Chapter Twenty-Two

JESSIE TAGGED ALONG WITH CHRIS and Zoey for a weekend at Jack’s beach house. Jack wasn’t there when they arrived around lunchtime but Chris had a key to the house. He assured them that Jack was fine with them making themselves at home.

The house was gorgeous, almost as nice as the beach house her parents owned not far away. Profit sharing at Drake & Associates must be pretty lucrative, Jessie thought. She would be eligible to negotiate that into her contract after two years.

Not that she cared that much about money. She had grown up wealthy and having money wasn’t something she ever thought about it. She just did, and living any other way never occurred to her.

They changed into their bathing suits and headed down to the beach. Jessie laid in the sun, intermittently reading and watching Chris and Zoey play together in the water.

About an hour later, Jack appeared next to her, Cody beside him.

“Hi.” She looked up at him and took a deep breath.

He was shirtless, tan and gorgeous.

There should be a law that he never be allowed to put on a shirt, she thought.

“Hey.” His eyes were hidden by his sunglasses. He allowed his gaze to roam over her.

She was barely covered by a sweet little light blue bikini, her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her tan legs stretched out in front of her on the lounge chair, a white beaded anklet laying against her golden skin. She was glistening with sunscreen as she lazily set aside her Kindle.

Fuck. It was like she was purposely trying to make him insane by putting that pretty body on display and looking up at him with those blue eyes and that sweet smile. If she was any other girl he’d be dragging her into his bedroom and tearing into her hard and rough, punishment for getting him so fucking turned on that he could hardly think straight.

Jack tore his eyes away as he sat down in the chair to her left. Cody panted next to him. Jessie reached out to pet the dog and lavish him with affection. He happily accepted her attention.

“Y’all eat yet?” Jack asked.

That slight touch of a southern accent that came out sometimes always made Jessie’s heart do a little flip.

“No, not yet. I’m hungry though. Are you?” Jessie answered casually. “You’re such a handsome boy… yes, you are!” Jessie continued to baby talk Cody.

The little fucker was eating it up. Jack laughed as Cody sat down next to Jessie and rested his head on her lap. Smart dog. He knew where the best place in town to lay his head was.

Jack nodded. “Yeah. I’ll go see if they want to go with us.”

He walked down to the water, his perfect, hard body attracting stares from every woman on the beach. Jessie watched as he consulted briefly with Chris and Zoey. After a few minutes he walked back across the sand toward Jessie.

“They’re coming,” Jack said.

“Thanks for inviting me to come along this weekend,” Jessie said.

Jack nodded. “Anytime.”

“Your place is so cool. Chris said you renovated it yourself.”

Jack shrugged. “Yeah, did most of it. Chris helped a lot, too.”

“When did you come down?” she asked.

“Last night,” he answered.

He’d gone to see Mallory, a girl he’d been hooking up with off and on for about a year. She was sexy as fuck… tall, dark hair and eyes, fantastic, athletic body. And she could fuck like a porn star, which was what he liked best about her. He’d never been with a woman who talked so fucking dirty in bed. He couldn’t even believe some of the shit that came out of her mouth, but damn, it was hot.

He had gotten back to his place really late. When he woke up he had taken Cody out to the beach to go for a walk.

“Going to take a shower. Be ready in a few minutes,” Jack said, heading up toward the house. “Let’s get you inside, buddy, and get you some water… it’s getting hot out here.”

Cody hesitated, torn between wanting to follow Jack and wanting to stay with Jessie, who was still petting him and scratching behind his ears. Jack laughed.

“Think you’ve got yourself a fan.” He called to Cody again and this time the dog followed him, glancing back once at Jessie as he ran along the sand.

THEY PILED INTO JACK’S JEEP, the guys up front and the girls in the back.

“Where are we going?” Jack asked, turning the key in the ignition.

Zoey suggested a popular beach bar and restaurant and they all agreed.

The place was packed when they arrived, but the attractive hostess knew Jack. She threw her arms around him enthusiastically and then seated them right away outside on the deck overlooking the water.

The pretty brunette flirted with Jack and glared at Jessie. Chris and Zoey were holding hands, clearly a couple. The girl obviously assumed that Jessie was there with Jack.

“Old friend or something?” Chris asked Jack, punching him playfully in the arm when she walked away.

Zoey rolled her eyes at Jessie.

Jack laughed. “Or something.”

“Jack, you should be ashamed of yourself. She can’t be more than twenty-one,” Zoey scolded him with a smile and a playful swat.

“She might be twenty-one now. The question is, how old was she when you hooked up with her, you fucking pervert?” Chris joked.

Jack laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, right. Trust me, she was old enough to play.”

“What did you do last night?” Chris asked.

Jack glanced at Jessie briefly before answering him. “Went to Mallory’s.”

“She’s still around? Wow, she’s lasted a long time,” Chris observed.

Jack didn’t answer him.

Jessie pretended like she wasn’t listening, but she was burning with curiosity, not to mention the jealousy that sat like a pit in her stomach.

The food was good and the beach party atmosphere was fun. Jack ate all of his lunch and half of Jessie’s.

