Forgetting her original argument, she tried to counter. “Well—” she drawled before he interrupted her.
Jack’s mouth flattened. “Nope. There is no ‘well’. There is no defense against this, no justification. Your safety is my top priority, Charli. The thought of you falling through the flooring or off the side of the house makes me insane.”
He brushed a hand through her hair and tilted her head back, staring into her eyes. “I couldn’t handle it if something happened to you. Do you understand?”
Her breath froze in her chest. The intensity of his gaze held her captive and she found herself nodding, agreeing to whatever he said. “Okay,” she breathed.
Jack leaned in and kissed her gently and groaned when her tongue snuck out to lick his lower lip. His mouth slanted across hers, demanding a response. He drew away after a few moments, both of thempanting, and rested his forehead on hers, closing his eyes.
Trying to catch her breath, she whispered, “Don’t you want to see what I found up there?”
Jack’s eyes shot open, his mouth twisting to the side as he stared at her. Eventually, he drew back and released a deep sigh. “Sure. But I need to ask you something first.”
Charli’s head tilted. “Yeah?”
Jack grinned suddenly and Charli blinked at the sudden change. His gorgeous, chocolate eyes and dimples sent hundreds of butterflies to flight in her stomach.
He caressed her cheek lightly. “Do you have any plans this weekend?”
Charli huffed a light laugh before she shook her head. “Other than some serious reading that I need to talk to you about, no.”
Jack snorted at the snark in her voice and gave her a swift kiss. “Come away with me for the weekend.”
Her brows furrowed. “Huh?”
He lifted his head. “I want to take you to Sunset Key for the weekend. I think you’d really like it and I think we can both use a break from all of this. Come away with me,” he urged.
Her heart warmed in her chest and she grinned. “Okay. I’d love to.”
His eyes widened and she heard his quick intake of breath. “Really? You’ll go?”
Charli giggled at his reaction. “Yes, of course I’ll go. It sounds fantastic.”
“Wooo!” Jack shouted as his arms circled her hips and twirled her around. Charli grasped his shoulders for support and laughed at his excitement. He set her down and kissed her firmly. “We’ll leave late tomorrow afternoon and get back Sunday evening. Does that work for you?”
“Sure,” she replied, loving the enthusiasm. The hard edges of his face melted and she sighed internally. The man was just beautiful. “But where is Sunset Key?”
“It’s a small island just north of Key West—you can see it from Mallory Square. It’s an exclusive resort with a handful of private homes that you can only get to by boat. You need pretty deep pockets to stay there and really, REALLY deep pockets to live there.” Jack shrugged. “Or you just have to know someone.”
Charli grinned. “And I’m guessing that you know someone?”
Jack chuckled. “Yeah, I definitely know someone...a few someones who own cottages there and owe me a lot of favors,” he added.
“It sounds like fun. I can’t wait.” She glanced over at the stove. “And I can tell you what else can’t wait—dinner! Are you hungry?”
Jack’s eyes darkened as he stared down at her. “I’m starving,” he replied in a husky voice slightly lower than his normal pitch that told her in no uncertain terms he was talking about an entirely different appetite. Heat bloomed immediately in her core and the familiar sensation of desire slid through her body.
Charli cleared her throat and focused on the oven, replying, “Good!” She reached over to grab the plates and handed them to Jack. “Here. Would you mind setting the table? I’ll get dinner out of the oven.”
He turned and followed her orders, then sat down to sip his wine, his eyes never leaving her. When Charli placed the large casserole dish on the table, his eyes widened. “What is this? It smells incredible!”
Charli grinned as she set a large metal serving spoon on the table. “This is my all-time favorite comfort food—lobster mac and cheese.”
Jack groaned and his eyes rolled back in his head for a second. “My god. That’s it. I’ve officially found the perfect woman. You’re never leaving this island,” he teased, spooning a large helping onto each of their plates.
Charli snickered. “Just wait until you taste it. It’s literally like crack.”
He moaned as he took his first bite, his eyes closing in bliss. “Damn...this is incredible. I could eat this all night.”
