.

sensation sent a shock of pleasure straight down to her core. She looked up, her eyes clashing with his. They were close enough that if she leaned in just a fraction of an inch, the tips of their noses would touch. And from there, it would be only a breath between their lips.

      Jack lifted his hand again, taking ahold of the end of her braid and wrapping his fist around it. But rather than giving it the gentle tug she had become accustomed to, he simply held her.

      Kate’s heart thudded dully, her mouth so dry she felt as though she’d sucked on a piece of cotton. Everything in her was on hold, wondering what he would do next. Would he release his hold on her? Or would he pull harder on her braid, closing the distance between them?

      Oh Lord, she could barely breathe.

      Then he winked, releasing his grip on her and straightening, as though all of that tension between them had been imaginary. As though he hadn’t felt it at all. “Good job,” he said, his tone light, dismissive. “You might be a better student than I thought you would be.”

      She cleared her throat and flipped her braid over her shoulder so he couldn’t grab it again. “Maybe I’m not the hopeless little innocent you think I am, Jack. Maybe—” she made direct eye contact with him, doing her best to look unflappable while she was internally quite flappy indeed “—there are a whole lot of things you don’t know about me.” Then she looked down, very purposefully, to the bulge just below his belt that she usually worked very hard to avoid looking at and back up, meeting his eyes again. Her heart was pounding so hard now she felt dizzy.

      But she was going to win this weird game of one-upmanship they found themselves in, because she would be damned if she walked away with him still seeing her as a kid. With him making her feel like a kid.

      “Maybe not.” His voice was rough now, sort of like she’d fantasized it might be when she’d imagined him propositioning her.

      She opened her mouth to say something else, something sassy and sensual and undoubtedly perfect. Undoubtedly perfect before she was interrupted and unable to say it.

      “Hi, Kate. Hello, Jack.”

      Kate turned and saw her sister-in-law, Liss, standing there, her head tilted to the side, arms crossed over her rounded belly.

      “Liss,” Jack said, nodding his head. “I have to run. See both of you later.”

      He beat a hasty retreat, leaving her standing there alone with Liss.

      “I thought I’d stop by and see if you had time for lunch. I’m in town grocery shopping and things. Generally killing time.”

      Kate cleared her throat, feeling unaccountably guilty and as if she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Her hand had been nowhere near Jack’s cookie jar. She had no cookies. So that was ridiculous. Still, her face was all hot. “Sorry, I can’t take a break yet. No one’s here to relieve me for another hour.”

      Liss wrinkled her nose. “Okay. I’d love to wait for you, but I can’t. I need fried fish with more malt vinegar than one person should reasonably consume. And I need it now.”

      “Yeah, go eat. I’m fine.”

      Liss did not leave. Instead she stood there, rocking back on her heels, bunching her lips up and pulling them to the side before taking a deep breath. “Kate, I love Jack like a brother. You know that.”

      Deeply uncomfortable anticipation gathered at the base of Kate’s skull and crawled upward, making her scalp prickle. “Yes. I know that.”

      “He’s bad news, Kate. I mean, as far as women are concerned. Nobody’s going to reform him. Not even you.”

      Kate inhaled, preparing to say something. To protest. But instead she ended up choking. She covered her mouth, trying to minimize the coughing fit that followed. When she straightened, tears were running down her cheeks and her throat felt raw. Liss had made no move to help her; rather, she was just standing there looking at her. “Why exactly did you think I needed that warning?” she asked, her voice sounding thin and reedy now, certainly not convincing.

      “I see the way you look at him.”

      “Can you look at someone a certain way? I just thought I was looking at him like I look at any normal human.” Lies.

      “If you don’t need the warning, feel free to ignore me. But if there’s any chance you might need it, take it.”

      Kate was just completely done being treated like everyone’s little sister. “Thank you,” she said, her voice tight. “I will keep that in mind just in case. Though I’m not sure if you noticed, but I’m not sixteen anymore. Or twelve.”

      Liss was not cowed. “I did notice. And I bet I’m not the only one. Which is what concerns me. Older, more experienced women than you have suffered a bad case of the Jacks.”

      “I’ve known him my entire life. I think it’s safe to say I’m immune.” Lies. Lies. Lies.

      “Forget I said anything. Unless you need to remember that I said this,” Liss said, looking extremely skeptical.

      “Okay. Should I ever feel like I’m in danger from Jack, I will remember this.”

      “Great.” Liss continued gazing at her for longer than was strictly necessary. “Okay. I’m going to go eat.”

      “Great. Enjoy your vinegar.”

      “I will. In fact, I have to go quickly so that I don’t die.”

      “Don’t die. Feed my little niece or nephew.”

      Liss smiled, the weirdness from a moment ago dissipating. “Oh, I definitely will. No worries about the baby skipping meals. Or even going a couple of hours without. See you later, Kate.”

      And Liss left, leaving Kate there alone to examine both what had just happened between Jack and herself and Liss’s observations.

      She didn’t really care what Liss thought about Jack and whether or not he was good or bad news. Because that had nothing to do with how she felt about Jack. She was attracted to him. She didn’t want forever and ever and a picket fence with him.

      Still, she was a little bit unnerved that Liss seemed to read her so well. It made her wonder if Connor and Eli could read her just as plainly.

      She immediately dismissed that. Unless it was printed on the back of a cereal box, neither of her brothers were going to read too deeply into anything.

      Anyway, there was nothing deep to read.

      It was just a case of a little harmless desire. And if given the chance, she imagined she could burn it out nicely.

      A slow smile crossed her lips. Yes, that was what she wanted.

      And with her decision made, Kate went happily back to work.

      * * *

      JACK DID HIS absolute damnedest not to reflect on anything that had passed between Kate and himself in the past twenty-four hours. Because he was sitting in his living room with her two older brothers, his very best friends, men who were like brothers to him. Men who would snap him in half like a matchstick if they had any idea of the thoughts that had run through his mind earlier this morning.

      No matter how fleeting said thoughts were.

      They had been brief, but they had been way, way outside the boundaries of Safe Kate Thoughts.

      For a moment there, when she’d curled her fingers through his hair, those serious dark eyes on his... Yeah, for a moment there he’d thought about cupping the back of her head and closing the distance between them...

      And he was going to stop thinking now.

      He heard a sudden and violent outburst of profanity and realized he’d missed something on the game.

      “Pass interference my ass!” Connor shouted.

      “Must be nice to