As usual, Chris and Zoey couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Jessie watched Jack very obviously check out the many pretty girls that walked by. Chris seemed oblivious, with eyes only for Zoey.

On an outdoor stage behind their table a disheveled-looking guy in an “I Love Big Tits” t-shirt announced that the bikini contest would be starting in ten minutes. He asked contestants to come sign up. People cheered as Jessie watched several beautiful girls walk up to the stage to enter the contest.

“Y’all signing up?” Jack asked, laughing.

Both of them were wearing their bikinis under their clothes, but there was no way Jessie was going up there.

“No way, not me.” Zoey shook her head.

Chris kissed her. “None of the other girls would have a fair chance. You’d win for sure.”

Zoey smiled at him like he was the only man on earth.

“What about you, princess?” Jack asked, motioning to the stage.

Jessie shook her head and laughed. “No way. Those girls look like swimsuit models!”

Jack didn’t respond. He just stared at her. She seriously underestimated how hot she was.

“Whatever. Not one of those girls look better than you,” Zoey said.

“Thanks, Zoey.”

Loud music pulsated around them as ten sexy girls took the stage and danced like strippers in their bikinis, showing off to try to win the crowd over.

Chris and Zoey giggled and whispered to each other during it, not paying attention at all. Jack barely took his eyes off the stage during the entire contest. Jessie watched Jack focus on the hot girls prancing around, trying to pretend she wasn’t jealous.

“What do you think?” Jessie asked him. “Who should win?”

“Not sure,” Jack said. “It’s probably between the one in the red bikini and the blonde in the black. What do you think?”

Jessie shrugged, instantly hating the dark-haired beauty in the red thong bikini with a passion, as well as the blonde with the huge boobs. It had been almost a month since Jack had made out with her that night in their St. Thomas hotel room and she was still fantasizing about it. Clearly he had forgotten. It was as if it had never happened. Apparently the encounter hadn’t exactly rocked his world.

“I think the girl in pink is the prettiest.” She was less flashy than the other girls, but more naturally pretty, Jessie thought.

Jack shrugged. “She’s cute. Nice ass, but she won’t win.”

The announcer had the crowd cheer for each individual girl as they took turns doing one final ten second dance alone across the stage in order to determine the winner.

Jack continued to watch. He didn’t cheer or clap for anyone, but his eyes were glued to various body parts as the sexy contestants worked the stage.

The dark-haired girl in the red thong won. He looked at Jessie and winked.

“I guess you’re the expert on what’s hot,” Jessie said lightly.

After lunch they decided to go check out the boardwalk. While Zoey and Jessie browsed in shops, Chris and Jack waited for them outside. Jessie bought a cute top and a pair of flip flops. Zoey found a new bikini she liked, and called Chris into the shop so she could model it for him in the dressing room. Jack and Jessie sat on a bench to wait for them.

“My Dad used to bring me and my brother down here just about every summer,” Jessie said, smiling at the memory. “My parents have a beach house, too, up in Rehoboth.”

“Your Mom didn’t go with you guys?” Jack asked.

“She worked a lot. My Dad worked a lot, too, but he could work from wherever he was, as long as he had a phone.” Jessie pointed to an ice cream shop. “My Dad always got us soft serve ice cream there. Let’s go get some.”

Jessie stood up and held her hand out to him. He looked at her offered hand and hesitated before taking it and standing up.

Their fingers still linked together, she dragged him to get in line. Jack gently pulled his hand away from hers as they waited.

Chris and Zoey walked out of the shop, both smiling like they shared a guilty secret.

“You guys took long enough,” Jessie said, not suspecting anything. “What were you doing in there?”

Jack saw the look on Chris’ face and smirked, immediately figuring out that they had just banged in the dressing room.

Zoey giggled and leaned over to whisper to Jessie. Jessie’s eyes flew wide open.

“Oh my God!” she smiled as her face turned bright red. “You guys are so bad! Weren’t you afraid you’d get caught?”

“That’s half the fun,” Jack answered for them, laughing at the shocked expression on Jessie’s face.

THE FOOTBALL WHIZZED PAST JACK and he missed it, distracted by Jessie as she walked past in tiny shorts and a white top that tied under her boobs. Her flat, toned stomach was bare and her long hair was damp and loose from her recent shower.

“What the fuck?” Chris asked as Jack stood by and let the ball fly past him. He turned to see what it was that Jack couldn’t tear his eyes away from.

“I know what that look means. Don’t even think about it, dickhead,” Chris called to him. “She’s not for you, brother. Stay in your lane.”

Jack smirked and rolled his eyes as he jogged across the sand to retrieve the ball.

He threw the ball back to Chris as Jessie watched from her spot down the beach, mesmerized by the way his body moved, the rippling muscles, the chiseled six-pack abs.

Zoey headed inside to take a shower. Chris threw the football one last time to Jack.

“I’m out, dude. Something more interesting just came up,” Chris called, his intentions clear as he headed toward the house to catch up with Zoey.

Jack laughed and glanced at Jessie, sitting by herself in the sand, legs stretched out in front of her. He made his way over and dropped the football in the sand as he sat down next to her.

