AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah?” She lifted an eyebrow as if to size up the offer. “I guess that would be okay as long as you don’t try to burst my bubble.”
“I’ll make you a deal.”
“Our bets have a way of working out well for me even when I lose.”
The fishing contest had been a pleasure for them both.
“This one isn’t a bet, exactly. Can we agree that I’ll give my honest input on everything I see – just the same as if I was telling one of my brothers – but only if you want to hear it. It’ll be up to you.”
“Deal.” She held out her hand to shake on it.
He checked the horizon as they drifted inland. The engine was off. They were still in deep water.
With that all-clear, he ignored her hand and pulled her against him.
“I’ve got a better way to seal the bargain.” He tipped her chin up for a better angle, giving her time to back away if she wanted.
She didn’t. She stared up into his eyes, waiting.
Some of the fear that had gripped his chest this morning eased. Alicia wasn’t giving him the boot. At least not yet. He’d bought himself a few hours. And who knew? Maybe he could talk her into one more night.
In the interest of hedging his bets, he kissed her like she was the only woman in the world. Because for him, he began to realize, she really was.
* * *
Alicia’s fingers gripped Jack’s shoulders, the hot, hard wedge of muscles contracting at her touch.
She came to life every time he put his hands on her. It was as simple as that. Her days without Jack were bland – a black and white landscape compared to the vivid, high definition color experience he brought when he walked through her world. Her senses were on high alert, sensitive to every nuance around her. The scent of Jack’s soap mingled with the sea air and the undernotes of his laundry detergent in a fragrance she would always associate with him alone. The feel of his heart beating through his chest was like a metronome that set the pace for a whole symphony of exquisite responses coursing through her. Pleasure wound through her veins, thick and slow, as she slid her tongue along his in a dance she could never tire of.
Time stood still on the deck of the boat. The wind blew by them, the water lapped at the hull. Gulls screeched overhead and the sounds of life on the shore began to drift closer, but none of it mattered when she was in Jack’s arms.
He could fill her world if she let him. Reduce it to moments spent with him. He was that powerful of a presence and she was that susceptible to his spell.
“Jack.” She forced herself back a step, dragging in breaths of clean sea air to cool the fever within.
Her body tingled in the wake of the kiss, her every atom demanding to return where it had been just a moment ago— pressed against Jack.
“Mmm?” He drew a lazy thumb over her damp lower lip, his gaze lingering on her mouth as though contemplating another taste.
In that moment, she had her first inkling how hard it was going to be to say goodbye when he left Bar Harbor. It made her want to kiss him every second until then, to fill up her memory for a future without him.
If relationships could be based solely on kissing, she would have found a match made in heaven. Too bad they found themselves at odds on too many other things.
“We’d better get on shore,” she said lamely, unable to come up with any solid reason for why she wanted to end the kiss. She didn’t dare confide real reasons like her fear that she’d lose her heart to him for a second time if she kissed him without a certain amount of discipline. “I don’t meet the owner for a little longer, but he said if I was early I could walk the grounds.”
“We could do that,” he agreed, his gaze moving toward the shore where the bed and breakfast awaited. “But how about if – while I move the boat closer to shore- you explain to me all the things this property has that you can’t get anywhere on Cape Cod.”
Thankfully, his words reminded her why she shouldn’t get swept away by his kiss. He didn’t like the idea of her moving to Bar Harbor and would resist this for reasons she couldn’t fully understand. Edging out of his grip, she gave a short nod.
“Fine. But if I do that, you have to tell me why it’s so important to you that I don’t leave the Cape.”
“One – the Cape has more tourists.” Jack moved to the helm to engage the steering system that featured a state-of-the-art maneuverability that could be managed with a joystick. Keith truly had all the bells and whistles on the craft, making docking a quick and precise process. “Two – you will be happier and therefore more personally successful if you can stay closer to your family and friends.”
As Alicia sat through his list, she realized that he’d told her most of these things already. Maybe she hadn’t wanted to believe his motives were purely unselfish because a part of her still hoped he wanted her back. Perhaps she hoped he would tell her that he wanted to be close to her.
But as he hit reason number six— something involving her potential profit margin – she realized such a confession was not forthcoming. It had been foolish of her to even dream it up.
“Okay. You made your point.” She helped him tie up the boat now that he had the craft right where he wanted it.
