Page 57 of Raging Fires

Then Jake set the scene for their return. No way he was letting Tyler get a good-night kiss. Or think he might have a real chance with Kelli. After Jake picked up the painting and hung it, he’d gone for a run, which didn’t help much, so he’d gone over to the bar, which was no help at all. Then he’d just paced. And thought about how he’d been wrong about Kelli actually going out on a date.

But all the brooding didn’t matter once he saw the expression on Kelli’s face when she saw the picture. She’d fired up, just like he expected. But he hadn’t expected the rest of it. He hadn’t meant to wind up in bed with her. He’d known that would be stupid. But when she started laughing at his silly jokes, suddenly he’d wanted her so much he couldn’t resist kissing her. And when Kelli had kissed him back… well, there was only so much a guy could take before he just had to be stupid.

The thing was… Jake was thinking that being stupid was the way to go. He hadn’t felt this good in a long time. Suddenly it didn’t seem all that bad playing back-up, and living in this tiny house with his ex-wife wouldn’t be hell on earth. It’d be like before.

His chest turned to stone at that thought. No. Absolutely not. There was no way he was going through that again when the year was up. And the year would definitely be up. They’d own the Blue, and Kelli would divorce him again. His contract would end, and he’d leave for a new team. They wouldn’t have any contact except maybe she’d call him about some business thing or he’d stop by to see Toby when he was in town visiting Gran.

For a moment he could feel all of it crashing down on him. The bone-deep ache. The hollowness inside him. But he pushed all that away. It wouldn’t be the same. This time he knew it was going to end. He wouldn’t be blindsided. He’d be happy because he’d get a better contract somewhere else, actually play instead of being a back-up. Most of all, this time he didn’t love Kelli.

Hell, half the time he didn’t even like her. They argued about everything. He already knew the only thing she loved was the Blue. He already knew she’d leave if things got tough. There wouldn’t be all those messy entanglements of emotions and expectations. It would just be sex. Great sex.

It was perfect really. Now all he had to do now was convince Kelli. She wouldn’t be nearly as optimistic as he was. She was more likely to be regretting breaking her rules and worrying about what would happen.

Kelli didn’t like change. She still drove that same old wreck—only Kelli would have kept it in storage after he bought her the Mercedes. She didn’t buy a new phone until her old one wouldn’t hold a charge anymore. Hell, she wore a pair of Vans that he was sure were the same ones she had back in college. The only thing she’d ever gotten rid of was him.

She was the kind of person who always followed her GPS directions to the letter, who drove the speed limit and used the left lane only to pass. Kelli liked rules and structure. There was no thrill for her in taking a risk. The only times she’d done anything risky had been with him because she’d been sure he would keep anything bad from happening. But she no longer trusted him like that.

Jake swung out of bed and stood up, then looked down at himself. Going out there naked was probably not the right way to approach Kelli. He glanced around and found his pants caught on a drawer pull of the dresser. Pulling them on, he headed into the living room.

He could see Kelli in the kitchen on the other side of the bar, intent on stirring something in a bowl. She was frowning, her mouth pursed. Yeah, she was not basking in the afterglow. She glanced up and saw him, and she pulled in a breath and set her shoulders. Definitely not a good sign. Next she would say…

“We need to talk.” And there it was.

“Okay.” Jake strolled into the kitchen and leaned back against a counter, facing her but giving her a good distance between them. “I have a couple of ideas.”

“I bet you do,” she said repressively. “Jake… last night was...”

“Great?” Jake offered. “Careful. You’ll hurt my feelings if you say no.”

“Of course it was great,” she told him in an annoyed tone. “That’s not the problem. Or maybe it is the problem.” She heaved a sigh. “All I know is it we can’t do it again.”

“Okay.”

Her eyebrows went up and she said, “Okay? That’s it? Okay?”

He shrugged. “There’s not much I can do about it, is there? Takes two of us.”

“I thought you’d be… more resistant.”

“Disappointed?” He grinned.

“No.” She rolled her eyes and turned back to the bowl.

“What are you making?” He strolled over to peek in the bowl. “Hmm… pancakes.”

She turned to glare at him. “Stop grinning like the Cheshire Cat. I make pancakes other times, too.”

“Really? All I remember is weekend sex and pancakes. Lots of maple syrup.” His eyes glinted. “Remember that—”

Her eyes widened. “Stop.” She raised her spoon warningly. “Don’t even go there. I’ll pour out this batter.”

Yeah, she remembered. Jake raised his hands in an I-give-up gesture and wandered back to the other end of the kitchen. He opened the cabinet and pulled out a couple of plates. “You didn’t listen to my ideas.”

“What ideas?” She was pouring batter into the skillet, and she glanced over at him. “Oh. Those. Jake…”

“Just hear me out,” he told her. “I listened to your plan.”

“Okay.” She sighed and poured three dollops of batter into the skillet, then turned to face him, arms folded across her chest. “I’m listening.”