The Closer by Rhonda Nelson

Author:Rhonda Nelson
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-06-28T16:00:00+00:00

9

HEART HAMMERING IN her ears, hands shaking, Jess walked quietly beside Griff back to the elevator. She’d never imagined that a person could be stunned senseless from happiness, but she was living, shallowly breathing proof of it.

No one had ever—ever—stood up for her like that.

Having been a bit of an oddity growing up, there’d been plenty of sarcasm and teasing sent her way—most of it from boys she’d bested at something—and even the guys who she’d ultimately counted as friends had never fully had her back, the supposition being that she didn’t need anyone to be her champion, that she could slay her own dragons.

And she could. In fact, she had so often that it was second nature now. She’d never expected anyone to do it for her.

The only thing that had kept her from diving across the table and slapping the hell out of that sanctimonious bitch’s surgically altered, condescending face was the image of her father, his weary head bent over the bra as he painstakingly set the jewels. Though admittedly it was making her miserable, she’d been willing to bear the insults and ridicule for him.

Then that Blaylock woman had uttered that “magician” comment and Jess had watched a thundercloud of anger descend over Griff’s achingly handsome face. His eyes had flashed, then narrowed, his mouth virtually vanished into a thin hard line and his face had set so quickly it had almost appeared frozen.

He’d been willing to abort his first mission—to call everything off and put his reputation on the line—for her.

And if that hadn’t been enough to merit a float-worthy moment—when joy had practically lifted her feet off the ground—then his impassioned declaration of all her finer points, which had begun with character traits and ended with physical attributes, certainly had been.

You’re amazing, clever, interesting, fearless—which, strictly speaking, wasn’t true because she’d told him about the clowns—and good.

Then gorgeous and sexy.

Not only were his impassioned compliments the nicest things anyone had ever said about her, he’d gotten them in the right order, by the characteristics that were the most important to her.

Evidently her silence had stretched too long because Griff sent her a cautious look as the elevator doors opened. He held it for her, allowing her to precede him into the small space, then depressed the floor number. Impossibly, Barry White’s smooth, low voice echoed around them.

“Listen,” he said, turning to face her. “Before you clobber me for not letting you handle that yourself, I just want you—”

“Would it be all right if I kissed you?” She didn’t know what made her stop and ask first, when they’d been so close to doing that very thing in this same elevator less than half an hour ago, but for reasons that escaped her, it seemed important. Necessary, even.

Evidently shocked, a flare of heat so intense it nearly sucked the air out of her lungs sparked in his gaze, deepened the blue, electrified the green.

He swallowed. “You want to kiss me?” he asked, his voice low and hoarse.

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