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Chapter Forty-Three

IZZIE

D espite his struggle to learn the steps of the first Sevillanas, Jackson refused to meet with me alone to practice, and yesterday he couldn’t come to the group practice because of an event he needed to attend. I’m nervous. I don’t want us to look bad in front of all the guests, but I can’t say we just won’t dance. It’d be weird if only the best man and the maid of honor didn’t participate.

Jane and Chad’s plan is adding stress to my life, and it won’t work. What I had with Jackson is in the past, and even if I wanted to rekindle it, he clearly doesn’t, which is for the best.

It’s Thursday afternoon, and I just finished a shift at the clinic. In another couple weeks, my residency will be over. I’m excited and terrified at the same time. Dr. Fuentes offered me a full-time position, so I don’t have to worry about looking for a job, but becoming a vet has been my dream for so long that, now that it’s around the corner, my emotions are getting the better of me.

I check my phone. I texted Jackson earlier, asking if he wanted to practice today. There’s no response. Tomorrow, we’re leaving early for the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, and we won’t have time to practice until the rehearsal dinner.

I text Jane.

Jackson is not answering my messages. We need to practice!

JANE: Oh, he’s such a nincompoop.

That’s a new word for you.

JANE: Trying to get used to not swearing that much before the baby arrives.

So much is changing…

What am I gonna do about that pile of [poop emoji]? Should I ambush him at his place?

JANE: He’s left for the Breakers already. You should go tonight and ambush him there!

Jackson and I alone in a beautiful hotel is exactly what Jane wishes for.

I don’t have a room for tonight.

She doesn’t reply right away, which means she’s plotting. I shouldn’t have texted her. Irritated, I set my phone on my nightstand and go take a shower. When I return to the room ten minutes later, I find a new text from her.

JANE: You have a room now

I roll my eyes. Of course she took care of it.

I know what you’re doing. It won’t work.

JANE: We’ll see… Have fun.

“Meddling fool,” I mutter, but only to distract myself from the flurry of excitement spreading through my body.

Jackson had better act like the asshole I know he can be, because I’m in real danger of making a huge mistake… like throwing myself at him.

* * *

JACKSON

Grayson, Frederico, and I decided to drive to Palm Beach a day early and enjoy some golfing. We got back from the golf course twenty minutes ago, and the plan is to meet at the hotel’s steakhouse in a couple hours. I’ve showered already, and since I have time, I might as well take a nap. Tonight promises to be a long one.

I’m about to get into bed when there’s a knock on my door. It’s not followed by someone saying housekeeping, so it must be one of the guys.

I open the door without looking through the peephole, and I’m taken aback by the person standing before me: Izzie. My pulse accelerates, and my blood seems to rush to my ears. I can handle the effect she has on me when I’m prepared for it. Right now, I’m at the mercy of emotions I can’t control, and when her gaze drops to my naked chest, desire enters the equation. I’m only wearing sweatpants, and there’ll be no hiding a hard-on if it happens.

I’ve been avoiding her texts, because spending time alone with her won’t help me move on. I wish I could get it into Chad’s thick head that it’s too late for Izzie and me.

“What are you doing here?” I blurt out when I find my voice.

“Well… you wouldn’t return my messages, so I had to track you down.” She barges into the room, forcing me to take a step back.

“Please, do come in.” I glower.

She whirls around with her hands on her hips. “You need to practice Las Sevillanas. I’m not going to look like an idiot on Saturday because you refuse to learn the dance.”

My heart is beating at breakneck speed now. I always thought Izzie looked the most captivating when she was angry at me. I really need to get my head checked.

“Who said I haven’t learned? I practiced it on my own.”

She crosses her arms. “All right. Prove it.”

Hell and damn. I can’t with her sassiness. I want to throw her on the mattress and silence her with my tongue. I need a distraction. “Fine. Put some flamenco music on.”

“You put a shirt on.”

I smirk. “I’m fine like this.”

She narrows her eyes, and it amuses me. I expect a retort, but all she does is take her phone out of her purse and scroll through whatever she sees on her screen. After a moment, she sets the phone on the small table by the window and faces me. “Ready?”

“Yes.”

Flamenco music fills the room. I get in position and wait for her to stand in front of me. My hotel room isn’t large. I didn’t think I’d spend a lot of time in it, so I didn’t splurge and get a suite. There’s some space between the bed and the TV console on the other side of the room, but it’s tight. We’ll have to dance closer than normal.

I didn’t lie to her. I have been practicing. And when I don’t make a mistake during the first three Sevillanas, I know she’s impressed, even though she tries to hide it. My ego gets super inflated, but too soon. I haven’t nailed the fourth Sevillana yet, and I make a mistake on a turn and end up colliding with her. Instinctively, I reach for her waist, pulling her flush to my body.

“What are you doing?” she whispers.

I don’t answer her. The music fades into the background and all I hear is the sound of my pulse, pounding in my ears. Everything about this woman beguiles me. Her sharp mind and sharper tongue, her beautiful brown eyes, and her full lips. I brush her cheek with my fingertips, making her gasp. Unable to resist, I rub my thumb over her lips, parting them.

