Five
JESS
He recoiled, sitting straight up in the chair, and I mentally pumped a fist as I got the better of him.
I had him pegged as a player, even if he hadn’t delivered his double-meaning message.
By his reaction, he wasn’t used to women speaking plainly, so taking him down a peg with my comment felt good.
“What’s your name?” I asked. “I can’t remember what Christopher called you.”
His pupils flared. Oh, this was fun! I honestly didn’t remember what the man called him, but even if I had remembered, pretending like I didn’t hit the man’s ego. I bet women never forgot his name.
“Chaos.”
Oh, this just got better and better.
“Your name is Chaos?”
“Yeah.”
I could see him floundering behind the eyes, wondering where I was going with this. He seemed totally flummoxed. His response bordered on a question, suddenly aware this might not go the way he planned.
“What grown man goes by the name Chaos? Are you still playing like you’re in the military or something with your cute little code name?”
His mouth dropped open slightly, and his eyes opened a little wider.
“Well, guess what, Chaos? You’re safe. I have no interest in the suburban package deal.
I’m here for a work convention, and I'm going home to San Antonio on Sunday. If you want a partner tonight, you’ll need to be happy with only one night with me.
Not even a whole night, really, because as soon as Abigail’s ready to leave, we’re out the door and headed back to our hotel.
I don’t have time for anything more. If that doesn’t appeal, I promise to stay right here and wait for my friend so you can go off and find someone else to play with.
Someone you won’t feel the need to get all alpha with and give your little speech to.
Unless, of course, it’s part of your kink, and you get off on saying that crap so you feel better when you leave someone’s bed and can say, ‘I was honest with you.’”
He sat there for a moment before he burst out laughing, which sounded genuine, and it lit up his face.
Hands up in surrender, he leaned back in his chair, his eyes still dancing with mirth and laughter coming from deep inside him.
I wondered if he knew how gorgeous he was when he really laughed.
He definitely knew he was attractive, bordering on irresistible, but when he let go and acted authentically?
It took my breath away with how beautiful he was.
“Point to the little goddess. I have been put in my place.”
Something eased between us. Not the sexual tension. That would never ease, even if we had sex and then he left. Sometimes people just connect on an elemental level. There’s no rhyme or reason for it other than something between those two people clicks into place, forever linking them.
“My real name is Jamie. Don’t you dare call me James. I hate that name,” he said.
I giggled. “Don’t worry. I won’t. It’s my dad’s name. That would be weird.”
He laughed, and his genuine smile flashed again. Even if we didn’t have sex tonight, and I so wanted to, I was a goner for this man, and there was absolutely no reason I should be. I knew nothing about him. I just knew I wanted him.
He rose enough to take the two steps and reseated himself next to me on the couch. There was a foot or more between us, but his arm extended along the back of the sofa, and he twirled a finger around one of the stray tendrils of my hair hanging loose. “What’s yours, little goddess?”
“Jess.”
He froze. “Your name is Jess?”
Petrified. It’s the only word that fit his absolute stillness. Not in the sense of fear. I imagined it was the same look he got when traipsing through the jungle, or the desert, or wherever he was when he was hunting the enemy as a Marine.
“Jessica, technically. What’s wrong?”
He gave himself a little shake, resetting himself. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
But he was lying. I could tell. It was definitely something. I wasn’t sure what caused his reaction because the name was pretty common.
A server stopped by at that moment, calling out to Chaos. He stepped over and took a piece of paper from her. After reading it, he glanced over at me, then passed the note to me.
I’m going to stay a bit with Cosmos. Everything’s okay. If you want to go back to the hotel, you can take my car, and he’ll bring me back to the city.
Abby
“No way I’m leaving without her.” I dropped the note on the table. “Leave no woman behind.”
He smiled, and his hand returned to play with my curl. “Do you want to go back to your hotel?”
Gazing into his deep blue eyes, I knew leaving was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted this man. I mean, that was part of the attraction to attending the convention… finding a guy, hooking up and getting this itch out of my system.
Suddenly, I realized I hadn’t thought about my ex since leaving the convention this afternoon, and the pang of hurt and embarrassment about the end of our relationship was gone. Since arriving here, every thought connected to or about Jamie.
Of course, this meant I had a different problem. Before he left the country for a long time, I had one night with him, and I was already completely invested in him, despite my earlier words.
I wanted him more than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life.
It didn’t matter that we’d spent less than an hour together and barely knew each other’s names.
He’d go to his assignment in Europe. I’d go back to my boring, unfulfilled life in San Antonio.
It meant next to nothing that he would shatter me beyond recognition when he walked out of my life.
Nothing mattered except having him for this one night.
“I don’t want to go back. Not yet,” I admitted.