"Hey Kate," Jack said softly as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"What are you doing?" She hissed, careful to keep her voice low.

"I'm helping Aaron's school," he said casually.

"I'll reimburse you the money…"

"It's not about the money, Kate."

"Then what is it?" Her voice was impatient. Jack knew he had to tread lightly.

"When I heard you were up for auction…"

"You rushed over?"

"Kate, you don't know who could have won the bid. You could have gotten hurt physically or sexually. It could have been a stalker."

"Or it could have worked out with this man. That's what you're afraid of, isn't it? Me moving on?"

"But you haven't," Jack reminded her. "And in case you haven't noticed, I haven't either…"

Kate rolled her eyes. They hadn't even been talking for 10 minutes and he was already bringing up a reunion. She tried to harden herself, to let Jack's words go in one ear and out the other. Still, a part of her was relieved to hear that Jack hadn't moved on.

"That part of my life is over," she lied. The truth is that she'd thought of getting back together often. They had been broken up for about a year and she'd thought of falling back into his arms at least once a day.

"If that's true then what's the harm? It's just one dinner…." He flashed that smile that he knew softened her rough edges.

Kate sighed. He was right, it was just a dinner. And they had been doing great as co-parents. "Dinner. That's it. And sex is off the table." She crossed her arms and stared him down.

Her tough act didn't fool Jack. And it didn't intimidate him in the slightest. He took a step forward, closing the distance between them. "Trust me, when we do have sex, it'll be on the table," he purred, his voice like silk. He winked at her, smiling at his own cleverness.

"You're disgusting."

Jack took another step closer, dangerously close. "I know you, Kate. Intimately. And I know you love it," he whispered.

Kate forced herself to hold her stern expression. He was right, she loved hearing him talk that way. It was a side of him that only she knew.

"I mean it. Nothing will happen," she said through clenched teeth.

"Telling me or yourself?"

She sighed before spinning on her heels and storming out. She hated that he knew her so well. She hated that she had to go to dinner with him. She hated everything in this situation except Jack himself. She tried to ignore the growing butterflies in her stomach.

As she walked away, Jack watched her intently. Try as he might, he couldn't stop staring at her ass. He knew he had gotten under her skin. He knew her well enough to know that this was the best approach. If he came on too strong she'd get spooked. If he was too passive he wouldn't be able to get her to change her mind. With Kate it had to be her idea. He had to toy with her, playing this cat and mouse game until she realized he was the man she'd fallen in love with.

And he had just one night to do it.