Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
The next morning, Kayla awoke with a start.
She bolted upright and peered at the clock on Jack’s nightstand.
It was ten o’clock, and Jack’s side of the bed was empty.
Flustered, she whipped off the covers. She and Jack had been up half the night, which was why she’d overslept. Thinking of Jack, where was he?
Kayla noticed his Michigan T-shirt and her gray sweatpants lying on the end of the bed.
Jack must have set them there before he’d left.
She snatched them up and went into the bathroom.
Kayla frowned at her reflection in the mirror.
Her hair stood up in places, and her face had crease marks from the pillow.
She got dressed and assembled her hair into a messy bun.
Then, she went out of the bedroom in search of coffee.
Entering the kitchen, she found Jack sitting at the table, scrolling through his phone. He acknowledged her with a grin. “The princess awakens!”
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I live here.”
“I thought you went to work.”
“I wanted to see you first.”
“Oh.” His gaze roamed over her, and she remembered she wasn’t wearing a bra. Kayla crossed her arms over her chest.
Jack chuckled. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen, touched, or sucked on.”
Her cheeks heated as she went to the coffeepot and poured herself a cup. While her back was turned, Jack pushed his chair back. She assumed he was leaving, but instead, he came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Good morning,” he whispered in her ear.
Kayla shivered at his touch even though she was exhausted from last night. “Morning,” she mumbled.
“I would have made you breakfast, but I didn’t want to disrupt your sleep.”
“Thanks.”
Jack stepped back, and she slowly turned and faced him. He looked fresh, and alert, unlike her, who looked she’d just rolled out of bed, which she had.
“What are you doing for lunch today?” he asked.
“I haven’t even had breakfast yet.”
Jack smiled. “You don’t have any meetings today, so you’re free, right?”
Kayla had planned on catching up on some paperwork. She could have gone into the office, but she’d get more done here. “I have a lot of paperwork to do.” She took a long drink of coffee, desperate for a caffeine fix.
“But you have to eat lunch eventually,” Jack insisted.
She eyed him over her mug. “Just because we had sex, doesn’t mean we’re dating now.”
“Having lunch isn’t dating. We eat lunch together all the time.”
Kayla sighed. “I was afraid this would happen.”
Jack frowned. “What would happen?”
“We had sex, and it was good, but that doesn’t mean anything has changed between us.”
“Kayla.”
“Don’t make things more complicated than they already are.”
Jack shook his head. “Why are you doing this?”
“I’m just being honest with you.”
“Are you really?”
Kayla averted her eyes. “Aren’t you going to be late for your meeting?”
He glanced at the microwave clock. “I have to go, but we’re not done talking about this.”
“There’s nothing more to say.”
Jack sighed. “I’ll see you later.” He turned and strode out of the kitchen.
Kayla leaned against the counter, and listened to him go into the garage, start the car, and drive away.
She let out a heavy sigh. Now that he was gone, she could think more clearly.
However, as she made breakfast and sat down to eat, all she could think about was Jack.
Their lovemaking played on an endless reel in her head.
Somehow, she’d committed every touch, kiss, and word to memory.
Worse, she was aroused just thinking about it. What a disaster.
While she rinsed the dishes, her phone rang.
It was still in her purse in the living room.
She hadn’t looked at it once since she and Jack had gone into the bedroom last night.
Kayla rushed out of the kitchen and snatched the phone out of her purse.
On the screen, her mom’s name seemed to glare at her. “Hi, Mom,” she said.
“Finally! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you since last night.”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, other than I haven’t seen my daughter in three weeks,” Sue said.
Kayla slumped down on the couch. At least nobody was sick or hurt. “Sorry, Mom. I’ve been really busy with work.”
“And pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend,” Sue added dryly.
Kayla had spoken to her parents a few times since Thanksgiving, but she hadn’t seen them.
Admittedly, she’d been putting it off, knowing they were disappointed in her for agreeing to Jack’s ruse.
She couldn’t hold them off forever, though.
“I’ve been meaning to bring Jack over to meet you,” Kayla said.
“When?” Sue asked.
“How about this weekend? We could meet for lunch.” Even as she suggested it, Kayla’s nerves fluttered.
“That should work.”
