Jack felt like the biggest douche bag ever. He'd never meant to worry Donovan. h.e.l.l, it had never entered his mind that she'd even care.

But she did. And if he was reading the signals right, she cared a whole lot which made no sense at all. She'd ended things between them. That was all on her.

For just one second, Jack considered letting her go, but then that nagging thought that had been at the back of his mind for the past few days nudged him. It's what sent him forward, because he was done playing nice. Done with the whole, 'I don't give a c.r.a.p thing', because that was about as far from the truth as he could get.

He was d.a.m.n well ready for some answers. He'd waited long enough.

Five years too long.

"Donnie," he said, reaching for her arm. The rain was still falling and her skin was slick with it. "Hey, hold up."

She wouldn't turn around, but she didn't shrug him off either. In a calculated risk, Jack decided to put it all out there. Why not? It's not as if he had anything to lose and, on the flipside, maybe he'd finally figure out the mess that was their history.

Maybe then he could move on.

"Turn around," he said.

"I don't want to."

The woman couldn't make anything easy.

"Turn the f.u.c.k around," he said through gritted teeth as a fresh wave of anger rolled over him. "I'm not going to talk to the back of your head like some tail-between-his-legs schoolboy."

She shook off his hand and slowly turned around, but she refused to look at him which made that slow burn inside spark something fierce. When the h.e.l.l had he become the bad guy?

"Why are you so upset anyway? I don't get it. Five years ago, you left me a G.o.dd.a.m.n letter and ended things. I didn't even rate a face to face. So what gives now? Why the concern? We're not friends. We're barely acquaintances anymore. I thought you'd love having the place to yourself."

Her chin jutted forward and finally he had her attention. Those big eyes locked onto his with an intensity that surprised him. And wait...were those tears in her eyes?

Jack swore and ran his hands over his wet head. "What the h.e.l.l? You gotta help me out here. I get that you were scared because you were all alone and yes, I apologize for not leaving a note. But Donnie, something else is going on. You're-"

"Of course I was scared you idiot. I still..." But her voice trailed off and those big eyes slid away from him. She d.a.m.n well was hiding something and his frustration grew.

"Still what?" He took a step closer until he was in her face. "What are you not telling me?"

But she wouldn't meet his gaze and aside from physically forcing her to look up at him, Jack was out of options. The only thing he had was the truth.

"You want to know why I left this morning? Being here with you is f.u.c.king with my head. I can't look at you without wanting you, and then I get p.i.s.sed at myself and I think of how things were left. What you did..."

He swore because the anger inside him was burning hotter and hotter, and he wasn't used to not being in control. "I thought you were the one. Christ, I was going to propose that week-"

"What?"

Her head jerked up, her bottom lip trembling, whether from cold or nerves he didn't know. Her hair was a slick river of blonde that fell around her shoulders in wet tangles, and those eyes, they looked haunted.

"What did you just say?" she asked again.

Jack could back away, or he could finally face this demon.

"I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. I wanted to wake up in the morning and see your face. Your smile. That s.e.xy-as-h.e.l.l mole." He said something under his breath and she winced at the savage tone of his voice.

"I wanted to have kids with you. I wanted a little girl with the sun in her hair and sky in her eyes. I wanted the white picket fence. The whole nine yards. I had the ring picked out, and I was going to propose but then we had that fight." His shoulders bunched, the muscles tense. "I have no idea what we even fought about now, which makes this even more pathetic than it already is."

"Derek," she said her voice tremulous, barely above a whisper.

"What?"

"Derek was always around and I...he...never mind." She blew out a long breath. "We fought about Derek."

Right. Stupidest fight ever. Funny that Derek was the one to hand Jack the bad news. "When I came back you were gone, and he had your letter."

Jack still had it, but that was something she didn't need to know.

He watched her intently, trying to figure her out. Wondering what the h.e.l.l was going on inside her head. She shuddered and made a small sound and only then did he realize his hand was still on her arm and that it was no longer raining.