They were both quiet for a few minutes, looking out at the ocean. The beach was less crowded now, as families started to pack up and head in for the evening. Jessie glanced at Jack, only to find his eyes following an attractive girl who was walking past, his eyes glued to the girl’s perfect ass.

“Thinking about going swimming,” Jack said, looking out at the waves once the girl he was eyeing had passed by.

“You shouldn’t swim alone,” Jessie said.

“Come with me then,” Jack replied.

She shook her head. “I just took a shower. Plus, I’m not a very good swimmer.”

He looked surprised.

“Really? Something you’re not good at it? I don’t believe it,” he teased.

She smiled. “When I was thirteen and my brother was seventeen we were at the beach near our grandmother’s house down in the Outer Banks. I went out swimming by myself, even though I knew I wasn’t supposed to. I got caught in the rip tide. I couldn’t break free. I was so scared.”

Jack listened quietly.

“I thought I was going to die. I really did. The water was overwhelming me and I couldn’t breathe. I saw my brother on the shore and I knew he realized I was in trouble when I saw him jump in the water and start swimming toward me as fast he could. But I didn’t think he would make it in time. I felt myself going under and then everything went black. When I woke up, I was on the beach and my brother was looking down at me. I started throwing up. I didn’t know yet that he’d done CPR on me after pulling me out of the water. He saved my life.”

Jessie paused and glanced at Jack, who was watching her, his expression unreadable. “Well anyway, ever since then I’ve been a little scared of the water. I don’t really swim much. I like the water but only if I’m sure I’m safe.”

“I get it. I’m a strong swimmer, Jessie. You’d be safe with me.” Jack’s voice was confident and reassuring.

“Good to know. Maybe I’ll go out with you tomorrow.” She smiled at him and stood up. “I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back soon.”

Jack watched her walking away, her bare feet skimming the water as the waves broke and water pushed up the beach.

Fuck, she was pretty. He looked into those blue eyes and Christ, she almost had him.

He’d been on a serious pussy bender the past month or so, trying to erase the memory of kissing her that night in New York and then making out with her in St. Thomas. Distraction was a good thing. There were always plenty of nameless, faceless, perfect bodies to help keep his mind off the sweetest lips he’d tasted yet.

Jack sighed deeply and watched her until she was out of sight and then he headed back inside the house to clean up. By the time he came out of his room, Jessie was back. She and Zoey were sitting out on the deck talking, drinking glasses of wine and looking out over the ocean. Chris was in front of the television watching the baseball game.

Jack sat down.

“We’re going to get dinner. You in?” Chris asked.

Jack shook his head. “I want to watch the game. I’ll probably just order a pizza. Thanks though.”

Zoey and Jessie came inside.

“Jack’s going to hang out here,” Chris told Zoey.

“Oh, okay,” Zoey said. “Guess it’s just us then.” She looked at Jessie.

“Actually, I think I’ll just hang out here too,” Jessie said. “If that’s okay with you.” She looked at Jack.

Jack smiled. “Sure.”

Chris shot him a warning look.

“Are you sure, Jessie?” Zoey asked.

“Yeah, go on ahead you two. I’m just going to stay here and relax. I don’t really feel like getting ready. Feeling lazy,” Jessie said, waving Chris and Zoey out the door.

Left alone, Jack and Jessie sat next to each other on the couch in front of the television and watched the game.

“I figured they wanted some time alone,” Jessie said. “I hope you don’t mind that I stayed.”

It occurred to Jessie that maybe he wanted some time to himself so he could see the girl Chris had asked him about earlier, Mallory.

Jack’s eyes met hers. “Why would I mind?”

Jessie shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you have plans? With… what’s her name? Mallory?”

Jack paused before answering. “Nah. I really just wanted to watch the baseball game. I was out late last night, drank a lot. Just tired.”

“Okay, old man.” Jessie laughed.

Jack laughed with her.

“So, who’s Mallory… what’s she like?”

Jack shrugged. “Just a chick I know. Hot as fuck. She’s got long dark hair, killer long legs… a body like you wouldn’t fucking believe.” Jack grabbed a beer from the fridge and popped the top with a bottle opener “She’s a surf instructor.”

Jessie nodded. “I could have guessed what she looked like… I know your type by now. Basically the opposite of me.” Jessie forced a laugh and Jack frowned slightly. “I was actually wondering what her personality was like.”

“I don’t really know, I guess. She loves to fuck. Is horny a personality trait? Never really talked to her that much.”

Jessie rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible. It’s amazing to me that women even agree to hook up with you when you objectify them the way you do. I don’t mean to be judgmental, but are there really that many women who are okay with just having sex? Don’t they feel… I don’t know… used?”

Jack laughed. “You might be surprised how many chicks out there just want a good fuck without all the bullshit. Some women get off on being fucked like a little toy.”

“That’s hard for me to wrap my head around, I guess. I can’t imagine just having sex with someone that I don’t even talk to.” Jessie shivered as she wondered what it would be like to be Jack’s little toy for a night.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You want the Chris and Zoey thing.”

“Yeah, I guess I do.” Jessie nodded.

“Sweet girl like you shouldn’t have any trouble finding a nice guy to hang out with.”

Jessie nodded again, swallowing her disappointment.

