Page 10 of Loved By You

“Oh, my God.” I lunge forward, throwing my arms around him, his muscular arms tightening around me.

“Hey, Ri,” he whispers into my ear, sending a warm feeling through my body. Bergamot and pepper invade my nostrils and the smell has my eyes fluttering closed.

Realizing I've probably clung to him longer than is appropriate. I release him, stepping back and adjusting my dress, craning my neck to look up at him.I forgot how much taller he is than me, which isn't hard as I stand at a tiny 5ft 2, but he is as gorgeous and strong as the last time I saw him when he returned from Afghanistan five years ago with my brother. Jack had the sense to leave the military, but Noah was still running from our past and wasn't ready to come home.

I let my eyes graze over him from head to toe, taking in his light brown hair, dark blue eyes, and broad shoulders. He has an air of confidence as he stands in front of me. God, has he always been so... gorgeous? Of course he has, he's Jack Lawson. The boy I grew up with. I was just his friend's little sister though, so he never looked at me the way I wanted him to. Nothing ever happened between us, so why am I nervous? It's just Jack. He spent every weekend and some weeknights hanging out at our house throughout high school.

“How the hell are you? It's been a few years.” My eyes roam over his black suit pants and a crisp white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows and I can see a touch of the tattoo I know he has coming down his left arm.Jesus, he looks good.

“Last time I heard you were still living in Miami with Harry and Brad and opening up clubs?” I say, trying to act like I don't check his Instagram.

A deep throaty chuckle erupts from him and I didn’t know a laugh could be a turn on till this very moment. “We’ve moved back and opened up a new place with Chris.” He gestures over to Chris, who is practically eating Nancy's face off.

I curl my lips in disgust and look at Jack, who makes a gagging expression.

He turns his attention back to me and a moment passes between us, charged and heated as his blue eyes bore into mine, holding me hostage. His throat bobs slowly as he swallows, and I track the movement staring at the strong column of his neck. My pulse spikes as I swipe my tongue across my lower lip, wondering what the hell is happening to me. Why is it suddenly roasting in here?

“So you are staying for a while”? I force out, trying not to sound too hopeful.

He nods thoughtfully. “Yeah, I think so, at least until the new club is up and running and we will see from there. If I find areason to stay, I could be convinced.” Excitement blooms in my stomach and my cheeks heat at the idea of Jack staying in New York.

“Sounds great. So you’re keeping well? You’re looking good, you feeling good?” I stare at the ground, willing it to open up and swallow me whole. “Uhh, I mean—”

He interrupts me, tucking my hair behind my ear that’s fallen in front of my face during my ramble. I look up to see his eyes creasing up at the corners in what I presume is amusement. “Yeah, I’m feeling good, Ri.”

A desire to flee washes over me and I frantically look around for my girls to take the heat off me. “Gabs, Ali, come here.” I wave them over and as Brad and Harry appear, standing next to Jack, both looking excited to see me.

“It's been ages, Ri. How are you? How's Noah?” Harry asks after hugging me, and I notice the touch of concern in his voice.

“He’s good. He is about to be deployed again. Should be home by Christmas. He misses you guys.”

“I swear to fucking God, Ri. If I have to look at her eat his face like that any more, I'm going to gouge my eyes out and ram them down her throat,” Ali slurs, making me wonder how many drinks she’s managed to down tonight.

“Well, who's this little pocket rocket?” Harry shouts over the music, as he moves to get closer to Ali and holds out his hand.

“And your name is?” she barks back, crossing her arms, looking him up and down.

“The one you'll be screaming tonight.”

I clamp a hand over my mouth, stifling a laugh.Oh, she's going to have fun with this one.

“It’s Harry,” he leans in so she can clearly hear him.

“Ali, but you can call me Alice.” She extends her hand.

“Alice, who the fuck is Alice?” he sings

Ali stares at him deadpan, not a hint of amusement on her delicate features.

“The song,” he explains, taking her hand in his.

She's still staring at him like he's an idiot.

“Smokie?” he says, trying to get her to understand the joke

Fuck, this is awkward and funny.

We all start snickering into our glasses, passing glances between us, but I notice that Jack’s eyes are locked on me. My cheeks heat from the attention, my ego getting a boost from the way he’s looking at me.

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