“Better?” Jack asks.

“Better.” I sigh as the breeze lifts my hair from my shoulders.

With our fingers intertwining, he leads me ahead.

“Where exactly are we going?” I ask as we follow the curve of a pathway lined by a series of bobbing amber globes that light the way to a group of willow trees. I’m less than thrilled when I hear the hum and rustle of various insects and other wildlife that I’m sharing this journey with.

Jack appears to sense my unease, squeezing my hand gently. “It’s okay. It’s unlikely we’ll encounter a territorial moose out here.”

“But what about things that crawl and buzz? Besides, there’s no way these shoes are touching the grass.” I wince, glancing back at the inviting glow of the estate behind us.

In one swift movement, Jack places a hand under my legs and the other behind my shoulders, scooping me into his arms. “Things that buzz aren’t so bad. They’re leading the way to something I think you’ll like.” He winks, grinning into the night.

Then he catches me staring at him, much like I’ve been doing for a long time now. “Okay, why do you always look at my cheek and smile? The first time you did it, I had to checkto see if I had something on my face, but now I’m considering a dermatologist appoi?—”

I cut him off by wrapping my arms tighter around his neck, pulling myself closer so I can kiss the dimple on his cheek.

“There,” I say after a soft kiss. “When you smile, a little dimple appears. It’s one of my favorite things about you.”

Wonder etches onto his features. Almost as if he can’t quite believe I’ve noticed the detail; perhaps he wasn’t even aware of it himself.

Moments later, we’re the spectators standing in front of a secluded guest house. I gape at the fairy lit exterior which shimmers like tiny fireflies floating in the dark, illuminating the very pretty structure before us.

“I discovered this at last year’s ball,” he tells me as he sets me down so that he can unhook the latch on a wooden door with swirling carvings.

We step into a sunken room cast in shadows. I can just make out the edges of a cream sofa pushed against the far wall with plaid cushions and a floral throw. A small flatscreen rests on a rattan dresser with books and silver photo frames either side.

Jack grabs a remote, aims it at the opposite wall and a second later, a small fireplace blazes to life. At the other end, the outline of a large and plush-looking bed invites me deeper into the chalet. Scalloped edged cushions of all sizes are nestled on top, the array making me want to dive in.

Jack’s voice sweeps past my ear as he crosses to the other side of the room. “Went for a midnight stroll, ended up falling asleep out here until a gardener found me the next morning.” He flicks on a wide brimmed lamp in the corner of the room, illuminating the blue and white daisy print wallpaper that lines the walls. “What do you think?”

I flop onto the bed, immediately kicking off my heels and breathing a sigh of relief as I wiggle my toes in the slowly warming air.

“I think I’m using this as inspiration for when I get around to decorating my apartment.” And I’m entirely serious becausethisis the perfect Nancy Meyers theme I’ve always dreamed of.

Jack steps toward me, stopping in the center of a huge white rug that looks like it’s never seen the soles of a pair of outdoor shoes. His hands sink into his pockets as his head tilts to the side. I can’t help but notice a little hesitance in his posture. Like he’s practicing restraint… “I thought you might like it. This was the first place that came to mind when you said you wanted to get away from the party. Somewhere you can catch your breath, you know? I know that was a lot for you in there, with Drew and everything.”

I raise a brow as I roll onto my side. “I know. But I’m okay now.” The material of the dress cuts up to my thigh, exposing my legs, because the longer we’re in here together, the less I think about the events of the evening, and the more I think about how much I’ve been starved of being wrapped up in Jack. “So…what should we do in here?” I twist my lips to the side. “Inside thisperfectlittle space where no one will think to look for us for a while.”

His throat appears to tighten, and his eyes wander up my legs to the split of the dress. “I don’t know, talk about how you feel after seeing Drew?”

I push up from my side and slide my legs over the edge of the bed. “Ew, I don’t want to talk about him now or ever, thank you very much.”

I watch him smirk as he grazes his hand over a speaker. “Then how about I put on music while you decide what you want to talk about?”

Talk? Ugh!

I step away from the bed, slinking into the center of the room while Jack fiddles with the speaker until easy music begins to play.

I know what he’s trying to do. Make this sweet. Not make a big deal about the fact we’re alone, make it not about sex.

“I want to talk about why you didn’t rip off my dress the moment we stepped inside this place?” I pout. “Don’t you want to?”

He’s still facing the speaker, hands placed on the dresser. He dips his head, and I hear a low chuckle. “Of course I want to.” Then he growls, “Believe me Sara, you are permanently imbedded in my inappropriate thoughts.”

Grinning, I bite into my bottom lip.

“Good to know,” I say as he turns around. “Are you worried that now that you’re my boyfriend, you have to be there for me emotionally and not just as my sex buddy?”