Jack (The Family Simon Book 2) (8 page)

“You left this morning and spent the entire day on an island, leaving me here all alone? With no phone or anybody to talk to? I could have fallen and broken my neck and no one would have known. Or gone for a swim and had a cramp and drowned. Again no one would know because I was all alone.”

Voice shaky, she took a moment, but the more time she took the more hurt and angry she became.

“I didn’t matter enough for you to leave a fucking note? A little scribble to say, hey Donnie, I’m off to some exotic island, because I can’t stand being near you? Oh and while I’m having a nice cold beer in some swanky bar, maybe I’ll bang some island girl while I’m there? Huh? Would that have been too much to ask?”

“Donovan.” He held his hands out, palms up, the universal sign of peace and she slapped at them.

“Don’t you dare…” her voice was hoarse, and she struggled to catch her breath. “Don’t you dare ‘Donovan’ me. I can’t believe you.”

“You’re overreacting,” he said carefully, moving back a few inches. Smart move. Donovan had a good right hook, and Jack damn well knew it.

“Overreacting? You haven’t seen overreacting. I was alone all damn day. A band of pirates could have come ashore and taken me and done God knows what to me.”

“Pirates?”

“Yes, pirates,” she snapped. “You know, I’m the captain now? Pirates?”

He looked at her as if she was losing her marbles and maybe she was, but Jesus, Jack Simon deserved to feel at least some of the anxiety she’d gone through because of him.

“Donnie.”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not your Donnie. I’m not your anything. Because of you, I’ll never be…”

Anyone’s anything.
The words were stuck in her throat which was something to be grateful for, at least.

“Never mind,” she said, turning abruptly because that stupid ball of emotion decided now was as good a time as any to bubble up, and she was going to cry.

Dammit. She was going to cry.

But not in front of Jack. She’d rather jump off the dock and say hello to a whole school of sharks than let him see just how much he still meant to her.

How much he could still hurt her.

She took one step.
One step.

And felt his hand on her arm.

Jack felt like the biggest douche bag ever. He’d never meant to worry Donovan. Hell, it had never entered his mind that she’d even care.

But she did. And if he was reading the signals right, she cared a whole lot which made no sense at all. She’d ended things between them. That was all on her.

For just one second, Jack considered letting her go, but then that nagging thought that had been at the back of his mind for the past few days nudged him. It’s what sent him forward, because he was done playing nice. Done with the whole, ‘I don’t give a crap thing’, because that was about as far from the truth as he could get.

He was damn well ready for some answers. He’d waited long enough.

Five years too long.

“Donnie,” he said, reaching for her arm. The rain was still falling and her skin was slick with it. “Hey, hold up.”

She wouldn’t turn around, but she didn’t shrug him off either. In a calculated risk, Jack decided to put it all out there. Why not? It’s not as if he had anything to lose and, on the flipside, maybe he’d finally figure out the mess that was their history.

Maybe then he could move on.

“Turn around,” he said.

“I don’t want to.”

The woman couldn’t make anything easy.

“Turn the fuck around,” he said through gritted teeth as a fresh wave of anger rolled over him. “I’m not going to talk to the back of your head like some tail-between-his-legs schoolboy.”

She shook off his hand and slowly turned around, but she refused to look at him which made that slow burn inside spark something fierce. When the hell had he become the bad guy?

“Why are you so upset anyway? I don’t get it. Five years ago, you left me a goddamn letter and ended things. I didn’t even rate a face to face. So what gives now? Why the concern? We’re not friends. We’re barely acquaintances anymore. I thought you’d love having the place to yourself.”

Her chin jutted forward and finally he had her attention. Those big eyes locked onto his with an intensity that surprised him. And wait…were those tears in her eyes?

Jack swore and ran his hands over his wet head. “What the hell? You gotta help me out here. I get that you were scared because you were all alone and yes, I apologize for not leaving a note. But Donnie, something else is going on. You’re—“

“Of course I was scared you idiot. I still…” But her voice trailed off and those big eyes slid away from him. She damn well
was
hiding something and his frustration grew.

