Page 16 of Promise of a New Beginning
Despite the bright sun, the temperature beneath the cover of the trees was downright chilly. Savannah had just pulled her sweatshirt over her head when she felt Jack’s hand on her lower back. It could only be Jack’s enormous hand, as it covered her almost completely from hip to hip, and if she concentrated hard enough, she could still feel the heat of it against her bare skin. Now his hand slid off as quickly as it had landed. Savannah scanned the campsite. Pratt and Josie were packing their supplies, and Lou, Elizabeth, and Aiden were playing tic-tac-toe in the dirt. No one appeared to be looking for them.
“You sleep okay?” Jack asked in a serious voice.
She turned to face him, and her smile stuck half formed on her lips. That shadowed look was back.
“Yeah. What’s wrong?”
Jack’s eyes shifted left, then right, finally landing on Savannah’s. “Nothing.”
Savannah heard,Everything.She touched his arm, and his muscles tensed. “Jack?” she whispered. “What am I not getting here?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. It’s going to be a long day. You have what you need?”
“Jack, I have everything. You gave us a very precise list. Please tell me what’s going on.” She looked over her shoulder, relieved to see the others were still busy. She turned back to Jack, and the fluttering in her stomach turned to a sinking feeling.
Jack clenched his jaw. “Come here.” He stalked off to the edge of the woods. Savannah followed, her insides twisting with regret.He’s going to say it was all a mistake. It’s over. Darn it! When did I start caring so much?
“Savannah, what we did last night—”
She held up her hand. Hearing him say the words was going to be far too painful. Instead, she said it for him. “It was all a mistake and you want to forget it ever happened.”
Jack’s eyes flashed dark. He hunkered over her and touched her elbow, turning her away from the others. “What? Why on earth would you think that?”
“Isn’t that what you came to tell me?”
Jack caressed her arm. “No. I wanted to tell you that what we did last night meant a lot to me. But, Savannah, if you don’t want this, please tell me now. I’m not the kind of guy who wants or needs a fling. Honestly, I don’t even knowhowto have one.”
Savannah shook her head. She needed clarification. Her legal mind kicked into gear, and she wanted to know precisely what he meant. In no uncertain terms.
“Exactly what are you saying?” she asked.
“This is really hard for me.” He let go of her arm and ran his hand through his hair. “For two years, I never looked at another woman. Then you burst into my life all bossy and confrontational, and not only can I not take my eyes off of you but I can’t stop thinking about you. It took all of my willpower not to crawl into your tent this morning. And when you came out of your tent to join the others, looking so beautiful with that smile that gets to me a little more every time I see it, I had to suppress the urge to take you in my arms and kiss you until neither of us wanted to do anything but sneak off into the woods.” He looked away. “This is crazy. I sound crazy, and I know that.”
When he turned back to her, his eyes searched hers, and she knew she should respond with something, anything that would make him feel less nervous, but she couldn’t find her voice. She was still stuck onI can’t stop thinking about you.
“Look,” he began. “I was with one woman for ten years. I barely remember anything, much less anyone, before she came into my life. Then I lost her, and my world ended. It stopped, Savannah. Do you know what that’s like?”
She shook her head.
“And then I’m finally able to function like a normal human being. I can teach people basic survival skills, fly my plane, go into town…” He began pacing. “Okay, maybe it’s notnormal, normal, but it’s functioning all the same. Crazy, right? That I’d let my life stop like I did?” Jack stopped pacing and crossed his arms, then uncrossed them and continued. “Anyway, now…I’m kind of lost again.”
“Because of me?” She couldn’t really follow what he was saying. Was he unhappy about what happened between them or was he glad it had happened?
He stepped forward and folded her in his arms. “Man, Savannah. Even this.” He took a step back. “Touching you in this innocent way sends my body into overdrive.”
Savannah lowered her gaze to the bulge in his jeans and raised her eyebrows.I guess that’s my answer.She looked up at him and grinned.
“Great. It’s really funny,” he snapped.
He ran his hand through his hair again, and Savannah warmed at the nervous habit.
“I have to go lead those people out into a dangerous forest, and while I should be thinking about shelter construction, rolling hitches, and sheepshanks, I’m thinking about your naked body pressed against mine. I can’t even go down to the stream without thinking about you and getting aroused.”
Savannah laughed. She knew exactly what he was feeling, because she was feeling it, too. Just looking at him made her get all quivery inside.
“Great.” He shook his head. “You go ahead and laugh, but it’s not that easy to hide it, you know? Not to mention that I want to kiss you so bad right now that I’m conjuring all sorts of dirty fantasies.”
She used his bulging forearms for balance and lifted up on her toes, kissing him lightly on the lips. He grabbed her arms and deepened the kiss. When they drew apart, she asked, “Will that hold you over?”
