As we walk to his door, he thinks about his answer.
“In a way, yes. In a way, no.” He opens the door and we step into a really nice house. Bigger than mine, but still a family home. There’s a bin of toys in the corner of the living room. The furniture looks comfortable. As we pass through the kitchen to grab something to drink, there are drawings on the refrigerator.
I touch one that’s obviously Jack as a prince and a little girl as a princess. “Your sister loves you.”
His smile softens as he hands me a Diet Coke. “Yeah, Lucy is the best.”
“I always wanted a sister or brother.” I take a sip and look around. “Hell, half the time I wished my father was still around, even though I don’t really know him.”
Jack puts his arm around my waist and leads me up the stairs. When he opens the door, I walk into the familiar space. His desk has multiple monitors and one of them is huge and curved. I don’t see that on the webcam. His bed has the comforter thrown over it like he tried to make his bed, but didn’t put much effort into it.
He sits on the bed and pats the spot next to him. I join him without any hesitation.
“So yes and no?” I bring us back to the conversation about Coach Turner.
He leans back on his hands and shakes his head. “Yes, it was weird knowing at one point I had the beginnings of a relationship with Coach Turner.”
I nod and take a sip of my drink. “What happened when you found out he was your coach?”
His smile is world-weary. “That ended anything that might have been between us. I knew he was older, but we never talked about his job or why he’d moved to town. I was just excited about him in general.”
I’m afraid if he says more he’ll tell me he loved him. So I ask about the other half of his statement. “And now?”
“He’s not you.” Jack sits up and takes my drink, setting it on his desk.
“What does that mean?”
Jack returns to sit next to me. He slides his hand behind my neck into my hair. “It means he and I could have been something if I pushed it or he pushed it. But it never would have gotten there on its own.”
He tugs my head back so my face is tipped up to his. He searches my eyes.
“But you...” When he caresses my thigh, my breath catches as heat chases through me.
“Me?” Breathing is difficult with him right here, a whisper away, touching me, making me crave so much more.
“You’re more and always will be.” He claims my lips and the fire inside me bursts into an inferno. That connection between us solidifies tighter.
I fall into the kiss, feeling it sear into my heart. The others don’t make it easy to fall for them. They all have these blocks up, but Jack is open. He’s let his guard down around me over and over again.
He’s picked up my pieces when the others tried to shatter me.
When he lifts his mouth from mine, our eyes lock. “We’re complicated guys. It’s going to take a lot to get any of us to fall, but I can see it happening, sweetheart. But you need to be open to them too.”
I open my mouth to ask him how much more open can I be? I’ve let them inside me. Let them decide my future.
He smiles and kisses my lips before I can say any of that.
“Your body is ours. Our bodies are yours. But you have this lock around your heart.” Jack’s hand settles over my heart between my breasts. “I know it’s a little broken and you’re trying to hold the pieces together. But if you let it fall away, they’ll love you more than you could ever imagine.”
I blink. I can see each of them. Luke. Caden. Eli. Nico. They all want me. And I know they want more from me than just my body, but how do I fully let them in and protect myself? They could still break my heart.
I search Jack’s blue eyes. “What about you?”
He smiles and his thumb sweeps beside my lips. “I know what love is. I’ve seen the very best of it and not what happens when it’s torn apart. My parents are happy. Do they struggle sometimes? Yes, but they’re healthy about it.”
I keep my mouth closed. My mom loves me unconditionally. Supports me unconditionally.
“You and I could fall in love. If that’s what you want, sweetheart.” Jack arches an eyebrow. “It would be easy compared to loving the others, but I don’t think we could just love each other without the others. And I don’t know that you can give your heart in pieces.”
