Travis slapped a few high fives to other guys as he made his way to the customer’s side of the bar. Miranda knew exactly how it felt to be at a dead end. She also knew how it felt to have someone believe in you enough to give you that little boost to push you ahead and score a job. Marty had done it for her, and she was thrilled she’d been able to do that for someone else.
She was still smiling at Travis’s enthusiasm as he made the rounds, sharing his joy with friends. Miranda’s gaze floated past his shoulder and held on someone standing near the doors. He stood out because he was still in an ocean of
moving customers.
Jack.
Her stomach lifted and her heart gave an extra hard beat. She smiled before his expression registered. A mix of shell shock and confusion with an edge of it-fucking-figures. She realized he’d just witnessed Travis’s gratitude and saw it as something completely different. By the time Miranda moved around the front of the bar, Jack was gone.
She plowed through the customers and hit the metal bar on the front door, pushing into the night. She caught sight of his back as he headed down the street toward his hotel.
Miranda ran fifty yards before calling, “Hey, New York.”
He stopped. Miranda did too, not knowing what to expect. His shoulders fell and his head dropped back in a classic fuck-me posture.
Her heart beat in her ears. She was having trouble catching her breath.
Slowly, he turned, and she found his expression shuttered. “Hey, Nashville.”
She exhaled hard. A wave of desire hit her from out of nowhere. A craving she wasn’t sure she’d ever felt before. Despite the clear warning message in his tone, in his expression, she was drawn toward him. A force that felt out of her control.
By the time she stood ten feet away, she saw a lot more. Disappointment, resignation, frustration. Miranda shoved her hands in her back pockets. “I didn’t know you’d be back tonight.”
“I wanted to surprise you.” He looked away, muttering, “That worked out well.”
“I didn’t figure you for the jealous type.” She crossed her arms, caught between getting pissed at him and throwing herself at him. “But I guess I should have known. Only an alpha could have so completely owned me in bed.”
A familiar hunger flared in his eyes. A good sign, right?
She took a few steps closer and lifted her chin toward the bar. “You know, that wasn’t anything.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself,” he said, his voice way too businesslike. “You were clear with me from the beginning.”
He didn’t walk away, so she chanced a few steps closer. Close enough to reach out and touch him. “Then why do you look so…”—hurt, crushed, heartbroken— “pissed?”
He sighed and looked at the sky. “Because I should have listened when you said no attachments.”
All her nerves rose to the surface of her skin, and she couldn’t hold still. She was about to step out onto a ledge. One she hoped he’d pull her in from. “I’m glad you didn’t listen.”
The words came out weak, tentative. Nothing like the woman she tried so hard to be. But now that she was out here…
“I’ve been looking at the door since I got to work, expecting you to walk in even though I didn’t know when you’d get into town. You never texted me back.” She scraped her lower lip between her teeth. Butterfly wings fluttered beneath her ribs. “Travis—” She couldn’t believe she was about to justify herself—to a guy. But she just kept hearing Marty’s disappointment that she wasn’t stretching for what she really wanted or what really made her happy. And Jack made her happy. “He got a job I recommended him for. He’s just a nice guy. A friend. There’s nothing—”
Jack closed the distance, his one step quick and purposeful. Miranda dropped her arms and leaned away. Instead of lashing out in anger, he cupped her face and searched her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. I just—”
She exhaled in a rush of relief. “I know.” She covered his hands with hers. “This…it…scares me.”
He lowered his head and kissed her. The press of his lips sent a sweep of relief through her, loosening the knots in her stomach. Miranda wrapped her arms around his waist, leaned in, and opened to him.
He responded instantly, tasting her. Moaning into her mouth. Slipping a hand under her hair and clasping her neck, locking the other arm around her waist. A possessive hold, but one that made her feel safe.
He broke the kiss unexpectedly, leaving her dizzy. “Still scared?”
She laughed. “Only about getting you back to the hotel before I tear your clothes off.”
14
Jack felt like he’d been infused with helium. He barely felt the ground beneath his feet as he and Miranda half walked, half ran to the hotel. Holding hands. Stopping to kiss each other breathless.