Luke's mouth dropped open.
"So I've spent the last week in misery over a relationship that turned out to be a one-night stand. I feel like a ho of the lowest order right now. I didn't even ask if he was dating anyone before I let him hit home base."
"Duuuuude," Luke drawled. "You're like, so not a slut. I was actually wondering if you were a lesbian."
Now Grace's mouth dropped open. What the hell would make him think she was gay?
"It's just that I've never seen you with a guy, is all. I mean, you're super-hot and you're always alone. So . . ." Luke added quickly. He must have seen the shock on her face. He was a guy. To him if an attractive female wasn't with a guy it must be because she liked girls. Grace laughed out loud and slid out of the booth.
"Why don't we go dance? We're here. Let's not think about our regrets for a while, yeah? We might as well get our money's worth for this trip."
She held her hand out to Luke and he took it and stood to look down at her. Why hadn't she ever noticed how attractive Luke was before? The man had thick dark hair and crystal blue eyes. When he stood, his broad shoulders blocked out the light. Grace figured he had to be at least 6'2". He smiled for the first time that night as he led her to the dance floor. With the music vibrating in her chest and liquor loosening her limbs Grace let go of her worries for a while. She and Luke moved together with the comfortable knowledge that neither of them was looking for anything more. They had a common enemy of sorts to defeat. Of course, she acknowledged that Luke had a far more valid reason for his misery. He was mourning the loss of a year of his life. She only had a few hours to regret.
The thumping music slowed and couples began to pair off and dance closer while others wandered off of the floor for a break. As the crowd thinned and Luke took her into his arms for another dance she caught sight of a sandy head under the lights at the bar and her stomach dropped. It was Jack. He was there and he wasn't alone. There was a leggy blond at his side. She was standing practically between his legs with her hand rubbing circles on his chest. She smiled softly up at Jack and spoke while he curled a long lock of her hair around his finger.
"Are you alright?" Luke said into her ear and followed her eyes to the bar.
She quickly turned them so Luke was blocking Jack's view. If Jack looked up he'd see her there, gaping at him like a suffocating fish. Luke stopped moving and lifted her chin.
"You look like you might be sick. Do you want to go back to the lodge?" he asked with real concern.
Tears burned the back of her eyes and she fought them back. When she saw Jack, her first thought was that he was there for her. Her heart soared at the idea that he'd been thinking of her as much as she'd been obsessing over him. And now he was there to tell her he'd changed his mind, he actually did want to give a monogamous relationship a try. Then she saw his girlfriend and her stomach felt like she was in a free fall.
Grace peeked around Luke's arm. Jack and his blond had moved from the bar to the dance floor. He held her to his chest and danced to the swaying music. It was obvious they knew each other well. They danced and spoke with the ease of long time lovers.
"That's him," she told Luke, "my one-night stand."
"Ah fuck. Let me get you out of here." Luke gently took her upper arm and they left the dance floor.
Luke had seen the way the blond caressed Jack just as clearly as Grace had. Grace pulled Luke to a stop when they neared the restrooms. She was suddenly nauseous. That one shot felt like it was burning its way back up her throat.
"I'm going to splash some water on my face."
"Okay. I'll wait for you at the table and we'll get out of here." He patted her shoulder consolingly. Grace nodded and scurried into the powder room. Luke really was a great guy. His ex-girlfriend had to be an idiot to cheat on him.
Grace was grateful to find a long row of stalls instead of a tiny restroom and a line of ladies waiting their turn. She entered a stall and sat down on the toilet seat to put her head between her knees. She breathed deeply and focused on the pink veins running through the cream white marble floor. People came and went from the restroom, chatting and laughing. Toilets flushed and the sinks turned on and off as ladies took care of their business and moved back out to the bar. She sat there growing more and more annoyed by her reaction to seeing Jack. Yes, it was a shock to see him there at the lodge, but she knew she'd see him again sooner or later. He'd made it clear he was dating and would continue to do so. He was with a girl and that seemed to hurt her more than if he'd been with a guy. What the fuck was that about? Was she jealous of the girl or angry with herself for not being more accepting? That girl was gorgeous. She could have any man in the bar, but she was with Jack, a man who wouldn't commit to anyone. Obviously, Jack had either lied to Grace or the blond was willing to do whatever it took to be with Jack, even if that meant she had to share his affections.
