We were on the way to Jack’s place, and I must say I’d never seen a man move faster than he did after I essentially agreed to be his one-night stand.

He had excused himself from the table and disappeared into the kitchen. Mere moments later, he returned, carrying a Styrofoam container and wearing his lipstick-stained jacket. God, he was a sight as he sauntered up to the table.

“Can you walk a few minutes in those shoes? Or should we cab it?” he asked, looking unsure as he sized up me and my fabulous heels.

Walking a few minutes in these exquisite shoes wouldn’t be a problem. I got up, captured his hand, and gazed into his gorgeous eyes. “I’m fine, Jack.” I almost believed it myself.

He looked at my face as if he was searching for any doubts. Satisfied, he turned us toward the front doors and off we went.

The night was dark with a bit of a chill. As we walked down Montello, we could hear the echoing sounds of honking horns and sirens blaring from farther away. Other people were out on the streets, too, talking, laughing, and joking with each other. Because of my nerves, I paid minimal attention to my surroundings. Instead, I kept looking over at Jack, waiting for him to come to his senses and throw me in a cab and send me home.

After a couple of minutes, he stopped abruptly. “Oh shit,” he said, squeezing my hand firmly.

Here we go. He realized I was not his cup of tea and had thought of a way to get rid of me. The crushing disappointment weighed heavily on my shoulders. Until that moment, I didn’t grasp how much I was actually looking forward to being alone with Jack. Oh well. It was nice while it lasted.

“Did you tell your friends you were leaving? They’re going to worry,” he said, his face turning back toward the restaurant. I let out a relieved breath. He wasn’t kicking me to the curb. Yet.

“Yeah, I texted them when you were gone. No worries.” Except for the fact that my mind was waffling back and forth about whether this was a good idea or not. The girls thought it was fantastic when I texted the three of them while Jack was in the kitchen. I was congratulated with “landing a hottie” and my favorite, “bagging the prey”. Riley did text me separately to make sure I was all right. She was concerned, but happy for me. I reassured her that I was fine, and that Jack was being a complete gentleman—although parts of me hoped there were times when he wasn’t.

“Good. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that before we left.” He bent down and touched his lips to mine. It was a quick kiss, but it helped my nerves in a big way. “You’ve scrambled my brain.” He looked me up and down again. Sighing loudly and shaking his head, he took off his jacket. Before I knew what he was doing, he draped it around my shoulders.

With a frown on his face and a stern look in his eyes, he said, “I didn’t even think to make sure you weren’t freezing to death. I’m sorry.” He rubbed his warm hands over the sleeves of the jacket where my arms were. Tipping my head down, I took a deep inhale of Jack’s scent from his jacket. It smelled wonderful—a perfect mix of man and spice and sandalwood. Certain he saw me sniffing his coat like a crazy person, I smiled up at him, guilty as charged. The corners of his lips turned up and his eyes danced.

Shaking his head, he snagged my hand again and we strolled in silence for another few minutes until we reached a large gray stone building. He cleared his throat. “How are your feet? Just another minute now.”

I loved that he was concerned for my welfare. “I’m fine. Thanks for checking.” I was anything but fine as I thought about what I was doing. What exactly was I doing? Going home with some guy I just met, hoping like hell he wasn’t an axe murderer.

Once again, he held the door open for me. At the elevators, I leaned over and pressed the up button.

“Can you hold this while I search for my keys to the restaurant? I hope to Christ I didn’t leave them there.” He passed me the to-go box and let go of my hand. The elevator dinged, and we moved into it as Jack reached frantically into his pants pockets for the keys. Trying to help, I dug into the coat pockets and came up with a gaggle of keys.

“That will help. Thanks.” He shook his head again and took the keys from my hand. Using some kind of code, Jack entered a series of numbers onto a touchpad on the wall, and up we went.

The elevator opened to a very modern, very new two-story apartment. Jack put his hand to my back and pushed me inside. He divested me of his jacket and hung it on a hook, then he took my purse and placed it on a tiny table, where he also dumped his keys. The lights were set to dim and we headed down a short hallway that opened to the second level. A huge staircase to the side led up to what I assumed were bedrooms. No axes so far.

As we approached the living room, the kitchen was now visible to the right. It looked fit for a chef—beautiful black cupboards, creamy off-white counter tops, and stainless steel appliances. Everything looked so clean in there, too, not a hair out of place, not a smear on the wall. Just crisp, clean perfection. The exact opposite of my apartment. My space definitely had a more lived-in, paycheck-to-paycheck feel to it, but this place was worth some serious dough. Jack must have been swimming in it.

