Chapter 9
A
s they started to walk toward Amelia Rose, Jack took Chloe's hand as he normally would, and something akin to an electric shock jolted up her arm. Jack looked back at her, scowled at their joined hands, and kept right on going.
By the time they reached the lovely hostess of the party, Chloe's arm tingled all the way up to her shoulder. Amelia Rose was busy marveling over a little blond girl's princess costume. Admiring her crown, and blue dress. The little girl curtsied. “I'm Cinderella.”
“You certainly are.” Amelia Rose pointed to the Cinderella pumpkin in the yard. “You left your slippers in my yard.”
She giggled.
The older woman held out a big bowl of seemingly every type of candy ever created. “Take whatever you want.”
The little girl studied the assortment, and then her eyes went wide when she found her favorite. She took it in her small hand. “Thank you.”
“You're quite welcome.” Amelia Rose straightened, then smoothed a hand over the girl's silky blond hair before turning to Jack and Chloe. “Enjoying your stay?”
“It's lovely,” Chloe said.
Jack dropped Chloe's hand and stepped forward. “Do you have a moment? We have a few questions.”
“Ah, yes, of course.” Amelia Rose didn't appear surprised. They walked back into the room where the party was being held, and the older woman waved at several people before she turned back to Jack and Chloe. Her eyes twinkled. “Where's your costume, dear?”
Jack frowned. “It was a scrap of fabric.”
Amelia Rose chuckled and patted him on the arm. “I wouldn't have thought you the shy type.”
“I'm not shy.” Jack's expression turned disgruntled. “But I'm also not looking for a career as a male stripper.”
“Too bad.” Amelia Rose's gaze ran over the length of him. “You'd be quite good. And you have that secret dancing talent. Such a shame to waste it.”
Jack blushed to the tips of his ears, and Chloe stared at him wide-eyed and openmouthed.
What secret dancing talent?
Jack shook his head, started to speak, failed, cleared his throat, then started again. “I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Of course, dear.” Amelia Rose smiled, her expression peaceful.
Jack was lying. He knew exactly what the other woman was talking about. Chloe looked around the house, decorated to the gills with exquisite, upscale Halloween decorations.
Was Aunt Iris right? Was this place magical somehow? Was Amelia Rose herself magical?
“Back to the point,” Jack said, ripping her attention away from the room and back to the conversation at hand.
Amelia Rose smiled again. “Ah yes, the cookies. Have you discovered my secret ingredient yet?”
Jack's face filled with relief and he pointed at the older woman. “I knew it. You put something in those cookies.”
Amelia Rose nodded. “I thought you two needed a little extra push. After all, you've been resisting each other so long, I knew seeing your fortune wouldn't be enough.”
So . . . all this craziness, all this lust and consuming desire . . . was a drug interaction? That was it? Jack's shoulders relaxed, and all his muscles seemed to uncoil. Chloe waited for the same relief to take hold of her, to ease her body and wash over her.
But it didn't come.
She frowned. She felt . . . disappointed.
But
why
did she feel disappointed?
“You drugged us?” Jack said, his voice ripping her from her thoughts. “What did you put in those cookies? I'll need to check to make sure whatever you put in there is safe.”
Amelia Rose laughed. “I didn't drug you, young man. That would be unethical.”
Chloe's ears perked up. “Then what?”
“Because something was in those cookies,” Jack repeated.
“Yes, there is. Intention,” Amelia Rose said as though that explained everything.
“What?” Chloe shook her head.
Amelia Rose smiled. “It's quite simple. I set a very simple intention.”
Jack crossed his arms over his chest. “And what was that?”
“That your true desires be revealed.” Her voice took on a quiet, faraway tone. “And that those desires would be impossible to ignore.”
Chloe's skin broke out in a rush of goose bumps, exploding over her arms. She hugged herself. “What does that mean?”
Before the woman could answer, Jack rushed in, his jaw set in a hard, stubborn line. “I think this is bullshit. I think you put something
real
in there.”