Jack picked up his phone, seemingly oblivious to her inappropriate thoughts. “What do you want on your pizza?”

THE BASEBALL GAME ENDED IN victory for the Braves, and Jack handed the remote control to Jessie. She flipped through the channels. The original Star Wars was coming on. One of her all-time favorite movies.

She wasn’t sure at what point she fell asleep, but when she woke up, she was leaning against Jack, her head resting against his shoulder. She started to shift away from him and he turned to look at her. He shifted toward her and ran his hand lightly across her bare thigh as he leaned close to her.

Looking into her eyes, he brought his hand from her thigh and cupped the side of her face, running his thumb lightly across her cheek and then over her bottom lip. He brushed his lips against hers carefully, like she was made of glass and might shatter if he wasn’t gentle enough.

Jessie leaned forward and kissed him back, encouraging him with the tiniest slip of her tongue. She heard a small whimper escape from her chest as she felt a rush of warmth flood her body and settle into a throb between her legs. God, could she be any more desperate?

He ran his hand through her hair as he kissed her softly and slowly. It was so different from the urgent, aggressive way he had kissed her before. She had never imagined Jack being this sweet and gentle.

After what was probably only a minute or so, he pulled away suddenly. He stood abruptly.

“Goodnight,” he said, his voice low.

He disappeared into his room, closing the door behind him. Jessie stared after him, taken aback by his unexpected and confusing behavior.

JACK GOT BACK FROM HIS morning run with Cody and found Jessie and Zoey in the kitchen cooking breakfast and Chris drinking coffee out on the deck.

“You have time for a shower,” Zoey told him.

He was drenched in sweat. Jessie felt his eyes on her but she didn’t look at him. She stayed focused on the sausage gravy she was making. He walked behind her to get to the sink so he could fill Cody’s water bowl with fresh water.

She was trying not to be embarrassed about the night before. She had no idea why he had kissed her, or why he had stopped so abruptly and gone to bed.

Maybe he wanted to see if he would like kissing her again and decided he didn’t. She didn’t know, but she was ready to pretend it had never happened, the same way they pretended the kiss in New York hadn’t happened. And pretended that the make out session in St. Thomas hadn’t happened.

Jack took a shower and tried not to think about how cute Jessie had looked, fixing him breakfast in his kitchen, her blonde hair in two braids, bare feet and toenails painted light pink.

He didn’t know why he had kissed Jessie last night. He hadn’t planned on it. It had just kind of happened. Christ, he’d been half asleep.

When he’d opened his eyes she was resting her head on his shoulder. She woke up, sitting there looking sleepy and totally adorable. Those blue eyes looking at him like she wanted him to carry her to his room and give her the night in his bed that he knew she wanted. Fuck, it was getting hard to resist. He was pretty sure she’d never really been fucked. Not by anyone who knew what the fuck they were doing.

Those lips, so fucking soft. Shy and hesitant, but eager as fuck. He had just acted on instinct. When he realized what he was doing he stopped.

Staying away from this cute-as-hell blonde was proving to be more difficult than he had anticipated.

They ate the delicious breakfast that Zoey and Jessie had made.

“My girl can cook,” Chris told Jack.

“Actually, honey, Jessie made the sausage gravy and biscuits today. I just made the eggs,” Zoey said. “Her grandmother taught her, so she cooks totally old school. You might need to have your arteries cleared after this meal.”

They laughed as Jack’s eyes settled on Jessie, sitting across from him.

“Yes, our Jessie’s going to make some lucky guy the perfect wife some day,” Zoey said. “She cooks, she loves kids.”

“God, Zoey! You make me sound so domestic and boring.” Jessie rolled her eyes.

Jack looked slightly amused as he ate quietly, already on his second plate of food.

Zoey laughed. “Not at all sweetie.”

She got up and reached over to clear Chris’ plate for him.

“Speaking of domestic,” Chris said, pulling her down onto his lap and kissing her, “you said you love kids, too, didn’t you?”

Zoey giggled. “I do. I want at least twelve.”

“How about two or three?” Chris joked, kissing her neck.

“Four or five?” Zoey countered.

“Okay, you talked me into it.”

“You two are making me sick!” Jessie laughed, pretending to gag.

They all laughed.

“How about you, Jack?” Zoey asked, drawing him into the conversation.

Chris laughed out loud. “Jack can’t stand kids.”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, I’m not a big fan. None for me. Ever.”

Jessie frowned. Well, that was one more thing that she and Jack didn’t have in common. Kids were definitely going to be in her future.

JESSIE SET HER DRINK DOWN on the hot tub surround behind Jack and stepped in, wearing a tiny white bikini. Jack couldn’t take his eyes off of her gorgeous, toned body, tanned golden from the day they had spent together playing on the beach. He watched all that pretty perfection disappear as she sank into the bubbling water.

His resolve to stop thinking about her constantly and to keep his distance was definitely not holding up. It seemed like he’d spent most of the day with his hands somewhere on her hot body.

Grabbing her around her waist so he could playfully dunk her in the ocean… rubbing sunscreen on her back… holding her perfect little body against him under the water when she asked him to take her out into the ocean. The water had been choppy, and she had been too scared to go out by herself.

