Jared had his head bowed down, his hands on his hips, and was scratching the carpeted floor with the sole of his shoe. Nicole held her phone with one hand and the other was against her mouth, grazing her lips with her fingers.
She seemed hypnotized by whatever he was saying, and I felt an odd chill down my spine when he looked up at her, his face was glowing with a cute smile.
They hadn't noticed me nearing them, and step by step their conversation became clearer to me.
"I mean it, you really were amazing." She insisted, touching his elbow. Her hand lingered there for a couple of seconds, but she jerked it away when she finally saw me approaching.
"I see you guys are bonding." I said monotonically, stopping next to Jared. I tucked my arm under his and leaned my head on his shoulder, making it clear to her that he was mine. He kissed the top of my head before explaining what I had walked into.
"Nicole was praising me for my work in Dallas." He noted, covering my hand with his. She shot a quick smile at his gesture and lifted her gaze to his face again.
"He was perfect, wasn't he? Such a hottie even as a woman." She laughed, but it somehow seemed forced. I softly chuckled to make the situation less awkward for her.
Jared rubbed his hand over his stubbly chin. "I was coming to your room to wish you good night, when she found me. I had other plans, but..."
Nicole cut him off. "Ah, Jared, you've had her all to yourself for weeks now. Can I keep her just for tonight?" She stepped next to me, hooking her arm around my free one, and pulled me away from our tangle.
"Yeah, you keep her. But take good care of her, ok." He asked Nic, pulling me back into his arms and making me feel like a damn rope in a game of tug of war. I put my arms around his waist, standing on the tip of my toes to reach his lips. I felt Nicole walking away down the corridor, heading for my room.
His kiss was sweet and gentle, and I instantly lamented that Nicole was a day early. Jared placed his hand along my jaw, slowly sliding it back until reaching the back of my neck. As I felt our lips parting, I batted my eyelashes, and saw his blue eyes already open staring passed my shoulder, down the hallway.
My mind went blank. I didn't know how to act, or even what to think. How long he had his eyes open while kissing me? As he leaned away from me, his eyes met mine again. I wasn't sure if he had realized that I noticed, so I just pressed my lips against his one more time, and wished him good night.
I walked away, turning and seeing that he was still watching me until I got to my room. Waving, I stepped inside and closed the door. Nicole was sitting on the end of the bed with one leg crossed over the other. "He really is something else. How do you manage to keep the other women at bay? You must have to fight them off with a stick." She snickered, licking over her red lips.
"Oh, he's just a big flirt. I trust him, but I just hope that he doesn't end up breaking my heart. I gotta tell you Nic, I'm falling hard for him." She's the first one that I admitted to, my growing feelings for this skinny vegan freak.
"Does he feel the same way? I mean, it will never work if he doesn't feel the same. He didn't get that reputation for nothing." She suggested as she slipped out of her silky dress and into a skimpy pair of pajamas right there in front of me.
"I hope so. Anyway, what about you? Are you dating anyone?" I sat next to her and picked up my phone.
"Well, the doctor is history after I found out he was married." About three months ago she told me about a cardiologist that she was seeing, but she never mentioned him again, I guess that's why. I laughed and shook my head.
"Wow. You have the worst luck with men."
"Yeah, well, laugh all you want, I just haven't found the right man yet.... Or maybe I did and just don't know it." I had the distinct feeling she was taking about Jared, until she spoke again. "I mean, Luke is still single." She winked at me and climbed into bed, pulling the heavy covers over her.
