Whirlwind (12 page)

As if sensing my loss of balance, Jason slid his other hand behind my shoulders, knocking his jacket to the ground. He tilted me back slightly, easily supporting my weight, still sampling my neck. My head fell back, giving him easy access as his mouth made its leisurely return to my chin.

“Your allure defies description,” he said against my skin. “Beautiful, enchanting, captivating…they aren’t enough.”

The words seeped into me, steaming me from the inside out. If he didn’t kiss me soon, I was going to explode.

His lips traced my jaw, becoming firmer and more demanding as he neared my mouth. Jason pulled me even closer, crushing my chest to his. A low rumble rolled through him—more a growl than a laugh. I realized my thin bra and blouse did little to mask how much my body craved his.

Finally his lips found mine. Both my hands slid into his wavy hair, preventing any escape. No longer interested in tantalizing, he devoured me, supping on one lip and then the other before sealing his mouth to mine. I returned the kiss with equal fervor, reveling in the sweet taste of rum and Coke lingering on his breath. Our tongues finally met, barely touching as they circled and danced, exploring each other. Like a bundle of live wires, every nerve in my body crackled with erotic energy. Wordlessly we conversed: giving, taking, chasing, hiding—delving deeper and deeper into each other. I ached to be even closer.

Starved for air, I broke away. After a quick gasp I sought him again, consuming him. As I delighted in the ambrosia of his wet, powerful kiss, I imagined his tongue elsewhere on my body, kindling a fire that raged across my skin and settled low in my hips.

I wobbled in his arms again, but he held me securely and straightened up. Ever so slowly he finished the kiss, ending with one last, light brush across my lips. I couldn’t move; I couldn’t lose this feeling.

I didn’t want to open my eyes, sure he’d vanish the second I did. Reluctantly, I cracked an eyelid and with a glorious sigh, took in his adoring face.

“Wow,” we whispered simultaneously, then laughed, our bodies jiggling as one.

Jason suddenly tightened his grip around me.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” a deep voice growled.

My cheeks burned as I awkwardly removed my hands from Jason’s hair. I twisted around to face a seething Mitch.

“I can explain,” I said, afraid to look him in the eye.

“Not you.
Him
.”

Jason kept his arms locked around me. “What does it look like?” he asked, the venom in his voice unmistakable. He tried to edge past me, but I elbowed him back.

Mitch took a step toward us. “Why can’t you leave her alone? She’s not a side of beef you can hook up with, then leave behind.”

Throwing one hand toward Mitch while keeping my body pressed against Jason, I glared at the elder brother. “Did you just call me a cow, McAlister?”

Whether it was my question or my leer, Mitch stopped his advance and blanched. “No…that’s not what I meant, Mel. I’d never—”

I pointed at him, my finger level with his nose. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, as you well know.”

Mitch’s hands came together below his belt, shielding himself. Jason snorted, but wisely remained silent.

While Mitch’s defense was flattering, I wondered what brought him outside. “Are you here just to check up on me, or was there another reason?” I had a hard time staying angry, seeing the huge lug cowering in front of me.

“I just wanted a minute with my
best friend
,” he said, glaring over my shoulder at Jason.

Hoping I hadn’t irreparably damaged the bond Mitch shared with his brother, I lowered my hand and tried to wiggle out of Jason’s arms. They’d want some privacy, and I needed a chance to figure out what’d just happened.

“If you’ll let go of her, that is,” Mitch added.

My head snapped up. “Me?” I asked timidly, and Mitch opened his hands.

Jason loosened his hold on me, but didn’t smile. “You can have her for a minute, I guess.” He gently stroked my cheek before releasing me.

Mitch gathered me in his arms. “I know you can take care of yourself, Mel, but I still worry about you.” His head rose and he looked over my shoulder. “I’ll
always
worry about you,” he said loudly.

Jason didn’t respond—at least in a way I could hear.

“Don’t you trust your own brother?” I asked.

Mitch looked down at me, then back at Jason. He chewed the side of his mouth while he stared, his expression stony.

Remembering the pocket full of room keys, my own doubts resurfaced. What was it about Jason that worried his brother? “Mitch?”

“I do trust him,” he said with a sigh. “But you two just met. To see you out here…making out…Just be careful, okay?”

I put my hand over his heart. “I will.”

