“You obviously found something more fun to do than my boring anniversary party.” Nina had a smile on her face. The name rang a bell, too, but a distant one. His mom had mentioned someone named Nina was having a party tonight.
Malone. She was Nina Malone, and she was married to some guy who had a connection to Ian’s company. Malone Oil.
Did Tessa work for Malone Oil? That might fit. She definitely seemed to know the boss’s wife. If he was making the proper connections, Nina was married to the head of Malone Oil.
“I lost track of time,” she admitted. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to miss it.”
Nina waved her off. “It was a bit boring, like the celebration of a long-term marriage should be. And it’s closing down. Can we give you a ride home? JT’s bringing the car around.”
Tessa waved off the offer. “Oh, it’s fine. I can grab a cab.”
“Absolutely not. It’s late, and we didn’t even have a chance to talk. It’s the least we can do for dragging you out here, and your place is on the way back to Fort Worth.” An elegant brow rose over Nina’s eyes. “Unless you have another ride.”
Oh, he would love to give her a ride, but it was too soon, and he wasn’t that guy. He was the guy who made every woman feel comfortable, who built a foundation before showing off his wild side.
He had a wild side. He just didn’t indulge it often.
“I took a train, but I would be happy to escort you.” He would probably look way cooler if he’d driven, but the train let off close to his town house, and there was a station right at the college he worked at.
She shook her head. “I appreciate it, but she’s right. My place is on their way. Nina, I’ll be right with you.”
Nina nodded and moved toward the front door.
The waitstaff was winding down orders and settling up checks. Any minute now his mom would walk out of her office and start helping.
The night was over, and he was about to be left with his books and papers to grade, and normally that didn’t make him as sad as it did tonight.
“It was good to meet you, Tessa.” He held out a hand.
“You, too, David. Do you mind if I kiss you?”
The amount of relief he felt should have scared him. “God, I wish you would. I’m trying to be a gentleman and…”
She stopped him, pressing her lips against his and brushing them softly.
When she put her hands on his shoulders, he let his find her waist and gently dragged her closer. She’d given him permission, and he would let go the minute he sensed a second’s hesitation, but he wanted this kiss.
It was his final argument as to why she should answer when he called her, why she should take that date with him.
He took over, and she seemed to easily follow his lead. He explored her with slow kisses, one wave after another, warming him and stealing his breath.
At the first tentative touch of her tongue, he knew he couldn’t go any further or he would cause a scene. He gave her one last kiss and pulled back.
“I can’t wait to see you again.” He should play it cool, but he’d never been cool, so she should get used to that.
She stepped back, obviously as affected as he’d been. “Me, too. See you soon.”
She gave him a warm smile and grabbed her bag before turning and walking away. Her backside was as pretty as the rest of her.
Tessa. Who would have guessed his dream woman would be the daughter of his favorite high school teacher? It was a strange and small world.
But for once, his own piece of it held some wonder.
Chapter Two
Tess slid into the middle row of the big black SUV. JT was behind the wheel and Nina in the seat in front of her, but there was something missing. “Did you forget the kids?”
JT started to pull the vehicle onto Main. “I can’t forget them. They’re too noisy.”
Nina turned slightly. “They went home with their grandparents. JT and I are actually checking into the Mandarin for the rest of the weekend. It’s their gift to us.”
Even in the low light from the dashboard, she could see the way JT grinned at his wife. “It’s the best present of all. Time alone. I love our kids, but damn I miss long mornings in bed. Most of the time I wake up to Jasper bouncing on top of me or Ryder screaming through the baby monitor. Tomorrow I’m sleeping in and we’re having breakfast in bed.”
That sounded lovely, and she couldn’t help but wonder what the professor did with his mornings. He probably read the paper while drinking coffee, and wouldn’t he look adorable with his hair all messy and his eyes still sleepy?
She had it bad. One evening with the man and she was thinking about how he would look in the morning.
How long would he take to call her? Would he play it cool and wait the prescribed three days so he didn’t look too eager? That would be disappointing.
Maybe she should text him tomorrow. It would be a way to let him know she was interested and they didn’t have to play games.
Not any of the yucky games. Now sexy games were a whole other story.
That kiss…that kiss had sparked something deep inside her, and it hadn’t merely been about sex. It had been a long time since she’d gotten down and dirty with a man, and she had needs. But David wouldn’t merely be a body in bed. They’d connected.
She’d felt a spark.
Or was she desperate and looking for something?
“How did you two know?”
The cab went awkwardly quiet, and Tessa wished she hadn’t said anything.
“Know?” JT asked.
“I felt something for JT pretty much the minute I met him.” Lucky for her, Nina didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Of course I might not have if I’d known he was lying to me.”
“Now, I did not lie,” JT argued.
Nina turned her husband’s way. “Did you or did you not know I was your bodyguard?”
JT’s big shoulders shrugged. “I might have had an inkling, but then I knew you wouldn’t kiss me if you thought we had a professional connection. So I might have played dumb. Hey, baby, it worked out.”
“Is this about the guy you were with at the bar?” Nina asked.
“She was hitting on some guy at the bar? Well, good for you, Tess. It was probably more interesting than watching Mike stumble through that toast. He is not a public speaker,” JT said with a shake of his head.
“I wasn’t hitting on him. I was talking to him.” And then she was kissing him. She’d seen the moment he’d decided not to make a move on her, and she’d decided to make one of her own. He was obviously a cautious man, and she didn’t mind that. She could be reckless. “I stopped in to grab a drink and we started talking. He was a student of my mom’s.”
“Really? That’s fascinating,” Nina said.
“Why would you go to the bar? We had an open one at the party,” JT countered.
Nina put a hand on his arm. “It doesn’t matter. So he was a student of your mother’s.”
JT deserved an explanation. She’d skipped out on their party. “I’m sorry. It was weird to answer all those questions. Some of the people there didn’t know Michael and I broke up. And I was avoiding Charlotte, because she’s been hinting that she wants to try her hand at matchmaking again. Apparently her latest experiment went well.”