CHAPTER 20
Jannie
“Look at them fly!”
Jannie gazed up in fascination, watching the dozens of pigeons circle over the avenue, then glide down and rest on the ledges of the surrounding buildings.
More birds lined up almost wing to wing on electrical wires, peering down at the people below.
This, she hadn’t seen in Florida, and certainly not in Las Vegas. It made her smile.
“They’re well fed,” Nick observed. “I’m surprised they can still fly.”
There was plenty of good food to be had in New York City.
Between the sumptuous late dinners after Broadway shows, pastries at several well-known bakeries Nick wanted to try, and snacks at three different brick-oven pizzerias, Jannie thought she would have gained a few pounds over the past couple of days if it weren’t for walking until her feet hurt.
The well-equipped Mile High gym also helped, and Jannie finally understood why Nick looked the way he did: the man always worked out like a beast.
This morning, their third and last, they finished their sunrise stroll in Central Park and headed to a little place Nick had learned about from a horse-drawn carriage driver who promised they’d be served the best pancakes in the city.
“You’ll never eat a better breakfast,” the man declared. “They have everything from oatmeal to crab eggs Benedict.”
“You had me at pancakes,” Nick said.
Indeed, the fluffy, powdered-sugar-sprinkled stack was unmatched. Jannie smiled as she watched Nick swipe the one she hadn’t been able to finish. “You sure don’t shy away from carbs.”
The triangle of syrup-covered pancake disappeared between his lips. Those lips that had been all over her last night. She itched to lick the syrup off his glistening mouth.
He chewed, briefly closing his eyes and savoring the sweet bite before he swallowed. “I thought we’d visit the Statue of Liberty this morning. Do you still want to go?”
“Not really. My feet are burning.” She took his hand, dipped his index finger into the syrup left on his plate, and licked it off the tip. “Mm. The real deal.”
Heat flared in his eyes. “Our flight isn’t until five thirty.” He held her gaze for a few beats. “I could arrange for a late checkout.”
She nipped his finger. “Do it.”
He tossed some twenties on the table, and soon they walked out into the bright morning sunshine. The hotel wasn’t far away, but it seemed to take forever to get there.
“Well, now, you seem like the perfect client for us,” a man said, stepping up to Nick and effectively stopping him in his tracks.
Jannie looked at the guy, who devoured Nick with hooded eyes.
“Here, honey.” His tone was openly flirtatious. He extended a flyer with a flourish. “Take it.”
Nick took the glossy paper. Jannie glanced at it and saw that the guy was trying to attract customers to the barbershop behind him.
“The world needs to see the gorgeous face hiding under all that hair,” the guy said. “Trust me on this.”
Jannie laughed. She agreed, but she wasn’t about to tell Nick that. He slanted a glance at her, frowning, then nodded politely to the man, saying nothing.
“Have a fabulous day, beautiful!” the man called after them as they walked away, and Jannie knew he wasn’t talking to her.
As they approached the hotel, Nick stayed quiet, and she could tell something was bothering him. Was it the guy’s obvious interest? She couldn’t imagine it was the first time a man had hit on him.
By the time they reached the elevator, his mood was decidedly dark. He swiped his key card, pressed the button for their floor, and faced her. “I’m going to ask you something, and answer honestly, please.”
“OK.”
“My beard.”
“What about it?”
“I heard you laugh back there.”
“And?”
“Do you agree with the guy? That I should shave it off?”
“No,” she said cautiously. “Not if you don’t want to.”
“I hear a but coming.”
She hesitated for a moment. “But it’s scratchy.”
His eyes widened. “Scratchy?”
“Yeah. Sometimes when we’re close, it can get rough.”
A pause. “I see.”
“I know you try to be careful,” she quickly added, wanting to kick herself when she saw his expression shift from surprise to dismay. “Don’t listen to me. Forget I said anything.”
Way to go, Jannie, now you’ve hurt his feelings.
She hurried to the half-bath in the hallway, still chastising herself as she washed her hands. When she emerged, Nick was nowhere to be seen. A moment later, she spotted him in the main bathroom, studying himself in the mirror.
With quiet steps, she moved to stand behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “What are you doing?”
“Making a decision.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” He reached into his toiletry bag, slowly pulled out the beard gel, then placed it on the vanity, still looking at himself critically. “I think it might be time.”
Excited butterflies flitted through Jannie’s middle. Was he actually considering …?