Without warning, he hugged me hard. “I won’t be around to kick his butt if he hurts you, even by accident,” he added, his voice cracking. “I’m going to miss you, Mel.”

My vision blurred as the tears welled again. This was the farewell I’d been dreading.

Swallowing loudly, his voice strengthened as he began to speak. “All the time you spent with me these past years was priceless. You know, before I met you, I had no idea how to behave properly around a woman. Even though I treated you just as bad, you decided to hang around and throw my crap right back in my face. You taught me more than I learned in any class, Melissa—you taught me how to be myself, to be a real man, not just an insensitive jackass.”

“Thank God,” Jason murmured behind me. Mitch shot him a dirty look.

I sniffled again. “Mitch, no, that’s not true—”

Before I could finish he put a rough finger over my lips and smiled.

“Don’t interrupt. I worked hard on this speech. Please let me finish.” He paused, refocusing his dark eyes on mine. “You made me think, you made me listen, and most of all, you made me laugh like no one else ever has. And if you hadn’t, I would never have ended up with my Ann.”

His expression changed, and another emotion flashed across his face. “I know you and Ann never really clicked, but you supported my decision to marry her, even still. I wish I could tell you how much that means to me. I love you, Melissa.”

I tried to blink back the tears, but one escaped. “Aw, Mitch, anyone can see how happy she makes you. That’s all that matters.”

He released me, his eyes glistening. “You’re an amazing woman. Don’t you
ever
forget that.” He kissed the top of my head and then turned to Jason. “And don’t
you
forget it, either.” The laser glare returned.

Jason didn’t flinch, but he didn’t return the animosity either. “Never,” he said fiercely. His expression softened into a devious smile. “Frankly, I’m stunned you didn’t snap her up first.”

Jason hadn’t budged since I’d let go of him, and his hand twitched toward me impatiently.

Understanding spread over Mitch’s face. “Somehow I knew she wasn’t for me.”

I shuffled my feet, caught between flattered surprise and impending loss. “You and Ann were made for each other, and you’re going to make each other very happy for a long time. Thanks for being
my
best friend, Mitch. I love you too,” I said around the gravel in my throat. I stretched up and kissed him on the cheek.

With a big sniffle, he swiped his nose with the back of his hand and smiled. “’Course, if we can’t have kids, I’m blaming you,” he said, tugging on his trousers.

I laughed. “Sorry about that, but you did bring it on yourself.”

Mitch gently pinched my cheek and then stepped over to a confused Jason. They embraced, and Jason laughed when his brother suggested he keep his cup handy. I tried not to eavesdrop, but I caught a hoarse “Love you, bro” before Mitch slapped Jason on the back.

“You two need to come in. We’re cutting the cake in a minute.” He took two steps toward the ballroom, paused, and looked back at us. One side of his mouth turned up in a cocky grin. Without a word he turned and left.

A few other people had wandered into the garden, so Jason picked up his jacket and handed me my things. He draped his arm across my shoulders. “Shall we?”

My arm wound its way around his waist, and he gave me a squeeze. Slowly, the rational part of my brain started to come back on, shocked at what had just happened. He kissed me…
me
…

When we stepped inside I stopped, remembering what had driven me outside in the first place.

“Did we forget something?” Jason asked.

“What about Tee?” The last thing I needed in my current emotional state was another round with that snake. It was unlikely she’d given up on Jason. I expected her to be lying in wait, sharpening her purple claws.

“Oh, I think she’s quite occupied,” he said and pulled me a little closer. He tilted his head to the left. In a dim corner I barely made out the top of Tricia’s head, glued to a dark-haired guy in an expensive suit.

Jason kissed my hair. “I was never
with
her. You know that, right?” he whispered.

I lifted my face to his, hoping he could see truth in my eyes. “I do now.”

He smiled and touched my cheek, running his thumb over my lips. My heart skipped a beat, and a single, satisfied thought raced through my head:

Hasta la vista, Tee.

Six

We’d just arrived at our table when the DJ announced Mitch and Ann would be cutting the cake. After our walk in the cold evening, the ballroom was stifling, and Jason decided to leave his jacket off. The dim light highlighted more details of the well-defined physique hiding under his thin tuxedo shirt, which did nothing to cool me off.

After hanging his coat on his chair, Jason removed his tie and tucked it in an inner jacket pocket. I was about to comment that his tie must not be
that
important when, to my delight, he started to work on the top button of his shirt.

