Nope.
Her fingers itched to rip those casual clothes off him and see how long he remained in control when she was trailing her lips down his belly. She curled her fingers into her palm. “Relax, Jacob.”
He grunted. “How did you find me here?”
An easier question. “I went to your house. Kati pointed me in the right direction.”
His brow furrowed. He measured grounds into the coffee maker. Hesitated. Measured out more. “You talked to Kati?”
“Yeah.” He was overprotective of all his siblings, but he had raised Kati since she was five. He was particularly overbearing when it came to his little girl.
Not that the scowling, surly seventeen-year-old who had answered his door a few hours ago needed much protection, Akira thought. That girl would make it just fine on her own. “Relax. I only exchanged a few sentences with her. There was hardly any time to corrupt her with foul language or my vast sexual experience.”
He closed the coffee tin harder than it warranted. “She’s supposed to be at a friend’s house this weekend. It’s why I’m here. I wouldn’t leave her alone.”
Oops. Sorry, Kati. She hoped the kid had some cover story in place, if she was pulling one over on her guardian. “I’m sure she has a good reason for being there,” she said lamely.
Jacob drew out a cell phone and glanced at the display. “I’ll have to go down the road to catch a signal.” The coffee perked in the pot while Jacob’s scowl grew darker.
Privately, Akira thought seventeen was plenty old enough to be left alone at home, but it wasn’t like she’d had a healthy adolescence for any kind of frame of reference. At seventeen, she’d pretty much been on her own for years. “I didn’t hear any kind of raucous party going on, if it helps.”
“She’s not the type to throw a party.”
She’s not the type.She’s not like you,was what he meant. Men, so dumb. So consumed with classifying women into types to satisfy their own sense of comfort.
Suddenly, Akira hoped young Kati was engaging in all sorts of debauchery this weekend with her brother gone.Don’t be a type, girl.
“Maybe she was delayed,” she offered.
“Maybe.” A frown played over his face.
She sighed and reached into her purse for the lifeline she was rarely without. A quick peek at the display reassured her she had one weak bar for a signal. “Here. You can try mine. It gets reception everywhere.”
Jacob paused. “Oh. Okay. Thanks.” Their fingers brushed when he accepted the phone. An electric zing traveled up her arm.
He seemed oblivious, already moving a few steps away and punching in a number. He shot her a quick look over his shoulder, and she pretended great interest in the coffeepot.
His voice dropped two octaves. “Kati-cat.”
Kati-cat? Oh, poor child.
“Did something happen? Why are you still at the house?”
This super kind, caressing tone had definitely never been directed her way. Not that she was jealous of his sister. That would be weird, given all the non-sisterly feelings she harbored toward him.
The coffee maker sputtered, and she eyed it warily. She had a restaurant-quality espresso maker at home, but she employed people to operate it.
It’s a pot with liquid in it.She could manage this.
“Mm-hmm. So when is Kristen picking you up then?”
There were only three overhead cupboards, so she located the collection of chipped mugs quickly. She withdrew a sufficiently manly blue mug, and then eyed a fetching pink one with daisies on it.
Hell, he’d made enough for both of them.
“I don’t know, sweetheart. Maybe I should come home.”
Out of his sight with her head poked into the fridge, she rolled her eyes. Poor, poor child. She grabbed the gallon of milk and plunked it on the counter next to the mugs.
