The Reluctant Romantics Box Set (The Fall, The Mind, The Heart)

Woman, you have lost your shit.

I took advantage of his eyes on the menu and admired his features. His hair was a perfect tousled mess of light and dark blond. His long eyelashes curled at the ends, softening the rest of his masculine face. What fascinated me most about him was the perfect fullness of his lips. They were way too tempting. When he looked up from his menu, my eyes were fixed on them. He gave me a smirk and resumed his reading. It was everything I could do to keep from taking his bottom lip and sucking it in front of God and everyone. I felt my lower half start to tremble. I downed the first bourbon when it arrived and ordered a second. Jack nodded to me when our waitress placed my second drink in front of me. “Ready?”

“I’ll have the twenty ounce medium rare, sweet potato covered in butter and brown sugar, and a large side of slaw.” I looked at Jack, who seemed a little stunned.

“Twenty?”

“Yep,” I said, taking a swig out of my tumbler.

“I’ll have the same,” he said, shaking his head at me. “That’s a lot of meat, Rose.”

“I can eat,” I said, sipping my fresh glass of dark liquid, thankful for the burn.

He chuckled as he handed the menu to our waitress, who seemed to have an eye for him. I didn’t blame her. At that point, I would have physically slid out of my seat if I hadn’t had my legs planted firmly on the floor. My entire body was covered with a light veil of sweat. Jack, though pleasing to the eyes, seemed harmless at a distance. Up close, he did lethal things to me.

“So, New Orleans,” I said in an attempt to make small talk.

Jacks whole face lit when I mentioned his home. “I live in The Quarter. You should come visit sometime. Hell of a place to grow up,” he said as he took a swig of his beer.

“I wish I had time to do things like that. It’s been years since I’ve wandered out of Texas.”

“Rose, you won’t do a damn bit of good for anyone by working yourself into an early grave.”

“Thank you for your concern, Jack, but how would you know how often I work?” I said, sinking into the feel of the bourbon.

“I think it’s a safe assumption considering I’ve known your family for years and have never seen you once. Why are you so nervous?” Jack asked, catching me off guard as I took a sip of beer.

“I’m not,” I said uneasily, giving myself away.

“You are, admit it,” he pressed, his accent even more sexy and at the same time infuriating.

“I will not, and you’re being rude.”

“Would you prefer I let you bullshit me?”

“I’m not nervous,” I said, throwing back my bourbon. The liquid oozed down my throat, and I felt a little braver. Jack reached out his hand, closing the gap between us. I jumped back in surprise until it landed in the bowl, gathering some peanuts to shell them. Another ridiculously sexy twist of his lips brought my gaze to them.

“So tell me about you, Jack.”

He put both elbows on the table and leaned in. “Not much to tell. I travel a lot, my home is in New Orleans, and I’m married to my job lately. A lot like you. We’re so boring.”

“Speak for yourself. I’ve traveled all over, grabbed experiences, and with every trip I’ve left my mark or a new building. Nothing’s more rewarding than that. I’ll admit, I do work a lot, but I have one up on you, though.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“I know when to quit,” he countered, finishing his beer with a wink.

“Well, sue me. I’ve been busy—”

“Ah… shhhh, Rose, no shop talk.”

“Fine,” I said, motioning to the waitress for another drink.

“Are you going to get drunk tonight, Rose?”

“Maybe.” I sighed.

“I can’t remember the last time I was here or even out with someone else. It’s kind of depressing.”