The restroom door opened and at least two women entered mid-conversation. "I don't give a shit what Jack says, he is not okay. That girl hurt him somehow. He swears they just met but he doesn't act like it."
Grace's heart sped. Where they talking about her Jack?
"I know, girl. He didn't want to come at all. He's been quiet and withdrawn all week," said a second woman. It was quiet for a few moments while the ladies used the facilities. Grace sat frozen waiting for them to continue. They had to be talking about Jack.
"He's hurting Victor's feelings, I can tell you that. Why would he ask him to come just to ignore the man?" A toilet flushed and the first voice moved to the sinks. Grace leaned forward to peek through the gap in the stall door. It was definitely Jack's blond talking. She continued as she washed her hands. "All I know is that I hate seeing him this way. I'm his best friend and there's something he feels he can't tell me. That's never happened before."
She was his best friend? Not a lover? Grace thought back over all she'd seen on the dance floor. She supposed they hadn't done anything overtly sexual, but they were surely affectionate.
Another flush and a second blond moved into Grace's view at the sinks. "Maybe we should just leave him be. If you hadn't insisted he come, Jack would have stayed home and Victor wouldn't be feeling like he's done something wrong."
"Victor was invited weeks ago. If Jack had uninvited him at the last minute it would have been far more hurtful," Jack's bestie said, as the two women moved out of the restroom together. The door closed behind them and cut off their conversation.
Grace stood and left the stall to pace back and forth with her head swimming as a couple of ladies came and went from the restroom. She wanted what she'd overheard to be true, because that meant she'd been more to Jack than just an easy lay. She wanted to run back to the dance floor and leap into Jack's arms so she could tell him how much she'd missed him. But really, what had changed? Nothing at all had changed. If Jack had changed his mind about dating her he would have come back, but he hadn't. He was there at the resort with someone else. He had a boyfriend along for the trip. Fuck! How was she going to survive the next four days if she had to see Jack with someone else? Watching him dance with his blond friend had made her want to cry and vomit.
She took a few calming breaths and left the restroom. Luke probably thought she'd fallen in. Just as the door closed behind her Grace was yanked off of her feet and dragged just around the corner into the darkness of the empty corridor. She was planted against the wall and held there by a hard male body. The music pounding through the wall into her spine and the sound of people laughing faded away when she looked into Jack's deep blue eyes. His eyes were purely blue in this light and dark as storm clouds when he glared at her.
"Jack?" It had come out too high at the end, like a question. There was no question though. This was Jack and he was clearly angry. He lowered his head and nipped her lower lip. Grace gasped and he growled against her mouth, kissing her roughly. She didn't mean to kiss him back but her body responded to the nearness of the man who'd been plaguing her thoughts and dreams. Jack stopped the kiss abruptly and nipped her ear.
"I saw you dancing with your boyfriend," he growled against her stinging earlobe. "Does he kiss you like that, Grace?" Her short dress had ridden up. He was tightly nestled between her tights and he ground his erection into her pelvis. Only her panties and the smooth material of his slacks separated them. "Does he get hard at the sight of you, like I do?"
Grace didn't think Jack had seen her and Luke, but he obviously had and he was seriously jealous. Grace wanted to smile and her heart wanted to rejoice, but her mind was conscious of the fact that Jack had a boyfriend of his own waiting out there. She could tell him Luke wasn't her boyfriend, but why? Again, nothing had changed. It was none of her business if Jack was with a date, and vice versa.