“He’s going to steal me for a few minutes,” I told Sally then pulled him to the back.
“Who said I wanted to steal you?” Jack murmured into my ear, amused. I barely managed to stop a shiver.
“I’m saying it because you should want to steal me—all the time, regularly. Just a friendly reminder from a wife to a husband.”
Owen looked up from the paper he was scribbling on and straightened up. “Hey, man.”
Jack nodded and they formally shook hands. For some reason, he hadn’t warmed up to Owen yet.
I leaned against Jack’s arm, our hands still tightly clasped. “Can he have a minute alone with me, Owen? I told him a million times that it’s not appropriate in the coffee shop, but he just looks at me…” I peered up at Jack and looked at his frowny face with a happy heart. “Just like that. You see that frown? So yeah, I can’t resist him when he is glowering at me. Plus, Sally might need help if someone comes in.”
Owen didn’t even blink at my statement. “Yeah, sure.” He picked up the paper he was working on—another list.
“Why don’t you like Owen?” I asked once he was out of earshot.
“Who said I didn’t like him?”
“I do. You barely say a word to him.”
“He gets to spend entire days with you in here.”
“So?”
“I don’t,” he grumbled, leaning down, his mouth entirely too close to mine.
“Jack?” I whispered, my nose bumping his.
“Hmm.”
“That might be the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me. Let’s go crazy in the back—we have to after that comment.”
He straightened up, taking that beautiful mouth away and giving me a blank look. “No.”
I pulled Jack forward and stopped with my back against the island.
“At least give me a lift up, or is that too much touching for you?”
His lips twitching, he shook his head. “Always ordering me around,” he murmured as he put his hands around my waist. I had instant goose bumps when he lifted me up on the island, and I pulled him between my legs.
My hands grabbing the lapels of his jacket, I pulled him closer and pressed my forehead against his. “Hi. How are you? I missed you.”
His hands squeezed my waist once, moving down to my hips, sliding me an inch or two forward. “You saw me a few hours ago when I dropped you off this morning.”
“I know. It’s been ages.” He gave me that precious smile I couldn’t get enough of and my own lips mirrored his. “And you’re supposed to say you missed me too. That’s what husbands say.”
He hummed, and the warm sound traveled all over my body. “Is that what I’m supposed to say?” His hand made its way down my thigh and he unwrapped my leg from his waist, which I hadn’t even realized I had placed there…kind of. His face softened and he cupped my cheek. “You look a little tired.”
I scooted forward a bit to make up for the unwrapping. I wanted to be as close as possible. “You know how much I love it when you compliment me on how good I look. Tell me more.”
He pulled back and gave me a pointed look that pretty much said he wasn’t having it.
I hauled him back. “I’m fine. I promise I sit down before I get dizzy, and I’m sitting right now too. I haven’t baked a thing either. Would you like to know what else good husbands do?”
“Good husbands,” he mumbled, his hands moving up and down on my back. I did my best not to squirm.
“They kiss their wives when they see them.”
“They do?”
“Yeah. I’m told it’s a tradition.”
He licked his lips, and because I was trying to fuse myself to him, his tongue touched my lips too. Letting go of his jacket before I could wrinkle it too much, I wrapped my arms around his neck, already having trouble remembering how to breathe like a normal person.
“Good thing I’m not your real husband then,” Jack said.
My mouth dropped open and I let go of him, feigning shock. “Jack Hawthorne, did you just make a joke?”
“Smartass,” he muttered with a smile, his eyes dancing. It seemed I was making him happy. Every time he smiled it loosened something in me.
“You may kiss me now,” I whispered, ready for it, desperate and impatient for it, and then he finally did so. I quickly wrapped my arms back around him again and gladly returned his kiss. Unfortunately, he put a stop to it in no time.
“Hello, my beautiful wife,” he whispered, and I felt a little better since he was out of breath too. It wasn’t just me who was affected.
I heard the bell chime and more chatter trickled into our private little bubble. We weren’t alone, though I kept forgetting that when he was around.