Billionaire Mountain Man

She sat on the couch, facing me with her legs tucked under her. “So, what happened?”

“She’s a sweet girl,” I said. “Maybe I jumped into this too quickly.”

Jess shoved her hair out of her face as she came up from closing the dishwasher. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” I said. “You got me on a date. That was an accomplishment.”

“I wished you would have had a good time.”

“Me too,” I said.

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p; “So, what can I do to make this terrible date up to you?”

“How about not setting me up again,” I said, sipping from my glass.

She tilted her head back and laughed. “Deal.”

“Do you have any embarrassing first date stories?” I asked. The tension in my shoulders from the date eased until I sunk into the couch.

“I have a few,” she said and took a long swallow of the wine. “This is really good.”

Jess went on about a few of her dates that she went on since she arrived in the States. At one point, we were both teary-eyed from laughing. Most of her first dates were a thousand times worse than the one I went on with Kimberly, which made me feel a little better about tonight.

I loved the carefree attitude that Jess exuded when talking about her previous dates. As they were embarrassing and pathetic at the time, she had brushed them off as life experiences. I loved the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled. Why couldn’t I have hung out here all night with her?

As I finished the last of my wine glass, I picked up the bottle and realized it was empty. How long had we sat there? I checked my watch. It was close to eleven.

I put down my glass and rubbed my temples. “I think I’m just too old to date.”

Jess laughed. “You’re not too old to date.”

I chuckled. “I know you’re not saying that because you have to.”

“No, I don’t,” she said. “You have a lot going for you.”

“Like what?”

Jess put down her glass and crossed her arms. “You’re kind and decent. And not just because you’re my boss. I see it with how you treat Gina. And being attractive helps.”

“You think I’m attractive?”

She rolled her eyes. “Out of all that, that’s what you focus on?”

“Of course,” I said with a smirk.

“You know you are. Don’t sell yourself short. There is someone out there for you.”

I wasn’t sure if it was the wine or the company but a mix of both. Something inside of me took over, and I leaned forward, pressing my lips against hers. Warmth flooded my body as I kissed her. The same feeling I got when I first met her came back. This was right. And I wanted more.

Chapter Twelve

Jess

Noah’s warm mouth on mine surprised me enough that I froze in place. Tasting the sweet wine on his lips made my head spin. Or maybe it had been the two glasses I’d had over the short time since he’d arrived home. I reached up and placed my hands on his shoulders, bringing him closer to me. He opened his mouth, and his tongue rubbed against mine, tangling together in a sensual dance.

My wine glass toppled over and fell onto the carpeted floor. I jumped back away from him, reality slamming into me. The glass was empty and intact, but the action snapped me back to reality. Was my boss really kissing me? It surprised me that I wanted to kiss him more.