Page 63 of Jack

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Jack paused long enough to give him asteely look. "I am here to see Zuri and if I have to go throughyou, then so be it."

"She doesn't want to see you."Folding his arms over his chest, he stood his ground.

"Why don't we let her decide that?"The tone was menacing, gray eyes glinting. "I am not leavinguntil I speak to her."

Fighting the internal battle raging insidehim, Zach figured that he would never be able to shake the guy andbesides, they were attracting quite a bit of attention. It was noteveryday that a multi-billionaire walked into their lowly bar.

"She's in the kitchen." Hestepped aside reluctantly. "And if you are here to cause hermore grief-"

"I am here to set things straight.Where's the kitchen?"

"Through here." He preceded theman along the narrow hallway and into utter chaos. The smell of meatgrilling and smoke filled the air. Two people were rushing from thecounter to the oven, while the womanwho had managed to turn his life upside down stood in the middle ofthe room issuing orders.

"Oh, for God's sake! Lucy, the meat isburning." Without waiting for the hapless Lucy to do somethingabout it, she marched over to the grill and expertly flipped themeat.

She was magnificent, he thought with theache starting at the pit of his stomach. Through the filters ofsmoke, he could clearly see her slender body outlined in the usualfaded denims. She was wearing an oversized black shirt that was tiedin a knot at her waist. Her unruly curls were pinned haphazardly ontop of her head with tendrils escaping.

"Zoo!" Her brother had to shoutabove the lively music coming from the bar.

"What?"

"You have a visitor."

"I don't have..." Her voicepetered off as she turned in the direction of the doorway and saw himstanding there. Suddenly, her vision narrowed to include only him.She never noticed her brother standing there and the people in thekitchen were forgotten. He looked so achingly good that it tooksupreme will not to launch herself into his arms.

"Jack." She would wonder at hercomposure much later on.

"Can we talk?"

"Is something wrong with Jason?"

"No." He looked over at the othertwo people in the kitchen who were taking an avid interest in theconversation. "Someplace private."

"The apartment," her brothersuggested.

With a nod, she took off her apron andwalked towards him.

"Follow me."

As she mounted the stairs, she vaguelyheard her brother issuing orders to get back to work. He was slightlybehind her to the left. The acute awareness of him was making itdifficult for her to breathe.

Pushing the door of her suite open, she ledthe way into the tiny sitting room. The space was made even smalleras he seemed to fill it with his presence. He had discarded hisjacket and opened the two top buttons of his baby blue cotton shirt.Hishair was tousled as if he hadspent time running his fingers through the strands. For several longminutes, they stood there staring at each other.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of hisdark blue dress pants to avoid the temptation of touching her, hebegan.

"I told you I don't do relationships.I never wanted to."

Lifting her chin, she gave him a coolglance.

"Is that all?"

"I never wanted to," he continuedas if she had not spoken. "Not until I met you." His mouthtightened fractionally. He had left earlier than expected. Leftmeetings unresolved because he was unproductive and on top of it all,he made everyone's life a living hell. He had been incapable ofconcentrating or making the simplest decision.

He turned away abruptly and walked to thewindow to stare out at the parking lot, his stance rigid. "I amincapable of being without you." The admission cost him a lot.He was not accustomed to depending on anyone to the point of notbeing able to live without them. He had learned to do without sincehe was a child.

He went rigid when she came up behind him.

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