She sat up, licking her lips to try and inject some moisture. Bits and snatches of the previous night danced around in her head like a bad B movie.
Jake.
Oh, dear God. Jake had brought her home. No, he’d
carried
her home. Could her humiliation be more complete?
She struggled out of bed and stumbled toward the bathroom. She made a grab for her toothbrush and lobbed a clump of toothpaste onto it before going to town on her teeth. Anything to get rid of the taste of alcohol and vomit.
The brush still dangling from the side of her mouth, she reached in to turn on the shower and waited for the water to warm. When a curl of steam rose from the stall, she gave her teeth a final scrub and rinsed her mouth in the sink.
As she started to strip, she paused and looked down at her shirt. She hadn’t worn that shirt last night. She remembered that much. How the hell had she gotten out of her clothes and into this?
She pulled the shirt off and climbed into the shower. As the hot water sluiced over her, she leaned her forehead against the tile wall and closed her eyes.
So her plan had been a complete and utter failure. She’d taken two steps into the bar and chickened out. Oh, she’d tried to flirt and smile, prepared to pick up some guy and have sex, but as soon as they’d closed in around her, she’d panicked.
Thank
God
, Jake had been there.
Damn
Jake for being there.
An uncomfortable wave of embarrassment tightened her cheeks, adding a pinch of heat to her face. Why he always managed to see her at her worst, she’d never know. Just once she’d like him to see her at her best.
She finished showering and quickly dried off. She shuffled back into her bedroom and pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, foregoing a bra.
Then she headed for the kitchen, wanting nothing more than a glass of cold water and a couple of Tylenol. She rounded the corner from the hallway and heard a clang. She stopped when she saw Jake moving awkwardly around the kitchen, his large frame dominating the small space.
So much for him
ever
seeing her at her best.
He looked up and saw her. “‘Bout time you got up.”
She faltered at the raw possession she saw in his eyes. It was always there, swirling and building just beneath the surface. Jake was a force of nature she wasn’t prepared to contend with. Especially this morning.
She feared men like Jake. Oh, she wasn’t afraid that Jake would hurt her. Not intentionally. But she feared the way she reacted to him every time she was in the same room with him.
Already, every muscle, every nerve ending in her body was taut, stretched almost painfully. Her nipples had become throbbing points, stabbing at her T-shirt, begging for him to close his lips around them.
There wasn’t another man like Jake, that much was for sure. Tall, well over six feet, he wore self-assuredness like a mantle. He walked and talked like a man who knew precisely what he wanted, a man who’d do what it took to get it.
He had a stocky build, his body ripped with muscles from the years he’d spent playing professional football and honed to perfection in the three years he’d worked as a building contractor with his partner Luke Forsythe. He didn’t just oversee the projects. He worked every bit as hard as his hired crews.
He wore his hair short. No fuss, just like him. It spiked on top and was clipped close at his neck and over his ears. A shadow lurked along his jaw, a testament to the fact he must have spent the night on her couch and hadn’t yet gotten to shave.
“Jake, what are you doing here?” she finally asked, admiring the calm with which she said it.
“Fixing you breakfast. What does it look like?”
He turned back to the stove and pulled out a pan of biscuits.
“You cook?”
He shot her a disgruntled look. “I can take biscuits out of a can and slap them on a cookie sheet.”
She plopped down on a barstool at the alcove separating the kitchen from the small dining area. “But why are you
here
cooking me breakfast?”
He ignored her and set to work arranging the biscuits on a plate. Then he reached into the refrigerator and pulled out the butter and a jar of jelly. He moved over and plunked the items down in front of her then went back for the plate of biscuits.
A few seconds later, he took a seat across the bar from her and slid a plate to her. “Eat,” he directed.
She stared at him in complete befuddlement. And to her annoyance, she followed his order and began picking at the warm biscuits in front of her.
They ate in silence until she felt Jake’s stare on her. She looked up to see his plate cleaned, and he was looking at her with his famous Jake look. Great.
“Just what the hell did you think you were doing last night, Ellie?”
“What did it look I was doing?” she mumbled.
Jake’s green eyes glittered in anger. He leaned forward until she had no choice but to look back at him. “I will fucking take apart any man who gets within six inches of you, Ellie. Maybe you ought to take that into consideration the next time you wag your little ass into a bar looking for cock.”
