Page 2 of Ice-Cold Truth

I shake my head vehemently. “No way. It would be too weird and too complicated. I’m just here for a few months, remember?”

“If you say so.” Sam’s grin turns mischievous. “He has a way with women. You might want to prepare yourself.”

My heart skips a beat at his words. “What are you talking about?”

Sam is already standing, heading for the door. “Nothing, nothing. I’m gonna go grab a shower.”

He winks at me before disappearing into the hall, leaving me equal parts flustered and intrigued.

***

The apartment is quiet as evening falls, the city lights twinkling outside the massive windows. After finishing my unpacking in the guest room, I wander down the hallway to explore the rest of the apartment. I can smell the aroma of fresh fruit.

Rounding the corner, I find Jack in the kitchen, his back to me, as he leans over the counter. Broad shoulders stretch the fabric of his snug t-shirt, the defined muscles of his back rippling with each movement. He’s making some kind of smoothie; I realize from the blender whirring.

I clear my throat softly, not wanting to startle him. “Hey.”

Jack turns and catches my eye. A slow smile curves his lips as he takes me in. “Hey, yourself. I thought I heard you come in.”

His gaze drifts down, lingering on the curves accentuated by my fitted top and jeans. Heat blooms in my cheeks as I realize his eyes are on me.

“Smoothie?” he asks, gesturing to the blender with the kind of casual confidence that draws me in despite myself.

“Actually…” I move to the freezer, pulling out a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream. “I was craving something a little more indulgent.”

Jack chuckles. “You have a sweet tooth?” He shakes his head in mock disapproval. “So naughty, Elyse.”

My breath catches at the husky timbre of his voice, the way my name rolls off his tongue with that deliberate ease. Get a grip, I remind myself. Reaching for a spoon, I dig into the creamy dessert, the cool sweetness spreading across my tongue as I let out a soft hum of pleasure.

His eyes follow my every move, darkening with a mix of amusement and something deeper. “You’re enjoying that,” he says with a hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

I swallow another blissful bite, sensing the thick tension between us. “You have no idea,” I say, unable to hide my grin as I scoop another spoonful.

His gaze intensifies, and for a moment, the air feels charged, almost electric. I try to focus on the ice cream, but the way Jack looks at me makes that nearly impossible.

“You know,” he says, his voice low as he takes a step toward me.

I catch a whiff of his woodsy cologne mixed with the clean scent of his skin as he enters my personal space. My heart kicks up a beat.

His stormy gray eyes lock onto mine, full of heat and suggestion. “There are healthier ways to satisfy a craving.”

His rough, calloused fingers trace over the curve of my hip, sending tingles up my spine. I suck in a soft breath as he pulls me closer until I’m flush against the hard planes of his chest.

“Like this smoothie,” he says, his breath a warm caress on my cheek. “Packed with protein, antioxidants…everything a girl needs.”

I lick my suddenly dry lips, my mind racing. “Is that so?” I manage to say.

His mouth curves into a knowing smile. “Oh, yes. One sip. and you’ll forget all about that ice cream.”

His thumb strokes over the strip of bare skin between my shirt and jeans, making my knees weak. I clutch at his shoulders to stay upright.

A shiver courses through me as Jack’s calloused fingertips brush against the bare skin of my lower back. His gray eyes bore into mine, dark and smoldering like the embers of a fire. He’s leaning in so closely I can make out the rough stubble peppering his jawline.

“Well?” His voice is a low rumble that resonates through me. “What do you say? Want to ditch that boring ole’ ice cream and try my smoothie instead?”

I swallow hard, acutely aware of my pounding heartbeat pulsing in my ears. The rational part of my brain is screaming at me to take a step back, to remind Jack that there’s a line we can’t cross. It would be reckless to complicate the situation.

But there’s another part of me, a primal, visceral part, that wants to throw caution to the wind. Being this close to Jack awakens a hunger in me that I’ve tried my best to ignore. A hunger to feel his strong arms around me, to melt into his muscular chest, and to know the taste of his lips on mine…

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