“Morning.”
“Shit!” I yelp, jumping mid-stride, looking up to see Jack running next to me. I blink rapidly when his shimmering beauty hits me like a right hook to the eye. Fucking hell; he looks otherworldly. My breathing that was perfectly controlled goes to shit. I’m breathless. “What are you doing here?”
“I run every morning.” He performs a quick, expert turn and starts jogging backward a few paces in front of me. “But I’ve never had this amazing view before.” He puckers his lips and kisses the air.
I laugh through my labored breathing, dropping my eyes to that lovely, huge, solid chest. “Do you always run bare-chested?” I ask, ripping my stare away from the thrilling sight.
“Only when I’m trying to impress.” He turns back the right way, and I feel him look down at me. I peek out of the corner of my eye. He winks cheekily.
I grin. “I’m impressed.”
“Me too,” he counters, taking a lazy trip down my body with equally lazy eyes. “Really impressed.”
I suddenly feel more eyes on me and look across the grass to find Micky standing again, watching us warily. Shit. “Micky’s here,” I say, returning my focus forward and trying my hardest not to look guilty. Just a pleasant morning run with a colleague. The colleague who fucked me stupid. The colleague who is married. The colleague who I’m now having an affair with. “Don’t look!” I snap when I see Jack start to glance around. “He will seriously lose the plot if he finds out about us.”
“Take a left up here,” he orders.
I look up to see the path forking up ahead and follow his instruction, peering over my shoulder to find Micky no longer in view. “Jack, we can’t be seen together,” I pant, now struggling like hell with my breathing, maybe assisted by a little panic.
He turns into me mid-stride and grabs me, swiping me from my feet and carrying me behind a tree, his hand slapped over my mouth. Once he has me pushed up against the bark, he removes his palm and replaces it with his mouth. I’m instantly consumed, matching his hungry kiss. My hands are on a mission, feeling every part of his bare chest. “Hmmm, you taste fucking good, girl.”
I smile into his mouth and reach up to fist his hair. “I’m sweating.”
“And I want to lick it all off.” Jack’s tongue runs from my cheek to my ear and traces the shell, making me pant, shudder and push myself onto his mouth. He growls, circling his hips into my lower tummy. “So fucking good.”
“You have a thing for licking me, don’t you?”
He pulls back, a spectacular smile on his face. “Are you objecting?”
“No.” He can lick me until I disappear for all I care.
He reaches forward and traces the bridge of my nose, looking at me fondly. “What are you doing today?”
“Finalizing some drawings, submitting an application, chasing decisions on another one.”
His stifles a yawn, glancing away, losing complete interest. “Sounds riveting.”
“Hey!” I smack his arm, spiking the cutest chuckle.
He grabs my cheeks and squeezes them until my lips are pouting. Jack mirrors my protruding pout around a grin. “I’m not sure how I feel about being with a woman who’s potentially more talented than me.”
“Potentially?” I mumble through my squished mouth.
“Well.” He shrugs. “The jury’s still out over your bedroom skills.”
I gasp, disgusted, and Jack mimics it, totally taking the piss. I scowl at him, and he scowls right back. My nose wrinkles, and his wrinkles in return. I force my tongue through my lips, childishly sticking it out at him in a demonstration of how affronted I am. He grins and releases my cheeks, hauling me into his chest and cuddling me. “I love your work ethic, for the record. Not many people can say they love their job. You’re one of the lucky people in this world who get something more than money out of it.”
I return Jack’s hug. “And what about your job? Are you one of the lucky people?”
“I guess so,” he says into my hair. “Though my work is more of a good distraction these days.” He releases me and fusses over my face for a few moments, ridding my sticky skin of hair. I’m not sure how to read into that statement. So I don’t.
“Ready?”
“Yes,” I assert, joining him when he starts to jog back to the main path. “Act normal,” I say, knowing Micky is about to come into view again at any moment.
“Right,” Jack says sharply. “How was your day yesterday?”
I throw him an incredulous look. “What?”
“I’m making conversation.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, I want to know how your day was.” He’s hiding a smirk as he focuses forward, not indulging my narrowed eyes.
“Amazing,” I confess, deciding to play along with his playful banter. “But I didn’t get much work done. Yours?”
“I got lots of ‘work’ done.” He grins. “And it was the best day ever.”
I smile up at him and he looks down at me, his gray eyes the brightest I’ve ever seen them. The notion that I am the cause of such a beautiful sight does things to my heart that’s beyond comprehension.
Puckering his lips, he kisses the air. “I better go. Call you later, gorgeous.” He sprints off and I get the pleasure of his wet, naked back for too short a time before he disappears from view as I gradually slow my pace and come to a stop.
“What the hell did he want?” Micky asks, strolling across the grass toward me.
“Nothing.” I raise my arms in the air and stretch, dead set on nailing coolness.
“Is he bothering you?”
“No.”
“Then what did he want?”
“I bumped into him, that’s all,” I say tiredly, dropping my palms and pushing them into the ground, looking up at him. “It’s done with, Micky. I already told you that.”
He’s bristling like a threatened bear, but it doesn’t stop him from pushing his palm into my back. “Straighten your back,” he grumbles. “If you’re going to stretch, do it properly.”
“Your man-bun is wonky,” I quip, hissing when my hamstrings burn. “That hurts!”
“Quit complaining.”
I unbend and stand up straight, tossing him a dirty look. “Go stretch your client.”
He frowns and looks toward the woman currently spread-eagled on the grass. “I’m working on it.”
I laugh. “Is that Charlie?”
“Yes.”
“You’re losing your magic, Micky.”
He scoffs and loops his arm around my neck, hauling me in. “I am not losing my magic.” He leads me back up toward his client, roughing up my ponytail. “And if I ever do, you must kill me.”
“That would be an injustice to female eyes everywhere.”
“True,” he agrees, releasing me when we reach his workout area. “Charlie, this is Annie.”
She smiles coyly, her pretty face flushing. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“I bet,” I laugh, backing away. “I’ll leave you guys to it. I have to get to work. Nice to meet you, Charlie.”
“And you!”
I flip Micky an approving look before turning and jogging home.
*