Take a Chance on Me (18 page)

Jessica could feel her heart beating double time. She kept her eyes tightly shut. Tom was so masculine, so solid, so…
there
, surrounding her, filling her senses, keeping her off-balance until she had to cling to him just to remain standing.

Dimly, in the dark recesses of her mind, she knew that dancing like this was dangerous. For the benefit of anyone watching, they should be prim and proper, backs straight, space for a ruler between them. But it just felt too good.

The last two weeks had been hell on earth. Ever since that ferry ride, she’d tried to avoid him, humiliated at the knowledge that she’d thrown away their friendship for a one-night stand. But even though she rarely caught more than a glimpse of him, just knowing that he was in the same building nagged at her, pulling her attention away from where it needed to be—her classroom, her lesson plans, her play rehearsals.

Jessica knew he was avoiding her too, and she wondered if her feelings had been obvious enough to make him uncomfortable. She’d even considered skipping the Tolo, if only to preserve a little dignity.

But Ana had roundly vetoed that option, showing up on her doorstep that morning armed with makeup, accessories and enough hair-styling products to outfit a Miss Washington pageant.

And the end result had been positive, to say the least. She knew she could walk in the doors to the dance with her head held high.

The song ended, replaced by the throbbing beat of a popular dance tune. Slowly, regretfully, Jessica raised her head from Tom’s shoulder and looked into his eyes.

Reflected there she could see all the emotions that had been plaguing her these past two weeks—regret, wistfulness, desire. He gripped her hand tightly before releasing her.

Standing on the dance floor, surrounded by teenage enthusiasm, Jessica and Tom stood motionless under a rainbow of flashing lights. Tom reached out a hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned forward and said something she didn’t quite catch.

“What?” She yelled, squinting in the dim light. Maybe she could read his lips.

He repeated himself. Nope, no such luck.

She cupped a hand around her ear, pantomiming her temporary deafness.

Tom shrugged and grabbed her hand. Turning, he pulled her off the dance floor and over to the refreshments table. Once they were out of the crush of dancers, he dropped her hand, but their elbows bumped together as they walked. Jessica was pretty sure it was the most sensual elbow-bump ever.

He dipped a cup of punch and handed it to her. Remembering what he had said earlier, she sniffed it first to be sure there wasn’t any alcohol included. As far as she could tell, it was safe. They clinked glasses and watched the students go by.

Tom was leaning over to shout in her ear again when a hand shot between them, grasping his shoulder possessively.

“My turn,” Gabriella announced, her raised-eyebrow look shared equally between Tom and Jessica. Tom opened his mouth to protest, but she was already tugging him towards the center of the room. Jessica could tell there was no way for him to refuse without causing a scene. With a final, apologetic glance, Tom followed Gabriella onto the dance floor.

As the music pulsed, Tom tried to dance while Gabriella adhered to him like cling wrap. Her long, bare arms wrapped around his neck, while the rest of her wriggled closer with the beat of the song. Tom’s hands barely touched her waist, just enough to hold her slightly away from his body. God knew if he didn’t, Gabs would be climbing
inside
his jacket before the song ended. The woman was terminally incapable of taking a hint.

And he certainly didn’t want her coming in contact with the evidence remaining from his dance with Jessica. His body still throbbed with the ache of unrealized passion. She’d most likely think she was the cause of his enthusiasm, and then he’d never get rid of her.

He turned his head away, looking for Jessica. Yes, there she was, standing off to the side, gazing at him with an unreadable expression in her eyes. Her sleek hairstyle was slightly more tousled after a few turns on the dance floor, but hardly the worse for wear. Actually, she looked more accessible now, more approachable…

Which was unfortunately probably one of the reasons Mr. Geeky McScience was heading her direction right now.

Tom gritted his teeth and pressed Gabriella away from him once again, tilting his head so she had limited access. Nice guy or not, if she tried to stick her tongue in his ear one more time, this dance was ending early.

