Jack paced back from the window to the door to the room, my exit, blocking it, but keeping his back to me as he clutched the frame.
Satisfied he wasn’t looking, even though I was mesmerized by the fact I could outline every muscle in his back, I pulled his t-shirt off, put on my bra, and hastily followed with my top and pants. I sat back down on the bed and gathered up his borrowed clothes. “I’ll wash these—”
“Don’t.”
I stopped. “Don’t wash these?”
Jack turned around and grabbed the t-shirt and boxers from me, tossing them aside. “Yes, don’t wash those, but I meant don’t leave. Not like this.”
“Jack—”
He sank to his knees in front of me, his hands on my legs, pushing them apart and making room. “I’ll keep us a secret. I promise. I want to tell the whole damn world, but I’ll keep it to myself or kill myself trying, if it means I get to keep you.”
I gulped down the ball that seemed to be lodged in my throat. “I’m not leaving you, Jack,” I whispered, running a hand down his chiseled face, grazing over his stubble.
He closed his eyes.
“I wouldn’t have come here today if I wasn’t willing to deal with the bad as well as the good. You know that.” I slid my hands into his soft hair and leaned forward, resting my forehead against his.
“Dammit, Keri Ann.” He ran his hand up and fisted it in my wavy mass, pulling it tight. “How do you do this to me? I’m completely out of control. Since I met you, every emotion I have is tied to how I think you’re feeling. I’ve never felt like this in my life.”
“Same here,” I breathed and curled my other hand around his thick forearm. “I think … I think this is new for both of us.”
Jack opened his eyes and looked at me for several long moments. Then he kissed me, a long, but chaste kiss, and got up to his feet. “I know you have to go.” He offered me a hand. “Can I walk you home after your shift?”
I smiled, remembering the first night I’d met him, when he’d ended up doing the same. “Yeah, sure. I’ll text you.”
“Still have my number?”
“Yes.” I laughed. “Though I thought of deleting it at least once a day. Still have mine?”
God, why did I ask that? If he said no …
“Yes,” he answered, in a tone that suggested I was crazy. “And I thought about texting you at least once a day.”
I wish he had, we could have avoided lots of misunderstandings. Then again, it could have made it worse. And I had no idea how we were going to move forward with “us.” It was obvious he was more comfortable with his “celebrity” than I’d assumed when I met him, even though he still didn’t relish it. But just like I wanted to announce my relationship with Jack to all the people in my life, Jack obviously wanted to do the same. But the people in his life … were the citizens of the whole freaking world, with all of their judgments.
And never mind my upcoming enrollment at SCAD. I doubted they needed some tabloid sleaze-fest embroiling one of their students, especially when it involved a member of an upcoming film project they were working on at such high profile.
I was beyond grateful for whatever Jack had done to keep me out of the public eye, but how would I ever know if a situation like that was just ‘round the next corner?
Today had changed everything. I had changed everything. Everything going forward was going to be a minefield.
Late Night Visitor: Are you done yet?
Late Night Visitor: Yet?
Late Night Visitor: Yet?
The three texts came in quick succession about five minutes after I arrived at work. I grinned like a loon and stuck my phone in the back pocket of my jean shorts.
“Someone’s in a good mood tonight.” Brenda eyed me with a smirk. “I don’t suppose a certain Hollywood hottie has anything to do with it?”
“Shhh, seriously Brenda, you have to help me keep this quiet.” I reached to help her unload the rack of clean glasses she’d brought through from the kitchen.
“Of course I will, Hon, don’t worry. It seems almost impossible to believe anyway, and I don’t mean that toward you!”
I swallowed. Brenda was right though. It was insane that a celebrity of Jack’s caliber would be in Butler Cove, our tiny tourist town where nothing exciting ever happened. And not only that, but he wanted to be with me. Boring old Keri Ann. “You shouldn’t believe it.” I agreed with her assessment of its improbability. “It’s beyond nuts. Honestly, I know underneath it all he’s a regular guy, but at times I just don’t get what he sees in me. I mean he’s …”
“Jack-freakin-Eversea?” she supplied.
“Yes, and I’m …”
“Probably the coolest thing to ever happen to him?”
I elbowed her playfully. “Thanks, Brenda.”
She smiled and swatted me. “You should know that there were a couple out-of-towners in here today askin’ ‘bout him.”