“Am I that transparent?” she asked.
“You’re shaking like a leaf.”
“I am?” Lexi hadn’t noticed, but now that he mentioned it, she realized her shoulders were quivering.
“Yes. Talk to me. Is it something with your dad?”
If only Lexi could be so lucky. She had a tiny shred of control when it came to him. “Bianca just called me. Turns out my ex-husband got engaged and his new fiancée is hosting your event tonight.”
Jack blew out a big breath and pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head. He scanned her face like he was looking for answers, but she felt like she had absolutely none. “Okay, then. Plan B. We’ll go somewhere else.”
Lexi was confused. “No. Jack. We can go. I’ll be fine. I might need a stiff drink before I walk through the door though.”
Jack reached down for her hand. “Lexi. I am working like crazy right now and the promise of tonight is the only thing that got me through this week. I’m not going to drag you to some event that might only upset you.”
“But you’re supposed to get an important award tonight.”
Jack waved it off. “It’s a plaque. I couldn’t care less about that. I’d rather be with you.”
Lexi’s heart was being so fast that her brain couldn’t keep up. She knew she was getting swept away by Jack, which she’d told herself dozens of times was a very bad idea. “I don’t want you to have to rescue me again. You did that the day we met.”
“Don’t think of it that way. I did what anyone would have done. I know you would’ve done the same for me.”
She wanted to think she had the nerve to save Jack, but she wasn’t sure. She hadn’t been tested like that before. “Where can we go if we don’t go to Houston? We talked about getting out of Royal.”
“I think we should go to Appaloosa Island.”
“The construction site?”
Jack unleashed his hearty laugh. “No. I promise you that where we’re going is a lot nicer than that.”
Lexi looked down at her gown. “Whatever it is, I’m totally overdressed.”
“No. You’re perfect. I love seeing you in that. Not that I don’t want you to be undressed later.”
Heat rose in her cheeks. She swatted Jack on the arm. “You’re bad.”
“Or maybe very, very good.” Jack’s eyes glimmered. “Come on. We’ll grab your bag and I’ll speak to the pilot.”
Lexi gathered her purse and phone charger from the front seat of her car as Jack brought her suitcase to the helicopter and briefly conferred with the pilot. Then he waved Lexi over and helped her on board. The cabin was even nicer than the one the bank owned, with white leather upholstery and enough room for six. Lexi took a center seat, with Jack next to her.
“Are we going to the hotel on Appaloosa?”
Jack shook his head as he buckled himself in. “I rented a house on the island a few weeks ago. It was too much to go back and forth all the time, and the owner is out of the country for at least six months. I figure that’ll give me a prime spot for Soiree on the Bay.” He swept her hair to one side and kissed her neck.
Lexi’s eyes fluttered shut as she soaked up his warmth and the enticing brush of his skin against hers. It was the perfect reminder of why she was here—so she could finally have what she’d wanted since the moment she met this amazingly sexy man. “Jack, if you’re going to kiss me like that, I don’t care where we go. I only know that I’m ready to get there.”
“I promise you it’ll be spectacular.” Jack reached for her hand as if it had become the most natural thing in the world. No, they weren’t truly a couple, or boyfriend and girlfriend. She and Jack were just having fun. But as the helicopter took flight and Royal became a dot on the Texas landscape, it sure was starting to feel like something more than casual.
Six
Once again, Jack had proven himself to be full of surprises, pivoting from their Houston plan to one Lexi had never expected—an escape to Appaloosa Island. She had relished the thought of the five-star hotel, but there was something equally appealing about coming here. With little access from the mainland, they were essentially cut off from the world, if only for one night.
It was shortly after sunset when they arrived on the island, which Lexi realized left them the entire evening ahead. The mere thought sent goose bumps racing down her spine. She wanted Jack so bad, and there had been too much waiting. It felt as though she’d spent an eternity tasting his kisses on her lips, but never getting more. Perhaps that had been Jack’s game all along, exercising his endless patience while she did nothing but squirm in her own skin. And right now, her desire for him was reaching a fever pitch, because all she could think about was getting him out of his suit, and him getting her out of this dress.
“Are we almost there?” she asked as they rode along in a small SUV that Jack had arranged for when the helicopter dropped them off. Although the island was far more developed on the western side, there was still very little in the way of streetlamps or normal city infrastructure. All around them was nothing but the slowly deepening blue of night, the softly moon-lit sway of tall palms in the wind and somewhere off in the distance, the Gulf. It was beautiful and serene. It reminded Lexi to take a breath and enjoy her time with Jack, even when she didn’t want to wait anymore.
“Just a few more minutes.” Jack slowed down and turned left on to a narrow gravel drive. The car pitched and rocked for several hundred feet, then they hit asphalt and the ride smoothed out.
