All of Me (Compass Cove Book 3)

by Jeannie Moon

  “You smell like…” Her eyes met his and Jack felt his heart squeeze tight. The dark chocolate depths drew him in. The turmoil and confusion from last night was replaced with a sultry calm. All the air left his lungs as he waited for her to finish. After one deep inhale, Lilly nodded calmly. “You smell like you. Nothing wrong with that.”

  They settled back into silence, only occasionally looking up from their food. Just being here in the morning before the weight of the day settled on them was intimate. That fact didn’t escape Jack, even with his brain being so addled.

  “What are you up to today?” Her eyes stayed down, focusing on her scone. It was almost as if she didn’t really want to know the answer.

  “I’m going to wash off the stench, and then I guess I’ll see. I think my grandmother had something in mind.”

  “No work? Don’t you have to make the world safe for the masses?”

  He shrugged. “Remember? I took a few weeks off. I’m sure they’ll get by.”

  Glancing at the clock on the wall, Lilly smiled. It was wide and bright as the sun that had blinded him earlier. “I have to head downstairs. Try to stay out of trouble today, Secret Agent Man.”

  The nickname made him laugh again, and the sarcasm made him feel better. “Same to you. Call me if you need anything.”

  Lilly took his plate with hers and set them in the dishwasher. The morning was uneventful, if he thought about it. Well, except for the part where she found him outside her door. Jack kept his eyes on her movements… light and fluid, she moved like a dancer. Even her hair, which fell in a silky wave over her cheek, exuded grace. When she’d cleaned up the remnants of breakfast, she came to where he was standing.

  They were close, so close he could smell the hint of perfume he imagined she dabbed behind her ear. A soft floral circled around them, reminding Jack of the encounter in the boathouse so many years ago. Just like then, Lilly surprised him. Without warning, she stretched up on her toes and kissed him.

  As kisses went, it wasn’t the most passionate he’d ever experienced. It didn’t make him want to drag her to bed, but it affected him. Deep down, something stirred—it was an awareness, an understanding of what they could mean to each other. With each bit of pressure, with the gentle movements of her lips, it became clear that Lilly was Jack’s connection to everything that mattered in this life, and the soft touch of her lips fired up more than Jack’s protectiveness. Wherever they had been in their lives, something had led them both home to Compass Cove.

  They didn’t touch—only their mouths tangled, the movement subtle, barely there. There was a sensuality about this encounter that defied reason.

  Lilly was his kryptonite, and she was at her most vulnerable. But nothing had ever felt as right as this kiss.

  His hands settled on her waist as she dropped back, and at the same time, her fingers came up and brushed his cheek. The feel of her skin on his caused more of a visceral response than he’d ever experienced.

  “Wow. I, uh…” He tried to shake off the fog that settled over his brain. “I didn’t expect that.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t. Which is one of the reasons why I wanted to. Thank you, Jack. For everything.”

  “You don’t have to thank me, Lilly. I…”

  She laid a finger over his lips, silencing him. Her eyes were dark and serious, hypnotic, and Jack fell right in.

  “You are a good man, Jack Miller. A know-it-all pain in the ass, but a good man. Thank you for being my personal bodyguard. I don’t like that I feel so scared—I hate it—but I cannot tell you how much it means to me that you’re here.”

  Lilly’s eyes dropped away, and Jack felt a wave surge through him. “I don’t want you to be afraid of anything. I’ll never let anything happen to you.”

  She looked up and locked eyes with him again, and Jack’s heart damn near exploded.

  “I figured that out when I found you sleeping outside my door.”

  “You’re not mad?” Truth be told, he figured she would be. Lilly was independent and headstrong. They were two of her most attractive traits, and the last thing she would have wanted was to need him.

  “Nope. I should be, but I’m not.”

  Pulling her close, Jack wrapped his arms around her and relished the feel of Lilly’s head against his chest, the warmth of her body pressed into his. This woman had been part of him for most of his adult life. Thoughts of her—her passion, her beauty, her raw emotion—sustained him when times were toughest. She was his beacon. His hope.

