Nora squeezed his leg to try and comfort him. “Yeah, and I mean, I’d be reading it as a book. I wouldn’t exactly bethere. Don’t get me wrong, your writing is amazing and totally transports me to wherever your characters are, but this is a tall order.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Nora. It wasn’t fair of me to ask you.”
“I’m still going to read it, Jack. I want to read it because I know just how important it is for you, but whatever happens with this, I want you to promise me that you will not do anything rash. If we find out who killed your friend and how they did it, we cannot do anything about it.”
Jack nodded. “You’re right.”
She chewed her lower lip. “How bad is it that right now? All I want to do is read this book?”
He chuckled. “Maybe later. Tonight, we’ve got other plans.”
“We do?” she asked, completely surprised by his words.
Jack took the manuscript and placed it on the coffee table. “We definitely do.”
When he began to kiss her, she completely forgot all about his past and how it could reach into their present and ruin their future.
FIFTEEN
JACK
Well done, Jackass, his lion said, using his favorite nickname for Jack whenever he did something that was truly idiotic.
Jack, for his part, didn’t think he had done anything stupid.
So he had let in Nora and told her almost everything about his past. That’s what boyfriends did. They shared. They were honest and helped their ladies, but they also let their women help them.
He knew it was a lot to ask of Nora to read the book he had written about Zak’s death, but he also knew she would read it for him.
Their connection was that good, but for now, he wanted to pretend he was just like any other man enjoying a night with the woman that made his heart beat faster and better than it had in years.
“Nora,” he whispered, pushing her hair over her shoulder. “I need you to know something. You have brought me back to life.”
She gasped, her lips parting. Her cheeks colored the way he enjoyed so much, and he spread his hands over the blush, tracing the blood to her neck, where he pressed a series of hot and open-mouthed kisses.
“I was fine hiding and living a half-life. How the hell was I supposed to know that the woman who was going to bring me back to life was hiding behind the ice cream counter?”
She giggled. “I always said that the right dessert can totally change a life.”
He joined in on her laughter, but soon, their heated kisses ended the night’s humor. The night was heavy with the lust pulsing between them.
Jack had never felt a need so profound, but he was keenly aware that Nora had never done this. She had never gone this far, and he didn’t want to push her.
“Nora,” he whispered.
“Jack, I swear, if you are about to tell me that I don’t need to do this and that you will stop the second I ask, I am going to bite you.”
He laughed softly. “Bite me?” he asked. “Why would you do that?”
“Because it hurts to want you so much, knowing that if I do the wrong thing, you’ll think that I’m panicking and stop this. I don’t want to stop this. I want you. I want this. I want it all, Jack.”
He pulled away from her embrace and looked deep into her eyes to see if she understood just what she was offering him. “Nora. Are you sure?” His heart thundered loudly from her words.
She nodded. “Yeah, Jack. We are going to have sex tonight, and it will be a big deal, but it also won’t be a big deal.”
He chuckled and arched a brow. “How can two opposing things be true, love?”
“I don’t know. All I do know is that I am in pain because I want you so much. This is what I want, but I know that sex can change things.”