He spun her around again, angling for a better view of Jessica and her dance partner. He knew he had no right to be jealous. After all, he was currently in a clinch with the biggest flirt on the entire staff. And God knew they didn’t need any more rumors to fly, especially since Jessica’s employment status beyond the end of the year was still so tenuous.

But the sight of Jessica in the arms of another man set his teeth on edge. Never mind that Victor was a full inch shorter than her five-foot-something. Never mind that he was apparently not much of a dancer, judging from her careful steps away from his feet. Tom still felt a surge of possessive jealousy as he watched them circle to the romantic song.

A song that was evidently the longest slow song in the history of recorded music. He pulled back from Gabriella’s grasp yet again, holding in a sigh. He was suddenly overwhelmed with fatigue, exhaustion seeping through his bones. He was tired of fending off Gabriella’s advances. He was tired of living such an isolated life. And, most of all, he was tired of denying his feelings for Jessica.

For years he’d told himself he was destined to be a loner. He wasn’t going to take a chance on love again, not after his ex-wife had pulled her disappearing act just when he’d needed her support.

Not that he was willing to concede that he was in love. It was too soon, too new, too overwhelming to consider that possibility. But the fact remained that Jessica had pulled him out of his self-imposed shell, and he was no longer interested in crawling back inside.

Finally, the song ended, and Tom took a huge step backward, breaking contact with Gabriella. He held out his hand for a shake, ignoring her pout, and thanked her for the dance. Then he walked away as quickly as propriety allowed.

Jessica thanked Victor for the dance and limped quietly away. She found a dark corner at the edge of the dance floor and stood alone for a moment, trying to get her bearings.

She had to get some air. The heat and noise of the crowded room, combined with the emotions pinging around inside her, left Jessica feeling shaky and overwhelmed. The crowd for photos overflowed to the main entry, and Jessica knew it would be a good fifteen minutes before she could wind her way through the mass of teenagers without inadvertently offending someone. She’d have to stop and chat, comment on the fashions, answer a homework question or two.

Normally, she thrived on that. But right now she needed privacy, and she needed it quickly.

She crossed over to the door behind the DJ stand. It opened easily, and she slipped through it into the darkened hallway.

The music quieted as the door closed, and Jessica breathed a sigh of relief. It was so loud in there a person could hardly hear herself think.

The downside of that, however, was that here in the hall she was alone with her thoughts. And she wasn’t sure how comfortable she was with that right now.

The dance with Tom had been a mistake. She’d been so sure she could handle it—just a casual dance to help out a friend. But there was nothing remotely friendly about her reaction to being in his arms.

Even the awkward circling with Victor hadn’t erased the memory of being held once again by Tom. She hugged her arms around her waist, clinging to the sensations that lingered.

A burst of noise alerted her to the door opening, and she slipped further into the shadows, not wanting to be noticed.

“Jessica?” The whisper echoed off the darkened walls. “Are you out here?”

Her heart sped up and she gathered her courage around her. Stepping forward, she said quietly, “Hello, Tom.”

“Hello.” Tom cleared his throat and started again. “You look absolutely beautiful tonight. Stunning.”

“Thanks,” she whispered, knowing if she spoke any louder he would hear the tremor in her voice.

Tom stared at his feet, a muscle in his jaw working. He looked up and she drew back, stunned by the look of pain on his face. “This has been an awful couple of weeks,” he said, his voice raw. “God help me, I’ve missed you.”

Jessica nodded, her eyes never losing contact with his.

He ran a hand through his sandy hair, tousling it. “I know I’m just about the last thing you need in your life right now, but I don’t think I can stay away.”

Oh, thank God.
“I don’t think I want you to.”

With a groan, he reached for her. Taking her hands in his, he pulled her beyond the edge of the lockers. He ran his hands up her bare arms, cupped her face in his palms and bent his head.

Their lips met in a crush of desire, heated and deep. She opened to him eagerly, lips parting to welcome his advance. She stroked her fingertips over his chest, exploring the bunch and pull of muscles straining beneath his tuxedo jacket.

