Page 52 of Cocky Nerd
When I openthe bathroom door, I nearly scream, because John is in the bedroom, and I had no idea he had returned. He didn’t let me know. He’s already dressed in his tuxedo. He shuts the closet door and turns around. I lean against the doorframe, trying to look as casual as possible in fake eyelashes and the most expensive dress and shoes I’ve everowned.
I completely forget my plan to look boner-inducing, because he is so handsome in a tux that I also forget to breathe and stand up straight. My spine has instantly dissolved. I haven’t felt butterflies in my stomach since I was about eight, and they were always ballet-related. I have to hold onto the doorframe forsupport.
I barely even register the look on John’s beautiful face. It’s somewhere between ravenous and awe-inspired and I suddenly feel self-conscious. Me. He walks towards me, slowly, his head slightly lowered, eyes wide, like he’s approaching a wild horse. I would move towards him too, but I don’t trust myself to walk justyet.
He holds his hands out over my dress, hovering about two inches away from my body, his hands following my curves without touching them. I swear I can feel him touching me, even when I see the space betweenus.
“Can I touch?” hewhispers.
I nod myhead.
He runs his fingers down the gathered straps at the front of my dress. They form a V from my shoulders to the center of my cleavage. I shudder and he lingers there for a few seconds before gently stroking my straight hair, and then pushing it all to one side over my shoulder, stepping behind me and running his fingers down the exposed side of my neck and across my bare upper back. I let out a loudsigh.
“You smell incredible,” he says. “What isit?”
“Chanel.” My voice is husky as usual, but weak. “I wear it on specialoccasions.”
He stands behind me, lowers his face into the back of my neck, and inhales. “God. I don’t know how I’m going to get through thenight.”
He steps back in front of me and I place my hand flat on his chest, slipping it between his jacket and shirt. “If it makes you feel any better, I think I’ve forgotten how towalk.”
He smiles and holds out his arm for me to take it. “Come sit on the bed, I have something for you.” He leads me to the bed and I sit down very carefully. He drags his hand down my left arm, then slides his hand into his pocket, pulling out a slender and delicate diamond bangle bracelet. He takes a seat next tome.
“John, it’s so pretty.” Pretty is almost a ridiculous word for it. It probably cost thousands. But it is. It’s so pretty. I’m not a big jewelry person, but I have no qualms about wearing this feminine littlething.
He kisses the inside of my wrist, where my pulse races, before joining the clasp of the braceletthere.
“Thankyou.”
“We need to go,” he says, looking at his watch. “The driver will be downstairs.” His voice is no longer a seductive whisper, it’s a school principal’s sharporder.
Suddenly, I remember how to walk. I prefer to think that this is why he has suddenly and unceremoniously broken the spell—to help me get my head back in the game—but he just really likes to keep to his schedules, probably more than he likes touchingme.
So fine. Wego.
The Museumof Natural History is not very far from our hotel, but we take a hired limoanyway.
Even I can smell my heady perfume filling the back of the car, and I see that John is struggling to keep his thoughts on raising scholarship funds for women in the fields of science and technology, while simultaneously conquering hiserection.
I try to help him out by bringing up a non-sexy subject. “My parents want to know if we want to stay with them when we’re in Cleveland. I know Sanjay madereservations—”
“Yes.”
“Yes he madereservations?”
“Yes we should stay with your parents. I’d love that. If you wantto.”
“I do. But I should warn you—they just got a puppy. He sounds very…puppy-like.”
He screws up his face. “I like puppies. I think. I haven’t really been aroundmany.”
“Well, that’s justsad.”
He blinks. “Is it? It is, isn’t it. What about Monty? He said he’d try to make it to my fundraiser with hisgirlfriend.”
“Yeah, she said he insists on staying at a hotel. My parents haven’t met Katie yet, so, I guess he doesn’t want to overwhelmher.”
“Your parents aren’toverwhelming.”
