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Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear he said, "Look at the next one," I flicked the screen The next picture was asped, not believing what I was seeing I was there; I was at the shoot, but I had no idea I looked like this The pit of hted and nervous

Jack spoke softly in my ear, "That’s what you do to me--when I see you and I can’t have you--that’s how you make me feel" The phone felt like a brick in ,across the table from me as he stole my interview from Gus The phone slid out of ether, ainst mine We leaned in toward each other, lost in lust when the door to the galley swung open I glanced down, heat rising to , I slid off his lap and moved back to my seat

Without a word, the waiter went to walk away, embarrassed, but Jack said, "Check Now" His blue eyes were locked onaway as he said it Those pictures made my head spin They were the most erotic depictions I’d ever seen--and they were of me It wasn’t just that they were nudes, it was that they were evocative Everything about the and sexuality unsurpassed

My voice was thin, "Is that really how you see me, Jack? All the ti My hands were on the table in front of rip

Jack tookhis head "There wasn’t a time when I didn’t see you like that You’ve always been that way to oddess"

The roo down, I took it and flipped throughthrough the shoot--the way that it had been building in ether Jack was holding me, and the expression on lanced up and saw Jack, his gaze dark and wanting He’d done it toI wasn’t As if he could readit out in you, Abby This sensuality, this exquisite sexuality has always been there It alill be It’s part of who you are"

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Our night was perfect Utterly divine We walked past the jeweler’s closed shop, heads tilted together, Jack’s arms around my waist "I’ll take you here to for you"

"Jack, this feels like a drea arms He pressed a kiss to s, all a, filled the case

Jack said, "I like that one The one that looks vintage with the antique setting It’s stunning, just like you" And it was a stunning ring At least five carats I didn’t kno I felt about that, about Jack’s h I’d been back for a while, and seen hiht of hih school He worked his ass off, like hts, he said, "It’s our money now, Abby What’s ain And that church off You never have to go back there again I’hed softly The idea of telling the church to go to Hell was appealing At the rate they were going, they were headed there anyway Part of ht with Jack, and resist "They didn’t do it--they didn’t sign for the loans I did Those were ht I could find a balance between idealis choices"

Turning me in his ar his other on ht choices Everything you did brought us back together Those decisions gave us a chance that ouldn’t have had I’d love you to tell them to screw off, that you don’t need them anymore What that church did to you was" he bit his lip, shaking his head He softened his tone and continued, "They trapped you They figured out a way to keep you indebted to theave the money to the poor, you blindsided the you back to me I can’t stand what they did to you, but there’s no way I’d wish it didn’t happen, because without them, you wouldn’t be here with o of the emotions tied to that place