Amelia Rose appeared completely calm. “You're a man of science, and I can appreciate that. But ask yourself, what type of known drug could I have put in there? And more important, why?”
Chloe nibbled her bottom lip while Jack's brow creased.
The woman raised a brow. “This establishment has been in this town since its creation. Do you really believe I would risk all that is sacred to me, to drug a couple of strangers? Now, does that seem logical?”
Jack's shoulders slumped and he lost the aggressive set of his features.
Amelia Rose waved a hand over to the table filled with food. “But if you don't believe me, the cookies are right over there. Go ahead and have them tested. You'll find there's nothing in them but flour, butter, sugar, and a little vanilla extract.”
Chloe wasn't really paying attention any longer. She was still trying to process her emotions. She didn't understand one thing about what was going on here. But something about what Amelia Rose said resonated deep inside her.
Was there part of her that wanted Jack? She'd never thought so before, but had she been fooling herself?
Jack started to talk, but Chloe cut him off. “Thank you, Amelia Rose. We've taken up enough of your time . . . enjoy the party.”
“You, too.” Amelia Rose patted her arm. “I see you're already starting to accept. Good. Life is always easier when you embrace your future.”
The older woman wandered off, leaving Jack and Chloe alone.
“That didn't provide any answers at all,” Jack said, staring over at the plate of cookies.
It might not have for him, but it had for her. It made her think.
She needed to be alone. To get away from him for a bit. She rubbed her arms. “I need to be alone.”
“Chloeâ” Jack started, but she cut him off.
“Seriously, Jack, just leave me alone.” Then she turned and ran off, hoping he wouldn't follow her.
She wandered through the house, looking for a place that wasn't filled with people, and finally found what she was looking for. A sunroom in the back, deserted as the party was in the front of the house. Chloe sat on the wicker couch and stared out the back window.
What was going on with her?
The lust she could handle. It made sense: Jack was gorgeous, and it had been a while since she'd had sex. Lust she could pass off as some sort of anomaly, effecting them because of hormones, or something in the air, or the confines of the small room. That she could explain away.
It was the disappointment that stopped her cold. That made her really think.
Because, for that split second, when she'd thought they'd been drugged, she should have been relieved. Like Jack had been. There were a million things she should have felt, but disappointment wasn't one of them.
She thought of her last conversation with Greg, what he'd said that she'd never told anyone.
Chloe had dismissed his anger, saying everyone knew there was nothing going on with Jack. That he was her best friend and Greg needed to accept that.
He had shaken his head, and resignation had crossed his features. “You're the delusional one, Chloe, not me.”
She'd sighed, slightly irritated he didn't understand, that nobody else seemed to understand. “I promise you're making too big of a deal about this.”
He'd stared at her for a long time before saying, “I promise you, it is a big deal. I've never once curled up next to my best friend to watch a movie.”
She hadn't known how to explain to him that that was just the way she and Jack were. That it didn't mean anything. “It was nothing.”
He'd pinched the bridge of his nose. “You're in love with him, Chloe.”
She'd actually laughed. “Don't be crazy, of course I'm not.”
“You are. You're just too blind to see it.” Greg shook his head. “Too scared to expand the box you've put him into to see the truth. But you're in love with him.”
Chloe had dismissed the idea, telling herself that Greg just didn't understand. She wasn't going to give up Jack to appease him. He was the unreasonable one, not her.
But after today, sitting here, the doubts crept in.
Because Greg hadn't been the only one.
How many men had she dumped because they hadn't lived up to the expectations set by Jack? How many men had broken up with her because they hadn't wanted to deal with the Jack issue? She'd always laughed them off, telling herself the kind of man she wanted would be confident enough to handle her friendship with Jack.
But when was the last time she'd let a man like that get close to her?
And what about Jack? When was the last time he'd even brought a woman around?
She knew he saw women. Went on dates. Certainly he had sex, but he never brought them around her. Why? If they were best friends, why wouldn't she meet his girlfriends?
“There you are.” Jack's voice had her head shooting up.
