I grabbed an old over the shoulder purse to keep it all safe in and opened my bedroom door to greet Jack, who was still in the hallway with my dad.
He grinned when he saw me. “Charlie, if you don’t mind me saying so, your daughter is damned hot!” My dad let out a hearty laugh.
“Jack, as it’s you, I’m going to allow that comment, because you won’t let any other man touch her when she’s out with you, right?” my dad said, trying to sound light and jovial, but there was still an undertone in his voice.
Jack smirked, and whispered loud enough for my dad to hear him. “Okay, Lily, we’ve lulled him into a false sense of security, come on honey, the executive hotel room with the springy king-size mattress I booked for us is going to waste.” He winked and my dad chuckled again, but looked between us to make sure that it was a joke.
I giggled, and smacked Jack’s arm. “Stop winding my dad up like that, Jack. That’s so not funny.” I couldn’t help but smirk back at Jack after seeing the look on my dad’s face.
Jack tugged me out the door after saying our goodbyes and slung his arm casually around my shoulder as we headed off in the direction of the Tube station.
He was grinning widely, and I could see the mischief in his eyes. “You haven’t told me where we’re going yet, Jack.” He smirked at me again.
“You’ll see,” he said, enjoying the suspense he was creating for me.
You have extra clothing in that bag, right?” He motioned with his head at the oversized bag I had put over my shoulder.
“Well, you were very mysterious, so yeah, I have a complete change, but I’ve also got some little stiletto boots for the theatre this evening.”
I was so looking forward to my day with Jack. We just seemed to fall back into where we left off every time we saw each other. He glanced down at me, smiling widely, then pulled me in and kissed my temple. “I can’t wait to see your reaction.” He chuckled heartily, keeping the suspense of where he was taking me going.
He relaxed his hug, and reached for my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. “I’m so glad to see you. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you these past few months. I nearly caved and bought a ticket out to Miami to surprise you.”
My mouth gaped, touched that he had missed me as much as I missed him. “Aw, Jack, I wish you had. I could have used some perspective on my life from someone who knew me well during the past few months.”
I could see him mulling over what I said. “We’re coming back to this conversation later, Lily.” He glanced at me with concern, and I nodded.
“I could use a sounding board who won’t judge me, Jack.” I remembered my parents’ gift to me. “Oh, and I have the perfect solution for you to come and see me. One of my Christmas gifts was two tickets to Florida so friends could visit me. If you were serious about that, I mean?”
Jack’s face stretched into a huge grin, he bent down a little and grabbed me by my waist, swinging me around. “Absolutely, Lily, I’d love to come over… if that would be okay.”
He smiled down at me, with just a hint of uncertainty. I smiled back. “I can’t think of anyone I’d want to come more, Jack.” He set me back on my feet.
“Okay, we’re going to plan that when we get to lunch.”
CHAPTER 5 – GETTING WET
We arrived at Sloan Square tube station and made our way down the escalator to take the Circle Line. Jack told me we were going to Embankment station, and I looked at him puzzled, wondering what was there.
I was racking my brain about what he had planned for me. The platform was crowded. There was barely room for us to stand on it. Boxing Day was the first day of the sales, and the bargain hunters were out in force traveling around by tube train.
The carriages were usually packed tight with people at the best of times, and there was always a lot of pushing and shoving when the train came into the station. This time was no exception as passengers jostled for a position when as they stepped into the carriages.
Jack jumped into the carriage first, making space with his physical size, and pulled me in close to him. He settled me by the small window just to the side of the doors, creating a little cocoon for me against the crush. He leaned forward a little, keeping me snugly in place.
I turned my head, and looked through to the next carriage, as this was about the only line of sight I had apart from Jack’s armpit. My eyes settled on a pair of broad shoulders and head of hair that was so similar to Alfie’s, and I was riveted to the spot.
His face turned so that I could see a profile and my breath hitched, a jolt of electricity inside stunning me. I could have sworn it was him. My heart stopped for a second. I blinked, and when I refocused, he was gone.
