Chapter 472 Screw Bad Timing

Jade's mouth went dry and she gulped nervously when Harry's now darkened brandy brown eyes slowly returned to her face.

His gaze skittered across her face and then he met her eyes briefly before his gaze wandered to her lips where it stayed with deliberate intent.

She was not over the shock that Harry had been checking out her boobs so openly and unashamedly a moment ago, now he was doing this?

Although his eyes had met hers only briefly, she wasn't too naive or slow as not to recognize the subtle change in the way he gazed at her, or the sexual tension that was now hanging in the air between them.

What exactly was his intention? Why was he doing this? To unsettle her? Was it to arouse her? Or to distract her? Because he was doing a fine job of succeeding at all three, and some how seeing Harry this way surprised and excited her.

Her heart seemed to be working overtime now as it pounded heavily in her chest. She was feeling very hot and oddly breathless.

Her blood sizzled in her veins as she stared at him speechlessly, not sure she could remember the last word he had said to her. Who was this man before her that was oozing of sexual appeal?

While her heart was working tiredlessly, it seemed like her brain wasn't functioning anymore. It had suddenly become lax, and she was staring at Harry like a horny moron.

"You are keeping me waiting, Esquire," Harry reminded her in a husky drawl, that made the spot between her legs pulse to life even as her toes curled.

Oh, Jesus! What was happening to her? Jade mused as she tried once again to recall what his question had been.

She grappled with her brain to maintain composure and keep a firm rein on both her emotions and her facial expression.

She was here to offer Harry emotional support and to be a friend not act like some horny hormone driven teenager who was seeing an attractive man for the first time, she reminded herself.

Ah, yes! They had been talking about Aurora and his t-shirt. The t-shirt she was wearing. He had asked her why she lied, she remembered thankfully.

Jade took a deep breath and cleared her throat, "Uhm... I just didn't want to hand it to her," Jade said and Harry's brow arched as he gazed at her.

"And why is that?"

"Maybe because I didn't like that she sounded like things were going so smoothly between you two," Jade said, and felt her face flush in embarrassment at the confession.

"Why not? You wanted this to happen, didn't you? Wasn't that why you set me up with her?" Harry asked, and Jade tried not to scowl.

"Well, yes. But that was before I realize..." She let the rest of her words trail off, and she bit her lower lip as she tried to make up her mind if she was going to go with Candace's suggestion or Tom's.

Pour out her heart to him and tell him how she felt about him or not tell him? Heaven knows she was tired of the games already. She wanted to get it all out in the open and fall into his arms, if he would be willing to catch her... But this was not the time. It wasn't about what she wanted, it was about the timing. She couldn't be selfish right now.

"Before you realized what?" Harry asked as his gaze returned to her lips which were distracting him.

She had said she kissed him on purpose the last time while pretending to be drunk, hadn't she? What would it be like to kiss her without any pretense between them?

"I planned on returning the shirt to you myself. That's why I brought it," Jade said with a bright smile, changing the subject.

"Did you now?" He asked as he returned his gaze to her face and looked directly into her beautiful blue eyes.

He knew she was skirting around whatever it was she wanted to say, and that was okay by him. They were eventually going to get to it. He was going to make her say it or make her flee. It was going to have to be one of the two.

"Huh?" Jade asked in confusion, not sure what he meant by that.

"If you planned on returning it to me yourself, why are you still wearing it?" Harry asked, tilting his head in her direction.

Jade let out an awkward laugh, "Do you want me to take it off right now?" Jade asked jokingly, and her lips almost dropped open in surprise when Harry gave her a nod and stretched out a hand.

"I see no reason why you're wearing it when you came to return it. Hand it over," Harry said, surprising himself even more than she was surprised.

"I..."

"What? You can't? Or you don't want to?" He asked in a taunting tone.

What was he saying? What was he doing? Harry mused as he watched Jade look down at herself and then back to him with a flustered expression.

He had started this meaning to unsettle her and make her uncomfortable so she wouldn't keep assuming he was such a gentleman. The whole idea was for her to open up to him or run away from him and put some distance between them, but now it seemed like he was doing a good job of unsettling himself too in the process.

"I can't possibly give it to you this way. I have to wash..."

"I don't mind. I love it just the way it is," Harry said, and Jade looked at him, not sure if he was still talking about the shirt or something else.

"Alright. I will quickly clear this up and then give it to you," Jade said and rose from her seat abruptly and began to stack the dishes, while Harry merely remained in his seat as he followed her movement with predatory eyes while she avoided making eye contact.

As much as she would have loved to tease Harry and seduce him to the point that he would have no choice than to open up to her about how he felt and even make love to her, she knew this was not the right time for it.

He was hurt and emotionally vulnerable at the moment, and she didn't want to add this to his plate.

"Are you trying to chicken out, Esquire? I thought you loved to play games?" Harry asked, making Jade pause to look at him.

