Page 14 of Love on Deck

“Not everything needs preparation. You probably miss out on some great experiences because they aren’t neatly organized for you.”

I shook my head. “They’re a tool given to us by the computer gods to improve our lives.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Lives? Don’t tell me you have a ten-year plan somewhere in Excel?”

Then I wouldn’t say it out loud. “What’s wrong with that?”

Jack scoffed. “Seriously? Live a little.” He lifted his orange juice and downed the entire thing at once.

“Whoa, savor it a little,” I muttered.

He put the glass on the table and wiped his mouth. “Why do you care how I drink my juice?”

Why did he care how I organized my life? “That’s freshly squeezed. Do you know what kind of effort goes into getting you that tiny cup? It’s meant to be enjoyed.”

He smirked. “I did enjoy it.”

“It was gone too fast for you to enjoy much of anything.”

“Maybe that’s the experience I was going after. A quick rush. None of this slow burn, make sure it fits in the schedule stuff for me.”

“Then you’re missing out. You could enjoy it longer if you’d savor it.”

His gaze flicked down to my lips. “I can think of a few things I like to savor.”

My stomach dropped to the dirty tile floor, taking my breath with it. If he was trying to unsteady me—ugh, it was working.

Jack leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Orange juice isn’t one of them.”

Goodbye rational thought. Jack’s husky voice chased it away. My veins were buzzing, and I was pretty sure my juice wasn’t spiked.

I was saved from needing to respond by the approach of my little sister. “Good morning, love birds!” she squealed, pulling Kevin by the hand. I glanced at the time on my computer. 7:36. How had the time gone so fast? Maybe Jack made the clock speed up alongside my heart rate. Like, from boiling in anger and no other reason.

A quick glance behind Amelia proved they’d come alone. Thank heavens. I could only handle so much sorority in the morning.

“Can we join you?” Kevin asked, his voice raspy as if he’d recently woken up.

“Of course!” I beamed, sliding my computer over on the table to make room for Amelia.

She pulled Kevin away. “We need to order first.”

I moved my oatmeal and orange juice over with me, and a plate of pancakes with a side of bacon immediately took the vacated spot. Jack moved around the table to slide in beside me before I had even finished settling my things. He brought a cloud of muted cologne that smelled even better than the bacon.

“What are you doing?” I whisper-hissed.

He leaned close, matching my whisper. “Sitting beside my girlfriend.”

“My sister could have sat there.”

“She would much rather sit beside her fiancé, don’t you think?”

I moved to argue, but the way Amelia was wrapped in Kevin’s arms at the counter proved Jack’s point. I huffed. “Fine. But don’t get any funny ideas.”

His green eyes danced. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. Trying to hold my hand.”

He tucked his chin a little. “You don’t let your boyfriends hold your hand?”

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