Page 46 of Misadventures With The Mistaken Twin

I ignored her. So did Jack. “Your face is just a slight bit rounder. You stand straighter. Your eyes light up when I see you. I can say, for sure, Violet's don't.”

“Hey!” Violet said again.

“Shut up, Violet,” I murmured, savoring Jack's words. His blue eyes pierced into me, held me in place. Not that I wanted to look anywhere but at him.

“You have a tiny scar by your left ear”—he lifted his fingers to touch the spot—“that I love to kiss.” He leaned in and did just that. Stayed close and whispered so only I could hear, “On the inside of your right thigh, high up, you have this little mark I left on your skin. A hickey, I believe?”

I blushed to the roots of my hair. Jack had given me a red mark where he'd sucked on the tender skin right at the juncture of my thigh and my...

But it was gone now. I'd watched it fade over the past two weeks.

I wrapped my hand around Jack's neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Our tongues tangled instantly and I knew I'd found what I'd been missing my whole life. What I'd craved since he flew away.

“Hey!” Violet shouted. It seemed to be the only thing that could come out of her mouth.

We broke the kiss, turned our heads to look at her. “I forgive you. Now go away,” I told her.

Jack wasn't quite done. “Violet, you were a vindictive bitch in high school, but I can't blame you anymore. I was one hot stud back then and I know you couldn't help yourself.”

Violet's jaw dropped open. “Hey!” Yup, a broken record.

“Like Miller said, go away.”

In a huff, Violet zipped her jacket and stormed out, slamming the door shut behind her.

“Now where were we?” Jack smiled, and then lowered his mouth to mine. Without breaking our lip-lock, Jack stripped off his jacket, grabbed me around the waist and led me over to the couch. He sat down and I climbed on his lap, my legs straddling his. I tangled my fingers in his hair, played with the long ends that seemed to curl this way and that. Pulling back from the kiss, I took my time and just looked at him. His eyes were a little bloodshot, the stubble on his jaw a little longer than usual. He looked downright weary.

“Long day?” I asked him.

“Mmm,” Jack replied, his eyes falling closed as I caressed the nape of his neck. “I got the six a.m. flight out of Miami, then a layover in Denver.”

I wanted to ask him right then and there if he was in town for the weekend or for the rest of his life. But I was afraid. Afraidof what the answer might be. I wasn't sure if I could handle his departure another time.

“I didn't hear from you so I was worried. Want to tell me how things turned out?” His eyes were still closed. I wondered if he'd fallen asleep or was ignoring my question. “Did they turn out?”

Jack sighed deeply, put a hand on my hip and squeezed. After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked at me. “It's all resolved.”

I cocked my head. “Just like that?”

Jack gave a tired laugh. “Not quite just like that. My lawyer and I dug up some evidence showing my law firm's previous knowledge of the shady moral handling of many different cases. I was able to use that as leverage to have the Ethics Panel drop their accusations against me.”

I smiled, relieved. “That's so great!”

I felt way more excited than Jack looked.

“There was a price. An exchange. I walked away from law in Florida and the Ethics Board walked away from me.”

Quirking an eyebrow, I stilled my hands in his hair.

“Don't stop, I like that,” Jack murmured.

My hands started up again, but did it on auto-pilot. “And?”

“And I fixed that kid situation I told you about. Information that detailed the wife's previous infidelity mysteriously appeared in the husband's lawyer's mailbox. He had enough fodder to have a new custody hearing and the judge changed his ruling. The kid’s now with the dad, or will be soon enough.”

I processed Jack's words, looked at him closely, carefully. The harried look he'd been carrying around with him was gone. Even tired, he looked relaxed. At ease with himself. “You did the right thing.”

Jack smiled at me, squeezed my hip, nodded. “I did the right thing. And it felt damn good. It felt even better getting on that plane and walking away from it all. There's nothing in FloridaI feel proud of. It was easy to take the deal with my boss, the board.”