Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Jif knocked back the last swallow of her drink and raised her empty glass in the air, gyrating along with the deafening music.
Her new silver dress hugged every curve, and she didn’t mind the delicate weight of lingering eyes tracing the lines of her body, especially not when they came from the three players who had agreed to join them after a few drinks at Hanrahan’s.
Okay, technically only two were available, since Jimmy had brought his latest girlfriend. Jif hadn’t bothered to learn her name. She’d probably be gone in a month, anyway, and this deep into the off-season, she’d never attend a game.
Jif frowned as Britt tipped her head close to the new girl’s, listening intently.
Sliding out from between Garrett and Jonah, she slid her glass onto the table and grabbed Britt’s arm. “C’mon, you’re missing all the fun, and you look far too hot to babysit the table tonight.”
A flash of disappointment crossed the other woman’s face, but Jif ignored her, tugging Britt back to where Garrett and Jonah waited.
“Which one?” she hollered in her friend’s ear.
Britt’s gaze lingered on Garrett.
The corners of Jif’s mouth curled up in a sly grin. Shoving Britt toward the towering blond defensive end, she winked when her friend stumbled right into his arms, and he caught her, pulling her close before bending down to her ear.
A flash of color pinked her cheeks at whatever he said, then, as the music slowed, she let him draw her in.
Smiling, Jif turned to Jonah.
She didn’t mind letting Britt have Garrett. Smoking hot, of course, as all the guys were, but she preferred the lithe builds of the backs to the heft of the linemen. Plus, been there. Done that.
Stepping into Jonah’s arms, she smiled, flashing her perfect, white teeth before creeping her hand up his shoulder and winding her fingers into the springy curls at the nape of his neck.
Though slower, the music remained far too loud for conversation, but given his eyes locked on hers and the way he’d tugged her hips flush with his as his body moved to the rhythm, leading them both through the heavy beat, words weren’t necessary.
His head dipped close to hers, and she shivered as his breath caressed her ear. “Do you need another drink?”
She shook her head, comfortably in the space between appropriately buzzed but not so far gone that her head swam. After the wine last night, she didn’t want to risk overdoing it. Besides, too much alcohol would impede her plans for the rest of the evening.
Even in heels, she barely came to Jonah’s chin, and her body slid deliciously along his as she pressed up to her tiptoes to reply, “I think I’m ready to get out of here.”
His eyes dilated as she grabbed his hand, twining her fingers in his, and dragged him back toward their table.
Scooping up her purse, she blew a kiss at Jimmy, then whirled to search for Britt.
The music picked back up, the lights flashing, and she caught sight of her friend still wrapped in Garrett’s arms on the fringes of the dance floor.
Ignoring the tempo, they still swayed together, lips moving rapidly as they talked, despite the noise.
How could they hear each other over this racket?
Jif waved, wondering if she should interrupt to say goodbye. Britt didn’t usually find a guy when she went out with Jif, so she hesitated to interfere. On the other hand, she didn’t want to abandon her friend.
Jonah’s palm sliding down the line of her hip decided her. She’d planned to go home with someone tonight, and given the slow, sultry pressure of his touch, Jonah was wholly on board, as well. She turned back to him and wet her lips, gently nibbling the bottom one as she met his eyes.
The dark brown of his irises was practically invisible in the dark room, but his pupils shimmered as they locked onto the slow drag of her teeth, and he pulled her under his arm and steered them out of the club.
She shivered as a blast of cooler air buffeted them on the sidewalk outside, but Jonah slung his jacket over her shoulders. Burying her nose in the collar, she inhaled while they waited for the valet to bring his truck around.
Sandalwood and musk, both scents she loved.
She couldn’t stand leather, or bourbon, or spice, but the first time she’d kissed Jordan, the whiff of fresh Christmas in her nose, her traitorous brain had reminded her of childhood holidays and a sense of home.
One she’d long since lost, never to be fully recovered, no matter how hard she tried.
The truck arrived, and Jonah pulled the passenger door open. Jif shook her head, dispelling the niggling memory of Jordan, then sized up the running boards, higher than her mid-thigh.
“Here,” Jonah boosted her up, his large hands encircling her waist, lifting her easily.
She planted her toes and slid into the seat, his palm dragging across her lower back, then drifting down her thigh, mostly exposed as the short skirt of her dress left her butt almost in contact with the warm leather beneath her. She smirked down at him.
She’d never understand NFL players and their obsession with cars, especially huge, jacked-up trucks. Jonah certainly had nothing to prove, unlike those guys who hung plastic balls off their trailer hitches.
No, she’d always prefer a nice, sporty little car. Maybe a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. Jordan had an Aston Martin... She frowned and bit her lip as Jonah climbed into the driver’s seat beside her. A reflex this time, instead of a deliberate attempt at seduction.
Why couldn’t she get Jordan out of her head? Their relationship was done. Over. He’d left her, and she wouldn’t waste time grieving.
Quashing any more thoughts of her ex-boyfriend, she slid across the massive bench seat and twined her arms around Jonah’s not-insignificant bicep.
She leaned into his side, kicking her feet up next to her and dropping her head onto his shoulder.
His hands clenched the steering wheel, knuckles turning his dark skin momentarily paler as he hit the accelerator and pulled away from the club.
Then, his right hand dropped to caress her knee, his long fingers tracing circles on the bare skin.
Yep, this was exactly what she needed to get over Jordan.