Ryan spotted her quickly and smiled. Was that relief she saw wash over his face? With her plan still fresh in her mind, she went straight up to Ryan and put her arms around him. ‘Hey, you,’ she said as her hands slipped into the back pockets of his jeans. She melted into his embrace.
‘Jaz, I’m on duty,’ he said but he didn’t let her go. His hands held her and she could feel him nuzzle near her ear. Maybe she wasn’t the only one relieved to have the pick up over. ‘Everything went okay?’ he asked, pulling back and putting air between them. His eyes went back to searching around the club.
Jaz felt giddy from his lingering touch. ‘Yep. How about you?’
‘Not much happening tonight.’
Jaz wondered if that meant the white suit guy hadn’t met with any new ‘clients’ or that the club had been quiet.
‘Have you got — ’ he began to ask.
‘No, you have,’ she said with a smirk. ‘Back pocket.’
He smiled as he realised. ‘Clever. Thanks.’ He didn’t bother searching his jeans. ‘You should probably head home now,’ he added.
‘I thought I might stay and dance up a storm. I didn’t even have my ID checked.’ She laughed and began to dance to the beat beside him, her hips swaying to the DJ’s song.
‘Jaz,’ he almost growled and grabbed her arm, pulling her close. His lips brushed against her ear. ‘You can not stay here dressed like that.’
She pulled away from him; his face was dark, unreadable.
‘Scared I might get propositioned,’ she teased. But he wasn’t laughing.
‘I still have to work and I can’t be keeping an eye out for you too. Please, go home where I know you’re safe. Please.’
‘Only on one condition.’
‘What’s that?’
Jaz leant in real close. ‘I need something to tell Anna.’ She let her words hang in the air as she pressed her hand to his chest. His muscles underneath tightened from her touch. She was feeling all-powerful in the killer heels and certainly not herself. Was she drunk on the adrenaline? Had the danger sent her loopy?
Jaz glanced up to see his reaction but couldn’t get past his lips. So perfect and smooth. She just had to taste them. Leaning in, she did just that.
Ryan’s hand came up behind her head, increasing the pressure of the kiss. Jaz felt herself melt into him as she grabbed at his shirt. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. The noise of the club disappeared and all she could feel was the heat of his kiss. Their mouths opened, searching for more. His tongue brushed against hers and she shivered in his arms. Jaz had never experienced anything like this before.
‘I’m sorry,’ Ryan said, pulling away abruptly leaving them both catching their breath. Ryan avoided her gaze as he searched around the room. ‘I really have to work, Jaz.’ Now he glanced at her, his eyes resting on her lips, which felt slightly swollen. ‘Go home, I’ll catch up with you later.’ He bent down but only to kiss the top of her head before disappearing into the crowd.
Jaz walked towards the exit but felt as if she was flying. Not even her aching feet worried her, or the pushing and shoving from the crowd. Some guys groped for her, begged her to dance but she swayed past them on her cloud.
Somehow she found a taxi and ended up back on her street without even realising time was passing. Paying the taxi driver she got out, putting her hand to her forehead. ‘Was any of that real?’ she asked herself. She touched her lips, remembered the taste of Ryan and shivered again, but it wasn’t cold outside. In a daze, she found her hidden jacket, took off her shoes and climbed up to Anna’s room.
Anna was sitting in bed reading and put her book down as she climbed in. ‘So, how did it go?’ she asked as Jaz climbed onto her bed.
Jaz smiled. She couldn’t find the words to tell Anna.
‘Oh, I can so tell you got kissed. Damn girl, look at your face.’ Anna flipped the doona cover back so Jaz could climb in. ‘Okay, spill. I want all the details.’ She all but threw her book from the bed in anticipation.
Jaz crawled under the sheet and leaned back against the pillows. Her mind kept replaying the kiss over and over as if proving to her it was real. ‘Anna, I just had the best night of my life.’
Chapter 22
Mr Peel was talking through a problem on the board while Jaz doodled absent-mindedly on the corner of her page. Her phone vibrated on her lap, causing her to flinch out of her daydream state. The message was from Anna, it said three words. Pax is back! For the first time in four days Jaz cracked a smile.
She glanced at her page and saw the black inked ‘R’ she’d been doodling. With a sigh, she scrubbed it out with her pen until she couldn’t see it. R was for rubbish and ridiculous, not Ryan. Or so she tried to tell herself.