The stunning wall of windows drew me in and I peered down at the beautiful view of the city below. All the bright, varied shining lights from the buildings and cars called out like beacons in the night. I sensed heat at my back and it did strange things to my stomach to know he was so close to me. Tiny shivers ran through my body as Jack glided his hands up and down my arms. He stepped closer to me and folded his arms around my middle and chest, like somehow he knew I needed support. His scent and body surrounding me fully, combined with his warmth, made my heart beat faster and was quickly driving me insane. I nudged deeper into his body and laid my head on his shoulder. He took full advantage and touched his warm lips to my neck. It nearly undid me when he licked my neck and I held his arms to stay standing.

“I could stand here like this with you all night,” Jack moaned into my neck, holding me tighter. And we stood there for what seemed like hours, our burning connection building. Neither one of us wanted to break the spell.

“Do you need anything? Something to eat? Coffee, tea, me?” he said, scratching his stubble on my neck, tickling me.

Unable to stay in one spot anymore, I turned in his arms and looked up at the most handsome man I’d ever seen. “Maybe some tea or coffee might be nice. If it’s not too much trouble, that is,” I said and stared at him, not sure what to do next.

He leaned down and kissed me again, then he said against my lips, “So coffee or tea, but not me? I’m hurt.” His devilish smile said otherwise, and I blushed again. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back.”

I ogled the couches displayed before me. A big, creamy, off-white sectional with a chaise was closest to me. It looked luxurious. But the most surprising thing of all was the collection of books on the table—four or five business books and one popular mystery novel by a well-known author. Hmm, interesting. I didn’t know why the fact that Jack read for pleasure made my heart flutter, but it did.

Closing my eyes, I sat down and imagined the couch enveloping me until I disappeared so I didn’t have to deal with the predicament I’d gotten myself into. How did I end up here?

Ouch! Something hard poked me in the back, and I reached behind to find out what the offending item was. A purple sparkly pony? Did Jack have a fetish that I didn’t know about?

Coffee and cinnamon soon filled the air as Jack sat down next to me.

“I brought both. You pick, and I’ll drink whatever’s leftover.” He put the cups and sugar onto the low coffee table in front of us.

I dangled the purple horse in front of me. “Is there something you need to tell me?” I joked, grinning at his shocked face. He jerked his head back and his face clouded over.

“Uh, yeah,” he stuttered and yanked the pony out of my hand. “My niece must’ve left it here.”

“Aw, you have a niece? How old is she?” His entire demeanor changed and there was an awkward silence between us. Sheesh. I didn’t think it was a trick question.

“She’s three.” He smiled, tossing the pony onto the coffee table. “And worth her weight in trouble,” he said, shaking his head as he looked at the toy.

“That tea smells marvelous. What kind is it?” I changed the subject and cradled the heavy white cup and inhaled deeply. Ah, so cinnamony and spicy. Pulling the sugar closer to me, I fixed my drink, eager to take a sip. He picked up a remote on the table, and for a second, I thought he was going to turn on the TV, and I tensed up. But he aimed it at the gas fireplace, and it immediately started pouring out warmth.

“Chai, but I’m not positive.” He dragged a throw from the back of the couch and draped it over my shoulders. Then he did something else no man had ever done to me before. He reached down, pulled my foot up, and took off my shoe. “Lie back.”

I sank further back and let Jack have his way with my aching foot. For a moment, I considered how gross my foot probably was, but I let it go because he was the one who volunteered for the job. I also thanked the heavens above that I had enough sense and gave myself a pedicure last night.

“Oh, Jack, that feels unbelievable.” I continued making noises as he finished with that foot and moved on to the other. Was this guy for real? Next, his hands stroked up my legs, working out the knots and tension in my muscles. Oh my word, what this man’s hands were doing to me. Somewhere in my foggy mind, I decided this rubdown treatment had the opposite desired effect he hoped for. It made me extremely drowsy. I took a few more sips and dumped the cup onto the table and fell back, closing my heavy eyelids.

“Sleep if you want,” he said, not letting up on my legs.

“No, I’m just going to rest my eyes for a second. The fireplace is nice. I need to get one.” I yawned. “I was out late last night with Riley, and then I didn’t sleep well last night thinking about going out. Stupid, right?” I opened one eye and peered at him.