“That shower felt great!” Jessie smiled at him. “Thanks for letting me use your bathroom. I hope you don’t mind—I left all my stuff in there.”

She had gotten in the shower in Jack’s master bathroom, since Nick and his girlfriend, Savannah, had been showering together in the other bathroom.

Jack smiled. “I don’t mind.”

They had spent such a great day together. They had played on the beach and then eaten steamed crabs with plenty of Old Bay and corn on the cob outside on the deck for dinner. Nick and Savannah had shown up, too, joining the party.

Jack had been drinking all day, and although he never appeared to reach any real state of inebriation, he was feeling pretty lit up. He wasn’t sure whose idea it had been to get in the hot tub, but it probably wasn’t very smart.

Jessie’s pretty blonde hair was secured loosely on top of her head in a messy bun. Her face was flushed, not from the sun, but from the four drinks she’d already finished. She was definitely feeling the effects of the vodka in her girly mixed drinks.

Chris and Zoey had left to take a walk on the beach and Nick and Savannah had disappeared into one of the upstairs bedrooms together. For some reason Jessie thought it was a good idea to get into the hot tub practically naked with Jack.

She felt a little thrill run through her when she remembered Jack’s strong, muscular arms wrapped around her in the ocean earlier that day.

“You must be sick of me by now. All that time in New York and then St. Thomas, now this weekend. I feel like since Chris and Zoey started dating you kind of get stuck with me a lot.” Jessie’s tone was apologetic.

Jack’s gaze was steady as he looked into her dazzling blue eyes.

He answered her honestly. “Not at all. I’m having a great weekend.”

“Really? I’m glad. I’m having a great time too. Today was so much fun.” Jessie broke eye contact first.

Jack didn’t speak. He was surprised, actually, by what a great time he was having. Usually he would have spent the weekend trying to hook up with the hottest piece of ass he could find. Of course he would have liked to have spent the weekend getting laid, like Chris and Nick were doing, but he wouldn’t have traded the time he’d had with Jessie for some random pussy. He couldn’t explain that to her, though. For fuck’s sake he didn’t understand it himself. So he stayed silent.

She stood up and moved toward him through the water, reaching behind him to get her drink. She picked it up and took a long sip as Jack’s eyes raked over her triangle bikini top and flat stomach, which were eye level as she leaned across him. She was so close to him that she could feel his breath against her skin.

She stumbled a bit, her natural clumsiness intensified by the alcohol she had consumed.

“Sorry,” she murmured. She giggled as she tried to balance herself, one hand on Jack’s shoulder.

Without a word, Jack reached for her, sliding his hands gently over her hips. He tugged her down on his lap so she was straddling him under the water, her knees on either side of his thighs. One hand pressed flat against her lower back and the other began softly and slowly stroking her thigh.

His expression was serious as he watched her smile fade when their eyes locked.

Butterflies flipped in her belly, as Jessie ran her finger over the small jagged scar on his chest. “Where did you get this?” she asked, her voice trembling.

He hesitated, poker-faced. “Iraq.”

She looked surprised. “What happened?”

He didn’t answer her. He didn’t want to talk about that. Especially not right now.

“I love this song,” she whispered.

“Oh yeah?” Jack’s gaze dipped from her eyes to her lips and back again, his fingers still softly rubbing her back and thigh. “I don’t know this one.”

“It’s old… Come Undone.” Jessie’s voice shook slightly. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she didn’t want it to end.

“You and your old ass songs. I think you know them all,” Jack observed, his voice strained.

“Whatever. You like them, too. Admit it.”

He nodded. “Some of them, I guess. They remind me of…” He trailed off, his stormy eyes leaving hers and skipping over her breasts.

“Who?” Jessie whispered.

He didn’t respond to her. He wasn’t sure what he was doing. His head was a little cloudy, partly from alcohol and partly from the feel of her silky skin under his fingers, her sweet coconut scent invading his space.

Something had been building between them all fucking weekend and he didn’t feel like fighting it anymore. Couldn’t hurt to kiss her one more time, could it? Just for a minute. Just one more taste of that sweet mouth.

He felt her take a shaky breath as he leaned forward to press his lips against hers. He kissed her gently at first, as he had the night before, as if he was afraid he might hurt her. He hesitated for a moment, looking into her eyes as if seeking her permission.

She was so different from the girls he was used to. Definitely less experienced. Definitely more sensitive. He didn’t want to scare her. Jessie leaned forward and kissed him back, putting her arms around his neck and running her fingers through his hair.

Jack removed his hand from her thigh for a moment, and reached up to tug gently at her hair until it came loose. He groaned lightly as the soft blonde waves tumbled down around her shoulders and her back. His cock bucked against his swim suit, so ready for this girl it fucking hurt.

Jessie felt him press his other hand against her lower back, pulling her closer to him. She gasped in surprise as he pressed her firmly against his erection. It was certainly impressive—hard as steel, and long, and thick.

“Mmmmm,” she murmured, her mouth still against Jack’s as he kissed her slowly, hesitantly.

She shivered with a combination of fear and excitement as his kiss deepened and he continued to gently press her against his insistent erection, his swim trunks and the thin fabric of her bikini bottoms the only barrier between their most intimate areas. The warm water bubbled all around them as Jessie’s heartbeat accelerated and heat flooded between her legs.