I rose on tiptoe, straining my neck, and turned frantically to look through the doors as the tube train pulled out of the station again.
The figure was just disappearing through the exit. I could have sworn it was Alfie that just got off the tube, but that was impossible; he was in Miami and this was London.
Jack felt me tense, then saw me searching through the window. “What is it, honey? Are you okay?” I shook my head; it was impossible anyway. “Sorry Jack, I’m going crazy. My eyes and my brain are just playing tricks on me. I thought I saw a guy I was involved with in Florida on the train. How crazy is that? He must have the most amazing double here, because there is no way he would be in London.”
Jack made light of it. “I’ve done that before… thought I saw someone out of context or in a place they would never be. From your reaction, this guy is important Lily?”
I shook my head again. “Nah, it’s stupid, and anyway, he’s in the past; I’m yours today.”
Jack smirked. “Yours, I like the sound of that. You’re mine then. Appropriate, don’t you think, considering we’re going to be doing something that makes you wet, hot, and sweaty.” He winked at me and for the first time I would admit, I felt a tad nervous and excited at his flirty nature.
Jack laced my fingers in his and tugged me off the tube train. He weaved me through the packed bodies shuffling through the exits and up the crowded escalators. He didn’t stop until we emerged from the bowels of the underground. I had a flashback of the guy that was on the tube again. He looks exactly like Alfie.
I settled for it being the ghost of something I still hadn’t resolved with Alfie. I knew my feelings were still at the surface about him, so I passed it off as natural that my subconscious would pick up on anything that remotely related to him.
Jack doubled back with me along The Embankment in the direction we’d just traveled by tube. I had no clue where we were going, until it suddenly dawned on me. He was taking me to Somerset House. “Ta-da!” Jack swept his arm out at the outdoor ice rink.
“We’re going ice skating. I thought you might like to do something that you couldn’t do in Florida.” He beamed at me with twinkling eyes, making his beautiful face even more stunning in the winter sunlight.
Somerset House was in the heart of London. The house itself was a major arts and cultural center. There was a massive courtyard at the mansion house, situated near The River Thames. The courtyard was home to a fabulous outdoor skating rink during the festive season.
“Wow! Jack, this is absolutely perfect! I love it, I love you! How lucky am I? You did this for me?” I was excited and fired all my questions at once, not allowing him to answer.
Jack had a wide grin on his face. His eyes were sparkling with joy at my reaction. “You spoil me, Jack! I want to know, how come you always know exactly what I need?” I grinned and clapped my hands at his perfect choice of activity for us.
“Let’s see if you’re still saying that when you’ve been on your arse several times, Lily.” He chuckled and pulled me into a hurried half-walk, half-run towards the entrance.
Once we had struggled into our blue plastic skating boots that were completely dorky but highly effective, we hung on to each other, like new foals learning to walk. I had to smile at how Jack was so willing to
put himself out there for me.
We staggered around, clinging to each other, our feet arching in, as we tried to stay upright and master balancing on the thin blades. It was hilarious.
Jack was much more proficient at mastering the physics of skating on thin blades than me and was soon hugging my waist, helping me around the ice.
“Now this is my kind of activity; why haven’t I brought girls skating before? It’s a great way to cut out all that macho foreplay-shit us guys usually have to go through to get to this stage of the date.” He glanced down, chuckling, his perfect smile beaming widely.
“I’m not falling for that, Jack, you didn’t bring me here so that you could feel me up on the ice. I know you better than that.” I chuckled and was so busy chatting that I lost my balance and almost fell over from lack of concentration.
Jack’s arm tightened like a vice around me briefly, and he adjusted his body stance to right me. Once he knew I was okay, he relaxed his grip to the much gentler guiding hold that was necessary to keep me upright.
“I can’t fool you, can’t I? I know I can touch you anytime I want, but I…” Suddenly, Jack tripped and fell, landing on one hip then sliding over onto his ass.
