“
Are you still looking at that thing?” he teased as he walked in the door.
“
I can’t thank you enough.”
“
It’s just a trinket. Gee, I can’t imagine how you’d react if I gave you something expensive.”
“
You don’t remember my response to the diamond ring?” I asked.
“
I’ve never seen anybody so excited, and I couldn’t even afford a fancy one like you deserved.”
“
When it comes to engagement rings, size doesn’t matter to me, Jake.”
“
I tried my best. I worked tons of overtime at my uncle’s car shop and—”
“
I was excited because
you
picked it out for me. It came from your heart.”
He sucked in a deep breath as emotion overwhelmed him. “I’ve never ever met anybody like you, Ashly, and I’m sure I never will again. Damn. I should’ve held on to you as tight as I could and never let go, but I screwed up.”
“
Right…and now it’s too late.”
“
I don’t believe that,” he said.
Unnerved by yet another serious moment, I threw a pillow at him.
He laughed.
“
Goodnight,” I said, “and this bed is off limits. Got it?”
“
You think I’d try something sleazy like that?”
I threw another pillow at him. “I know you would. Try it, and you won’t be walking right for a week.”
“
I don’t have to sneak into your bed. When you’re ready, you’ll come to me, sweetheart.”
“
Sweetheart? Jake, just how many drinks did you have?”
“
Ha-ha.”
I jumped under the luxurious covers.
Nowhere near as shy as he was the first night of our trip, Jake slipped off his shirt, showing off the manly muscles in his chest and arms. I couldn’t help but watch him, wondering how he’d gotten so buff. He’d never had such physique when I’d dated him. He stripped off his pants and climbed out of them. Then, without an ounce of shame, he peeled off his underwear.
I couldn’t help but stare at his absolutely magnificent nude perfection. My heart pounded as a particular memory flooded my mind. I remembered running my fingers across his chest as his lips brushed across mine in a long, slow kiss. Oh, how I missed that.
When he caught me staring at him, he just stood there, naked as the day he was born, and smiled at me. “Sensual, huh?” he mocked.
He was classic eye-candy.
Heat burned in my cheeks, and I turned over in the huge bed, trying to forget about Jake in all his naked glory. “You don’t leave much to the imagination. Do you think showing off the crown jewels is gonna earn you an invitation into my bed?”
He let out a low, deep laugh. “I don’t know. Are you sleeping naked too? If you are, that’d be quite the invitation.”
I tightened the covers around me. “Too bad you’ll never find out.”
He shut off the lights, and I fell fast asleep.
Chapter 6
I woke up swaddled in the softest bed linens I’d ever felt. When I glanced around, I didn’t see my temporary roommate anywhere. “Jake!” I called out.
He walked in and kissed me on the cheek. “Breakfast is served, milady!” he said, smiling.
After I wrapped myself in a robe, he led me out through the French doors to the balcony. On the table was a huge spread of eggs, toast, bacon, and orange juice, with a dozen white roses for the centerpiece.
“
You put this on the credit card, I take it.”
“
Well, it’s the thought that counts,” he said.
On my mother’s dime,
I thought. “Are you
still
trying to woo me, Jake? Romancing me with omelets and OJ?”
“
That depends.” He smiled. “Is it working?”
“
It’s a very nice gesture. Thank you.”
He pulled out a chair and motioned me to sit down.
The birds chirped merrily, and the morning view of the Eiffel Tower was spectacular. We enjoyed a nice breakfast and somehow managed to avoid arguing or having any awkward conversations. I felt like I was dreaming, sitting there with the love of my life in Paris, but I knew we weren’t a couple anymore. I was still furious with him, but being in such an amazing place helped me to forget about that for a while. I knew Jake still felt some of the magic we once shared, and The City of Love was majorly affecting him. I, for one, wouldn’t fall for his charm and good looks. I’d done it once, and I’d learned from my mistake. I just wanted my part of the inheritance and then to put as much distance between Jake and my past as I could. He was tempting, but all I had to do was recall the anger of my wedding day, and all that temptation quickly dissipated.
Jake will never get in bed with me again,
I silently vowed.
I’d rather dine on shards of glass.
“
So…what’s our next stop?” he asked.
“
It has to be the cherry blossoms. We can’t miss them. They’re in full bloom right now, and they don’t last long.”
He smiled. “Then cherry blossoms it is.”
We decided to get lunch because our flight didn’t leave until four p.m., but after what we thought would be our last meal in Paris, our taxi driver got lost on the way to the airport, so we missed our flight.
I glanced down at my watch. “Shoot. The next flight doesn’t leave till two hours from now.”
“
It’s okay,” he said. “I can think of a few ways to kill time,” he teased, winking.
I rolled my eyes. “Well, I could really use a drink,” I said.
He grinned. “You don’t have to get me drunk to take advantage of me, Ashly. I’d rather be sober so I can pay better attention.”
I laughed. “Well, at this point,
I’d
have to be drunk to take advantage of you,” I said.
