Storm turned to leave.
“Hey, Storm?”
Storm turned back around. “Yeah?”
Ian met his gaze directly. “I know it’s just a temporary thing, man, but whomever she is I hope she’s worth all the hell you’re going through.”
Storm frowned, opened his mouth to give his cousin a blazing retort that no woman was putting him through hell, changed his mind and turned and walked out of the club.
Jayla heard the phone ring when she had finished toweling herself off and slipped into the plush hotel bathrobe. She quickly left the bathroom and picked up the phone on the fourth ring. “Hello?”
“How was your nap?”
Jayla frowned. The last thing Storm needed to know was that she hadn’t been able to sleep, thanks to thoughts of him being surrounded by naked women. Each time she’d tried closing her eyes, she saw women, taking off their clothes, heaving their breasts in his face, skimming panties down their legs and giving him an eyeful of all their treasures. She’d even heard there were some women who were bold enough to sit naked in a man’s lap if he tipped her well enough.
“My nap was fantastic,” she lied. “How was the entertainment at the club?” she asked then wished that she hadn’t.
“It was definitely interesting.”
Jayla’s frown deepened. A part of her wanted to slam the phone down, but she had too much pride to do so. Besides, she took great care of herself and thought she looked rather decent, in or out of her clothes. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing those women who’d stripped off their clothes had on her other than that none of them was Adam Cole’s daughter.
“I called to see if you’re free later.”
She rolled her eyes upward. So they were back to that again. “Dinner, you mean?”
“Yes.”
In her present frame of mind, he was the last person she wanted to see. It was on the tip of her tongue to suggest he invite one of the “ladies” from the club to dine with him. But she thought better of making the suggestion, since he might very well do it. “I think I’ll pass on dinner. I’m not hungry.”
“Well, I am, so how about keeping me company?”
She lifted a brow. “Keep you company?”
“Yeah, I enjoy being with you.”
Jayla dropped down on the bed, feeling ridiculously pleased by his admission. Although she knew that she shouldn’t read too much into his words, she suddenly felt confident, cocky and in control. “Well, I hope you know that my company is going to cost you,” she said, breaking the silence between them.
“In what way?”
She rubbed her fingers over the smooth wood-grain texture of the nightstand next to the bed. “I’m not hungry for anything heavy, but I’d love to have a slice of K-Paul’s mouthwatering strawberry cheesecake.”
She could hear him chuckle on the other end. “K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen? I’ve heard of the place, but have never eaten there. I’m going to take your word that I won’t be disappointed,” he said.
She grinned. “Trust me, you won’t be.”
“How long will it take for you to get ready?”
“I just got out of the shower so it won’t take me long to slip into something.”
It was close to forty-five minutes before Jayla appeared in the lobby.
But the moment she walked off the elevator, Storm knew she had been well worth the wait. His chest grew tight as he watched her walk toward him, thinking she looked absolutely incredible.
He’d known he was in trouble when she had mentioned on the phone that she had just gotten out of the shower. Immediately, visions of her naked had swam his mind, which was a lot better than any live scene he had witnessed at that club earlier.
Common sense told him to pull himself together and remember who she was. But at the moment, all his senses, common or otherwise, were being shot to hell with every step she took toward him. He stood practically unmoving as he watched her, enraptured, while hot desire surged through his bloodstream.
She was dressed in a short dress that totally flowed over her figure, emphasizing the gorgeous shape of her body as well as her long beautiful legs. His gaze lowered slightly to those legs. It had been hard to keep his eyes off them this morning, and it seemed this evening wouldn’t be any different. She had the kind of legs any man would just love to caress and have wrapped around him.
He drew in a deep breath, not wanting to think such thoughts but discovering he was hard-pressed to stop them from coming. Whether he liked it or not, he was undeniably attracted to Jayla Cole.
“Sorry I kept you waiting,” Jayla said when she came to a stop in front of Storm.
“You were worth the wait. Ready to go?”
“Yes.”
They took a cab over to the restaurant and Storm was glad he’d gotten the hotel to make reservations for him. The place was packed. “Something smells delicious,” he whispered to Jayla as a waiter showed them to their table.
“Everything in here is delicious,” she said smiling.
Including you, Storm was tempted to say. He wondered how he could assume that when he’d never tasted her, but he just knew that she would taste delicious.
The waiter presented them with menus. “Just coffee for me now and I’ll wait for later to order dessert,” she said handing the menu back to their waiter.
Storm glanced over at her. “Since you’re familiar with this place, what do you suggest?”
Jayla caressed her upper lip with the tip of her tongue as if in deep thought. “Umm, I’ll have to recommend Chef Paul’s Duck & Shrimp Dulac. I had it the last time I was here and it was totally magnificent.”
Storm nodded and returned the menu to the waiter. “Then that’s what I’ll have and I’d like a bottle of sparkling mineral water.”
“Great choice, sir,” the waiter said before walking off.
Storm leaned back in his chair. “So, do you return to work on Monday?”
Jayla shook her head. “No, I won’t officially return to work until a week from Monday. Then on Tuesday of that same week, I have a meeting with a Dr. Tara Westmoreland. Is she a family member of yours?”
Storm smiled. “Yes, Tara is my sister-in-law. She and my brother Thorn tied the knot a few months back. Why would you need to meet with Tara? She’s a pediatrician and you don’t have a child.”
Not yet, Jayla thought to herself. “The reason I’m meeting with Dr. Westmoreland is for business reasons—in fact, we’re doing lunch. The company I work for, Sala Industries, is picking up the tab for the caterers the night that the Kids’ World calendar is unveiled at a charity ball, and Dr. Westmoreland is on the committee. It will be a huge event, and we expect well over a thousand people to attend.”
“I understand the ball will be next month,” he said, after the waiter had returned with their drinks.
“Yes, the second weekend in October, in fact. And I understand your brother Thorn is Mr. July.”
“Yes, he is.” Storm couldn’t forget how Tara had been given the unlucky task of persuading Thorn to pose as Mr. July. Doing so hadn’t been easy, but things had worked out in the end, including Thorn’s realizing that he loved Tara and the two of them getting married. Kids’ World was a foundation that gave terminally ill children the chance to make their ultimate dream—a visit to any place in the world—come true. All proceeds for the foundation came from money raised