Cross My Heart (A Contemporary Romance Novel)

I’m not sure I got the unique tequila flavor.”
    “For that you should do a shot.”
    He was tempted. “I’m driving, but if we have a few hours—”
    “At least two.”
    Since this was the only Jenna-related temptation he could safely give into, he gave into it. “You’ve convinced me.”
    He ordered a shot for each of them, while Jenna explained the procedure—salt on the tongue, toss down the tequila, then suck on the lime wedge.
    “Are you ready?” she asked.
    “As I’ll ever be.”
    “All right, then. One, two, three.”
    The sharp taste of salt, the oily bitterness of tequila, and then the tart zing of citrus on his tongue. A shudder went through him as he set the lime wedge down in his empty shot glass.
    Jenna set her glass down beside his and grinned up at him, propping her chin on her hands.
    The fiery combination of flavors was too much like her for comfort. “A unique experience,” he said.
    “One you think you’ll repeat some day?”
    “That’s hard to say. My lifestyle doesn’t exactly lend itself to tequila shots. But if I ever do repeat the experience, I’ll think of you.”
    “Hmm. I wonder if that’s good or bad?”
    Physiologically speaking, he knew the sensation he was feeling right now wasn’t caused by the alcohol. There hadn’t been enough time for that.
    Which meant it was all Jenna.
    “Good,” he said, looking into her eyes.
    It’s not a date, he told himself as he got lost in the sapphire depths. It’s not a date, he told himself again as his gaze went to her mouth, her lips soft and full and slightly parted. Then his gaze drifted lower still, to the perfect curve of her breasts rising and falling under her tee shirt. The regular movement stilled, and he looked up to meet her eyes again.
    Damn, he thought belatedly, trying to think of something to say.
    “Did your band ever play here?” he asked quickly.
    She took a quick breath. “Years ago, when the Mollies were just starting out. We played here a few times.”
    Her eyes looked a little wistful, which made him curious. “How long has it been since you performed?”
    She thought about it. “More than two years,” she said after a moment. “Wow, I can’t believe it’s been that long. After the Mollies broke up I played solo once in a while, or did guest gigs for other bands, but then I got busy with school and studio musician work.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I haven’t been on a stage in two years.”
    “You miss it, don’t you?” he asked, signaling the waitress for another shot.
    “Yes. I used to live for the rush—the lights, the music, the connection with the audience. There’s nothing like it.” She hesitated. “Would you like to come see us? The Mollies, I mean. When we perform at the Odeon.”
    “I’d love to.”
    She looked pleased. “Great. I know you’re not a big music fan, but I’d love for you to be there.”
    He was surprised at how happy that made him. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said as the waitress set a shot down on their table.
    “You’re having another one?”
    He shook his head. “This is for you.”
    She grinned at him. “I hope you’re not trying to get me drunk, Dr. Stone. For one thing, that wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of you. For another, I can hold my liquor really, really well. It would take at least five more of those before I do anything untoward.”
    He tried not to think about untoward things.
    “Just one more,” he said. “We did those other shots at the same time, and I didn’t get a chance to see you drink it. This is to further my tequila education—which, according to you, goes hand in hand with my blues education.”
    “When you put it like that, how can I refuse?”
    She licked the inside of her wrist, her tongue as delicate as a cat’s. Then she sprinkled salt on her skin, licked it off, and tossed down the shot in one swift motion. He caught a glimpse of her slender throat, and the movement of her muscles as she swallowed. Then she slammed the shot glass down and bit into the lime slice she had ready.
    “Brrr,” she said with a quick shudder, setting the lime wedge down carefully in her empty glass. “So what did you think?” she asked him, resting her chin in her hand as she looked up at him. “Did it meet your expectations?”
    He stared at her. “I’m speechless,” he said after a moment. “I’m going to have to ask you not to do that again, because it might give me a heart attack.”
    She