Babel Novel
3
To my surprise, her grip was stronger than I’d expected, her skin even silkier than I’d anticipated.
“Jo.” Her stare dipped again, this time to my mouth, lingering there for several seconds before it rose. “It’s nice to meet you, Jenner.” She sucked in her bottom lip, chewing it.
“And you … Jo.”
Her hand stayed in mine much longer than it needed to. “Did you hear about Miami’s shooting guard?”
“What happened?”
“Ankle injury. He kept it quiet, not wanting to start any rumors before the tournament. If he had sat out this game”-she shook her head-“oh man, that would have been brutal.”
“You wouldn’t be winning right now.”Content © copyrighted by NôvelDrama.Org.
She bit the end of her straw, holding it in her mouth as she said, “Oh, we would still be winning. Don’t you remember the Florida State game?” She paused, waiting for my brain to catch up. “Our shooting guard was out with the flu, and we still won seventy-one to sixty-five.”
Most of the women I was with couldn’t have this conversation. They didn’t care about sports, they weren’t loyal to any particular team, and they certainly couldn’t recall any game statistics.
But, damn it, this was hot.
“How could I forget that game?” I said. “The guard for Florida State had one of his best games, and they still couldn’t beat you guys.”
“Their guard is soft.”
I took a long drink of my beer, watching her the whole time. “Yeah? How so?”
“He sat out half the season with a broken toe.” She rolled her eyes. “Our guards could climb Everest on crutches. Nothing would stop them.”
“Except the flu.”
“Oh my God,” she groaned. “He was in the hospital with a hundred and five temperature and ended up with a nasty case of pancreatitis on top of having kidney stones. Stop being so tough on him. That boy’s hardly a pussy.”
She had a fight in her.
I liked that.
“Are you as knowledgeable with football?”
Her teeth tugged on her lip as she smiled. “Quiz me.”
I wanted to do a hell of a lot more than ask her some irrelevant questions.
I wanted to carry her up to my room and fuck every sports fact out of her brain.
“How about-”
The vibration of my phone cut me off.
I held up my finger, pausing our conversation, and quickly pulled my cell out of my pocket, seeing a text from Dominick on the screen.
Dominick: I’m betting 5K you fuck her in the next ten minutes. You want the over or under?
I looked around Jo to glance at Dominick, laughing before I typed my reply.
Me: Over.
Dominick: I thought you were better than that. I’m disappointed in you, brother.
Me: I just want to spend a little more time looking at her.
Dominick: You’ll be doing plenty of that when she’s naked on your bed.
Me: You’ve never heard of savoring?
Dominick: LOL. We both know that’s not your style.
It had never been my style; he was right.
But, fuck me, this girl was worth it.
She wasn’t parading around the sportsbook in a bikini top and leather shorts, like the waitresses in this section. Jo didn’t have to. Fully clothed in her cutoffs and oversize sweatshirt that exposed her shoulder and hot-pink bra strap, she was still a hell of a lot sexier than them. But there was so much more to her than just a delicious body. She had confidence that was more alluring than I’d ever seen along with wit, charm, charisma.
“No need to quiz you,” I said, waiting for her eyes to return to me. “Besides, I have a feeling you can hold your own with football.” I just noticed the tiny freckles under her eyes, and they were fucking adorable. “But I am curious how you knew I went with UCLA.”
She tucked her other leg under her ass. “Jenner, you have LA written all over you.”
Quick and smart.
Damn it, I couldn’t get enough of this girl.
“The East Coaster knows the LA vibe. Interesting.”
She smiled. “Do I have Miami written all over me?”
Flip-flops had covered her feet prior to her tucking her legs beneath her, the new position showing more of her lean, muscular thighs. The black hair and blue eyes were exotic, but they hinted at nothing.
“Aside from your tan, no.”
“I’m just a giant mystery to you …” She finished her drink and set it on the table. “Tell me, Jenner, what do you do for a living?”
“You don’t want to guess?”
She laughed, adjusting her top, the shift now showing more of her bra. “Is that what you want?”
I exhaled, taking in the whole view. “There’s something I want far more than you guessing my job.” I downed the rest of my beer, not bothering to grab a new one. “I’m a lawyer.”
A flash of red moved across her cheeks before she said, “Professional haircut”-her eyes were on my head and then lowered-“trimmed beard, a neck that could easily hold a tie.” She circled the air with her finger, as though she were adding up each detail. “I can visualize it.”
And what I could visualize was taking off that sweatshirt with my goddamn teeth, instantly sucking one of her nipples into my mouth, gnawing on the end. I’d position her on her back, leaning her up on her elbows so she could spread her legs around me.
“You’re picturing the tie around my neck … or somewhere else?”
Even her laugh was smooth. “Jenner, you certainly know how to make a girl blush.” She gripped her hair, like she needed to hold on to something. “But if you want an honest answer, your neck isn’t the only place I can envision a tie. I see many knots in a variety of places-some more interesting than others.”
My dick fucking throbbed in my jeans.
“Your wrists?” I paused, analyzing her expression. “Or maybe you wouldn’t want to give up your sense of touch?”
Her stare dipped to my chest, lowering to my waist, a heat moving through me as she slowly lifted. “It would be a shame to lose my ability to touch, especially if there was something in front of me-or even on top of me-that was worth feeling.”
“Jo …” I shook my head, folding my hands behind my neck. “You’re taking my brain to some naughty fucking places right now.”