"I don't understand wha--at you are talking about" Jade said, trying her best not to stutter as Harry pushed his chair away from the table.

"You don't understand?" Harry asked as he rose to his full height and took a step towards her.

"I don't," Jade said in a voice that oddly sounded like it was from someone else.

"The drunken kiss?" Harry asked, making Jade swallow as she took a step away from him.

God! This man was tempting her. She could feel the flame of lust he had ignited within her grow.

"Teasing me over the phone by telling me what you were wearing?" Harry asked as he continued towards her.

If this man knew how horny his action was making her feel, he would run in the opposite direction, Jade mused as she continued backwards.

"That dream you claimed to have about us?" Harry asked as he kept moving in like a predator.

God, save me from this man, and save this man from me, Jade prayed quietly.

"That whole talk about living rent-free in my head? You don't remember your games?" Harry asked, and Jade licked her lips which were dry now.

Her heart was doing that crazy pitter-patter thing again. What had come over levelheaded Harry? Although, she liked this part of him, but if he didn't stop soon she was going to jump him. Years of pent-up sexual frustration was going to blow up in his fine face if he didn't stop tempting her so.

"Harry..."

"Is it no longer uncle Harry?" Harry asked with a smirk as he continued to approach her while she backed away from him.

"What are you doing?" Jade asked weakly even though she was beginning to feel like this was some sort of mating dance between them.

"Do you not get it yet? I'm playing your game with you. I'm playing one of those silly games you so love to play," Harry said, and Jade cocked a brow.

"Why? Did you think I was avoiding you merely because I can't play dirty?" Harry asked with a wicked smile, and before she had enough time to wonder why he was smiling, she got her answer when her back hit the wall.

There was no more room for escape now, not that she really wanted to escape. She had to stand and face him. It wasn't like she was scared of Harry anyway. She had only been doing him a favor by avoiding him.

"What do you want, Harry?" Jade asked trying not to sound as breathless as she felt.

"I should be asking you that, Jady. What do you want from me? Why do you keep messing with my head, Esquire?" Harry asked as he stopped in front of her and placed both hands on the wall at her sides.

"I'm not messing with you," Jade said in a low and breathless voice as Harry lowered his head.

He lowered his lips to her chin and she drew in a sharp breath when he grazed her chin with his teeth. Before she could jolt from the shock of that, his lips was fixed warmly on hers.

The kiss was long and slow. It made her go weak at the knees and her head reeled once. Her hands found their way to his shoulder and she held on to him to steady herself even as one of his arms went around her waist and he pulled her against him.

"You sure you're not messing with me, Esquire?" Harry asked against her lips as he nibbled on them while he let his other hand move to her hair. He had always wanted to do this from the first time he caught her on that staircase.

Kiss her and touch her hair. Although her hair was no longer as long as it had been then, he was glad he could do both now.

"I'm not. I promise," Jade whispered breathlessly, certain that the flame of lust which had now been fanned by his kiss into a volcano was going to erupt in a moment.

Just as quickly as the kiss had started, Harry pulled back from her and looked into her clouded eyes, "Good. You had better not," Harry said as he watched her struggle to focus her kiss muddled brain on him.

"Although, I'm not a fan of such games, I can assure you that I can be very competitive. I will beat you at your own games," Harry promised as he stepped away from her, and her hands fell to her sides weakly.

Jade swallowed as she stared at him not knowing what to say to him. He seemed like a man in perfect control of his emotions even though she could swear he had been affected by the kiss almost as much as she had been. This side of him was entirely unexpected but sexy as fuck.

"Are you interested in Aurora?" Jade blurted out unexpectedly, and Harry arched a brow not sure where that question was coming from.

Before he could respond, his phone started ringing, "Do you want me to be interested in her?" He asked, ignoring the phone call.

"No," Jade said, not minding the fact that she was speaking like a spoilt brat who was asking her friend not to play with another friend.

"Alright," Harry said as he turned to leave, but Jade grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Alright what?"

"Alright, I heard you," Harry said, and she stared at him for a moment.

"What about your date with her?" Jade asked, and Harry looked at her with practiced patience.

"What about my date with her?"

"Are you still going to take her to the anniversary with you? Will you go out on a date with her?" Jade asked, and he gave her a nod.

"Yes, I will. I do not go back on my words," Harry said, and Jade's brows pulled together.

"She is going to keep thinking she stands a chance with you if you honor your date," Jade said, and Harry sighed as he glanced at his phone which had stopped ringing. He had a feeling it was Lucy or Tom calling.

For a moment there he had completely forgotten about everything else and had been so engrossed in the game he had been playing with Jade. Jade was indeed a distraction.

"Can you get to the point, Esquire?" Harry asked as he watched her.

Fuck Tom's advice, and screw bad timing. She was going to grab this opportunity now, "I don't want you to go out with her or be interested in her. I want you to be interested in me."