Part 12 (1/2)

He looked down at my hand, then back up at me.

I almost expected to see a quirk of his dimple, a Jack-ism to lighten the moment. I fully expected him to step forward into my hand and force us to make contact.

He did neither. ”Both,” he whispered. ”But you have to make the choice, Keri Ann.” His eyes grew fierce. ”You have to know there's no going back. Don't do this unless you can take all of me. You know who I am. What I do. I can't hide it from you, and I'm not sure I can hide us. I'll try. But you have to give me all of you. If you're still with Colt, I need you to step back and leave. Don't come here unless you're free. I need you to be mine. Fully. All the d.a.m.n way. Because I'm yours,” he finished harshly. ”Do you understand?”

G.o.d. How could I do this? How should I go forward? I couldn't agree to everything he was asking, could I?

My hesitation was reflected in the grim firming of Jack's mouth. His eyes clouded over.

”Wait,” I managed before he took my hesitance as a negative. ”I'm not with Colt. And nothing ... nothing ever happened with him,” I added. Not that it should matter.

A rush of air escaped him.

”But ...” I dropped my hand away from where I'd been about to touch him.

Jack's jaw clamped down hard again, and he took a step back, before running a hand through his damp hair.

My palms itched to do the same. ”You can't ask me to go out there, and ... and own this with no thought for myself. Please ... G.o.d, I know there are a thousand, thousands,” I amended, ”of girls who'd want to take my place, and wouldn't care ... would crave what you're offering, but ...”

”But I don't want them. I want you,” he said, finally looking at me.

”I know,” I whispered.

”Do you?”

I nodded.

”I'm talking about you and me. That's it. Just you. And me. There has never been a simpler,” he shook his head and sighed, ”yet more ... impossible concept in the universe.” He reached up and roughly grabbed two fistfuls of his hair before abandoning them in an unruly wet mess. ”And you, Keri Ann? What do you want?”

You. ”I want ... I want to be more than I am now, on my own merit. I want not to be afraid that Joey and I will be the generation to lose the family home. I want to be respected and not pitied. I want to feel proud of myself and my abilities. I want to live a life where people are not watching and judging every action I take. And that's your life in multiples.” I inhaled deeply. ”I don't want people looking at you and wondering why you're with me. But, mostly, I don't want to imagine my life without you in it.”

He blinked, seemingly processing each aspect of what I said, storing it away, but I knew what he heard was that I was saying yes. And I was. There was no way I was walking away from this. From him. I couldn't if I tried.

Pursing my lips, I blew out a breath. I really hoped I knew what I was doing here. If we failed this time, it would break me irreparably.

I reached my hands out slowly, hesitating before my fingertips made contact with his chest. ”Just ... please ... can we do this slowly? Can you give me time? Can we try and be together without the rest of your world knowing?”

”Yet?”

”Yes,” I nodded. ”Please?”

I couldn't wait anymore. We'd figure out the details later, and we'd do it together. I took a deep breath and pressed my palms against his damp skin.

Jack's eyes closed as he exhaled and canted forward toward me.

Sliding my hands around his ribs and up around his muscled shoulder-blades, I stepped into him.

His arms curled around me, drawing me against him. One hand slid up into my hair and pressed my face against his damp chest. A barely controlled groan came out with his next breath, reverberating against my skin.

I reveled in the feeling of his hot wet skin, his heart pounding beneath my cheek, my body pressed flush against his. So strong was the feeling of relief of being in Jack's arms, it seemed in that moment that nothing bad could ever happen to me ever again.

The scent of his raw masculinity slid into my every pore, and my face turned to press my lips to his salted skin before I could question it.

His body reacted beneath my touch.

Bringing both hands to cup my face, he tilted it to look at him.

”I'm going to kiss you,” he rasped, staring at my mouth.

