When we break apart, her eyes are wide, glazed, and her lips are swollen.
“Jack…” she whispers, breathless.
“We’re not faking that again,” I growl.
Her mouth opens, then shuts. She looks… flustered. Like she’s trying to catch up with something her body figured out five minutes ago.
I smirk. “That’s what I thought.”
She doesn’t say a word the rest of the night.
But when we get back to the cabin, she’s still quiet. Still flushed. She kicks off her heels by the door and heads for the hallway.
I follow. “You gonna say something?”
She turns. “What do you want me to say?”
“That you felt it.”
She swallows. “I did.”
Silence.
“But I can’t,” she adds.
My chest tightens. “Can’t what?”
Her gaze flicks away. “This. Us. It’s complicated.”
“Bullshit.” I take a step closer. “You want me. I know it. You know it. Every damn person at that wedding knew it.”
“I’m not ready, Jack.”
“Then tell me what this is.” I motion between us. “Tell me why that kiss felt like setting off dynamite.”
She looks up at me, and for a second, I swear she’s going to cave.
But then she steps back. “Goodnight, Jack.”
I watch her disappear down the hallway.
And all I can think is: she’s hiding something. And I’m done pretending I don’t want to find out what.
Chapter Seven
Holly
The sound of the table saw whines through the mountain air, sharp and clean, followed by the rhythmic thud of a mallet. I pause in the doorway of Jack’s workshop, arms crossed over my chest, pretending I’m not watching the way his forearms flex as he braces the edge of a plank.
Sunlight slices through the open windows, dust motes dancing in golden shafts, and there he is—shirtless again, like it’s some kind of uniform—covered in sawdust, sweat, and pure sin.
He’s not even trying, and still I’m standing here like a heat-struck idiot, watching muscles ripple beneath tanned skin and wondering how long I can pretend I’m not two seconds from climbing him like a tree.
"You know staring's not part of the job description, right?" he says without looking up.
I roll my eyes, stepping into the room. "And yet you conveniently forgot to mention 'shirt optional' in the ad."
"Guess some perks don’t fit in print."
