Date Night (Wish Come True Book 1) by R.C. Matthews

was going to be mine eventually.
    “Ok. Take your time and figure it
out. But in the meantime I’m going to continue dating to give Grannie hope and
to prove to you and me that you’re The One .”
     
    ***
    J.T.
    I gazed down at Jordan’s pert
expression and knew she had me by the balls. I couldn’t tell her that I wasn’t
willing to commit to a relationship, yet still expect her to abstain from
dating other men. Hell! I’d basically challenged her to find someone better.
But that didn’t mean the idea sat well in my gut. I consoled myself with the
knowledge that she hadn’t found a single kiss-worthy date in the past four
weeks. Until it dawned on me that the odds were now probably in favor of her
meeting someone who wasn’t a complete idiot. They couldn’t all be jerks.
    “Fair enough,” I said, trailing a
finger along her bottom lip. “But before we go back up, I think it only right
to remind you of what it feels like to kiss a frog…or perhaps a prince. That’s
for you to decide.”
    A burst of emotion exploded in my
stomach, like fireworks on the Fourth of July, as I watched the desire light up
in her dark eyes at my slow, deliberate descent to her mouth. I focused on her
lips, deciding on the best course of worship; slow exploration of every nook
and cranny or red hot branding? As my lips found hers, I pulled her body
against mine, gently enclosing her in my arms, and I knew this was a kiss of
pure love. Not a kiss stolen in front of a camera or fueled by alcohol or
anger. But a kiss meant to brand her with the depth of my feelings. She may be
going on other dates but she’d damn well remember this kiss…and me. My hands
explored her back and bottom at the same torturously slow pace as my tongue
traced her lip and then I slipped it into her mouth to find hers. Her tongue
was pure silk against mine, warm and delicious.
    I had no idea how long the kiss would
have lasted if the heavy pounding on the stairs hadn’t warned me of someone
headed down to the basement. I reluctantly pulled back and straightened my
shirt as Jordan did the same. She quickly grabbed for the box of trash bags and
we both turned to see Derek come around the corner towards the storage room.
    “There you are.” He reached out for the
box of trash bags. “Awesome. Aunt Mary sent me down here to get these.
Everyone’s pretty much done eating. Almost time for the cake.”
    We followed Derek back up the stairs.
My head reeled with everything that had happened in the last thirty minutes.
What the heck was I going to do? I needed time to think.
    “Mike should be here soon,” I said,
glancing over at Jordan. “Did you know he’s a DJ in his spare time? He agreed
to come over for a few hours to entertain all of the kids.”
    Derek shot me an irritated glance. He
hated when I called him a kid. Maybe it was time for me to accept that my
little brother had finally grown up. He’d be eighteen by the end of the summer
and could technically make his own decisions then.
    “Most of my friends should be here
soon,” Derek said. “Can’t wait to show off my new wheels. Promise you’ll stay,
Jordan. It’ll be a good time.”
    She nodded her head and smiled at
him. “Of course I’ll stay. But you have to promise to take me for a ride soon
in your car. You know I’m jealous, right? I can’t believe Grannie got you a Camaro when she knows it is my favorite car.”
    A sheepish grin appeared on his face.
“You bet. Just name the day.”
    We all hung around with Mike as he
set up his gear. Mike teased Jordan relentlessly about her date the night
before and her miraculous recovery from what he deemed to be a certain
hangover. I fulfilled my hosting duties as the majority of the older neighbors
cleared out of the party just as the younger crowd trickled in. I kept a tight
lid on the beer, making it clear to my brother that any underage drinking would
put an immediate end to the party. I couldn’t afford to be busted for supplying
alcohol