by Kait Gamble
Mesmerized, Jackie walked up to the glass and pressed her palms against the cool barrier between them and the ocean. “This is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.”
He came up behind her and closed his large hands around her hips. “I thought you would like it.”
“I love it.”
He dragged her back to one of the benches set up for visitors to relax and enjoy the view.
Jackie sat and leaned against Logan as she watched the fish swim past. They darted in and out of the rainbow-colored coral scattering other fish, winding around others. A turtle lazily glided through while in the distance she was sure she caught the ominous silhouette of a shark.
“I could spend all day here.”
She felt rather than heard his chuckle. “I know. It’s a good thing I planned a little bit ahead on this one since I knew you couldn’t resist.” Logan looked toward the door. “You can bring it in.”
Jackie turned to watch as a waiter from the restaurant walked in carrying a covered tray and a colorful blanket. With a broad smile, he one-handedly spread the blanket over one of the other benches and placed the tray upon it before discreetly exiting.
“So this was all planned, was it?” Jackie let Logan help her to her feet and walked over to the other bench. They settled on either end with the tray in the middle.
Logan shrugged. “Maybe. Don’t tell me you don’t love a well-organized man.”
He knew she did, especially when things were planned out and went without a hitch.
“So what’s under there?” Jackie anticipated another succulent meal so when he lifted the lid she burst out laughing.
Underneath were two tropical-looking drinks, complete with umbrellas. Skewered pineapple chunks piled high on a plate quickly filled the air with their scent. The thing that made her laugh, however, was the pair of binoculars resting next to them.
“You’ve thought of everything,” Jackie picked up the binoculars and turned to look at the water, though she figured they were more for comedic effect than anything else.
“Just call me Mr. Boy Scout.”
The last thing she equated Logan with was a Boy Scout. She put the binoculars down, and he handed her a drink.
She held up the drink and appraised the layers that graduated from the deep red at the bottom to bubblegum pink at the top. “What’s in this?”
He smirked. “I’m not trying to get you drunk if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s mostly fruit juice with a hint of rum.”
Jackie took a delicate sip and let the exotic blend of flavors burst on her tongue. She groaned with delight. “This is fantastic.”
Logan was mid-sip and nodded in agreement as he swallowed. “Very good.”
The drink was replaced by a skewer, and Jackie took a juicy bite of the pineapple. Like the drink, the fruit was out of this world.
Jackie groaned. “You have to try this.” She held her skewer for him to take a bite.
Logan looked a little pained as he did. That was when she remembered what her exclamations over the food the night before had done to him.
Biting her lip, she contemplated how to put that information to good use as he took a slurping bite of the pineapple.
Jackie dropped the fruit, cupped his cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss. His lips were still coated with the sweet juice of the pineapple, and she darted her tongue out to taste. Running it over his lower lip, she moaned her delight at the flavor of Logan and pineapple.
He took the kiss further, parting her lips. She accepted his tongue and the fruit juice along with it. She enjoyed the tease and the taste for a long moment before she was gasping for air.
Reluctantly, Logan pulled back.
For an instant, Jackie wondered if it was because of where they were. But since when had they shied away from getting physical in public?
Logan took the tray and put it on the floor. “The last thing we need is to break something and let people know what we’re doing in here.”
She blinked at him innocently. “And just what would that be?”
He tugged her close and nipped her shoulder. “Whatever you want.”
She tilted her head to look at him. “And if I wanted to just sit here and stare at the water?”
“Doable.”
Jackie smiled. “Then let’s do that for a little while.”
Logan handed Jackie her drink then picked up his own before snaking an arm over her shoulders. It was just so comfortable. He couldn’t think of another time in recent history that he’d felt so relaxed. And to be spending time with Jackie doing nothing but absorbing the ambience might have sounded boring, but it was doing miracles for him.
Jackie was like a balm to his soul.
Everything just felt right. So why was he convinced that it wasn’t going to last?
He knew he shouldn’t let the past make any difference to what they had now. They were different people, and grownups at that. The last time they had been together, they had been nothing but wide-eyed kids. Perhaps that was the reason things went wrong.
They only had a few days left and he knew it was hardly enough time to reinvigorate their relationship. He got the feeling that Jackie liked that fact more than she was letting on.
It was insane, for sure, to think that in less than a week anything would change between them. But it was a start. The more time he spent with Jackie the more he wanted. And it wasn’t just the lust talking. He wasn’t the type to go jumping through hoops for just anyone.
It just turned out that the only one who had hoops he was even slightly interested in navigating was Jackie.
Jackie Pennington was the one.
Now to convince Jackie he was the one for her.
That might be a bit harder and take much longer. Logan would bide his time. Now that he’d found her again he would do whatever it took, no matter how long, to get her to love him again.
And if he told her any of this she would probably laugh in his face. He might not have been the most demonstrative guy before, and maybe that had been part of what went wrong, but he could start.
Giving her attention, physical and otherwise, was no hardship, especially now when he had more time to spend on her.
