“This is nice,” I told him as Jake pulled out my chair.
He really could be a gentleman. Good thing I knew better. He might be one of the good ones who opened car doors and gave up his seat on the bus for a lady, but in the bedroom, there was absolutely nothing polite about him. He took what he wanted and demanded more. He was a beast behind closed doors, and even the memory of the strained look on his face as he hovered over me barely a breath before exploding, had my panties soaked.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Jake asked as he smirked over the rim of his water glass.
“You don’t want to know,” I deflected, knowing I couldn’t tell him what I was thinking. Now was not the time for that conversation and here certainly wasn’t the place.
“Oh, you’d be surprised. From the way you’re biting your lip, I’m dying to know.”
Thankfully, the waiter interrupted and took our drink order. Opting to stay sober tonight, with Jake going all out on his charm offensive, I would have to keep my wits about me if I wanted to survive. “I’ll take mineral water please,” I ordered while Jake ordered a beer.
“So… how’s life running the ranch?”
We made small talk and enjoyed our appetizers. Jake told me about being back on the ranch and the bombshell his father had left in his will, leaving everything to him. From what he said, it wasn’t expected, and he hadn’t known what to do with it. It’d taken a couple of weeks and a lot of learning, but he was finally starting to get the hang of it. And I had no doubt in my mind he’d nail it. Jake was smarter than he gave himself credit for, and he was a hell of a hard worker. He’d get it together if for no other reason than to make sure his mother never had to worry.
“And what about you? What are you doing with yourself these days?” he asked, keeping things light. Casual even.
It was unsettling. There was so much that needed to be said, so many secrets to be shared, so many apologies to be offered, and we were ignoring them all. Instead, this felt like just another one of the few dates I’d been on over the years. The ones I agreed to in the hopes of appeasing my mother who was terrified I was going to die a crazy cat lady still pining for my high school boyfriend. I mean, she wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t need the fact thrown in my face every six months, so I’d dated. Well, I’d tried to. None of them made it to a second, and only one had stolen a kiss. I didn’t see the point in wasting my time on men who didn’t measure up, even though I knew none of them ever would.
“I’m working at the early learning center down on Canal Street.”
“The one with the huge elephant mural on the wall?” Jake asked, leaning back in his chair.
“That’s the one. You know it?”
“I’ve driven past it a few times.”
“Well, that’s where I work.”
“And do you like it?” he probed, searching.
I had to give him credit for trying. He was keeping up his end of the conversation, and all I wanted to do was leap over the table, curl up in his lap, and snuggle against him.
Jake looked good tonight. He’d trimmed his scruff but hadn’t shaved it all off and for that I was thankful. Although I had no plans on going home with him tonight, I couldn’t stop thinking how it would feel against my freshly shaved thighs. He wore a black button-down with the sleeves rolled up, his forearms showing off some of the best arm porn I’d ever seen. Until this moment, I hadn’t realized how turned on I was by arms, but the way his muscles flexed as he lifted his beer to his lips and took a sip had me rethinking everything I thought I already knew.
“Is that what you really want to know, Jake?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
“No.”
“Well, why don’t you ask me what it is you really want to?” I suggested, not knowing where this confidence was coming from. Maybe it was my crazy hormones that were leading me right now, but as a smug smirk crossed his features, I second-guessed myself. But it was too late now.
“Okay. Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend?”
“Yeah. Do you have one?” Jake asked pointedly, pinning me with a look.
“No, Jake, I don’t have a boyfriend,” I confirmed, waiting for the look of relief to move across his face, but it never came.
“A husband?”
“You’re asking me if I’m married?” I clarified, shaking my head. This wasn’t where I saw tonight going.
“Yes.”
“And what if I am?”
“Well, it’ll certainly make things more complicated, but we can sort it out.”
