"Didn"t realize you were ready to ride the horse again, so to speak." She giggled.
"Maybe I"ve changed my mind."
"But seriously, this is like the hottest thing I"ve ever seen."
We both looked at each other, and then screamed and cheered for our respective guys.
Joey reached the end of the first sprint and turned the horse into the water. It waded into the surf. On the turn, however, Joey had slipped down the side of the horse and was now battling to get himself righted. Jack came in after him. They made it around the buoy, the horses almost to their flanks. I don"t know why I hadn"t taken a picture before now, but I slid my phone out of my back pocket and aimed it at Jack, taking a shot just as he pulled into the lead ahead of Joey.
He leaned down close to the horse and dipped his head in the water wetting it. And then stayed down urging the horse on as it emerged out into the shallow surf and then the sand. With a squeeze of Jack"s now waterlogged and dark blue thighs, the horse took off again as soon as it hit dry sand.
Joey was out of the water too now, and his horse was gaining. Joined by a couple of spectators from the stable and Devon, who"d just sauntered up, Jazz and I yelled and jumped up and down.
I was impressed with Joey"s riding actually, he"d done some growing up and had a job at a stable one summer, but I didn"t think he"d actually be able to pull off bareback racing.
And Jack? There were no words for how I felt about what I was witnessing. It was a purely physical reaction.
Joey got within a head of Jack, and I screamed louder, my voice breaking as I jumped up and down. They crossed the finish line in front of us, Jack narrowly keeping his lead.
A cheer went up from everyone just from the sheer joy of the spectacle.
Both Jack and Joey slowed their horses a ways further down the beach and slid from their mounts, panting and grinning as they grabbed each other in a hand shake, and then b.u.mped shoulders with a back slap.
Their joy and exhilaration was written all over their faces. All wagers and tensions forgotten.
As I watched, grinning like an idiot, they sauntered back, talking. Jack grabbed Joey"s hand again, and as the stable hand led the horses away, pulled him in, saying something in his ear. Joey nodded, flicking his eyes to me, before shaking Jack"s hand and clapping his shoulder again.
Then Jack turned to me and just pointed. His eyes were dancing, his dimples fully deployed, and I ran. I ran to the sound of catcalls and whistles and launched into Jack"s arms.
"Oof," he croaked then groaned as my legs wrapped around him and I hugged him tight. We hugged like that for several long minutes, the briny smell of surf and Jack"s warm body permeating all my thoughts.
"That was incredible," I said finally. "It"s safe here right? To hug you? I mean this place is isolated, and I"m not sure the locals are going to be posting pictures to the Web."
"Yeah," he murmured in my ear. "That"s why I want to stay here with you tonight. That okay?"
"I suppose," I said coyly. He pulled back to look at me and I quickly added, "Yes."
"We don"t have to do anything." He b.u.mped his nose against mine. "I just want to be with you for a night and not have you worried about anyone seeing us. The boat can take everyone back, and return in the morning to get us back before your lunch shift."
I hugged him tight again and unwrapped my legs. He lowered me to the ground, and we headed back to join the others. None of us raced like the boys had, but we all took turns riding along the beach and walking in the waves. Jazz and I agreed it was without a doubt the coolest day ever. Jazz looked like a gypsy princess with her long print shirt hiked up to her thighs as she rode and colorful bands around her ankles and wrists. To my satisfaction, Joey couldn"t keep his eyes off her. I looked up from the horse I was riding in the surf with a huge grin and caught Jack taking a picture of me with his phone.
All was fair I supposed.
After the horses, we went back out on the boat. Changing into swimsuits, we ate our sandwiches and explored the perimeter of the island. We stopped as close as the boat could get to a small sand bar that had emerged with the low tide, and after much persuading and cajoling from every one else who"d already jumped over board into the frigid water, I did the same.
"You realize there are tons of bull sharks around here, right?" I said, my voice all wobbly as we made it to the sand.
"All kinds of sharks," Joey said, shaking his head. "And dolphins and stingrays and whales."
"And snapper and cobia and flounder," added Jazz, cuffing Joey on the knee. "Doesn"t stop her being afraid of sharks. Idiot."
Jack took my hand, and we all flopped on the sand. I shifted and laid my head on his leg. His fingers stoked my hair. I sighed contentedly.
I could feel Joey watching us, as he had all day, and wondered what he thought, and what exchange had taken place between him and Jack after the race. He also seemed perturbed that Jazz kept up constant conversation with Devon, asking all sorts of things about the movie business and the ins and outs of production and basically ignoring my brother.
"Are we staying in the hotel here?" I murmured to Jack, wishing I could kiss his lips.
Jack shook his head. "A cottage."
"What do we do about food and overnight stuff?"
"That"s all been taken care of by the company handling the resort cottage rentals. They brought stuff over this morning, I think. And I asked them to buy overnight stuff, too-toothbrushes and what not."