I nodded and moistened my lower lip in antic.i.p.ation as he lowered his head. My pulse picked up a frantic beat as he closed in on me. I willed myself to calm, but my breathing hitched as it gathered pace. I slid a hand up and around the back of his neck, tugging his mouth closer, because he was taking too d.a.m.n long to get to me. The last thing I saw was his dimple flash before his mouth met mine.

There was nothing slow and sweet about this kiss. We'd waited what seemed like forever for a kiss where there were no doubts and no questions between us. I opened under him, meeting the slide of his tongue and moaned at the exquisite sensation.

His lips were firm against mine, withdrawing and opening again, capturing my lips between his then sliding inside my mouth once more. Our heads s.h.i.+fted and moved, our mouths trying to find the perfect fit. The perfect rhythm. Trying to get closer, even though we were already drinking in each other. Neither of us seemed to want to stop and breathe more than the needy and necessary gasps that punctuated the moment.

I grabbed a fistful of hair at the nape of his neck, and as his lips moved over mine, sucked desperately at his bottom lip, grazing it with my teeth. My entire body was tuned to the kiss, focused on tasting him, the sweet mint on his tongue and the salt from his sweat, and every nip and pull of his mouth reached and pulled sensation from the very depths of my body.

”G.o.d,” Jack rasped against my mouth, pausing between thorough kisses. One of his hands left my face and wrapped around my middle drawing me up and against him. Hard. ”When you said slow ... how slow?” His fingers dug into me, pressing me closer. The hand at my face moved down my throat, tilting my head back, making room for his hot mouth as it left mine and slid to my chin then my ear, causing goose b.u.mps to break out over my already sensitized skin.

I said slow? A giddy laughed bubbled up my throat, and I swallowed unsure how to answer.

”You have to guide me here, Keri Ann, or I ... s.h.i.+t,” he said suddenly and lifted me off the ground. Swiveling around, he headed for the lattice gate leading out to the pool area.

I squealed. ”What the h.e.l.l, Jack?”

”Kick your shoes off.”

”What? Why?” I asked winded from how tight he was holding me as he ducked out the gate into the bright suns.h.i.+ne. I glanced at the pool over my shoulder. ”No! No way!”

”Nope, not the pool, it's heated,” he said and hefted me up suddenly over his shoulder in a fireman's lift.

Gasping, I opened my eyes against his lower back. ”Jack! What are you doing?” I yelled and slapped his a.s.s.

He laughed, a deep rumble, and pulled my sneakers off, dropping them as he headed up and over the dune path, his bare feet sliding into the sand as I beat pointlessly at his back.

”Wait, Jack! I thought I said nothing public,” I tried desperately, my voice breathy. His shoulder was digging into my belly. And Mrs. Weaton's breakfast wasn't feeling too settled. ”Oh, G.o.d, I feel sick.”

”Almost there, and no one's on the beach for about,” he swung both ways not breaking a stride as he headed to the water line so I could look, ”a few hundred yards each way.”

His feet splashed into the waves, slowing against the resistance of the water then he pitched us both in with a splash.

I spasmed with the frigid cold as we both went under, and I scrambled to get my feet under me, coming up with a gasp. ”What the h.e.l.l, Jack? What was that for?” I coughed and spat out seawater.

”I needed a cold shower, and fast,” he said, flicking the water from his hair with a swift head snap, and leaving it perfectly styled. Guys. ”d.a.m.n, it is cold! Sorry,” he said, reaching for me and pulling me against his still warm body.

”Idiot. Of course it's freaking cold, it's barely spring,” I muttered, my teeth chattering. ”Ugh! I hope it's this cold,” I said, holding my finger and thumb about a half inch apart in front of his face.

He convulsed with laughter, his mouth wide, his dimples deep, eyes squeezed closed with mirth. Seawater dripped from the tips of his dark hair.

d.a.m.n, it was beautiful when the boy smiled. The song lyric wove through my head. My chest suddenly expanded with emotion. The swoon effect was still in full force seven months later. I hiccupped a laugh that bubbled out in spite of myself. It was so contagious to see his happiness.