Chapter 15
Fifteen
Music. Laughter. Friends. Alcohol. It was a heady mix, and Kayla soaked it in. She hadn’t realized how much she’d needed the release, and it was all thanks to Jack. Leaning in, she said, “Thanks for making me come.”
Wide-eyed, Jack gazed at her.
“Come here. To the bar,” she said, giggling. She’d just finished her second cocktail, and it was going to her head.
“Are you okay?” Jack asked.
“I’m more than okay. I’m having a won … fun … wonderful time.” She raised her empty glass. “Time for another drink!”
Jack gently took the glass out of her hand. “I think it’s time to take you home.”
“Noooo,” she whined. “It’s still early.”
“It’s almost midnight.”
“I’m not going to turn into a pumpkin.” Tipping her head back, she laughed raucously at her joke. “Where are Ryan and Josie?”
“Dancing,” Jack replied.
“Together?”
“Yes,” he said, pointing to them on the dance floor.
“We should dance too,” she blurted out.
“No.” Jack shook his head vehemently.
“Why not?”
“I don’t dance.”
She scowled at him. “Ever?”
“Not if I can help it.”
Kayla cocked her head and gazed deeply into his eyes. “Not even for me?”
Jack shook his head again, but less vigorously.
“Please. It’ll be fun.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“I think you’re a little tipsy,” he said.
“I’m not tipsy.”
“You’ve had two strong cocktails and hardly any food.”
“I had pumpkin pie.”
“That was hours ago!”
“Just one dance,” Kayla pleaded.
Jack sighed. “I’ll dance with you on one condition that we leave afterward.”
She rolled her eyes. “Party pooper.”
“That’s my final offer. Take it or leave it.”
Kayla stared at him for a long moment, thinking about how handsome he looked tonight. On second thought, he always looked handsome, at least to her. “Deal,” she said.
Jack stood and offered her his hand.
Without asking, she lifted his glass and took a drink, before placing her hand in his. Jack led her onto the dance floor, where they joined Ryan and Josie.
“Hey,” Ryan said.
“Everything okay?” Josie asked Kayla.
“Yes! I’m having a fun … won … funderful time!”
“We’re leaving after one dance,” Jack firmly stated.
Ryan and Josie nodded and returned their attention to each other.
When Footloose came on, Kayla raised her arms overhead and squealed.
“I love this song!” She closed her eyes and lost herself in the music, her body moving in time to the beat.
After a moment, she opened her eyes and saw Jack staring at her.
Unlike her and the rest of the crowd, he was barely moving.
Kayla shifted closer to him and planted her hands on his waist. “C’mon.
Move those hips!” She took Jack’s hands and placed them on her own hips.
“Follow my lead.” Kayla shook her hips and waved her hands in the air.
Then she did a little spin and crashed into his hard chest.
“Whoa.” He looped his arms around her waist and steadied her.
Kayla giggled. “I got a little dizzy.”
“That’s what I was worried about.”
Kayla planted her hands on his chest for support. The scent of his cologne wafted up, and she breathed it in. The music played at a fever pitch, but she slowed down and folded into Jack’s arms.
“I’ve got you,” he said.
She leaned her head against his warm, solid chest. Despite all the noise and activity, she suddenly felt very sleepy. If Jack weren’t holding her up, she might have crumpled to the floor.
“I’m taking her home,” Jack announced to their friends when the song ended.
Kayla peered at Ryan and Josie without really seeing them. “Goodnight,” she mumbled.
“Take good care of her,” Josie said to Jack.
“I will,” he replied.
With one arm around her waist, he led her back to their table and helped her into her coat. The next thing she knew, they were inside his car, but she didn’t remember going there.
“Doing okay?” Jack asked.
“Mmm.” It was all she could manage, since her head felt fuzzy.
“Let me know if I need to pull over.”
“Mmm-hmm.” She leaned her forehead against the cool window and closed her eyes. Soon, she was being lifted, and her eyes fluttered open. Kayla glanced up at the starry sky. “Jack?”
