His kiss matched the tempo of his hand, playing my body like he knew it intimately. I was nothing but a map, and he knew every single sweet spot. His thumb began to rub circles around my clit, agonisingly slow, and my hands scrambled for the buckle of his jeans. I was too lost in feeling to get his pants off, so I settled for palming his cock and loved the guttural hum that rose from deep in his throat in response to me touching him.

“Shit, I’m gonna come,” I gasped, and his lips curved in a sexy smile.

“Come then, beautiful.”

And I did. It was spectacular. His slow touches had teased me, made my orgasm so much more intense. I trembled beneath him, and his hands went to my face, pushing strands of hair away from my forehead.

“Fuck, who sent you?” he murmured reverently, and I swear my heart exploded. I nuzzled below his ear, then pressed my face to his chest and inhaled. I hated Julie even more in that moment, because she was ruining the most perfect thing I’d ever had. Jack kissed my temples, then unexpectedly, he rose from the bed.

“Sleep, flower, feel better, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

He was gone before I had the chance to reply. It would have been pointless anyway, because my throat was too thick with suppressed tears to say a word. I wasn’t sure I had it in me to stay away from him, but I was going to have to try, at least in public.

And at least until I figured out what to do about Julie.

Fourteen

A storm fell over the lovers

The following day, avoiding Jack was something of a tactical endeavour. I didn’t go to the gazebo for breakfast, and instead of sitting beside the camper to paint, I wandered outside the campsite and found a quiet spot beside some sweet-smelling bushes. I didn’t get anything of much substance done because I was so angry at Julie. I hated feeling blackmailed like this. By lunchtime I grew hungry, and I cursed myself for not thinking to bring a packed sandwich.

So much for tactics.

My injuries felt far worse today than they did yesterday. My head thumped constantly, and I had to sneakily borrow some of Lola’s makeup to cover the red mark on my cheek and the bruises on my neck.

I was almost at the camper when I heard Jack call out my name, so I quickened my pace.

“Lille! What the fuck?” he called in that way he had of sounding both stoic and pissed at the same time. The next thing I knew, I was being spun around as he grabbed hold of my arm.

Nervously, I glanced up at him. “Oh, hi, um, how are you?”

I sounded stupid, and it was clear as day that there something going on with me. His face was incredulous.

“Did you just ignore me?”

I shook my head fervently. “What? No. What are you talking about?”

“Unless you’ve gone deaf in the last twelve hours, then you were fucking ignoring me, Lille, and I want to know why.”

“I swear to God, I wasn’t ignoring you, Jack. I must have been daydreaming, because I didn’t hear you.”

He moved closer, like a panther, dark eyes narrowing. “Didn’t hear what? I never told you I said anything, so clearly you’re lying.”

I gestured with my free hand. “You said the thing about me being deaf. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out you said something that I didn’t hear.”

“Flower,” he said quietly. The term of endearment didn’t sound the way it usually did. In fact, it sounded a little threatening. “If you lie to me one more time, you won’t like what happens next.”

The bloody nerve of him! I used every ounce of strength I had in me to shove him away. Any other time I wouldn’t have had such a strong response to his threat, but combined with Julie’s blackmail, what he said was the last straw.

I pointed my finger at him. “Don’t you dare fucking threaten me, Jack McCabe.”

He stared at me, eyes hard, and for a moment we were locked in a standoff, a silent battle of wills. The silence was broken when somebody’s footsteps crunched along the grass and I turned to see Marina approach, Pierre ambling alongside her as she carried a stack of flyers in her arms.

“Ah, just the two able-bodied young people I wanted to see,” she said, smiling innocently like she hadn’t a clue about the argument we’d just been having. Jack’s gaze cut to her, and it was far from welcoming. Marina barely gave his hostility a second glance, and I wished I could have even half her impassivity when dealing with him.

“I need you two to head into town and leave some of these advertisements in the shops. We didn’t sell as many seats as usual last night, so we need the extra publicity boost.”

“Kind of busy at the moment, Marina,” Jack grunted as I walked to her and took the flyers out of her hands.

“I can do it. I wasn’t feeling well last night and couldn’t make it to the show. This can be my way of paying you back. Jack doesn’t need to help.”

“You won’t be able to manage it alone,” said Marina. “Jack will help you.”

There was a steeliness to her voice that brooked no argument, and Jack let out a grunt of annoyance before coming and taking the last of the flyers. Seeming satisfied, Marina sauntered off with Pierre, leaving us alone again. I was having a hard time looking at Jack, but I could feel him practically boring a hole into my skull.

“Our conversation isn’t over,” he called after me as I went inside the camper to grab a bag for the flyers. When I emerged, he stood there, all cranky and foreboding, and I hated that he still looked sexy as you fucking please. Christ, I was going to have to tell him about Julie, wasn’t I? I mean, if nothing else, she couldn’t just be left to run around kicking the crap out of her love rivals. I had to summon some courage and be brave. Yes, I was going to tell him.

Just…not right this second.

With a heavy silence between us, I followed Jack to a bus stop just outside the campsite, and we stood a few feet apart as we waited for one to come by. Thankfully, it only took a few minutes. Not so thankfully, each of those minutes felt like an hour. I could feel him watching me, studying me, trying to figure me out. When the bus finally arrived, there weren’t any seats available. I stood beside a window while Jack hovered close to me, his arm raised up and holding on to a bar above my head. An electricity hummed between us, but not a word was spoken. Minutes went by, his attention on me like a physical touch. His smell filled my nose, and it was so divine it took all of my willpower not to rest my head on his shoulder and breathe him in.

“Last night you said you were sick when you weren’t, and today you’re avoiding me like the plague,” Jack said, keeping his voice low so the other people on the bus couldn’t hear. “I take it you’ve had more time to think about being with me, and decided it’s not what you want.” A sadness tinged his words, and guilt seized my chest. “I can’t say I’m surprised. I knew the truth would change how you saw me.”

No, no, no, my mind screamed, while on the outside I didn’t know what to say. I placed my hand on his arm, half to comfort him and half for balance. “That’s not it at all.”

“What is it, then?” he asked, a flicker of hope flashing as his eyes scanned my face.

Before I could answer, the bus shuddered to a halt, and it was time for us to get off. My head was dizzy all of a sudden as I stepped onto the busy city street. I had to stumble to a nearby wall to steady myself. The spot where Julie had struck me was giving me trouble, and I wondered if I was having some sort of delayed concussion. I remembered that you weren’t supposed to sleep after being hit on the head and inwardly cursed myself, because I’d gone straight to bed after. What an idiot.

Warm hands covered my shoulders. “Lille, are you all right? You’ve gone pale.”

I breathed deeply and righted myself. “I’m fine. Standing on the bus just made me a little bit dizzy.”