Chapter 7 #3
He nodded and set the box at their feet, then moved to stand behind her, his chest to her back as he reached his arms around her to place his hands on hers.
“Ready?” he whispered in her ear.
She gave him a nod and together they upended the bag, sending ashes floating out on the wind across the moat and into the sea.
Charli released another ragged sob, turned in his arms, and buried her face in his chest again.
He pulled her close, murmuring soft words of encouragement as grief wracked her body and her shoulders shook under the force of emotion.
His hands lightly stroked her hair as he rocked back and forth.
Tears streamed down his own cheeks as he held her and together they mourned Dottie.
After a while, the sobs began to fade and Charli peered up at him, her face red and streaked with tears, her nose running.
His mouth twitched at the corners into a small smile despite the tears on his own cheeks—she’d probably be horrified if she saw her reflection, but she’d never been more beautiful to him with her brilliant purple eyes, wind-tussled honey blonde hair, and swollen pink lips.
She continued to stare up at him, not saying a word, and then slowly lifted on her toes and pressed her lips hesitantly to his.
He groaned softly as his hand snaked up to tangle in her hair, holding her in place as he kissed her back gently.
His mouth rubbed over hers and she moaned as her arms tightened around him.
It took everything he had to pull back and not push for more. But this—right after releasing her aunt’s ashes and standing on a very-exposed wall—was certainly not the right time for taking things further.
Breathing heavy and more than a little regret, he stepped back and held her at arm’s length. “You ready to have some fun now?”
Charli smiled with relief and sniffed. “Yeah. That sounds great.”
“Good!” He grinned. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m famished,” she said, with some surprise. Suddenly her face fell. “But I didn’t bring anything with me,” she lamented, her voice full of disappointment.
Jack chuckled. “Well, that’s where Janie came in. You can thank her later.” He reached down and grabbed her hand, leading her down the curved staircase and through the fort to the main entrance. “Come on.”
“Jack, slow down,” Charli gasped with a light laugh. “Your legs are like twice as long as mine. I’m practically running here.”
He slowed down a bit and gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I forget that sometimes.”
As they walked through the fort’s front gate, he peered out on the horizon back to the east and grunted. So far, there was nothing there.
“What are you looking for?” Charli asked.
Jack grunted again. “Just making sure the ferries weren’t arriving yet.
I think we’ll have another hour or so of peace and quiet before the tourists arrive.
” As they walked to the plane, he took the now-empty white box from her and placed it on the copilot seat.
Then he opened the side hatch and stepped in.
Opening the large cooler strapped down in the back, he peered in and grinned. His sister hadn’t let him down.
As he grabbed the large cooler from the plane, Charli gasped. “Where did you get that?”
“Janie put this together for us.” He smiled as he walked past her toward the shaded beach on the south side of the island.
He glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was following and found her slowly trailing him, staring out over the water. “We’ll set up over here.” When she met his eyes, he gestured with his chin toward a lovely, shaded section of the white sand beach.
She grinned and raced up to help him with the cooler. He set it down and opened the lid, sighing with satisfaction...oh yes, Janie had gone all out on this one.
The red and white checkered blanket was perfect as he spread it across the sand, and Charli began unpacking the contents of the cooler.
She ooohed and aaahed over each new item as she pulled them out.
Janie had packed deli sandwiches, fresh ceviche, chips, guacamole, fruit salad, and his favorite cookies.
Charli held up the wine bottle and grinned. “Wow—a chilled Moscato! How in the world did she keep this cold?”
Jack pointed to the section of the cooler. “Dry ice.” He patted a brown pastry box next to it. “And if we’re still hungry after all this, we have some fresh key lime pie to finish it off.” He took out the glasses, expertly opened the bottle and poured for both of them.
Charli sat back and stared down at the bounty spread before them. “Jack, this is amazing.” She glanced up at him and grinned. “Thank you.”
He chuckled. “It’s my pleasure.” He held his wine glass up for a toast. When Charli reciprocated, he said, “To Dottie. May her spirit be at peace and may we fulfill all of her wishes...together.”
Charli smiled and clinked her glass with his.
“Cheers!” They both took a sip of wine and the tension and sadness that had been hovering over her all morning dissipated like mist in the sunshine.
