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I lean over to her ear. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were jealous,” I whisper.

“Me? Jealous? I don’t think so. That lady needs to keep her boobs to herself, though,” she says in an unconcerned voice. “She was hanging all over you.”

I take her hand and kiss her knuckles. “Don’t worry. I only have eyes for you. I wasn’t even looking at her boobs.”

“Ha! Everyone at the table has been looking at her boobs,” Jess says a little too loudly as she jerks her hand away from mine.

The lady from across the table clears her throat and glares at us. Jess glares back, and I have to turn away to hide my smile.

I won’t admit out loud that her display of jealousy secretly pleases me. It’s a strange feeling. Usually, it annoys the hell out of me when women act possessive around me. It has always felt suffocating, like a noose around my neck. This time, it’s more like a comfortable blanket, giving me warm fuzzies inside.

The rest of the dinner is surprisingly uneventful. The distraction of having Jess next to me is keeping me on my toes. Her quick-witted humor keeps the conversation interesting, and it always has me wondering what she’ll say next. I find myself enjoying the evening far more than I would have thought.

An hour later, I notice most of the couples have left the table except for the interesting navy-wearing couple sitting across from us. Seems like they will stick it out to the end. Jess looks as though she is getting tired. I notice her slumping a bit in her chair.

“Are you ready to head up to bed?” I ask her.

Her startled eyes meet mine. “Bed?”

“Well, yeah, we eventually have to sleep,” I explain patiently.

She clears her throat. “Oh, yeah. That’s a good idea. We have an early start tomorrow. We should get some rest.” We push our chairs back to stand up, and Jess grabs her bag.

The other remaining couple also stands up.

“Good luck tomorrow,” I say to them with a smile. “I hope you enjoy the road trip.”

“We don’t need luck. We plan on taking first place on the next leg of the trip,” the lady says in a cold tone.

I’m taken aback by her words. Her fiancé doesn’t say anything, but I can see the embarrassment on his face as he tugs her arm and urges her from the table. She reaches up to smooth her hair, and the perfect bob bounces behind her as they march toward the restaurant exit. Her fiancé risks an apologetic glance over his shoulder before they walk through the doorway.

“What in the world was that about?” Jess says.

The corner of my mouth inches up, and I let out a light laugh. “I suppose she really wants to win.”

“I want to win, too. But still, that was a bit much,” Jess says. She puts her hands on her hips.

“You might be right. It was a bit much.” I agree lightly as we head toward the exit. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to get up early and get the car loaded up. That way, we can get some breakfast and relax a bit before heading out.”

“Sounds good,” Jess readily agrees.

As we’re walking out toward the elevators, I spot Taylor in the lobby with her camera. She has the damn thing pointed straight at us again. I open my mouth to say something to Jess, then close it. No need to warn her about what’s going to happen.

Jess calls for the elevator, and I notice it’s empty as we both step inside. Perfect.

Before the doors have a chance to close, I gently urge Jess up against the side wall with my hands on her shoulders. I tap the button for our floor. “Just go with it,” I whisper right before my mouth closes in over hers.

She gasps in shock at the sudden action, and I can tell I’ve surprised her. I press my body against the rigidity of hers. She doesn’t resist, but she doesn’t immediately join in either. I raise my head just enough to tell her, “We’re being watched.”

She nods imperceptibly and then puts her arms around my neck to pull my head closer. I press my lips against hers, and this time, she molds her body against mine. I feel her arms tighten around my neck, and she deepens the kiss.

I don’t hear the swoosh of the elevator doors as they close, but I do feel the jolt as it starts moving. My mind screams that I should break away from her, but I can’t make myself do it. Her hands comb through my hair, and a tingling sensation that starts at my scalp is soon ripping through my body.

If a simple kiss from her lips has me feeling like this, I can only imagine how it would feel to have all of her.

The ride to our floor doesn’t take long. I feel the elevator slow and realize we’ll soon be stopping. I lift my mouth from Jess and put my lips to her neck. Before the doors are able to open, I reach over and push the big red button on the elevator panel. The elevator comes to a slow halt, but the doors remain closed.

I guess I was pretty smooth because Jess doesn’t notice that we’ve stopped. Her eyes are closed, and her fingers are still entwined in my hair. She sighs against me as I suck on her neck.