Page 46 of Booked on a Feeling

He took off on a run before she could get too smug.

“Hey, wait up.” She ran after him, which wasn’t an easy feat considering he was eating up the sidewalk like some Olympic sprinter. When she thought she would never catch up with him, he finally slowed down enough for her to reach his side. “What was that about?”

He didn’t answer, his lips pressed into a grim line, and continued jogging. Her body was adjusting to this cardio thing, but she was panting, trying to keep up with him. She stole a peek at Jack. He was staring straight ahead with a muscle jumping in his jaws. She was beginning to regret the sports bra ensemble a little. She just didn’t like how laid-back he seemed when she was burning up for him.

She distracted herself from the niggling doubt inside her—and how her lungs were burning to a crisp—by studying her surroundings. At seven in the morning, Main Street was quiet with most shops still closed, but it was charming nonetheless with brightly colored storefronts and eclectic shop signs. She wished there were more neighborhoods like this in Los Angeles, where unique, independently owned stores dominated the streets.

It was on the tip of her tongue to apologize for her juvenile move when Jack whipped off his T-shirt. She faltered to a stop and became mesmerized by the movement of his ripped back as he jogged farther and farther away from her. He spun around to face her, while jogging backward.

She’d seen him shirtless her first day in Weldon when she’d surprised him on his run. She’d felt too shy to get a good look at him then, but now she took it all in. His smooth, sculpted pecs narrowed to ridiculously defined abs. It was too much, but shedidn’t look away. She couldn’t. She wanted to put her hands and lips all over that.

“What’s the matter, slowpoke?” He arched an eyebrow at her and grinned.

It was the smug grin that snapped her out of her paralysis. The fucker did it on purpose. It was payback for the sports bra. All because she showed three inches of bare midriff. She was suddenly incensed, and that somehow turned her on even more.

“Put your shirt back on,” she spat through gritted teeth. She untied her jacket from her waist and shrugged into it. “If you don’t, I’m taking you to that back alley behind you and jumping you so hard and fast, you won’t even know what hit you.”

He stopped in his tracks but didn’t put his shirt back on.Oh, God. He was tempted to let her jump him in the back alley. The stark hunger on his face made her knees weak. She realized he wasn’t calm. Not at all. He wanted her as desperately as she wanted him. He was just holding back for both of their sakes.

“Jack,” she said softly and walked up to him. “I’m sorry about this morning. I’ll stop playing games with you. We’ll take things slow like you said.”

The fire in his eyes dimmed to a simmer, then was replaced by tenderness. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear. Then he cupped her face and kissed her sweetly and gently. With a sigh, she leaned into the kiss and placed her hands on his chest. Shit. He was still shirtless. She slid her palms up and down several times to confirm. His hot, naked skin felt so freaking fantastic that she nearly moaned.

She drew back with a gasp and hid her hands behind her back as though she’d stolen something. “Put your shirt back on.”

“Sorry.” He smiled sheepishly and tugged his T-shirt over his beautiful torso.

Regret flashed through her, but it was for the best. “Let’s finish up so we can get to work.”

They finished their run back to Sparrow at an even jog. She was out of breath, but she felt good. Exercise really was the best thing for burning off sexual frustration.

“That was a nice run,” she said with an easy smile.

“It was. I’m glad you’re starting to enjoy yourself.” He closed the gap between them, making her tilt her head back to look up at him.

“I heard theI told you sobetween the lines,” she whispered.

He chuckled softly as he leaned down to kiss her on one corner of her lips, then the other. His teeth gently scraped her bottom lip, and her mouth parted on a gasp. He deepened the kiss and groaned when her tongue eagerly tangled with his. But he lifted his head much too soon and planted a kiss on her forehead.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said, and got in his car.

She waved goodbye and watched the car disappear before she went to her apartment for a shower. A cold shower.

Lizzy promised no more games, and she always kept her word. Jack knew she wasn’t playing any games. She merely chose a practical outfit for another day of refinishing furniture. A soft, worn T-shirt that hugged her breasts and showed him glimpses of her smooth stomach when she raised her arms, and a pair of shorts that did amazing things to her round ass. This was all him.

It was a good thing he wasn’t working with any saws or even a nail gun, because he would’ve sawed off or impaled some digits by now considering how distracted he was. But he couldn’t help himself knowing that this new road they had embarkedon would allow him totouchher. He was grateful for his baggy cargo shorts, because he’d been sporting semi-wood all morning despite his freezing-cold shower.

“We’re almost done here with the sanding, right?” Lizzy asked as she stretched her back, a pose that thrust her chest forward and revealed a tantalizing strip of her stomach.

Oh, God. He was going to jerk off tonight. In all his years of pining, he had never gotten off on thoughts of her. He didn’t let himself cross that line. He couldn’t let his fantasies take clear form. That was the only way he could be her friend and be near her without losing his sanity. But all bets were off now because he’d held her in his arms… kissed her. His fantasies were HD clear with fucking surround sound, because that humming noise she made when they kissed… Fuck.

As twisted as it sounded, he would be masturbating for both their sakes. It was the only way he could think of to take things slowly between them. If he touched her the way he really wanted to, there would be no going back for them. Once he had her, he wouldn’t be able to let her go—he could never be content just being her friend. They would lose their fallback plan, and they would have to do this without a safety net. That wasn’t a risk he was ready to take.

“Jack?” She dropped her hands from her lower back and cocked her head to the side.

“Yeah, we’re about finished,” he answered in a strangled voice. He coughed and waved his hands in front of his face as though the wood dust—and not his dirty thoughts—was bothering him.

“Then I should go to the hardware store to pick out the stains and paints,” she said.

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