Page 66 of Booked on a Feeling

“You deserve some real sustenance.” She grabbed his shirt off the floor and slipped into it. “Consider it an award for the many superior-quality orgasms you gave me. Or bribery for future orgasms.”

He laughed and got out of bed. Her eyes immediately snapped to his body and roamed it greedily. He’d never thought much about his body. He exercised for his physical and mental health. But when Lizzy looked at him with wild-eyed desire, he was thrilled that he was in good shape.

“Neither of us are getting breakfast if you keep looking at me like that,” he warned.

“Be gone, temptation.” Lizzy waved her hand at him and turned to walk to the kitchen.

Jack grabbed his overnight bag from next to the sofa, where he’d tossed it the previous night, and made a beeline for the shower. By the time he came out of the bathroom, toweling his hair, Lizzy was pouring coffee into mugs. She’d already laid out two plates filled with scrambled eggs and toast.

“This looks fantastic.” He grabbed the mugs and set them down on the table.

“I’m not exactly a great cook, either,” she said, crinkling her nose. “But hopefully, the eggs are edible.”

He took a bite of the scrambled eggs and smiled. She’d forgotten to salt them, but they were cooked well. Not too runny or dry. “It’s delicious.”

“Liar,” she said after a taste. “It needs reinforcement. Do you want ketchup or hot sauce?”

“I don’t need anything.” He forked another mound of eggs into his mouth.

She brought a bottle of hot sauce along with a saltshaker and added both to her eggs. She nodded after another bite. “Much better.”

He wasn’t even tempted to reach for the salt. This was the first time she had cooked for him. It was pretty much the best meal of his life. A small smile lit her face when she saw him finish off his eggs just as she’d made them.

“Next time, I’ll remember the salt,” she promised.

Those words were music to his ears.Next time.Because there was going to be a next time. This wasn’t some fluke. They were really together, and he got to make love to Lizzy again because that was what people did when they were together.

Before his happiness could reach dizzying heights, a small voice inside his head said,This won’t last forever.His stomach dipped as though he were speeding down on a roller coaster. Their trial period would run its course in less than two weeks, and Lizzy would go back to her life in Los Angeles. He might follow if he got the job at McBain. Then what? Getting an entry-level position—even at a top consulting firm—wouldn’t suddenly boost him into the overachiever stratosphere that Lizzy resided in.

But it would be a start. He forced aside his sense of foreboding. No matter how hard he ran from his insecurities, they always seemed to catch up with him, but that didn’t mean he had to let them rule him. Lizzy wanted him—even as he was now—and he would be hers as long as she wanted him.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Lizzy snuck a peek at Jack from under her lashes. He was prepping the books that they were going to hang up as part of this month’s display. She and Shannon decided that showcasing fun, un-put-downable beach reads would be fitting with summer here. He was working with fishing line to bind the books, carefully balancing them so they were close to horizontal to the floor when held up by the center string.

He was terribly good with his hands, tying delicate knots with nimble fingers. She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. And those hands had been all over her only a few hours ago. A blush rushed up to her face, and she quickly looked away before he caught her staring at him with decidedly lecherous thoughts.

She and Shannon were picking out which beach reads would make it onto the window display, but there were just so many good books. They had to pare down more than thirty books to just about twelve to fifteen. It was such a lovely conundrum.

“This is hard, huh?” Lizzy turned to her friend. “But it’s also kind of exciting that we have so many books to choose from.”

Shannon slapped a hand over her mouth. But she was a second too late. The snort had already escaped.

“What?” Lizzy frowned.

“I don’t think it’s the books you find exciting,” she said, cocking her head toward Jack. “Man, the looks you guys are giving each other… I feel like I should give you some privacy.”

Lizzy flushed to the roots of her hair. “Oh, stop it. We’re not that bad.”

“No, no.” Shannon shook her head, pursing her lips. “You two actuallyarethat bad.”

Had Jack been sneaking heated glances at her as well? Lizzy couldn’t hold back her smile. Being in his arms had felt so liberating. So right. She didn’t need to put on any armor around him, always ready to defend herself, because he would never make her feel cornered. She didn’t have totrywith him—like trying to fit the part of an ambitious lawyer or trying to meet her mom’s insurmountable expectations. She could justbebecause he made her feel as though she was enough.

“See?” Shannon pointed at Lizzy’s face. “That bad.”

There was no use denying it. She had it bad for Jack. She’d always cared about him and thought he was an amazing human being. But now, seeing his generosity and kindness made her tear up—so grateful that he existed. His smile and touch made her heart pound and great flocks of birds—butterflies were too small to describe what she felt—take flight in her stomach. And knowing that they were together filled her with so much joy that she felt like it was going to ooze out of her.

Did he feel the same way? He’d been so reluctant to put their friendship at risk. If he felt the same way, would he have hesitated as much as he had? No, she wasn’t going to wonder about that. He wanted to take things slowly, and she intended to give him the space he needed. Besides, it was too soon for herto feel this way—she refused to let theLword even take form in her mind. And it was much too soon to talk about the future or ask for promises. Especially since she’d practically bamboozled him into moving this relationship forward.

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