As if he read her thoughts, he picked up the razor and unfolded it with calm deliberation. Turning, he took her hand and placed the blade in her palm. She looked at it, then raised questioning eyes to his.
He closed her fingers around the handle. “I want you to do it.”
Her lips parted. “You want me to shave off your beard?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “It bothers you; it has to go.”
“It doesn’t bother me,” she lied.
He gave her a come on look. “I’ve noticed, Jannie.”
Always attentive. Was this man real?
Warmth spread through Jannie’s chest. “OK, but only if that’s what you really want.”
“I really want.” He reached behind him to pull off his T-shirt, exposing that rippled chest that always sparked tingling heat between her thighs.
This time was no different, and she admired the play of his back muscles and broad shoulders as he leaned over the sink.
He lathered his face with beard wash, rinsed, then turned the faucet to hot.
When the water was steaming, he ran a towel under the stream.
Jannie stood there, silently watching, her heart thundering in her chest.
What will he look like? Feel like? She was minutes from finding out and finally getting her mouth on his bare face, and she was here for it.
An image flashed before her eyes, of grinding on that face as she sat on it, and she shuddered, giddy with anticipation, watching him settle in the chair in front of the vanity.
Nick handed her the hot towel. “Let’s do this.”
He leaned back, closing his eyes. She marveled at his impossibly thick eyelashes, his dark eyebrows, not too heavy, not too thin, his perfectly proportioned nose, and that mouth …
That mouth she would soon completely uncover.
He opened one eye, peering up at her. “I’m all yours, Jannie.”
She carefully wrapped the hot towel around his face, trying not to dwell on the fact that, too soon, she would have to go back to Orlando. Flying, Vegas, and Nick would then become distant memories, at least for the next six months.
Unwrapping the towel, she leaned over him. He opened his eyes, and she gazed into their dark depths, serene and full of trust. She unscrewed the jar of beard gel and scooped some, amazed at how steady her hands remained despite her quivering insides.
Gently, Jannie began massaging the gel into his beard. The hairs were softer now, but still, she wondered if the gel would be enough. If she cut him, she’d never forgive herself.
She scooped some more. “Shouldn’t we use some sort of shaving cream?”
“Don’t worry. That stuff works better.” She probably looked doubtful, because he smirked. “Come on, Jannie. The sooner you shave it off, the sooner you can sit on my face.”
She couldn’t suppress a little laugh. Of course he’d read her dirty thoughts.
She finished generously applying the gel and picked up the razor. “Ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Carefully, she pushed on the skin at his cheekbone, lifting, then paused. “Last chance,” she warned.
The blade glinted in her hand.
“Do it.” He looked a touch annoyed. “I’m not changing my mind.”
“All right, then, here goes!” With utmost care, she turned the blade at just the right angle, brought the blade to his cheek, and, starting at the top, gently stroked downward in smooth, controlled motions, rinsing the blade after each pass.
Beneath, she discovered his skin was smooth and unblemished, contradicting her belief that acne in his youth had left scars he wanted to hide.
As she revealed what was turning out to be an achingly handsome face, she marveled at her ability to keep doing this, despite her growing arousal that made her clench to the point of near pain.
Jannie surreptitiously squeezed her thighs together, continuing to shave the sides of his face until she reached his upper lip. The skin there was easy to cut, she knew.
“Pull your lips tight,” she ordered.
He smiled a little, then did as she asked, and she used extra short, gentle strokes, up, down, then up again, until she uncovered …
Dear God, his mouth …
How hadn’t she noticed in high school? The man’s mouth was full, perfectly shaped, and made for kissing.
Her face was now inches from his as she carefully moved the blade along his chin, somehow keeping from tossing the razor and seizing those lips, to finally feel what they were like, with no barrier between his mouth and hers.
She realized then that he hadn’t glanced in the mirror at all, not even a quick peek. He alternated between relaxing with his eyes closed and looking up into her face, and she wished she could read what was there, but kept her focus on doing a good job and not cutting him.
She placed two fingers under his jaw. “Tilt your head back.”
He did, exposing his throat. A highly vulnerable position, yet he stayed calm while she literally pressed a blade against his pulse point.
She pulled up on his chin with her free hand, finishing with careful strokes down his neck, exposing what was hidden beneath all that hair: a jaw sharp enough to cut glass.
She set down the razor, then wiped off the remnants of hair and gel with the wet towel.
Then, she assessed her handiwork.
And him.
Nick gazed up at her, searching, trepidation in his questioning eyes.