Night After Night by Janelle Denison Page A

not, the slight possessive note to his voice made her smile. “You know all the right things to say to make a girl feel special, don’t you?”
    “Not any girl. Just you. ” In the moonlight, his gaze shone with sincerity.
    Oh, wow. Her heart skipped a beat, making her feel like a teenager all over again, experiencing her first crush. Except as a grown woman, she didn’t have to deny her attraction or suppress her desires, and she wasn’t about to do either with Sean.
    “As much as I’d like to grant your wish to stay out here indefinitely, at some point Jessica is going to wonder, and worry, about where I am.”
    “Fair enough,” he said, and nodded.
    He helped her off his lap, and she pulled down the hem of her dress as he stood, too. Before she realized what he intended, he kissed her again, soft and sweet—romance and charm in its purest form. His firm, sensual lips molded so perfectly against hers, like he was made just for her enjoyment.
    He’d already given her body an incredible orgasm, one that should have kept her satisfied for a good long time, yet with just the touch of his lips, the silky glide of his tongue against hers, and the clench of his fingers around her waist, the sizzle of arousal ignited all over again.
    With effort, she pulled back, before she gave in to the urge to push him back onto the chaise and have her way with him. And vice versa.
    She stared into his darkened blue eyes and gave him a chastising look. “Stop trying to distract me.”
    He laughed, the sound low and husky and without a hint of contrition. “It was worth a shot.”

Chapter Six
     
    She was magnificent. As a performer, Jessica Morgan captivated and enthralled her audience. As a woman, she was strikingly beautiful, naturally sensual, and literally took his breath away in every sense of the word.
    Standing off to the side of the stage and deliberately shrouding himself in the shadows so Jessica couldn’t see him, Noah watched in reluctant fascination as she belted out an upbeat tune that had the crowd dancing and singing along. He should have felt a twinge of guilt for calling her out tonight, but he didn’t regret issuing her the dare, not when it enabled him to see her so comfortable in her element as a pop star.
    Much as it pained him to admit it, he respected her fortitude for calling his bluff and treating the clubgoers to an impromptu concert.
    And treating him to a side of her he’d never seen before.
    He’d always known she was talented. Back in high school, it had been her angelic vocals and the soulful lyrics she wrote that had initially caught his attention. He could still remember that day in vivid detail, when he’d been walking through the school’s empty hallways after basketball practice and heard the strum of a guitar and a soft, female voice singing a poignant melody that had stopped him in his tracks. Curious to put a face to the amazing voice, he’d peeked into the choir room, surprised to find Jessica Morgan, the shy, pretty girl he’d been attracted to from afar.
    He’d known her name and spent too much time in the classes they shared together staring at her curly auburn hair, gazing at her graceful features, and every once in a while, when he was really lucky, catching a rare glimpse of her stunning green eyes. While he’d been completely infatuated with her, it hadn’t taken him long to realize that she was a loner, and the only times he saw her laugh or smile were with her good friend, Zoe Russo. Jessica never met his gaze, and whenever he saw her in the hallway she walked with her head down, always reserved and guarded.
    In the choir room, she was completely alone, lost in her music and unaware of his presence. He stood quietly in the back of the room, his heart beating crazily in his chest as he listened to her sing, waiting patiently for her to finish so he could talk to her without anyone else around. He knew he was risking a rejection, but he also knew he’d always regret not