Black Jack (Advantage Play #5) - Kelsie Rae Page 0,41

know anymore.”

As if in slow motion, I close the distance between us and press a slow, close-mouthed kiss to the birthmark that I know she loathes even more than her father. Her gasp makes my heart pound harder in my chest, but I surprise both of us by pulling away and standing to my full height.

“Goodnight, Bianca.”

A ‘v’ forms in the center of her eyebrows as she watches me carefully. Like a simple kiss managed to turn her world upside down in the blink of an eye. She doesn’t get it though. Mine’s been upside down for months, and I would’ve given anything to fix it until I met her. Now, I’m starting to wonder if the bumpy ride might be worth it if I wind up with her by my side.

Or maybe I really have lost my mind.

Shaking my head back and forth, I turn on my heel and leave her room before crossing the hall to my own.

She’s right. That’s enough chitchat for one evening.

But as soon as she’s ready, I’m coming for more.

17

Bianca

“Where are you taking me?” I ask as I watch the trees slowly blend into rolling hills on the side of the road. We’ve been driving for hours, yet I still can’t decide if I’m getting my hopes up or not.

“It’s a surprise.”

“I hate surprises.”

“I’m not surprised,” Jack returns just as quickly.

With a glare, I tear my gaze away from the horizon and turn them on the culprit of my every waking thought since our little dinner date with his FBI boss.

“Spill,” I demand, using the bossiest voice I can muster up.

He laughs but doesn’t even bother to look at me. “Sorry, Bianca, but I’ve spent years studying interrogation tactics and how to withstand them when they’re shoved down my throat, so the death glare isn’t gonna work on me. A for effort though.”

“You’re seriously not going to tell me where we’re going?” I whine, trying a different tactic.

“I’m seriously not going to tell you where we’re going.”

Even though the bastard isn’t looking at me, I stick my bottom lip out for good measure. “But why?”

Giving me the side-eye, another deep laugh reverberates through his chest. “Because I said so.”

This man is infuriating!

“Come on, Jack. At least give me a hint. Please?”

The sun is starting to set, playing peekaboo with the horizon while painting Jack’s face in a warm glow as he weighs his options. Then he delivers a smirk that makes me almost swallow my own tongue.

“Fine,” he tells me. “You might’ve refused the whole big wedding thing, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. You did agree to marry me today, remember?”

Shit.

I was right. Stupid agreements. Stupid butterflies. Stupid hopes and dreams and plans that feel like they’re floating around in a toilet that’s going to be flushed the moment I acknowledge that I have feelings for this guy. That I actually like him. That the idea of saying yes…it’s consumed me. More than my need for revenge. More than my need for a fresh start. More than my need to disappear and leave my past––and my brother––behind me.

The idea alone has swallowed me whole, but I’ve been fighting it with denial. With the lie that he’d forgotten his promise. That he’d been joking about marrying me at all.

“What are you thinking?” he asks, shaking me from my impending anxiety attack.

I toy with the fabric of my sundress while simultaneously refusing to look up at him.

“Tell me,” he prods.

“Honestly, I kind of thought you’d forgotten.”

“Forgotten? Come on, babe, give me a little more credit. And you’re wearing a white dress,” he adds with a quirked brow. “You can’t tell me that’s a coincidence.”

“I mean…I’m not an idiot,” I argue. “On the off chance that you did remember, I wouldn’t be caught dead in a pair of jeans or something on my wedding day.”

“Do you even own jeans?”

I shove him in the shoulder. “Shut up, smartass. You’ve seen me in jeans, remember? Besides, there’s nothing wrong with caring about your appearance, Jacky Boy. And if by some miracle you did remember, I was going to come prepared. It’s a sundress, by the way.” I smooth out the fabric then wave my hand through the air. “It’s not like it wouldn’t be appropriate for a night on the town or whatever it is you have planned.”

“Whatever I have planned,” he repeats with a shit-eating grin. “This is really killing you, isn’t it?”

My gaze narrows, but I ignore his observation and continue my investigation.