“Yes, it’s one of my favorites. It’s emotional, but relaxing at the same time. I have no idea what they’re saying for most of the song, but I love how it makes me feel.”
Jake nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. Madi was beginning to notice that Jake had a tendency to do that when something had made him nervous or when he was worried about something.
“What’s bothering you? Spill.”
“Spill?”
“That’s Kendra speak for tell me.”
“What makes you think something is bothering me?”
“Because, you always slide your hands through your hair when something is bothering you. You’d better be careful. That’s a good way to go bald.”
Jake glanced at her and grinned. “Am I so easy for you to analyze?”
“No, not at all. You are actually really good at keeping secrets and avoiding.”
Jake looked at her with furrowed brows and exhaled deeply. He reached his hand across the seat and took Madi’s hand in his. Madi stopped breathing.
“I’m really sorry for my behavior yesterday. I acted like an ass. Can we just forget the whole damn thing?”
Madi couldn’t help but notice how different her hand felt when his was around it. It was suddenly weak and warm. His fingers were long and his hand was almost double the size of hers. It covered hers almost completely. She noticed that his skin was soft and smooth but he was strong. There was a slight amount of hair on each finger between his joint and his knuckle. It was sexy as hell.
“What do you say, Mads?”
Her eyes moved gingerly from their hands to pleading blue eyes. “I would like nothing more.”
He brought her hand to his lips, lightly kissing the back of it, and giving it a gentle squeeze before replacing it on her lap. Madi couldn’t move. The idea of working with him platonically went right out the window. She knew she was drawn to him. It was physically impossible not to feel something for this man.
Jake
“So how about we grab some dinner? I know a great place not far from here.”
“I know a great one too. Can we just go back to your place? I can cook. There’s plenty of food.”
“You’re exhausted. You don’t need to be on your feet any more today.”
“Really, I don’t mind, unless you don’t like my cooking?”
“You’ve got to be kidding! It was amazing. I just don’t want you to think that because you’re staying with me, I expect you to cook, shop, and clean up. I really don’t, Madi. I have people for that stuff.”
“I don’t mind. It actually relaxes me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said with a smile.
“Well, I’m definitely getting spoiled. Two home-cooked meals two days in a row. I’m a lucky guy.”
*****
An ecstatic Murphy greeted them at the door. He was very anxious for a walk. After massive amounts of attention from them both, Madi went to the kitchen and perused the contents of the fridge while Jake put his leash on.
“Stir fry okay?”
“Absolutely. I’ll be back in a few.”
“K.”
When Jake returned from taking Murphy for a walk, he could hear sizzling coming from the kitchen. He peeked around the corner and Madi’s back was to him. She had changed into beige short-shorts and a white tank top. He could see a purple bra strap poking out from the tank. He watched her at the stove. Her legs were hot as hell. Her calves were shaped perfectly with a hint of muscle. They led to smooth thighs that curved in all the right places before reaching their apex. He imagined that there might be purple undies to match the bra. He leaned on the doorframe and took in the sight of her. He liked the way she looked in his kitchen and the way it made him feel as he was walking home, knowing she would be there. He shook his head, reminding himself not to go there. She glimpsed down and saw Murphy at her feet. Jake straightened up and asked her how it was going.
“Good. It’ll be a little while though, okay?”
“Of course it’s okay.” He wandered into the kitchen and eyeballed the veggies Madi was chopping. He grabbed a piece of red pepper, took a bite of it, and then kissed her bare shoulder, noting that Madi froze at his touch. It made him smile as he walked away. He probably shouldn’t have done it but it just felt right when he was around her.
He decided that after the sight and smell of her he was in need of a shower. He let the cold water rush over him before turning up the heat. He ran a towel through his hair before gelling it and slipping on a pair of grey sweats. Jake walked out of his bedroom sans shirt and went to the piano in the hall. He was feeling inspired and had a melody he wanted to toy with. He played a few keys, then Madi came around the corner and stopped dead in her tracks.
Jake tried his best not to smile as she stared at him briefly before lowering her head. She acted as if she’d caught him naked.
“Um, chicken or beef?”
“What?”
“Do you want chicken or beef stir fry,” she asked without looking at him.
“Either is fine. Surprise me.”
Jake couldn’t help but laugh to himself as she walked away. He loved that the sight of him affected her the way it did. He vowed that he would do fifty additional push-ups tomorrow. Jake started to play and sing his song, ‘Falling’ when he glanced up to see Madi watching him.
“Can I ask you a personal question?”
“I do about one hundred sit-ups a day,” he said, while trying to keep a straight face.
Madi sighed and looked down, “I’m sure you do, but that’s not the question.”
