by Alice Raine
Jack nodded and pulled out his phone. ‘I’ll talk it through with her tomorrow, but in the meantime let me text Flynn and see if he can suggest anyone.’
Twenty-nine
Cait
By the time I’d washed my face and freshened up, I found Allie, Sean, and Jack waiting for me near the front door.
Noticing that Jack had his jacket on, I immediately felt a pang of anxiousness settle in my stomach. Was he leaving? I didn’t want him to go. Then again, I wasn’t ready to share a bed with him either, so I could hardly ask him to stay and then make him sleep on the sofa.
Picking up on my expression, Jack gave me a soft smile and immediately stepped closer to me, slipping a hand to my hip and giving a reassuring squeeze. ‘I better be making a move, sweetheart. It’s getting late and I’ve got a pretty early start tomorrow.’ He sounded reluctant, which made me feel a bit better about things; it wasn’t just me. He didn’t want us to be apart either.
I was so focused on Jack that I hardly even noticed when Allie and Sean discreetly moved into the lounge. Placing a hand on the doorknob, Jack paused in the doorway and looked at me intently. ‘Call me if you need me, Caitlin. Even if it’s the middle of the night and you can’t sleep and just want to talk. OK?’
I really didn’t want him to go, which was just ridiculous really, because we’d barely even begun our relationship yet. Talk about jumping the gun. It was waaay too soon to get that needy.
I had another need on my mind too. For once in my life I actually wanted a man to kiss me, really kiss me, and after this morning, it would be nice to have a happy memory to finish off the day. I needed it.
Jack’s gaze made the briefest flick to my lips and I knew he wanted to kiss me too. Even without the glance at my mouth it would have been obvious, because now we had actually started touching each other, the sexual chemistry between us was almost overpowering. All though dinner my body had been alive with sensation as he sat beside me. My skin tingled, and heat licked across every area he touched. It had felt so potent that I’d struggled to concentrate on the delicious dinner Allie had made us.
I wanted to kiss him so badly I was aching, but would my lack of skill show through? I hadn’t so much as held a man’s hand for over three years until recently, let alone kissed one...what if I’d forgotten how to do it properly?
Lifting my wide eyes to his handsome face, I found Jack watching me closely, his brown eyes warm and supportive and seeming to draw me closer. No doubt my thoughts were written all over my expression because he lifted a hand and gently smoothed some hair away from my forehead.
I didn’t flinch away from the touch like I would have just a week ago. Instead I found myself leaning into it, which caused Jack to give a small murmur of approval. His noise somehow seemed to bolster my confidence because the next second I found myself throwing caution to the wind as I lifted onto my tiptoes, cupped his jaw, and drew my lips closer to his.
Tilting his head, Jack gently held me back and gave me a smile. ‘Hey, no pressure, sweetheart. Please don’t feel you need to push yourself into anything.’ I nodded my understanding as I licked my lips and closed the gap between our mouths, gently placing my lips against his.
Warmth seared through me from the contact of our mouths, causing my lips to open in a gasp of desire as our tongues tentatively touched in a slow, gentle exploration.
He was letting me lead the pace, but that didn’t stop a groan resonating from Jack’s throat as one of my hands slid into his hair and urged him closer still. Part of me desperately wished that he would just drag me to him so I could feel the full extent of his warm, hard body pressed against mine.
He was noticeably more delicate with me than he had been that day we’d kissed in the park. In fact, when I thought about it, his hands weren’t even touching me. Really, this was just me kissing, and him letting me.
Was he not enjoying this?
Didn’t he want to kiss me?
Suddenly feeling self-conscious, I leant back and examined Jack’s face. His lips were moist, cheeks flushed, brown eyes heavy-lidded. He looked just as into it as I was, so why hadn’t he touched me?
‘OK, sweetheart?’ he murmured.
‘I am, but I was just wondering...uh...’ God, now he had asked, I didn’t know how to word it. ‘When you kissed me in the park, you were quite...um...heated. And you held on to me...’ I blinked as something like recognition seemed to dawn on his face.
‘But I’m not now and you’re wondering why?’