Jack was breathing harder now, too. The little whimpering sounds she was making as she rocked herself gently against him were making it hard to think straight. He was so fucking turned on, his cock rigid and straining against his swim trunks as it rubbed against her bikini. He couldn’t believe he was reacting this strongly to her. He needed more.

His lips left hers to trail down her neck as he moved his hand from her thigh up her side until it slowly cupped around her breast, massaging her gently. He stopped kissing her and looked at her breasts, still covered by her bikini top. Her nipples were hard, visible through the fabric and Jack rubbed his thumb lightly over one, sending a jolt straight between her legs.

They continued to gently rock against each other. The friction from Jack’s hard cock pressing against her clit through her bikini felt so good.

“Jack,” Jessie whispered as he slid a finger inside her bikini top and ran it across her taut nipple.

He felt her press more firmly against him in response and he encouraged her by pressing his hand harder against her ass. Hearing her whisper his name had sent his arousal to another level and he gasped and kissed her as she continued to grind herself against him.

“Does that feel good?” he whispered hoarsely. “Rubbing your clit against my cock?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

She was so nervous. Jack talking dirty was a turn-on, but it also made her self-conscious. She didn’t know how to talk like that. She didn’t know anything, really. Jack was used to women who knew exactly how to take care of a man. He probably wasn’t going to be too impressed with her clumsy, inexperienced attempts.

He kissed her again, their tongues colliding more urgently than before. He grinded back against her as his hands squeezed the flesh of her ass harder.

“Fuck,” he whispered, his kiss becoming more intense.

“Is this okay?” she whispered.

“Fuck, yeah.” Jack’s voice was low and shaky. “Do you think you could come like this?”

“I… don’t… know.” No one had ever said anything like that to her before. It was so dirty but so… hot.

There was something wild and rough about Jack, something primal in the way he kissed her, the way he touched her. It felt so good, being in Jack’s arms, kissing him, feeling his hard, perfect body pressed against hers, the long, thick hard erection pressed firmly against her, rubbing against that spot that could take her over the edge, even before they had taken their clothes off.

She had never felt this turned on in her life. Scott had been exceedingly polite with her. She hadn’t realized that until just now.

He moved his mouth down to her breasts. Those soft moans and whimpers were driving him crazy. He was pretty sure he could play with her all night and never get tired of hearing those little sounds.

He slid the small triangle of fabric aside and exposed a small, pretty, perfect pink nipple. He swallowed hard and then brushed his tongue against it lightly.

“Christ… what the fuck am I doing? You should tell me to stop,” he groaned.

He licked and sucked her nipple gently and she moaned in response.

“Oh God, Jack! No, please don’t stop,” Jessie said as the door flung open and Nick took a step onto the deck.

Nick must have realized he was interrupting an intimate moment because the door shut again right away. Jessie was too caught up in the moment to even notice Nick’s intrusion.

Jack heard the door open but ignored it. Honestly, he didn’t care. The whole goddamn world could be watching and he wouldn’t give a fuck. Jessie had him so worked up he could barely keep control.

“Fuck, Jessie… what the fuck?” he whispered as he moved on to her other nipple, more aggressively than before. “We should stop… shouldn’t be touching you like this.”

He was caught off guard. He couldn’t believe how much he fucking wanted her. The fact that she was even letting him touch her like this? Well, it felt like she was giving him a gift or something. He knew that she wouldn’t do this with just any guy.

She shivered against him and pressed her hands into his back. The sound of Jack’s erratic breathing was such a turn-on. She loved feeling him respond to her, feeling how much he seemed to want her.

He realized how close he was to letting this get out of control. He wasn’t sober enough to be touching her like this. He had just meant to play around with her for a minute.

Now he was two seconds from dragging her into his room and showing her exactly how hard she would get fucked for teasing him with this sweet little body for the past three months.

“Fuck, Jessie… we have to stop. I don’t want to do this with you. I’m sorry if I made you think…” he fumbled a bit, releasing his hands from her body as if he suddenly realized she had a contagious disease.

“What?” Jessie looked at him, surprised and confused, and quickly turned her eyes away. “I don’t… okay. Sorry.”

She clumsily pulled her bikini top back into position to cover her exposed nipples and moved away from him.

She didn’t understand. Hadn’t he been the one to pull her down on his lap? Hadn’t he just been rock hard against her, kissing her and touching her? Hadn’t she just heard his heavy breathing in her ear and against her skin? How could she have read him so wrong?

She felt her face flush. Had she done something to turn him off? Probably. What else could explain his sudden loss of interest?

Jack felt irritated. Mostly with himself for letting things go too far. Also with Jessie, a little, for prancing around him all day in a fucking bikini until the temptation was too strong to resist. Why the fuck did she have to be so fucking cute? Why did she have to moan and whimper, like no one had ever touched her before? If she wasn’t so goddamn irresistible this wouldn’t keep happening.

Hurting Jessie’s feelings hadn’t been his intention, but the look on her face told him that was exactly what he’d done. A fun day spent with her on the beach and too much to drink had obviously weakened his resolve to stay away. He was pretty sure this was going to make things really fucking awkward.