She flushed, embarrassment rushing to her cheeks. Jake stood up and collected the dishes before walking to the sink to set them down with a clank. Then he stilled and turned back to her.
“I wasn’t looking for c-cock.”
“The hell you weren’t,” Jake growled. He folded his arms over his chest. “There wasn’t a man in that bar that didn’t know you were on the prowl. The ‘fuck me’ clothes. And the
shoes
. Jesus, Ellie, were you trying to break a leg?”
“Don’t lecture me, please, Jake. I’m already embarrassed enough.”
He started to open his mouth then closed it again. He took a deep breath and leveled a hard stare at her. “I’ve waited a long time for you to get over the issues you had with Ray. A long damn time.”
Ellie looked down for a moment. Jake never hesitated to speak frankly about her ex-husband. On one hand, she appreciated it. She didn’t have to pretend with him. But it still made her cringe that Jake knew so much about her disastrous marriage.
He walked over to the alcove and leaned until he once again looked her in the face. When she would have looked away, he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and turned her back to him.
“There’s not going to be any other man, Ellie. There’s only me. You know it, and I know it. What you did last night was stupid and dangerous as hell. The very fact you had to get three sheets to the wind to even work up the nerve tells me you should have stayed your ass at home.”
She licked her lips nervously. “I’m scared,” she whispered.
He snorted. “Don’t give me that bullshit. You’re not afraid of me. You know damn well I won’t hurt you. You’re afraid of yourself and you’re afraid of what you know to be an unshakable truth. You are mine and I’m going to take you in every imaginable way. When you get tired of running. When you get tired of looking over your shoulder afraid of the shadows, I’m going to be there. Waiting. And when I claim you, I’m not ever letting you go.”
Her eyes widened at his proclamation. He’d never come out and said it. He’d been there, always there, but he’d never said anything so forceful to her.
“That’s right,” he said huskily. “I’m staking my claim. But you’re going to have to come to me. I’m not pushing you into something you’re not ready for.”
He drew away and continued to stare at her. “Think about that, Ellie. Think long and hard about what you really want. And when you decide, you let me know. But if I ever catch you doing what you did last night, I’ll turn you over my knee and tan your ass.”
He tossed down the dishtowel he’d picked up and headed for the door. He didn’t look back. He simply walked out and shut the door behind him with a bang.
Ellie’s bravado died a long hard death. She wilted against the bar, burying her head in her arms. God almighty, what a bomb for Jake to drop on her.
She wasn’t a complete moron. She knew he looked at her. Knew he wanted her. But she’d had no idea the extent of his desire. It thrilled her and scared the shit out of her all at the same time.
After Ray, she couldn’t even look at a man the same. Gone was her carefree lack of self-preservation. Replaced by a wary, cautious reserve that sheltered a frightened, vulnerable woman.
Last night…last night was supposed to be her flipping her middle finger at Ray and the insecurity that had gripped her since her divorce. Last night was supposed to have been the first step in going after she wanted. And she wanted Jake.
She raised her head and looked glumly at the door he’d walked out of. She knew she couldn’t have just gone to him and offered herself up like a sacrifice. He would have shoved her out his door so fast her head would have spun. No, somehow she had to convince him, and herself, that she was past her fear.
Yeah, last night was a mistake. Going to bed with a complete stranger wasn’t going to satisfy the desire she had for Jake. Nor would it be some miracle cure that would enable her to go to him a whole woman. And she really didn’t fancy getting kicked out of his bed.
“Dumbass,” she muttered. All she’d managed to do was get a very large, very brooding man pissed off at her.
Butterflies danced in her stomach as she processed his parting words. He’d made it so she’d have to come to him. She couldn’t even begin to count the ways that terrified her. Making the moves was so out of her comfort zone it wasn’t even funny. She hadn’t even known what to say last night when she’d hatched her grand plan of picking up a guy.
She wasn’t flirty or cute, and she didn’t have a repertoire of clever, witty things to talk about. All she knew how to do was tell the truth. And that truth was that she wanted Jake.
“Well, girl, it’s your move, and you have two choices. Let him keep on walking or go tackle his ass and make him yours.”
She groaned again and flopped her head onto the bar. She was gonna need a day or two to think about this one.
