Worth It (22 page)

I smile to myself as I bend my head and whisper in her ear, “Hey, baby.”

Her head snaps back, connecting with my mouth, and I stumble back a step, tasting blood from my cut lip. She spins around, and the look on her face is pure terror as she scrambles backward, tucking herself into the booth with her chest heaving.

What the fuck?

When she realizes it’s me, her face reddens. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry. You scared the ever-lovin’ fuck out of me,” she says, trying to catch her breath. She climbs out of the booth and comes over to me. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry.”

I suck on my lip and chuckle. “It’s okay, Anna. It was my fault.”

Her reaction was a little weird, but the whole thing was pretty funny.

“I’m sorry I scared you so bad.”

She finally calms and laughs with me. Then, she waves her hand dismissively. “No problem. I just didn’t sleep well last night, so I guess I’m a little jumpy.”

“You alone tonight?” I ask. That might explain why she was so terrified.
She works alone a lot though.

“Yeah, the boss’s douche brother was supposed to be here, but he took off because his girlfriend is in town. He’s such a dick. One of these days, he’s going to push me too far with his sexist, macho bullshit, and I’m just going to call INS on him,” she grumbles as she turns to the next table to wipe it down. After a minute, she swings back around to face me. “Get this—I was, like, five minutes late getting in because traffic was a bitch today, and he goes, ‘Why you even go to school? You woman. They no need think. Just make babies,’ ” she mocks in a Greek accent. “Seriously? This is the assholiness I’m dealing with.” She turns back to clean the table. “Fucking cocksucker,” she mumbles under her breath.

I’m trying my very best not to laugh, but I’m shaking with it. I don’t want to laugh because what that shithead said was definitely an asshole move, but God help me, her face when she’s mad is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. She crinkles her nose, she scrunches up her lips like she’s tasting something sour, and she raises her eyebrows. The spark of anger in her eyes is hot
. I might have to piss her off just to see that face again.

She turns back around and narrows her eyes on me. “It’s not funny, Jed.”

I can’t help it. I burst into a full-on belly laugh and bend at the waist. I’m trying to compose myself, so I can explain what’s so funny, but she huffs off and walks behind the counter.

“Anna, wait,” I call after her as I struggle to not to laugh.

She turns, crosses her arms over her chest, and gives me a look that’s similar to her pissed-off one. I try hard not to start laughing again.

“I’m sorry, but your angry look is one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen.”

She looks at me like I just told her the sky was green with pink polka dots. “Adorable?”

I nod, my lips twitching. “Really sexy, too.”

She rolls her eyes. “How is it possible that I look cute and sexy when I’m mad?”

“You do this cute little crinkly thing with your nose, and the fire in your eyes is”—I close my eyes briefly before giving her a sexy smile that I know gets her every time—“hot.”

She blushes a little, but she rolls her eyes. “Whatever. I’m glad you stopped by.”

“Miss me already?” I tease, grinning.

She purses her lips, but her lips twitch as she holds back a smile. “No, not really.”

“That’s too bad. I’ll just go then, I guess.”

“Jed! I was just joking,” she says, panicked.

I smirk. “I know. I’m teasing. I missed you, too. It’s funny how much I miss you when I just saw you last night.”

She smiles. “You hungry?”

“What kind of hungry are we talking?” I ask with my sexy smirk.

“I’m at work, hornball.”

I grin. “I know. Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

She rolls her eyes.

“Can you make me a steak and cheese, pretty please?”

She laughs, walks to the grill, and looks over her shoulder. “Did you just rhyme an order?”

I laugh again. “I’m a poet and didn’t even know it.”

She finishes throwing the steak on the grill, and the phone rings, so she goes to answer it. She starts on that order, and then a customer walks in, but before she can take the customer’s order, the phone rings again. I watch her, admiring her, as she works. It’s even better when she takes the walk-in customer’s order—I can see her up close. She’s so beautiful, so sexy, and cute.

She finally makes her way back over to me and smiles big. “Here you go.”

“How much do I owe you?” I ask, digging into my back pocket for my wallet.

“Don’t worry about it.” She dismissively waves her hand.

“Are you sure? I didn’t come in for free food.”

She smirks. “Just a perk, I suppose.”

I lean forward, and give her a quick kiss. “All right, if you’re sure. You coming over after work tonight?”

“If you want me to.”

I want to roll my eyes, but I don’t. “Of course I do. I love spending time with you.”

Her face lights up. “Okay, I’m done at nine. I’ll be over after that.”

“Okay, baby, I’ll see you then.”

I lean down to get one more quick kiss before she rushes off to get the phone that’s ringing again.

As I reach my car, I sigh. Anna is great, but it pisses me off the way she doubts me and what we have going on. I’m trying to be patient because I know it’s connected to the way she sees herself. It makes me wonder why she’s like that.

What happened?

After I close up shop with the spare key because Asshole Alex never came back, I make my way out of the pizza shop and to my car. As I drive the green beast to Jed’s, I’m half-tempted to call and tell him I’ll catch him tomorrow. I’m fucking exhausted from my nightmare last night, and since I’ve been spreading myself so thin with school, work, and Jed, I’m dead on my feet. Of course, the stress from Sam isn’t helping either. But my need to see my sexy man overrides my exhaustion.

Despite trying to guard my heart, I know I care about him more than I should. I want to find love and a happily ever after in theory, but in practice, it’s terrifying. I want his heart to beat for me and mine for him, but the further I fall, the more panic grips my lungs.

My thinking is warped.

