“Are you almost ready?” JP calls out from the entryway.
“Yes,” I yell. “Sheesh, give a girl a second.”
“You’ve had multiple seconds.”
“I got home like a minute ago.”
“Try ten minutes. You just had to change. What are you doing in there?”
“Putting on deodorant.” I swipe my armpits one more time, cap the deodorant, then grab my purse and head to the entryway. “God, do you want me to smell?” I ask just as I look up to find JP posed against the front door.
Holy . . . moly.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the man look this casual, but it’s doing all sorts of bubbly, warm things inside my stomach. Decked out in worn and torn jeans, a black shirt, and a hooded, black leather jacket, he’s oozing with sex appeal. He tops off the look with a backwards hat, and I feel my insides quake. Not to mention the thick hair peppered on his jawline or the deep color of his lashes making his eyes seem impossibly greener.
“What?” he asks when he catches me staring.
“Uh . . . sorry, just don’t think I’ve ever seen you this casual before.”
He glances down at his outfit and then back at me. “Did you expect me to dress up for you? This isn’t a date.”
Well aware this isn’t a date.
“I know that,” I snap at him and put my purse over my shoulder. “But pardon me if I’m a little stunned to see you in a hat. Didn’t know you owned one.”
“I’m pretty sure every male owns a baseball hat.”
“Well, it looks odd on you.” It doesn’t, it looks really good, but there’s no way I’m going to say that.
“Well, jeans look fucking weird on you,” he shoots back.
“Really?” I ask in an insecure voice.
He rolls his eyes. “No, but see how it’s unkind to say people look weird? A compliment would’ve been good.”
“You want me to compliment you? When this isn’t a date? I thought this was a short-term companionship. If that’s the case, I tease my friends, and therefore, I’ll say you look weird in a hat because I’m so used to Mr. Businessman. But if you truly need to know, the backwards hat suits you.”
“I want to say there’s a compliment in there, so I’ll take it.”
He starts to walk away, but I hold out my arms and ask, “Care to toss a compliment my way?”
His eyes roam over my simple jeans and off-the-shoulder sweater before he says, “I can smell your deodorant, and it doesn’t smell like BO. Good job.”
I feel my face fall flat. “That’s your compliment?”
He opens the front door for me and asks, “Have a problem with that?”
“It’s not even a compliment, it’s just pointing out the obvious.” It’s about as good as being told the color of my dress is nice. Or I’ve seen better.
I start to walk past him, but then he grips my wrist and leans into my ear. “Kelsey . . .”
His voice drips like honey over my exposed shoulder. I swallow tightly and nod. “Yes?”
His body moves against mine, my side to his chest as he whispers, “I like how white your shoes are.”
And then he lets go of me and shuts the penthouse door behind us.
He glances back at me with a smirk as we head for the elevator. I jog after him and give him a push.
“What?” he asks. “You wanted a compliment.”
“Yeah, well, don’t do it like that.”
“Like what?”
“You know . . . all seductive.”
His brow raises, nearly touching his hat. “You thought that was seductive? And from the blush on your cheeks, it seems you liked it.”
“That’s makeup,” I say, patting my heated face.
It’s not makeup.
That’s all me.
If I’m going to be truthful, last night shook me.
I had a great time with JP. Of course, I had to battle his bad mood from time to time, but I also watched him comply with my demands on many occasions. He was out of his comfort zone, and yet, he kept up with me and never truly complained. I had a lot of fun. And then, when we got home and he dragged me by the ankles to my room, and told me his real name . . .
Ladies . . . listen, I’ve never in my life had such a wave of butterflies erupt in my stomach. Like a swarm of them, all fluttering at the same time. It was overwhelming.
I spent the entire day today thinking about it, thinking about him, and by the time I was headed back to the penthouse, I told myself to get it together. Yes, JP is hot. Yes, he has this alpha-like attitude that’s appealing to me. And, yes, he opened up last night and had fun with me, but . . . there’s one thing I need to remember.