She closes her eyes. “Jackson…”

It’s not my name on her tongue that snaps my self-control, it’s the way she says it as if it were a caress that has me twisting a lock of her hair around my hand and slanting my lips over hers. Fire ignites in the pit of my stomach, spreading fast and consuming me. Izzie wraps her arms around my waist and allows me to devour her mouth. My bones yearn for her, and my skin burns from her touch. I don’t care about my bruised ego. I just want to prove to Izzie that we belong together.

“I missed you so damn much.” I kiss the column of her neck, savoring her sweet taste.

She threads her fingers through my hair, and rasps, “I missed you too, Jackson.”

Fuck, then why the hell did you make me suffer, woman?

I don’t speak the question out loud, lest I kill the mood. Instead I pick her up and fall with her onto the mattress, covering her body with mine. She opens her legs, and I’m fucking glad she’s wearing a dress tonight. Immediately, I slide my hand under the skirt and tug at her underwear, using the delicate garment to tease her clit.

She arches her back, gasping for air. “Jackson… don’t torture me.”

“This isn’t torture, beautiful.”

With my free hand, I stretch the neckline of her dress down until one pink nipple makes an appearance.

“Say you want me.” I pinch her nub, which is already as hard as a pebble.

Her face flushes, and a moan escapes her lips. “I want you, Jackson.”

“Tell me how much.” I play with her underwear now, rubbing the fabric over her clit.

Izzie gyrates her hips, and my balls tighten, ready to explode. I need to be inside her, or I’ll die.

“More than anything in the world,” she breathes out.

“Good answer.” I crush my mouth to hers again while letting go of her panties to free my cock from my pants.

In this lust-infused daze, the need to fuck Izzie into oblivion is all I can think about. Her hands are in my hair, pulling at the strands. I lift one of her legs, resting it over my shoulder. She’s wide open now, and so wet for me. I don’t think, I simply push her panties aside and slide into her tight pussy.

“Fuck me,” she murmurs against my lips.

“That’s what I’m doing, beautiful.”

There’s no going slow. I’ve been denied this sweet torture for far too long. Thrusting faster, I swallow her moans. She’s slick and so hot, I’m not sure I can last long. When she squeezes me, contracting her walls around my cock, I almost come. Waves of pleasure run down my back and pool at the base of my spine.

“You drive me wild, my sweet Izzie.”

Her feverish gaze collides with mine. “You’re the one doing that to me.”

“Settle for a tie?” I bite her earlobe, and she retaliates by scratching my back. “Okay, fine, you win.”

She captures my face between her hands, nudging me back. “I don’t want to win.”

I smile. “A tie it is, then.”

Her body convulses in the next second, and her cry of ecstasy is my undoing. I kiss her again, savoring her delicious sounds while I pound into her. My release doesn’t take long, and I ride the wave of pleasure for a while. When I finally collapse next to her, I’m out of breath.

“Wow,” I say, smiling from ear to ear.

“Yeah, wow.” She laughs.

I turn on my side, propping my head on my fist. “I didn’t expect this to happen tonight.”

She arches a brow. “But you were expecting it to happen at some point this weekend?”

I trace her collarbone softly. “Well… a part of me hoped it would. With you and all the booze and romantic notions, you know?”

“I didn’t think you wanted it to happen.”

I crinkle my brows together. “I was protecting myself.”

Guilt flashes in her eyes. “I was protecting myself too.”

“From me?”

She swallows hard, then sits up. “I have to go.”

Damn it. She’s running away again. “You don’t have to go. You can spend the night with me.”

“I can’t.” She jumps out of bed, then freezes for a second before looking down. “Oh no, no, no.”

I get out of bed too, alarmed now. “What happened?”

“We didn’t use protection.”

Ah shit. Never in my life have I forgotten to wear a condom. “It’s okay. I’ve been tested recently. I’m in the clear.”

“I’m in the clear too, but that’s not the only issue.”

My brows arch. “Oh… well, I can go to the pharmacy and get a?—”

“I’m on the pill.” Tears fill her eyes. “I never act this recklessly. You do this to me, Jackson. When I’m with you, I’m not myself. I unravel.”

Fuck. What do I say to that?

“I’m sorry.”

God, that was lame.

“I have to go.”

I reach for her arm. “Izzie, please don’t go. Let’s talk.” She shakes her head, but I’m not going to give up this time. “What are you afraid of?”

“I can’t talk about it. It’s stupid.”

She starts to turn, but I frame her face between my hands, keeping her eyes locked to mine. “Tell me. Please?”

A moment passes, and neither of us seems to be breathing. Finally, she exhales. “I’m afraid that if I give in to my feelings for you, I’ll lose myself.”

I want to laugh. Izzie Bennet has feelings for me. “That won’t happen.”

“You can’t know that.”

“I won’t let you lose yourself, my sweat, beautiful, Izzie. And do you want to know why?”

She frowns. “No, I don’t want to know. What do you think?”

Chuckling, I kiss her lips. “This is why. I love your spirit, your mind… everything about you.”

“You love me?” she squeaks. “Are you sure?”

I wrap my arms around her, pulling her tight against my chest. “Yes, I’m sure. You don’t have to say it back.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t.” She returns my embrace, and that’s all I need from her in this moment—to stay with me.