Jack (The Family Simon 2)

“Oh my God, Jack. I was so worried. I…I thought the boat sank or you were hit by lightening or a…a shark tore off one of your legs. I’m going crazy. You’ve been gone all day and I…”

She shuddered against him, her body trembling and her throat closing up as a wall of emotion rolled through her. She might have even wailed.

“Hey, I’m here. I’m okay. Two legs, two arms.”

She felt his warm breath against her cheek and tilted her head slightly so that she could see his face. The rain still fell, but it was now a gentle caress that slid over his bare skin and then onto hers.

His hair was slicked back off his forehead, and she noticed that he’d shaved this morning. His eyes, oh they were as dark as the devil’s, and they watched her, never wavering .

That well of emotion was still inside her, buried beneath flesh and bone, taking up residence where her heart was. For a few crazy moments, she’d contemplated what a bleak empty world it would be if Jack Simon was lost to her.

Even if he didn’t belong to her anymore, it mattered. It mattered a hell of a lot more than she liked. But the simple truth was that being able to covet him from afar was better than mourning a ghost.

His hand crept along her jaw, and Jack held her in his arms, eyes intense as they moved over her face, his warmth giving her body an infusion of heat. But still she trembled. Still she ached. Still the leftover fear was eating her up.

His thumb settled over the mole next to her mouth, and an image of his tongue sliding over it flashed in her mind.

“Where were you?” she whispered, desperately trying

to find a way to break the spell he had over her. “Why would you just leave?”

“Hey, I’m sorry I worried you.” His voice was all kinds of husky goodness and something inside Donovan melted. Damn. She wasn’t strong enough.

“I planned on being back by dinner, but then the storm rolled in and I had to wait it out.”

“But where were you? I woke up, and you were gone.”

“I boated over to Caye Caulker. Roger told me about it the other day. It’s an island. Not quite as big as Ambergris Caye but—“

Donovan blinked water from her eyes. Wait. what?

“You went to an island.” It wasn’t a question. “Spent the entire day on another island.” Again not a question.

He didn’t answer and in those few seconds, a couple of things happened. One, that big old ball of emotion inside Donovan began to pound, like a drum beat over and over again. Hard and relentless.

And two, as the emotion pushed to the surface it boiled hot, feeding a raw and hurtful anger that left her almost speechless.

She thumped him on the chest—hard—and yanked herself out of his arms. Of all the stupid selfish things… She was so angry she could barely form a coherent thought. Chest heaving, she stared up at him incredulously.

“You left this morning and spent the entire day on an island, leaving me here all alone? With no phone or anybody to talk to? I could have fallen and broken my neck and no one would have known. Or gone for a swim and had a cramp and drowned. Again no one would know because I was all alone.”

Voice shaky, she took a moment, but the more time she took the more hurt and angry she became.

“I didn’t matter enough for you to leave a fucking note? A little scribble to say, hey Donnie, I’m off to some exotic island, because I can’t stand being near you? Oh and while I’m having a nice cold beer in some swanky bar, maybe I’ll bang some island girl while I’m there? Huh? Would that have been too much to ask?”

“Donovan.” He held his hands out, palms up, the universal sign of peace and she slapped at them.

“Don’t you dare…” her voice was hoarse, and she struggled to catch her breath. “Don’t you dare ‘Donovan’ me. I can’t believe you.”

“You’re overreacting,” he said carefully, moving back a few inches. Smart move. Donovan had a good right hook, and Jack damn well knew it.

“Overreacting? You haven’t seen overreacting. I was alone all damn day. A band of pirates could have come ashore and taken me and done God knows what to me.”

“Pirates?”

“Yes, pirates,” she snapped. “You know, I’m the captain now? Pirates?”

He looked at her as if she was losing her marbles and maybe she was, but Jesus, Jack Simon deserved to feel at least some of the anxiety she’d gone through because of him.