Just One Night (The Kingston Family 1)

Knowing she didn’t have much time, she chose the look-in-the-mirror option, saw the sleep line on her cheek, and groaned. Just wonderful.

She ran her fingers through her tangled hair and couldn’t do much more before he knocked on her door. She wasn’t surprised he’d shown up. Not after the scene with his ex.

She let him in and shut the door behind him.

“We need to talk,” he said without saying hello first.

She smiled grimly. “If it’s about Angelica, I can live without the details.”

“But I need you to know a few things.” He shrugged off his jacket and laid it over a club chair, making himself at home.

She sighed as he pulled on his tie, releasing the knot and unthreading the ends. He tossed it over his jacket and proceeded to undo the top two buttons on his shirt and roll up his sleeves.

Dammit, why did he have to be so sexy?

“Are you hungry? I picked up a couple of dinners on my way home.”

He shook his head. “I grabbed something first. You don’t need to feed me,” he said, his lips lifting in a wry grin.

“So you had a busy day.” No point beating around the bush, she thought, striding over to her favorite corner of her couch before he could beat her to it.

He settled in right beside her, half facing her, his knee on the couch, touching her thigh.

“Yes, I did. And I want you to know I haven’t been with her in over a year. Frankly I hadn’t been with anyone, because I’ve been over having meaningless sex. Angelica called the night I showed up at your apartment drunk. I was on my way over and I made it clear I wasn’t interested. Obviously she needed me to be harsher than I was, because she didn’t buy it.”

Jordan had to admit she was relieved to hear there hadn’t been anyone else in a while.

“I know she’s a stage-five clinger.” It really was her favorite expression, Jordan mused.

He tipped his head back and laughed. “Great description.”

“It does fit.”

“Chloe’s excited about the baby shower this weekend,” he said.

Jordan smiled. “So is Aurora. She’s nervous about meeting so many strangers, but she’s looking forward to it, too.”

His warm gaze met hers. “Do you talk to her often?”

“Every day, every other day, depends. I check in or she calls. She’s a wonderful girl given all she had to live through. She hasn’t been hardened by life, and she’s open to her new family. It’s been great to see.”

He stretched an arm over the back of the sofa, his fingers running over the skin on her shoulder. A light touch but her entire body tingled, awareness shooting through her veins and her nipples puckering beneath her cotton tee shirt.

“So about the party,” Linc said. “It starts at eleven a.m. I’ll pick you up around ten.”

“Can you fit the huge horse rocker you bought into the back of your SUV?” she asked, grinning. He was such a sucker for buying Aurora and the baby things and having them delivered to the house.

“I already had Max drop it off at the club. Does ten work for you?”

She nodded. “Perfect. I appreciate the ride.” Otherwise she’d have to take an Uber and that wouldn’t be fun at all.

“Jordan.”

At the gruff sound of his voice, she jerked her head up. “What?”

“You don’t thank your date for picking you up to go somewhere.” He gripped her arm in his hand, firmly but without hurting her. “Make no mistake. You’re my date.”

She opened her mouth to argue. To tell him they couldn’t show up and act like a couple in front of his family when nobody had any idea they were dating, let alone had any kind of intimate relationship. Not to mention, they hadn’t had a discussion laying out the parameters of said relationship.

But she couldn’t deny they were involved in a deeper way than they’d been before they’d slept together the first time.

“Linc, we don’t want to give your family the wrong impression.”

His father would roll over in his grave if he walked into the country club with her on his arm. She had no idea what his mother would say. And though Jordan could handle whatever people dished out, she didn’t want to embarrass his family during a day that belonged to Aurora.

“You’re right. And we won’t.” He rose to his feet, leaned over, and pressed his mouth to hers, parting her lips and sucking on her tongue.

She moaned and kissed him back, unable to resist him even when he was his pushy self. By the time he pulled back, she would have agreed to almost anything he’d asked.

“Good night,” he said. “Sweet dreams.” He strode past the chair, grabbing his jacket and tie.

She was still lost in that kiss, wrapped up in his masculine scent, and her head spinning when the door shut behind him.