“Not stupid at all. Close your eyes. You’re tired and it’s late.” And that was the last coherent thought I heard for some time until my body turned and the cushion depressed behind me.

“Jack?” I said, confused about why I was moving.

“Shh. Go back to sleep,” he whispered in his low, gruff voice. The heat of his breath on my cheek and his big arm encircling my body made me push back until his body was tight behind mine.

Sometime later, I awoke disoriented. My body was so secure that I didn’t worry until I remembered Jack behind me. Oh God. I fell asleep. Not that I was an authority or anything, but I was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to fall asleep during a one-night stand. Perhaps after, but not before. That must be considered bad form.

Jack stirred behind me and yawned. “How are you feeling?” His voice was rough with sleep. Relieved that he nodded off as well, I turned in his arms. Yeah, he was still the most beautiful man ever. Lifting a hand out of my warm cocoon, I stroked the side of his gorgeous face, his stubble prickling my fingertips. The brownest of eyes gazed with concern at me from behind long, curly lashes. It wasn’t fair that a man should have such perfect lashes. I knew women who would kill for a set of those.

Jack bent down and touched his mouth to mine. The kiss started out slow and innocent, but the urgency rapidly progressed. He groaned down my throat as I opened my eager lips for him. That drove me wild and I rolled onto my back as he settled between my legs. His mouth still tasted lightly of coffee as his tongue took command. My hands moved to his chest and I undid the smooth buttons as my fingers grazed the soft material of his shirt. The skin on his chest was hot to the touch and I couldn’t get enough of running my fingers through his light spattering of hair.

He moaned loudly and moved his hand up to stroke my breast. Having him in my arms felt so incredibly good and his smell was intoxicating. I finally got up the nerve and shoved his shirt over his broad shoulders. He sat back and pulled it off the rest of the way. Oh, my good Lord. Never had I seen a sight like the one before me. Jack was stacked. His muscular chest was both breathtaking and irresistible. So irresistible that I reached up and stroked him with my restless hands, caressing the incredible hardness beneath my fingertips. As I slid my hands down, Jack took in a breath and his stomach contracted as I grazed the ridges of his chiseled abs.

“You are so hot,” I said, looking into his eyes with admiration and wonder. I couldn’t believe I was here with him.

He lowered himself on me again. My dress rode up higher, and that caused some exquisite friction in some lovely places. Rubbing his naked chest and back while kissing him senseless brought back feelings of intimacy I’d been denied for so long. Jack was taking such gentle care with me, my heart was about to explode.

Who knew that his tender touches would have awakened something long dormant in me? For so long, I’d shut down that part of me. The thought made my eyes sting. I didn’t remember ever being so cherished and adored. This man that I hardly knew made me feel like this…in only a matter of hours? How was that possible? Finally, tears spilled over and down my face as I sniffed uncontrollably.

Jack rolled to the side and said, “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” The concern he showed in his eyes made me cry even harder. Anytime I got emotional around Gabe, he’d ask if I had my period. But here was this man gently stroking my face and genuinely concerned about me.

“No, no, no. I’m being stu…stu…stupid.” And that was all I got out before the sobbing overtook me. Why was I such a loser?

“I’ll be right back.” He jumped up, and due to my psychotic behavior, I was doubtful as to his return, and that made me cry even more. Finally, I got a chance at a real man and I acted like this?

“Here, Harper.” Standing in front of me, he held out a tissue in one hand and the entire box of tissues in the other. I grabbed one and began dabbing under my eyes, hoping what was left of my makeup wasn’t now running down my face. What a moron. This one-night stand turned into a disaster of epic proportions.

“I’m so embarrassed, Jack. I’m sorry. I’m not normally this much of a psycho, I swear,” I said as I blew my nose like a trumpet.

He sat beside me and put his arm around me. “Lean back, sweetheart. Come here. Let me hold you. It’s been a long night and it’s late.”

As soon as I heard “it’s late,” I was sure I’d be served my walking papers right away. But he sat there holding me while I attempted to catch my breath.

“Tell me what’s going on in that beautiful head of yours,” he asked and kissed the top of my head.

One last sniff and I said, “You’re just being so nice to me.”

I felt his body stiffen beside me, on alert. “And the other men you’ve been with haven’t been nice?”

“Men? You mean man,” I said and wiped under my eyes again. “No, I don’t think he was nice. Not at all.” Then the dam burst, and I cried even harder. Jack turned me and held me tight.

“What did that asshole do to you?” he asked with a tight squeeze.

