Page 34 of Ridin' True

I tilted my head back some more, so as not to lose sight of his face.

He took hold of my jaw, my chin tucked in the space between his thumb and forefinger, his grip unyielding as he gently forced my head back further, then descended for a kiss.

My eyes fell closed.

As if we’d done this a hundred times before, I was instantly his for the taking.

When I opened my mouth, he hummed his approval and slid his hand around the side of my neck as he kissed me thoroughly. I blindly reached for the front of his shirt, gripping hold of it with both hands, and he pressed into me, forcing me back against the wall. As we indulged in one another, the sound of our wet affection reverberated off the walls of the elevator, and it was intoxicating.

I thought our first kiss was pretty great, but this one—this one made me warm all over.

He pulled away abruptly, and my body acted of its own accord. I pressed up onto my tiptoes, reaching for more.

I felt his smile against my lips before he spoke.

“Tonight, I’m takin’ you out.”

“Okay,” I agreed without hesitation.

“Seven o’clock.”

“Okay,” I breathed.

“Okay,” he echoed before closing his mouth around mine.

I sighed in relief, unashamed of my longing.

Then the elevator doors opened with a chime, and the moment was suddenly over.

Jed, whose hand was still warm against my neck, turned to glance over his shoulder.

“Oh. Shit. My bad,” he muttered as he let me go.

It wasn’t until he stepped aside that I realized we hadn’t gone anywhere. Nicole and Evan stood waiting outside of the lift car.

Nicole none too pleased.

“I knew it. Ifuckingknew it,” she muttered, glaring at her ex.

Jed didn’t entertain her comment with a response. Instead, he hit the button for the ground floor and stated, “You can take the next one.”

As the doors began to close, Nicole shifted her angry gaze onto me.

I stared back at her until she was gone, hiding my glee behind my poker face.

Suddenly, I wasn’t the least bit jealous.

Ilefttheofficeimmediately after five, anxious to get home to start getting ready for my date with Jed. The first thing I did upon arrival was deal with my hair. In order to get the beach-wave curl I liked, I usually slept in my satin curling rod. A curling iron with my length took far more time and patience than I possessed. While an hour-and-a-half wasn’t overnight, I twisted my hair around the rod anyway, hoping for the best.

Some curl was better than none.

I refreshed my makeup, but only a touch, not wishing to overdo it, then headed to my bedroom to piece together an outfit.

It had been a long time since I’d been on a date. A couple years, at least. Even longer since I was in anything resembling a relationship. I wasn’t sure what Jed wanted with me or if a real relationship was in our future, but I couldn’t shake the feeling I experienced the moment he arrived at that storage unit—forme.

Maybe he wasn’t Prince Charming. Maybe the circumstances that ignited something personal between us had created a smoke screen through which I wasn’t yet able to see—but I was willing to take the risk to find out.

Besides, if nothing else, the connection we had when we kissed was unmistakably magical.