Rogue Descendant (Nikki Glass) - By Jenna Black Page 0,50
stand her up.”
I glanced at my watch and saw that it was already three thirty. I didn’t have a whole lot of time to track down Jamaal, convince him this was a good idea, and get to the museum. I wondered if putting me in such an awkward position was part of Steph’s plan, if she was giving me extra fuel I could use to help me talk Jamaal into going. She can be a bit devious at times, though always for a good cause.
“I’ll get Jamaal out there, one way or another,” I promised. I wished I felt more certain that I could deliver, but I would at least do everything in my power. “Thanks so much. You’re the best.”
“I know. Now get off the phone and go give him the good news.”
“Yes, Mom.”
I could almost see Steph shaking her head and laughing as she hung up.
I’d have called Jamaal’s cell in an effort to locate him, only I wasn’t sure he’d answer if he saw my name on caller ID, and he might make himself scarce once he knew I was looking for him.
I headed down the stairs toward his suite, my pulse tripping along even as I rolled my eyes at myself for being nervous. I’m not a shy person, nor was I as intimidated by Jamaal as I probably should have been, but asking him out on what was essentially a date was well beyond my comfort zone. Especially when I felt sure it was going to turn into a battle of wills.
After a deep, calming breath, I knocked on his door. If he was out in the clearing working with Sita, then I was going to settle in and wait for him. Frankly, if I never saw another tiger for the rest of my life, that would be fine with me. I would never forget the feeling of her breath on my face.
Footsteps told me at once that Jamaal was in, and my pulse picked up even more speed. Damn, I was as nervous as a sixteen-year-old girl asking a boy to the junior prom. I wiped my palms on my pants legs in case they were sweaty, then tried my best to brace myself for the rejection that was sure to come. I might be able to talk him into coming with me, but I’d faint in shock if his first answer wasn’t a resounding no.
The door opened, and I was suddenly face-to-face with Jamaal. Well, face to chest. Jamaal is about a foot taller than I am, so I always have to look up to meet his gaze.
His cheekbones looked a little sharper than usual, and I wondered if he had lost weight. But other than that, he looked good enough to eat, as always. He was still wearing the tiger-colored beads in his hair, and he had on torn jeans and a faded T-shirt. The outfit would have looked scruffy on, say, Anderson, but it somehow looked carelessly sexy on Jamaal.
He didn’t scowl on seeing me on his doorstep, and I figured that was a good sign. He didn’t smile, either, but then he didn’t do a whole lot of smiling even at the best of times.
“If you’re here to get on my case about what happened with Sita the other day, you can turn around and go back upstairs,” he said. The scowl made its appearance after all.
“Really?” I said, crossing my arms over my chest and giving him an exasperated look. “You think I’d come down here and knock on your door to lecture you?” I didn’t for a moment believe that was why he thought I was here. He was just trying to establish a sense of distance before we’d even started.
He leaned against the doorjamb. It would be nice if he’d invite me in, but I wasn’t surprised he didn’t. “I don’t suppose we have much else to talk about.”
It appeared I was lucky he hadn’t slammed the door in my face. Whatever had caused the new friction between us, it wasn’t getting better over time.
“Why don’t you stop acting like a jerk and let me in?” I’d often found that tact was overrated when dealing with Jamaal.
His scowl darkened. “Like I said, we have nothing to talk about.”
The fact that he still hadn’t slammed the door in my face made me think some hidden part of him was more interested in talking than he liked to admit.
“Yeah, actually, we do,” I countered. “And I promise it won’t