. “I put myself out there and told you that I’ve been crushing on you. I think it’s your turn for some of that honesty you promised me. Maybe you could tell me one thing about that baggage you’re carrying around?”

“That’s fair.” He ran his fingers through his thick, dark hair and sighed. “Even though my bosses are aware of my past, I’d still prefer not to talk about it here. Any chance I can talk you into leaving with me?”

My cheeks filled with heat as I thought about all of the things I’d pictured him talking me into. Leaving the bar was nothing compared to some of the stuff that had already happened between us in my dreams.

Although it felt like I’d known him all that time, we’d really only just met tonight. We were basically strangers and if I was using my brain to make my decision, my answer should’ve been a resounding no. But that’s not what came out when I answered him. “Yes.”

My response chased away the shadows which had filled his green eyes. “Damn, I like the way that word sounds coming from these lips.” My heart almost stopped in my chest when he swiped his thumb across my bottom lip. When my tongue swept out to wet it afterwards, he groaned. “Why do I have the feeling you’re going to be far more dangerous than anything I’ve faced in my checkered past?”

“Who? Me?” I reared back in my seat and pointed at my chest, stunned because I’d never thought of myself that way. “You’ve got me all wrong. I’m the furthest thing from dangerous.”

“Although it comes in a tiny package, you pack one hell of a punch.” He slid out of the booth and turned towards me with his hand extended. “But don’t worry, I’m more than willing to take on your brand of danger.”

“Well, as long as you’re sure,” I laughed, shaking my head at his crazy talk while letting him help me up. “I guess if I’m the dangerous one, I don’t need to worry about leaving with you.”

His green eyes turned serious again as he swore, “You don’t need to worry about anything. Nothing’s going to happen to you with me around.”

I couldn’t recall the last time anyone other than a member of my family had looked out for me. Being the youngest kid in my class had made making friends difficult because there was such a big social gap between my peers and me.

Jaxson’s promise touched something inside me and accomplished the impossible—it made him even sexier. It also soothed any lingering doubts I had about leaving with him. “So where are you taking me?”

“I think the diner down the street is our best bet since it’s nearby and open twenty-four hours. If my boss says I can only take a short break, sticking close means I won’t have to worry about how long it’ll take for us to get somewhere else.”

I held back and tugged on is hand. “Oh, no! I didn’t even think about the fact that you’re supposed to be working right now. I don’t want you to get in trouble with your boss.”

“Don’t worry about Mark,” he chuckled. “Before I came over to your table, he was giving me a hard time about not making a move on you. He’s one of those guys who’s all loved up with his wife and wants everyone else to be as happy as they are.”

“It sounds like you have an...unusual relationship with your boss.” I thought about Mr. Crenshaw, the man who gave me my first job out of college. He seemed nice enough, but I couldn’t picture him ever giving me dating advice. “My boss and I get along okay, but he isn’t the kind of person who gets personal with his employees. He tends to be all business, all the time. But it makes sense since his dad owns the place, and he’s set to inherit it.”

“Good,” Jaxson grunted. “At least that’s one guy out there that I don’t have to worry about hitting on you.”

I burst into a fit of giggles at how ridiculous his grumbling was since I hadn’t been out on a date in basically forever. I barely had it under control when we reached the bar, and he tapped a dark-haired guy in a suit on the shoulder. The blonde sitting next to him turned at the same time he did, and she jumped out of her seat to give Jaxson a hug. It might’ve bothered me except the diamond ring on her finger and the swell of her belly made it obvious that she was taken. “Hey, stranger! I figured with you working at Ice that I’d see you more often, but it seems like you’re always super distracted when I’m here and we never get the chance to chat.”

Her gaze darted my way as the guy I was assuming was Jaxson’s boss tugged her back and flung an arm around her waist. “And now I see why.” She jabbed the dark-haired guy in the side. “You didn’t tell me that Jaxson had met someone.”

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