Page 95 of His Secret Gift

I’m not sure which room is Gwen’s, but I do my best to listen as I walk down the hallway to discern where the party is. Fortunately, booming music soon leads me right to her door. It’s called the Pierre.

After knocking a few times, she sticks her head out.

“Oh!” It’s clear she’s surprised it’s me. “Jack…” She comes out and shuts the door behind her almost all of the way. “Um. Sorry, were we being too loud?”

I look down at my watch and see that it’s only seven o’clock.Jesus. How old do you think I am?“No, no. It’s not that. I was just wondering if I could talk to Kayla?” As soon as I say her name, I realize I don’t have a back story for why I need to speak with her specifically.

“Kayla? Kayla Allen?”

“Yes.” I’m not sure why she felt the need to use her last name. There’s only one Kayla who works for me.

“Why?”

“Um—”

When I fail to answer, she shakes her head and widens her eyes.

“She volunteered to shop for me before we leave tomorrow.” I’m proud of myself. That’s a reasonable and believable lie.Although I do need to go before we take off, I note.

“Oh, okay. Sure. I’ll go get her.”

Soon, Kayla’s body replaces Gwen’s in the doorway. She’s sweaty and out of breath, and her hair is a little tousled. The thought of another man’s hand doing that makes me clench my own.

“Oh! Hey, Jack. What’s up?” She’s slurring her words a little.

“So sorry to bug you.”

“No, it’s okay. I was just dancing with Callie.”

Thank god.

Her face then falls. “Is everything okay. Or?”

I reach behind her and close the door. Then, after looking around to make sure the coast is clear, I take her into my arms—one hand cupping her face while the other falls on her hip—and I kiss her.

“Oh!” Her eyes remain big before she closes them, and I do the same.

Her lips feel like velvet against mine.

When I finally release her, she takes a minute to come back to reality. But when she does, she wipes at her mouth with her finger.

“Um.” She laughs. “That was… unexpected.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I just needed to do that.”

Her nose crinkles up. “Because?”

“Because I don’t want you to hook up with anyone tonight.” It felt like word vomit, but now that it’s out, I’m glad.

She grins. “Oh. I see.”

“I mean, I get that it might not be fair but—”

Before I can finish my sentence, she perches up on her tippy toes and kisses me again.

“I won’t.”

“Okay, good,” I respond breathlessly.

---