Page 21

21

Ella

“ J ack, are you sure about this?” I secure my phone between my ear and shoulder as I sit on the edge of the bed and lean over to slide my feet in the pair of expensive black heels.“Of course, I am. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t really know anyone. And this dress is too much.”

“You don’t like the dress? We can get you a different one.”

I move to my mirror and turn so I can see it from every angle. The dress is stunning. It’s made from a slinky, shimmery material that appears black but ripples into deep purples and blues as the light hits at different angles. It looks like it would be scratchy against my skin, but it isn’t at all. Hugging all my curves perfectly without being overly restrictive, it’s luxurious. The sleeves are sheer and loose around my arms and tight at my wrists, making it more elegant. Hitting my mid-thigh, the length is classy but not as formal as it could be if it were a floor-length gown. With the neckline dipping to a V, it’s the right amount of sexy. Having a larger chest with too low of a neckline makes clothes border on indecent, but this has me looking alluring and confident.

“No, I love the dress.”

“Good. Then I don’t see the problem. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow at six.”

With a sigh, I plop back down on the edge of my bed. “Fine…” I toy with a loose thread on my comforter. “Will I see you tonight?”

He lets out an annoyed growl I feel in my core. “Unfortunately, no. I have to cover an event again tonight. I have no idea when I will be done, and I don’t want you to have to wake up and come let me in.”

I didn’t get to see him last night either. It’s surprising that in such a short amount of time, I would feel this disappointed that I won’t see him for a couple of days. Especially after the way we woke up the other morning. The memory of his hands on me occupies way too much of my mind as it hopes for when I can be with him again to be very soon.

We say our goodbyes, and I tell him to stay safe, of which he assures me that he always is and not to worry about him, which shockingly does nothing to negate my worrying about him.

I spend the rest of the evening occupying myself by cleaning out and reorganizing my entire closet.

I’m waiting for him to pick me up, and the nerves are flaring. This party will be filled with the most important people in Jack’s life. I want to make a good impression, but what if they don’t like me? What if I say or do something stupid?

Going out in public also makes me nervous. Besides the day at the senior center, the last time we were in public, I got a text. There’s no telling where my stalker is at this point, and he has been quiet, but the last thing I want is for that to ruin tonight.

I stand in front of my mirror, taking myself in from every angle. I curled my hair and left it down. My makeup is carefully applied and slightly bolder than my everyday look. The ruched satin black purse matches the dress perfectly, and the shoes are black patent leather and surprisingly comfortable. Though they probably won’t be comfortable if I stand all night. I’m glad the heel isn’t overly high.

I take one last look at myself in the mirror. Even if I make an ass of myself, at least I’ll look good while doing it.

My phone dings from the living room and has my heart racing, knowing who that is.

Opening my new purse, I double check I have everything I need, then walk into the living room.

I made Alice two different types of cookies and some truffles as a retirement present and even convinced Tyler to bring me a gift bag for it yesterday. I retrieve the gift bag from my dining room table and grab my phone.

Jack: I’m here.

One more deep breath to settle my nerves isn’t enough. I lock my apartment behind me and walk to the elevator, telling myself it’ll be fine and I’ll have fun.

When I step out the door onto the sidewalk, my eyes widen. Jack’s dressed in a fitted black suit, leaning against the G-Wagon with his hands in his pockets. He has a black tie to match his black suit, dark sunglasses, and his ever-present short dark beard finishing off the look. He’s like a bad boy who’s trying to appear respectable but with just enough danger to melt panties everywhere.

Smiling, I swallow hard as I take a shaky step toward him. I give myself a little pep talk about not making a fool of myself this early in the evening by doing something like tripping. As I get closer, Jack pushes himself off the car to approach me.

“You look amazing,” I tell him, the words falling from my lips in greeting.

He smirks. “That’s my line.”

Jack reaches around me as he shifts to my side, placing his hand on my lower back and guiding me to the passenger door. He pulls the door open and helps me into the seat. Grabbing the seatbelt like he usually does, he stretches it across me. His hand brushes slowly over my hip, causing my core to clench. When he steps back and closes the door with a soft click, he looks around at our surroundings before walking around the car and climbing in beside me, further reminding me of the protection he provides with his careful vigilance.

I study his profile as he pulls into the sparse traffic. His neatly trimmed beard is perfectly in place and his buzzed hair is a little shorter than a few days ago. He’s too severe to be model handsome, but that adds to the appeal.

I glance around the G-Wagon. Since I’m no longer driving myself anywhere, Jack took the car back. I also got my car back a few days ago, fully repaired, and not just the damage from the accident. Not that it matters with my Jack-mandated chauffeur service until we catch whoever is stalking me. “Do you always drive a company car? ”

Jack slides his eyes to me before they shift back to the road. “This isn’t a company car.”

I tilt my head, baffled by that statement. “What do you mean? You let me borrow this car after the accident.”

“Yes, I did.” He clears his throat. “It’s mine.”

My jaw drops open slightly, stomach swooping. “You let me borrow your very expensive G-Wagon? What did you drive if you let me drive your vehicle?”

“I have another one.”

“And what is that one?”

“It’s the one I had before I bought this.”

“Okay, and that was a…”

“An ’05 Toyota Tacoma.”

I cackle out an unladylike laugh. “Are you freaking kidding me? Why the hell did you let me drive this? I would have happily driven your Tacoma.” I cut my eyes over to him. “Or a car from a rental company.”

“The Tacoma is worse than the death trap you were already driving. I wanted you in something safer and more reliable.”

I gawk at the side of his face. He’s watching the traffic intently while clenching and unclenching his jaw. My brain is taking its sweet time processing what Jack just told me. He preferred to put me in a new vehicle that costs six figures rather than a car that might put me in a dangerous, at worst, inconvenient, at best situation.

My face tingles with unexpected emotions. I lean across the middle console and kiss his cheek, lingering momentarily to get my fill of his spicy, masculine scent. As I settle back in my seat, I gently grip his forearm where it rests on the console. “I said this the day you dropped this off, and I still think you are insane for letting me drive this, but thank you for taking care of me. Not just with this sexy-ass car, but with everything.” I suck in an uneven breath. “I honestly can’t imagine going through all this without you. Or really any of the guys.”

As I pull my hand away, he reaches out to grab it, intertwining our fingers, never taking his eyes off the road. “But mostly me, right?”

I swallow my emotion, fighting my grin. “Definitely mostly you.”

We slow to another stop, and his fingers squeeze my hand. My core clenches as I turn to him looking my way. He slowly raises our conjoined hands to place a sweet kiss on the back of mine as his eyes flare as they skim over my body. I let out a low whimper when his tongue lightly brushes my skin before he drops our hands back to the console.

“You really do look incredible.” His voice is quiet and deep, filled with longing, settling over me like a caress.

My cheeks heat, and I shift in my seat. No man has ever made me forget I was ever self-conscious about anything. But when Jack looks at me, his dark eyes filled with wanton appreciation, it’s as if any insecurity is utterly inconceivable. “Thank you. This dress is amazing.”

Another squeeze of my hand as the light turns green. “It isn’t the dress that makes you look incredible.”

Lust so strong has me wriggling in my seat. It’s going to be a long evening.