That reminded him, he needed to sort out that spa trip.
Grinning, he pulled out his phone and texted the spa exactly what he wanted.
It would definitely be unforgettable.
He also took the moment to covertly disable the cameras pointed at them.
“Remembered about the spa?”
She looked up at him with a knowing smile.
“Yeah. Just making sure we’re booked in.”
She took a sip sighing again. “So what have you got us in for?”
“You’re just going to have to wait and see.”
Jackie giggled. Maybe the tiny bit of rum in the drink was going to her head.
“Will it be anything like our last visit?”
That took him off guard. The rum was definitely making its effect known. “I did have something along those lines in mind, but only if you’re up for it.”
“Really now?” Jackie stretched against him and nipped his earlobe as she whispered, “Have anything in mind for right now?”
Hell, yes. When didn’t he? Since they’d met up again, every time they were together it was like a waking wet dream. One thing that he loved about her was the fact that she was up for just about anything. She trusted him. Even though they took risks, she was right about him doing whatever it took to keep her safe and away from prying eyes. He loved that she wasn’t afraid to show him that side of herself.
Even now, she lightly traced lines up his thigh toward his rapidly growing erection.
“I’m thinking you have a few thoughts on the matter?”
Logan mimicked her moves, but reached his goal much quicker. Thank goodness for the bathing suit she wore. He slipped his hand under her sarong and traced the hem of her suit.
Logan insinuated his fingers between her
legs and under the stretchy fabric.
“No fair. I can’t get under your jeans as easily.”
“This was your idea. Maybe you should have planned it out better,” he teased.
Circling her clit, he grinned when she gasped. She wouldn’t take any offense from the comment.
“Let me in.”
She parted her thighs farther, allowing him whatever access he wanted.
“Just for the record…” She groaned when he plunged his fingers into her. “I wanted this to be mutual.”
Chuckling, he pumped his fingers, making sure to graze her clit with the heel of his hand with each inward thrust.
He grazed her shoulder with his teeth, making his way slowly up to her ear to whisper, “I want to feel you come around my fingers.”
Logan felt the tremor ripple through her at his words. Jackie was getting close. He loved that she was so responsive to him.
Taking a furtive glance at the entrance of the room, he upped the power and tempo of his thrusts until he felt her shudder and she clamped around his fingers. Logan caught her cry of ecstasy with his free hand as he continued to coax out every last shudder of her orgasm and she leaned, limp and pliant, against him.
He wrapped his arms around her until her trembling subsided. “I hope that was a good appetizer.”
Jackie let out a breathy laugh. “It was so good I don’t think I can handle the rest of the meal just yet.”
That made him laugh. “How about we get out of here?”
“Can we at least wait until I can stand without falling over?”
“Of course.” Logan grabbed the tray and tidied up a little while he waited. “Though I could carry you.”
That made her laugh. He loved the sound of it as it echoed around the room. It also reminded him that he needed to get the cameras back online before anyone noticed.
Whipping out his phone, he then deftly took care of it in seconds before he shoved it back in his pocket and carried on. Once he had the tray sorted he held his hand out to her. Jackie took it with a weary smile and grabbed the blanket with her free hand.
“Instead of the spa, mind if we just lazed about on the beach until dinner?”
It would give him time to hone his idea for their time at the spa. “Sure. I just need to change and let the spa know.”
The spa was easily taken care of with a quick text as they walked. They quickly reached his suite, even with the long, meandering path they followed.
Logan swiped his card and, seconds later, they were in his suite. The cleaning staff had been through and tidied. The room was spotless and even had new flowers in all the vases lending the room their wonderful scent. As he placed the tray down on the table, Jackie buried her nose in one of the arrangements. He had no idea what the flowers were but they were pretty, and were brightly colored befitting the ambience.
He quickly dug through his luggage and grabbed his trunks and a bottle of sunscreen. “Make yourself at home. I’m just going to get changed.”
“Okay.” She picked up the dome from the tray, pinched a chunk of pineapple off a stick then sucked it between her lips.
Biting back a groan, he headed into the bathroom.
Logan considered taking a cold shower, but it wouldn’t do him any good. Whenever he was around Jackie he was a walking hard-on.
He changed and slathered himself with sunscreen, ready for some time in the baking sun.
After a good long stare at himself in the mirror and a few breaths, he walked back out to find the room empty.
Had she left?
“Jackie?”
“Over here.”
Her voice came from the other side of the suite, from the pool.
He found Jackie with her sarong off and her curvy body stretched out on one of his loungers. He wasn’t going to complain. Logan slid onto the other.
“I guess we’re staying here, then?”
Jackie opened up one eye to look at him. “It’s better than getting gritty with sand.”
Arranging himself on the lounger, he sighed. “I definitely agree.” And this way they didn’t have to rush around before having to go down to dinner. Well, he didn’t. Jackie would still need to go to her suite, but he definitely preferred staying inside than going out.