Suddenly, they heard muffled voices and laughter as Chris and Zoey returned. Jessie moved silently through the bubbling water to the other side of the hot tub, as the door opened and Chris and Zoey stepped onto the deck.

“Hey,” Chris said, cracking open a beer. “Hot tub time?”

“That sounds good. I’ll go change,” Zoey said, turning to go back inside. She gave Jessie a funny look.

“So, what’s up?” Chris’ slightly teasing tone suggested that he suspected something.

Jack shrugged.

Jessie couldn’t speak. She had no idea what had just happened, or why he had so suddenly lost interest in her, but now she wanted nothing more than to just disappear.

Jack and Jessie locked eyes for a moment. His eyes burned into her, still radiating heat from their encounter. Jessie looked away and stood up.

Chris stood quietly by the door.

“I’m going in… so tired,” she said, feeling Jack’s eyes all over her as she moved past him to climb out of the hot tub. “Goodnight,” she whispered, escaping inside.

Jack didn’t respond. He stayed where he was. He couldn’t get out now even if he wanted to. His dick was still at full attention. His body hadn’t quite gotten the message from his brain that it wasn’t going to happen. He reached for his drink and sighed.

“What happened?” Chris asked.

Jack shrugged. “Nothing much. We were just fucking around. Didn’t even get her out of that sexy little bikini.”

“Dude… not cool,” Chris admonished, shaking his head. “You can’t fuck around with her, man. She’s not like that.”

“Dude, she’s not a fucking kid,” Jack argued. “Stop acting like she’s some kind of virgin angel. She’s not. Way she was just grinding all over my dick, pretty sure she knew what she was doing. For the record, I’m the one who stopped things. She wanted to keep going. Probably would have let me do whatever I wanted.”

“She likes you, Jack, but she can’t handle it. You know that. You can’t just nail this one and then tell her to piss off. She’s a good girl. It’s not right. What’s going on with you? You don’t usually fuck with the good girls.”

Jack sighed. “I don’t know. She’s just so…” he trailed off, shaking his head.

Chris looked at him, surprised, waiting for him to finish. “She’s just so what? Don’t tell me you want anything more than to just fuck her because I won’t believe you.”

“Of course not. No fucking way.” Jack downed the last of his drink. “I get what you’re saying. She’s looking for more than just a hot fuck and I’m not, so I should leave her the hell alone. I’m a bastard for wanting to bend that sweet little princess over my fucking knee. Spank the fuck out of that perfect little ass, then pound her pussy until she stops driving me fucking crazy. Even though she’s been tempting the fuck out of me all goddamn summer.”

“Jesus, dude, you’ve given this a lot of thought, haven’t you?” Chris laughed and shook his head. “Leave her alone, man. It’ll just fuck with her head. It’s obvious that she’s got it bad for you. She’s so fucking sweet. Zoey told me that Jessie’s pretty inexperienced. She won’t be able to handle it. You don’t want to hurt her feelings, I know you don’t. This thing I have with Zoey is good. I mean, she might be the one.”

“Yeah? Getting that serious, huh?” Jack glanced at him.

“Yeah. Come on, you know you only want to fuck Jessie because you shouldn’t. You’re not used to not being able to go after the pussy you want. Let this one go. Go stick your dick in someone else. God knows you have plenty of other options.”

Jack nodded. Chris was right, of course.

Didn’t make it any easier.

THE NEXT MORNING JESSIE WALKED out on the balcony and looked out over the ocean. She could see Jack down by the water, surf fishing. It was still early, only seven o’clock, and the beach was empty except for a few people jogging or fishing, like Jack.

She went down the steps and her feet sank into the sand. It felt cool against her skin. She made her way over to where Jack was facing the ocean, reeling in his line. He turned to get more bait for his line from the small cooler sitting on the sand behind him.

“Hey,” he said, barely glancing at her, despite how incredibly cute she looked. Her hair was in two braids and she wore an orange Baltimore Orioles sweatshirt and a tiny pair of white shorts.

“Hi,” she said shyly, looking down at her bare feet. She leaned down to pet Cody, who nuzzled close to her and licked her hand lovingly.

Jack baited his line and then turned back toward the water. He brought the rod behind his right shoulder and then, in a swift, graceful motion he cast it out. Jessie watched the line fly through the air. It went a long way before settling into the waves.

“So, about last night…” she floundered, “I wanted to apologize, you know, if I did something wrong. Maybe I misunderstood…”

Her stomach was in knots. She didn’t want things to be awkward between them.

She could see his side profile and his expression was blank.

“Jack?” Jessie prompted him when he didn’t respond.

He glanced back at her and shrugged. “No need to apologize, Jessie. It wasn’t your fault. It was mine. I had a lot to drink yesterday. Don’t know what the hell I was thinking.”

She took a few steps so she was standing beside him. Their eyes locked.

“I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea.” He started to reel in his line again but stopped. “I got carried away. Didn’t mean to cross a line.”

“No, it’s okay. I think I’m the one who got carried away.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt. “It’s just, I like being friends with you Jack. I don’t want things to be awkward.”

