Phoenix Rising(34)
He blinked in the darkness, eyes staring unfocused at the ceiling. Seducing Jessa was fine. It didn’t matter where or when. Connor couldn’t let her continue to deny her own innate sensuality.
But it had to stop there. Seduce her, fuck her, and get her out of his system. Because when it was all said and done, Connor wasn’t the man for her. And therein lay the double-edged blade. Jessa was beauty and light and passion personified. And when she realized that, it would be time for Connor to step away.
After all, a woman like Jessa didn’t belong with an ex-convict like Connor.
Chapter Eleven
Jessa had stopped keeping a tally of her own inappropriate behavior. It was too exhausting. She was going to have to accept that when she was anywhere near Connor, everything from her vocabulary to her self-image got downright sassy.
She could still smell him all over her body when they were getting ready to close for the night. The scent of his sweat and cum permeated every cell of her body until Jessa was enveloped in Connor’s essence.
Of course, there was no better place to be. He’d fucked her until she couldn’t imagine not being completely satisfied. But she wasn’t. All night long, Jessa saw him from across the room, met his eyes, and caught him staring shamelessly at her as she worked. It was all she could do not to stride across the bar, flinging off her clothes as she went. Jessa wanted to bend over the nearest table and beg him to do it all over again.
“Hey, sex kitten, have a drink.” Alex pushed a bottle of beer into her hand, interrupting her daydream.
“Rough night, huh?”
Alex took a long swig from his own bottle. “Not really. It seemed pretty normal to me.”
“All I want is a nice hot shower.”
Alex paused, bottle against his full, curved lips. “Well, you’re the one who decided to start your shift sporting the freshly-fucked look.”
Jessa blinked in surprise.
“C’mon, don’t act like you thought it was a secret, Jessa. You were loud enough to bring down the house.”
She flushed scarlet to the roots of her brown hair. “Please shut up.”
“Actually, I don’t mind listening to your screams.”
Jessa set the bottle on a table and covered her flaming face with her hands.
“But I have to tell you that Connor’s yells and groans just don’t do it for me.”
Jessa made a valiant effort at a comeback, “No guy-on-guy for you, huh?”
“Not unless there’s a sweet piece of feminine ass between me and him.”
“Speaking of Isabel,” Connor interjected as he approached with a frosty bottle of water in his hand. “Where is she tonight?”
Though Alex seemed unbothered by Connor’s implications, Jessa was fascinated. Did they actually share women like that? And why did that thought excite her instead of disturb her?
Alex shrugged and took another long pull from his bottle. “I kind of thought she’d be here by now, but you know how it is.”
“He might, but I don’t,” Jessa prodded, hopping up and settling her backside comfortably on the table.
Alex ran a hand through his already tousled blonde curls. “It’s just a casual relationship, Jessa. No strings, no agreements, no attachments, you know.”
No, she really didn’t. But Jessa kept silent and took a swallow of beer. She was feeling pleasantly buzzed. Not just because of the beer, but also the shots she’d done with a customer only fifteen minutes before close.
“I have to say, Jessa, I’m rather impressed with the amount of alcohol you’ve put away tonight.”
She flushed, wondering if it was pathetic to be flattered by such a backhanded compliment. “I wasn’t always a good girl, you know.”
“No,” Alex drawled. “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
The moment of bravado passed, leaving insecurity in its wake. “I had a year of college before I settled down.”
Alex nudged her arm. “Aha, so the reformed party girl is backsliding, hmm?”
“I suppose even boring women like me were young once upon a time.”
“Young and old have nothing to do with it, Jessa,” Connor rumbled.
His uncanny gaze ripped right through her defenses and left Jessa utterly exposed. The air between them snapped with electricity. But just when things began to descend into that place just beyond her comfort level, Alex fidgeted.
“Well,” Alex leapt to his feet. “Since we’re all here with nothing better to do…”
He let the sentence hang, but Connor rolled his eyes and chuckled. “What’s it going to be this time?”
“There are breasts in the room, Connor. What do you think I want to do?”