Chapter 11 #2
“I’m not asking him to change it. That’s just one of the reasons why I told him we couldn’t see each other anymore. But he flew out here today and asked me to give it a chance…” Andi shrugged.
“You’re far too old for me to tell you how to live your life, but you were right when you told him this is a no-win situation. I can’t bear to see you hurt again like you were with Alec. You’re setting yourself up for a terrible disappointment.”
Her mother’s words hurt, and Andi knew there was some truth to them. But as she ran her fingers over the exquisite dress, she decided he was a risk she was willing to take.
“What’s Eric doing?” Andi got up from the bed. “I want to spend some time with him before Jack gets here.”
“Is he your boyfriend?” Eric signed as Andi helped him into his favorite Spiderman pajamas. He smelled so sweet from his bath, and she held him close for a minute before he squiggled away.
Andi was glad now that she’d never told him about the few dates she’d had with his friend’s father. She’d hate to have to explain the change in direction to a five-year-old. She could barely explain it to her mother—or herself. “Sort of.” Checking her watch, she saw she had only forty-five minutes.
“Can I meet him?”
“Of course you can. He wants to meet you, too. Mommy’s going to get dressed while you have your dessert, okay?”
“Okay.”
She kissed him and left him eating his ice cream in the kitchen.
After a quick shower, she pinned up her long dark hair in an elegant French twist. When she couldn’t keep a few curls from springing free, she gave up trying. She realized she was nervous when her hand trembled as she applied mascara.
Her mother’s somber warning ran through her mind, but she chased those thoughts away when it was time to put on the gorgeous dress and shoes, which fit as if they’d been made just for her. She wondered how he’d managed such a wonderful surprise.
Cinderella indeed, she thought, checking the complete ensemble in a full-length mirror. She couldn’t have done better herself. As she walked out of her room, the doorman rang to announce her visitor. She asked him to send Jack up and called for her mother to bring Eric.
Andi opened the door, and her mouth went dry at the sight of Jack in a tuxedo.
He handed her a single red rose and kissed her cheek. “Magnificent.”
Wiggling a finger to bring him closer, she kissed him back and whispered, “You, too.” She took him by the hand to lead him into the living room where her mother and Eric waited. “Jack, this is my mother, Betty Franklin. Mom, Jack Harrington.”
He shook Betty’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Franklin.”
“Likewise.” Andi heard the hint of reserve in her mother’s tone but didn’t think Jack tuned into it.
“Who’s that cute guy behind you?” He crouched down and signed, “Hello, Eric, my name is Jack.”
Andi’s heart swelled with love as she watched him communicate with her child.
Eric’s big blue eyes sized up the stranger in the funny clothes as he signed, “Hi.”
Jack turned to Andi. “I might need your help here.” He spoke slowly and signed, “Do you like baseball, Eric?”
Eric looked at his mother, and she signed baseball correctly.
Jack watched and mimicked her signs.
Eric nodded enthusiastically.
Jack reached for his inside jacket pocket and withdrew four tickets to the next day’s Chicago Cubs game.
Eric’s eyes lit up when Jack handed him the tickets.
“Do you want to go?” Jack signed.
Eric looked at his mother, who nodded and signed rapidly to remind her son of his manners.
“Thank you,” Eric signed and scampered from the room with the tickets and his grandmother in pursuit.
“Have a nice evening,” Betty called over her shoulder.
“How did you learn sign language?” Andi asked, astonished.
“Don’t be too impressed. That’s about the extent of it. Kate’s friend Miranda has a sister who’s deaf. She gave me a few pointers last night.”
“It must’ve taken you hours to learn that much!”
“Just a few,” he confessed as he walked her to the front door. “I was a good student. Miranda said so.”
“Thank you for doing that and the dress and the tickets. How did you manage all this?” she asked in the elevator.
“I’ll never tell my secrets.” He led her to the limo he had waiting at the curb. “I’ll admit to having had just a tiny bit of help, but that’s all I’m saying.”
“I’ll get it out of you,” she said confidently.
He laughed. “I’ll look forward to that.”
“So where are we going?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see.” He slipped an arm around her, drew her close, and kissed her. “I’ve needed that since the minute you opened the door. You look stunning.”
