Page 31 of This Time Around (The Can’t Have Hearts Club #3)

A faint buzz filled the back of Jack’s brain, and he didn’t know why.

Okay, he kind of knew why. He took a slug of wine, buying some time before he responded. “You were engaged to Wade?”

“Yes.”

“But I thought—I thought you said that was fake.”

“It was fake the other night.” Allie nibbled her lip. “But not six years ago.”

He watched her look down and start spreading cheese on a Ritz Cracker, and couldn’t help wondering if she was avoiding his eyes on purpose.

“We dated for less than six months and we were only engaged for about three weeks,” she said. “We really didn’t even get started planning a wedding. It felt more like a business arrangement than anything.”

“How romantic.”

The bite in his voice was unmistakable, and he kind of hated himself for it.

Allie looked up, and he couldn’t tell if it was anger or hurt in her eyes.

He braced himself to do battle. To have her fire back something about his judgmental bullshit so he could retort with an asshole comment of his own.

It was a pattern he knew well, and he was ready to do his part.

But she didn’t take the bait. “Wade and I were great friends from the start. We thought maybe we should be more than that, and we did a pretty good job convincing ourselves for a couple months. But the chemistry just wasn’t there, and I think we both knew it. It ended fast, and on good terms.”

Something flared in Jack’s chest—pride? Jealousy? Neither of which he was entitled to in this particular case. “No chemistry,” he said. Repeating it didn’t make it sound any less intimate, so he decided to just ask what he was thinking. “So you’re saying he’s lousy in bed?”

Her cheeks went faintly pink and she raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m not saying that at all. Just that we weren’t good together .” She took a sip of wine, not meeting his eyes. “He dates a lot of women. He’s got a bit of a reputation for it, actually. I’m sure he makes plenty of women swoon.”

“But not you.”

He deliberately omitted the question mark in his tone, not sure he wanted her to answer and disagree.

Some small, dickhead part of him wanted to just believe the guy never made her cry out and arch her back the way she used to do with him.

That Jack had been the only one to hear that soft little whimper she made right before she toppled over the edge.

Allie looked at him. She set her wineglass down, and he thought she was going to kick him out. He deserved it. He drained his own glass and set it on the table a little harder than he meant to, bracing himself for the words.

But instead of pointing him to the door, Allie grabbed his hands. She held them both in hers, thumbs gliding over his knuckles for a moment as she looked in his eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

Jack blinked, pretty sure he’d heard her wrong. “What?”

“I said I’m sorry.”

“What on earth for?”

“For the way I broke our engagement. I know this is the path guys go down in their minds—‘Was it because I sucked in bed?’ or ‘Did I not make enough money for her?’ Now that I’ve had a few broken engagements and a lot more life experience, I know those are the things men think. I’m sorry if you ever felt that way.”

Jack swallowed, even more pissed at himself now. Annoyed by the stupid lump in his throat. Annoyed by the fact that he was being such a bastard right now.

Mostly though, annoyed for still caring so much.

“It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not,” she said. “I treated marriage and engagement too cavalierly for a long time. That wasn’t right, and I’m sorry you had to bear the brunt of me growing up and figuring everything out the hard way.”

He nodded and felt a dull ache in his chest. “I’m sorry, too.

” He cleared his throat. “For a lot of things sixteen years ago. But especially for right now. For being a jealous prick. You listened to me go on and on about my marriage without batting an eyelash. I should have been as gracious about it as you were.”

Allie gave him a small smile, the one he used to call her Cheshire cat look. “I’m just a better actor than you are.”

He laughed. “I guess that’s always been true.” He hesitated, not sure he had the right to ask what he wanted to. “So did it make you feel jealous? The stuff I told you, I mean.”

“Not jealous, exactly. I guess it’s more wistful. Like I missed out on something I always thought I’d get to be part of.” She shrugged and looked down at their interlaced fingers. “That’s true for a lot of things, I guess.”

“It is.” He cleared his throat. “But I guess we probably have to accept the fact that we’ve both had a few serious relationships with other people these last sixteen years. We’ve fallen in love with other people, made life plans with other people, maybe even had sex with other people.”

Allie quirked an eyebrow at him. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions.”

He grinned. “I’m just saying it’s possible.”

