Page 28 of Matched By Mistake
But then she did. She saw his eyes track the movement and knew that he knew she wanted to kiss him.
Then he licked his own lips, winked at her and turned away.
Her pulse was racing and her center was moist, aching and needy. But she couldn’t help admiring his willpower. It made her realize that he was a man who wasn’t afraid to wait. And that suited her more than she wanted it to.
She unlocked her car, put down the convertible top and got in it. The drive home was a blur, with music blaring in the speakers and the windows open. She tried to blow the tingling in her lips and body out with the wind, but the warm breeze wiped hair around her head and a strand brushed her lips.
In her mind it was the same strand that had touched Jericho’s cheek, which made her breasts feel fuller and her nipples tighten. She swallowed as lust turned her traitorous body against her own willpower and determination. She was so tempted to just drive to his house but as she was at the stoplight and debating a turn toward Jericho, her phone rang and the in-car speaker notified her it was her mom.
She answered it.
“Hey, sweetie. Your class ended an hour ago. Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yes, Mom,” she answered, turning on the signal toward her own home.
“Oh, good. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need any pineapple,” she said.
Pineapplewas their code word for I’m-in-trouble-call-the-cops. “I don’t. I just had to clean up and it took longer than expected. I’m almost home now.”
“Oh, that’s good. Last time I checked you were still at the store. I’ll let you go, then. Good night, sweetie. Love you.”
“Night. Love you, too, Mom,” she said.
She went back to her lonely house, wishing that she’d invited Jericho back. She could have done that without touching him...at first.
Eight
Sheen was made entirely of glass, a sleek modern restaurant that stood out in Royal. Maggie remembered how excited she’d been to come there with Randall just after it had opened. The new owner, Colin Reynolds, had just won Chef of the Year and the food was rumored to be spectacular. Not that Maggie knew.
She only had a pre-dinner cocktail before Randall had told her it was over, asked for the ring back and left. She remembered being shell-shocked for a few moments and then, to her horror, crying. She took a deep breath and felt her hands trembling.Don’t let Randall have anything else from you.
He had long left Royal so this was just in her head. She had a favorite quote she kept taped to her laptop. “It’s hard to defeat an enemy with outposts in your head.”
That’s all this was.
An old outpost that Maggie should have burnt down a long time ago, but instead she’d ignored it, hoping it would crumble. But it hadn’t.
“Hey, are you okay to do this?” Jericho asked, as he stood next to her.
“Yes. Well, honestly... No, but I’m doing it,” she said, starting to reach for his hand but, remembering the who-will-touch-first dare, dropped it.
But Jericho noticed. “The touching thing is on hold tonight, agreed?”
She gave him a slight smile. “Yes.”
He took her hand as soon as the words left her mouth, pushing their fingers through each other’s in something that Maggie wished didn’t make her start trembling in a very different way. His hand around hers was firm and she decided to stop censoring herself and her reactions to him. Just for tonight.
“Thank you.”
“Only a really shitty man wouldn’t offer you his support. So quick drink and nibbles at the bar and then we dash? Or keep our table res?” he asked.
He really was here tonight as a friend. She knew he wanted her. She could see the flush on his skin, and he kept rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. But right now he made her feel as if she was the priority.
She took a deep breath. “I think we better do the reservation.”
“Okay,” he said and then held the door for her to enter.
She entered first and he dropped her hand, putting his on the small of her back as they approached the hostess stand, and she was vaguely aware of the low rumble of Jericho’s voice as he spoke to the seating hostess. She was too consumed with looking around the restaurant and noting all the faces at the tables and bar.
