It worked.
As soon as his lips met hers, his hands cupping her face, his erection pressing into her, Nora let her instincts and her long-standing desire for Jack take over.
She explored his back with her hands before stuffing her fingers in his thick, lush hair. She dug her nails into his scalp, earning her a nip from his teeth on her lower lip. It made her core clench.What would it be like to feel his tonguethere?
She didn’t dare ask him. Maybe if she was so lucky, one day, she would know what it was like to be loved by this man, but today was not that day.
She still had to take it slow, didn’t she? Her age didn’t matter. She was still nervous.
“The sauce will burn if we keep this up,” Jack said, pushing away from her as if it caused him physical pain to move from her. “I need to check on it.”
He took her palm to his mouth and kissed her softly. “I still haven’t given you a drink. Talk about being a bad host.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. I feel pretty well taken care of right now.”
He chuckled. “I like this cheeky side of you, Nora. I really do, but if you could just hold that thought for a second.” He pressed his lips to her forehead before vanishing to the kitchen.
She followed behind, finding him hovering over the stove. There were a few pots simmering, scenting the air with garlic and the promise of a yummy meal. He had already set the small table with nice placemats, candles, and linen napkins.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” she offered.
“Not a chance,” he answered. “You sit right there and just tell me all about your day.”
Though there was nothing much to report, she told him about her work before the conversation moved on to speculation about the next scavenger hunt event. It was to take place the following evening.
“Do you think we’re going to get our own clue again?”
She laughed softly. “Oh, I don’t think so. Now that we’ve been on our first official date, I think that Jade and Parker will put us in the actual competition.”
Nora wasn’t convinced, but it didn’t matter. So long as she got to spend time with Jack, she didn’t care.
Jack brought over a plate of pasta that smelled just as good as if it came from her family’s restaurant. “Don’t judge me too harshly. I’ve never worked at The Spaghetti Bowl, and I’m sure it cannot compare to your family recipe.”
She waved off his concern. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. You forget that it doesn't seem as special when you’ve had something your whole life.”
“I guess that’s fair. Did your family always eat in the restaurant?”
Nora didn’t really want to give him a glimpse into her loving but dysfunctional family, but he was bound to find out sooner or later. She chose to answer his questions, leaving nothing out.
They continued to chat all through dinner and cleaning up, which Nora insisted on helping with after such a lovely meal. She tried to ask Jack the right kind of questions, but either she was bad at it, or he was a professional at dodging questions. It was almost impossible to get the man to share any detail about his life before Half Moon Key.
“Won’t you ever tell me what you did for a living before you started running the rental cabin?”
Jack considered her question for a little bit before he announced it was time for dessert. He had pie from Moonie’s because the man might not be from Half Moon Key, but he had been a resident long enough to know that Moonie’s pie was the best dessert to be had in town.
“I didn’t want to serve you ice cream,” he joked.
“So long as it’s not mango tornado, it would have been fine,” she teased.
He pretended to balk. “And just what is wrong with mango tornado?”
“Oh, you mean besides the super odd orange color?” She giggled when he pulled a face. “It’s not a normal color, and to be honest, you’re the reason I order it.”
“What?” he asked, his bite stopping halfway to his mouth. “What do you mean?”
“You are the only person in town who likes that flavor. I keep it in stock for you only.”
He blinked at her. “Holy shit, that is so sweet.”