Lexi was out of breath. “Absolutely not. I’m freezing.”
He laughed and scooped her up in his arms, showing off his strength by carrying her to shore. She could get so used to this. Then he gently set her feet on the sand and she grabbed the towels, tossing one to him and wrapping herself up in the other.
“Hot tub?” he asked.
“Yes.”
They ran up the beach to the boardwalk, and after rinsing the sand from their feet, Jack opened up the hot tub cover and turned on the jets.
“Ooh. It feels a little hot after our swim,” Lexi said, easing into the water.
Jack was less tentative, climbing right in and reclining in one of the seats. “You’ll get used to it.”
Lexi was already relaxed, but now that she was becoming accustomed to the warm water, she felt her muscles unwinding even more. “You’re a smart man. You know that, right? I feel incredible right now.”
Half a smile cracked at a corner of his mouth and she saw the familiar glimmer in his eyes. “I don’t know about smart, but I’m sure I’m not dumb. All I want is whatever will make you happy.”
Jack’s words were everything she’d ever hoped to hear from a man. “That’s so sweet of you. This whole trip has been wonderful. Thank you.” The one thought persisting in her head was that the rules she’d given herself about not getting serious might not apply to Jack. He wasn’t Brett. He wasn’t Roger. He wasn’t a man who’d broken her heart.
Jack held out his hand in invitation, his eyes heavy with desire. “Come here, beautiful.”
She’d never taken a suggestion so readily. She slipped her hand into his and he tugged her closer through the water. His other hand cupped the side of her face, making her feel once again like she might melt. His touch was both firm and tender—how did he do that? How did he treat her with such regard while making it so clear that he wanted her?
Lexi leaned into him and shut her eyes, soaking up the instant when their mouths met and she could slip into the warmth of his kiss. Once again, that perfect mix of strong and soft. She tilted her head to the side and parted her lips, their tongues teasing and toying with each other. As each heavenly second ticked by, her body heat spiked hotter. She felt like she was on fire and not merely because she was up to her shoulders in hot water. Needing him, she placed a knee on the bench and straddled his lap.
He groaned into her mouth as her legs gripped his hips and she planted her elbows on his shoulders. Lexi dug her fingers into his hair, never allowing their kiss to break. She only wanted more. More heat. More intensity. She gently nipped his lower lip and she felt him get harder against her center. The faintest waves of his heady, masculine scent filled her nose, while his damp hair rubbed against the tender underside of her arms. He dragged his hands up and down her sides, squeezing and pressing into her skin like he couldn’t get enough. It soon became evident that he wanted more, when he sneaked one hand to her back and tugged at the string across her back. As the garment came loose, Lexi pulled it over her head and tossed it on to the deck.
“That’s so much better,” she muttered, pressing her breasts against his bare chest. Her nipples tightened at that small bit of friction. The need inside her rolled to the boil and she rocked her hips, grinding against him, needing the gratification of his touch. “I need you, Jack.”
He moved his mouth to her ear. “I need to hear you say that.” It sounded like he was on board, but he still held on to her so tight that it seemed like he didn’t share her immense sense of urgency.
“Then let’s get out.”
“In a minute.” Jack flattened his hand against Lexi’s belly and slid it down into the front of her bikini bottoms.
She gasped when his talented fingers found her apex. Her eyes slammed shut, and she pitched forward, nestling her face in Jack’s neck. He continued in determined circles, not stopping, only changing the pressure. The tension in her body doubled, then doubled again.
“Kiss me, Lexi.”
The deep tenor of his voice was only more of a turn-on. She dragged her cheek across his stubble and kissed him with as much unbridled enthusiasm as she could muster. He met her effort, and it was like they were trying to outdo each other. The only difference was that Lexi was right at the brink, her attention spiraling between the sensations—the kiss and the spellbinding action of his hand.
The peak rolled right over her, causing her to cry out and knock back her head as she dug her fingers into his shoulders. He stilled his hand, then dragged it along the center of her torso, between her breasts, then back down, as her body shuddered with the exquisite pleasure. As those final waves receded, she sought the comfort of his arms. Lexi could be as vulnerable as she wanted with Jack, no strength to speak or stand, and it didn’t matter. She’d never felt safer.
There was something about watching Lexi unravel, with the beauty of Appaloosa Island all around them, that made Jack impossibly happy. Yes, he was overwhelmed by her beauty, but he was equally blown away by the difference in her since they’d arrived. Lexi was unwinding here, not worried about what anyone thought about her. She wasn’t fixated on the forces in their world that thought the two of them as a couple was a bad idea. And the joy that brought him scared him a bit—he hadn’t realized that he’d been waiting for her to show him a sign that there was a chance for them to have more.
Of course, Jack wasn’t thinking about those things either when he had Lexi at his mercy. He was only relishing what she was at her core—a sensitive, sexy and smart woman. A person who had been read wrong by a lot of people. Jack had been underestimated many times in his, life and he knew exactly how much it hurt. Lexi wasn’t the poor little rich girl people gossiped about, and if shewasthat, he sure didn’t see her that way. Part of him wanted to rage against everyone who had ever whispered about her behind her back. Another part of him thought those people weren’t worth the trouble.
Lexi spread her hand across Jack’s chest and kissed his wet skin. “I need to take care of you now.”
As appealing as that was, he needed to clear his head. He’d told himself that he had zero problem with things staying casual, just as Lexi wanted. Now he wasn’t so sure, not when his only thought was to keep her on Appaloosa forever. That didn’t sound like a noncommittal frame of mind. “You know, I’m starving. Maybe we can grab some lunch first. Then I’ll have my strength back.”
Lexi narrowed her eyes, seeming suspicious, but ultimately nodded in agreement. “I guess I’m pretty hungry, too.” She climbed out of the hot tub, wrapped herself up in a towel and grabbed her bikini top from the deck.
Jack closed up the hot tub and they headed upstairs to the kitchen. He didn’t bother getting dressed, content to walk around in his swim trunks, but Lexi ran up to the bedroom, quickly returning barefoot and wearing a black-and-white-checkered sundress with skinny straps. She had no makeup on, and her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail that really showed off the natural color in her cheeks. This was not the everyday Lexi, with her flawless appearance and designer wardrobe, and Jack knew for a fact that most people never saw her this way. He felt damn lucky to be with both versions of her.
It was really nice to make lunch together, just some sandwiches with fixings he had stocked the fridge with a few days ago. Lexi made an amazing side salad with a vinaigrette she whipped up on the fly, and they sat out on the deck while they ate, just watching the waves, breathing in the salt air, laughing and talking. Jack couldn’t think of a time when he’d been this at ease with a woman, and so soon. He had to remind himself that he and Lexi had hardly known each other for two weeks. But that didn’t even seem possible. Because he felt like he’d known her forever.
“How’s the search for a place to live going?” Jack asked.
