Page 112 of When Glitter Meets Gold

“Sounds nice too.” His eyes dart to the spot next to me. “Can I join?”

I shuffle over to make room for his huge frame.

“I suppose you picked up on what Drew said back there,” I say hesitantly, praying he’ll answer with the swiftness of a ripped-off Band-Aid.

He nods, grinning as he takes a seat next to me. “Picked up on it? All this time I’ve been itching to know what possessed you to go on that hike.”

“Glad I amuse you.” I smirk. He leans closer, then runs a hand through my hair and my sulking disappears for a moment to absorb his touch. “I wanted to be taken seriously, and I thought that meant showing everyone I wasn’t afraid of getting my hands dirty. Hiking was the first thing that popped into my head.” I blink as I remember the day in the lobby when I invented the trip, just so Walter would stop laughing at me.

Jack looks like he finds the entire thing hilarious. “You don’t have to defend yourself to me. I see how hard you have to work in there to prove yourself. And I promise nobody cared what Drew had to say.”

I nod, but deep down I know I’m going to feel guilty about the entire thing for a while to come.

“Hey.” Jack’s hand falls to my lap to thread his fingers in mine. “For what it’s worth, Justin and Reza seem pretty keen to follow through with the new app.” He squeezes my hand.

I straighten. “Did they tell you that? There’s no way they don’t think I’m completely insane for the hiking trip lie.”

“I just talked to them,” Jack says casually. “They found the whole thing pretty funny, I even had to tell them to rein it in when they lost their shit about the moose situation.”

“You told them about that?” I boil.

“Sure did,” Jack replies, a little too pleased with himself considering the close proximity of his toes to my needle sharp heel. But before I can summon any violence, Jack angles his body toward me. “I told them how funny and smart you are. Told them you’re brave and bursting with ideas and more creativity than they could possibly accommodate.”

“You said all that?” I ask as he continues to lean into me, bringing with him that pine air that wraps around me like thousand-thread-count linen.

He holds my chin, tilting my face up to his. “Of course I did.”

My breath snags in my throat while my hand lifts to touch the side of his face.

“What else did you tell them?” I whisper at his mouth.

“How you have this ability to get me hard when you come within ten feet of me.” He brushes his lips over mine. “How great your tits look when you bounce on my cock.”

“You did not tell them that.” I sniff out a laugh between kisses.

He stops. Pulling back by a fraction. “No, I didn’t.” His hand slides onto my thigh and squeezes. “That stuff’s mine.”

“Yours?” I smile dreamily, and without a hint of hesitation, he’s nodding. I draw in a breath. “You’re really sure about this? I screama lot, and I take at least three hours to get ready for any given event. You sure you want all that to beyours?”

“As long as you grant me the same time to get youunready after the given event, I’m fine with that.” He squeezes my thigh harder. “And I told you, I like all your noises, the ones you made at the guest house are myfavorite. Speaking of which, I think I should take you back there.”

Something inside my ribcage flutters, a dreamy response to his ability to cause me to blush and make me feel extremely turned on at the same time.

I study him, noticing all the wonderful parts that make up Jack. His world is hectic, a different matter demanding his attention every waking second. Yet somehow, he finds a way to be still, to be entirely present when he’s in front of me without making me feel like I’m monopolizing his time or getting in his way.

He could probably give me anything I wanted. Would move mountains to see me happy. But it’s like he knows the real gifts come from within the details, and right now, sitting on this scratchy, ancient bench, away from all the noise, is the most wonderful gift he can give me.

I lean into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Yes, please. I left my underwear in there,” I say as I press my leg into his crotch so that my thigh slides out from the slit in the dress.

He smirks. “You didn’t come here wearing underwear, baby.”

“I know,” I whisper against his lips. “I just said that to remind you.”

A low growl rumbles in his chest as he draws me close and crushes his mouth to mine.

EPILOGUE

FOUR WEEKS LATER

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