Biting on my lower lip, I nodded, and in response Jack threw his head back and barked out a hearty laugh. Lowering his gaze, he sobered his grin, tilting his head so our foreheads were resting together.
‘Sweetheart, I wanted to hold you more than you could ever know, but you’ve only just learnt to trust me.’ Giving me a rueful smile, he looked rather embarrassed. ‘If I had allowed myself to do what I really wanted when you kissed me, you would be pressed against that wall with me completely smothering you.’ My heartbeat rocketed in my chest at his words.
Hmm. I quite liked the idea of being smothered in kisses by Jack Felton.
‘The only way I held back was by doing this,’ he said, showing me where his hands were balled into fists and rammed deep into his jeans. I saw there was also a bulge in the front of his trousers that definitely hadn’t been there earlier. Blimey.
Distracting me from his jutting arousal, Jack hunkered down so he could reinstate the contact between our foreheads as I stared into his dilated eyes.
He was telling the truth. He did want me as much as I wanted him. Gulping loudly, I decided that now I had made the decision to be with Jack, the idea of him pressing me against a wall and smothering me actually sounded pretty amazing, but just as I was about to tell him, we were disturbed by the lounge door opening as Allie and Sean strolled into the hallway laughing, before spotting us and coming to a standstill.
‘Oh, oops...uh...sorry to interrupt, we werejust, uh...’ Allie didn’t even finish her stuttered sentence before Sean flashed us a smile and dragged her into the kitchen.
‘I think Allie is going to want the gossip tonight,’ Jack joked. ‘I didn’t mean to make you unsure, Caitlin. I was just trying to do the right thing.’
My heart just about melted. He really was bloody amazing. ‘Let’s make a deal. You avoid my lower back but everywhere else is OK, and I’ll tell you if something makes me uncomfortable. How does that sound?’
He paused, his eyes narrowing. ‘That sounds pretty great, but you need to promise you’ll tell me immediately. I can’t lose you because I scared you off.’
Releasing a breath, I nodded and smiled. ‘It’s a deal. I promise. Now would you please kiss me goodbye properly?’
Jack grinned, did a mock salute, and nodded, his eyes sparkling. ‘It would be my pleasure, sweetheart.’ His hands rose and slipped into my hair and his lips sought mine as his large body moved forwards and gently eased me backwards until I was pressed against the wall. As his tongue pushed into my mouth and began to sweep across mine, I quickly realised it would definitely be my pleasure too.
Thirty
Allie
As soon as I heard the front door close, I practically threw down my cup of tea and raced into the hallway to get the gossip– much to Sean’s amusement, as he looked up from his iPad and grinned.
Skidding into the hallway, I found my bestie leaning back against the front door. She had flushed cheeks, red lips, and a soppy smile on her face, and so all in all looked like she’d been kissed half-senseless. Seeing as Cait had confessed yesterday that she and Jack were still only at the holding hands stage, that would be a pretty major development within twenty-four hours.
‘I’m going to show Cait the spare bedroom and get her settled,’ I called through to Sean, who almost immediately popped his head out of the lounge door and eyed me with amusement.
‘Yeah, sure.’ Judging from the gleam in his eye, Sean knew exactly what I was going to do – dig for go
ssip.
Showing Cait the guest room, I quickly got her sorted with a spare toothbrush, a change of clothes, and one of Sean’s old T-shirts to act as pyjamas. Then, once the technicalities were out of the way, we sat on the edge of her bed and I waited with bated breath to see if she was going to voluntarily spill the beans.
It didn’t take long.
‘I miss him already and he’s only been gone ten minutes,’ Cait blurted before blushing. ‘That’s stupid. We hardly even know each other.’
‘It’s not stupid at all. It’s how you feel when you care about someone. Time scale has nothing to do with it–if you feel a connection with someone it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been together, it’s either there or it’s not.’
Cait giggled. ‘It’s definitely there.’ Dragging a cushion onto her lap, she hugged it as she grinned. ‘I’ve never felt the things I feel when I’m with him. It’s amazing.’
Grinning at her awe-struck expression, I couldn’t help but dig. ‘So did you two finally kiss?’
