The Next Mrs. Blackthorne (Bitter Creek Book 6) by Joan Johnston Page B

McKinley,” Kate said.
    Kate was looking into Jack’s eyes and saw the resignation in them at her mother’s awed silence.
    “ The Jack McKinley?” her mother said. “The football player?”
    “Yes, Mom. He’s the most amazing man. So handsome—”
    Jack rolled his eyes.
    “And charming—”
    Jack flashed his smile.
    “And…” Kate searched for a word that would describe what she felt when she looked into Jack McKinley’s eyes. “And kind, Mother. Thoughtful and kind.”
    Jack turned his back on her and headed for the picture window that revealed a stunning view of the pink marble state capitol and the lovely park that fronted it. Kate stared at his back as she listened to her mother caution her about getting involved with someone so much older.
    “He’s not that old, Mom. Only thirty-two.”
    “Does your father know about this?” her mother asked.
    “I haven’t told Daddy,” Kate said. “I was kind of hoping you would be here to support me when I do.”
    After a pause, her mother said, “You do realize how inappropriate this young man is for you.”
    “I’m crazy about him, Mom.”
    Jack turned around, his mouth twisted in a grimace.
    “I want you to meet him, Mom,” Kate continued, her eyes pleading with Jack to accept the necessity for such lies. “I need you to be here when I introduce him to Daddy. Please say you’ll come.”
    Kate couldn’t help the grin that spread on her face when her mother agreed. She met Jack’s gaze with sparkling gray eyes as she said, “I’m so glad, Mom. When can you get here? You’re coming tomorrow? Great!”
    Her mother said she would rent a car at the airport and to see if Jack could join the two of them for dinner.
    Kate turned to Jack and said, “Can you make dinner tomorrow night?”
    Jack nodded.
    “Yes, he’s right here,” she said to her mom. She held out the phone and said, “She wants to talk to you.”
    Jack took the phone as though she were passing him a rattlesnake by the tail, and said, “Hello, Ms. Grayhawk.” And then, “We’ve been seeing each other for a while.” He gestured for Kate to come up with some amount of time, and she held out five fingers.
    “A week or so,” he said.
    Kate turned the phone in her direction, laughed into the receiver and said, “Jack means a week or so of pretty constant time together. We actually met about five weeks ago. We’re looking forward to seeing you, too, Mom. Love you, too. Bye.”
    The instant she closed the flip phone, a hysterical bubble of laughter escaped. “Five days?”
    “That’s longer than most of my relationships,” Jack said with a wry smile.
    “You almost blew the whole thing.”
    “Five days makes more sense than five weeks. How are we going to convince your mom and dad we’ve known each other that long?” Jack said.
    “We’ll just have to compare notes and exchange information.”
    “We’ve only got twenty-four hours,” Jack pointed out.
    “Then we’d better get started.”
    “Hell. We might as well get this out of the way first,” he said.
    Kate wasn’t sure what Jack meant, until he took her in his arms. “Whoa! What are you doing?”
    “I guarantee you if we’d been dating for five weeks, we’d have done a lot more than kiss. I figured we should get this first kiss over with.”
    “Over with?” Kate said. “You make it sound like the mumps!”
    “Those weren’t much fun, either,” Jack said.
    “You can turn around and head for the door right now, for all I—”
    Kate never finished her sentence because Jack was kissing her. His mouth captured hers as he pulled her close. At first, she struggled in his arms, because she wasn’t done arguing. When his tongue probed the seam of her lips, she opened her mouth to protest, and he slid his tongue inside. She grabbed his hair, intending to pull it, but he shoved his right leg between hers and pulled her up high on his thigh.
    Kate gasped at the pleasurable contact and pressed her tongue deep in