The Heart - Kate Stewart Page 0,30
standoff. I shook my head no as Jack thanked her. I should have been happy to feel this way. To feel the long forgotten sparks of recognition shooting through me, to be relieved that they still existed. Instead, I was fighting fear. Could I really go through with it? Jack looked over my rapidly rising and falling chest before bringing his eyes back to mine.
“I’m attracted to you, and I think I’ve made that clear. But I can’t lay a hand on you, Rose, out of respect for your father. And from what I can tell, you aren’t exactly ready to back up what’s going through that beautiful head of yours.”
Slight hurt and a little embarrassment stung me as I attempted to hide my disappointment. “Please don’t pretend to know what’s going on in my head.”
Jack moved his chair audibly as he leaned in close.
“I’m betting I could manage to take those lips that I’ve been thinking about tasting for the last three days and put my hands all over you without your protest. But I’m going to have to stick to flirting with you on principal.”
My libido took a nosedive as I looked at him in question, but I didn’t trust myself enough to speak.
Jack pushed back in his seat, readjusting himself to the table. “Like I said—” he continued cutting into his steak “—Seth is a good friend of mine, and I’m pretty sure that would no longer be the case if he had any idea of what I was thinking about doing to his daughter. Besides, I’m into dating the women I sleep with. You don’t date, that’s a problem.”
“I’m too busy for anything personal.”
“That’s a shame,” he said absently.
I rolled my eyes as he chewed a bite of the tender meat. He was openly toying with me now as if he’d be doing me a favor.
“Well, I’m glad you made that decision for both of us, Jack. You know, I think you’re right,” I said coyly. “I’m thinking letting you do what’s going through that handsome head of yours could only end in disaster. And like I said earlier, I wasn’t propositioning you.”
“Of course you weren’t,” he said way too confidently.
“I wasn’t. I haven’t let a man touch me in years, so don’t flatter yourself.”
“I won’t,” he said, filling his mouth again with the tender meat and fueling my new distaste for his arrogance. My blood boiled as the air around him remained the same.
Ignoring the urge to cover him in bourbon, I spent the next few minutes devouring my food in an attempt to ignore his eyes that were still on me.
“That’s impressive,” he noted as I took my last bite of steak.
“It’s my only party trick,” I said with a little too much bite in my voice. Jack reached over and lifted my chin with his fingertips, commanding my attention.
“What is it, Rose?”
I really didn’t have a right to be indignant about the fact that he wasn’t going to make a move on me. He’d been nothing but a true gentleman to me since I’d met him, and I had no reason to hold a grudge. Although in the last hour he’d acted like an arrogant ass, I really didn’t see the harm in his game. If he were attempting to date me, I’d shot him down the first five minutes of dinner, and the fault was mine. If anything, I was just as relieved as I was disheartened by his hesitation because I was scared. I let my irritation slide off of my shoulders. The truth was, he was right. I had no idea what I wanted from him, if anything at all, and was still too unsure to do anything about it.
“I’m just tired,” I said, pulling my chin away.
“That’s not it at all. I’m not a beat around the bush type of guy. Talk to me.”
“Nothing to say. I’m fine, really.”
He took my hand in his and waited for my eyes patiently. “Then know I’m here as a friend.” Realization struck and I jerked slightly and pulled my hand away.
“He told you?”
“Who? And told me what?”
“My father told you?”
“I’m not following,” Jack said, truly confused. I couldn’t help but think more of him for his genuine concern for me. I’d assumed my dad told Jack about Grant, but it seemed it wasn’t the case. What I was sure about was that I didn’t want Jack to know. In just those few seconds I’d thought he’d felt pity for me, it felt