Free Hers for a While by Danica Chandler

though the tension was still there, Jack seemed to be handling the deaths of four children better than she had anticipated. That, or he was good at keeping it bottled up inside. “They’re able to cover you at the firehouse?”
    He nodded into her neck. “Yeah. They wanted me to take some time. I’ve got too much saved up. They didn’t want me to lose it.”
    Leaning down, she tried to close her suitcase, but it was too full. “I’m glad we’re not flying. They’d probably charge extra due to the weight of this thing.”
    Jack tried to zip it up, but he had trouble too. “Well, Babe, anything you might want to part with that we can live without?” He started to pull a few articles of clothing out and stopped when he slid his finger around the one thing Alice was trying to keep a secret from him. Sliding it out slowly, his eyes lit up when he got a good look at it. “Babe…” His voice trailed off. “We obviously can’t part with this. I’d say it’s a necessity.”
    Alice couldn’t help but laugh. It was a silky black teddy she had bought right after they had booked the trip. She wasn’t one for wearing sexy lingerie much, but figured it’d be a nice change of pace and something to help relax Jack.
    “You weren’t supposed to find that!” She reached out to swipe it away but Jack was quick and moved it out of her grasp.
    “Oh yeah? It’s for another man, I see…” He held it high over his head.
    Alice jumped, trying to grab it, but he was too tall and his arms spanned high over her. “I really did want to surprise you. You know, have a nice, romantic evening in the mountains and catch you off guard.”
    Jack smiled, revealing his perfect white teeth. Lowering the lingerie, he tossed it back in the suitcase. “Why are you so good to me?” He lowered his head and gently kissed her, brushing his lips over hers. He asked her that question all the time and she loved the fact that he felt that way.
    “I’m not sure, Jack.” His smooth lips ran over hers again, but this time, she nipped at the bottom one, gently biting down on it before he could pull away. “You like it?”
    His tongue darted into her mouth and back out. “I like it. I’ll love it when I see you wearing it, though I don’t plan on you being in it for very long.”
    Butterflies shot through Alice’s stomach. He still made her go weak in the knees. “I guess we better finish packing so we can get on the road. The sooner we get there, the better.”
     

Chapter Eight
     
    The road trip didn’t seem to take long, and before she knew it, they were at the hotel. Pictures didn’t do it justice. Jack had booked a suite and there was a hot tub and full kitchenette. Scooting their luggage aside, Alice walked to the window, pushing the curtains open.
    “Oh my gosh, Jack, take a look at the view.”
    Joining her, he whistled. “That is nice…”
    The mountains seemed like she could reach out and touch them. They were covered in green pine and spanned as far as she could see. It was breathtaking, and beat the normal, dull view they had in the city. She could get used to it.
    “The room is awesome too. You didn’t tell me you got us a suite.”
    “You have your surprises and I have mine,” Jack shrugged and walked into the kitchenette, opening the mini bar. Pulling out a bottle of wine, he smirked as he held it up. “For tonight. I hope we can have an evening like you described back at the house.”
    “We’ll have to see, Jack.”
    Cocking his head to the side, he slid the bottle across the counter top and kicked the refrigerator shut. “We’ll have to see?”
    Alice walked back toward the bed, making sure she swayed her hips as she did. She felt Jack’s gaze on her, almost burning a hole in her. “Depends on how well you behave yourself.”
    His hand reached around, stroking her stomach, just above her belt. His fingers fluttered against her and she felt aroused from his gentle touch. Maybe she wouldn’t make it until the