  Everything. Lilly was everything. And Jack was in deep trouble.

  *

  Lilly melted into him. Wrapped in Jack’s arms, she was home. Safe and happy, she also knew she was getting in too deep for her own good. One day together, and all the old feelings, the emotions that had tied her up in knots for years, had come flooding back.

  The difference this time? He didn’t run. He didn’t tell her all the reasons they were a mistake, instead, Jack held her close, assuring her he would be there for her.

  Her hands and her cheek rested on the strong wall of his chest. The “stink” was anything but. It was raw and musky, the smell of man, and her nerve endings—north to south—reacted. Her body knew his. Jack’s warmth and strength were bolstering her own. His heartbeat, steady and constant, gave her the ability to face her fear. It gave her the ability to see more than just the past, or the day at hand… with Jack, she could see the future.

  He didn’t let go—in fact, he pulled her a little closer, bringing his lips to the top of her head. She sensed he was struggling the same as she was. Aware, scared, confused, they were dealing with feelings they should have buried a long time ago. But here they were, in their thirties, wondering what to do next.

  “I’m sorry I freaked out last night.” Lilly cringed at the way she’d pulled away from him.

  “I understand. Don’t give it another thought.”

  His voice, deep and calm, soothed her, as his hand made gentle circles on her back, lulling her anxious heart back to a steady beat.

  “I’m not afraid of you. I don’t want you to think that.” She wasn’t afraid. In fact, at that moment, he was the only one who made her feel completely safe.

  And that was a dangerous place to be.

  She felt when he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. He’d done it before. In the past it was always friendly, but platonic this was not. He lingered a little too long, held her a little too close. Something had shifted between them, and Lilly didn’t know when or why it had happened.

  “I’d better go.” Finally, he stepped back, and Lilly felt a loss as her body adjusted to being alone again. “You have a business to run, and I have to annoy my family today. Specifically, my brother.”

  “You’re seeing Adam today?”

  “Yep. He doesn’t know it yet, but that is my superpower.”

  Lilly laughed at the thought of Jack playing the annoying younger brother. Normally, he was enduring Natalie’s shenanigans, but he obviously relished the opportunity to be a pain in the ass.

  Walking with him to the door, she chuckled under her breath. “Have fun.”

  “I intend to.”

  He kissed her again. It was easy, familiar. Yeah, she could get used to this.

  “I’ll see you later. Grab some dinner with me?”

  “Oh, sure, I guess.”

  “You guess. Hmpf.” His smile and humor lit up the space; no more words were necessary. When he finally left, Lilly stood in the kitchen, stunned. He’d acted like their encounter was an everyday occurrence. Just a little morning chatter over breakfast, nothing unusual. Nothing that spoke of the closeness that was slowly developing.

  Lilly, in her adolescent dreams, never thought about such simple encounters. In her mind, she and Jack were always engaged in something romantic, or passionate. At eighteen, she hadn’t yet learned that relationships, and love, weren’t about loud declarations of affection or over the top displays, but about quiet moments just being.
>
  Moments like she’d just experienced.

  This time, when she heard the door at the bottom of the stairs close, she knew he’d really gone, and her place felt like less without him. Sure, it was nice to have the cop there to protect her, but it was so much more than that. Jack, for his serious job, wasn’t always a serious man. He was funny and smart, a good man who made her smile. And when he kissed her, there were honest to goodness sparks. It didn’t get better than that.

  Barney jumped on the back of the couch and butted his little head into her side. “I have to go to work. I’ll be back later,” she cooed.

  The cat meowed, finding a spot of sun for his morning nap. Lilly felt a wave of love for the little critter, and for the first time in a few years, a smile lingered on her face as she stroked his soft head. It was a small thing, but it was nice to feel happy.

