“Simon,” I reminded him. “Yes. Is that a problem?”
Tell me it is, I begged silently.Say, “No, Hawk. I am bitterly jealous, for hiking isourthing, and I never want you to hike with another.” Say it, Jack.
“Of course not.”
“Right.” I tried not to let my disappointment show. One mortifying rejection per day was my limit. “Okay, then. Good night.”
I started to walk past him, but Jack stopped me with a hand on my arm. He licked his lips. “I, um… I think Simon might be interested in you. Not sure if you picked up on that. I thoughtthat was something you should know so you could… handle it accordingly.”
“Accordingly.” I tilted my head to one side and studied him. Jack’s cheeks were flushed beneath his perfect golden tan, like he was worried or upset or even maybe… jealous, unlikely as that seemed.
I suddenly remembered Crys’s words from earlier.Make sure he’s looking at you in a way that drives brothers out of his mind altogether.Well… what did I have to lose?
“Ohhh. You mean, maybeheshould be the guy I have sex with. What a great idea! I’ll put some lube in my backpack, just in case the opportunity arises. What would I do without you, buddy?” I gave Jack an impulsive half hug, the kind I’d given him a hundred times, and tried very, very hard not to notice the spicy, woodsy scent of his cologne.
“Wait. Hawk. That’s not what I?—”
“Good night!” I called over my shoulder as I made my way back to where Luke and Crys waited, adding a little shimmy to my step.
And for the second time that day—probably the second time in my entire life—I walked away from Jack Wyatt instead of standing by his side.
Only this time, I let myself imagine he was staring at my ass as I did so.
CHAPTER THREE
JACK
Mary wished to say something very sensible, but knew not how.
~ Jane Austen
After almost burningmy hand on the grill, dropping a knife on my thankfully steel-clad toes, and spilling an entire five-gallon bucket of fresh lemonade all over the kitchen, I had to put myself in time-out. Or, rather, Katey put me in one.
“Sit down, Jack,” my assistant manager said, pulling a stool from under the worktop. Her smile was kind, even though her blonde ponytail was looking decidedly less perky, thanks to a long shift and my repeated mishaps. “Crys, Hawk, and I will finish cleaning and prep. You’ve had… kind of a hard week, haven’t you?”
I sighed. Yes. Yes, I had.Hardin every single way.
I darted a glance across the kitchen at the cause of all thathardness, but Hawk was busy rolling silverware into paper napkins and avoiding my gaze.Again.
I rubbed my hands over my face, forgetting I’d just squeezed lemons. Some of the acidic juice got into my eye, and apparently, rubbing it frantically was the exact wrong reaction.
“Fuck!” I barked, jumping up from my seat so quickly that Katey jumped and dropped a stack of plastic cups she’d taken out of the dishwasher. “Sorry!” I dove for the cups, nearly butting heads with Crys as she bent down for the same purpose. “Sorry,” I repeated.
Hawk abandoned his task and darted across the room, pushing me back onto the stool. “Stay right there, and I’ll help Katey unload the dishwasher. If you come closer, someone’s going to wind up needing an ambulance. I don’t know where your mind is this week.”
I gave him a dark look.Didn’t he, though?
He leaned over to collect the cups with both knees straight—a maneuver that made his luscious ass pop in my direction like I’d donned a pair of 3D glasses. Had he always bent over that way? Had his jeans always been that tight? Had his ass always been that round and full and…
I closed my eyes and ground my teeth together. It had been just over a week since our hike. A week since he’d asked me to take his virginity. A week since the scales had fallen off my eyes and I’d noticed that Hawk wasn’t just good-looking; he was… he wassexy. A week since my gaze had begun tracking him whenever he was in the room, noticing the clean, sweet scent of him and wondering what it would be like to take him up on his offer. To touch him. Undress him. Kiss him full on the mouth. Hear his small noises of submission and pleasure, and?—
Fuck. I was half-hard, sitting there in my own kitchen in front of my employees.
I stood quickly and turned toward the stove, where I was prepping caramelized onions for the next day, and grabbed a dish towel so I could give the pan a quick shake. This distractionhad to stop. Panini Jack’s was my livelihood, for god’s sake. The way I supported not only myself but my mom.
I’d told Hawk “no” for a reason. For several very good reasons.
“Behind you,” Hawk warned before reaching up to place a small stack of clean pans on the metal shelf beside the stove.
