Diner Girl(10)
Her tongue darted out and touched her bottom lip. “I’m ravenous.”
Mark groaned inwardly at her use of that word. That’s precisely how he felt looking at her. Or perhaps lecherous, wanton, concupiscent—Mark swallowed down his inner pubescent boy and headed into the kitchen with Jennifer close on his heels. He flipped the light switch.
“The power’s out,” she said from behind him.
“Is that why it’s so cold in here?”
She nodded, then bit her lip. She seemed to be thinking about something. Her thoughts probably were not the same as his at this point.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked, eyeing the way her teeth worried over her lip. Her perfect, pouty, kissable lip.
A blush crept up over Jennifer’s face. “Nothing. I was actually, no, you’re going to think I’m—” her voice faltered as he moved closer.
“Tell me.” He was almost on top of her now. He stood close enough to know that her crimson hair was wildly untamed in the crackling cool air, and that she smelled soapy clean.
“I was just remembering what you looked like this morning,” she whispered. “It’s...it’s been a while since I’ve seen a man like...that.” She bit her lip again. Her eyes seemed to beg for more, but her posture, and the protective way she crossed her arms over her chest, said she wasn’t quite ready.
But still, her words were enough to let him know she might be interested. That knowledge had a more devastating effect on Mark than any open flirting ever could. That and the way his eyes drew to her lips. The same sensual lips he’d been thinking about all night.
He let out a low guttural sound; he had to be nice. Jennifer hadn’t actually said she wanted anything more than a nice guy from him—and until she did, he had to be nice.
He swallowed and tore his eyes away from her mouth. Changing the subject, he said, “There’s some leftover pizza from the other night, vegetable with chunks of mozzarella and feta. From Saucy’s Pizzeria. Would you like some?”
“That,” Jennifer said as she brushed past him and opened the refrigerator door, “is my favorite kind.”
She stood close to him. Her hip brushed up against his as she searched around the dark refrigerator, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t even indicate that she noticed their touch.
God, she felt soft.
Bending lower, she pulled the pizza out of the fridge. Then a pitcher of tea, as well.
“Mark, does Ruth have any brandy she wouldn’t mind sharing?”
It took him a moment to register that she’d spoken. He’d been drawn to her backside. And he’d been holding his hands behind himself as a reminder to be nice.
“I’m, oh! I’ll have to check. Pizza and brandy?”
“No.” Jennifer laughed. “My mother used to make a drink using ice tea and brandy. I was a little girl, but she would let me sip out of her glass. You’ll love it.”
Mark smiled. Be nice, be nice. “Let me go check.”
After a few minutes of searching around Ruth’s liquor cabinet, and finding a surprising amount of alcohol, he finally found a bottle of brandy and headed back to the kitchen.
Jennifer had managed to find some plates and had the pizza ready by the time he returned. He set the brandy down and grabbed a slice before Jennifer could stop him. She laughed and slapped playfully at his hand.
“You really are hungry!”
“I’m ravenous.” His words echoed her own. She pulled two glasses out of the cabinet. The pants pulled tight around her hips again.
He choked a bit on the pizza.
“Are you okay?”
Sputtering, he croaked, “Fine.”
She poured about two fingers worth of brandy into each glass and then covered it with ice, sugar and tea.
Teasingly he asked, “Are you trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me, Ms. Cleary?”
“It’s cold. I thought some alcohol might go a long way toward warming us.”
Her voice sounded casual, but her eyes suggested there might be other ways for them to get warm. And she didn’t deny his question about what she’d do to him if she got him drunk.
Chapter Four
Outside, the temperature dropped at least another ten degrees. Clouds rolled over each other as they dumped mounds of snow on the ground below. The living room darkened as the sun disappeared behind the clouds, and brightened again as the clouds thinned. Mark sat in the chair across from Jennifer as they ate. The light brightened her hair to a honey red; the clouds darkened it to almost burgundy. He felt entranced. “So, you’re what...twenty-four, twenty-five?”
Jennifer laughed before answering. “A girl never tells her age, but thank you for guessing under.” She waited a moment. “I just turned thirty last summer.”