Taking the Heat (Jackson: Girls' Night Out 3)

“But not you?” she asked.

“Are you kidding? I’ve been following your live show since the beginning. You want another drink?”

“Oh, God, yes. Please.”

He started to raise a hand to catch the server’s eye, then realized the woman was already headed over with a drink. She winked at Veronica. “The manager says thanks for another great show. There’s more where this came from.”

“Keep them coming!” Veronica cried. When she reached for the drink, Gabe noticed her hand was trembling again.

“Do you get nervous?” he asked.

Her big blue eyes peered at him from over the rim of the martini glass as she took a long drink. “Nervous?” she finally rasped when she came up for air. “More like fucking terrified.”

“I’m surprised.” That might explain a lot of her odd behavior. “You seem totally confident up there.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded as she took another drink.

“It’s all an act. I’m scared to death.” She took one more drink, then set the glass down. Her hand was still shaking.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “Anyone would be nervous talking to a roomful of strangers about cunnilingus.”

She squeaked and covered her face with her hands. Her cheeks went red behind her fingers, but when her shoulders began to shake, he knew she was laughing.

“Sorry,” he said. “It was kind of the elephant in the room. That and your small breasts.”

“Oh, my God!” she shrieked, her head bowing with laughter.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

“Gabe!” she scolded, and he grinned at the way she made him feel as if he was getting away with something. He couldn’t deny that it was a turn-on having an excuse to talk to this girl he hardly knew about sex.

He smiled at the top of her head until she finally peeked up, her eyes still crinkled with amusement.

“Feel better?” he asked.

She sat up straight and shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes, I actually feel better.”

“Makes sense. Oral sex is a great icebreaker. But I don’t need to tell you that. You’ve probably given that advice a hundred times.”

“You’re awful,” she said, still grinning.

“I know. I’m sorry. But your hands were shaking.”

“Oh.” Her smile faded. “I didn’t realize.”

The waitress interrupted with a new cocktail, and Gabe watched Veronica take a deep breath. She touched the new glass but didn’t lunge for it the way she had with the first one. She really had been scared. No wonder she’d been so hesitant to join the crowd.

“You have no idea how good these drinks are. So good.” She took another sip. “And you distracted me from the terror. Thank you.”

He noticed how her dress had ridden up to expose more of her smooth thighs and made himself look away, if only so he wouldn’t get caught. “I honestly had no idea you were nervous. It was a great show. You’re a natural.”

“Really? I can’t tell how it’s going when I’m up there. It feels like my brain shuts down and my mouth is working on its own.”

“No, your brain is definitely working. Everything you say is really damn smart.”

She blushed again, and Gabe liked that. A lot. That she blushed over sex talk and then blushed when he called her smart. She was...intriguing. And nothing like the first impression he’d had of her.