Shadows moved across her face as the moon came out from hiding. And those eyes, always those eyes full of unsaid things, watched him. She was shivering, her nipples pebbled beneath the sundress that she wore. A sundress that was plastered to curves he'd done nothing but fantasize about for the last two nights.

That ache in his gut was back. It was back with a vengeance, pummeling his insides and Jack's gaze wandered lower, over slim hips and a good amount of bare leg. Everything about her was delicate and fragile and...

"Jack," she said, drawing out his name. The Arkansas tw.a.n.g was back and something about it made his blood heat, his skin tight.

Then she made a sound. Not just any sound, but the one that always made him crazy. It was a surrender of sorts and the air became charged with something heavy. It was the sort of thing that fed on emotion and pain and-he felt his pulse quicken-pleasure.

"Donovan," he said roughly, pulling back a step. "I...let's just call it a night."

Hands clenched at his sides, he stared at her. Suddenly he didn't give a flying f.u.c.k about answers. He needed to put some distance between them, because his mind was heading south and the only thing he wanted to do right now was something that he shouldn't even be considering.

No way in h.e.l.l. If Jack went down that road, he wasn't so sure he'd find his way back. He gave himself a mental shake and blew out a long breath.

"Look. I'm sorry if I worried you. That wasn't my intent. It's been a long day and I should just..." G.o.dd.a.m.n ,did she have to look at him like that? With those big eyes and a mouth that was enough to drive a decent man crazy?

He cleared his throat. "Let's just call it a night."

He would have moved past her. h.e.l.l, he had every intention of moving past her and not stopping until he was in his room, cold beer in hand and a shower the only thing in his imminent future.

But she reached for him. The shock of feeling her fingers run across his jaw came fast and hard. Jack's breath hitched, and his heart took off, beating as if the very devil was inside him.

Those big eyes were shiny, her mouth slightly open and her scent, holy h.e.l.l but this woman smelled amazing.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked, barely able to get the words out because Donovan inched forward until only a whisper separated them.

For a moment, the two of them stared into each other's eyes, hearts beating like mad, breaths falling rapidly.

And then she leaned into him, her hands cupping his face as she rose up onto her tiptoes and d.a.m.n, if Jack didn't let her.

Her mouth slid across his, a tentative touch, but that was all it took for Jack to give up any pretense that things weren't gonna happen between them and to h.e.l.l with the consequence. His arms snaked around her waist, and he pulled her in as close as he could get her. He kept one hand on her hip, holding her steady while the other threaded through the hair at her nape.

A groan escaped him as his mouth closed over hers, and he took command. He kissed her-he kissed her hard-his mouth bruising and pa.s.sionate and angry. He tasted every inch of her, his tongue sliding across her lips, her teeth, wanting deeper. Wanting more.

Jack gave one more sweep of his tongue, his hand running down the small of her back until he cupped her a.s.s. There was no doubt that she felt how hard he was and for a moment, he had to catch his breath.

He rested his forehead on hers, both of them breathless, and those hot, needful things that filled the air were inside them. Invading. Coaxing.

Jesus Christ.

Jack angled his head so that he could see her face. See the mouth that was swollen from his. A mouth that had driven him to distraction in the past and one that haunted him still.

He knew that he should walk away, because that was the right thing to do for so many reasons. Another man might have done that, but then Jack wasn't the type to play hide and seek. Not now. Not ever.

Some would say that what he was contemplating was foolish. That one more night with the woman who'd pretty much ruined him for all others was a mistake. But Jack knew better. This here, this wasn't about love anymore. h.e.l.l no. That was dead and gone, and he'd never dig up that old ghost.

Right now, this was about satisfying a craving he'd never been able to shake. It was about taking that one last taste. Savoring it. Enjoying it.

And then moving on.

"I'm giving you one chance to say no," Jack whispered, eyes glittering. "One chance to walk away from the thing that's still here between us." He bent forward, his warm breath sliding across her cheek as he sought out that place near her ear. He felt her shudder and smiled as he waited, mouth hovering over her skin.