Releasing the ashes had been therapeutic for both of them, and he was glad to see her spirit shining through.
“Let me fill our plates,” she offered. “It’s the least I can do after you planned all this.”
Jack grinned as he watched her—so far, so good despite his missteps earlier. They’d both been able to say goodbye to Dottie, and they’d shared their first kiss on the wall.
Nice and slow, Jack...nice and slow...
* * * *
Charli released a contented sigh and reclined on the blanket, tilting her face up.
She closed her eyes luxuriating in the warm caress of the sun and the sound of waves gently lapping the shore.
One of Dottie’s wishes had been fulfilled, she’d cried her heart out on Jack’s shoulder, and her belly was deliciously full—her body was overloaded on endorphins.
The moment she’d been dreading since she’d read Dottie’s letter was now in the past, and she had absolutely no worries.
Well...maybe there was one small worry nagging at her, but it wasn’t anything an apology wouldn’t fix—at least she hoped anyway.
Opening her eyes, she stared up at the small, fluffy clouds and was amazed yet again at how incredibly blue the sky was here.
If she hadn’t known better, she would think that Jack was wooing her because this was the ultimate romantic spot—an isolated island, white-sand beaches, palm trees blowing in the wind, a picnic, and wine.
Really, really good wine, she mused as she sipped from her glass.
She glanced at Jack and mentally grimaced.
He looked so relaxed and satisfied at that moment as he lay sprawled there staring off into the distance, that she hated to break the mood.
But she wouldn’t feel better until she got this off her chest. Hopefully, he hadn’t been offended by her advances, but maybe he understood that it was just part of the grieving moment.
She took a deep, fortifying breath. “Jack?”
He lounged next to her on his right side, one arm braced on the ground as he stared out at the ocean. “Hmm?” he mumbled before sipping his wine.
“I just want to apologize for earlier.”
His brows dropped, and a frown marred his gorgeous features. “What are you talking about?”
She gestured toward the huge brick fortress. “You know, on the wall after we released her ashes. It was really forward of me and I hope I didn’t offend you.”
He barked out a laugh. “Why would anything you did offend me?” He chuckled again and then took a big gulp of his wine.
Charli scrunched her face up...was he really going to make her say it? “Well, I saw you and Gus yesterday, and I realized that you’re gay. The last thing in the world you must want is some crazy woman—Ahhhhhh!” she shrieked as Jack spewed his wine all over her.
She jumped up and pulled her wet shirt away from her chest. “What was that for?”
Jack scrambled to his feet, coughing and sputtering, and towered over her. His face was incredulous and Charli’s heart dropped thinking now she’d really upset him. “What did you just say?” he asked in a quiet voice. A shiver went down her spine at the intensity of his question.
Not about to be intimidated, Charli lifted her chin and met his gaze, holding out her hands placatingly.
“That the last thing you want is some woman molesting you. I’m trying to say I’m sorry.
” She bit her lip. “I mean, I even had my hands all over you in the plane. That’s a decent case for sexual harassment if I’ve ever seen one. ”
He blinked rapidly several times, breathing hard. “No, the part just before that,” he clarified.
She released an incredulous breath. He was seriously going to make her say it again.
.. “That you’re gay?” She cringed. “I hope it didn’t offend you that I said it out loud.
” She shrugged nervously. “I mean, it took me a bit before I figured it out, and I just hope you’re not upset about what I did today,” she rambled.
Jack’s eyes bulged, and he took a step back, waving his hands in the air. “Wait a minute, wait a minute.” Placing his hands on his hips, he leaned his head toward her again. “You think I’m gay?”
Charli crossed her arms over her chest. “Well...yeah.” she answered, suddenly unsure and wondering if she had made a horrible mistake. She frowned. “Aren’t you?”
Jack began to laugh, a deep belly-aching laugh that bent him over. Bracing his hands on his knees, he released a loud torrent of amusement that instantly grated on Charli’s already frayed nerves.
“What the hell is so funny?” she shouted, becoming irrationally angry at his reaction.
“You!” he gasped. “Thought I was...” His face clenched as another spasm of laughter seized him.
