With a swallow, I raise my eyes, and they connect with his. My breath grows more erratic by the moment, and I bite back the urge to cover my stomach.
“Jack?” I finally manage.
“You look beautiful,” he says with a labored breath.
Jack has commented on my appearance before, sure, but this one feels more profound than a surface compliment, like he gave me a part of his soul he keeps hidden.
“Thank you,” I say, dipping into a curtsy and immediately wincing. “Where is everyone else?”
He clears his throat, glancing hesitantly at the screened porch where an outdoor dining table rests, shrouded in darkness. “Uhm, I was hoping it would just be the two of us.”
Understanding and a dangerous dose of hope dawn on me. “Us?”
He slides his hands into his pockets and peeks at me almost bashfully. “If that’s okay, that was the plan—but I can go get Emy if you—”
“No. No, I like the plan.” My gaze moves over the lights in the trees I’ve begged Gus to string up for years and the music that kickstarts the perfect scene fromNever Been Kissed.Is Jack Parker big gesturing me?
With things he picked up fromlistening?
I’m so done for.
Neither of us moves. Jack stands, blinking, for what seems like an eternity, and I don’t know what to do. Should I proceed to the table? Should I approach him?
“Jack?” I whisper.
“Right!” He shakes his head, offering me his hand. I take it, fighting the tremor working through mine, and let him lead me to the porch. The speakers serenading us shift to the next song, “Then He Kissed Me.” Swearing under his breath, Jack fumbles with his free hand, trying to get his phone out of his pants. “Shit. This is what I get for thinking I’d be smoother.”
“Jack?” I repeat his name, this time with a smile.
“One second,” he mumbles.
I turn into him. For whatever reason, I cannot possibly fathom this man who skates around burly men with a cool demeanor is flustered because of me—Aulie “Too Sweet To Be Prom Queen” Desfleurs.
Gently, I grab his shaking hand, scrolling furtively on his screen.
He exhales, meeting my eyes and flashing me a sheepish smile. “I’ll just hit shuffle.”
“Did you make me a playlist?” I quirk a brow, leaning in closer.
I don’t understand how what happened this morning has led to this moment, with him bumbling around, playing romantic songs over a speaker—but I’ll gladly accept it.
“Maybe. Yes. I—” He winces as “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” starts, and I have to bite back a giggle.
I intertwine my fingers with his. “I think the songs are conspiring against you.”
“So it would seem.”
“Maybe you should do something about it.” I drop my gaze to his lips, catching my bottom lip with my teeth.
Jack doesn’t budge, and I hesitate.
The quirk of my lips falters after a few seconds of silence. “Shall we?” I smile half-heartedly, gesturing back to the table. Disappointment roils in the pit of my very exposed and chilly stomach.
A frustrated sigh registers behind me.
“Oh, what the hell? I already fucked this up enough,” Jack says. Suddenly, a strong hand grabs my wrist and I’m forcefully spun around to face him. Colliding with Jack’s chest, I feel the warmth of his body and the frantic rise and fall of his breath. His fingers brush against my skin as he cups my cheek, and I look up at him. In an instant, his lips crash into mine with a desperate urgency I never imagined this man could possess. Like I’m not the only one with unresolved feelings.
With an insatiable hunger, he coaxes my lips apart, and I let out a soft moan.