She looked at him, strolling toward her, his legs long, his shoulders broad. His handsome face, all carved and chiseled. How many times had she looked at a guy and thought,
Well, he's not as good-looking as Jack, but he'll do?
Was she blind? Was she scared? Had she kept him in the friend box for so long that she didn't want to admit to anyone, least of all herself, that he'd outgrown it?
She remembered when they'd first checked in and she'd curled up next to him on the bed, pressing her body into his while he rubbed her back. Was that normal? Would she do that with Nora? Or what about Ted, one of her other long-standing guy friends?
She wouldn't. Not in a million years. She didn't even call Ted. They hung out in their standard Friday night group at the local bar, playing darts and pool. They laughed and shot the shit and drank together, but she didn't really talk to him. Didn't even think of him when he wasn't around.
She met Jack's eyes.
She called him every single day. Other than her mother, he was the only person she talked to daily without fail. Not her dad, her brother, or her sister, not Nora.
Jack.
He sat down next to her, and his gaze glanced down her body. “We need to talk.”
She was past talking. She had to know.
Accept your future.
That was what Amelia Rose had said.
Jack frowned. “Chloâtalk to me, we can figure this out.”
The truth swept through her in a rush. She
was
afraid.
She went hot, then cold, as the blood drained from her face. The blinders ripped away, showing her the undeniable truth.
She was so, so stupid.
She wanted Jack. She loved him. Had probably loved him forever, but she'd refused to even think about it, because she'd never sensed anything back from him, so she'd blocked it out and pretended it didn't exist. That it wasn't true for her.
No man ever lived up to him because none of them
were
him.
“Chloe, please.” He put his hand on her neck.
She met his gaze. His expression was troubled. This whole thing was upsetting him because he didn't want to want her.
But he did. Tonight, on Halloween, surrounded by pumpkins and bats and skeletons and ghosts, he fought his desire for her.
Now faced with the truth, she was no longer able to let the fear stop her.
He could fight it if he wanted, but she was done. It was time she dealt with her feelings. There was no going backâregardless of what happened when they left this place, they'd be changed.
She had to know. There was no other option.
She took a deep breath, curled her hand around his neck, and kissed him.
Chapter 10
J
ack was so surprised when Chloe's mouth met his, he froze. Shocked still as her hands pulled him close and her lips pressed against him.
He'd wanted her so bad, all day the urge to take her had been tugging at him, and now she was here. He gave one fleeting thought to stopping. To inject some sanity into the madness.
But the tip of her tongue touched his lips, seeking entrance. He groaned and gave up the fight. His mouth opened, their tongues tangled, and he was lost. Everything about her felt hot and eager, so damn right.
Better than anything he'd felt in . . . well, forever.
In an instant, the kiss transformed as he went from passive to active participant.
He wrapped his arms around her, his fingers sliding over the smooth skin of her stomach. Skin he'd touched a thousand times, but never like this.
She trembled under his touch.
The kiss turned hotter. Wetter.
He gripped her tight, pulling her close.
She didn't hesitate, climbing on top of him and straddling his thighs.
He clasped her hips. Dug his fingers into her soft flesh.
Christ.
She clutched his shoulders, her mouth growing more insistent.
He wanted to consume her.
He slanted his head, increasing their connection. Deepening the angle.
Getting lost in her.
Chloe. Fuck. He was kissing Chloe. His Chloe. His best friend.
And it was incredible.
He couldn't get enough. He swept his palms up her body, barely clothed in her tiny costume. He tangled his fingers in her hair, fisting the length to drag her closer. So much closer.
She gasped and moaned, sliding her hips forward.
When his cock slid between her thighs, he about lost his goddamn mind.
She rocked. He surged.
The heat, the slide, the friction.
It was everything that had ever been missing in a kiss.
She
was everything he'd been missing.
“Oh!” a soft voice exclaimed. “I'm sorry.”
They jerked apart. Breathing hard, they stared at each other, Chloe's green eyes as dazed as he felt. She scrambled off him, and they looked at the woman who'd interrupted them.
Chloe blushed, and cleared her throat, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Aunt Iris.”