Charli huffed. “Well, you clearly need a minute,” she muttered and turned to walk away. She got two steps before a hand on her elbow whipped her around.
She gasped as Jack whirled her to face him, an odd grin on his face. “How in the world could you think I was gay?” he asked again.
Charli bit her lip again and watched as his eyes dropped down to her mouth and darkened.
“I...I saw you and Gus hugging and dancing around yesterday. You’ve been so nice and considerate, and I never saw or heard anything about a woman in your life.
So after seeing you and Gus, I thought..
.” Jack’s sharp bark of laughter cut her off.
He slowly shook his head, still chuckling. “I’m not gay,” he replied huskily. “Gus was only goofing off and being a jackass, as usual. We were celebrating because all the permits came in.”
Charli squeezed her eyes shut, mortified.
Oh, god...please just let a hole swallow me up right now...
“I’m so sorry, Jack,” she whispered, her eyes still clenched tightly shut.
Jack’s chuckle was right next to her ear, his lips so close she could feel his breath on her skin. Goosebumps popped out on her arms and a chill went down her spine. “What I am,” he ground out, “is completely crazy about a beautiful blonde from Boston who clearly doesn’t have a clue.”
Charli’s eyes popped open in shock and she stared up at him dumbfounded, her mouth open and her stomach clenching. He couldn’t mean what she thought he meant...could he?
Before her thoughts went any further, his mouth covered hers in a consuming kiss that was nothing like the sweet, gentle embrace they’d shared on the wall. This...this was pure, unadulterated piracy...conquering, plundering that completely devoured her.
His fingers snaked through her hair again, holding her in place as his lips dominated her.
She moaned as his tongue licked her lower lip then slipped in to tangle with hers.
Electricity shot through her body as his right hand moved to her lower back and pulled her tightly into him.
Her hands, which had been pressed to his chest, slowly crept up until she was wrapped around him like a second skin.
Her body tightened as she rubbed herself against his hard torso.
Charli panted heavily and stared up at Jack in shock when he lifted his head.
Her lips tingled, and she touched them absentmindedly.
He was like a live wire—unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
She wanted Jack in a way that she’d never felt before and the shock of desire was intense and unsettling for a woman who was always in control.
“Does that answer your question?” he whispered against her cheek as he peppered light butterfly kisses down her neck.
She released a rough breath, making him chuckle. He captured her mouth again with a firm kiss, then drew back, staring into her eyes. “What in the world would make you think I was batting for the other team?”
Charli gave him a clumsy shrug and wished again that she could hide somewhere.
..anywhere. This was probably one of the most awkward conversations she’d ever had and uncomfortable heat moved through her body.
“Well, you’ve been so nice, and treating me like a little sister.
For heaven’s sake, you even tucked me into bed and didn’t bat an eye when I got undressed in front of you. ”
His brows rose. “You thought I was gay because I was nice to you? Are you kidding me?”
“Well,” she started, chewing her bottom lip, “you’ve just been such a gentleman, the society ladies all love you, and I haven’t seen any women around hitting on you.
” She paused at his grin, irritated that he found her discomfort funny.
“You’re completely hot, Jack and it’s a small island.
..so where are all the women?” she shrieked, waving her hands in the air.
Regretting that last outburst, she looked away and pressed fingers to her lips, refusing to say anything further.
Jack chuckled again. “So you think I’m hot, huh?”
Charli stared at him agape. “That was all you got out of that? That I think you’re gorgeous?” She huffed. “Well, you are, Jack,” she growled, folding her arms across her chest again. The man was impossible.
The expression on his face said he was enjoying the topic, while she sincerely wished she’d never brought it up.
“If it makes you feel any better,” he started, “I thoroughly enjoyed the kiss on the wall.” He tilted his head and stared at her lips with hot eyes. His thumb came up to play with her lower lip. “There was no way I could resist you.”
His intense gaze sent shivers up her spine and the desire inside warring with the fear of what this could mean to their partnership.
She wasn’t sorry either but where did they go from here?
For the first time in her life, Charli was sure of what she wanted but had absolutely no idea how to go about getting it or even whether she should.
And then all thought ceased as Jack pulled her close and kissed her deeply again.