She shifted positions again, her knee bumping his. Like a pig, he wondered if she had a bra on under that little tank top she wore. She’d zipped her fleece jacket up tight over it, but he could see glimpses of creamy, pale flesh at her neckline. The view was making him dizzy, so Jack looked away.

That’s probably why he didn’t see the kiss coming.

But he felt it. He felt it all over as her breath brushed warm at his throat. The scent of her shampoo filled his senses, along with the taste of white wine. As their lips collided, he felt connected to her by magic.

And there was something magical about it for sure. He sure as hell hadn’t seen it coming, but it had always been like Allie to pull a rabbit out of a hat before he even realized she was holding a damn hat.

He kissed her back, tentatively at first, then with more hunger.

She slid her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.

She leaned into him, practically on his lap now.

He pulled her the rest of the way onto him and guided her thighs fall to either side of his so their bodies pressed together at the core.

She moaned as her legs hugged him tighter.

Jack broke the kiss, though he was still too stunned to form a complete sentence. “What on earth?—”

“I’ve been wanting to do that all night,” Allie said. “All week, really.”

He smiled into her eyes. “Well, do it again, then.”

She did, and Jack kissed her back with less hesitation this time.

Her hair was still damp, and he twined his fingers in it, amazed at how silky soft it felt.

She smelled like honey and sunshine and her lips seemed softer than he remembered.

Her breath came fast now and she was making sweet little whimpering sounds in the back of her throat.

He wondered if she’d meant to make this a quick peck, but it snowballed into something else.

But there was no stopping it now. Not for him, anyway.

He thought about being in the attic with her, the way she’d moved her hands to the hem of her shirt to lift it up.

Without even realizing it, he found his own hands there, tunneling beneath the soft fabric of her tank top.

He walked his fingers up her spine, taking his time, feeling each vertebra one by one until he reached her bra clasp.

He broke the kiss to look into her eyes. “I was wondering if you’d bothered with a bra.”

Allie grinned back. “I was wondering if you could still unhook it one-handed.”

“Wonder no more.”

He flicked it open with a quick pinch, rewarded by the tiny gasp of pleasure he’d nearly forgotten.

Claiming her mouth again, he slid both palms around her rib cage, moving them so he cupped one breast in each hand.

They seemed fuller now, or maybe he was remembering wrong.

They felt perfect and lush, the curve of them filling his palms exactly.

Allie groaned and pressed tighter against him, against the fly of his dress slacks the way she’d done that long-ago prom night in the backseat of his rusty Toyota.

He felt dizzy all over again, the blood pounding in his brain as she ground herself against him.

This time, it was Allie who broke the kiss.

“I know dry humping was kinda sexy when we were seventeen,” she breathed. “But maybe we could move things to the bedroom this time?”

Jack stroked his thumbs over her nipples, eliciting another gasp from Allie. “You sure there’s time before your curfew?”

“Mmmhmm.” She planted a kiss on this earlobe, the spot that still made him crazy even now. “Just this once.”

He wondered if she was being flirty or setting the terms of this encounter. Either way, it didn’t matter. He wanted her, needed her. And one way or another, he was about to have her.

Sliding his hands out from under her shirt, he cupped her bottom. As he stood, she wrapped her legs around him even as she began to protest.

“Jack, you can’t?—”

“Yes, I can.”

Allie flushed and tossed her hair out of her face. “I might weigh a little more than I did in college.”

“And I might be a little stronger than I was in college. Now which way are we going?”

“That way,” she said, nodding to the doorway just off the parlor.

Jack pivoted and carried her there, careful not to trip over the shoes she’d left lying near the nightstand.

A cat looked up from the gold-silk-upholstered chair in the corner, then yawned and rested its head on its paws again.

Jack used his heel to kick the door shut, then laid Allie on the bed as gently as possible.

He followed close behind, easing himself down on top of her. She began unbuttoning his shirt, and he wondered where he’d left his tie and cufflinks. She pushed the fabric off his shoulders, pausing to trace the fiery lines of the tattoo on his ribs. Her eyes met his and she smiled.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Paige was right. It’s a lot like mine.”

He nodded and slid a hand into the small of her back, skimming the spot where her own flame tattoo was branded. He’d never wanted her more.