“Thanks to my secret shopper.” She reached up to caress his face. “I didn’t think I could love you any more, but what you did with Eric… Thank you, Jack.”
He kissed her again, this time more intently, and after a few minutes they were both breathless with longing.
“Ever done it in a limo?” he asked, nibbling his way up her neck.
She laughed. “Nope.”
“We’ll have to fix that later.” He kissed her again. “Hey, I forgot to tell you before that Frannie and Jamie got engaged last week.”
“That’s wonderful! You must be delighted.”
“We all are. Jamie asked me to be his best man.”
“Of course he did. When’s the big day?”
“New Year’s Eve.”
“I like that—a new year and a new start.”
He kissed her hand. “I hope you’ll be there with me.”
“Maybe,” she said wistfully, still finding it hard to believe they could have a future together.
The limo slowed to a stop, and Jack helped her from the car onto a pier. A uniformed man waited to welcome them aboard the Esmeralda, a classic eighty-foot Trumpy yacht.
“Oh, Jack, it’s gorgeous!” She turned to him as a steward escorted them up the gangway. “Whose is it?”
“It belongs to a former client who was happy to loan it to us for the evening.”
The steward led them into a large dining room where a single table was set for two. A trio in the corner provided background music.
She gazed at the extravagant surroundings while the steward told them the boat, built in 1966 in Annapolis, Maryland, was considered the “Rolls Royce of American motor yachts.”
Andi walked around the elegant, candlelit dining room. When she turned to Jack, he shrugged, as if it’d been nothing to arrange this fairy-tale evening.
They dined on one exquisite course after another. The musicians kept up a quiet tempo while they ate the delicious food and enjoyed the exceptional wine. After they shared a chocolate soufflé for dessert, Jack held out his hand to her.
He escorted her to the small dance floor at the front of the room and pulled her close as the musicians swung into a different tune. One of them stepped to the microphone and to sing “The Way You Look Tonight.”
“Jack,” she gasped when she heard the familiar song.
“I wanted to be sure you’d remember all our first times,” he whispered, brushing his lips over hers.
The band played one love song after another as they danced close together. After a while she looked up to study his handsome face.
“What is it?”
“Just admiring the view.”
He smiled. “Happy?”
“Mmmm.” She rested her face against his chest. His heart beat against her cheek as she played with the hair that curled above his collar.
“Let’s get some air,” he said, leading her off the dance floor with a wave of thanks to the musicians.
Jack dropped his tuxedo jacket over her shoulders, and they leaned on the rail to watch the water rush by below as the sleek yacht sluiced through the vast lake.
“I can’t believe you did this, Jack. I’m overwhelmed.” She reached for him and could tell she surprised him with a deep, searching kiss.
His hands moved with tantalizing slowness on her back under the jacket he’d put around her.
Her skin tingled from his touch.
The kiss went on forever, or so it seemed, before he pulled back to kiss her cheeks, her forehead, and the end of her nose. “I can’t get enough of you,” he said, his voice hoarse as he kissed her again. “I need you so much, Andi. Tell me you’ll give us a chance.”
“I want to so badly. More than anything.”
“But?”
“I’m so afraid of getting hurt again. It nearly killed me once before. I don’t know if I’d survive it again—not when it’s so much bigger this time.”
Jack leaned his forehead against hers. “As much as I wish I could offer you guarantees, that’s one thing I don’t have to give. All I can do is tell you again how much I love you and how much I want to be with you—if you’ll have me. That’s all I’ve got right now.”
She reached up to caress his face. “It’s far more than I’ve ever had before.”
He reached for her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm.
A tremble rippled through Andi. She’d never wanted anything more than she wanted him.
“There’s a very cozy stateroom down below that’s ours for the evening.” Tilting his head in invitation, he extended a hand.
Aware that she was agreeing to far more than a few hours in a cozy stateroom, Andi met his gaze and sealed her fate by wrapping her fingers around his.
He led her down a small flight of stairs and through a narrow hallway. The moment he closed the cabin door behind him, he reached for her.
Their kiss quickly became urgent.
She pushed his tuxedo jacket off her shoulders, and it fell to the floor. Reaching for his collar, she removed the bow tie and went to work on the onyx studs lining his shirt.
