Jackie blinked, shaking herself out of the thought.What am I thinking? I just said I wasn’t trying to Bankhead-bounce on that thang! Get it together, Miles!
Antonio stared at Jackie. “Jack? You good, ma?”
Jackie nodded her head a little too vigorously. She pretended to look out the window of the van, willing her thoughts to chill the hell out.
CHAPTER 25
Antonio purposefully told Jackie very few details about this reward, which—if he was being honest—had been a spontaneous idea. The day had been tense. Jackie had just barely begun to forgive him, and he’d pushed her too far with his failed attempt to talk about their feelings over breakfast. He should have known she’d need some time. And then there was the zipline, obviously a nightmare for her. Antonio figured this would take their mind off things. He wanted to take Jackie out on a real date.
When they returned to the resort, Antonio moved quickly to put a plan together. While Jackie was in the shower, he went to find Lupe. She was local to the area, and once again she was glad to help…for a price. Based on what Antonio was looking for, Lupe gave him recommendations and reserved a driver for the evening. The driver was Lupe’s cousin, naturally. All of this cost him another $300. Being minorly extorted was a small price to pay to put a smile on Jackie’s face. If he ever got a chance to see that smile again…
Antonio looked at his watch. He’d told Jackie to be ready by 7:00 p.m. and to wear something nice. She was late. After the zipline, she’d taken a long time cleaning herself up—not that Antonio was complaining. He’d pretended to busy himself with things on his phone while sneaking glances of Jackie in the outdoor shower.Thank God for that shower. Then he’d left her alone in the suite to get dressed. But now, he was getting antsy. Their driver was waiting for them.
Just as he was about to go check on Jackie, he heard the unmistakable clack of her heels against the tiled floor. When he looked up, he was met with the most arresting vision. She was clad in a multicolored sundress, gold jewelry, a gold clutch, and gold strappy heels. Antonio had to remind himself to breathe as she stepped closer.
She motioned to her dress. Antonio looked at her from head to toe, starting with the perfectly coifed curls that lay on her forehead, moving to the matte red lips, and ending on her glowing dark bronzed skin. She didn’t need his approval, but he couldn’t help but be honest. “It’s…you’re…perfect,” he said. He could have sworn Jackie blushed, just a little bit. It’d been ages since he made her do that. And he wanted to keep having that effect on her.
Jackie cleared her throat and pulled out her phone to type. “This isn’t a date. This is you rewarding me for my bravery today. That’s all.”
Not a date?Could have fooled him, because she was standing there looking all types of delicious. Fine, he’d let her believe that.
Antonio held up his hands. “It’s whatever you want it to be, Lucky.” He motioned toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Jackie headed toward the front door.Dear God…The back of the dress dipped low, almost to the top of her juicy ass. It dipped almost low enough to seethattattoo. The thought of that four-leaf clover instantly took him back to the night they’d gotten their tattoos… and the other night, when he’d gotten reacquainted with its placement on her body. Antonio adjusted himself in his tightening slacks, praying Jackie wouldn’t turn around and catch him. He let out a breath and looked up to the ceiling.Lord, why did you make this difficult woman so damn fine?This must have been a new form of torture.
As they made their way past the lobby and concierge desk, Antonio was careful not to let Graciela see them. She wouldn’t approve of them leaving the property—not that it was any of her business! When they made it outside, they were met by a small man with graying, long hair, puffing a cigar next to a classic Benz.
“Ah! Antonio?” he said. “Soy Hector, primo de Lupe.”
Antonio shook his hand. “Lupe’s cousin, yes. Mucho gusto. I’m Antonio. And this is my…” He turned to look at Jackie, who had a brow raised. “My friend. I mean, my colleague, Jackie.” Friend seemed like too small a word. And of course, she was more than a colleague.
“Señora,” Hector said, taking Jackie’s hand and kissing it. “¡Muy linda! Come!” Hector opened the back door to the car and Jackie slid in, followed by Antonio.
“You know where to go, right?” asked Antonio.
“Of course. You want the best. I take you to the best,” Hector declared. “Trust us!” Antonio prayed that this little off-the-books excursion organized by Hector’s hustler of a cousin wasn’t going to end up costing him more money or be a colossal waste of time. As the engine of the car started with a bit of hesitation, Jackie gave him a very pointed look. Antonio swallowed. This could end in disaster before it even had a chance to start.
After twenty minutes on main roads, smaller side roads, and finally, a cobblestone path, the car came to an abrupt stop.
“Here!” declared Hector brightly.
