Page 57 of Loved By You

A knock at the door surprises me. Grabbing my robe, I throw it on and head for the front door. A man stands with a huge bouquet of lavender roses wrapped in white paper and tied with a matching ribbon.

“Maria Kennedy?” he asks.

“That's me.” There is excitement in my voice. I thank him, closing the door and placing them on the entry table, bending down to inhale the sweet scent. I spot the card and open it,

Ri, I’ve missed you more than words can say, so here are two dozen roses, one for each day we've been apart. I can't wait to see you… Your Action Man x

I press the card to my chest, closing my eyes. My heart flutters in my chest.How did I get so lucky?I race upstairs to finish getting ready, excitement coursing through my body like hot lava.

I grab my clutch and quickly text the girls to let them know I'm about to leave. Staying on brand with this new Ria vibe I've got going, I treated myself to a little black dress for tonight's party that is so out of my comfort zone I boxed and unboxed the thing three times, unsure if I was going to keep it or return it, but now it’s on, I love it. As I reach for the front door, my phone buzzes in my bag. Convinced it’s Gabby checking I have indeed left, my heart does a little flutter when I see Jack’s name on the screen.

Jack

You've been on my mind all day, sweetheart. Hurry that cute ass here. I've missed you. X

Tonight is going to be a good night.

We arrive at the hotel where the wedding shower is being hosted. Trust Nancy and Chris to be extra and have a joint wedding shower and host it at Manhattan's hottest rooftop bar.

I smooth my dress down and take out my compact to check my lipstick hasn’t smudged. My stomach is full of butterflies that feel like they are fighting desperately to escape.

“Damn Girl you look hot.” Gabby whistles, looking me up and down. I smile and do a little spin.

“Maria, Maria, Maria, you are going to make that man's head spin. He’s not going to be able to keep his hands off you,” Ali says, reaching for my hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

That's the plan.

“You've got your sparkle back, girl. You enjoy tonight.”

We are shown to the rooftop area by a staff member who is dressed in black and holding an ipad. He checks our IDs and signs us in. As we open the glass doors and step into the party, my heart feels like it's about to beat out my chest at the idea of seeing Jack.

There is a giant swimming pool in the center of the rooftop, where the DJ is on a podium with the New York skyline as his backdrop. Strips of fairy lights stretch above our heads. Everyone is dressed in black and white cocktail attire and fire lanterns decorate the edges of the roof. Tables and chairs are placed around the pool and a dance floor sits between the DJ booth and the bar at the edge of the pool.

“Holy shit, she can throw a party.” Ali whistles.

“Oh, my God. Is thatNeyo?” Gabby screeches.

“Shut the fuck up! Where?” Ali shouts over the music.

Sure enough it is Neyo in the DJ booth, dancing with Nancy and two other girls, but I don’t care as I scan the rooftop to find a certain someone.

A woman holding a tray of champagne flutes appears in front of us and hands us a glass each. Ali takes the lead and we follow, heading towards the pool and the table and chairs area. I don't miss how heads turn looking at her ass swaying in her little white strapless dress. Even Gabby has gone out of her comfort zoneand Is wearing a little black dress that is tight fitting down to her ass and then flares a little and paired it with some sky high black pumps. She looks stunning and for the first time in a long time I feel worthy of standing next to them.

I feel him before I see him and I lock eyes with Jack across the pool. He's dressed in black suit pants and a black button up, the sleeves rolled to the elbow and his watch catches the light from the pool as he lifts his drink to his lips. It's as if he lights a fire in me when his gaze wanders up from my heels until he reaches my eyes. The grin on his lips and the way he licks them has me almost reaching for the closest person to me to keep me up right. My body is heated and I want, no need, to be near him.

“Over here.” Ali gestures with her hand pointing at the table Jack, Harry and Brad are seated at. Jack places his drink down on the table as he sees us approaching and rises to his feet, reaching for me and tugging me against his hard body. He smells incredible, like spice and whiskey. He buries his face in my hair and I swear his body vibrates as he lets out a low moan, as if he’s been waiting to inhale me as if I was his oxygen.

“You Look incredible,” he whispers into my ear, just loud enough for me to hear. I pull back to look up at him and again without giving me a second to get my bearings, he plants a chaste kiss to my lips, leaving me speechless. I feel that heat and that tingling in my hands and feet again.Why is my body so responsive to him?

“Thank you for my roses. They are beautiful.”

“Thank you for being someone worth missing.” My heart somersaults.Holy hell, I don't stand a chance with him.

Taking my hand, he leads me towards the large chairs he was sitting on and we sit next to each other. Placing an arm around me, I reach up to hold the hand that hangs from my shoulder. I exhale, feeling all the adrenaline that has been pumping throughmy body all day in anticipation for this very moment leave my body as I lean into him.This is where I want to be.

We all fall into comfortable conversations, catching up on the last few weeks' events while Ali does everything she can to avoid talking to Harry for more than a minute.

“Oh my God, Carter`s here,” Ali says, placing her hands over her face.

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