One of his hands slid behind her neck, tangling in the fancy updo, while the other traced the length of her back, finally resting at the edge of her velvet dress. His thumb brushed the bare skin of her back, sending delicious shivers up and down her spine.

And still they were kissing, and kissing, bodies pressed together while the beat from the music thumped dimly through the thick concrete wall.

“Tom?”

Stunned, they broke apart, both breathing heavily. Tom pulled her more deeply into the shadows. He ran a hand over his mouth, removing traces of Jessica’s lipstick, and shook his hair back into place. “Gabriella,” he whispered in Jessica’s ear.

Jessica nodded, tucking locks of hair back into her twist. She could hear high heels tapping down the hallway in the opposite direction.

“Wait here,” Tom whispered. “I’ll get her back inside.”

She nodded her understanding. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “This isn’t over,” he promised. Then he stepped out of the shadows into the hall.

“Did you need something, Gabriella?”

Jessica listened to his footsteps echo down the hall as he approached Gabriella. “Oh, there you are.” Her throaty laughter bounced off the lockers. “I wondered where you’d disappeared to. What are you doing out here?”

“Just checking things out,” he replied. “What’s on your mind?”

“As if you didn’t know…”

Their voices trailed off as Tom guided Gabriella back into the cafeteria. Jessica sagged against the lockers, grateful to have escaped notice. Her heart was beating triple speed, blood rushing through her veins at unprecedented volumes. Heat gathered low in her belly, aching for the press of Tom’s body against hers. She sent a silent thank you heavenward that Gabriella had called out before sauntering down the hall.

She fixed her hair as best she could, squinting at her wavy reflection in a nearby window under the dim emergency lighting. The smeared lipstick came off with a few swipes, but there was nothing she could do about the whisker burns around her mouth.

Jessica straightened her dress, smoothing her palms over the slightly crushed velvet. Squaring her shoulders, she walked back to the doors and peered inside.

The lights and music rolled over her like a wave of sensation. She blinked, straining to look for Tom in the crowd.

No, she couldn’t go back inside yet. Too many people, too much to think about. The theater would be a good spot to recover from that kiss, and the revelation that went with it.

This isn’t over.
Jessica brushed her lips with her fingertips. Once he’d shut things down after their night together, she had been sure he was trying to let her down easy. He was just using their working relationship to give him an excuse to stay away.

But now she wasn’t so sure. It was all so confusing—he said he missed her, but in the same breath insisted he was the last thing she needed in her life. So which was it? Did he truly care for her, as she was starting to admit she cared for him? Or was it just a physical attraction that pulled them together? The turmoil inside ratcheted up another notch.

She closed the door and headed up the stairs to the main floor. A little time alone in the theater would give her a chance to get a handle on her emotions. Then she could return to chaperoning with a clear conscience.

Tom checked his watch. Fifteen minutes had passed and still no sign of Jessica. She should have been back in the cafeteria by now.

He’d go back in the hall to check for her, but Gabriella had been watching him like a prison guard ever since she’d hustled him back inside. It had already been a close call, and if he slipped out again he knew Gabriella would follow.

God, had he scared Jessica away? He hadn’t meant to blurt out a confession like that, but the unexpected opportunity to be alone with her had made rational thought fly right out of his head.

Gabriella sauntered past and he smiled weakly. If she hadn’t said something before walking down the hall, if she’d turned the other direction… His heart was still racing from the near-miss. Well, that and other things.

He scanned the room again, but Jessica was nowhere in sight. Another five minutes and he’d go looking for her, Gabriella or no Gabriella.

“Mr. Cameron?” A boy stood off a few paces, scuffing the toe of his rented dress shoe on the cafeteria floor. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Tom looked over. “Go right ahead, Greg.” He turned slightly so he was facing the young man.

“Not here.” His voice was barely above a mumble. Dirty-blond hair swung into his eyes as he motioned over his shoulder with his chin. “Somewhere private.”

Tom dragged his glance back from the students waiting in line for pictures. The kid was practically dancing in place, nervous energy radiating from him in waves. Senses alert, Tom nodded and followed the boy out of the cafeteria.