43. Sara
43
SARA
I ’d be lying if I said I wasn’t acutely aware of the pairs of eyes tracking the sight of our joined hands as Jack and I make our way down the staircase. I’d also be lying if I denied the fact that I enjoyed the scrutiny. I smile with the knowledge that they aren’t staring at me, but rather us. It’s that last part that makes the butterflies soar.
The quartet continues to play in a faraway corner as we inch through clusters of bodies, all sipping sparkling liquid and swaying merrily. I twist to peek at Jack, blushing heavily when I find his eyes already resting on me.
We’re in quite possibly the most extravagant venue in existence, with lavish ice sculptures on marble platforms in both corners of the room, embellished gowns gliding across gleaming floors, bouquets of exotic flowers, and chandeliers, beaming glittering light on priceless jewels which decorate the necks of dancing women. The entire place is a mirror ball of beauty.
Yet he chooses to set his gaze on me.
“What?” I whisper softly .
“I just realized everyone’s staring at you,” he says with a grin.
“They’re staring because J Vandenberg is holding hands with a stranger. They’re probably googling my lineage as we speak.”
Jack breathes a sigh of laughter. “No, they’re staring at you, and it’s making me feel a certain way.”
I feel the corners of my eyes tighten as I attempt to read his expression. “How’s it making you feel?”
Jack pulls me in tighter, his eyes trained on my lips. “Like I don’t want to share you with anyone tonight.”
I swallow hard, biting my bottom lip. All I can think about is kissing him.
It consumes me, which is why I don’t notice the scene unfolding behind me until Jack’s eyes blink to the space over my shoulder. I watch his eyes narrow and a muscle contract in his jaw.
Deep in conversation with a group of people I don’t recognize, is Drew.
He senses my gaze and tips his chin in the air, shooting me a broad smile. The bastard has no idea I know everything. Carrying on like he isn’t the greatest liar to walk the face of the earth.
I can feel the strain building in my chest because even though I know a confrontation between us is inevitable, I’m not ready for it to go down yet. I spin to face Jack. “Get me out of here?”
Without missing a beat, he’s pulling me from the ballroom, tugging me down a corridor that goes on for so long I fear it’s one of those Alice-in-Wonderland mazes that doesn’t have an end.
“How did you know it was Drew by the way?” I ask as we approach a set of mahogany doors .
We burst into yet another drawing room, lit with a pair of tall tiffany lamps that bracket either side of white patio doors.
“I had a team comb through security footage,” he says. “Drew wasn’t very discreet when he swiped the figures from the boardroom after that first meeting.”
A moan of disgust slips out of me before I realize I’m being herded through the patio doors and onto the manicured grounds of the estate where cold air hits my face.
“Better?” Jack asks.
“Better.” I sigh as the breeze lifts my hair from my shoulders.
With our fingers intertwining, he leads me ahead.
“Where exactly are we going?” I ask as we follow the curve of a pathway lined by a series of bobbing amber globes that light the way to a group of willow trees. I’m less than thrilled when I hear the hum and rustle of various insects and other wildlife that I’m sharing this journey with.
Jack appears to sense my unease, squeezing my hand gently. “It’s okay. It’s unlikely we’ll encounter a territorial moose out here.”
“But what about things that crawl and buzz? Besides, there’s no way these shoes are touching the grass.” I wince, glancing back at the inviting glow of the estate behind us.
In one swift movement, Jack places a hand under my legs and the other behind my shoulders, scooping me into his arms. “Things that buzz aren’t so bad. They’re leading the way to something I think you’ll like.” He winks, grinning into the night.
Then he catches me staring at him, much like I’ve been doing for a long time now. “Okay, why do you always look at my cheek and smile? The first time you did it, I had to check to see if I had something on my face, but now I’m considering a dermatologist appoi?—”
I cut him off by wrapping my arms tighter around his neck, pulling myself closer so I can kiss the dimple on his cheek.
“There,” I say after a soft kiss. “When you smile, a little dimple appears. It’s one of my favorite things about you.”
Wonder etches onto his features. Almost as if he can’t quite believe I’ve noticed the detail; perhaps he wasn’t even aware of it himself.
Moments later, we’re the spectators standing in front of a secluded guest house. I gape at the fairy lit exterior which shimmers like tiny fireflies floating in the dark, illuminating the very pretty structure before us.
“I discovered this at last year’s ball,” he tells me as he sets me down so that he can unhook the latch on a wooden door with swirling carvings.
We step into a sunken room cast in shadows. I can just make out the edges of a cream sofa pushed against the far wall with plaid cushions and a floral throw. A small flatscreen rests on a rattan dresser with books and silver photo frames either side.
Jack grabs a remote, aims it at the opposite wall and a second later, a small fireplace blazes to life. At the other end, the outline of a large and plush-looking bed invites me deeper into the chalet. Scalloped edged cushions of all sizes are nestled on top, the array making me want to dive in.