Turning his head, he studied Jackie, who looked as though she’d already fallen asleep. Her dark lashes dusted her cheeks, and her chest rose and fell slowly and rhythmically. He wouldn’t be surprised if she napped after the drink and the orgasm.
Thankfully, the sunlight wasn’t directly on the deck. So that was a blessing. But it was still bright enough to warm the skin. Maybe once she woke up, he could convince her to take a dip with him in the pool.
“I know you think I’m sleeping.” She smiled though didn’t open her eyes. “I’m just very relaxed.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Logan did the best he could to reach the same Zen state that Jackie had found. Only he couldn’t make himself comfortable on the chair. It wasn’t because of the chair itself. Logan knew it was him. He was restless, but wasn’t quite sure how he would assuage it.
He wasn’t even sure why he was so twitchy. Jackie seemed to be content with what they were doing. He certainly was. Logan just wanted more.
Only there was a giant invisible wall dividing them. It bothered him that he didn’t know what it was made of, which left him incapable of navigating it. And not knowing how to deal with something was intolerable. He’d made a career out of finding ways of fixing problems and here was one staring him in the face that he had no clue how to deal with. And of course it had to be more important to him than any job he’d ever had.
His usual mode of operation was to dissect the problem and look at it from every angle to see what he could discern from the bits. Other than picking apart Jackie’s brain, Logan was short of options. He could go back and try Charles again, though he doubted he knew anything that was going on. Caroline would hardly want to talk to him about anything, least of all Jackie.
The rest of the family there would be a crap shoot. Would they even be worth the effort? They had a finite amount of time together. Did he really want to waste it on other people? Gaining her trust and talking things out would be the sanest route but wouldn’t meet his need for instant gratification.
Sighing, he dropped his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. He would bide his time. Let things unfurl at their own pace. Logan clenched his hands into fists before forcing them to relax and fall to his sides.
“Is something wrong?
He looked over to see Jackie watching him with a strange expression on her face.
“Fine. Just tired. Have a lot of things on my mind.”
Jackie twisted to her side to face him. “Nothing bad, I hope.”
“Just work stuff.”
“Tell me about it.”
He mirrored her pose. This seemed promising. “That wasn’t part of the rules, was it?”
Color lit up her cheeks. “Right. I forgot.”
Was she going to let it drop? He could very easily do the same, but Logan decided to use it to make a show of good faith.
“You asked, so you obviously want to know.” He put up his hand when she started to protest. “I don’t want you to think that because I’m telling you things that you have to do the same. It’s totally up to you.” But he hoped that she would share a little about herself.
“Anyway, I’m a security software designer. My software runs the security for this hotel and many others.”
Her eyes widened, but she smiled warmly. “That’s amazing! Congratulations. You’ve always wanted to make it big and you have.”
“Thanks.” The pride he felt from her acknowledgment of his achievements was immense.
Logan watched her closely and for a long moment she seemed conflicted. There was something she wanted to say, but after a silent war with herself she stayed quiet.
He couldn’t say he wasn’t disappointed. Why didn’t she feel that sh
e could open up to him over something as trivial as their jobs? Unless she didn’t have one. Her family was wealthy enough for her, her kids and grandkids to never have to lift a finger.
Was she embarrassed about that? Not wanting to make her any more uncomfortable, Logan decided against pushing the subject.
“How’s Caroline taking the whole impending nuptials thing?”
“Honestly?” Jackie pressed her lips into a thin line. “You can’t tell Charles any of this.”
She was going to trust him with a confidence? “Of course not.”
“She’s a bit jittery. I think it’s just a case of cold feet. But she seemed pretty terrified the last time I talked to her about it.”
Logan frowned. “What do you think? Is it just nerves or something more? You know her better than anyone else.”
The expression that came over Jackie’s face was a strange one. She looked almost…sad? That set off a whole new round of questions. Had the same thing happened to her? He pushed that image to the back of his mind. The last thing he needed to think about was Jackie even entertaining the idea of marrying someone else.
Jackie sighed. Maybe once, she had known Caroline better than anyone else, but now that they were simply friends who kept in touch over long distance and met up once in a while… She suspected that she had only been asked to be a bridesmaid as a gesture. They had been close when they were younger and their parents were probably still friends now. It had still been nice to be asked.
To answer his question, she shrugged. “Who knows what goes through a woman’s mind just before she gets married?”
Logan’s shoulders seemed to relax when she said it. “You’ve never had the pleasure then?”
She toyed with the idea of staying quiet, but they were getting along so well. Answering a question here and there couldn’t hurt. “No.”
He seemed satisfied with that. At least for now. “Do you think she’ll make it to the altar at least?”
“I hope so, but only if she’s ready. I can’t imagine how horrible it would be for her to go through with it and realize that she’d made a mistake.”
Her phone buzzed just then, and Jackie immediately knew it was going to be Caroline. She turned to Logan. “You know how when you say a person’s name a whole bunch of times and they suddenly call or show up?” She held up her phone with an ironic smile before checking her message.