One second.

Two and three and four.

And then his eyes darkened as his hands slid over her. He cupped her possessively, his body tight with antic.i.p.ation. Voice lowered, he waited a half a second more and then whispered.

"Time's up."

Chapter Ten.

Donovan should have run as far away from Jack Simon as she could when she had the chance.

"Time's up," he whispered.

Should of. Could have. But ultimately she didn't. Why? Because every single cell in her body was on fire. She hadn't felt this alive in years and d.a.m.ned if she was giving that up anytime soon.

That kiss. Holy h.e.l.l that kiss was all kinds of want and need and desire and heat. It was everything she'd missed and everything she wanted and...

She thought of Cooper Simon.

It was everything she couldn't have.

Unless...

"One night," she whispered, unaware she'd spoken until Jack angled his head and gazed down at her.

"What was that?" he asked, voice a little rough.

For a heartbeat, she stared into eyes that would haunt her for the rest of her days. For that heartbeat, she saw everything they'd had and everything they would never know. But right here, right now, she could have it all again.

"One night, Jack. That's all I got."

His eyes were hooded, that amazing mouth of his in a half-grin, and just for a second, fear sliced through her. If Cooper ever found out, he'd destroy both of them.

"I'm good with that."

Don't do it, Donnie.

But the thing about want and need and all of the other stuff she was feeling, was that none of those things were talking to her brain right now. They were spread thin, covering her flesh, igniting flames of desire and pooling low in her stomach. They made her tremble in antic.i.p.ation. Ache with the need to connect.

He leaned closer again, and G.o.d help Donovan but her knees knocked together. If it wasn't for Jack's arms still around her, she would have fallen on her a.s.s. His breath was a whisper across her cheek, and she squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling that masculine scent that was all him.

And then his mouth was on hers, hot and urgent. She opened beneath him, hungrily taking him in, her tongue tasting his, her fingers clawed into his shoulders. The feel of him, the taste of him was like a returning dream and Donovan wanted to weep because it felt that good.

Jack kissed her long and hard, his hands moving over her body, positioning her so that his erection pressed into her.

He broke the kiss, and she barely had time to whimper before he tore her dress down the middle. The moon still shone, shadows sliding across his handsome face, and she stilled at the look of raw pa.s.sion in his eyes.

"I've missed this," he growled, a thumb running over her pebbled nipple.

She gasped, glancing down at his large hand against her pale skin.

So. So. Hot.

Chest heaving, Donovan bit her lip, hard, barely suppressing a cry when his warm, wet mouth closed over her nipple. He licked around it, his tongue, teasing, moving slowly and applying just the amount of pressure here...and there...before he tugged a bit and then suckled hard.

Donovan felt every pull travel from her breast all the way down to the hot mess between her legs. It was the most exquisite pain imaginable, and she groaned when he began to ma.s.sage her other nipple.

She ground her pelvis against him and cried out as he continued to work her. His mouth. His tongue. His teeth.

And still, that wicked glint was in his eyes as he gazed up at her. He knew exactly what he was doing to her, and she didn't give a d.a.m.n. Tonight was all she had, and she would surrender to Jack over and over again because she was that weak.

But there was a payoff, because on those cold lonely nights when it was just her and an empty house, she'd slide beneath the covers and remember every detail of this last night with him.

Jack held her in his arms, his mouth at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as rain began to fall again. This time it was a gentle sort of thing, and when he tore off the rest of her dress, the feel of the cool water against her hot skin was erotic. She was inflamed with need and every drop was like a little electric shock.

Jack dropped to his knees in front of her and she wobbled but grabbed his shoulders, moaning like an animal because she knew what he was going to do. With one yank, her panties were torn and tossed behind him, and his large hands gripped her hips as he rested his forehead on her lower belly.

It was one of the hottest things she'd ever seen.