Best Friends…To Lovers. Jules Bennett
wanted that with Jenna and then he wanted to move on.
Damn it. He’d created a giant mess and plopped her right smack dab in the middle.
“What you did just now.” She bit down on her lip before continuing. “Nobody has ever put my needs first. The way you look at me, the way you touch me...”
“What?” He wanted to hear her say it. Needed to hear her say it. And that made him not only a bastard, but a masochist, because he had nothing to offer her beyond the physical.
“You make me feel beautiful,” she whispered.
Every part of Mac wanted to rejoice in the fact that she’d finally seen herself as he did. “You are, Jenna. I’ve been trying to tell you that, and I needed to show you. It’s been hell trying to keep my hands off you, but I didn’t know another way. I wanted you to see how desirable you are, how much a man can completely break by being near you. You’ve got this power I don’t even think you are aware of possessing.”
Toying with the ends of his wet hair, Jenna held his gaze. “Things won’t be weird between us, will they? Because I can’t lose you.”
“No,” he vowed, praying he wasn’t lying. “You won’t lose me.”
But he wouldn’t, couldn’t ignore this ache. No matter the internal battle he’d been waging with himself, Mac had gotten the briefest glimpse of Jenna’s passion. He knew there was so much more to uncover and he planned on doing just that in the remaining days. He could figure out what to do for the long term later.
First things first. Jenna would be his.
The ride back in the helicopter was...strained. So much for things not getting weird. Of course, she couldn’t even think about the tension that had settled between them because her body was still humming from that entire experience in the pool by the waterfall.
Oh, mercy, her best friend had skills. Why? Why did they have to be so compatible in the sexual department, too? Why did every part of her still ache for more, even after he’d satisfied her?
What did they talk about now? Seriously. Because no matter what subject they broached, she wasn’t sure she could give up any of her mind space to mundane things.
So, silence it was, since he was apparently not up for a chat, either. Was he having regrets?
No. That was one thing she was pretty certain of. He’d made it a point to tell her she was different from other women. His raw honesty had surprised her. She’d never gotten a sense of any vulnerability from him whatsoever. He’d always been so strong, so confident...so many things she wasn’t.
But maybe they were more alike than she’d ever thought.
Once they were back on the main island, they walked to their bungalow. Silence still accompanied them and she worried just how they’d finish out these last few days.
As they headed down the dock toward their hut, Jenna slowed. “My sister and my mom—”
“I see them,” he said, reaching for her hand and giving it a slight squeeze.
A sense of relief speared her. She didn’t even know she’d been holding her breath, but with the simplest of touches, some of the tension left her in a long exhale.
Then she remembered the charade. He’d most likely taken her hand because her family was watching. That had to be it, because he’d not touched her and barely spoken a word since...the moment she didn’t even have a name for.
“There you guys are,” her mother exclaimed. “We just knocked and wondered where you went.”
Jenna pasted on a smile, a bit relieved that others were here as a buffer. How ridiculous was that? Since when did she need a buffer between her and her best friend? This entire situation had gotten out of control and if she didn’t do something to reverse this mess, she’d risk losing the best thing that had ever happened to her.
“I hope we can steal your woman away for a few hours,” her mother went on, oblivious to the turmoil.
Mac stiffened at her side, she had to assume over the whole “your woman” comment. Jenna tried not to take it personally, though it was rather difficult. Everything about this week, this farce, had become personal.
“We thought with the rehearsal tomorrow and the wedding the next day, we’d take you out tonight.” Amy beamed and clasped her hands. “Just us girls.”
The thought of going into that bungalow alone with Mac, who may or may not be regretting what they’d just done, didn’t exactly appeal to her. She may be a coward, but she needed time to think. Time away from his intense stare, time from his kisses, his touches...
“Give me a few minutes to wash up,” she told them, pulling her hand from Mac’s. “We found the most incredible waterfall and—”
Oh, no. Was she really going to start in on why she needed a quick shower? Her hair was clearly damp, her clothes were clinging to the wet parts of her body. It was obvious she hadn’t just been out on a stroll.
“Go right ahead.” Jenna’s mom turned her smile toward Mac. “We’ll keep him company. I want to hear all about what you’ve done today.”
That’s precisely what she was afraid of and why she had to get ready in record time.
* * *
“Make the call.”
Mac sank down onto the leather sofa in the bungalow, rubbed his forehead and gripped his cell. Ryker’s demand was simple, yet so difficult to act on.
“Shane isn’t backing down,” Ryker went on. “He actually intercepted a piece of art that’s due for your auction in Miami in two weeks. It was a legitimate piece, not one we had to acquire, but he’s showing his hand.”
Which meant the O’Sheas needed to show theirs. Shane was ballsy, that was for damn sure. The man obviously didn’t know who he was dealing with, or he was too stupid to care.
But to make the ultimate call on a death was not something Mac took lightly. Still, Shane had threatened Laney and now he was throwing his weight around like he could control the O’Shea family. Hell, no. That man had been a proverbial thorn in their side for years and the fact he thought he could use power against them was unacceptable. But trying to kidnap their sister was grounds for the ultimate punishment.
“I left a voicemail for Braden, but he hasn’t returned my call.”
Which meant the decision was Mac’s to make. Obviously Ryker’s choice was to end the conflict before it caused even more trouble. But Mac was starting to get even more concerned with Braden’s silence. This wasn’t like him and if Mac hadn’t been so wrapped up in Jenna, he would’ve focused more on his own family than his hormones.
“Let me try to reach Braden one more time,” Mac said. “I’ll let you know.”
“Make it fast. I’m done with this guy.”
Mac hung up and eased forward, placing his elbows on his knees. Nothing kept Braden quiet for this long. Something was wrong and Mac couldn’t tackle any other issue until he knew what it was.
He called Braden, not surprised when he got voicemail, too. After leaving an urgent message, Mac fired off a text. Maybe if he kept badgering him, Braden would answer.
Pushing off the couch, Mac stalked to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. Of course, he had to be careful of the blooms in there because Jenna would murder him in his sleep if he so much as touched a petal.
After grabbing a water, really wishing he had something stronger, he took his phone and the bottle to the deck. His mind was a jumbled mess, between the Shane situation, his brother’s unexplained absence and the encounter with Jenna at the waterfall.