I set my purse down—on the table, I think—I was too busy fighting back drool as I waited for even the smallest patch of Jason’s chest to be revealed. I almost cried out when he released his collar, still tightly fastened.

“Could you help me with this?” he asked with a frustrated huff.

Me, help undress you?

“Sure, no problem,” I said. His smooth chin and neck were so inviting that I had a hard time focusing on the tiny top button. Words from our lewd emails flashed through my mind as my hands rose. It was my taunting I recalled first.

Doctor doesn’t sound as exciting as a roll in the hay with a hot bull rider.

He’d responded shamelessly:

I’m sure I can make your pulse race, and I guarantee it’ll last longer than eight seconds.

My email alter-ego!
That’s
who’d taken charge and run rampant over my common sense.

Still in control, the wicked me placed a hand on his shoulder and slid it up to his collar. As I listened to what my devious side planned, I looked around, happy to see that for once Jason wasn’t the center of any other woman’s attention.

He innocently waited for my help, unaware of the naughty creature that had been unleashed in me.

Calmly, steadily, I slipped a finger between his collar and his neck, slowly dragging it all the way around to the front of his shirt and the uncooperative button. My other hand traced the tight pleats covering his chest, rising to assist with the stubborn disk.

His heart pounded under my touch. “Melissa,” he hissed.

Am I making him nervous?
I couldn’t hide my smug smile. “Just breathe normally,” I said, imagining myself in a nurse’s uniform—a low-cut, very short-skirted nurse’s uniform. “What seems to be the problem?” I teased.

He was right, playing doctor was fun.

“The
button
, Melissa,” he said through his teeth.

With a petulant sigh, I went to work. The button
was
stubborn, but finally it came unfastened. I ran both index fingers down the silky, tanned V of skin peeking out of the opening in his shirt. When they met at the first black stud holding the fabric closed, I looked up and grinned. Jason’s eyes shone like blue fire as I rested my hands on either side of the black dot, and my smile grew. My fearless online personality had completely taken over—and I liked it.

“Shall I continue, Doctor?” I asked coyly. I wiggled the shiny black dot with the tip of my finger.

In an instant, Jason’s hands locked around my wrists, separating them slightly. He whispered in my ear, his hot breath sending a spasm through me. “Later, Naughty Nurse Melissa. Later.”

The snicker on my lips disappeared and emerged as a gasp instead. The thought of repeating this exercise
later
—and finishing the job—had my fingers tingling.

Jason leaned back with a devilish grin on his face, while mine baked with a blush that must have reached my toes.
How could this be happening to me?

Abruptly, he dropped my wrists.

“You guys coming?” Alex asked, completely unaware of the steamy atmosphere he’d entered. “I think Linda’s looking for you.”

I took a breath, trying to cool my cheeks.

“We’re on our way,” Jason said. “And thanks.”

The two men shared a meaningful look, and I remembered Alex had been another of my rescuers. Before I could offer my own thanks, he’d wandered off in the wake of one of the prettier bridesmaids.

Jason waved his hand toward the gathering crowd. “I think we should go,” he said. Instead of offering me his arm, he placed his hand against the small of my back and guided me through the people toward the cake table.

We stopped next to Chase, who had Linda tucked under his arm.

“Where were you guys?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Melissa got hot and stepped outside for a sec,” Jason said.

I poked him in the ribs, then cozied up next to him.

Chase gave him a sidelong glance and snorted.

Linda continued to stare, squinting as she processed his statement. Her mouth formed a perfectly round O as she caught on. “It’s about time you got hot with someone, Melissa,” she said with a giggle.

“Ready?” Mitch called. Ann picked up a long silver knife, and he wrapped his hand around hers. Amidst flashing cameras, I assumed the knife pierced the frosting-covered masterpiece, but I’d never know. Jason chose that moment to pull me in front of him. Warm, happy, and wrapped in his arms, the earth could have swallowed us up and I wouldn’t have cared.

Everyone laughed when Ann crammed a huge piece of cake in Mitch’s mouth, waking me from my trance.

“Duh
akes
ood
,” Mitch sputtered. He wiped the frosting off his cheeks with a devious grin.

The crowd
ooo’d
when Mitch picked up a crumbly piece and eyed his new wife. She confidently leaned toward him, opened her mouth part way, and closed her eyes. Men all around me groaned at the sight; even I had to admit she looked incredibly sexy.