  Taking the stairs into her foyer, she unlocked the back door that led directly into her salon. Lilly looked around at the workspace, the filtered morning light coming in through the high windows. Containers of color and styling products lined the shelves, and it hit Lilly that she’d made something she could be proud of. Opening a new business was never easy, but Lilly had done it amidst huge changes and stress. On reflection, she had to admit, she deserved more credit than she gave herself.

  Maybe that was a first step. Instead of faking it all the time, maybe she could really feel good about how her life was going.

  Opening the large electrical panel, she flipped the switches, and light brightened the long space. Modern pendant lights hung over each stylist’s station as well as the wash sinks and makeup table, giving the shop a clean, modern vibe. It was her vision. In Lilly’s mind, every woman deserved to feel like a movie star, which was why when she decided to name the business, she called it exactly that: Visions.

  Adjusting the thermostat, and pressing the buttons to open the safe, Lilly could hear the gentle rush of the water feature at the front of the shop. In an hour, she’d be too busy to think about her past, her fear, Gio, or Jack.

  Okay. That was a lie. There would always be time to think about Jack.

  Low in her belly, she felt the buzz of arousal. It was faint and subtle, but there was no mistaking that her body responded to the thought of him. The residual heat from his touch was another reminder of their unexpected encounter.

  Counting out the change for the register, she drifted off into her own little daydream, one that replayed the innocent, but not-so-innocent, moment they shared. She sighed, for real. An honest to goodness sigh slipped from her lips. It was only the distant tapping on the door that brought her back.

  Three stylists came in chattering, and one of them handed Lilly a big iced coffee from Rinaldi’s. “Caffeeeeine. Kendall, you are a lifesaver.”

  “Yeah?” The young stylist, who was as pretty and sweet as she was talented, grinned. “You look pretty good to me. Glowing almost.”

  Lilly raised an eyebrow at her friend’s tone. “Glowing? What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means I saw a really hot guy leaving here a little while ago, which means either you had a really early appointment, or company last night.”

  Small towns. Nothing was secret. If Kendall saw Jack leaving, likely someone else did too. Fantastic. She didn’t even have the perk of great sex, just lots of people talking about it.

  “It was nothing. Yesterday, we spent the day doing wedding errands and he left something here.”

  “Really? He looked a mess. Like he needed a shower. And a shave. And clean clothes.”

  “Wow!” Lilly took a long drink of coffee through the straw. “This is the best iced latte. You have a busy day, yes?”

  “Funny. The latte. Is that your way of telling me to mind my own business?”

  “That would be true.”

  “Fine, be that way.” Kendall grabbed a can of anti-humidity spray and some mousse and headed toward her station, glancing over her shoulder to give Lilly a wink. She was fresh, that one, and she didn’t know the half of what had happened last night.

  In truth, Lilly was still processing it herself.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jennings College wasn’t a big school, but it was one of the most picturesque colleges Jack had ever seen. Set on the grounds of a former Gold Coast estate, on a clear day a person could stand on the great lawn and see straight across Long Island Sound to Connecticut. He’d spent his own college years at University of Pennsylvania. The views weren’t nearly as good, but he enjoyed his time there. He was the standard trust fund kid in a sea of trust fund kids.

  He was considered the atypical Miller in that he didn’t follow the expected path. His oldest brother, Doug, was a Marine Corps aviator. He’d gone to the Naval Academy, graduated with honors, and had just been promoted to lieutenant colonel. Jack figured eventually his big brother would have a star on his shoulder. Adam was an All-Pro quarterback who had been on every team’s wish list until he destroyed his magic shoulder in a car accident. He’d lived a fast life, and his career had ended because of it. Their younger sister, Natalie, was the artist. She painted, designed, photographed… if there was a visual, Nat was your girl.

  But Jack defied the family boxes. He wondered if it was just that his family didn’t understand what he did. In the Army, he’d been an intelligence officer. While Doug was deployed to a war zone or a ship, Jack was a phantom, moving between locations all over the world, sometimes without any notice. He’d gotten in more than his share of hot water with his family because of it, but he couldn’t help that. His work, then and now, was often top secret. He couldn’t talk about it if he wanted to.

