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“Dinner?” Her stomach growled on cue as he finished the snaps on his side and leaned in to assist with hers.
Her hip grazed his thigh as their arms tangled at the task. Warmth sparked over her skin, her body clearly impressed with his. Then again, she’d given herself a healthy sample of what he felt like last night in bed. Getting things started without finishing them was bound to leave a woman frustrated.
“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked, his fingers slow to finish the task while they stood with their arms raised to hold up the curtain.
His green eyes turned smoky as he stared down at her, his chest a hair’s breadth from her breasts.
Hungry? Try ravenous.
“I could go for something to eat,” she admitted, wondering why the sea had to be so calm right now when even a little wave would rock their bodies together. Quench her thirst for a quick feel of him.
“Great. I’ll finish this up if you want to get ready. There’s a nice Italian place I know right on the water.”
It took her a moment to realize he was being the perfect gentleman. Letting her go free without so much as a copped feel. Hastily, she lowered her arms. Tearing her eyes off Jack’s chest took a bit longer, but she managed it at last.
Words escaped her, however, and her mouth was too dry to talk so she settled for a nod before she hurried to the stairs and went below deck.
Shereallllyneeded to get herself together before she went another round with him. She might be older and wiser than she’d been four years ago, but obviously he was too.
The man’s physical chemistry had only grown more potent. She wouldn’t have thought such a thing was possible. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be right back in his bed in no time.
ChapterThree
Jack topped off Alicia’s wine and then settled back in his high-backed club chair to watch her eat dinner.
Vicenza’s dockside restaurant was quiet tonight, with a handful of seafaring refugees taking shelter from a hard rain. Other than that, patrons were scarce. Which was just fine with him. Their conversation had been private in a corner looking out over Marina Bay, the boats bobbing in the water just beyond the glass. Keith’s big gas guzzler was on a slip farther away, the big catamaran banished to a mooring by itself.
But at least they’d made it inside before the worst of the rain came. They were warm and dry inside while a Spanish guitarist serenaded the handful of guests with Paganini. The guy was seriously good. Yet it wasn’t just the music, or the food, or the fire crackling in the oversized hearth in the middle of the room that made him happy. Nope. His contentment came from sitting with Alicia in her simple navy blue dress as she savored the last of her spaghetti alle vongole that really did it for him.
“I can’t stop eating,” she explained when she caught him staring at her. “It’s so good.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He pushed his empty plate aside and wished he didn’t have to bring up the subject of her bed & breakfast yet since it seemed like a touchy subject for her. He’d rather simply take pleasure in her company. Her enjoyment of the meal.
But they’d be in Bar Harbor in another couple of days if they made good time. He couldn’t afford to postpone the conversation if it meant she’d move three hundred miles away.
“Whatever you’re thinking right now?” she said, putting down her fork “Stop.”
“Excuse me?” He sat forward in his chair, remembering he needed to stay on his toes with her.
“You heard me.” She all but pointed an accusing finger at him. “You get this crinkle right here,” she reached across the table to sketch a finger down the center of his forehead. “I know whenever you have that furrow it bodes no good for me.”
“And you’re basing that on… what? Four-year-old dating experience?”
“That along with new evidence I’ve gathered since our reunion on the boat. For instance, when you discovered I was sleeping in your bed,” she pointed to her forehead “crinkle. Then, when you decided I didn’t look into the logistics of running a bed and breakfast far from home— bam.” Again, she flashed her finger to her forehead.
“Funny you mention that because I think you’d find a lot of success on the Cape--.”
“Jack?” She cut him off. “Unless there’s some hidden plumbing problem or obvious damage to the place that I couldn’t see in the photos, I’m buying that inn and moving to Bar Harbor. End of story.”
He shook his head. “But you asked for my input on the move. How come you won’t listen to any advice now?”
“I wanted advice on how to run a successful inn in Bar Harbor, not a barrage of reasons why you think I should reconsider.” She peered out over the stormy water, thoughtful for a moment. “I’m not a college kid anymore, Jack. You can’t dictate how my life unfolds now that you’re not a part of it. Besides, I’ve fought too hard against my father and my brother’s efforts to manage my life to simply roll over when someone tells me to. I make my own decisions.”
There was nothing feisty about it. No challenge. No threat. She remained utterly matter of fact. Which made him realize how seriously she took this choice. She planned to make tracks away from the Cape and start over somewhere else—somewhere far from their roots.
The news rocked him. Up until now, he’d thought she was just having an adventure—dreaming big, maybe gathering ideas for a far-off someday. But she wasn’t at the dreamer stage of her life anymore. She’d matured. Changed. Become a woman with plans and goals that didn’t have squat to do with him.
If he was going to have any shot at another chance with her, he’d need to act fast.
