Finding Us (Finding #1)(4)
Author: Megan Smith

“Up here baby.” He says in a husky tone.

The song ends and another begins. As my eyes meet his again, he starts to lean in like he’s going to kiss me. Before I know it he’s spinning me again, placing his hands back on my hips, rocking side to side again. I can feel his hardness against my lower back and while it should be such a huge turn off, it’s the most erotic thing that has ever happened to me. Shit like this has happened before and its seconds before I’m stepping away from them but with this this guy its different, so different. The song is almost over but I’m not ready for it to end. I have this tingling feeling in the pit of my stomach and my whole body feels like it’s on fire.

“Thanks for the dance.” He whispers huskily into my ears. Just those four words have my body blazing. I want to get one last peek at him but he’s gone.

I need to find Summer to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I don’t spot her anywhere so I scan up towards our table. She’s there and she’s leaning up against the railing, smiling down at me.

I make my way back up and order another drink. Rex and Summer take a seat at our table, both smirking.

“What?” I ask the both of them.

Summer shakes her head and Rex chuckles, “I see you met Knox.”

I eye the shot that was full before I left, it’s empty.

Fuck. Me.

There she is, out on the dance floor with her friend, who I assume is Summer, since Rex said that’s who he was bringing.

I make my way over to Rex. “Hey man.”

He stands and leans in to clap me on my back. “Nice to finally have you back.”

I nod. “So is that her?”

Rex leans up against the railing, “Yup, her and Summer.”

We don’t say anything more. We stand there for a few minutes and watch the girls before I start to make my way towards them.

I can’t believe this shit. She practically landed in my lap. Once Rex started talking about these two girls he met and started telling me all about them I knew it was her. Call it karma or whatever the hell you want to call it but she was put in my life for a reason and that is more than enough for me to get revenge on her f**ked up family.

Rex hadn’t put two and two together that Jasmine was the Jasmine Jennings that ripped our lives apart. He tried to tell me I was mistaken but I knew I wasn’t.

I knew she took off after graduation but I had no idea where she went. It was like she fell off the face of the Earth. I’m sure her f**king parents are thrilled that their daughter is laid out in the Big Apple. They seem to control her life so I’m not actually surprised that New York is where she ended up.

I took a few days to tie up my loose ends in California before I hopped on a flight to New York. I had to check this out for myself. It was just too good to be true. Rex didn’t agree with me that someone needed to pay for what happened but I wasn’t letting anyone stop me. I lost more than just my parents that day.

Maybe once I get some kind of justice I can move on.

3

Nearing noon the next morning I hear murmuring from the other room. I’ve been awake for about a half hour, just sitting and reading. Thankfully today’s Sunday; my declared lazy day. I do all my laundry, catch up on some reading and cleaning since every day during the week is filled with something. Lying here I drift back to last night. Knox. I wonder where he had gone off to after our dance. I never did see him again. Out of all the people at the club, why did it have to be him? I know I’m going to face him at some point, but why did it have to be Rex’s brother?

Knox can dance like no one else I’ve ever danced with, we were in sync with each other instantly. The way he moved with my h*ps was downright hot. His voice, when he spoke to me, was gruff and sexy. I’m sure he has all the girls eating out of the palm of his hand. I wanted to dance with him again that night but knew I wouldn’t and also because he never came over to our table. He was there all night and I felt him watching me. Rex said that he was busy and he did look busy with the club as packed as it was.

“Hello, Earth to Jasmine!” Summer snaps her fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to reality.

“What?” I put my Kindle on my nightstand and stretch my arms above my head.

“Where’d you go?” Summer asks. “I was asking you a question and you didn’t even notice that I was talking at all.”

I shrug, “Nowhere.”

Summer rolls her eyes, “Rex said that Knox invited us over for dinner tonight. Do you want to go?”

“Um, no, I’ve got a shit load of laundry to do.” I get up from my bed and walk towards a pile of dirty clothes on the floor. There are only about two loads which will take all of a few hours but Summer doesn’t need to know that. “Thank Knox for the offer though, will ya?”

“If you don’t want to go just say it, don’t lie to me.” Summer deadpans. I should know better than to lie to her, she knows me better than I know myself.

Sighing, I sit back down on my bed, “I’m sorry.” I pull my puppy dog face on her. This normally works when I’ve done something to piss her off, which rarely ever happens.

Bingo!

Summer starts laughing, “I guess Knox got your attention, huh?”

Did he ever!

I squeeze my pointer finger and thumb together, “Just a little bit.”

“Jas, you should have seen you two on the dance floor, that shit was hot! I would have had an orgasm right then and there.” Summer says, fanning herself.

Groaning, I throw myself back on my bed, “Eww Summer!” I roll over and face her. “No one ever affects me just like that Summer, not even Max.”

With a shit-eating grin she says, “I think you met your match, babe.”

I’m screwed, big time.

Monday morning is always crazy at the coffee shop, everyone is hustling and bustling trying to get their coffee and get to work on time. I’m sitting in the back office after things have slowed down when Dianna comes walking in. She drops a note on my desk and walks out.

My name is scribbled across the front of the envelope. Who the hell could this be from?

I stick my index finger along the seal, breaking it open, and pull the note out.

Jasmine,

Sorry you couldn’t make it last night. Have dinner with me tonight at 6? I’ll meet you here at the coffee shop.

Knox

Yeah, I’m sure he’s sorry I couldn’t make it last night. Ha! How did he even know where I worked? It’s not like Summer would just give up information on me. And who does he think he is just stopping by my work and having an employee hand me a note from him? He couldn’t deliver it himself? Or even ask me to dinner in person? I place the card back in the envelope and throw it in the trashcan under the desk. I go back to working on the inventory I was doing before the interruption.