“I made a promise to Gabe; I’d check in to ensure everything was okay while they are away.” Jack pointed at me with a raised eyebrow. “Wait. Are you following me?”
“Me? Following you? No.” I laughed and swatted a hand at the air. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
I just peek out the window and search for you any chance I get. Whether I hate your guts or love you. Take your damn pick.
Jack grunted. He brushed off his jeans and stood up. His hand reached down and waited for me to accept the gesture, but I ignored it.
“Some help you are, leaving the front door open for anyone to waltz in.” I sighed with annoyance. “You can scurry away now. I’ll take care of business. Don’t forget to close the door on the way out.”
“No,” Jack argued.
“Yes.” I stood up to intimidate Jack. “Don’t let the door hit your nonexistent ass on the way out.”
Jack lifted an eyebrow. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Jack towered over me. I inched up on my tippy-toes, but there was still too much distance between us. The heat sizzled, the tension peaked, and my body tingled. Finally, he leaned in, and he was close enough that our noses brushed.
“Nothing,” I whispered and pressed my index finger into his chest. “Except you’re a coward.”
“A coward?” Jack grabbed my wrist. “Seriously? Would a coward do this?”
Jack kissed me in my parents’ kitchen. His mouth was full of feverish passion as I couldn’t deny him and parted my lips to invite him in. His tongue swirled with mine, and a satisfied sigh escaped me.
Jesus. I missed Jack.
Greedy hands held the back of my neck, and I clung to Jack. His lips traveled down my neck while I balled up the fabric of his shirt in my hands. My fingers grazed his scalp, and his mouth worked back up to find my lips again. He swallowed my moan. Need exploded inside of me to havehim and never let him go. I never wanted to suffer another minute without him.
“Get your lips off my daughter!”
THIRTY-TWO
Love to Hate
Noelle
Our lips parted. Eyes wide in shock. I touched my swollen mouth, bruised by Jack’s frenzied kisses, and glanced around.
Shit! Fuck! I had forgotten about the hidden cameras in my parents’ house!
A crackling sound followed the angry voice, but I knew exactly who the warning belonged to.
“Daddy?” I glanced at Jack.
Jack stared at me with regret written all over his face, and he took his hands off me as if I were a gift he’d never wanted to receive. The harsh reality hurt, but he stepped back. Distance didn’t make the heart fonder; it only tore me in two.
“I’m disappointed in you, Noelle,” my father scolded me.
“Daddy... I’m sorry you had to find out like—” Jack held up his hand to stop me.
“This meant nothing, Gabe. Noelle was a mistake I never should’ve made.” Jack ran his hands through his hair and peered up toward the ceiling. “The kiss shouldn’t have happened and—”
“A kiss?” A brief pause. “That’s it?”
Jack cracked his knuckles, his body went rigid with tension, and he locked eyes with me in a stone-cold stare. His body language was expressionless except for the bitterness I remembered. The grumpy old man was back, and I hated him but loved him all at the same time.
“No.” I turned my back to Jack, crossed my arms over my chest and stared toward the hidden camera. “Not that it’s any of your business, Dad, but we slept together too.”
My father cursed. “How could you, Jack? She’s my little girl.”