“I’ll check with Jack and confirm a time,” Kayla said.
Sue sighed. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
Kayla tightened her grip on the phone. “Yeah. Why?”
“You sound exhausted.”
“I am. It’s been really hectic lately.”
“Is Jack treating you okay?”
Kayla had a flashback of last night. “Yes. He’s been very … polite.” Especially when he’d insisted on giving her multiple orgasms.
“Polite?”
“And considerate. He makes me coffee every morning,” Kayla added. Her dad, Tim, made coffee for Sue every morning too, so she figured that would win Jack some points.
“That’s nice, but I still don’t understand how it works,” Sue said.
Everything worked perfectly last night. “What do you mean?”
“Are you attracted to each other?”
Kayla swallowed hard, recalling Jack telling her how beautiful she was, over and over again. “Yeah.”
“And you were good friends before, so you must like each other,” Sue continued.
“True.”
“So, how can you live together and not—?”
Kayla interrupted her before she went any further. “We made a deal, Mom. This will all be over soon, and then, everything will go back to the way it was.”
“Hmm.” Sue didn’t sound convinced.
“Promise me something,” Kayla said.
“What is it?” Sue asked.
“Don’t quiz Jack about this when you meet him.”
Sue was quiet for a few beats. “I’ll try not to. But you’re my daughter, and I’m worried about you.”
“I’m fine, Mom. I promise.” If Sue only knew how good Jack had been treating her, especially last night.
“Well, if you’re sure you’re okay.”
“I am. Nothing bad has come of this.” Except that I’m falling in love with Jack. Kayla’s eyes widened. Oh my God. Did I really just think that?
“Your father and I look forward to meeting him. But more importantly, we’re anxious to see you. We miss you.”
“I miss you too, Mom.”
They chatted for a few more minutes, and Kayla promised to call her later after she checked with Jack about his schedule.
After they hung up, Kayla tipped her head back and stared at the ceiling.
She’d chided Jack about complicating things, but it was her.
Jack had greeted her with a smile this morning, but she’d rebuffed him.
He’d wanted to see her before he went to work, but she’d pushed him out the door.
He would have stuck around longer if she hadn’t been so distant.
Kayla had even turned him down for lunch. “What in the hell is wrong with me?”
Suddenly, Kayla had an idea. She wouldn’t call Jack and interrupt his meeting, but she could text him.
That would be less disruptive, and he could answer the text whenever he had time.
She thought for a minute and then typed a message.
I can meet you for lunch if you still want to.
Let me know. K. After she sent it, she stared at the screen, hoping to see the dots indicating that Jack was responding.
The screen stayed blank. Kayla reminded herself that he was busy, and he’d text or call her later.
In the meantime, she’d take a shower and get dressed, so she was ready to go when Jack replied.
Kayla took her phone into his bedroom, where she paused and glanced at the bed.
The bedding was rumpled from their lovemaking.
Jack was an energetic and generous lover.
Unlike some men, he’d been more focused on her pleasure than his own.
Jack approached lovemaking like he did all things: thoroughly and expertly.
She felt another pang of guilt for how she’d treated him this morning.
“I screwed up.” Kayla had dismissed everything that had happened between them, like it meant nothing. It was a textbook case of employing a defense mechanism, so Jack couldn’t hurt her. She hadn’t wanted to be like the other women he’d slept with, but never spent the night with.
“You’re different. The rules don’t apply to you,” he’d whispered in the night.
Why couldn’t she see what was right in front of her? Why couldn’t she accept that Jack might be falling in love with her, too?
Turning away from the bed, she went into the bathroom and stripped off her clothes.
A few minutes later, she stood under the warm spray, still reminiscing about last night.
Her body was heated and not just from the warm water.
As she lathered herself with coconut body wash, she pretended Jack was washing her instead.
She spent an inordinate amount of time soaping her breasts, just like he’d lavished attention on them last night.
And so it went until her body was scrubbed clean and thrumming with desire.
We were together a few hours ago, she scolded herself.
Kayla shut off the water and reached for a towel. Her phone was on the counter, and she tapped the screen, checking for a missed call or text, but there were none. “It’s my own fault,” she muttered.
Sighing, she dried off and wrapped the towel around her body. All she could do now was wait.