She nodded.
“Tha
t’s a crock of shit.” His jaw clenched as he looked over his shoulder to the scene. “Let’s go lose ourselves on the beach. I don’t want to go to bed yet.”
He hugged her into his body as they walked over the boardwalk. Jack took a look behind him to make sure they weren’t spotted before they stepped down onto the sand.
“Hmm…” She hummed lightly and snaked her arm through his. The sound reached right down to his balls and hugged them tightly. “That’s exactly what I feel like doing.”
She stared up at him with a devilish grin.
“Tired?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No.”
Flames of desire danced in her eyes.
“Let’s take a walk.” They didn’t necessarily need a hotel room to do the wicked things he had on his mind.
They walked toward the shoreline and removed their shoes. The moonlight glistened across the water and reflected in her eyes.
Her hand found his chest again as she leaned into him and caught his gaze.
He sighed. “I hate them.” He pulled her tighter to his body, his hand grabbing at her hip for strength. “The night my mother died, they manipulated an innocent meeting into a sex scandal. They made me look like an insensitive asshole who didn’t give a shit.”
“Anyone who knows you would know that’s not the truth.” She nestled her head on his arm.
“Most people don’t know me.” There were very few people in this world who knew the truth about that night. And for some reason Jack trusted Sterling with the truth.
She pulled them to a stop and leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. He knew he didn’t have to say anything else. She understood this whole deal to spend time together was all about her becoming someone else. She knew all about being slapped with the wrong label.
“Thank you, Jack.”
If anyone was giving thanks, it should be him. “You don’t have to thank me. I wanted to do this.”
“I don’t mean about tonight.” She stopped. The cool waves lapped at their feet. “Well, yes, thank you for tonight. I’ve never been to Florida. What I meant was thank you for all of it. For trusting me. For cajoling me to live.”
He had lived. That was the one thing money did buy. A life.
“I’ve never had so much fun in my entire life than I have the last two weeks with you.”
He wondered why a woman as beautiful and successful as Sterling held back. “Why is that?”
She scrunched up her face and bit her bottom lip. For a minute he didn’t think she was going to reveal anything about her life. She had no obligation to do such a thing. But then she straightened and said, “My parents moved us around a lot. I have two siblings who are much younger. I always had to work to contribute to the household. I never had the opportunity to make lasting friendships. After a while, I just gave up.”
They continued to amble hand in hand, their arms swinging between their bodies.
“One day my parents said they were moving. I was eighteen and I decided I’d had enough. I moved out on my own. Went to college. That’s where I met Penn.”
So she was a responsible teenager. “What about Adult Sterling?”
“Things just kept cropping up that prevented me from being able to let loose and enjoy life. Then I met Tom.” She looked up at him. She didn’t need to explain Tom or who he was. He was obviously the one she was running away from. “He seemed to like boring, old Sterling.”
“And where is this Tom now?” Far, far away? He could only hope.
“My ex-fiancé is long gone and I guess I never bothered to try anything or anyone new. I haven’t dated since.”
“Until you met me and I made you unleash Exciting Sterling.”