He hadn’t wanted to push her this soon, but in light of her most recent antics, he’d say it was time. Well, she was getting one more day before he hauled her out of her hidey hole kicking and screaming.
Jake uncurled the rolled up plans and splayed them out over the hood of his truck. Then he glanced back at the building site and swore under his breath. He propped his foot up on the bumper and leaned in closer to try and figure out just how his foreman had managed to fuck up the design this badly.
The weather was downright balmy. Not a cloud in the sky. No threat of rain the entire week. A miracle for the southeast region of Texas this time of year. He couldn’t afford to lose any time on this project because sure as shittin’, rain would move in the next week and they’d be sitting around with their thumbs up their asses.
A truck roared up next to his, and Luke Forsythe got out, a frown on his face. He strode over to where Jake stood.
“How much is this going to set us back?” Luke asked.
“Money or time?” Jake asked dryly.
“Both.”
“The money depends on whether they can salvage the awning. Time lost is at least three days. Days we can’t afford to lose if we’re going to finish on time. We need this done by Christmas.”
Luke bent over the plans, his lips drawn into a grim line. “Did you fire Shelton?”
“Hell, yeah. This is his second screw up in a week. I put Colin in charge. He’s over cracking the whip now.”
Luke nodded his approval. He studied the schematics intently then said in a casual tone, “I hear there was a bit of excitement over at Zach’s Saturday night.”
“Fuck you.” Jake glowered at his partner. He’d have to remember to have a word with Colin. Damned big mouth.
Luke chuckled. “Well, it’s not everyday Big Jake Turner is seen hauling a woman out of a bar over his shoulder. Especially when the woman in question is our secretary.”
Jake made a few derogatory remarks pertaining to Luke’s parentage.
Luke laughed again. “You’re too uptight, man.” His expression grew serious for a second. “Speaking of Ellie, I see Ray seems to be doing well. He just got a big write-up in the Beaumont paper. Contract extension. Two more years.”
Jake’s disposition went even further south. He hoped to hell Ellie wasn’t reading the damn paper. Like she needed Ray’s name splashed across her consciousness. Bastard didn’t deserve squat.
“Maybe he’ll take a sack and break his fool neck,” Jake muttered.
Luke raised an eyebrow. “You know, I’m curious, Jake. And feel free to tell me to mind my own fucking business, but why is Ray still off in the NFL prospering and doing well? I don’t get it. Why didn’t Ellie go after him with both barrels?” Familiar anger seethed within Jake. He rolled his fingers into balls and clenched them at his side. Then he turned to Luke.
“Would you have believed Ray was capable of what he did if I hadn’t told you face to face?”
Luke looked away then down. “Probably not, man. He’s snowed a lot of people.”
“Bastard laid the groundwork well in advance, making it impossible for Ellie to be taken seriously. She actually went to the police once. They didn’t do a goddamn thing other than listen to Ray’s excuses and laugh it off as a marital spat. Then he made her sorry she ever tried to get someone to help.
“He made her look like a jealous, spiteful wife. Even now, she gets her fair share of scorn for divorcing the local golden boy.”
“It’s been hard for you,” Luke said quietly.
“What do you think?” Jake asked, rounding a bit too ferociously on him. “He was my best friend. We played football together through high school and college. Even got drafted by the same pro team. I mean, what are the odds? Never once did I imagine what a bastard he was, and I’ll never forgive myself for not seeing it. For not getting Ellie the hell out of that situation before he hurt her so badly.”
“It’s not your fault, man.”
Jake scrubbed a weary hand through his hair. “Yeah, Luke, it is. I was in love with her long before I had any idea what was going on. If I hadn’t been so all fire determined to keep my distance, I would have seen what was going on. As it was, I turned my back on her when she needed me most.”
“Shit, Jake. You can’t carry around that kind of blame. The only person at fault here is Ray.”
Jake shook his head but refused to pursue the subject any farther. He didn’t like to talk about Ellie and Ray. It was something he’d just as soon forget. Only he knew Ellie never would.
“How are Jeremy and Michelle doing? I heard she’s having a boy? Did you go hunting with the gang this weekend?”
Luke nodded, accepting the topic change. “Yeah, we celebrated this past weekend. We spent Saturday and Sunday at the hunting camp, and damn it if Gracie didn’t bag a fucking monster of a buck. Pisses me the hell off.”