"Wow, you thought of everything." I smiled and closed my eyes. The thought of what lay ahead for us kept a steady drum beat of antic.i.p.ation in my veins as the afternoon slowly ticked by.
We all caught some sun as it lowered, and full bellies and the sea air made everyone sleepy. When the tide began encroaching on our borrowed strip of sand, it was time to get to the boat.
I couldn"t wait to get everyone on their way so Jack and I could be alone. Back onboard, I pulled my white jean shorts on over my bikini, and then stared at Jack"s face behind my mirrored gla.s.ses.
Sometimes to avoid the Jack Eversea, movie-star effect, I had to break his features down into individual aspects of beauty, just so I could see him. The angles of his cheekbones that sometimes seemed harsh, the small crease lines at his eyes, the full lips, and the tiny scar in his left eyebrow that I felt anch.o.r.ed to as a reminder he was a real guy beneath what he projected to everyone else.
We pulled up at a dock. I hugged Devon, Joey, and then Jazz, and Jack and I hopped onto dry land and waved them off.
I looked around the open piney area and saw a golf cart. "That our ride?" I asked, keeping my voice steady through sheer force of will.
The golf cart had the keys in it and a map of the island with a marked trail. We got in and headed down the dirt path through the trees that seemed to run parallel to the water"s edge, even as we got to a bend in the road, where the island jutted out then turned to face the open sound. Here, the trees stood closer together almost hiding a small cottage near the sh.o.r.e. "This should be it," I said, double-checking the map.
Painted white, and stunning in its simplicity, the board-and-batten cottage looked like a marketing tool for Southern Living Magazine. It had a seamed metal roof jutting over a deep front porch, complete with two rocking chairs facing the sound. A glossy gra.s.s lawn ran down to the sandy edge of the water. There were lanterns strung in one of the small, pink-flowered crepe myrtle trees near the house and some hurricane jars with candles set here and there.
"Wow," I managed.
Up on the porch, we could see inside the gla.s.s French doors and the two windows on either side. There was a silver ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and two gla.s.s flutes set on a small bistro table by the window.
And I could see a bed. A huge bed. I glanced at Jack, who was wearing a lopsided grin, his eyes cutting away as he turned and knelt down, feeling underneath the mat for the key to the door.
He found the key and stood up, turning to me. The sun was low in the sky over the water, casting a golden glow.
I stepped forward and slid my hand up around the back of his neck and his eyes flickered closed. Pulling his face down, I gently touched my lips to his. My other hand ran down his arm until I reached his hand that held the key. I squeezed and urged his arm up, letting him know I was impatient to get inside with him.
He smiled against my lips and unlocked the door.
Stepping inside the open plan cottage, I breathed in the smell of clean laundry and cedar. A small kitchen area was tucked in the back corner behind the open living room with stone fireplace. The walls were cream painted shipboard siding, lending a casual feel to the elegantly decorated room.
The only windows were the ones facing out to the front porch and the sea beyond, dressed in elegant white ceiling to floor drapes.
I turned slowly and headed to the left side of the open s.p.a.ce where a low part.i.tion separated the bedroom area from where a large white Victorian clawfoot tub nestled, open to the view.
"Wow," I said again, and then froze staring at the bedside table. "Oh my G.o.d," I squeaked when I recognized my driftwood lamp-base Faith had sold in her shop.
"What?"
I went over and sat on the edge of the white bed, running my fingers over the lamp gently. "This is mine. Wow."
"It"s beautiful," Jack said and came to sit next to me.
I smiled at him. "This place is beautiful. Thank you."
"You"re beautiful." He swallowed. "I hope you don"t think it was too presumptuous of me to do this so fast. Just because we"re here, doesn"t mean we have to, you know."
"I know." I smiled. He"d said that like three times.
"I"ll bring our stuff in. I think there"s more to the bathroom than just that tub, maybe back behind here somewhere," he said, indicating the wall behind the bed. "You go investigate. Maybe we can shower then see what we"ve got to eat in the fridge."
I nodded, and he headed out to the porch.
There was indeed a bathroom back there with a ma.s.sive walk-in shower lined with white subway tiles and multiple showerheads. I reached in and turned it on, letting the water heat and wandered over to the mirror above one of the marble topped vanities. I was flushed from the sun and my hair, as I pulled it out of a messy bun, was a kinky mess. When Jack told me I was beautiful, I believed him. Fully. I felt beautiful when he looked at me.
His mention of us showering conjured all sorts of images, and while he probably meant we should shower one after the other, all I could think about after our outdoor shower was us in there together.
We had this one amazing night here, away from prying eyes and judgments. I had no idea what our relationship would look like going forward, but we had this moment. Seven long months I"d spent missing him and wanting him and fantasizing about various scenarios. And some had been s.e.xual, there was no point denying it to myself.