A pair of strong, leather-clad arms wrapped around my waist preventing me from going down as well by pulling me into a solid muscular chest.
I tilted my head upwards and saw a grinning face with a chiseled jawline. My rescuer placed me back on my feet. He didn’t speak, just turned and skated off.
As he skated away, I saw the back of his black leather jacket was embossed with big yellow letters that said, ‘STEWARD’. I giggled and called after him, “Thank you!”
He looked back, winked, and gave me a small salute. It was only after Jack fell that I realized how fast some of the people were skating around us and was suddenly glad that the stewards were here to keep everyone safe.
I turned my attention back to Jack, who was now standing, brushing wet ice away from his ass. I smirked and couldn’t resist a little taunt. “Are you wet? Are you okay?” I tried to stifle my giggle and keep my face straight. I pretended to be concerned at his tumble.
“Hey! Those are supposed to be my lines on a date,” he protested with a wicked grin. “And yeah, I am wet, and not in a good way. Maybe you could help me resolve that though.”
My jaw gaped, and I tried to control another smirk at his flirty comments. “You are adorable, Lily.” He chuckled at my reaction and grasped my coat hem, pulling me into him. He dipped his head, kissing my forehead, and enveloped me in his arms.
Holding me tight to his chest, he began laughing loudly. At that moment, I just wanted to stay against his arms listening to his loud, rumbly laughter and feeling it vibrate against my cheek. I felt happier than I had in ages just spending time with Jack. He was like a second skin to me.
We didn’t last our whole allotted ninety-minute skating session. Both of our feet and ankles ached desperately in the horrible synthetic boots, so we gave up after an hour.
Jack pulled one of my feet on his lap and rubbed the arches of it before I put my outdoor boots back on. It felt brilliant and gave my aching feet instant relief.
I reciprocated the same care to him. Jack, of course, milked my act of kindness and turned it into an embarrassingly erotic display, moaning, “Oh, God, yeah, honey. Just like that, right there.” His noises drew an instant audience to us.
I kept threatening to stop massaging his feet if he didn’t quit the noise. He was attracting more and more of an audience, both male and female, who seemed to be enjoying his vocal display. “Dammit, Lily, I can’t help it if your touch elicits noises out of me like no one else.” He winked, and I blushed.
As we left, Jack’s attention turned to his stomach. “I hope you don’t mind, Lily, I thought I’d make us lunch, rather than brave going to a bar today. I’d prefer quiet alone time with you, so that we can chat. Is that okay with you?”
As usual, Jack had pitched it just right. He knew that it would be difficult to share everything we had to say in a noisy bar full of large rowdy parties still enjoying the holiday period.
We rode the tube back to Pimlico, and Jack made lunch for us, which was perfect. Tapas of smoked salmon, olives, anti-pasta, soft cheeses, humus, green salad, bread sticks, and crusty bread. He had champagne and elder-flower sparkling water.
I felt touched that he’d made the effort in his little bachelor pad by setting the countertop for two and topped it off with a small vase filled with blue forget-me-not flowers. I wondered where he found our favorite flowers at this time of year.
We chatted about everything from his work to gigs he’d been to. He filled me in on all the gossip I’d missed out on since I had been away, then turned his focus on me. “So Lily, back to what was on your mind earlier.”
I tried to play coy. “What was on my mind?” Jack sighed, probably because he knew me so well.
“Yeah, you know…the guy in the past.” He rotated his index finger, encouraging me to go on. I inhaled deeply and sat silent for a moment. Jack got up, walked over to the fridge, and uncorked another bottle of champagne.
He walked over to his couch and patted the seat. “C’mere, I feel this is going to take up a bit of time. Get your ass and your glass over here, girl.”
I crawled onto his big comfy couch, my legs tucked up under my chin and his strong arm came around me scooping me into his side.
He scooted down a little to make himself more comfortable after filling our glasses.
