couldn’t be good. She tucked her briefcase under her arm andstarted across the lobby, intending to lend her assistance before they lost another guest.
The next thing she knew, she collided with a very solid, very male body. Her briefcase went flying as she brought her hands up to steady herself.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Even before she heard the voice she recognized who this was. The contact muddled her thoughts, just as it had the last time. And despite where they were and what was happening, the same mindless reaction raced through her body. Her pulse leaped, her breathing sped up and her senses filled with the tantalizing scent of warm male skin. “Jackson,” she murmured. “Please excuse me. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
He clasped her elbow. “I don’t mind. Are you on your way in or out?”
She struggled to think. “Neither. I was going to help…” She glanced past his shoulder. Luc and the guest he’d been talking to were nowhere in sight. Whatever the problem had been, it appeared Luc was handling it.
She shifted her focus to Jackson’s chest. He was wearing his beat-up denim jacket again, and somehow her hands had slipped through the open front and splayed on his shirt. A pleasant warmth tingled through her palms as she felt his chest rise and fall with his breathing. The top few buttons of his shirt were unfastened, baring the base of his throat. Along with the scent of his skin she caught the clean tang of the hotel’s soap.
“Charlotte?”
She dropped her hands quickly, realizing he was still waiting for her reply. “Well, it looks as if I’m on my way out.”
He bent over to retrieve her briefcase. “Are you through for the day?”
“If I can manage to get out the door without mowing down anyone else.”
“I thought you lived here. Doesn’t your family still have that apartment over the bar?”
“It got downsized in the last renovation, so my mother lives there on her own now. I have a place in Faubourg Marigny,” she said, holding out her hand for her briefcase.
Instead of giving it to her, he used it to gesture toward the front entrance. “I’m on my way out, too. I’ll walk you to your car.”
She hesitated. “Thanks for your offer, but it isn’t necessary, Jackson.”
“I’m not planning to argue about the security issue with you again, if that’s what you’re worried about. Mac told me he and Tyrell stepped up surveillance of the hotel.”
“Oh?”
“I just want to talk to you, that’s all. We got off on the wrong foot yesterday and I’d like to remedy that, so if you’re not busy…” He paused. “Or do you have a date?”
The absurdity of the question almost made her laugh. She? Have a date? She hadn’t made the time to go out with anyone in longer than she cared to remember.
Could that be the reason she was having such a strong physical reaction to Jackson? Extended celibacy, along with stress and fatigue? That didn’t make sense—celibacy had never bothered her before. She shook her head and finally met his gaze.
It jarred her to see the blue eyes of the teenager she’d known so well looking at her from the face of a man. His hair was endearingly tousled as usual, one lock stubbornly dippingacross his forehead as if he’d combed it with his fingers. A hint of beard stubble darkened his jaw, making the lines beside his mouth and the hollows beneath his cheekbones appear even more masculine. How did he manage to look boyish and rugged at the same time?
Only a few minutes ago she’d been eager for a bath and her bed, but the thought of being alone no longer appealed to her. “Actually I’ve been hoping to get a chance to talk to you, too,” she said, moving toward the door. “The way we left things yesterday was…”
“Damn awkward,” he finished for her.
She couldn’t disagree with that, she thought, stepping outside.
After the sedate graciousness of the hotel’s interior, entering the street was a shock to the senses.
The next thing she knew, she collided with a very solid, very male body. Her briefcase went flying as she brought her hands up to steady herself.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Even before she heard the voice she recognized who this was. The contact muddled her thoughts, just as it had the last time. And despite where they were and what was happening, the same mindless reaction raced through her body. Her pulse leaped, her breathing sped up and her senses filled with the tantalizing scent of warm male skin. “Jackson,” she murmured. “Please excuse me. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
He clasped her elbow. “I don’t mind. Are you on your way in or out?”
She struggled to think. “Neither. I was going to help…” She glanced past his shoulder. Luc and the guest he’d been talking to were nowhere in sight. Whatever the problem had been, it appeared Luc was handling it.
She shifted her focus to Jackson’s chest. He was wearing his beat-up denim jacket again, and somehow her hands had slipped through the open front and splayed on his shirt. A pleasant warmth tingled through her palms as she felt his chest rise and fall with his breathing. The top few buttons of his shirt were unfastened, baring the base of his throat. Along with the scent of his skin she caught the clean tang of the hotel’s soap.
“Charlotte?”
She dropped her hands quickly, realizing he was still waiting for her reply. “Well, it looks as if I’m on my way out.”
He bent over to retrieve her briefcase. “Are you through for the day?”
“If I can manage to get out the door without mowing down anyone else.”
“I thought you lived here. Doesn’t your family still have that apartment over the bar?”
“It got downsized in the last renovation, so my mother lives there on her own now. I have a place in Faubourg Marigny,” she said, holding out her hand for her briefcase.
Instead of giving it to her, he used it to gesture toward the front entrance. “I’m on my way out, too. I’ll walk you to your car.”
She hesitated. “Thanks for your offer, but it isn’t necessary, Jackson.”
“I’m not planning to argue about the security issue with you again, if that’s what you’re worried about. Mac told me he and Tyrell stepped up surveillance of the hotel.”
“Oh?”
“I just want to talk to you, that’s all. We got off on the wrong foot yesterday and I’d like to remedy that, so if you’re not busy…” He paused. “Or do you have a date?”
The absurdity of the question almost made her laugh. She? Have a date? She hadn’t made the time to go out with anyone in longer than she cared to remember.
Could that be the reason she was having such a strong physical reaction to Jackson? Extended celibacy, along with stress and fatigue? That didn’t make sense—celibacy had never bothered her before. She shook her head and finally met his gaze.
It jarred her to see the blue eyes of the teenager she’d known so well looking at her from the face of a man. His hair was endearingly tousled as usual, one lock stubbornly dippingacross his forehead as if he’d combed it with his fingers. A hint of beard stubble darkened his jaw, making the lines beside his mouth and the hollows beneath his cheekbones appear even more masculine. How did he manage to look boyish and rugged at the same time?
Only a few minutes ago she’d been eager for a bath and her bed, but the thought of being alone no longer appealed to her. “Actually I’ve been hoping to get a chance to talk to you, too,” she said, moving toward the door. “The way we left things yesterday was…”
“Damn awkward,” he finished for her.
She couldn’t disagree with that, she thought, stepping outside.
After the sedate graciousness of the hotel’s interior, entering the street was a shock to the senses.
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