“Okay, ask away.”
“That song, ‘Falling,’ it’s really pretty. Is it about… her?”
Jake stopped playing and faced her. “You mean Summer?”
“Yes.”
“It’s really not about her as much as it’s about how I felt after her.”
“I see,” Madi said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry, I just always wondered.”
“Well don’t tell anyone, okay? It’s one of my better kept secrets,” he said with a wink.
Madi smiled and turned back toward the kitchen.
“Madi, since you are cooking for me yet again, is there anything you want to hear? It doesn’t have to be mine.” He played a few keys of a TV jingle.
“Really? Anything I want?” she said excitedly.
Jake nodded, “Should I be worried?”
“Will you sing, too?”
“I suppose.”
“I would love to hear your song, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’. It’s my favorite.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather hear Michael Jackson’s version?” Jake laughed.
“No,” Madi giggled. “I want to hear yours.”
Jake nodded as he smiled crookedly and started to play. His accomplished hands made the notes float through the room. As he played the beginning of the song, he noted Madi was watching him intently.
You came into my world like a melody.
My heart believed you were a song.
Then you changed me with your quiet harmony.
Had you been there all along?
The way you make me feel is like a chorus line…
Playing softly in my mind.
The way you make me feel makes my heart beat out of time…
Flashing signals, flashing signs.
The way you make me feel is the anthem for my soul,
Though I can’t quite find the words to let you know,
The way you make me feel.
Jake was completely into the song, singing it with all of his heart and putting all his passion into every line. As he finished the last part of the chorus he glanced up to see Madi with tears streaming down her face.
He jumped up from the piano and ran to her, “Hey, hey, hey…”
“The way you sing it,” she sniffed. “There’s so much feeling. It just moves me.”
Jake stood in front of her and ran his thumbs over
her cheeks, wiping away her tears. He was genuinely concerned. Her eyes rose to his. He gently smiled as he asked, “So… you... like it then?”
Madi laughed and the smile returned to her face. He crouched down and continued to examine her face as his smile grew.
“Yes, Jake, it’s a panty dropper.”
“A panty dropper, huh? That’s a first. Good to know. I’ll have to remember that.”
“Dinner’s almost ready. Give me a few more minutes.” She walked back toward the kitchen, wiping her eyes and shaking it off.
Jake couldn’t help but stare after her. He forced himself to look away and ran his hands through his hair. He couldn’t help but notice the way she made him feel.
Chapter 23
Madi
The next couple of days were insane. Madi left before Jake and Jake returned home after Madi was asleep. Jake had ordered tons of food from the Chinese place he liked and they had been eating leftovers daily. On Friday morning, their schedules collided at home long enough for Madi to pass Jake a cup of coffee on her way out the door. At the arena, they passed each other long enough for a high five but there was no time to talk. Madi had watched the interview with Jake for the magazine on Thursday and was amazed at his ability to handle difficult questions under pressure. She was starting to see a slight difference between the Jake she interacted with daily and the Jake behind the camera.
Jake would walk up to Madi and Ang frequently throughout the day to check in for missed calls and schedule changes. He would sometimes squeeze their shoulders before he walked away. Madi thought it was sweet. It was his way of saying thank you and letting them know he appreciated them without actually saying it. At five o’clock on Friday evening, Ang’s cell phone rang just as they were finishing Jake’s schedule for next week. Madi walked over to give Caleb a copy when she saw Ang jump up with her phone in her hand and run toward Jake by the stage.
Madi watched to see what was going on. Jake took the phone from her and put it to his ear. He smiled, talked a bit, hung up and hugged Ang before he jumped on the stage and went to the microphone. “I’m excited to let you know that Trey is now the father of a 7lb 3oz beautiful baby girl. Mom and baby are healthy and doing well.” Everyone cheered and Jake jumped down. Madi watched as Jake moved to Caleb. Caleb nodded his head, smiled and said a few words. Jake and Ang walked arm in arm toward the doors, talking the whole way.
“Grab your stuff, Mads. We’re going to the hospital.”
On the way, Jake wanted to stop at a florist. Madi helped him pick out a huge bouquet of pink flowers while Ang got balloons. Madi volunteered to climb in the back with the balloons and she disappeared behind them.
“Ang, I think we need to go back.”
“Did we forget something?”
“I think we forgot Madi.” They both laughed.
“Nice, very funny.” Madi’s voice was muted behind the balloons.
