She had to ask Jack Hayes out on a date.
* * *
Nora smoothed down her hair,looking at her reflection in the window. The moon was giving off just enough light for her to tame her flyaways. She pinched the apples of her cheeks, smell-tested her breath, and then with a resolved huff, she went for the door.
The cool night air hit her right in the face, and she almost chickened out for one second, but the cold blast couldn’t shake her determination.
She crossed the street, barely paying attention to oncoming traffic, before wobbling unsteadily on the sandy shore. When she finally reached the beach cabin, she was a shivering mess. She gathered all of her courage and knocked on the door. Nora waited for a moment, but there was no response.
The cabin was dead quiet and most likely empty. There wasn’t even the sound of footsteps. She knocked again, this time with less spirit. If the night air hadn’t shaken her out of her stupor, embarrassment sure would.
Nora exhaled deeply and shook her head.Oh, well. At least now, people can’t say I didn’t try. Ididtry, but he didn’t answer.That was hardly her fault.
“Nora?” a deep, sexy voice called out.
With a shocked gasp, she turned toward Jack, sure she had created a hallucination.
There the man stood, looking as delicious as ever in a pair of black board shorts that always sat low enough on his hips to give a very clear indication that the man has a very nice butt.
The nicest butt in all of the town, to be completely honest.
“Are you looking for me?” he asked, his long, strong legs carrying him to her with more speed and grace than her poor little heart could take.
“I was,” she finally managed to say when he was only a few feet away from her.
There was no ice cream counter between them now. He was completely there. A man was standingrightthere. And not just any man but the man that made her heart beat super fast, the man who had blue eyes that shone so bright, they looked like stars.
A man who was now looking at her like she was insane. “Are you all right, Nora? You’re a little pale.”
“I’m fine,” she squeaked. “I’m just totally fine. I was … Umm …” She tried to find a good reason to explain why she would be knocking at his cabin door this late in the evening when there was no water sport to do. “I’ll see you later,” she blurted and darted away. At least, she tried to move away from him as fast as she could, but Jack was an athletic man with agility and speed. He caught her by the arm before spinning her into him.
And just like that, Jack Hayes kissed her.
FOUR
JACK
Nora moved away from him with impressive speed, but he was ready for her. He caught her by the arm and spun her around to bring her into his arms.
Her heart was beating impossibly fast against him.
Jack looked into those beautiful eyes of hers, and her lips parted in a gasp. The woman was good. Too good. She was already in his head, knowing what he was going to do before his brain even caught on. She licked her lips in anticipation, and it was more than Jack could stand.
Without any more hesitation, he captured her mouth in a kiss.
Nora’s reaction was immediate. She kissed him right back as if this embrace was exactly what she’d been wanting for a long time. It was astounding.
It was also amazing.
Nora kissed him with everything she had, letting him explore her mouth, doing some exploring of her own. Time lost all meaning, and he had no idea how long they stood there, kissing and completely lost in each other’s embrace.
Jack pulled away first. For all intents and purposes, they were standing outside where any lurking or nosy Half Moon Key resident could see them. Not that Jack felt any shame from kissing Nora, but he did want to keep this moment between the two of them until he checked in with Nora.
If his friends were right, Nora had been into him for a long time, and here he was, having nearly mauled her for want of her. His attraction … though not as sudden as it appeared to be … had taken him completely by surprise. It was like seeing Nora for the first time all over again.
“Nora,” he spoke against her heated cheek, breaking the silent spell that the kiss had woven between them.
“Um, yeah. Hi,” she responded, shaky and breathless.