He stared at her briefly before nodding in agreement. “I… like being friends with you, too. I’ve never really had a girl for a friend.”

His blue eyes looked directly into hers, his face serious.

She smiled. “Will you show me how to do that?” She motioned to his fishing line.

“Don’t you fish? You said you practically grew up on your Dad’s boat,” Jack continued reeling in the line.

“I did, but I didn’t do any fishing. It was too icky. I’m a Daddy’s girl… a princess, remember?”

She laughed, her blue eyes sparkling.

Jack smiled and rolled his eyes. “Of course you are.”

When he had the line reeled in he showed her how to bait the hook. She wrinkled her nose at it.

“Yuk!” she cried, as her fingers touched the slimy, quivering squid.

Jack laughed. “Don’t be such a pussy, princess.”

She laughed and baited the hook, determined to show him she could do it.

He put the rod in her hands and showed her how to hold it. Standing behind her, he put his arms around her so he could put his hands over hers and showed her how to bring the rod back and cast it out into the choppy waves of the ocean.

He tried to ignore the way his heartbeat accelerated when she looked up at him and laughed, those pretty blue eyes sparkling and that smile that was brighter than the goddamn sun. It was fucking ridiculous.

It didn’t matter how pretty she was. Or how good she tasted when they kissed. Or how soft her skin was. Or how fucking hard he got thinking about that hot little body.

Jessie’s place in his life was as his friend. Nothing more.

“SO WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED with you and Jack at the beach?” Savannah asked as Jessie pulled out of the parking lot of her apartment building.

They were planning to pick up Zoey at Chris’ place and spend a girls’ afternoon shopping.

“Nick said you two were going at it hot and heavy when he opened the back door.”

Jessie blushed. “Oh my God! I didn’t know he saw us. I didn’t even notice.”

Savannah laughed. “You must have been totally distracted.”

“I guess so.” Jessie smiled sadly.

“Nick said he asked him about it and Jack said you guys were just drunk and…”

“And what?” Jessie prompted.

“I’m sorry sweetie. He said it didn’t mean anything.”

Jessie felt a stab of pain shoot through her at Savannah’s words.

“I know. It was so humiliating. I guess I thought that he, you know, wanted to… I don’t know. I guess I’m just an idiot.” Jessie blushed again and trailed off.

“He’s such a liar,” Savannah said. “He can spin any line he wants to, but I know he’s into you. Any idiot can tell by the way he looks at you that he wants you. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that look.”

Jessie laughed out loud. “I don’t think so, Savannah. I wasn’t exactly stopping him. He’s the one who put the brakes on. If he really wanted to hook up with me, why would he do that?”

Savannah shrugged. “Because he doesn’t want to lose you as a friend. Figures if he fucks you, you’ll expect something more and he just wants to find out if you’re as sweet in bed as you are out of it. You do have a great little body on you. Can’t blame him. He’s just a guy, after all. You know they all think with their dicks.” She laughed, teasing Jessie just a little.

“What about Nick?” Jessie asked, laughing.

She loved her new friend. They had started spending time together over the past couple of months and they had gotten pretty close. They were so different, but Jessie really liked her. She admired her for taking care of her little sister and doing what she had to do to get by, no matter what anyone else thought of her.

“He’s no different,” Savannah said lightly. “Lucky for me, I guess. If he wasn’t thinking with his dick do you think he’d waste his time with someone like me?”

“Don’t say things like that Savannah,” Jessie begged. “You have so much going for you. You’re beautiful, sweet, fun, caring, determined, not to mention a great friend. I heard Nick say you were the most amazing girl he’s ever met. He told the other guys that last weekend when he was over Jack’s watching the baseball game with us. Nick’s lucky to have a girl like you.”

““Ha! Well thanks, but Nick is so far out of my league we’re not even in the same ballpark. He’s so fucking smart. Half the time I don’t even understand what he’s talking about. I feel like a fucking idiot. I barely finished high school. He wants me to meet his family and I’m freaking out. I know they’ll hate me. He told me that his ex-girlfriend Tracy is still really close to his Mom and sisters. I’m so nervous about meeting them. He seems to really care what they think.”

Jessie smiled sympathetically. “Tracy and Nick are just friends now, from what I can tell. Did he tell you why they broke up?”

“He said they were more friends than lovers. Said he loved her but wasn’t in love with her. He told me he realized they hadn’t slept together in a month and neither of them had seemed to miss it and it hit him that it wasn’t what he wanted. But he did say that he was the one to end it and that she had tried to convince him to stay with her.”

“Are you in love with him?” Jessie asked.

Savannah shrugged. “Maybe.”

“I think he’s in love with you.”

Savannah laughed. “I think he likes having sex with me. I don’t know about anything beyond that. I’m not a romantic like you are, Jessie.”

“Have you guys stopped fighting about the club?”

“For the most part. He still makes little comments here and there. Some guys can be territorial. It doesn’t always mean they give a shit about you.”

Savannah was so jaded. Jessie didn’t know a lot about her past, but it was clear that something had made her this way. It made Jessie sad for her. She was such a great girl. Nick saw it, obviously. Jessie just wished that Savannah could have a little more confidence in love… and herself.