The man glanced at her ring finger, and Jake followed his gaze to see a band of diamonds circling her finger. Well hell, apparently he had a wife who planned ahead.
“Lucky man,” the bartender said, giving Jake an envious nod.
“Don’t I know it,” Jake answered and then gave his wife a heated look.
Maria one-upped him when she turned mischievous eyes to him and said, “No, Tiger Toes, I’m the lucky one.”
Tiger Toes? Jake could actually feel the grin slowly forming on his face. This would probably be a good time to take cover from the barrage of new sensations falling down on his head, but he ignored the warning and leaned toward Maria, fully intending to kiss her. Christ, she smelled good—earthy and spicy—the scent exotic like her.
“You two are giving me an overdose of sugar.”
Maria reacted to the interruption by ignoring it, but Jake jerked his head back. What the hell was he thinking? That was the problem: he wasn’t.
“Sorry, but sometimes she scrambles my brain.” Too much information there and way too true. He tore his gaze away and shrugged. “Back to her question. Is her uncle working tonight?”
“No, man. Haven’t seen Hernando for a few days. He was a no-show for his shift and I haven’t heard a word from him since. He’s got a paycheck coming, but I doubt the boss will turn it over since he left without so much as a good-bye.”
“If I give you my cell number, would you call me if he shows up?” Maria asked. “It’s been a few months since I’ve seen him. We stopped by his house a few times but haven’t been able to catch him, and he’s not answering his phone. I’m starting to worry.”
Once again, the man turned a too-interested look on her, and again, Jake gritted his teeth.
The bartender grabbed a napkin and pen. “Sure. I’ll be glad to call you.”
Maria gave him a beautiful smile and rattled off Jake’s number, then ordered jalapeno poppers and loaded potato skins.
Jake ordered a plate of fruit and cheese while wondering if he was a boring man.
They were halfway through their appetizers when Maria grabbed his arm. “I love this song. Come on, let’s dance.”
There were other couples dancing, most of them pressed tightly together. Jake reluctantly followed Maria onto the dance floor and placed his hand on her hip, keeping her an arm’s distance away. But halfway through the song, she’d somehow inched closer and he gave up the fight.
He slipped his hand around her back, pulled her against him, and buried his nose in her hair. As they swayed to the slow beat of the music, something low and hungry settled deep in his groin. He pushed his leg between hers and she, his wife, practically straddled his knee. So much for his good intentions.
But he didn’t care. Not now. Not tonight.
All he wanted was to feel Maria pressed hard against him, to hear her soft sigh when his thigh pushed between her legs. And oh yeah, she did sigh.
“Jake,” she whispered.
“Maria.”
He lowered his mouth to her ear and nibbled on the delicate lobe, felt the skin over her spine shiver under his hand. If he had a white flag, he’d wave it. He’d never surrendered any battle before, but this one he didn’t resent.
For as long as it lasted, he’d go along for the ride. He might not know how to do forever, but he could love her like no other man until she wised up and sent him packing or he decided it was time to go.
His pulse kept to the beat of the music as her soft body coiled around his. He circled his arms around her, sliding his fingers into the back pockets of her jeans. She sighed again and rubbed against his hip. If she didn’t stop doing that, he was going to throw her over his shoulder like some kind of barbarian and carry her back to his cave.
She looked up at him with those bedroom eyes—now almost black and shimmering with desire—and he lowered his mouth to hers. The couples around them faded, the music faded, and he was aware of nothing but Maria. With his hands still in her pockets, he caressed her ass with his fingers. His cock throbbed with the need to be buried inside her.
Another couple bumped them and Jake lifted his head, his surroundings coming back into focus. Damn, this was a first. He’d never before come this close to making love on a dance floor.
“Let’s go home,” she said.
Jake slipped his fingers around hers, led her back to the bar, and paid their tab. As words were beyond him, when they reached his car, he braced his palms on the door, caging her in. He lowered his mouth to hers and learned the answer to a question that had plagued him all day. Overnight, he’d convinced himself he’d exaggerated the memory of kissing her. He hadn’t.