“Still what?” He took a step closer until he was in her face. “What are you not telling me?”

But she wouldn’t meet his gaze and aside from physically forcing her to look up at him, Jack was out of options. The only thing he had was the truth.

“You want to know why I left this morning? Being here with you is fucking with my head. I can’t look at you without wanting you, and then I get pissed at myself and I think of how things were left. What you did…”

He swore because the anger inside him was burning hotter and hotter, and he wasn’t used to not being in control. “I thought you were the one. Christ, I was going to propose that week—“

“What?”

Her head jerked up, her bottom lip trembling, whether from cold or nerves he didn’t know. Her hair was a slick river of blonde that fell around her shoulders in wet tangles, and those eyes, they looked haunted.

“What did you just say?” she asked again.

Jack could back away, or he could finally face this demon.

“I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I wanted to wake up in the morning and see your face. Your smile. That sexy-as-hell mole.” He said something under his breath and she winced at the savage tone of his voice.

“I wanted to have kids with you. I wanted a little girl with the sun in her hair and sky in her eyes. I wanted the white picket fence. The whole nine yards. I had the ring picked out, and I was going to propose but then we had that fight.” His shoulders bunched, the muscles tense. “I have no idea what we even fought about now, which makes this even more pathetic than it already is.”

“Derek,” she said her voice tremulous, barely above a whisper.

“What?”

“Derek was always around and I…he…never mind.” She blew out a long breath. “We fought about Derek.”

Right. Stupidest fight ever. Funny that Derek was the one to hand Jack the bad news. “When I came back you were gone, and he had your letter.”

Jack still had it, but that was something she didn’t need to know.

He watched her intently, trying to figure her out. Wondering what the hell was going on inside her head. She shuddered and made a small sound and only then did he realize his hand was still on her arm and that it was no longer raining.

Shadows moved across her face as the moon came out from hiding. And those eyes, always those eyes full of unsaid things, watched him. She was shivering, her nipples pebbled beneath the sundress that she wore. A sundress that was plastered to curves he’d done nothing but fantasize about for the last two nights.

That ache in his gut was back. It was back with a vengeance, pummeling his insides and Jack’s gaze wandered lower, over slim hips and a good amount of bare leg. Everything about her was delicate and fragile and…

“Jack,” she said, drawing out his name. The Arkansas twang was back and something about it made his blood heat, his skin tight.

Then she made a sound. Not just any sound, but the one that always made him crazy. It was a surrender of sorts and the air became charged with something heavy. It was the sort of thing that fed on emotion and pain and—he felt his pulse quicken—pleasure.

“Donovan,” he said roughly, pulling back a step. “I…let’s just call it a night.”

Hands clenched at his sides, he stared at her. Suddenly he didn’t give a flying fuck about answers. He needed to put some distance between them, because his mind was heading south and the only thing he wanted to do right now was something that he shouldn’t even be considering.

No way in hell. If Jack went down that road, he wasn’t so sure he’d find his way back. He gave himself a mental shake and blew out a long breath.

“Look. I’m sorry if I worried you. That wasn’t my intent. It’s been a long day and I should just...” Goddamn ,did she have to look at him like that? With those big eyes and a mouth that was enough to drive a decent man crazy?

He cleared his throat. “Let’s just call it a night.”

He would have moved past her. Hell, he had every intention of moving past her and not stopping until he was in his room, cold beer in hand and a shower the only thing in his imminent future.

But she reached for him. The shock of feeling her fingers run across his jaw came fast and hard. Jack’s breath hitched, and his heart took off, beating as if the very devil was inside him.

Those big eyes were shiny, her mouth slightly open and her scent, holy hell but this woman smelled amazing.

“What are you doing?” Jack asked, barely able to get the words out because Donovan inched forward until only a whisper separated them.

For a moment, the two of them stared into each other’s eyes, hearts beating like mad, breaths falling rapidly.