Pushing back, I said, “No, no, nothing bad. But he just never… Well, he never took the care and attention that you are. And he was my fucking husband.” I sobbed again.

“I’m going to need more of an explanation to stop myself from hunting him down and beating the shit out of him.” The look on his face proved he was capable of just that.

I sighed and turned to him. “He just…I don’t know. Let’s just say that the physical part of our marriage was lacking. And I didn’t realize exactly how much I’d been missing out on until just now.”

A sad smile arose on his face. “Shit. I’m so sorry.” His hands moved the hair back from my face. “I can’t for one minute understand why a man wouldn’t give that to you. You’re a fucking goddess.”

My body shook with laughter. “I don’t think so.” Did that man just call me a goddess? Now that was freaking funny.

“I do.”

Giggles continued to bubble out. “Right, makeup running down my face, hair a God-awful mess, dress disheveled, but I’m a goddess.” I snorted and grabbed my middle, laughing at what a catastrophe I must have looked like.

He eyed me up and down. “Makeup running down your face, hair a wild, sexy mess, a dress I’ve already pictured peeling you out of at least a hundred different ways, and you sitting here, pouring your heart out? Yes, I’m afraid you put all other women to shame,” he said, holding my chin with his thumb and index finger.

My breath stopped, and I stared at the man who just said the kindest words any man had ever said to me. I had no response to that, but my mind swam, and my body floated from his sweet endearment.

“Why don’t we go upstairs?”

I glared at him through mascara-stained eyes thinking he must be freaking crazy. After acting like a nutjob, he thought I was still in the mood to jump into bed with him?

He chuckled at me and stroked my arm. “Just to rest? Stay the night, please? No funny business, I promise. Stay and I’ll make you breakfast in the morning before I have to go to work.” He sounded like he meant it, but how could I possibly stay? I’d embarrassed myself enough for one night—hell, more like for one lifetime. If I followed him now, I definitely had a screw loose.

But that was precisely what I did. I resolved to finish what I started. First, I stood and coaxed him and his big, strong hands up. He stood and kissed the top of my head before drawing me to the grand staircase.

Jack took us past the first door, but I couldn’t see in because the door was shut. The next room was a bathroom and the final door led to the master bedroom. He turned on the light and dimmed it, then let go of my hand and walked to the side of the bed. There, he switched on a bedside lamp.

Even though he had said we would just sleep, my stomach did nervous flips while I restlessly played with my hands. It had been so incredibly long since I’d been this intimate with a man. Going any farther scared the living daylights out of me.

“Honey, turn off the big light for me, please?” he said, taking off his watch and placing it on his side table. I didn’t have a clue why I found that so sexy, but I did. His smooth movements and the control he had over his entire body turned me on in a big way. The way the light shone on his tanned torso made me feel like I was in some kind of fantastic sexy dream. This hot, caring, understanding man asked me to stay with him. He wanted me.

Feeling braver, I switched off the big room light and walked to the center of the large master bedroom with a specific purpose. Reaching behind me, I unzipped my dress. His eyes darted directly to me at the sound of my zipper. I shrugged off one strap, then the other, and let the dress drop to the floor, leaving me in just my white lace panties. I was self-conscious for sure, but I still believed the night could be saved.

“Fuck, you are stunning,” he said, stalking toward me. “There are T-shirts in the top drawer.” He motioned to his dresser, but I strutted toward him and pressed my soft body against his hard muscular one.

The sensation of skin on skin was intoxicating and I stretched up on my toes and kissed him, winding my arms around his neck. He clutched my body, then his hands traveled slowly down my back to grip my ass. I took the kiss deeper, and that was when things got a tad out of control, and somehow, we ended up in a tangled mess on his bed. His hardness ground against my panties in the exact right spot and turned my aching into a deep throbbing need. Desperate to find relief, I pressed my hips against him, searching for anything to alleviate my frustration.

Jack growled and moved his hand up to fondle my breast. Sparks ran through to my core. “Oh yeah,” I whispered, grinding my hips harder and faster against him. He replaced his fingers with his hot wet mouth and I groaned out loud.

His magical fingers roamed down my stomach and into my panties. “You are so wet for me, baby,” he murmured, kissing his way over to my other breast. His hand started doing wonderful things, and I couldn’t believe it, but I was getting that same feeling that happened just before I…

“Oh God, Jack.”

“Yeah, ride my hand. Fuck, you are so hot.” Then he sucked even harder on my nipple and there was no stopping it as I came.