Jake laughed. “She’s still running circles around you, huh?”
“Wes is getting it mounted for her, and now I’ll have to look at it every time I go over to her house.”
Jake shook his head at Luke’s mournful look. He liked Luke’s circle of friends. Jeremy and Michelle had been married a little over a year. Both Jeremy and Wes were cops with the local police department, and Gracie was Michelle’s best friend. Jake hung out with them every once in a while, and they were a hoot as a crowd.
“So, uh, have you seen Ellie this week?” Jake asked, changing the subject again.
Luke shook his head. “Nah, I figure she’s laying low after the Saturday night deal. I know she’s been in the office because all the paper work’s been done.”
“I’m way too fucking easy on her,” Jake mumbled.
Luke chuckled. “Fire her then. It was your idea to hire her.”
Jake glowered at Luke.
“Ah well, there’s the answer to your question,” Luke said, looking beyond Jake’s truck. “That looks like her now.”
Jake peered around, following Luke’s line of vision to an older model Toyota Corolla turning onto the gravel road leading up to where he and Luke were paired. It was her, all right, but what the hell was she doing out on the job site?
“I, ah, think I’ll head over to talk to Colin,” Luke said with barely suppressed amusement.
Jake strode over to meet Ellie before she could even get out of the car. She wiped her palms down her slacks as she stepped out.
“Where the hell have you been?” he demanded.
She bit her bottom lip, and he cursed the fact that his eyes tracked every movement of her mouth.
“I, uh, wanted to talk to you,” she said nervously.
He took a deep breath then sighed. “Ellie, why the hell are you so jumpy? You’ve never been nervous around me. You act like I’m going to bite you or something.”
She flushed a delicate pink, her cheeks blooming as her eyes flared.
“Yes, but I’ve never said what I have to say before.”
His pulse surged and ratcheted up about twenty beats per minute.
“What is it you want to say to me?” he asked softly.
“You said…you said that I’d have to come to you.”
He arched an eyebrow. Did this mean what he thought it meant?
“That I did, sweetheart,” he drawled.
“Well, I’m here,” she blurted.
He closed the remaining distance between them in a split second. There were only inches between them as he looked down at her. She looked hesitant. Soft and unsure. Her eyes gleamed with need. She took his breath away.
“Do you know what you’re saying?” he asked hoarsely.
She nodded. “I want you, Jake,” she whispered.
He cupped her chin in his palm, enjoying the feel of her softness against his calloused fingers. As much as he’d sworn never to touch her while she was married to Ray, he now ached to kiss her. He’d waited too damn long for her to tell him she wanted him.
He lowered his mouth to hers. She let out a small feminine gasp before touching him sweetly with her lips. Her hands feathered over his face, her fingertips touching and stroking as he deepened the kiss.
She tasted of mint and the sweet tea she always drank. He inhaled, wanting her scent deep inside him. Her tongue brushed lightly over his upper lip, and he opened his mouth to let her inside.
Finally remembering he was mauling her in public and they likely had more than a dozen interested onlookers, he pulled away, desperately sucking mouthfuls of air into his lungs.
He dug around in his pocket and retrieved his keys. With shaking hands, he unhooked his house key from the ring and held it out to her.
“Go to my house. Let yourself in and wait for me.”
He swept her into his arms for one last kiss.
“I want you naked, in my bed, waiting for me to get home. I’ll be there just as soon as I can.”
She blinked and her fingers curled around the key he laid in her palm. “O-okay.”
He trailed a finger through her hair before brushing it softly across her lips.
She backed away, looking hungrily at him. It was all he could do not to toss her over his shoulder again and take her home immediately. Damn it, he was going to be civilized about this.
“Go on, sweetheart. I’ll meet you there.”
She pushed back her curls from her face and got into her car. Seconds later, she backed out the drive and headed down the road.
Jake turned around and strode back to his truck. He rolled up the schematics and headed to the building site to find Luke. A few minutes later, he thumped the papers over Luke’s chest.
“All yours, buddy. I’m out of here for the day. You can deal with this from here.”
Luke worked to keep a grin from his face. The smug bastard.
“I’ll run them over to the office and let Ellie make the changes,” Luke said innocently.
“I gave her the afternoon off,” Jake growled. “Don’t call me. I’ll call you.”
He turned and walked away before Luke could rag on him further.