Page 37 of Forbidden Kisses
“You know.” Grace’s cheeks were burning. Krista was so good at filling in the blanks, but she wasn’t offering any help in their conversation right now.
“Like for dates?” Krista asked.
“Kind of.” Except Grace and Jack hadn’t actually left her apartment. Or her bedroom.
“Have you two kissed yet?” Krista asked, excitement building in her tone of voice.
“Yep.”
“More?”
Heat scorched Grace’s face and neck. “Yep.”
Krista’s eyes rounded. “Oh my God. Did you two close the deal?”
Grace covered her face with both hands. “That’s one way to put it.”
“This is so exciting. You and Jack are sleeping together.” Krista’s whisper had evolved to what felt like shouting in Grace’s mind.
“Shhhh!” Grace shushed her and looked around to make sure no one had overheard. “I’m serious. Noah can’t know.”
“Why?” Krista’s dark brows furrowed.
“Because he’s calling me sis now and treating me like family again.” Grace’s mother was great, but it’d been just the two of them for so long. She liked having an extended family of sorts.
Krista tilted her head. “Noah doesn’t like being lied to, you know.”
“We’re not exactly lying.”
Krista’s mouth settled into a thin line.
“And it’s just until after the tournament. And until Jack and I can figure out if there’s anything worth exploring between us. I mean it might be”—Grace dropped her voice even lower—“just sex.” Crazy-good, fly-her-to-the-moon-and-back sex. “Promise me you won’t tell.”
“It’s not my secret to tell.” Krista pretended to zip her lips. “But my advice stands. Tell Noah sooner rather than later.”
“I will,” Grace promised, already feeling the dread bubble up at the thought of doing so. She didn’t have to do it today, though. Today, she and Jack could continue as if the rest of the world didn’t exist.
And it didn’t when they were together.
—
Jack walked into Castaways later that night and scanned the room. There wasn’t much that scared him these days. Not when he’d reeled in a seven-foot shark and nearly had his ankle bitten off. That had been something he and Chris had laughed about later.
Jack’s father still scared him, though. Not because he was a mean or angry man. It was more that Jack feared disappointing him. He didn’t like to do it. Telling his dad once and for all that he didn’t want to work on the boats anymore would more than disappoint the old man. It promised to break his father’s heart.
Jack took a seat at an empty table in the back. A waitress stopped by immediately and Jack ordered his and his father’s favorite beers. His dad usually ran right on time. Glancing at his watch, Jack saw the short hand tick on the hour. Simultaneously, Castaways’ front door opened and his dad entered the building. His shoulder-length hair had gone white prematurely in his forties. He used to tell Jack and his brothers it was because he’d been struck by lightning. Jack still wasn’t sure if that was true or not. His father had a long, scraggly beard and piercing blue eyes like Jack’s. Taking large steps across the room, he dropped his weight into the seat across from him.
“Just you and me tonight?” his father asked, settling uncomfortably into the too-small chair. He was a large man. Not fat, but he was tall, big-boned, and muscled from years of reeling in beast-sized fish.
“ ’Fraid so.”
“Not a bad thing. You and I have things we need to talk about,” his father said.
Jack met his gaze, wondering if his father already knew. “We do?”
“Yep. But not until I have my drink in front of me.”
“It’s already on its way.”
