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“Why don’t we go have a chat over there?” Jack cut him off with so much sharpness in his voice I thought I saw Brock wince. But he complied, and both men walked back toward the bar entrance. Before they were out of earshot, Jack looked over his shoulder and said, “Stay there, Lana. I’ll be right back.”
I nodded and crossed my arms, trying to keep the chill away. But the cold was coming from within. Jack and Brock spoke for a moment, then Brock went back inside, and Jack came toward me.
“Is that who was bothering you?” Jack asked.
I swallowed and he eyed me, awaiting my answer.
“That was my step-brother.” It took all the practice I had to pull off my straight face and calm my nerves so that I could diffuse this situation without him thinking the worst. “We don’t see eye to eye on things.”
Jack looked at me for a long moment. Whether he bought my story or not, he thankfully didn’t push it.
“You said you were waiting for a ride, I don’t want you waiting outside,” he said. “Why don’t you come back to my place, it’s just right up the street.”
I frowned. We were in the middle of downtown, and the only homes nearby were a few brick mansions and luxury high-rise apartments. Which meant, if he did actually live close, he was wealthy enough to afford such a place. Still, even though he seemed trustworthy enough, and I felt some sort of connection to him, it wasn’t a good idea.
“Thanks, but I’ll be fine.” However, my body was on the brink of shaking from the surge of adrenaline.
“You don’t look fine.” His voice seared to the core of me and I was helpless not to meet his gaze. “You are very smart to be cautious. We are still strangers, after all. But having you wait in the dark, outside on the streets of Denver, is not acceptable to me. Especially when you have that scared look.”
I folded my lips together. I didn’t want to have that look. Hell, I didn’t want to have that feeling. But, I didn’t want to be where Brock was. Especially now that the second drink was settling in my belly and buzzing through my head.
“How about this? Pull up your friend’s number on your phone.”
Though I didn’t know where he was going with this, I did. Then Jack gently grabbed my cell phone from my hand. He fiddled with a few buttons, then took a photo of himself.
“You want to capture this moment with a lone selfie?” I asked.
He handed me back my phone. There was a picture of him, and his address was in the body of a text message to Harper.
“Send that to your friend, so she knows where to pick you up and what I look like.”
I smiled a little. “Smart.”
“Safe,” he clarified.
I met his eyes again, and there it was…that intensity. It hummed through me more than the alcohol. Those dark depths were drinking in everything I was, like he could see straight to the soul of me and ease everything tense in my muscles. I couldn’t help but shiver.
I sent the text to Harper, then nodded. “Thank you for letting me wait at your house.”
He looked pleased and came to stand beside me. I felt oddly safe, taken care of, and was even enjoying my time with him, all things considered. Tonight had been bizarre, but not all bad.
Thanks to Jack’s presence, my mind and body were spinning, totally at odds and cranked up from crashing adrenaline. I didn’t know if the sudden rush of emotions I was getting was normal. A thought slapped me out of nowhere:
What would it be like if Jack touched me?
The idea hit me harder than the cool summer night air of Colorado as we walked the couple of blocks to Jack’s house. Technically, he’d already touched me a little. That small interaction was a taste of a much bigger drug I was seeking: Heat.
It was addicting. Especially since, with one encounter, Brock could chase away all that wonderful calm I’d just felt. Calm that Jack helped me feel. If a small touch did that, spurred that kind of fire and strength and want…what would more do to me?
Whether it was the alcohol or the sheer oddity of the situation, surely a notion like that was not one to be thinking about. Especially for someone like me, someone who didn’t even like the idea of dating.
We got to a beautiful home nestled in downtown with a massive porch and entryway. The house was huge and had just enough elegant details and lines that it looked like a work of art.
“This is your house?” I asked.
He nodded.
“It’s amazing.”
