Scandalous 2 Page 0,3

Not ever. He doesn't know what it is and had assumed it would fade after the wedding, but it hasn't. If anything, it's gotten worse. Abby is his air, his life. She always has been, he just feels it so much more intensely now, like a wire that runs through his soul, binding him to her.

Jack touches the sides of Abby's face, feeling the softness of her cheek and letting his fingers linger along the curve of her neck. Jack can feel her body responding to his touch in the way she tilts her head back and parts her lips. It reminds him of the things they did last night, of Abby's ecstasy and the way she threw her arms around his neck and held on tight. It reminds him of paint and pleasure, of passion so hot and bright that he can barely restrain it.

The moonlight reflects on her hair, forming a golden crown. Jack drinks her in, wanting to remember this moment. There's no one like Abby, there never will be, and for this moment in time - everything is perfect.

Jack has to force his voice out. She's stolen it again with that bewitching glance of hers. It's as careless as a flick of the wrist, but it sizzles under his skin every time Abby looks at him that way. "We could, but then we wouldn't get to do the things I planned for our last night here."

"Ah, so that's what all the secrecy has been about?" Abby says, smiling up at him. She points a finger and places it on his chest, just above his shirt. Something in her eyes relaxes. It makes the guilt festering in his stomach creep up his throat. She senses that something's wrong. Damn, am I so easy to read?

Jack smiles at her, running his fingers through her bright hair. "Maybe," he answers, playfully. A grin spreads across his face as he thinks about the things he has arranged for this evening. Jack has no idea how the night will go, if Abby will offer herself to him the way he hopes. Even if she can't, he's glad he did it. The look on her face alone when she sees what he's done will be worth it.

Abby looks up at him from beneath her lashes. She pushes her fingers into his chest, giving him a playful shove. "Oh, you're horrible. I had no idea you'd done anything. I didn't get anything for you. I thought - "

Before her voice squeaks any higher, Jack cuts her off, saying, "It's for both of us." Reaching for her hands, Jack pulls Abby to his chest and wraps his arms around her waist. Looking down into her eyes, he can see his past and his future colliding. It makes his stomach twist, but Jack shoves aside the thought. Abby is his now. Live in the now, Jack. Don't think about tomorrow.

Chapter 4

ABBY

Jack looks down at me like he thinks he'll never see me again. I touch his cheek, gently stroking my fingers along his jaw, "What's wrong?"

He blinks hard and what I thought I saw is gone. "Nothing. I'm just overwhelmed by you sometimes. It's hard to look back and even remember my life as it was a few months ago to compare it to the way things are now. I never thought I'd marry. I never thought I'd see you again, but here you are - my beautiful wife in my arms." Jack kisses my temple and turns me toward the restaurant.

We walk in silence. There's a lump in my throat that won't go away. Jack's been like this all week. One moment he's fine - all sexy smiles and wit - and the next that haunted look is back. I wonder if I'm the cause. I have to be, right? There's a sad smile on my face as we walk, but Jack can't see it. His strides match mine. We walk together with his arm around my shoulder. His scent fills my head along with the night breeze. I want to make him forget whatever it is that's pulling at him. I want his last night alone with me to be so wonderful that it blindsides everything else, chasing all other thoughts away until tomorrow.

Thinking of tomorrow nearly puts me into a panic. Tomorrow I face my past. Tomorrow I return to Texas, to my previous life, and pick my belongings from the ashes. Tomorrow makes me feel sick. Jack seems to sense it.

He