I giggled. “That’s no fun. Take a bite next time so we can see the inside.”
We ate chocolate and talked for the next half an hour. He told me a few work stories. I told him about the garden. The TV was on but neither of us watched it.
Jack trained his gaze on my every move. I should’ve been nervous. Self-conscious even. But I wasn’t. Maybe my ease was the wine talking. I laughed, licked chocolate off my fingers, and shoved Jack with my foot when he tried to count how many pieces I’d eaten.
The easiness between us felt so good. Like a pair of old jeans. Perfect fit, cozy, always a go-to. Something you never want to take off. It made sense. Jack had once been my best friend. Of course we’d stumble into companionship again.
I pushed the box away, moaning. “I’m going to make myself sick.”
Jack patted his rock hard abs as if he had a candy belly or something. “Yeah, that was a lot.”
I sat back, adjusting my feet on the couch, and melted into the cushions.
Jack’s hand wrapped around my ankle.
I jerked it back but he held on. “What are you doing?”
He said nothing, but brought my foot into his lap. His thumbs moved across the sole of my foot.
It felt way…intimate.
“You don’t have to do that.” Even as I said it, I fought my eyes from rolling back into my head.
“I want to.” His gaze was serious, intense. “Let it happen.”
Couldn’t fight him long. I loved foot rubs. His thumbs moved in circles until he stopped abruptly. “This is new.” He gently rolled over a spot.
I winced. “Ow.”
He softened his touch. “Oh, sorry.”
“It’s okay. I stepped on a nail two years ago. Went two inches into my foot.”
“Is that scar tissue?”
I nodded, my voice breathless. “Still hurts.”
He rubbed the spot with a tenderness that belied his masculine hands. My heart thumped. This man was doing things to me. Moments like this made me feel so undeserving. Like a fraud. Like a horrible person.
I wanted to stay away so we both didn’t get hurt, but getting sucked into this vortex was inevitable. Had I ever stopped feeling so much for him? I thought I did…
What was it he just said?
This is new.
I let my eyes flutter closed for a second. Jack was the only person on earth familiar with thesolesof myfeet. My lips twitched as I battled cresting emotion. Squeezed my eyes tight and pushed the prickling sensation away.
A moment later, I stole a peek at him. He was watching my face.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
He shook his head, denying me an answer.
I tapped his chest with my foot. “Spill.”
“You just—are a lot more relaxed here than you were before.” He smiled and shrugged. “You caught me noticing.”
“I did have two glasses of wine.”