He unzipped her dress. With a soft flutter, it billowed into a cloud at her feet. “Oh my God,” he whispered, gawking at the ivory lace corset that boosted her full breasts to overflowing.
Pushing his shirt aside, Andi rested her hands on his hips and pressed her lips to his chest. Flicking her tongue over his nipple, she was thrilled by the deep groan that rumbled through him.
He surprised her when he filled his hands with her bottom, lifted her off her feet, and devoured her mouth.
Andi wrapped her arms and legs around him and pushed her core tight against his erection.
Their tongues mated frantically.
“Andi,” he gasped. “I want you so badly.”
“I’m yours, Jack. Take me.”
He eased her down to the bed and fumbled with the corset. “How do I get you out of this damned thing?”
Laughing at him, she rolled over so she was facedown, showing him the clasp on the back.
He unhooked her, his lips worshiping each new bit of soft skin as he uncovered it. When she would’ve turned over, he held her still. “Wait.”
Her heart pounded with desire and anticipation as he unzipped his pants and let them fall to the floor.
He reached for the pins in her hair and tugged at them to free her curls. Bringing a handful of her hair to his face, he took a long deep breath. “You smell like heaven, Andi.” He moved her hair to one side to leave hot, wet kisses on her neck.
Under him, Andi squirmed with impatience.
“Relax, honey,” he whispered. “We’ve got all night.”
“I need you, Jack. I’ve missed you so much.”
He kissed her cheek, her neck, her shoulder, the middle of her back. “I missed you, too. So very much.” He ran his hands over her bottom, and her breath got caught in her throat. Lifting her to her hands and knees, he moved behind her.
He held her open with his fingers, tormenting her with his tongue until her legs shook and her heart raced.
As she teetered on the edge, he drove himself into her and sent her flying.
Holding her hips still and pumping into her, he rode wave after wave of her orgasm. “Do you like it this way?” he asked, sounding breathless.
Out of her mind and unable to form a single coherent thought, she said, “Mmm.”
Increasing the pace, he reached around to stroke her to another shattering climax and then cried out with his own.
Without losing their connection, they fell into a heaving pile on the bed. For a long time, they were quiet as they struggled to catch their breath.
“Jack?”
His cheek pressed to her back, he muttered, “Hmm?”
“What made you decide to do this? To come here?”
He withdrew from her and shifted onto his back. “You’ll laugh if I tell you.”
She turned so she could see him in the faint light. “Now you have to tell me.”
“Well, first, my mother gave me a not-so-subtle kick in the ass and told me I’d be an idiot to let you go,” he admitted with a sheepish grin.
“Remind me to thank her someday.”
“And I missed you so much after you left. I never want to feel that way again.”
“I was sick with missing you.”
“Why am I secretly glad to hear that?” he asked with a smile.
“Ha! So you’ve wined and dined me and somehow managed to get me back in bed. What’s your next move, Romeo?” She crooked her elbow and propped her head on her hand.
Trailing a finger between her breasts, he said, “I won’t divulge my plan, except to say it seems to be working quite well so far.” He ducked when she swatted at him.
She scooted over so she was on top of him and pinned him down. “I want some answers, mister. Tell me how you knew my dress and shoe sizes.”
He flipped them so he was back on top. “I’ll answer three questions and not one more.”
“How did you know my shoe and dress sizes?”
“That’s two.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine! How did you know my shoe size?” When he nibbled on her neck and ear, she pushed him back. “Stop trying to change the subject.”
“Okay, busybody, if you must know, Quinn called Jen.”
“Jen was in on this and didn’t tell me? I’ll kill her!”
“She didn’t know why I wanted to know.”
“But she knew you were coming?”
“Is that your second question?”
“Jaaaaack!”
He laughed. “Yes, she knew I was coming, but Quinn swore her to secrecy.”
“I’ll still kill her.”
He kissed the end of her nose. “No, you won’t. It was fun to surprise you, and you had a good time.”
“That’s true, but I get one more question,” she reminded him when he tried to kiss her more seriously.
“What’s that?” he asked against her lips.
With her hands on his shoulders, she held him off because this one mattered. “What happens now?”
“I have a few ideas, but we don’t need to talk about it right now, do we?” he asked as he cupped her breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples.
She shuddered with pleasure. “I suppose it can wait.”