When they arrived in the hospital maternity ward, the hospital staff would not let them through because they weren’t family. Then the OB nurse saw Jake and that was that. They were quickly signed in and escorted to the room. Madi met Annie and congratulated her and Trey. Jake hugged them both and gave Annie the flowers. Ang and Annie compared delivery stories and Trey placed his new daughter into Jake’s arms. Madi watched how careful Jake was with her and noticed how small she looked in his muscular arms. Madi thought she could see tears prick his eyes but she wasn’t sure. Madi wondered if Jake wanted kids. She knew she did. She wondered what he would be like as a father and came to the conclusion he would be as amazing at parenting as he was at everything else. The interaction between Jake, Trey and the baby made her heart melt. There was nothing sexier than a strong man gently holding a tiny baby.
They weren’t there for long before the nurse insisted it was time to go. Madi snapped a few pictures and promised to send Trey and Annie copies. Jake took Madi’s hand as they walked out and Ang shot Madi a surprised smile. Madi shook her head no and Jake was oblivious to it all. They drove back to the arena and discussed a few upcoming charity events trying to figure out which ones Jake could and could not attend and which ones they needed to fit in because they were important to him.
“All right ladies, I assume you’re headed home.”
“Aren’t you going home too?” Ang asked.
“I really should stay a while.”
Madi felt a twinge of disappointment. She hadn’t really spoken to him in a couple of days and was starting to miss him. She wondered if he was avoiding her. How could she get his attention?
“Jake, please take care of yourself. Have you eaten dinner?” Ang asked.
“I will.” He smiled at Ang and then looked directly at Madi when he said, “I won’t be here too much longer.”
Madi wondered if that was meant for her and if it was his way of telling her to wait up for him or if he was just stating a matter of fact. She tried to convince herself that she wasn’t exhausted so she could take option one.
“Mads, would you mind walking Murphy when you get home?”
“Of course not.”
“Thank you. See you soon.” He kissed Madi’s cheek then Ang’s, but Ang said in the car she thought the kiss for her was just for show. Madi tried to explain that Jake was like that with everyone but then Ang said, “Really? He doesn’t seem to look at me the way he looks at you.”
“Please, I think he thinks of me as a little sister. Oh shoot, I need to get back to Gina. She called yesterday and said she needed to reschedule.”
“You’re avoiding, but I can tell you that the way Jake looks at Gina and the way he looks at you are very different.”
“Jake made it perfectly clear to me that our relationship was purely professional. I need to keep reminding myself of that daily as it is, so please, don’t put hopes in my head. I already made the mistake once of getting wrapped up in Jake and look where that got me. I’m not good with relationships. The few I’ve had haven’t been great for long. I tend to find faults easily that I can’t get past. I keep looking for one in Jake. So far the biggest fault I can find in him is that he is too good for me. So please, don’t make me think I even have a slight chance with him because I know he’s not interested in me like that.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” Ang said. “I can see he’s smitten with you.”
“Really?” Madi asked excitedly. “Oh, who I am I kidding? In my dreams...”
“So you do hope then?”
“Just between you and me?” Madi asked. “I always hope.”
“Don’t give up on him. He acts a lot stronger than he is.”
*****
Madi let Murphy out, kicked off her shoes, and made herself a sandwich. She decided to leave the last of the Chinese for Jake, especially since he wouldn’t let her pay for anything. After Madi had made Jake the stir-fry the other night, she found four hundred dollars tucked into her purse. She had asked Jake if he was paying her extra to cook and he told her it was for the groceries. She told him it was way too much but he just said to save it for next time. He wouldn’t let her spend a cent of her money. He saw her at a vending machine at the arena and put in a dollar for her. She had said, “Come on, it’s one dollar!” But he just laughed and walked away.
Madi finished her sandwich, fed Murphy and then started thinking about Kendra. She hadn’t actually spoken to her in a couple of days. They were just texting things to each other. Madi would glance at her phone from time to time and see random pictures from her. One time it was the bird poop on her windshield titled “Oh shit.” Another time, it was a hot guy walking past her titled, “My future fuck.” Madi picked up the phone and called her. She really missed her.
“What up, bitch?” Kendra answered.
“I was just thinking how much I missed you and you start off by calling me a bitch. Wow. I guess time and distance do change everything.”
“Quit your complaining!” Kendra laughed. “How’s that fine piece of ass you’re living with? Di
d you put his puzzle together yet?”
“He’s still fine. I haven’t really seen him in a couple of days and no on the puzzle. He’s really tricky,” Madi said as she plopped down on her bed.
“He hasn’t come home?”
“He’s been home, but we just keep passing each other. Our schedules are off.”
“That sucks,” Kendra said. “You need to do something to get him to readjust his schedule.”
Madi rolled her eyes knowing Kendra couldn’t see her. “Oh no… here it comes. I’m afraid to ask.”
The Contest Page 18