My thoughts are interrupted when my cell rings. When I pick it up and look at the ID, I roll my eyes. It’s Sam.
This is getting ridiculous.
After tossing the phone back into my purse, I pull into the parking lot of Jed’s apartment and take a deep breath once I shut off my car. Ever since we watched that stupid movie, I need to prep myself for the walk from the car to his front door.
Fucking super zombies.
Those things scare the fucking piss out of me, and I know it’s stupid. Give me a crazy serial killer or stalker movie, and I’m fine, but anything with creatures that don’t exist, I turn into a sniveling crybaby. Even the brief visual snippets I did actually see are going to take a while to purge from my head.

After I step out of my car, I sprint to the door of the apartment, like a…well, like a girl being chased by man-eating fucking zombies. When I reach the door, I take a minute to catch my breath and calm my heart before I knock, but suddenly, the door swings open to reveal a laughing Jed.

“What?” I ask even though I’m pretty sure I know what he is laughing about.

He moves aside to let me in, and after I set my coat and purse down on the table, he sweeps me into his arms.

“Why were you running to the door like a crazed woman?” he asks.

I blush and duck my head, but he puts his finger under my chin to make me look up at him. Two weeks ago, that action made me wince, but the more I get to know him and the more he does it, the less I associate the action with pain. He raises his eyebrow, willing me to respond to his question.

I sigh. “The images from the zombie movie we saw a couple of weeks ago are seared into my brain, and the parking lot is surrounded by trees. It’s a prime spot for a zombie ambush.”

He steps away from me and laughs like that was the funniest thing he’s ever heard. “You were running away from the scary zombies in the trees?” He continues to roar with laughter.

“Shut up!”

I try to give him an angry glare, but that only makes him laugh harder. I forgot about my cute angry face.
Seriously, how am I supposed to give him my fuck-you glare if he thinks it’s adorable?

“Come here.” He grins and wraps me in his arms, and then he leans down to kiss me deeply. He opens his mouth and slides his tongue against mine.

My breathing picks up, and I feel the familiar pulse start to grow between my legs. As our tongues dance, he grabs me by the back of the neck and deepens the kiss. I fist one hand in his hair, and with the other, I clutch his hard bicep. My heart rate speeds up, and my breathing turns ragged. When his thumb skims my hip bone, my blood begins to boil.

He devours me with his lips.
I love being devoured by him.

He breaks the kiss abruptly and leans his forehead against mine. Both of us are breathing heavily.

He groans, “God, you’re amazing.”

He smiles down at me, and I smile back. I feel a blush creep across my cheeks. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to him complimenting me. He steps back, and I fight my pout. I liked him where he was.

“Do you want something to drink?” he asks.

“Water would be great, thanks.”

“Sure. Go ahead and have a seat, and I’ll get it for you.” He steps away from me. “Hope you don’t mind football,” he calls from the kitchen.

He’s back quickly, and I respond, “Actually, I love football. I’m a big Packers fan.”

“Cheesehead, huh?” Grinning, he plops down next to me and curls me against him.

“A proud one, too.” I smirk up at him.

He smiles and dips his head to kiss me. “At least you’re not a Pats fan.”

“You’re not?” I ask, a little shocked. “That’s almost as bad as being a Yankees fan around here.”

Now, his grin turns teasing. “Do I have a Sox fan in my presence?”

Oh, hells no.
“I sure hope I don’t have a Yankees fan in
my
presence.”

He bursts out laughing.

Oh right, the cute angry face.
That’s going to get old quick.

He composes himself. “Not exactly. I’m just not a fan of Sox fans—present company excluded, of course. They’re douche bags.”

I huff and cross my arms as I turn my attention toward the TV. I know I’m pouting like a child, but seriously, the Yankees are evil. “We might be a little crazy with our team pride, but the Yankees suck.”

“They don’t suck. They have twenty-seven World Series wins. That’s almost three times more wins than the Sox, who have eleven.”

“Technicalities.” I roll my eyes. “They still suck.”

He chuckles and pulls me closer to kiss the top of my head. “Baby, your angry face is so damn cute.”

“Whatever.” I roll my eyes again.

He laughs softly. “And no, I’m not a Pats fan. I’m a Bledsoe fan.”

“Ah, so you must hate my Packers because of 1996, huh?”

He looks at me, surprised. “What were you then? Nine?”

I smirk and shrug.

His lips twitch. “That was a long time ago, but I can’t say they’re my favorite team.”

“At least we both hate the Pats.” I grin.

“This is true. As much as we have in common, there was bound to be something, right?” He leans forward to place a soft, sweet kiss on my lips.

“Right,” I mumble against his mouth.

He slips his tongue past my lips to tangle with mine. He cradles my head gently as our tongues move in a slow waltz. My breathing picks up when he slides his free hand under my shirt and up my side. His fingers trace the underside of my bra, and goose bumps erupt over my skin. His lips move with more urgency as he lowers me onto the couch, and then he moves his hips between my parted legs. I pant loudly when his mouth move across my jawline and to my earlobe.

“God, you’re so beautiful, Anna,” he breathes into my ear.

I feel myself getting wet, and I wrap my limbs around his body, pulling him closer to me. When he grinds against my throbbing clit through my jeans, a little moan escapes me.

He bites my bottom lip. “Those little sounds you make drive me insane, baby. It’s so fucking hot.”

My face heats with shame, but I push past it easily because Jed likes it. I like that I can excite him so much because he makes me so turned on when his huge, hard length is pressed against me. All I can think about is having him inside me, moving in me, bringing me to that blissful place where only he can take me. I love that he makes me feel that way.

He pulls back and slips out of his shirt, and I do the same. I need that skin-to-skin contact. After I pull my shirt over my head and focus my attention back on him, I find him raking his eyes all over my torso. A blush creeps up my face, and I fight the urge to cover my exposed body. His eyes meet mine, and his lips tip up to the side in a lustful smirk. He holds our stare when he begins to trail his fingers across my abdomen. He leans down to place soft kisses near the waistline of my jeans.