We sat down on the barstools, prepared to pay a pretty penny for drinks at the airport.
I sipped on a glass of ridiculously overpriced wine. “So, Jake, why don’t you tell me about your last date?”
“
Not much to tell. It was three months ago.”
“
Interesting. Care to elaborate?”
“
Wouldn’t wanna make you jealous,” he said, then took a gulp from his own glass.
My gaze narrowed. “Hmm.”
“
Fine. I’m not usually one to kiss and tell, but—”
“
Just spill it!” I laughed.
“
Well, Roberta is eighty years old. She wore a blue dress with buttons going all the way up to her neck, and one of those broach things like my grandma used to wear.”
“
Jake! Stop messing around.”
“
I’m serious,” he said, and his face echoed that.
I gulped my wine. “So you’re into cougars now, huh?”
“
Not usually, and no disrespect to Roberta, but she’s a little beyond the cougar years.”
“
But there was something special about her?”
He smiled. “You could say so. She won me at a charity auction for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. She paid $10,000 to go out with me.”
“
Wow.” I grinned. “You’re the sweetest, Jake, doing something like that for all those sick little kids. See? Somewhere beneath all that cocky jerkness, you’ve got a heart of gold.”
“
Meh, all the firefighters did it.”
“
Maybe, but it was still for a good cause.”
“
She was so quiet that I couldn’t hear her when she talked. She couldn’t hear me either, so she turned up her hearing aid. When I moved closer so we could hear each other better, she yelled, ‘What are you doing, young man? Don’t you try to get fresh with me on the first date. I’m no hussy!’ Everyone stared at us when she yelled, and she threw a glass of water in my face.”
“
Oh my gosh, Jake,” I said, trying to stifle my laugh.
“
The whole thing was filmed by a news crew, since the media wanted to record the event, and the tape proved I was innocent. When she beat me with the umbrella, the whole thing went viral.”
I laughed even harder. “But it was for a good cause. She just made a mistake.”
“
Yeah, well, if you look up ‘Old Lady Umbrella Assault’ on YouTube, you’ll see that I’m the one who needed charity that night!”
We both burst out into laughter.
“
Think you can handle me on a nonstop, twelve-hour flight to Tokyo?” Jake asked.
I laughed. “I have a laptop, don’t I? But be warned. I also have an umbrella, just in case you try to get fresh with me, young man.”
He chuckled, grabbed his carryon, and walked toward the gate.
* * *
I slung my carryon bag securely over my shoulder and followed Jake onto the airport shuttle bus so we could head to the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel.
Once we were checked in, Jake smiled at me. “Wanna get a drink at the rooftop bar?”
“
I need to unpack and get online first.”
“
Why do I have the feeling that once you get on that laptop, you’ll never get off of it?”
“
Ha-ha. Just go enjoy a drink. You don’t need me to have a good time.”
“
Nah, maybe later,” he said.
Our suite was located on the thirty-sixth floor of the high-rise hotel. It was spacious and contemporary. There was a little sitting area by the large bay window, furnished with a small table and soft, padded chair with a matching footstool—the perfect reading and working nook. When I peered out the window, I gasped. I was literally taken away by the gorgeous, panoramic view of Tokyo.
“
I wonder what this place looks like at night, all lit up.” Jake asked, looking out.
“
I can’t even begin to imagine.”
I scooted into the window seat to look out the bay window. My palm touched the cold glass as I stared out. S
kyscrapers, the harbor, and buildings dominated the landscape, and the majestic Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, made for a spectacular backdrop. I knew Mount Fuji was more than just a pretty mountain. In fact, it was a conical, active volcano, but it hadn’t erupted for 300 years. It was nestled in the middle of a beautiful mountain range, and I couldn’t stop staring at its perfect symmetrical shape and its snow-capped cone. It was breathtakingly scenic, and I needed to capture its beauty. I grabbed my camera and started snapping away.
“
This place is huge!” Jake called from the bathroom. “There’s even a tubside view! It’s like a spa in here!”
I smiled. “Another great hotel. Mom sure had taste.”
“
Runs in the family,” Jake said as he walked out of the bathroom.
When I walked into the bathroom and found out that Jake had left the toilet seat up again, we got into a little spat that escalated into a battle. When the tension got as thick as poundcake, I felt it was time to take a break, so I decided to leave. Jake beat me to it, and I wasn’t sure where he was going, but when he grabbed gym clothes from his suitcase, I assumed he was going to work off some steam at the fitness center. I had given him the cold shoulder, and he was obviously trying to give me some space to collect my thoughts.
I left anyway. Luckily, all the shops were within walking distance. I spent the day checking out all of the hottest fashions, updating my blog, writing, talking to business contacts, and, finally, I went in for a quick dip in the indoor pool. The pool and hot tub were surrounded by large windows, giving me another spectacular view of thriving Tokyo. I sat down at one of the patio tables, the perfect place to work on my article a little more.