“What about me?”
“Is this your costume?” He looks me up and down, even though there isn’t much to take in.
That doesn’t stop me from feeling every inch of his gaze as it rakes over my jeans and tight white tank top, Bridge and Blooms emblazoned across my chest in glitter letters. I open the fridge and take out the pink and lavender floral crown I crafted earlier today, settling it on top of my loose curls. My once-highlighted-into-blond-oblivion hair has faded and grown out, slowly returning to its natural brown, but I’ve been so busy I haven’t even had time to think about it. Things like regular hair appointments just don’t feel like priorities anymore.
“Wanna hand me my wings?” I gesture to the back of the bar stool where Jack is standing.
He hands over a pair of iridescent, sparkling fairy wings, which I slip over my shoulders.
“Voilà. Flower fairy.” Spinning around, I kick up my heel in a princess pose.
“Cute and promotional.” Jack holds up his wineglass.
I clink mine against his. “Happy Halloween, Jack-o’-Lantern.”
He takes a long sip of wine. “I’m pretty sure you’ve used that one before.”
“Doesn’t matter, it’s fitting for the occasion.” I pick up the bowl of candy and take it over to the entryway table, swishing my hips a little more than necessary when I feel Jack’s eyes on my ass. I’m checkingmy flower crown in the mirror above the table when he comes up behind me, his hand resting on my hip, the heat of his fingers burning through the denim of my jeans.
“I’m kind of hoping none of those hot single dads come by.” His breath tickles my neck, sending a shiver through me.
I meet his gaze in the mirror. “You really want to jinx Gemma like that?”
He grins at me, his fingers tightening on my waist. “No, I guess not.”
The sound of the doorbell trills through the house, and Jack leans forward to open the door, the weight of him pressing into me and stealing my breath.
“Better not be any hot single moms either,” I mutter.
His hand trails up my back, gently squeezing the nape of my neck. “It wouldn’t matter if there were.”
I lean into his touch. “You do realize when you say shit like that it makes me want to throw you up against this wall and kiss you senseless, right?”
Another knock pounds on the door and Gemma’s voice bleeds through the wood. “I’m carrying a fuck-ton of wine here, open the door, assholes!”
“She really leans into being off duty, doesn’t she?” Jack grins, reaching around me to open the door for my boisterous, chockful-of-bad-timing friends, who push right past us into the house. “I’ll take a rain check on that offer, though.” His lips brush the shell of my ear before he leaves me standing in the doorway to pass out candy to our first trick-or-treaters, while the rest of the gang heads to the kitchen to start drinking.
I drop candy bars into the bags of a princess, a pirate, and a firefighter, all while trying to stem the ache in my chest and between my legs, before closing the door and joining my friends.
We spend the evening doling out full-sized chocolate bars (because of course Jack got the good candy) and drinking wine, our sugar highs and wine buzzes keeping us laughing long after the trick-or-treaters have stopped knocking. Gemma ends up spending the night at the brownstone after Nick and Harley leave together to stumble their way back to the girls’ shared apartment.
“They’ll be banging for hours,” she confides to me and Jack, the three of us draped over the couch in the basement,Hocus Pocusplaying on the TV in the background. “Seriously, I don’t know how they manage to keep their energy up.”
Jack shoots me a look, his eyes hooded, the wine-fueled lust obvious even from the opposite side of the couch. I squirm a little in my seat, my clothes suddenly feeling too tight, my skin buzzing with tension and anticipation. I bite my lip, feeling pretty sure I shouldn’t bound right over Gemma and jump on top of him, but also not totally ruling out the possibility.
Jack clears his throat and stands, adjusting his jeans before begging off for the night. He gives me a parting look that lets me know I could definitely sneak into his room later and put an end to this months-long standoff.
Apparently all I needed to do this whole time was get the man drunk on wine and chocolate.
“Oh god, not you two, too. Where the fuck am I going to sleep?” Gemma elbows me in the ribs.
I elbow her right back. “Nothing is happening tonight, calm down.”
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m pushing hard for this hookup, but not while I’m in the next room, yeah?”
I turn up the TV, shifting my focus to the Sanderson sisters and away from the hot piece of ass who just vacated the room. “I’m beginning to think you’re right.”
“Obviously.” She sits up straight on the couch. “About what?”