“Hold on to me,” he said while fumbling with the house key.
“I can walk.”
“No, you can’t. We tried that.”
“Oh.”
He carried her inside, and without turning on the lights, he went straight to his bedroom. Soft, plush cotton cushioned her body as he laid her down on his bed.
“You’re sleeping in here so I can keep an eye on you,” he stated.
Kayla was too tired to argue. Jack removed her ankle boots and plunked them onto the floor. Then he covered her with a blanket, tucking it tightly around her.
“I’ll get you a glass of water and some ibuprofen. Don’t move,” he instructed.
“Mmm-hmm.” Kayla wasn’t going anywhere, even if she knew she shouldn’t be in Jack’s bed. Her body was too limp and mind too numb to move. She just needed to sleep for a while, and then she’d get up and go upstairs.
“Here you go,” Jack said, rousing her again. He propped her up and forced her to drink water and swallow the pills. Then he gently lowered her down. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”
“Mmm.”
That was the last thing she remembered until her eyes popped open again.
Feeling cold, she reached for a blanket and discovered she was wearing only her bra and panties.
Panic set in. Where are my clothes? Then she heard the rhythmic sound of someone breathing.
Twisting her head to the side, she saw a manly shape under the covers. Jack.
It all came back to her—the strong cocktails, dancing with Jack, him carrying her inside, laying her on his bed, and crawling in beside her. Oh no! Did we do it? She fought down the panic and tried to remember what happened between the time they got home and now.
Little by little, the memories crept in. “I’m hot,” she’d complained.
“Undress, and I’ll get your pajamas,” Jack replied.
Had she taken off her clothes or had he? “Jack?”
“I’m right here.”
“Where?” She glanced around but didn’t see him.
“On the floor.”
Kayla looked down and saw him lying in a sleeping bag beside the bed.
“What do you need? Are you going to be sick?” Jack scrambled out of the sleeping bag and gazed at her with concern.
“I’m cold.”
“Do you want another blanket?”
The next thing she remembered, he climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Warmed by his body, she’d fallen back asleep … Unless something else had happened.
At some point, she’d said, “You smell good.”
“Thank you.” Jack’s breath tickled the nape of her neck.
“You’re so handsome.” She ran her hands up and down his bare forearms. Had he been wearing a shirt?
“Go back to sleep,” he whispered.
“I mean it.”
“Thank you.”
“What time is it?”
“Too late for talking.”
Sometime later, she woke and said, “Jack. I have to pee.”
“I’ll help you to the bathroom.”
“I can do it,” she insisted. But Jack helped her out of bed, one arm sliding around her waist, and supporting her weight. “What happened to my clothes?”
“I helped you get undressed, but you refused to wear pajamas,” he explained. He guided her to the toilet. “I’ll wait outside.”
Soon, she was back in his bed, and his arms were around her again. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“What for?”
“I’m not sure. Everything.”
Jack chuckled. “It’s okay, Kayla. Just get some sleep.”
She vaguely recalled him running his hand over her hair until she drifted off again.
Now she was fully awake, wondering what else might have happened.
Jack was sound asleep, so she quietly slipped out of bed and tiptoed across the floor.
Last night, he’d seen her in her bra and underwear, but she didn’t want him to see her like that in broad daylight.
Avoiding the creaky spots on the floor, Kayla went to the dresser, inched open a drawer, and pulled out a pair of pajamas.
Not wanting to awaken Jack, she decided to put them on in the living room.
Clutching the pajamas to her chest, she crept toward the bedroom door and stepped on a creaky floorboard.
Jack bolted upright, the sheet falling away and revealing his naked chest. His gaze roamed over her languidly, and he gave her a devilish grin. “Good morning, princess.”
Princess? “I was just getting my pajamas,” she muttered.
“Funny. You didn’t want to wear anything last night,” he teased.
Kayla’s face heated. She wanted to know what had happened and escape at the same time. “Meet me in the kitchen.” With that, she turned away and scurried out of the bedroom.