Chapter 72

After an hour of sitting with Alma, I felt a lot better. She hadn't said much but explained that Jack had a past of his own and that it was important for me to trust him, considering that past.

I wanted to ask more details, but I got the impression she either didn't think she should say any more or didn't want to. Before I could push for an explanation, Jack came back.

He gave me an almost apologetic smile, and Alma got up and went to find Kai.

"Hi," I said, wondering if it was obvious I'd been upset.

Jack sat beside me and offered me a hug, not saying anything. I didn't hesitate, wanting the warmth of his arms around me. It felt good to slip into his embrace for a moment, neither of us saying anything.

"I want you to trust me," he said a moment later. "But sometimes I forget that trust is earned, not taken. Will you forgive me?"

I blinked, too stunned to respond at first. I knew he felt like it was his fault, but I hadn't expected him to act like I needed to forgive him for it and not give me the chance to say anything myself.

"You're completely forgiven. Will you forgive me as well? I…"

"There's nothing to forgive, kitten," he said before kissing me and cutting off any further words I might have. I relaxed into him, all the tension and fear I'd felt melting away. I was his, and it was all okay again.

Passion consumed us for several minutes, both of us sitting in each other's arms. The rest of the world melted away, and I found myself hungry for him in a whole new way. We'd had something go wrong between us and somehow made our way through it.

I smiled at him as he finally pulled back a little, his gaze drinking me in.

"Come on, let's join the others and enjoy the day. They want to have a little party before they all have to go back to the mainland."

I lifted my eyebrows at the idea of a party, but I wasn't going to object to a happier idea, nor was I against something lighthearted and fun.

We found Eve and Alma in the living room, decorating it with candles and instructing the men to rearrange the furniture so there was a larger open space in the middle. Kai was also working with one of the staff to set up some kind of sound system and lights.

Fascinated, I helped wherever I was directed. Jack did the same, offering solutions to problems or ways to make ideas happen from his knowledge of what he had on the island.

It took a few hours to get everything set up and the food prepared, but by mid-afternoon, there was a dance floor with lights, a small DJ area, and enough snacks and nibbles to keep us all going for the rest of the day.

I grinned at the layout and the way everyone had come together to create the party atmosphere. And given the company present, I was also a lot more excited about it than I had been about the party Alma and Kai held at their house.

There would be no Logan. No one to upset our plans or try to pull me away from the only place I wanted to be—in Jack's arms.

It was the perfect way to end our collective stay on the island.

As soon as Kai started the music and Jack dimmed the lights, the atmosphere changed, and everyone grew more animated. Jack grabbed my hands and hauled me to my feet, giving me no option but to dance around with him.

No one was particularly amazing at dancing, but it didn't matter. We were all having fun, laughing and bopping to the beat of whatever song Kai put on next. He took requests and handed over control to Liam a few times so he could dance with Alma.

At one point, I found myself tight against Jack, rocking back and forth with him to a rock ballad I barely knew, but the band appeared to love. Alma and Kai were only a few feet from us, doing the same, and everyone else was eating or enjoying the music as they played cards at a small table at one end of the room.

"Your friends are awesome," I whispered, having to stand on tiptoes to get close enough to Jack's ear.

He grinned at me and pulled me even closer, and for a moment, I could have forgotten entirely where we were, the lyrics and music seeming almost perfect for the time and place we were in. I felt my heart skip and then begin to race.

I was so head over heels in love with Jack, I knew I was in danger of never recovering, but something about him reeled me in and had from the moment we'd met, and he'd rescued my interview. I was so caught up in his love that I never wanted to be free.

We continued to dance, and I even spent a little time dancing with Eve and Alma and then Kai and Liam before I was back in Jack's arms as the sun disappeared and the stars came out.

As I thanked Liam for the fun and returned to Jack, I noticed Eve looking my way, sitting by the food. I smiled at her, and then Jack led me away from the party for a bit.

The song changed to something I didn't recognize as Jack took me outside under the stars. This far out and away from everything, there was no light pollution, and it made the sky look even more intense.

He led me toward a clearing where there was already a rug spread out, and we lay down beside each other on it.

Looking up beside him, I felt as if I'd died and gone to heaven. We talked for what felt like hours, Jack pointing out constellations, and I told him what I knew of old mythology and how people had worshipped different stars and believed they held power over a person's life.

As the night grew colder, I shuffled closer to Jack, and he put his arms around me. At some point, we ended up facing each other, gazing into each other's eyes, the dim light more romantic than anything we could have planned and prepared inside the house.

We soon kissed, our mouths opening as I tasted him and him, me. I felt heat rush through me, the desire to be his still strong. Passion flared in him, his hands running up my sides before he rolled me onto my back and shifted so he was partially over me.

The feel of his body against mine was like electricity, bringing me to life and making me hot and hungry for him.

He reached down and slipped my pants off without hesitation. For a moment, I froze, aware we were out in the open on his island.

Sensing my tension, he paused, but only for a moment.

"It's okay," he said. "They won't come out here. No one will know what we're doing or disturb us," Jack whispered. "Give yourself to me."

I looked up at him, both turned on by the idea of screwing him out in the open like this and nervous about having sex in such an exposed way. Yet after everything that had happened between us, I nodded and leaned into him again.

We'd already had one upset over me not yielding to him. The worst that would happen was one of the others might stumble across us. And I was pretty sure all of them knew Jack was screwing me senseless every night as it was.

I moaned as he pushed my shirt up just enough to grab my breasts. He unhooked my bra and moved it out of the way, giving himself access to my nipples, and then he paused a moment.

His gaze met mine, and I exhaled at the beauty of the man before me, the man I was giving everything to. He was perfect.