“I haven’t slept with him. He’s the last man on earth I’d have sex with.” Lainey didn’t blink for fear the image of him shirtless and wearing those pyjama bottoms would appear like a soul-eating demon.
Marley cocked her head on one side and sent a look that seemed to penetrate right into Lainey’s brain.
“Jake’s really attractive. I heard he’s good in bed and knows exactly how to give a girl an orgasm. Are you seriously saying you wouldn’t enjoy just one night with him?” Marley started to pull the hair straighteners through Lainey’s blonde mop.
Lainey’s mind wandered straight to those pyjama pants and what had been semi-woken up in them. Her breath caught in her throat. It had been a long time since she’d slept with anyone who’d known what buttons to press without specific directions.
“No. He hates me.”
“Because you bought the farm he wanted?”
“Precisely.”
Marley stopped with the straighteners. “You’re not the type he usually goes for.”
Lainey turned her head to look at her rather than glaring through the mirror. “Thanks. I think. In fact, I don’t know what you mean by that.”
There was a musical giggle. “Jake goes for city girls and lasses who are passing through for a night out. Never anyone he has something in common with.”
“You’ve just called me a city girl.”
Marley restarted on her hair. “But you’re not apropercity girl. You have horses. You can ride them. I heard you talking all farm geekery with Ernest Holmes the other day at the bakery. That will play with Jake’s head. And you disrupted his plans.”
“I know. I heard about his plans. I have two fields at the back I know I’m not going to use. I was thinking of seeing if he wanted to buy them.” She chewed the side of her mouth.
“May as well.” Marley paused. “So you would have sex with him?”
“You’re very blunt.”
That giggle again. “I can use a euphemism if you like.”
“No, call it like it is.”
“Stop evading the question.” Marley tugged at her hair. “I want you to know if you’d ever have sex with Jake Maynard.”
“Are you going to repeat my answer?”
“Maybe.”
“Seriously?”
“I won’t if you don’t want me to. But that means it’s a yes, isn’t it? You’d so ride him like he was a horse!” She sounded deliriously excited.
Lainey stood up and checked her reflection. She looked good. Maybe more than good. “He’s got an amazing body. As long as he didn’t speak, we’d be okay.”
“So, no dirty talking, then?” Marley lifted a finger and blended something on Lainey’s cheek. “I hear he’s got an amazing mouth – both entendres meant.”
“Where do you hear this?”
“The bars, honey. Especially when Scott accompanies me and the women in the bar talk about his family. I get asked all sorts of questions if they catch me in the loos.” Marley did one last smudge with her thumb. “You look amazing. It’s a shame you’re only going to Sorrell’s for dinner, because we know how that will end.”
Lainey frowned. “How will it end?”
“With some sort of games night that’ll end with an argument. Since Sorrell and Keren have had their babies, they’ve had to find other ways to entertain themselves. Is Rayah going?”
“I think so. She had someone babysitting her… Jonny’s kids.” Lainey wasn’t entirely sure how best to describe them. She’d heard all three of the kids call Rayah “Mum” at some point when they’d been over at Jake’s, but she knew Rayah wasn’t their mother and she wasn’t entirely sure of what the background was.
“You need some intel?” It was a proper stage whisper, one that contained a whole lot of drama for entertainment purposes only.
