Chapter 11

Jon pulled back this time. Breathing was an effort and his heart thundered in his head. She stood there with her lips pressed together and her eyes closed weaving in his arms a little. “Tessa,” he whispered.

She opened her eyes and focused on his face. “Well then.”

He grinned. The blood rushing back to his head, the correct one this time, he thought with a little disgust. “Yeah, I don’t quite know what to say either.”

She licked her lips and let her hand fall back to his chest. “I’m gonna say that wasn’t planned.”

“I’m a planner about certain things, but coming here today was impulse,” Jon murmured. “I’m not sorry about it though.”

“No?” she peered up at him uncertainly. The first kiss had been a ten on the holy shit factor, but the rest had cleared her brain and replaced it with oatmeal. Sweet hell, he could kiss.

“I think I kinda want to do it again.”

Her heart stopped. “Kinda?”

“I think I’m a little afraid I won’t be able to control myself.”

Now she did grin back at him. “Now that is one thing I’ve never had a problem with.”

His hand slid boldly along her hip to her back, his finger still touching the warm skin beneath her sweater. “Controlling yourself around a man?”

She chuckled. “No, I’m a glorified librarian, darlin’. I don’t have men kissing me stupid too often.”

“Then you are not hanging out with the right men because that mouth is lethal.”

She fiddled with the open button at the center of his chest. “You’re lethal. I’m just enjoying the benefits.” Her fingers slid into his shirt, unable to resist the temptation. “I can’t believe you came back.”

He closed his eyes against her touch. He should have turned heel and ran when she confessed her fan status, but she didn’t act like his normal fan. She didn’t cling or shriek and the shaking had subsided when the kiss had broken. “I couldn’t stop myself. And if you don’t cut that out I’m not going to be held accountable for my actions.”

She tugged her hand back from the warmth of his chest. “Sorry.”

His eyebrow arched. “Uh huh.”

“Considering that raping Jon Bon Jovi was not on the list for closing time, you need to stop those little touches yourself.”

“Can’t rape the willing.”

“You know if I was that kind of woman, now would be time to try it out, but I’m not—even for you.”

His mouth dropped open. “I was kidding.”

“Hell, I’m not. You are a fantasy man to a lot of women, myself included. That was a step beyond fantasy though. I think you short circuited about half my brain cells.”

“That’s a good thing.”

She stepped back, the loss of contact left her feeling unsettled. She bent down and picked up the sweater she dropped sometime in the middle of the kiss. “Leaving clothes behind at my place already?” She said and handed him the sweater. She needed to lighten the mood and quick.

He laughed, “You are a quirky woman.”

“If you only knew.”

“I want to know.”

She smiled up at him. “Do you now?”

“Go to dinner with me.”

“Just like that? You already got to first base, darlin’.”

“Well, I think we were halfway to second actually.”

She laughed, her fingers tingling at the memory. “This is true. If your chest wasn’t so distracting I would have been much better behaved.”

He tipped his head back and laughed. “Do you say everything that comes into your head?”

“Pretty much.”

“Now I definitely need to go out with you.”

“So where are we going?”

“How’s a greasy hamburger with everything sound?” Way to go. Impressing her right off the bat. Why did he say that?

“Like heaven. I haven’t eaten yet.”

Ridiculously pleased, he smiled even wider. “Well grab your coat woman, I’m buying.”

She did a quick sweep of the store to make sure all the doors were locked and lights were out, threw the till in the safe and grabbed her coat. She gasped when she caught a look at herself in the mirror.

He’d yanked out her headband and left her hair sticking out all over. “And why didn’t you tell me I looked like a witch on a bender?” she said when she came back to the front.

“You look fine.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you have a daughter and an ex-wife? You sure as hell know, I do not look all right.”

He picked up the little green headband from the chair. “Here you go, you’ll be good as new.”

She pushed her hair back and fluffed it a little. “Good thing you’re a good kisser or I’d have to give you a thousand lashes and make you walk the plank for lying.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “What are you lashing me with?”

She turned him around and pushed him out the door. “Use your imagination.”

“Oh I am,” he laughed. “I am.”