The waiter appeared at our table then. He was a handsome Italian guy with dark eyes and dark hair, and he spoke very good English. I wasn’t even hungry and the menu was practically gibberish to me, but I forced myself to pick something. When it was my turn to order, I glanced up at the waiter for help. “Um, what is the Milanese di pollo?”

“It’s a breaded chicken breast with salad,” he answered, giving me a warm, interested smile. Something about the way he looked at me told me he liked what he saw, and I grew uncomfortable, mainly because Jack was right beside me.

“Oh, right, okay, that sounds good,” I said. “I’ll take that.”

The waiter must have sensed I was ordering it for convenience, and he was right, because I wasn’t a big fan of breaded chicken. He leaned down and took the menu in his hands, holding it in front of me. “You tell me what you like and I’ll choose, yes? What is your favourite: steak, seafood, pasta?”

“I like seafood,” I offered.

“Ah, so how about the zuppa di pesce? It is a fish stew.”

“That sounds good, thank you,” I replied, smiling gratefully.

“It is my pleasure, bella ragazza,” he said, and placed his hand on my shoulder for a second. All of a sudden I felt heat at my neck, and I realised that Jack had leaned in and was resting his arm along the back of the booth. I glanced at him to see he was staring daggers at the waiter, and my pulse hammered. Whoa, he looked angry. The waiter left quickly after taking in Jack’s expression, and a quiet fell over the table.

Matilda gave me a playful grin. “Do you know what he just called you?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know much Italian.”

“He called you a beautiful girl. Methinks the waiter likes you, Lille.”

I grew both tense and elated that Jack was pissed at the waiter flirting with me.

“I was chatting with a woman in the hotel spa the other day. She’s from London, and she said she loves coming here because she gets so much attention from the men. They love the pale skin,” Matilda went on, and I had a feeling she knew exactly what she was up to. She was trying to make Jack jealous, and it seemed to be working. I stole a peek at him again, my cheeks flushing, and I found he was staring at me intensely.

“So, tell me,” said Jay, breaking my attention away from Jack. “How did you two kids meet?”

Jack gave him an annoyed look and remained silent, so I chose to answer, clearing my throat. “The circus was doing some shows in my hometown. I was working at my summer job in the local restaurant, and Jack used to come in a lot with Marina. She’s the ringmaster.” I could feel Jack watching me as I continued the story shyly. “I was always looking at him. I thought he was gorgeous. I dunno, I suppose you could say I had a bit of a crush.”

Jack made a grunting sound that I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret. Jay had been grinning at me while I spoke, but now his attention went to his brother. “Oh, yeah, and what did you think of lovely Lille when you first saw her, Jack?”

Jack didn’t answer right away, but when he did, I felt myself grow weak at his low, fervent response. “I thought she was exquisite. And not for the likes of me.”

Jay frowned, and I was blushing even harder now. God, I loved this man so much.

“Well, I don’t think Lille agrees with that assessment, do you, darlin?” Jay asked, focusing back on me. I shook my head and felt my body lean slightly closer to Jack’s. His fingertips brushed the back of my neck, and I sucked in a breath at the contact. The moment was broken when the waiter arrived back with our food. He didn’t flirt with me this time, not after having Jack almost glower him to death before, and left as soon as he’d distributed the plates.

I lifted my spoon and began to eat. The stew was delicious, hot and salty. I had one hand resting on the edge of the booth and noticed that Jack’s hand rested just a few inches away. Feeling bold, I moved my hand so it rested against his. I felt the heat of his skin all the way down to my toes. A few moments passed, but he didn’t break the contact. Perhaps he craved it just as much as I did.

Throughout the meal, I stole glances at him. I knew Jay and Matilda could see, but I tried to ignore their indulgent smiles. At one point when I tried to look at Jack, I found he was already staring at me, his eyes trained on my mouth. I’d just eaten a spoonful of stew, and a little of the liquid had dribbled down my chin. Almost as though it was second nature, Jack lifted his thumb and wiped it away. I watched as he then brought his thumb to his mouth to suck it clean, and as soon as I saw him do it, I was wet and aching for him.

“Jack,” I whispered, and moved my leg so our thighs touched.

“What is it, flower?” he asked, just as quietly.

“I’m sorry.”

His lips turned down sadly. “I know you are. I know.”

An agonising moment of quiet passed before Matilda spoke. “You know what I want to do tonight? I want to go dancing. We should all go to a club or something.”

Jay chuckled. “Okay, Watson. Your wish is my command. Admit it, you just want to see me bust some sexy moves on the dance floor.”

“Well, what’s the point in having a husband who can dance if I’m not going to take advantage of it every now and again?”

Jay stared fondly down at his wife before looking to Jack. “What about you, bro? You like to bust a move, too?”

Jack looked uncomfortable for a second, so I answered for him. “Um, have you seen him on stage? Of course he likes to dance, but it’s more like a tribal sort of thing.” I slid my pinky around Jack’s beneath the table, and he let me.

“It’s actually called Poi dancing,” Jack explained gruffly. “It’s Maori, from New Zealand.”

I rubbed my pinky along his, and a moment later he gripped my hand tight, giving it a squeeze. The emotions I was feeling in that moment were almost too much to bear.

“Oh, yeah, and where did you learn how to do that?” Jay probed.

Jack seemed embarrassed now. “I took classes.”

Matilda leaned forward with interest. “In Dublin? Really? I didn’t know you could learn that kind of thing back home.”

Jack’s brow crinkled slightly as he stuck his fork into his linguine. “It was combined with a belly dancing class.” He paused, frowning, but then his lips twitched. “Don’t laugh.”

Despite Jack’s instruction, Jay let out a big chuckle, and Matilda giggled. “That’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I bet the ladies in the class were drooling all over themselves to have you there.”

“Hey!” Jay protested, scowling impishly at his wife.

“What?” Matilda exclaimed. “Jack grew up well. Just like you did. Never let it be said that the McCabe/Fields brothers don’t bulk up once they hit puberty.”

“I can’t believe you’re the same girl I knew as a kid,” said Jack with a smile. “I remember you used to give me chocolate chip cookies all the time. In my head, I called you Cookie Girl.”

“In my head, I call her something else,” Jay put in flirtatiously, and Matilda whacked him on the shoulder.

“You always have to lower the tone,” she complained, but she was still grinning.

Jay flashed his teeth at her as he smiled. “You love it.”

For a second I forgot the tension between Jack and me, and soaked in the fun-loving atmosphere that simply radiated off this couple. They were so enjoyable to be around, and I was sure it was their warmth that was lessening Jack’s distance from me. I’d eaten way too much bread and olive oil, mostly out of nerves, so when it was time for dessert, I didn’t have much room left. I turned to Jack, and he must have sensed my attention because his eyes came to mine.

“Do you want to share something? I don’t have enough room left for a full dessert,” I said, rubbing my hand over my tummy. Jack’s gaze heated up and wandered to my stomach before rising to my chest. The dress I wore was a little bit low-cut and showed what I thought was a classy amount of cleavage.