Jason ran his hand through my hair, combing it back from my ear. “Ann told Mitch if he got one speck of frosting on the dress she’d never touch him again,” he whispered. His lips brushed my ear as he spoke, bringing back the memory of our kiss in the garden.

My pulse thundered in my ears, drowning out the comments around us. I interlaced my fingers with his, tying us together and preventing my naughty side from whirling around and kissing him right in the middle of the crowd.

Mitch carefully scooped up a tiny bite of cake and frosting on one fingertip and gingerly lifted it to Ann’s lips. She meticulously licked every bit of the confection from his finger, drawing another moan from the crowd—and a cough-laugh from Jason. When the entire length of Mitch’s finger disappeared between her lips, his cheeks glowed crimson, and he adjusted his belt. The spectacle ended with a spirited round of applause, but I was daydreaming about how Jason would look if I did that to him.

We meandered back to the table, hand in hand.

“Would you like me to get you some?” Jason nodded toward the line forming for cake.

“No, I’m fine. Maybe later,” I said. “But feel free.” I waved my hand toward the line without enthusiasm. While the prospect of feeding him dessert sent my pulse into overdrive, I’d much rather he stayed with me.

Jason caught my fingers and brought my wrist to his mouth. He feathered his lips across my skin like before, this time adding the warm, wet touch of the tip of his tongue.

Stunned, I looked around nervously. People filed past, ignoring us, but when I saw Linda heading our direction, I panicked.

“What are you doing?” I whispered. I tried to tug my hand out of Jason’s grip, earning another nerve-tingling kiss at the base of my palm. I grabbed a napkin with my free hand and started fanning myself. What would Linda say if she saw this? She couldn’t possibly understand how or why Jason and I had clicked—hell, I didn’t understand!

Jason looked at me with a satisfied smile, setting my hand down on the table and sinking into the chair next to me. “You’ve got quite the Jekyll and Hyde thing going, don’t you?” he said, keeping one eye on Linda as she closed in. “One minute you’re a shy, tearful, innocent girl, the next you’re trying to take my shirt off in the middle of a room full of people. Now it’s back to nervous and self-conscious. It’s hard to keep up, you know?”

“Well, that’s the thing about flirting, right? The mystery?” I babbled.

Jason raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

“I…well…you know…” With Linda only a couple of tables away, I couldn’t even compose a whole sentence. “Um, later? Please?” I begged.

“
Later?
Definitely,” Jason said. He straightened his collar and gave me a cocky smile.

All I could do was stare, my mouth hanging open.

Linda set a piece of cake in front of me. “Here you go, Melissa. I thought you and Jason might like to share,” she said. She sucked a dollop of frosting off her thumb.

Can everyone read my mind now?

“Thanks,” I said after a long pause. I pushed the cake over to Jason. “It’s all yours.”

Eating was out of the question; my stomach was already churning. Manufacturing a plausible explanation for my totally irrational mood changes wasn’t going to be easy. I could go with the PMS excuse, but somehow I knew Mr. Pre-Med wouldn’t buy it.
I
wasn’t even exactly sure what was triggering my erratic behavior. Apparently Jason’s presence disabled all my internal filters; all my dirty thoughts just shot out of my mouth like darts.
He must think I’m certifiable.

“…messing with Mitch’s limo, okay?”

I hadn’t realized Linda was talking to me. I looked to Jason for help.

“Sure, Linda, stay as long as you’d like,” he said, his eyes not leaving me. No doubt he was questioning my sanity.

I reached for my water, but only managed to demonstrate how hard my hand was shaking when I sent the ice clinking against the sides of the glass.

Even Linda noticed.

“Melissa, are you all right?” she asked. “You’re turning white.”

No, I’m not all right. My newly discovered multiple personality disorder is tearing me apart.

“I’m fine, really.” I forced my lungs to expand and tried to think about something benign, like global warming. I set the glass down carefully, using both hands.

“May I?” Jason asked, taking the hand closest to him. He slid his fingers to my wrist, checking my pulse. I took another slow breath, chasing away most of the butterflies, and tried again for a drink. “Do you feel dizzy?” he asked, shifting back into physician mode.

“No, I’m okay,” I said. I got the glass to my lips without shaking this time, and the cool water helped immensely. “Just a little overheated, I think.”
Because of you
.