“How would I know that?”
Jack shrugs. “I don’t know.”
“Well, Lenny was talking about their fancy new boat and Roscoe was telling me how they live on the water.”
“Yeah, but … I mean, I got my dad that boat last week because his old one died. He’s been driving around the Sound for the past twenty years in that one.”
“Oh. I just assumed.”
“Assumed what? That my parents were some elite millionaire parents of the one and only Jack Harris?”
“Something like that.” I shake my head, feeling stupid. “I just … I don’t do families, Jack. And Roscoe said you brought Ashley here.”
“Girl.” He sighs, walking toward me and setting his hands on my shoulders. “Listen, I did bring Ashley here. And the town is really small. And my parents are really well off. But they aren’t like people in Vegas. Fuck, they aren’t like me. They’re good people. The best kind. And, honestly, you need to trust me on this.”
“Okay. You’re right. I’m acting all whack-a-doodle.” I set my bag of clothes on the counter.
“Not true,” Jack says, wrapping his arms around my waist. “The day has been intense. And long. Besides, you can act however you want.”
He leans in and kisses me, not letting me run away from the feelings stirring inside. He’s calling everything out for what it is, and not scared to admit that this is complicated. He’s a man. The kind of man who knows how to take care of a woman. And, God, that is sexy as hell.
“I’ll explain everything once I’m fed and showered. I promise, Jack.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Tess.”
I kiss him back, feeling the stress melt away as his lips press against mine. Hell, I’m hungry—but right now, I’m hungry for him.
“So, your parents?” I ask him, a hand wrapped around his neck, the other reaching for the waistband of his jeans, plunging my hand into his pants. “Are they home?”
Chapter Sixteen
JACK
Knowing we should scope out the property to see if they’re here, before we strip and fuck on the kitchen counter, we look for my parents outside.
Tess follows me to the water’s edge, where I look for my dad’s boat. It isn’t docked, and Mom is nowhere to be found, but her car is here.
“They’ve got to be out on the water.” I turn to face Tess. Her brow unfurrows, her shoulders drop. She can breathe.
“Oh, okay.” She looks out over the sound. “It’s so beautiful here. I’ve never seen the ocean.”
“What? Come again—you’ve never seen the ocean?”
“No. I mean, I flew over it when we went to London. But I grew up in Arkansas. Then, when I came west, I stopped in Vegas. I never got as far as the coast.”
“Damn.” I pause, thinking about her words. “So you’ve never been on a boat?”
She shakes her head slowly. “Nope.”
I step toward her, grabbing her ass, pulling her to me.
“This is going to be a good week, Tess.” Growling, I nibble her ear.
“Is it?” The question is so tender, so willing. So full of want. Her head tilts closer to mine, and I look in her wounded eyes.
I want to know who made her so broken. Who hurt her so bad. I want to destroy those bastards and make them pay.
But right now, with just her and me here, I need to take her away from the places in her mind that hurt. I’m going to show her that fear isn’t the only thing that she needs coursing through her veins.
I lift her perfect little ass up and carry her toward my studio. It’s past a grouping of trees on the edge of my parents’ property. It’s the studio I built after I got my first royalty statement. It replaced the shed I grew up playing music in.
Opening the door, I carry her inside. She’s pressing her tight pussy against me, and my cock is hard. Ready to take her.
Take her away.
The studio is a barn with a loft, and the entire space is soundproof. Perfect for the fucking she and I are going to do.
“This is your place?” she asks, as I set her down.
“Yeah, it’s the most peaceful place on the planet. The place I write my music, the place I can get stoned, or drunk, or just forget. I come here when Vegas becomes too much. When I need to ground myself.”
“This is where you brought Ashley?” she asks, turning in a circle taking in my sanctuary.
There’s a piano, guitars, and a complete recording studio. Beyond that is a small kitchen, a bathroom. There’s a living room with couches, and upstairs, in the loft, is the bedroom.
“I didn’t bring her in here.”