The Truest Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 4)

For four years, he’d convinced himself he couldn’t have this woman because of his father’s machinations. But Ian Devlin hadn’t so much as lifted a finger against Emery Saunders, and Jack suspected that was because she had way too much money and influence, too many connections for it to be smart.

Which meant … maybe … maybe she wasn’t entirely out of Jack’s reach after all.

He was so sick and tired of wanting this woman. He thought it would go away. That he’d get over her. But he couldn’t. So why wasn’t he making his move?

“Jack, it’ll be all right,” she promised. “I’ve seen how you and Cooper are, and Iris talks about you both all the time. I know you’re closer to him than you are to your own brothers. Cooper will believe you. It’ll hurt him … but he’ll be grateful for the truth in the end. He deserves better than a wife who would try to cheat on him with his best friend.”

It was the most he’d ever heard her say.

And she said it with passion. Concern. Like she cared.

Yeah, Jack was done waiting to have what he’d fucking pined for, for four very long years.

“Em,” he said, loosening his grip on her biceps and smoothing his hand down her arm until he held her hand.

She looked down at their clasped hands, her eyebrows raised.

“Em … I’d like to take you out. On a date.”

Her eyes flew to his, lips parted with surprise. “You? A … a date?”

Hearing the disbelief in her voice, he almost growled in frustration. He cursed that day at the music festival. She thought he was a player.

Okay, he wasn’t exactly not a player.

But not with her.

She was all he could see.

“No fucking around,” he promised. “I mean a real date. To be followed by another. And another and another …” Until there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Emery Saunders belonged to Jack Devlin and Jack Devlin belonged to her.

His pulse raced with excitement at the thought.

He could tell he’d shocked her.

She tugged on his hand and he tightened his

grip.

“I would never hurt you.” He made his second promise.

Taking a shuddering breath, Emery studied him again, gazing deeply into his eyes, as if she could unearth all his secrets. She could. She had that power over him. Then, just as he worried her shyness would ruin any chance between them, her lips twitched just a little. An almost smile.

I want to make her laugh, he thought. Jack had never heard her laughter, and he wanted to more than anything else.

“Okay.”

Euphoria flooded him. “Okay?”

This time she grinned, and he saw the pink stain her cheeks. “Yes, I’ll go on a date with you, Jack Devlin.”

He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to haul her into his arms so badly and kiss the breath out of her … but he stopped himself.

It had to be slow.

Jack had to prove to her that he wanted more than just her gorgeous body.

He wanted everything from Emery.