I took a deep breath. "Jack?"
He came in, carrying a black toiletries bag and dumped it on the counter. "Yeah?"
"I, I was thinking ..." Gah. My throat was so thick with nerves, I sounded like I needed speech therapy. And my cheeks were hot. My eyes flicked over to the shower involuntarily.
Jack followed my look then looked back at me. And I saw the thought cross his mind, his eyes narrowing, his nostrils flaring slightly. His Adams apple bobbed roughly as he swallowed. "What were you thinking?" he said roughly.
My shaking fingers found the b.u.t.tons of my shorts, and I popped them open, and then shimmied them down my thighs until they dropped. I stepped out of them and toed off my shoes.
Jack"s eyes tracked down my legs then back to my hands, waiting to see what they would do next, I guess. The steam from the warm shower filled the room.
I reached for my t-shirt and pulled it off and stood in my bikini. "I was thinking, you did such a good job of washing me in the shower before, you, you could do it again?"
Jack"s mouth closed in a tight line, and his hand gripped the counter, white knuckled.
"Get undressed, Jack," I said softly and reached for my bikini tie at my neck.
"Stop," he said harshly.
I froze.
He let go of the counter, and reaching behind him, pulled his t-shirt over his head. "I want to do that."
Gulping, I obeyed.
"Get in the shower," he rasped, his eyes intense.
The hunch that I"d released some kind of animal in Jack was strong. And rather than trepidation, it sent a rush of hot want through every single part of me. I nodded with a small smile as I entered the shower. Stepping under the warm spray, I turned to watch the vague outline of Jack through the foggy gla.s.s as he took off his shoes and shorts. Despite the moist humidity and the water streaming over me, my mouth went dry at the sight of Jack stepping into the shower completely naked and aroused.
Wow.
The sight of his muscled form with the hideous tattoo, beautiful but ugly for its significance, caused my nerves to ratchet up. My eyes traveled back up to where he was watching me intently, his green eyes boring into mine.
A small crease between his brows let me know he was also nervous. Maybe he was nervous this was all a big tease, or that he might step over some kind of line and go too far with me. I didn"t know.
Picking up my sopping hair to expose the knot of my swimsuit, I turned and presented my back to him. "Can you take this off me now please?"
His fingers touched my neck and spine. The top gaped forward and I pulled it off, letting it smack the floor of the shower. He stepped in close, his arousal hard at my back.
... Causing an involuntary shudder to run through me ...
His hands slid around my belly, and after a brief hesitation, up and lightly over my b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
I clenched my teeth at the shock of sensation.
Holy s.h.i.t.
I let my head fall back.
Reactions cascaded one after the other, a relief of having his hands on me. It wasn"t nearly enough. How did I let him know how much I wanted him?
Sometimes the look in his eyes was completely at odds with his slow and gentle touches.
I wanted him to lose control. I wanted to see Jack at his most primal. I wanted to be the object of his l.u.s.t. Of his love, not his pain or revenge.
Hearing his breath in my ear, I came to a decision.
I grabbed the miniature shower gel bottle and poured some in my hand and moved away, sliding around behind Jack in the shower. Exchanging places.
Lathering up the soap, I slid the suds over his muscled back, ma.s.saging my hands over the slick and tense terrain, and up into his hair, using my nails to sc.r.a.pe lightly over his scalp.
"What are you doing?" He hissed in a breath, dropping his head forward into the spray. His hands came up to brace on the wall as the water sluiced over him. "d.a.m.n that feels good."
Smiling, I got some more gel, the scent of rosemary and bergamot swirling with the steam, and ran my hands down his back again. I glided over his b.u.t.tocks then, as I felt him tense, and swallowing my nerves, round to the front of him where I grasped his firm thickness in my hand.
Jack"s hand immediately clamped down on my wrist, hard. "Christ," he gasped, his voice breaking over the word. Then he moved, spinning me toward him, lifting me through the hot spray and back against the cold tile wall that took my breath. I barely got a chance to see his flushed face and beautiful eyes before his mouth took mine.
Grasping his neck and his head, I hung on, returning his fevered kisses, lashing my tongue against his. Tension coiled tightly in my body, a ma.s.s of heat that seared me from the inside out, a scalding ache that begged to be eased.
"Please," Jack whispered as he pulled his mouth from mine. "Please, stop me," he repeated before seizing it again. He pressed himself between my legs where I literally ached for him.
"No f.u.c.king way," I managed through a whimpered gasp.
Immediately Jack pulled back, looking at me in shock, and then bursting into a chuckle, his dimples creasing his cheeks. He kissed me again. "I seriously never know what is going to come out of your mouth. You kill me."
"Yeah, well, you"re killing me right now. I need these bikini bottoms off. Stat."