Texting Under the Influence. Cara Lockwood
open this,” she offered, taking the bottle to the kitchen.
“Let’s get some food first, lass,” Jack said, carefully taking the bottle out of her hands. “I know a twenty-four-hour pizza place. Crust to die for! Pepperoni, yeah?”
Confused, Jenna nodded. Jax would never stop to order pizza. He’d have had his way with her five times to Sunday by now. He never cared if she was drunk or not. Usually, she didn’t care either. She was too busy trying to get Jax’s clothes off. She’d thought it was sexy, that he couldn’t wait that he had to have her now, but maybe that was all wrong. Maybe he was just being self-centered.
Jack took care of ordering the pizza, paying over the phone with his credit card, and somewhere, in that little act of chivalry, Jenna lost it. The tears started flowing before she even knew she was crying.
“There, now, food will help...” Jack dropped the phone back in his pocket and glanced up, seeing her tears for the first time. “Feck sake, luv! What did I do?” Jack froze, looking scared. Of course he did. He was a guy, and she was crying! And she couldn’t stop. She blamed vodka. Seriously, no more vodka!
“I-I-I’m sorry. You’re just so nice. That’s all. The guy I thought I was meeting tonight would’ve never done that.”
“He wouldn’t order you pizza?” Jack look genuinely puzzled.
“Or brought me wine. Or cared how I was feeling.”
“Oh.” Jack seemed to understand. He whipped out a packet of tissues from his pocket and
offered her one. Was there nothing he wasn’t prepared for? She blew her nose into it, knowing she was mid-ugly cry, and waited for Jack to make an excuse to leave. This would’ve been Jax’s cue to exit. He didn’t do well with crying. Or with any real genuine emotion that wasn’t lust.
“Come here, then. Bring ’er here.” He opened his arms wide.
Jenna hesitated. She wanted nothing more than to jump into that big circle of warmth, but something gave her pause. The room dipped a little.
“I won’t fondle you, I promise. Gentleman’s word.” He nodded and she moved into his embrace, feeling silly. Her makeup was probably running halfway down her face. She sure didn’t feel sexy at the moment. His arms felt big and strong and safe, and she cried some more, into his shirt, before she realized she was leaking mascara.
“I’m sorry! Your sweater.” She sniffled, and swiped at her eyes with the crumpled-up tissue.
“I can get a new one.” He shrugged, unoffended. He whipped off the wool cardigan and revealed a plain T-shirt beneath that clung to his clearly defined chest. She found herself staring at it. She didn’t realized her boss worked out, since he mostly wore oxford button-downs to work, but clearly he did. You didn’t get biceps and pecs like that by sitting on your couch playing Xbox. “Why don’t we sit down? You can tell me all about that prize of a boyfriend of yours who starves you and doesn’t listen.”
Jenna barked a laugh, already feeling a little better. She sniffed and headed to the couch, swaying dangerously on her feet. Boy, she’d had far too much to drink. She slipped down into the soft cushions. Jack slid in next to her, his lithe, muscled frame unsettling. She couldn’t stop staring at his chest. Jenna’s weakness was there, the big, solid muscles that she could run her hands over. Jax had an amazing chest, she remembered, and those big, broad shoulders. Jack’s shoulders weren’t bad either. She wondered what it would feel like to grab them, run her hands down his arms.
She mentally shook herself. You’re not sleeping with your boss. This is embarrassing enough!
“You must think I’m a mess.”
“I’m relieved, actually, luv.” She could feel the warmth of his Irish brogue in the pit of her stomach. She sure could listen to him all night, she thought. Or like one of the admins at work said, they’d listen to him read the phone book. There was something to it. “You’re so cool and collected at work. Nothing ever flusters you. It’s good to see you’re human after all.”
“Things fluster me all the time!”
“You don’t show it.” Jack grinned, and Jenna felt suddenly shy. She was very aware of his leg, just six inches from hers on the couch. His shoulders seemed to fill up the space of her small condo living room.
“You never wilt under deadline pressure. Remember the Garner ad? You whipped up a new one in less than an hour without one complaint.”
“Graphic design is easy,” Jenna said. “Relationships are hard.”
Jack nodded, understanding. He crossed one ankle over his knee, his clear blue eyes fixed on hers. “Well, then. Tell me the worst. What’s up with this lad you’re dating?”
“We’re not dating. We broke up.”
“You broke up with a lad, but you’re going to feck him?” Jack tapped a finger on his knee, confused.
“I know how it sounds. It sounds bad, but it was just going to be this last time, and Jax was...”
“Jax? The man’s name is Jax? What? Is he a body spray?”
This caused Jenna to burst out laughing. “No!” she cried. “He played football, or used to. It was his nickname, I guess, from a long time ago.”
“I think you have the right to kick ’im to the curb based on name alone, luv.”
“Fair enough.” Jenna grinned.
“I get it.” Jack nodded sagely, rubbing the sexy scruff on his chin. “An ex you can’t quit, right? Like an addiction?”
“Exactly like one of those.” Jenna leaned forward for emphasis, and her silk robe gaped open. She was just sober enough to tuck herself back in. She noticed Jack’s gaze flick downward. “Yes, yes. That.”
“I had one like that. Back in Dublin.”
“You didn’t!” Jenna couldn’t imagine this man, who was so completely hot in so many ways, having a girl he couldn’t quit.
“My sister, Maeve, says I fall in love too easily, that I’m an easy mark for the wrong kind.” Jack leaned over, his T-shirt straining against the muscles in his chest. Jenna tried to focus on his face, but his piercing blue eyes were too wise and too... intense. The chest was safer. “Well, I fell in a love with a lass named Miranda, and I had it bad. I wanted to marry her, but she just wanted to feck about.” Sadness and regret passed across his face and Jenna felt like shaking Miranda. She knew exactly what it felt like to waste time on someone who was careless with her heart.
At that moment, Jenna realized that she and Jack had quite a lot in common. Horrible exes who didn’t appreciate them, for one thing.
“She was a fool,” Jenna said, leaning forward and touching Jack’s knee. The instant she did it, she realized she’d crossed some invisible barrier. Electricity snapped at the point of contact, and Jack seemed to feel it, too. He stared at her hand and then at her. She no longer cared if her robe gaped open, or if Jack saw her bra. What if... Naughty thoughts danced in her alcohol-addled brain. What if Jack was her rebound? Her logic fuzzy, she’d forgotten completely the problem about sleeping with her boss, or company rules, or fallout. Right now, all she wanted was for him to kiss her.
Jenna moved closer to him, their legs touching, and their eyes met. Suddenly, she realized, this was going to happen. I’m about to kiss my boss.
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