Page 89 of Only You

Twenty-Three

The next morning, Kayla awoke with a start. She bolted upright and peered at the clock on Jack’s nightstand. It was ten o’clock, and Jack’s side of the bed was empty. Flustered, she whipped off the covers. She and Jack had been up half the night, which was why she’d overslept. Thinking of Jack, where was he?

Kayla noticed his Michigan T-shirt and her gray sweatpants lying on the end of the bed. Jack must have set them there before he’d left. She snatched them up and went into the bathroom. Kayla frowned at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair stood up in places, and her face had crease marks from the pillow. She got dressed and assembled her hair into a messy bun. Then, she went out of the bedroom in search of coffee.

Entering the kitchen, she found Jack sitting at the table, scrolling through his phone. He acknowledged her with a grin. “The princess awakens!”

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I live here.”

“I thought you went to work.”

“I wanted to see you first.”

“Oh.” His gaze roamed over her, and she remembered she wasn’t wearing a bra. Kayla crossed her arms over her chest.

Jack chuckled. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen, touched, or sucked on.”

Her cheeks heated as she went to the coffeepot and poured herself a cup. While her back was turned, Jack pushed his chair back. She assumed he was leaving, but instead, he came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Good morning,” he whispered in her ear.

Kayla shivered at his touch even though she was exhausted from last night. “Morning,” she mumbled.

“I would have made you breakfast, but I didn’t want to disrupt your sleep.”

“Thanks.”

Jack stepped back, and she slowly turned and faced him. He looked fresh, and alert, unlike her, who looked she’d just rolled out of bed, which she had.

“What are you doing for lunch today?” he asked.

“I haven’t even had breakfast yet.”

Jack smiled. “You don’t have any meetings today, so you’re free, right?”

Kayla had planned on catching up on some paperwork. She could have gone into the office, but she’d get more done here. “I have a lot of paperwork to do.” She took a long drink of coffee, desperate for a caffeine fix.

“But you have to eat lunch eventually,” Jack insisted.

She eyed him over her mug. “Just because we had sex, doesn’t mean we’re dating now.”

“Having lunch isn’t dating. We eat lunch together all the time.”

Kayla sighed. “I was afraid this would happen.”

Jack frowned. “What would happen?”

“We had sex, and it was good, but that doesn’t mean anything has changed between us.”

“Kayla.”

“Don’t make things more complicated than they already are.”

Jack shook his head. “Why are you doing this?”

“I’m just being honest with you.”