Page 23 of Serial Love

Finding no answer to the questions in her mind, she stayed in the chair, crossed her legs…tightly…and then took a long drink from her beer. Looking up, she saw him smiling at her, as though he knew everything she was thinking.Damn!

Jack settled into a chair after moving it to a slight angle. He wanted to enjoy the view—both the evening sky and the woman sitting near him. Finding his dickwas already answering the call of the wild, he shifted in his seat, searching for a more comfortable position.

After a few minutes of quiet, the crickets and bullfrogs mixed with the distant sounds of families settling their children for the night, she asked the question that she had already discerned the answer to. “You have this place watched, don’t you?”

He looked over, seeing her calm face. No more anger, but the tension rolled off her.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Isn’t that illegal?” she bit out.

He glanced at her, his eyebrow lifted and answered with nothing more than a cocky grin.

“I see.” She paused, recognizing that whatever world he functioned in, playing by the rules did not seem to matter. “You don’t consider those cameras to be an invasion of privacy?” her voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Nope.”

Her gaze darted to his as she was unable to hide the incredulous expression on her face. “Nope? Nope?” she asked, her wide eyes locked onto his.

He twisted in his chair to face her as he answered, “First time I saw you, I knew you were special. Anyone who’d come crashing into the midst of a group of men with weapons to save her grandmother was someone I wanted to know. I’m not ashamed to admit when your body was held against mine, I felt something, and I’m not just talking about my dick wanting to know you as well.”

At this, her blue eyes grew even wider, but her only reaction was to take another drink of her beer.

“I came over here and saw how you and Ann lived. Saw how you work to keep something for your grandmother alive even though her mind can’t really process it now.” At this he saw those blue eyes that he had been staring into blink rapidly holding back the immediate reaction of tears, so he plunged on.

“I looked into this place when I bought my property three years ago, knew a widow owned it, but never knew you had come along to take over. But after meeting the two of you and acknowledging what I felt, I gave you the bracelet for her because I wanted to take something off your plate, even if it was only worry. And I also knew that two women living alone, running a business where a constant change of strangers practically camp right outside where you sleep, put you at a daily risk. So, I had a few cameras installed just so we could keep an eye out. You may want to rail and protest, but doll, today proved that it was the right move.”

“You could have asked,” she bit out.

“Would you have accepted?” he bit back.

Pursing her lips in frustration, she said nothing.

“Thought so,” he chuckled. Then he sobered, looking at her directly. “We sat right here and talked on this porch, Bethany. I’m telling you straight up, I felt something. Wanted something. And I know you wanted it too.”

She opened her mouth to protest but shut it quickly.He’s right. I did want it. But then he turned on a dime, walked away, and I didn’t see him for weeks.“We didn’t talk, Jack. I did. I talked. I gave you who I was, and yougave me nothing of yourself. I let you in, but you just walked away.”

“Yeah, I can see it in your eyes, doll. But I live a life that doesn’t offer white picket fences, and I decided right here on this porch that I needed to leave.” He leaned back in his chair, taking another drink from his beer.

Her eyes watched the muscles in his neck as he tipped his head back and drank. His beard was neatly trimmed, and she fought the desire to reach over to touch it. Run her fingers through it as she ran her tongue along its edges. He set the bottle down and grinned, jerking her back to reality as she knew she had been caught ogling. Again.

“So, you decided to invade my privacy?” she asked, warring between wanting to tell him to get off her property and desperately wanting to know why he was here, on her porch, explaining his life to her.

“Yep,” came his reply.

Once again, they fell into silence. By now the families were settled and with the fishermen gone, the grounds were very quiet. She remembered the events of the afternoon. The anger…and fear…she felt at the drunken brawl right at her feet.What would have happened if Jack hadn’t shown up? Could I have stopped them? Would they have stopped? Would the fight have gotten more out of hand and someone gotten seriously hurt? Gram? Would the other guests have checked out in fear?

“None of that shit happened, babe, so you can get it out of your mind,” he said quietly.

Jerking her incredulous gaze back to him once more,she cried, “How do you know what I’m thinking all the time?”

Chuckling, he said, “Girl, your face gives you away. Your thoughts and feelings are written all over it.”

“Well, you must be an expert at reading faces because I don’t think I’m that easy to read,” she retorted.

He said nothing for a moment, and she thought he was not going to reply until finally he quietly agreed, “I am.”

Not understanding, she waited, already knowing he would speak when he wanted.

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