Jack’s voice sweeps past my ear as he crosses to the other side of the room. “Went for a midnight stroll, ended up falling asleep out here until a gardener found me the next morning.” He flicks on a wide brimmed lamp in the corner of the room, illuminating the blue and white daisy print wallpaper that lines the walls. “What do you think? ”
I flop onto the bed, immediately kicking off my heels and breathing a sigh of relief as I wiggle my toes in the slowly warming air.
“I think I’m using this as inspiration for when I get around to decorating my apartment.” And I’m entirely serious because this is the perfect Nancy Meyers theme I’ve always dreamed of.
Jack steps toward me, stopping in the center of a huge white rug that looks like it’s never seen the soles of a pair of outdoor shoes. His hands sink into his pockets as his head tilts to the side. I can’t help but notice a little hesitance in his posture. Like he’s practicing restraint… “I thought you might like it. This was the first place that came to mind when you said you wanted to get away from the party. Somewhere you can catch your breath, you know? I know that was a lot for you in there, with Drew and everything.”
I raise a brow as I roll onto my side. “I know. But I’m okay now.” The material of the dress cuts up to my thigh, exposing my legs, because the longer we’re in here together, the less I think about the events of the evening, and the more I think about how much I’ve been starved of being wrapped up in Jack. “So…what should we do in here?” I twist my lips to the side. “Inside this perfect little space where no one will think to look for us for a while.”
His throat appears to tighten, and his eyes wander up my legs to the split of the dress. “I don’t know, talk about how you feel after seeing Drew?”
I push up from my side and slide my legs over the edge of the bed. “Ew, I don’t want to talk about him now or ever, thank you very much.”
I watch him smirk as he grazes his hand over a speaker. “Then how about I put on music while you decide what you want to talk about? ”
Talk? Ugh!
I step away from the bed, slinking into the center of the room while Jack fiddles with the speaker until easy music begins to play.
I know what he’s trying to do. Make this sweet. Not make a big deal about the fact we’re alone, make it not about sex.
“I want to talk about why you didn’t rip off my dress the moment we stepped inside this place?” I pout. “Don’t you want to?”
He’s still facing the speaker, hands placed on the dresser. He dips his head, and I hear a low chuckle. “Of course I want to.” Then he growls, “Believe me Sara, you are permanently imbedded in my inappropriate thoughts.”
Grinning, I bite into my bottom lip.
“Good to know,” I say as he turns around. “Are you worried that now that you’re my boyfriend, you have to be there for me emotionally and not just as my sex buddy?”
He laughs. “Well, yeah. I just want to make sure…” He’s awkward. It’s adorable.
I step forward, placing my hands on his tie and straightening it. “Make sure I’m not using sex to block out what I’m feeling?”
He takes my hand, turns it over, and kisses the inside of my palm. “Exactly.”
A tingle works its way through my middle. “Hate to break it to you, but you’ve been seeing to my emotional needs for a while now.” I step closer to him. “I know I can talk to you if I need to, and I know you’ll listen.”
When his face comes close to mine and I’m sure he’s about to kiss me, I step back from him, dropping his hand. He raises an eyebrow. “So, if you must know how I’m feeling, here it is...” My hands climb to the side of my dress where the clasp is. Jack watches the gesture, his chest visibly rising and falling.
You see, there’s a reason I’m so eager to get out of my dress tonight…
I open the clasp. “I feel,”—I pull down the zipper—“like I want you.” I pull it all the way down to my hip. “Like I need you, Jack. Need you all over me. Inside me. Now.”
He drags a hand through his hair, groaning under his breath. “Shit.”
I hold the dress against my chest, gripping it so it doesn’t fall. Not yet. “And I didn’t spend twenty minutes sticking over fifty diamantes to my body for you not to see them.”
He blinks, his brows pulling together. “Wait, what?” He shakes his head. “What are you talking about?” He points to where my hands clutch the dress. “Don’t let that go.” His voice drips with reluctance. “Tonight is about conversation.”
Like hell it is.
I step back again. Jack shakes his head while I nod like a brat who doesn’t do as she’s told. And then, I let go of the dress, allowing it to slide down my body.
Down, down, down.
Until it pools around me and settles like a lake of shimmering silk at my feet.
Jack stands motionless, chest heaving, lips parted, eyes blazing like a struck match.
His eyes track the dress on the floor before his gaze travels up my body, his head tilting to the side as he steps forward to perform a more thorough inspection…
“Hold on…” He’s grinning.
I stand on my tiptoes, cross one foot over the other before twirling slowly so he can take everything in.
When he pushes both hands into his hair, clasping his fingers behind his head before expelling a long breath, I know he’s a goner. And I know talking is finally off the table.