  Staring past the library, Jack let himself get lost in the view of the Sound. The breeze kept the temperature in check and felt good against his skin. Not nearly as good as Lilly felt this morning when she kissed him, but pretty damn good.

  Just when he thought he had her figured out, she went and threw him all off balance. Not that he didn’t like it—Jack most certainly did. Memories of the kiss in the boathouse came flooding back, with even more possibilities attached. Everything about her fit him, but he didn’t know what to do. Lilly had been though a lot more than she was telling, which meant he had to tread lightly. The woman was a knot of vulnerabilities, and Jack intended to be careful.

  “Jack!”

  Turning, he saw his future sister-in-law crossing the stone terrace next to the library. Mia was the head reference librarian in humanities at the Miller Library, named after his grandfather. Her job there was how she and his brother met last year.

  “Hey, gorgeous. How are you holding up with all the excitement on campus?”

  “Eh. I just hope they’re gone before the kids move back into the dorms. It will be chaos if they aren’t.”

  Jack could see the big white tent set up on the far side of the campus lawn, near the student union. “Is that the command center?” he asked as he threw his thumb in the direction of the tent.

  “Craft services, makeup, and hair. So yes, command central. I still haven’t seen any shooting going on, just lots of people acting busy.”

  “Sounds about right.” Jack was suspicious of things he didn’t understand. He didn’t necessarily dislike them, but he was watchful. Knowing this industry housed creeps like Gio Graham was enough to keep him cautious.

  “How did the wedding errands go yesterday?”

  That made Jack smile. “I have to give you credit, Mia. You didn’t lead with the question. That shows remarkable restraint.”

  Mia narrowed her eyes. She had gotten used to the teasing dished out by the Miller sibs. It took a bit, but she came to understand that if she was getting ribbed, she was considered part of the family.

  “Don’t be a smart ass.” Her response, firm and matter of fact, was exactly what she was going to need if she was going to survive his crazy family.

  “Atta girl.” Jack looped his arm around her shoulder. “Everything went great. Flowers are chosen, place cards picked up, rings are s
afely at my grandmother’s house, and I was measured for my suit.”

  “Wow.” Mia folded her arms and nodded. “I’m impressed and grateful. Thank you.”

  “Lilly and I make a good team. We had a nice day. It was almost fun.”

  “Ahhh. I’m glad.” Without knowing what he said, Mia sputtered, froze and gasped. The tiniest squeak cleared her throat. “Oh. My. God. Gio Graham is coming this way. Ohmigod. I met him yesterday. Adam knows him a little from some charity thing they were both involved in and he introduced me. Him. He introduced me TO him. Ack.”

  Jack would have laughed at his future sister-in-law’s reaction, but personally, he wasn’t impressed by the prospect of meeting the mega-star. As far as Jack was concerned, the guy needed to be taken to the back of the field house to have the shit kicked out of him.

  Mia didn’t know this, however, and since Lilly hadn’t revealed anything about Gio to anyone, he had to keep his mouth shut. Her reaction when he woke her the night before filled in some of the missing pieces in the story of her relationship with Graham.

  Lilly’s response was rooted in trauma. And if he had to venture a guess, he’d bet the house that it wasn’t just about being hit. The fear, the anxiety, the flight reflex he’d seen in her apartment—he suspected Lilly had been raped.

  The thought of it made him sick.

  Graham’s smile widened as he approached, and he turned the charm full force on Mia. “Mia, with that face you should be in movies, not holed up in a library. Come back to California with me, I’ll make you a star.”

  Mia, who had resisted his brother’s legendary charm for months before she fell for him, looked like a besotted schoolgirl. What was it with this guy? He could charm the pants off a nun. And Jack didn’t see that as a good thing.

  There was something very not right about him, and even if he hadn’t known Lilly’s history, Jack’s take on this asshole wouldn’t have been a good one.

  Waiting for a break in the mutual adoration between Mia and Gio, Jack cleared his throat.