After the violent blowup in Florida when Jaymi and I had called a truce, and then later when we faced the other unfortunate situation with Celeste’s ill-timed arrival and Jaymi’s babysitting job, I’d done as Jaymi suggested, and tried to forget that it had ever happened. Although I couldn’t forget completely, since I thought about Jaymi being with both Travis McElroy as well as Tom Wright—both were at the reception, and each followed her with his gaze.

Regardless that I continued to fight strong feelings for Jaymi, I still found myself flirting with her and would’ve taken her to my bed if she would’ve allowed me, yet she’d continued to be an unwilling candidate. She’d kept me at bay since I was still involved with Celeste. But this hadn’t stopped my obsession with her. When I wasn’t watching her sleep, she haunted my dreams far more often than I cared to admit. Try as I may, I couldn’t stay away from her, yet our relationship had never physically progressed beyond that friendship.

Even when Celeste had come to Boston, I’d sorely wished the woman would go home so that I could return to Jaymi.

Although I didn’t like the strong hold Jaymi had over me, I wanted her near, which frustrated the hell out of me. I didn’t want to feel anything for any woman; I didn’t want any woman having power over me. But with Jaymi, I couldn’t quit her. She was an unwanted addiction.

Before I’d laid eyes on Jaymi Lighthouse, I’d been in full control of my feelings and actions, and my life, for that matter. But from the very beginning, I’d had to fight to control my way of thinking towards her, and even my actions, doing and saying things I would never have allowed myself to do or say before.

I’d tried to put Jaymi out of my mind and think of her only as a friend, but it had been an impossible task, and I’d found I was in search of her all the time. To make matters worse, each evening I would slip into her room to watch her sleep. Even though she was a sound sleeper, I at least hadn’t risked crawling into her bed again, as I had the night of the blowup when she’d taken a sleeping aid. I had sat on the floor just to be near her, though, all the while hating that I’d become an obsessed stalker. Yet because I was indeed obsessed, I was helpless to do anything about it. It seemed I had no defenses against Jaymi.

I’d considered giving my heart freely to her, but the thought terrified me. My heart was my most fragile possession, and what if she shattered it? Still, there I stood, seeking her out and, as usual, working my charms, turning up the sex appeal just for her. The action made me feel weak and pathetic, but I did it anyway.

“Will you honor me with a dance, My Lady?” I bowed low and flamboyantly.

Jaymi laughed and turned to Elz. “See there, amica—what did I tell ya? It’s the dress. It works wonders on a man’s gentlemanly conduct.”

They laughed and Jaymi turned back to me in a graceful curtsy. “I would be most honored, My Lord.” She accepted my arm.

I led her onto the dance floor and took her against me as we began to dance. Now that we were away from Elz, I met her gaze and leaned my face close to hers, unsmiling and completely serious. “I think I should clarify something for you, Jaymi. This dress you’re wearing does nothing to aid in my gentlemanly conduct as you just declared to my ancestral grandmother. While I’ll admit that I’ve wanted to remove your clothing and make love to you since the very moment I first laid eyes on you all those months ago, I must confess that seeing you in this dress has me imagining it as we speak.”

I wore a shroud where my true interest towards Jaymi was concerned. Oh, I’d flirted shamelessly and put on the charm, but ever since I’d exposed my feelings so openly with those two jealous blowups, I’d made certain she believed that any flirtations that followed were meant in good fun—the way I’d seen Griffin treat her by the pool. But facing such apprehensive feelings of late, I was convinced I had no choice at this point but to be audacious and take it beyond playful flirting.

I flaunted a confident air that no doubt presented as cocky. “I may as well tell you now. I intend to have you, love. I mean to be your first and last bed partner. You will never want for anything as long as you stay with me, Jaymi.”

She blinked up at me, clearly taken aback by my serious tone. “Oh, really, Jarrett? You didn’t tell me you broke it off with your fiancée, Celeste Wyndham.”

It pissed me off that she avoided my statement and, as usual, tried to keep me at arm’s length.

Her eyes widened playfully. “When did this happen?”

I winced. I sure as hell did not want Celeste in the midst of this particular conversation. Even though I knew Jaymi was trying to tease me, I was seriously set on marrying Celeste and taking Jaymi as my mistress. The disturbing doubt as to why I wouldn’t lose my heart to Jaymi if she was merely my mistress and not my wife, I shoved to the back of my mind each time it reared its head. It was too terrifying to think about, but so was the thought of saying good-bye to her. I knew only that I couldn’t live without Jaymi. That was a conclusion I’d just recently come to in light of the fact that I’d felt the pressure of our time together drawing to an end, as she had decided to go with Devon and Elz through time. How could I not follow her? Hence, I would be going too.

Though she was only going for a visit, the mere thought of such a separation from her was offensive to me and had me determined to make the journey with them. So I damn sure didn’t want to hear the name Celeste Wyndham coming from Jaymi’s lips and I couldn’t help but to respond in a sharp tone as we continued our dance. “What does she have to do with us, Jaymi? I don’t know why you insist on putting her between you and me having a relationship.”

Jaymi’s mouth fell open at my harsh tone and she understood then that I was not teasing about taking her to my bed. She got that I wanted a commitment from her that would secure me as her only lover—indeed, she got that I expected her to become my mistress.

She frowned, openly offended. “Because, like I told you before, Jarrett, as long as there is a you and Celeste, there will never be a you and Jaymi, at least not on an intimate basis. So if your intention is to marry her and have me as your faithful sex slave, then I should inform you that we don’t always get what we intend, love. I guess you’ll just have to learn to live with the disappointment of not always getting what you want; I know I have.”

Though her headstrong words were disturbing, the player in me surfaced with a confident smile at the challenge. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, jaybird.”

I pulled her closer and whirled around the floor, both of us in our nineteenth-century attire, and I could imagine we looked, for the world, like we’d just stepped out of a fairy tale.