“Oh God, yes. Oh fuck,” I gasped as I convulsed on Jack’s hand, over and over again. My thighs clenched, and I rode out my pleasure with the aid of his nimble fingers. The delicious motions he made down there drew out every last spasm from me.

He journeyed a path up my chest to my neck, jaw, and face, placing tender kisses as he went. “That was fucking spectacular,” he said against my lips as I lay boneless and unable to move. “Are you okay? All of that was fine with you? Wasn’t it?” he said with a worried expression on his face.

I laughed at his use of the word “fine”. Then I pulled his face down to mine, gazed directly into his eyes, and said, “It was so far from fine, it wasn’t even funny.” My eyes misted up, but I blinked back the tears.

Jack looked down at me and smiled like he was amused. “Lift up,” he said and moved the comforter over both of us. “We’re going to stick with our original plan.” The plan seemed awesome when he lifted the comforter and spooned me. He felt glorious—my nearly naked body next to his nearly naked body. The way his arms held me and sheltered me, I felt like nothing bad could touch me.

It felt better than nice, but a nagging thought wouldn’t let go. “Jack?” I nudged him. “What about you? You didn’t get to, you know,” I said, barely able to keep my eyes open.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m good,” he whispered into my ear, giving me the full-body shivers. “No, I’m fucking great. We’ll get some sleep, then I’ll make you breakfast in the morning before we go to work. Sound good?” He kissed the side of my face and pulled me in deeper. I didn’t think it was possible to get closer to him, but he completely engulfed me, and I loved it.

“Yeah.” I yawned, unable to stop it. His body shook with laughter, but I didn’t care. The combination of the soft bed, an extraordinary orgasm, and being all wrapped up in Jack were too much. Sleep won out.

Something woke me, and for the second time in as many hours, I was hazy until I felt Jack draped all over me. A sudden sense of panic to flee overcame me. I had never done the one-night stand thing before, and I wasn’t judging people who did, but that was never my thing. Granted, I met Gabe at a young age, so I didn’t have a ton of time to sow my wild oats, but I preferred relationships rather than doing the deed and saying goodbye.

The more I thought about it, the more my anxiety gave way to out and out mortification. What did Jack think of me? First, I fell on him in a bar, and then a couple of hours later I jumped into his bed? And we hadn’t even managed to “do the deed” because of my crying fit. My stomach knotted up and it was getting difficult to breathe. The tightness in my chest was unbearable—I needed to get out of there. Right then.

As carefully as I could, I moved out from under his heavy arm.

I scrambled around in Jack’s dresser drawers and found a pair of shorts. Pulling them up my legs, I saw they were way too big, so I folded the waistband down few times and made them more secure. One hand still had to hold them up to fend off an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction, but whatever. Beggars couldn’t be choosers. The T-shirts were right beside them, so I dug to the bottom of the pile—in hopes of taking a less popular choice so he wouldn’t notice. Then I picked up my crumpled white dress and tiptoed out the door.

Like a ninja—well, a big slutty one anyway—I slinked down the stairs, one foot at a time. My formerly cozy, warm toes were now chilled from the hardwood floors. Movement was easier and less risky on the first level. I traveled with more speed, hoping not to be heard. I spied my beautiful heels sitting by the couch and realized I couldn’t wear those with my newly stolen shirt and shorts.

Hmm, maybe one of Jack’s former night guests left shoes behind. The thought of him with another woman made me ill, but there was no time for thinking, so I walked to the closet beside the front door. As it opened, I saw something disturbing—a closet that was tidier than any closet should ever be. What was wrong with this dude? This space should be cluttered, and stuff was supposed to topple on you when you opened the doors. However, this one looked like it belonged in a museum.

Riffling through the footwear with uncaring abandon, I didn’t even try to keep things straight. Okay, I enjoyed purposely knocking stuff around. Way at the back, I located a pair of flip flops directly behind the sweetest pair of pink pony rain boots I’d ever seen. Huh. And right beside those were a tiny pair of pink pony sneakers. Why would Jack’s niece keep a supply of emergency shoes here? Whatever. I snagged his flip-flops, but they were roughly ten inches too long for my feet, give or take, but they had to do.

After grabbing my purse from the small table by the door, I sensed something missing. Taking inventory, I noted the Styrofoam box, which contained the most delectable cake known to mankind.

Well, I’d already stolen his clothes, sandals, and time—what was a little cake?