Jack exhaled loudly. “Okay, pour! Get it all out.” So for the next two hours I didn’t hold back, giving him the warts-and-all account of my life since I went to study music overseas. He sat silently listening; occasionally kissing my temple or stroking my hair as a way of letting me know he was still paying attention to what I was saying.
When I finished, I turned my head and looked up at him, my eyes brimming with tears. One fat tear escaped and trickled down my face, and he closed his eyes and put his head back.
It felt good to let someone else know everything, but I was worried that I’d shattered Jack’s opinion of me with everything I had done. “Jack?” He brought his head forward and looked down at me. A small smile curved his lips.
“Fuck, Lily… you’re human after all.” He dipped his head and placed a tender kiss on my cheek, then tugged me all the way down, stretching us the length of the couch. I was lying down with him, my head on his chest snuggled against him.
“That must have been exhausting, getting all of that off your chest. I’m not going to ask questions just now, the wine has made me sleepy. Let’s nap. I do have questions, but we’ll analyze it when we wake up.”
He fell silent, and I lay wondering if I had disappointed him. I was so comfortable lying beside him, listening to his steady breathing and slow heartbeat as he held me tightly. With the exertion and the food and wine, I felt my eyes getting heavy as well and drifted off to sleep.
I woke up alone on the couch. I was lying on my stomach drooling. Jack was coming out of the shower. “You showered again?” I croaked.
He chuckled, “Yeah, I found my jeans had deposited blue dye all over my ass from the wet ice.”
I started to chuckle as I stretched. “What?” he scowled.
“I had a naughty thought.” And giggled wickedly at him.
He smirked. “Well, hell Lily, I’m in a towel, and you’re having naughty thoughts?” he teased.
I shook my head. “No, I was thinking, not only were you wet in not a good way, but you had blue balls too!”
He threw his head back and laughed heartily. “Yeah, damn, Lily, I’m not dating you again, this is so not how it’s supposed to go when I’m with a hot chick. You’ve done nothing for my ego today.”
I freshened myself up after my nap, and Jack and I headed out to see Elle dance in her production. We had great box seats to the side of the stage, and we sat mesmerized by the musical Elle was in for two and a half hours.
She was the
lead female dancer. I was enthralled by her skill, strength, and agility as she weaved and spun around the stage. She looked ultra-sexy in her Basque and stockings.
Jack leaned over. “Damn, Lily, Elle’s body is so hot, I bet she’s fucking amazing in the sack, with that bendy body and those legs.” I swatted Jack, and he snickered.
“Are you sitting there perving on our friend, Jack? That’s shitty,” I teased him, and he smirked.
“What do you expect after the day I’ve had, blue balls and sleeping next to a really hot little body? I’m only human. My big head knows it’s you, Lily, my little head isn’t so intelligent. He… reacts.” He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “Be warned, before we’re snuggled up in bed tonight, I’m going for a long shower. I’ll need to rub one out before lying next to you.”
I screwed my face up at him, “TMI, Jack.”
He smirked and shrugged. “It’s natural,” he cooed back before turning back to face the stage and getting lost in the production again.
I glanced at him several times wondering if it was a good idea to sleep over at his house this evening. The last thing I needed was anything else to add to my complex love life, and the way I was going, I briefly doubted my ability to keep the relationship with Jack platonic, which was actually ridiculous.
The rest of the evening put my mind at rest. When Elle finished we went for a late supper with two of the girls from Elle’s dance troupe. The conversation was once again easy and light, and Jack managed to snag himself a leggy blonde’s phone number and an invitation to go to a party with her a few days into the New Year.
CHAPTER 6 – JEALOUSY REIGNS
Jack asked Elle to come to his place to sleep over with us. She told us she needed to soak her muscles and bones in her bath. Dancing took its toll on her body. She knew Jack only had a shower at his place, so she opted to go home.
Everything She Needs (The Everything Trilogy) Page 4