The older woman gave them a huge smile. “I didn't mean to interrupt. You surprised me.”
Chloe shook her head. “You didn't. We were . . . um . . . we were . . .” She shot a glance at him.
Jack sat back on the sofa. “We were making out.”
Chloe's expression went wide, and she slapped him across the arm. “Jack!”
Aunt Iris laughed. “I can see that.”
“It was nothing.” Chloe waved a hand. “We were . . . experimenting.”
“Yes, dear,” Aunt Iris said, her voice filled with amusement. “Your mother will be so pleased.”
Really now? That was an interesting piece of information.
Chloe's brows creased. “Wait. No. It's not what you think.”
He cocked a brow at her. “It isn't?”
She frowned at him. She turned back to Aunt Iris. “See, Jack's last girlfriend said he was a bad kisser and I was . . . Um . . . Helping him out.”
“Hey!” Jack protested. He was confused, turned on, and screwed six ways till Sunday, but he refused to have her aunt Iris believe he was a terrible kisser. “You take that back.”
Chloe patted his leg. “It's okay.”
Aunt Iris's lips trembled with what Jack was pretty sure was suppressed mirth. “You two go on with your experiments. I was just passing through.”
Then she turned around and left, leaving Jack and Chloe alone.
It was much easier to address the attack on his manhood than to think too much about what had just transpired between them. “Bad kisser, huh?”
Chloe's face flushed. “Yes, well, the last thing I want is our mothers finding out about this, and I had to come up with something.”
“And you went with I'm a bad kisser and need lessons?”
Chloe's lips tilted. “Seemed logical.”
He meant to take it further, to ignore the elephant sitting on the couch between them, but when he spoke, those weren't the words he said. “Why did you kiss me, Chloe?”
She swallowed hard and looked away. “Didn't you like it?”
“Five more minutes, and Aunt Iris would have walked in on something much more pornographic.” Jack shifted in his seat, trying to adjust and find a comfortable spot with a raging erection. “But it doesn't answer my question.”
She shrugged. “It seemed the thing to do.”
“There's more.”
“This is crazy.” She ran her hand through her hair. “I don't know what's come over us this weekend.”
“Me, either,” Jack admitted. He only knew he couldn't seem to stop it. No matter the logic.
Chloe looked down at her lap and started nibbling at her bottom lip.
He slid his hand along the back of the sofa, before running a finger down her neck. “Tell me what's on your mind. That's one thing we've always been good at, and it shouldn't change now that we've shared the kiss to end all kisses.”
Her head shot up. “It was good?”
“Are you serious?”
She shook her head. “It was so awesome I can't even think straight.”
He leaned closer, meeting her eyes. “It was better than sex.”
“It was.” Her breath caught.
He tangled his hand in her hair. “All I can think about is taking you to bed.”
“Me too.” She clasped her hands. “We shouldn't.”
“I know.” It would change everything between them.
She batted his hand away. “Stop that. I can't think when you're doing that.”
He rested his hand on the couch. “This is not good, Chloe. I can't resist you right now.”
She pressed her lips together, remaining silent, her head tilting to the side. Jack knew her well enough to know she was thinking, contemplating their next move, and he let her.
After a minute, she cleared her throat. “Here's what I'm thinking. Let's get through this night, go home, and then, if we still feel this way in a week, we can revisit it.” She glanced around. “Because this place has cast some kind of spell on us. We need to clear our heads so we can make rational decisions.”
It wasn't a bad plan. It made sense. And their relationship was too important to ruin with impulsive sex. All he needed to do was get through this night without touching her. Once they got back home, they could retreat to their separate houses and gather their thoughts.
The problem was not touching her.
Something easy this morning that now seemed an impossible feat.
It was at least a direction, though, and he nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
Her shoulders straightened. “When we get home, we should take a break for a bit. Are you working on Friday?”
He shook his head.
“Good. We'll wait until next Friday, and if we still feel like we do now, we'll talk. Deal?”
Next Friday? That was a lifetime from now. But it was for the good of their friendship. “Deal.”