Escorting Jessica by Carrie Pulkinen Page B

with someone else.” He winked and took another step closer.
    “I... Yeah, sure. Why not?” Wow!
    His smile widened. “Great. Here’s my card. I know you’ve got to get back to work, so give me a call this afternoon, and we can plan something.”
    With a drink in each hand, she lifted a finger to take the card. He awkwardly tried to hand it to her and laughed. “Here.” Reaching behind her, he slid it into her back pocket.
    As his hand brushed against her butt, she tried not to react visibly. “Okay. I’ll call you.”
    “I hope you will.” He opened the door and went inside.
    ***
    Jessica Snider was exactly as he remembered her. Tall, fair skin, long legs, and thick onyx hair. Rather than pulling it back into a braid like she had in school, she wore it down now. It flowed in waves and framed brown eyes so dark, they were almost black. Mysterious. He could only imagine the kinds of secrets she could hide behind those eyes. Luckily, running a gym hadn’t taken away her voluptuous curves.
    He adjusted his pants as he waited in line for coffee. She still had the same effect on him. How long has it been? Eight years, and she still tied his insides in knots when she was close.
    He’d missed his chance to ask her out back in high school. There was no way he’d have missed it again. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. She had no idea the nerd girl persona she’d tried so desperately to hide behind was actually what drew him to her.
    She was intellectual. Someone he could hold an intelligent conversation with. Someone who could stimulate his brain, and not just his cock.
    But why had he lied when she asked about his business? Was he afraid she’d judge him? Why would he care if she did? Did he want to bury his dick inside her so badly he’d lie to her to get in her pants?
    No, it was more than that. At twenty-six, one-night-stands and friends-with-benefits hook-ups no longer appealed to him. He wanted a relationship. And Jessica might just be the girl for him.
    Technically, he hadn’t lied. He just hadn’t disclosed the whole truth. Besides, she didn’t ask for details.

Chapter Two
    Jessica couldn’t wipe the grin from her face as she bounded down the sidewalk to the gym. Trevor Hill had just asked her out. On a date. With him! Ice clanked in the cups, her hands trembling as she walked in the door.
    “I was wondering if you were coming back.” Amy took the mocha from her hand and sucked half of it down in one gulp. “Mmm...caffeine.”
    Jessica stepped behind the counter and looked around the room. “I thought you said it was busy in here?”
    Amy grinned sheepishly. “It was. And I was trying to help someone with the fly machine, but I figured it out.”
    Fresh out of college, Amy had just earned her degree in kinesiology. What she lacked in self-confidence, she more than made up for in skill. Jessica saw a lot of herself in Amy, and their friendship had taken off from the start.
    “I never doubted you. Sorry it took so long, though. I ran into someone I used to know.”
    Amy’s eyes lit up. “A man? An old friend? Do tell!”
    Heat flushed Jessica’s cheeks. “He’s just this guy I knew in high school. I had a huge crush on him, but I was a nerd and he dated the skinny cheerleader type. You know.” She rolled her eyes.
    “Oh, yeah. I know the type. Was he an ass?”
    “No, and actually”—she finished her coffee and dropped it in the trash before crossing her arms over her chest—”he asked me out to dinner.”
    Amy’s mouth dropped open. “No way! Are you gonna go? I mean, do you think he’s any nicer now? Maybe since he’s not around all his friends, you know. People can change.”
    “He doesn’t really need to change. He was a nice guy in school. Everyone liked him. I just liked him so much that I forgot how to breathe whenever I was near him.”
    “When are you going out?”
    “I don’t know. I have to call him.” She pulled his business card from her pocket and shivered