Stay with Me (Wait for You, #3)(55)

“I think he talked to Clyde.” Jax smiled a little. “You know what I said last night about the whole pretty thing? I wasn’t f*cking around. That’s why I’m taking you out.”

Then his arm curled even more, and I was chest to chest with him. The contact sent a shock wave of sensation swirling through me. His head dipped, his mouth inches from mine. My free hand ended up pressed against his chest.

I couldn’t breathe.

I didn’t care.

“You didn’t kiss me last night,” I said, and then I wanted to kick myself in the lady parts.

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Fuck no, I didn’t.”

A pang lit in my chest. “Then why do you want to take me out?”

Jax stared at me a moment, and then his features returned to the lazy, relaxed look that was somehow incredibly sexy and nerve-racking. “Honey, I’m not going to do anything with a girl who’s drunk, especially you. No way in hell. When I said you were safe with me, I wasn’t bullshitting around. I even told you that last night.”

“You did?” All I remembered was Jax jerking back, but he had been talking while I was knee-deep in freak-out mode and about to hurl. “Oh.”

“Oh,” he murmured, and then he rocked my world. “And I remember you telling me I was your first kiss. That shit in the office earlier doesn’t count, but I’m going to be your real first kiss. After I take you out on Sunday.”

My mouth dropped open. I was back to freaking out, because he’d known about my years as a pageant queen, and needing to get away and being turned on. Yes, I was turned on. I might be very inexperienced for obvious reasons, but I recognized what my body was going through. Which wasn’t good, because there was no way I could explore any of that with him and I didn’t plan on being around long enough to give either of us time.

“Actually . . .” His head dipped again and his chin grazed my right cheek. “I want to kiss you now.”

I shivered.

Jax felt it. “And I think you want me to kiss you. Correction. I know you want me to kiss you.”

I shuddered this time, nearly overcome by the heaviness in my breasts and the sharp whirl of tingles down below. My hand fisted in his shirt. He couldn’t kiss me. I couldn’t go out with him. This wasn’t why I was here.

Why was I here again? It didn’t matter. The reason had to be dumb.

He made a deep sound in the back of his throat that really twisted me up in delicious little knots and now it was his lips sliding over my cheek, following the curve of the bone, heading straight for—

The office door burst open. “Jax, are you—whoa. Not expecting that.”

I jerked at the sound of Uncle Clyde’s voice and started to pull away. Jax let me get turned around, but he didn’t let me go. His arm was still around my waist.

Clyde looked at me and his gaze moved over my shoulder. I could feel the heat of Jax behind me, and then Clyde looked at me again.

He smiled a big, toothy smile.

He smiled!

“Wasn’t expecting that,” he said, smoothing his hand over his apron. “Not at all.”

I had to do damage control. Stat. “It’s not what—”

“We’re going out on Sunday,” Jax announced to my disbelief. Then he pulled me back against his chest, into his heat, and I almost died right there. The way my heart sped up, I was sure that was going to happen. “I’m taking her to Apollo’s.”

Apollo’s?

“Good choice, boy, very good choice.” Clyde sealed the comment with a nod of approval.

Holy shit!

I had to get out of here. This time when I pulled free, Jax let me go. I stumbled forward, shooting him a look over my shoulder.

Jax winked.

He winked!

I stomped off, passing Clyde, or trying to pass him, but he looked down at me and he also winked. “Good choice, baby girl, very good choice.”

There were simply no words.

Heading back out to the bar, I drew in several deep breaths. Hands shaking, I ignored the looks Roxy and Nick shot my way as I grabbed my apron. Tying it on, I hurried onto the semi-busy floor before Jax made his way out.

He wanted to kiss me.

He wanted to take me out to get steaks at Apollo’s.

And Uncle Clyde approved.

Oh dear Lord in heaven, how in the world did I end up where I am? But I had done the right thing by getting out of that room, and I was going to do the right thing by not going out on a date with Jax. I needed a broken heart like I needed my mom being in a bigger mess than she was already in.

My step faltered at that thought, and I almost dropped the basket of fries I’d grabbed from the window on the head of the guy I was carrying it to.

Broken heart?

The older man looked up, the skin around his eyes crinkling. “You doing okay, girl?”

I nodded, recognizing the man. He was in his late fifties. A regular. In the bar every night I worked, even the busier nights when the crowd was younger, like tonight was getting. “Mind is all over the place, Melvin.”

“Know the feeling.”

Placing the basket on the table, I smiled. “Need anything else? Another beer?”

“No, sugar, that’ll be all for now.” When I started away, he stopped me by placing his hand on my arm. “It’s good to see you here, doing what your momma should be doing.”