Maddie couldn’t help but smile at the love-struck quality of her sister’s voice. She adored her baby sister, had hated seeing her widowed so young with a small child to raise on her own. Sarah had denied herself happiness for years, focusing all her attention on her son, Eli, and her job as an elementary schoolteacher. Seeing Sarah so happy now with Luke, finally enjoying the love and devotion she deserved, made Maddie’s eyes sting.
She pressed the heel of her palm to her eyes, sniffing to clear away the tears. “Maybe. But, I’m not sure—” Her words halted abruptly at the sound of a hard knock on her hotel room door. “Hey, Sare, someone’s at the door. I’ll call you later. Kiss Eli for me.”
She hung up and pocketed her phone before snatching up her gun from the bedside table. She kept it low at her side as she approached the door and peered through the peephole. A man in hotel uniform stood in the hallway with a food cart.
She opened the door as much as the safety latch would allow. “May I help you?”
“Room service,” he said, giving her a mischievous grin.
What the hell?
“I didn’t order room service.”
“This is from Mr. Smith,” he said in a rush. “He asked me to bring it to your room.”
Maddie frowned.Mr. Smith? Who the—Jack.
She’d momentarily forgotten all about his alias. Admittedly curious, she tucked her gun into the small of her back, making sure her shirt covered it before opening the door and allowing the young man in.
He unpacked three silver trays, setting them on the small dining table. Then he added two champagne glasses and reached beneath the cart to bring out a bottle of champagne on ice, all the while sending knowing glances her way. God knew what he thought was going on. Hell,shehad no idea what was going on.
Although, the moment he lifted the lid from the first tray to reveal chocolate-dipped strawberries, she began to understand.
“I’m assured they’re quite delicious.”
She spun around toward the door to see Jack leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed and that damnably impish smile gracing his full lips—lips she’d been longing to feel on hers again since that searing kiss earlier in the day.
“Enjoy,” the young man said, sending another grin her way. Then she saw him wink at Jack. “I’ll have your car retrieved as soon as possible, Mr. Smith.”
Jack shook his hand as he passed and slipped money—and what looked like a key card—into the man’s pocket. “Thank you, Manny. And please give my compliments to Meghan for her assistance. This is perfect.”
Jack came to the table to stand near her, his eyes never leaving hers until he turned his attention to the serving trays. Jack lifted the lid of one of the remaining serving dishes to reveal other delectable treats—all the same or at least nearly the same as what they had enjoyed together during their trip to Vancouver.
“Well, Iassumethese are perfect,” he said, his gaze capturing hers. “But I require your opinion.”
Maddie’s chest tightened with a mixture of pleasure, excitement, and . . . sorrow. Not exactly the response that Jack was going for, if she had to hazard a guess. And that made her feel like the biggest bitch ever. Here he was trying to do something nice, something special and meaningful for her, and all she wanted to do was bend over double and hyperventilate in a full-blown panic attack. “What are you doing, Jack?”
He looked away again before she could catch the full extent of his expression, but there was something wistful and fleeting that shecouldsee in his profile.Nostalgia. That’s what she would’ve said if she’d had to put a name to it.
“Talking about Vancouver earlier reminded me of the day we spent holed up in our room, lying in bed and just talking . . . among other things.” He laughed. “Until we were starving and had to take a break. Do you remember? As I recall, you particularly enjoyed the strawberries we shared.” He selected a plump, dark berry and lifted it to her lips. “Care to try one?”
At least, that’s what she thought he said. Her heart was pounding too hard in her ears to be certain. Did she remember? Good God—how could sheforget? She’d never been with anyone like Jack—so gentle and kind, so concerned for her feelings and opinions and desires. He’d touched her with such tenderness and reverence—as if she was a precious, fragile thing that he must not break—that she’d felt treasured and safe in ways she’d never realized had been missing from her life.
She covered his hand with both of hers and brought the strawberry to her lips, his sharp intake of breath telling her he’d tucked away a few memories of his own. Keeping her eyes locked with his, she closed her lips around the tip of the berry and bit into it. The burst of flavor on her tongue made her shudder. That and the intensity of Jack’s gaze.
Slowly, she licked the juice from her lips, loving the way his eyes sparked with desire, wishing she had the nerve to act on it. “Delicious.”
She saw him swallow hard, and then something in his expression changed and his hand came up to slowly caress the skin near her collarbone. Her eyes fluttered shut at the gentleness of his touch. Damn her pulse for how it was pounding as his fingertips drifted down to the center of her chest.
“You still have it,” he murmured.
Her eyes snapped open and she remembered to breathe again. For a few seconds she wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about. Then she realized it hadn’t been her skin he was caressing but the silver chain she wore around her neck. Resting against her chest just above the valley between her breasts was a red Templar-cross pendant. But the knowledge that it had been the necklace that captivated him at that moment did little to still her hammering pulse or the heat that flooded her cheeks at his touch.
“Of course, I have it,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “You gave it to me—the first present you ever gave me. I didn’t realize the significance then.”
He lifted the pendant, smoothing it gently between his thumb and forefinger for a moment before his gaze shifted to capture hers. “There was far more significance in this gift than you probably even now realize.”
Maddie wanted to ask him what he meant, but she couldn’t find her voice at that moment. Or perhaps the rapid, shallow rising and falling of her chest as Jack’s eyes held hers as his free hand came to rest at the small of her back drove the words away. She stepped closer, giving in to the gentle pressure of his hand and allowing him to pull her to him. And when his head lowered toward hers, she cupped his jaw, urging him on.