Cait’s eyes fluttered shut, and then a long, contented breath slipped from her lips. ‘Yep.’
Yep? That’s all she was giving me?
‘And?’ My impatience was obvious in my tone, but I could answer my own question just by looking at her–Cait looked well and truly loved up. Her skin was still flushed, her eyes bright, and there was a continual smile tugging at her mouth. Yeah, it had been a good kiss.
‘It was great.’ Sighing, she absently tugged on a piece of hair as she continued to gaze happily into space. ‘He’s amazing.’ I watched as, turning to me, her face sobered and she blinked rapidly. ‘He listened to the story of my time with Greg. I told him everything and he was incredible, so supportive.’
‘It was really cute during dinner when he wouldn’t let go of your hand,’ I giggled. ‘Or was it you who wouldn’t let go, I couldn’t tell?’
Cait laughed and flopped back on the bed. ‘That was all him!’ All I could focus on was the change in her. Happiness was radiating from every pore, and it almost took my breath away. For the last three years, Cait had been my withdrawn, skittish, quiet best friend, and suddenly, it was like seeing the girl I’d gone to college with. I’d almost forgotten how chilled out she’d been before she’d met Greg. Her entire demeanour seemed different; she was relaxed, happy, and clearly very, very into a certain Mr Felton.
I would for ever be thankful to Jack for giving me my real best friend back.
Thirty-one
Jack
Jogging down the steps from Sean’s apartment, I stopped at the railing that overlooked the sea and leant forward. Taking in several deep lungfuls of the salty air helped calm me, but every molecule within me wanted to turn back and return to Caitlin.
I tried to focus, and ended up staring at the horizon. The view was beautiful, but I struggled to see it with the lingering memories of Caitlin’s kiss swirling in my mind. Finally I focused my mind on the outlook. The sea was calm, lit by a nearly full moon and breaking onto the sand in regular, almost hypnotic, lulling waves. Closing my eyes, I allowed the sound to wash over me.
When I woke up that morning I never thought for one second that by the end of the day I would have Caitlin in my arms for the first time as she willingly pressed her soft lips to mine. Fuck. That kiss had been incredible, my body was still alight from it, not to mention craving more.
Not dragging her off to a bedroom had nearly killed me. Talk about serious levels of self-restraint. I considered myself a gentleman, but even I was impressed with my control over the past few weeks.
Pushing back from the railing, I dug my hands into my hair in frustration, tugging at several chunks and letting out a low growl of irritation. I hated leaving her more than I could even understand. We’d only just stepped beyond friendship recently but already I felt such feelings of protectiveness that I was struggling to make myself move away from Sean’s pathway.
In a twisted way, Greg’s appearance today had fast-forwarded the progress of my relationship with Caitlin, but I would rather have waited another year for her to come to me willingly than ever put her through seeing him again. I couldn’t believe he’d been right there in the same room as me and I’d let him go–not that I’d known who he was, but still, if I had a time machine I’d go back and kill the fucker for ever hurting her. No, scrap that, if I had a time machine I’d go way back to the day he had first met her, stop him from asking her out, and then rip him limb from limb.
Thinking about Greg on the loose somewhere in LA made me tense and glance around to check security. I could see Flynn on the driveway leaning on the bonnet of my car and talking to a guy I didn’t recognise. Reluctantly, I strode towards Flynn and gave the new guy a look-over. He was decked out in black combats, army boots, and had a gun strapped to his waist. I could only assume that Flynn had come through on his promise to arrange some extra security.
‘Jack, this is Edward Pearson of Pearson Private Security.’
‘Mr Felton.’ He shook my hand with a no holds barred grip, which I took as a good sign. I couldn’t stand a weak handshake. In my experience it said a great deal about a man’s character. ‘Flynn has given me an update of the situation. We’ve passed out the target information and photograph and I have men situated at the road exit, pedestrian exit, and several on the beach. No one is getting in here tonight, sir.’
