Jake chuckled. “She always disappears when I’m around, doesn’t she?”
“I’m sure she wouldn’t walk away if she knew what we were talking about.” Emily frowned. “Jake, I’m sorry about last night.”
Jake’s smile disappeared.
“I should never have encouraged you to kiss me, I mean I practically forced you to kiss me again. And it wasn’t fair of me to ask you to stay... after... after that ki—”
“I’m not sorry.” Jake cut her off. “I don’t regret a single moment from last night. Except for the part where I had to make myself stop kissing you. And for the record, you didn’t force me to kiss you. I did it because I wanted to. Please don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it. I’m not sure my ego can handle that.”
A smile curved her lips. “I enjoyed it.” Probably too much. “But I shouldn’t have made you do that, because I know you’re not that kind of guy.”
Jake speared a bite of omelet with his fork. “What makes you think I’m not that kind of guy?”
“Because you checked to make sure your mother wasn’t listening before you admitted to spending the night with me.”
His smile faded, and he cleared his throat. “You’re right, I’m not that kind of guy. I believe complete commitment should accompany intimacy.”
“Me too.” Emily lowered her eyes. “That’s why I feel so bad about asking you to stay with me.”
Jake took her hand that lay on the table, and she looked at him again. “Look, Emily nothing inappropriate happened. You needed someone to comfort... and distract you. That’s what I did. But I’d be lying if I said that’s all it was, because it meant much more to me than that.” Then he gave an uncomfortable chuckle. “I can’t believe I admitted that out loud, considering we’ve known each other such a short time, but it’s true. How’s that for being direct?”
Emily smiled, but it was full of sadness. “You’re getting the hang of it, but we can’t do that again. I’m not capable of commitment right now.”
Jake let out a sigh. “No, we can’t.” He squeezed her hand. “Despite the attraction between us, now is not the time to start a relationship.” When she nodded, he continued. “I know this is a difficult time for you, so I’ll try not to confuse things for you by kissing you again. The last thing I want is to take advantage of you when you’re vulnerable, but I’m here for you. If you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to chase away the bad dreams, I’m here for you. For as long as you need.”
“Thank you.” She squeezed his hand.
He held her gaze for a long moment before Emily broke the silence. “Eat your breakfast. It’s probably cold by now.”
He gave her a sharp look. “Is that why you’re not eating? I know you don’t have much of an appetite, but you should try to eat a little more.”
Emily picked up her fork and forced herself to take another bite. Joe would like this man.
Lottie pushed through the swinging door with a laundry basket on her hip as Jake took his last bite. “Jacob Andrew Winters! Since when do you make your own bed?”
Jake’s face turned beet red, and Emily couldn’t help herself, she busted out laughing. Fortunately, Lottie didn’t wait for an answer, but continued right on through the kitchen to the combined laundry and mudroom.
Jake glared at Emily. “What’s so funny?”
“You’re not very good at being sneaky.” She smothered another chuckle. “You obviously haven’t had much practice at this kind of deception.”
Jake stood and leaned close to her ear. His breath tickled her cheek when he spoke. “Let’s hope she doesn’t notice my clothes from last night smell like you. We’ll never hear the end of it.”
Emily’s smile faded, and Jake was the one chuckling as he deposited his plate in the sink and walked out.
* * *
“Riley hadan unexpected schedule change and is coming home for a couple of days,” Faith announced over lunch. “She says she needs a break.”
Jake’s face paled, and he gave his mom a pointed look. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
Emily knew why Jake was concerned about his sister coming home. He didn’t want to put her in danger.
“Maybe, it’s not agoodidea, considering all that’s going on.” Faith patted Emily’s arm. “But how would you have felt if we had told you ‘no’ when you wanted to come home from college for the weekend?”
Emily bit back a smile. Faith knew exactly how to push Jake’s buttons. The muscle in Jake’s jaw tensed.
“Okay, but she doesn’t ride out on her own,” Jake growled.
