“Whatever!” Nat snorts, rolling her eyes as she dives headfirst into her wine. “So.” She places her fingers on the bottom of my wineglass and encourages me to drink. “Tell us about this new bloke of yours.”
And just like that, I know they’re not going to drown me in sympathy. They’re not going to ask questions, dig for more information, or make me feel like I’m under the spotlight. Instead, they’re going to act like the nightmare last few months never happened. They’re going to act like Jack and I are normal. Like we met under normal circumstances. Like there has been no misery and heartache. I give them thankful eyes, and they all smile in return.
Jack wanders in and places a platter of nibbles in the center of the table, catching my eye as he sets it down just so. He smiles, and I have to force myself to swallow down the emotion that creeps up on me unexpectedly. “He’s perfect,” I say quietly. “Handsome, kind, ambitious, and encouraging.”
“Sounds like a dream,” Jack replies casually, attracting all the girls’ attention.
“Hey!” Lizzy grabs an olive from the platter and chucks it at him. “Girl talk. Scram!”
He holds his hands up in surrender and backs out, looking across to my dad as he goes. “I believe that’s six minutes’ survival time…so far.”
“I have a scotch ready when you need it, son,” Dad says flippantly, dealing the cards out to Jason and Micky.
My heart could burst. Normal. This is all normal. This is how I’ve wanted it to be from the moment I fell for Jack, but how it couldn’t be. I wanted to share everything about the man I’d fallen for with my friends. I wanted to talk girlie about the kisses, the sex, the feelings. I wanted to tell Mum and Dad that I’d met someone who’d knocked me off my feet, and I wanted to do this. Share him with them. I wanted Mum to love him, to welcome him into her home. For him to be part of the family.
Beyond wanting Jack so desperately, I also wanted this.
Acceptance. Love. Normalcy.
“I understand now,” Lizzy says, pulling me from my reflections. I look at her in question, and she smiles, faintly but genuinely. “Seeing you together, I understand. Everyone does.”
I nod, blinking back my tears, more thankful than I’ve ever been.
*
“How tired are you?” Jack asks as he pulls away from my parents’ house and I wave my good-bye.
It’s been a wonderful evening. I’ve laughed, I’ve soaked up the affection that Jack has showered me with, and I’ve relished the fond looks that have been thrown his way by all of my friends and family. They get it. They understand. I let my head fall back and roll to the side so he’s in my sights. “I’m not tired at all.”
He smiles at the road. “You’re lying, but I’m not going to argue with you. There’s somewhere I want to take you.”
“Then take me,” I tell him, once again happy to let him take charge. We drive back into the city, chatting about nothing in particular, and Jack parks up in a side street in central London. “Where are we?”
He doesn’t answer, getting me out of the car in silence. “You okay to walk for a few minutes?”
“Yes. Where are we going?”
Again, my question is ignored, and Jack starts walking us toward the main road up ahead. I remain quietly curious until he brings us to a stop on the pavement, turning to me. “We’re here,” he says quietly.
I frown and look up, quickly realizing where here is. I lose my breath for only a moment. “Where we met,” I murmur, looking through the windows into the bar.
“Back to the beginning.” Jack leads me in and heads straight for the exact spot on the bar where he had me bent over. So many memories, vivid and clear, power to the forefront of my mind. He helps me onto a bar stool, takes one up himself, and faces me. “Are you drunk?” he asks seriously, staring deeply into my eyes.
My smile must be cracking my face. I decide to play his game, just like I decided to play his game on that fateful night I met him. “Not in the slightest.”
“Care to prove it?” His head tilts, and there’s a small pout on his lips.
“Yes.” I nod decisively. “Are you going to bend me over the bar?”
“Don’t tempt me.” He grins, calling for the barman. “Two tequilas, please.” He tosses a note on the wood, making sure he brushes my hand tactically as he withdraws, his grin widening when I inhale. I’d love to tempt him, have him manipulate my body to where he wants it. I’d withstand the pain it would certainly spike, but I know Jack won’t indulge me that much. “Let’s play,” he murmurs, glancing up at me.
A rush of incredible, overwhelming happiness powers through me. “What do I have to do?”
Jack takes the salt and my hand, licking the back with a firm, long stroke, looking up at me as he does. “You taste good.”
“So I’m told,” I muse, watching as he sprinkles the salt. “Do you lick every woman you meet in a bar?”
“There’s only one woman I’ve ever licked, and ever will.”
“Lucky woman.”
“Lucky me,” he counters, bringing my hand to his mouth and lapping up the salt before knocking back the tequila. He hums his pleasure, unable to hold his smile back when I let mine break free. “There’s one more tequila,” he says, placing my hand on the bar by the glass. “And it’s yours.”
“I see something I’d like far more than tequila.” I go off script, saying what I really wanted to say the night I met Jack Joseph.
“Then take it.” He sits back on his stool, folding his arms over his broad chest. I glance around the bustling bar. We’re in public, out and about, in plain sight for everyone to see. And for the first time I don’t have to worry about keeping my hands to myself. I don’t have to worry about being seen with a man who I shouldn’t be with. It’s alien, and so very hard to wrap my head around. “What are you waiting for?” Jack asks, breaking into my thoughts.
The truth is, I don’t know. To wake up, maybe? I slip down from the stool with caution, and I can tell Jack struggles not to help me. His thighs part a little, inviting me in. I walk forward and take his arms, unfolding them from around his chest and directing them around my waist. He lets me guide his moves, putting myself between his legs and looking up at him. And I kiss him. In public, with passion, love, and everything I feel for him that I’ve never been able to share with the world. This man is mine.
“You move fast,” he says into my mouth. “I only bought you a drink, and now you’re trying to get me in bed.”