‘Good. Thank you.’ Turning, Pearson headed in the direction of the gate. His professional air went some way towards calming me, but I was still reluctant to leave. Until the police actually did something about Greg, I wasn’t willing to take any risks with Caitlin’s safety. She’d been through enough. Besides, it wasn’t like I couldn’t afford it. Considering my wealth, I lived a very frugal life. I wasn’t an extravagant purchaser, so the least I could do was use it on something that actually mattered to me. And by god did Caitlin matter to me.
I held out a hand to Flynn. ‘Let me see the photograph they’re using.’ He reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a small picture. This photograph was him alright, with his pointy cheekbones, floppy hair, and spiteful eyes.
‘Pulled it off a police database. There’s a warrant out for his arrest. He’s still using Greg as a first name, but rotates between several surnames.’
A frown creased my brow as I handed the picture back. ‘What’s the warrant for?’
‘Multiple charges, including several accusations of rape. It’s more complex because of the multiple identities and because he’s been moving between countries, but I have a guy working on putting together an international file.’
Fuck. It sounded like Caitlin was far from his only victim.
‘How you holding up?’ Flynn’s voice had lowered, losing its professional edge. Opening my eyes I saw him watching me intently.
‘OK, I think.’ It was a hell of a lot to take in.
‘And Caitlin?’ We didn’t speak about her very much, but Flynn was well aware of my soft spot for her, and so with a sigh I shrugged.
‘She’s better than she was. We’ve talked a lot and she’s calmer now.’ Since I had got out of the hospital I hadn’t told Flynn that Caitlin and I were trying a relationship. I think he’d probably guessed as much, but given everything, it was best he had all the details.
‘She’s with me now, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep that fucker away from her.’
Flynn’s eyebrows rose, but he nodded. ‘She’s with you? She’s finally agreed to date you?’
This wasn’t the type of thing I would usually talk about with Flynn, so I felt embarrassed and uncomfortable as I nodded and averted my eyes. ‘Yeah, since I was in the hospital.’
The corner of his mouth twitched, and I just knew a sarcastic comment was coming my way any second now. ‘Damn, I’m going to lose the enjoyment of watching her knock you back,’ he grinned. I smiled along with him. ‘Seeing her shut you down every time you asked her out was the highlight of my fucking year.’
‘Tell me about it, my eg
o was seriously starting to wither away.’
Flynn crossed his arms and nodded slowly. ‘Seriously though, I know the circumstances are shitty, but I’m happy for you, man. I can see how much you like her.’
Heat rushed to my cheeks and I cleared my throat to try and cover my embarrassment. ‘Thanks.’ Indulging in overly soppy talk with my bodyguard was not really my thing, so I looked around the compound and drew in a long breath. ‘Are we locked down here?’
‘Yep, security is as tight as an otter’s ass.’
I snorted as Flynn levelled me with an intense stare. ‘Do you think he’s coming after her?’
I hated my answer before I’d even said it, but my certainty was bone deep. ‘Yes. He’s been trying to track her down for three years, so I can’t see that he’d stop now he’s finally found her. I don’t think he’ll be able to trace her to here, though, and even if he did, he’s not stupid enough to try and get in. I don’t want to take any chances though.’
Recalling her terrified expression when I’d found her, I let out an irritated hiss. ‘Flynn, you should have seen her. She was catatonic.’ Shoving my hands into my hair, I threw my head back in anger. ‘I was right there and I let him walk away.’
A firm hand landed on my shoulder and gripped tightly. ‘You didn’t know who he was then, Jack. We’ll get him. You’ll get your chance at him.’ Flynn’s quiet certainty quelled some of the annoyance inside of me and I lowered my head and nodded before sending another glance towards Sean’s door.
‘You don’t want to leave her, do you?’ he asked quietly.
‘No.’ I tried to rationalise how I felt, but it was no good–where Caitlin was concerned I was in deep. ‘It’s fucking stupid, isn’t it?’
Flynn shrugged and crossed his arms. ‘Not at all. You’ve just got with the chick and you find out she might be in danger, it seems logical that you’d want to stay close by.’ I was actually surprised by Flynn’s support; I’d expected my confession to prompt him into taking the piss. ‘Why don’t you go back and stay the night? I’ve got things covered out here.’
