The Blogger and the Hunk Read Online Free

vodka-muddled brain.
    * * *
    “S top fooling.” She nervously laughed, slightly smacking Jack’s arm.
    God, he wished he were. He didn’t know why he had asked her to join him for drinks. She wasn’t even his type, but something about the innocent look on her face or the way she carried herself pulled him to her. It didn’t make sense, but hell, he wasn’t going to put much thought into it. He was beginning to feel a massive headache. At the moment, he was trying not to explode in his jeans. It was getting extremely uncomfortable down there, and he didn’t want to scare poor, innocent Penelope with his sexuality.
    “I wasn’t.”
    “Yeah, yeah,” she replied uncomfortably. “Anyway, it’s never been my priority to g—”
    Something in Jack snapped, and before he knew it, he had placed his lips on Penelope’s. He felt her surprise at first but then she seemed to slowly give in to his embrace. It wasn’t spectacular. There weren’t any fireworks, but it had to be the sweetest kiss he had ever experienced. It reminded him of a simpler time. A time when life wasn’t overwhelmed with rules and responsibilities.
    It was different from any kiss he had ever had.
    He slowly pulled away from her lips and looked down at her dazed face. She finally opened her eyes and looked straight at him.
    “Thank you,” she whispered, so softly he almost didn’t hear her.
    “My pleasure,” he responded.
    “Would you do it again, please?”
    And with that, Jack swept down again. This time his lips pressed a little more firmly against hers. He slipped his tongue out of his mouth and teased the seam of her lips until she opened for him. She tasted like the vodka she had been drinking with the slight hint of peppermint he had smelled earlier that night.
    Penelope held Jack a little tighter and whispered against his lips, “I might as well come right out and say it before I chicken out. Be my first.” She looked up at him with expectant eyes.
    * * *
    “O h shit.” Penelope had startled herself. Was she really going to go through with it? Sex was no game; neither were STDs. She’d have to make sure they took the right precautions when the time came. Her lips were still burning from his kiss. It hadn’t been what she had imagined a first kiss would be, and it had been better than the crap her sister told her:
    “You need to kiss a lot of toads in order to find your prince.”
    Jack was definitely not a toad, and that kiss was anything but awkward. She watched him take care of the tab at the bar, and then he was in front of her, taking her hand in his and leading her toward the exit.
    “Penny, where are you going?” Stephanie came out of the crowd on the dance floor.
    “I’ll call you later,” Penelope mouthed, miming a pretend phone with her hand.
    Stephanie looked at her, then looked at Jack, her eyes widening. She gave her a thumbs-up, and mouthed to text her later. Penelope’s escape was easy enough. God, if only her head weren’t such a mess. Well, this was the chance she had been waiting for. Something spontaneous that she could hold on to for the rest of her life. And if Jack turned out to be not so nice, she had a can of pepper spray in her clutch.
    Jack held the taxi door open for her and she climbed inside. She stumbled a little, but immediately felt his strong hand at her lower back, holding her steady.
    “Longfellow and Sixth, please,” Jack instructed the driver as he sat beside her. Despite the space in the back of the cab, his body was pressed against her from shoulder to thigh.
    “Is that where you live?”
    “Yeah, it’s my apartment,” Jack replied, then hesitated. “Unless you wanted to go to a hotel?” he asked, although he didn’t look like he really liked the idea.
    Penelope shook her head and was hit with a sudden shyness.
    “If you don’t want to do it anymore, it’s okay to say no.”
    When Penelope turned to look at him, he kissed her again. She responded with great enthusiasm. He