“Good.” He stepped back abruptly. “Pack up. I’m taking you home with me.”
“I didn’t agree to come home with you.”
He smiled wickedly. “Yes you did.”
She tried to disagree but couldn’t. “What did you just do? Was that some kind of spell? Damn you.”
Jack smirked, looking pleased with himself. “I’ll tell you later. Just know that I wouldn’t have been able to convince you unless you really wanted it. Get moving. We have a lot to do today.”
“I’ve got stuff to do. I can’t just drop everything and stay with you. What about Olivia?”
“Liv will understand, and you can work at my house. I’ve got Wi-Fi.”
She narrowed her eyes. How did he know she worked with computers?
“I’ll make sure you have time to work.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “You promised. You’re coming. End of story.”
Zoe was about to tell him to go fuck himself, but stopped dead cold when her gaze drifted to the beach. It couldn’t be? Down by the ocean, picking up shells in a t-shirt and khaki shorts was the finger-gun-stalker-man from New York. Her stomach cramped. How the hell did he find her?
“What’s wrong?” Jack gripped her hand and followed her gaze, but the man had disappeared behind one of the dunes.
She stood like an idiot for what felt like an eternity before she made up her mind.
“All right.” Her voice trembled. “I’ll go with you.”
Chapter 7
Jack cringed. Maybe he’d been a little heavy-handed with Zoe, but his clan was depending on him. There was too much at stake.
The minute he’d parked in front of his family’s beach house, her face had softened. Together they traversed the crushed stones, took the steps up the porch, and slid around the wicker furniture. She touched everything delicately, sighed happily, and his chest tightened.
“I spent my summers on this deck. Played games of monopoly with my siblings that lasted for days.”
She smiled as if she got it. Jack opened the screen side door and led her up the narrow staircase. They went down a long hallway and he opened the door to the bedroom nearest his.
“My mom decorated this room. The whole house really.”
She fingered the lacy materials like they were pirate booty.
Jack was about to say something about putting her clothes away, but noticed the battered knapsack. The small bag couldn’t hold much.
“My sister says of all the rooms, this is the best. You can throw your stuff in here.” He opened the closet door.
She gave him a small smile and his balls tightened. How in the world was he supposed to last five days?
“Want something to eat?” He fell back on his mother’s favorite line. What was he now thirteen?
“Sure.” She dropped her few meager belongings on the bed.
On the way down, she stopped, did a one-eighty on the landing, and gushed. “I’ve always wondered about the insides of homes like this. It’s huge. Is this your place or are you renting? It’s beautiful. I love it.”
He laughed. Who knew? It wasn’t his amazing charms, his portfolio, or stunning personality that won her over. It was the beach house.
“It’s not mine, actually. Been in my family for generations. I have an apartment in Manhattan.” They descended into the kitchen and she stood beside him as he poured coffee beans into a grinder. “Are you really hungry or will a snack do?”
“I’m starving.”
He nodded in approval.
