Page 25 of Deception and New Direction

I was panting now asIstared back at him.

“Jack,”Iwhispered asImoved my eyes to look at his lips.

“Keep staring at me like that, andI’mgoing to kiss you.”Hisvoice was low and husky.

I licked my own lips asIbriefly imagined what it would feel like to have him kiss me.

He growled, and then his lips were on mine.

The kiss may have started out gentle and soft, but onceIput my hands to his hair and raked my nails over his scalp, things took off.Heslid his hands up my sides, and the heat from his touch felt like it was scalding my skin.Whenhis hands reached my neck, he took over the kiss.Hedevoured my mouth asIenjoyed the taste and feel of him.

Clank.Thud.

The noise startled me out of my kissing stupor to see my crutch had fallen to the floor.

Jack leaned down to pick it up and handed it to me. “Goodnight,Ruthie.”

He walked out of the kitchen and toward his room.Istood there frozen, half dazed and confused.

What just happened?

My fingers pressed against my lips, remembering the kiss.Itwas both amazing and unbelievable.Itwas also dangerous.Jackwas dangerous—andIwas in trouble.

10

RUTHIE

I woke up groggy the next morning with the realization that this was going to be a three cups of coffee kind of day—and that was just before noon.

I hadn’t slept very well last night.Itold myself it was because of the flowers and rehashing my past, not because of the kiss withJack.

Who wasIkidding?

After he walked away,Iwent back to my room and stood there like a teenage girl with my fingers on my lips, remembering the feel of his mouth on mine.

His kiss had hit me like a caffeine overdose—heart racing, knees weak, and questioning all of my life choices.

I also realized that couldn’t happen again.Jackwas dangerous.Notin the sense thatIthought he would hurt me physically.MorelikeIcould see myself falling hard for him, andIwasn’t sureIwould recover when he left me later.Especiallyknowing we would have to work together.

Dash was awake, which meantIneeded to be awake, judging by the way he was lying half on top of me, and staring creepily at me.

“Alright.I’mgetting up.Let’sgo get some food for you and coffee forMom,”Imuttered to him, not that he could understand me.

He hopped off the bed, andIgrabbed my crutches and made my way out to the kitchen, though much slower thanDash.

Jack was already standing there fillingDash’sbowl, fully dressed, when he said good morning. “Youmind if we leave a little early today?I’mthinking we can swing by and grab breakfast somewhere sinceI’mout of coffee.”

Wait.Whatwas that last part?Didhe just say he was out of coffee?

“You don’t have any coffee?”Iasked, hopingIhadn’t heard him correctly.

“No, sorry.IthoughtIhad another bag, but we’re out.”

I stared at him in response and just blinked.Thenblinked some more.

This day just kept getting better and better.

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but in ancientTurkishculture, if a husband failed to provide his wife with enough coffee, she was allowed to divorce him.”

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