Seduce Me

“Then I realized he stuck around because on some level he liked the sick situation, or was too weak to get out of it on his own. By then I had a career and was on that partnership track you know so well. I wasn’t giving that up so…here I am.”

“The Terminator.”

“Yup. Meanwhile my folks are still married and making each other miserable.” They inched along the road parallel to the beach. And as they continued to drive in silence, Jack realized that admitting those truths out loud for the first time gave him a sense of freedom he’d never had.

“You told me why your father stuck around, but why hasn’t your mother opted out?”

“Because my mother doesn’t know the meaning of fidelity, and since my father doesn’t know how to stand up for himself and get the hell out, she’s got the best of both worlds.”

At least she had until now. Jack still didn’t know if his father would go through with the divorce.

“That’s sad. And so opposite of my parents. Which I guess goes to show you that neither extreme is a healthy one.”

“Guess not.” He shrugged, not knowing what else to say.

He inhaled the salty ocean air. He’d never spoken about his family life before, but he trusted his past in Mallory’s hands.

And he needed those hands around him now. Badly.

“So you shut down your dreams for the future, afraid you’ll end up the same way?” she asked.

“It would seem so.” He shouldn’t be surprised she hadn’t passed judgment, merely understood.

But those dreams she thought he’d shut down were pushing past the barriers he’d built, and they centered around Mallory, threatening the stability and peace he thought he’d found.

He glanced her way. The sunglasses he’d seen her eyeing earlier were perched on her scrunched-up nose. The wind had blown her hair into wild disarray and her cheeks were flushed from being outdoors—just how he imagined she’d look after a hot night of making love. With him.

Damn. Why hadn’t he thought of it as just sex? Jack swallowed back a curse. Had he really thought getting away from the hotel would give him distance? All this trip had done was bring them closer emotionally. This getaway hadn’t made him want her any less, nor had it alleviated the burning tension inside him.

“And those dreams of yours. Are they shut down as well?” he asked.

She nodded. “I got older, immersed myself in reality, decided to follow in my father’s footsteps and try to make the old man proud.”

“That’s too bad. Because I have a hunch if you let yourself, you’d find a goldmine of untapped dreams inside you.”

She rested her chin on bended knee and glanced his way. “Maybe I was wrong.” Her expression grew pensive. “I don’t think anyone can really close themselves off to dreaming,” she said softly. “Including you.”

He would have vehemently disagreed before this trip. He hadn’t thought he had any dreams for the future beyond the life he’d created. He’d always associated women with his mother and marriage with his parents’ disaster of a union.

And now…

“What was I thinking?” she asked before he could take his thoughts any further. “Macho men don’t dream and if they do, they don’t admit it.” She laughed, breaking the seriousness that had been surrounding them.

The sound, light and carefree, eased the growing knot of tension in his stomach. She was back to relaxing. Best of all she wasn’t asking him for a damn thing beyond their stolen time together. So why was he allowing himself to get caught up in such serious considerations like relationships, marriage and the future?

He turned his attention to the scenery. They’d left the stretch of homes behind and the now empty beach stretched out before them. Jack spotted a deserted outlet beneath a boardwalk where he could park. He turned into a secluded spot that afforded them a perfect view of the water, and because they were still in an exclusive area, they wouldn’t be interrupted by tourists. Jack silently thanked Eva, the gym manager, for telling him about this place even though her reasons for helping him would make Mallory green with jealousy.

He shifted to park and before he could blink she climbed over the seat and into the back, motioning for him to join her.

He studied her and glanced around them. “You sure about this?”

“Are you afraid of getting caught?”

He flew out of the car and joined her in the back seat. “You’re naughty, Mallory. And you’re also forgetting who extended this invitation.” He pulled her into his arms and into the kiss he’d been dying for all afternoon.

She didn’t resist. Her lips opened wide and she let him in, deeper than he’d thought possible. He moved his mouth over hers, tasting her luscious lips before mo

ving to nuzzle her cheek, lingering only seconds before traveling down to her neck.