And then she leaned into him, her hands cupping his face as she rose up onto her tiptoes and damn, if Jack didn’t let her.

Her mouth slid across his, a tentative touch, but that was all it took for Jack to give up any pretense that things weren’t gonna happen between them and to hell with the consequence. His arms snaked around her waist, and he pulled her in as close as he could get her. He kept one hand on her hip, holding her steady while the other threaded through the hair at her nape.

A groan escaped him as his mouth closed over hers, and he took command. He kissed her—he kissed her hard—his mouth bruising and passionate and angry. He tasted every inch of her, his tongue sliding across her lips, her teeth, wanting deeper. Wanting more.

Jack gave one more sweep of his tongue, his hand running down the small of her back until he cupped her ass. There was no doubt that she felt how hard he was and for a moment, he had to catch his breath.

He rested his forehead on hers, both of them breathless, and those hot, needful things that filled the air were inside them. Invading. Coaxing.

Jesus Christ.

Jack angled his head so that he could see her face. See the mouth that was swollen from his. A mouth that had driven him to distraction in the past and one that haunted him still.

He knew that he should walk away, because that was the right thing to do for so many reasons. Another man might have done that, but then Jack wasn’t the type to play hide and seek. Not now. Not ever.

Some would say that what he was contemplating was foolish. That one more night with the woman who’d pretty much ruined him for all others was a mistake. But Jack knew better. This here, this wasn’t about love anymore. Hell no. That was dead and gone, and he’d never dig up that old ghost.

Right now, this was about satisfying a craving he’d never been able to shake. It was about taking that one last taste. Savoring it. Enjoying it.

And then moving on.

“I’m giving you one chance to say no,” Jack whispered, eyes glittering. “One chance to walk away from the thing that’s still here between us.” He bent forward, his warm breath sliding across her cheek as he sought out that place near her ear. He felt her shudder and smiled as he waited, mouth hovering over her skin.

One second.

Two and three and four.

And then his eyes darkened as his hands slid over her. He cupped her possessively, his body tight with anticipation. Voice lowered, he waited a half a second more and then whispered.

“Time’s up.”

Donovan should have run as far away from Jack Simon as she could when she had the chance.

“Time’s up,” he whispered.

Should of. Could have. But ultimately she didn’t. Why? Because every single cell in her body was on fire. She hadn’t felt this alive in years and damned if she was giving that up anytime soon.

That kiss. Holy hell that kiss was all kinds of want and need and desire and heat. It was everything she’d missed and everything she wanted and…

She thought of Cooper Simon.

It was everything she couldn’t have.

Unless…

“One night,” she whispered, unaware she’d spoken until Jack angled his head and gazed down at her.

“What was that?” he asked, voice a little rough.

For a heartbeat, she stared into eyes that would haunt her for the rest of her days. For that heartbeat, she saw everything they’d had and everything they would never know. But right here, right now, she could have it all again.

“One night, Jack. That’s all I got.”

His eyes were hooded, that amazing mouth of his in a half-grin, and just for a second, fear sliced through her. If Cooper ever found out, he’d destroy both of them.

“I’m good with that.”

Don’t do it, Donnie.

But the thing about want and need and all of the other stuff she was feeling, was that none of those things were talking to her brain right now. They were spread thin, covering her flesh, igniting flames of desire and pooling low in her stomach. They made her tremble in anticipation. Ache with the need to connect.

He leaned closer again, and God help Donovan but her knees knocked together. If it wasn’t for Jack’s arms still around her, she would have fallen on her ass. His breath was a whisper across her cheek, and she squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling that masculine scent that was all him.

And then his mouth was on hers, hot and urgent. She opened beneath him, hungrily taking him in, her tongue tasting his, her fingers clawed into his shoulders. The feel of him, the taste of him was like a returning dream and Donovan wanted to weep because it felt that good.

Jack kissed her long and hard, his hands moving over her body, positioning her so that his erection pressed into her.