Saltwater Kisses (The Kisses 1)

“More mistakes?” my knee pulled away from his hand before I could stop it, and I instantly regretted it when he let me go. I wanted him to touch me and yet I was nervous of what it might lead to. I wasn’t sure where we were going. I wished my body would stop pushing for more and for my head to stop worrying.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said holding up his hands in defense. He sighed, “I am the image of my company and we can’t afford any bad press right now.” He placed my hand in his and he brought it to his lips. “I think you are beautiful and fascinating. I thought so the moment I met you. There is no mistake there, and now, since you’re here, I’d like to take the time to get to know you. I mean, really get to know you—not just random secrets and how your body reacts when you’re excited. We have time now.” His eyes glinted with memories of what I did when I was excited.

“Jack, how long am I going to be here?” I asked, looking up into his hazel eyes. They were greener today. A girl could happily drown in those green seas.

“As long as you’d like.”

My mouth went dry and I tried to swallow. I hadn’t thought about how long I was going to be in New York. It still felt like I was on vacation. None of this seemed like it could possibly be real life. How long was I going to stay? Another week? A month? A year? Forever? My breath caught at the idea of forever, though I wasn’t sure if I was apprehensive or excited. If we connected half as well in New York as we did on the island, forever might not be long enough.

What about my friends? My family? My job? I was still waiting on responses to my vet school applications. I had already interviewed at several universities and was waiting to hear back on their decisions. I wondered if there was a vet school in New York I could apply to. My head spun for a second, too many thoughts swirling through it. My only anchor was Jack’s hands holding mine. They were warm and real and all I wanted.

“Jack, I don’t know what to say. This whole thing has me upside down and I don’t know what I’m doing,” I whispered. He gripped my hands tighter.

“Neither do I, but I do know that no one makes me feel the way you do. Today was crappy until you walked in that door. I don’t know how you manage it, but I’m pretty sure you’re magic.” Jack’s words made me glow.

“You make me feel pretty amazing yourself,” I said with a blush. Jack grinned, his smile lighting up the room. He leaned forward, g

uiding his lips towards mine. It felt so natural, so right as I leaned in.

The phone suddenly rang, jarring the moment to a standstill. Jack swore lightly under his breath, our lips never connecting. He stood, dropping my hand and striding forcefully across the room. His demeanor changed as he picked up the phone. His face was darker, less rounded with happiness and thinner, sterner with strength and power. He was master of his domain... and he knew it.

I played with my empty plate, making designs in the leftover sauce with my fork. I glanced at my watch and saw that our allotted dinner hour was up. It was time for Jack to get back to work. Our mini vacation together was over. I wondered if this was going to be a recurring theme for us, the only time we got to spend together was a few short reprieves from our daily lives. I hoped we could be more.

Jack clicked the phone down on his desk and I stood up and started putting the now empty plates back on the cart.

“Thank you for dinner, Emma,” he said softly. I looked up. The boy from the beach was looking at me, his hazel eyes glowing in the light. I wanted to kiss him so badly right then.

“It was my pleasure. I’ll have Jeannette put me in your schedule permanently.”

Jack took a step forward, closing the distance between us. The room closed in and was suddenly very warm. I felt like a schoolgirl alone with her crush for the first time, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

“I have wanted to do this all night,” Jack whispered, reaching his hand to my chin. He gently guided me to his lips. Fireworks exploded in my brain and I swear a brass band was playing a happy song as he kissed me. I pressed up against him, feeling his strong body mold into mine. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me in closer as his tongue quested for mine.

I could have stood there kissing him for the rest of the evening, but the phone began to ring again. Jack ignored it for a moment, but when the shrill sound refused to stop, he released me. His kisses left me breathless, dizzy and craving more.

“Call back in two minutes,” Jack said into the phone. He didn’t wait for an answer as he set it down in the receiver.

“What if that was important?” I gasped, tearing my eyes away from his perfect mouth.

“It’s always important. If they want to talk to me, they’ll call me back. Now where were we?” He stepped forward again, his smile hungry. He was about to reach for me again when the phone began to jingle off its hook yet again.

“I think they want you almost as much as I do,” I said, glaring at the offending phone. Jack chuckled. He leaned forward and kissed me softly, our lips barely pressing together, but filling me with desire and the hope for more.

“I look forward to seeing you tomorrow,” he whispered, and then turned and stepped behind his wooden desk. The mask of power slipped over his features, turning him cold and indifferent.

I towed the empty food cart out, closing the door carefully behind me. The heavy wooden door blocked the sound of his phone conversation, and I sighed and leaned back against it. That kiss...

Butterflies danced in my stomach. I was giddy and happy, his kiss still lingering on my lips. It was like our first kiss all over again. In a way, it kind of was. It was our first kiss as a real couple, not two strangers on vacation. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but all I could see for the future was good things.

Chapter 15

I smiled as the golden elevator whisked me up to the top floor of Jack’s building. I didn’t get to see much of Jack during the day, so the only time I got to spend any time with him was over dinner. After our first dinner, we quickly figured out a routine. The past couple of weeks, I would arrive at his office at a quarter to six and bring dinner with me. We would eat and talk, and usually end up kissing. We never seemed to have time for anything more than intense kissing, as every time we got close to going further, a business emergency would spring up. Jack did his best to clear out an hour of time so that we could eat together, but we were usually interrupted. It was like the phone was an overzealous guardian of our virtue.

I waved to Jeannette as I pushed a trolley full of food towards the big wooden doors. She smiled, her eyes bright and fingers quick on the keyboard despite her gray hair. She was used to our nightly dinners and was always friendly. Jack opened the door to his office, letting me in. His hair was messy, as though he had run his fingers through it one too many times. He looked worn and tired, but his eyes were shining as he smiled at me.

“I don’t know how you keep this all straight,” I said, waving my hand over the unruly stack of papers covering his desk. He grimaced and grabbed my hand, leading me over to the couch on the far side of his office. The wheeled trolley followed me dutifully with two silver food covers ready to be opened. I pushed the tray so it made a little table in front of the couch for the two of us to eat off before sitting next to him. He made sure I sat close to him, our bodies almost touching but not quite. “What are you working on today?”

“No work for a little bit. You are my break from work.” He kissed my cheek, smiled and lifted the tray to reveal a salmon and risotto dish that smelled heavenly. His knee bumped mine and stayed there, pressed against my leg.