Love Hard

by Nalini Singh

  Agog, she locked eyes with him. “You like to cook or just make things pretty?”

  “I cook. It’s easier to stay healthy and on form if I know what’s going into my body.” He inhaled a butter-chicken puff. “Where did you buy these? They’re amazing.”

  She put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips even as warmth jolted her blood; turned out she liked being complimented by Jake. Ugh. “I handmade these, so stop scoffing them in a single bite and appreciate my artistry. Charlotte and I met in a pastry class, remember?”

  Jake literally shook his head a couple of times as if blowing away cobwebs. “I didn’t think you took it seriously. I mean, you mostly brought junk food for your school lunch.”

  “I was a teenager.” No one had ever taught her how she was supposed to eat or cooked for her; the few good habits she’d had, she’d picked up from Calypso.

  “I’m glad you’re eating better now.” Approving words, Jake’s face so serious that she wanted to bop him on the nose just to see what he’d do. “Food is fuel, and putting junk food into your body is like putting sugar into a petrol tank.”

  Juliet bit back a smile. So the gearhead did still live inside resolutely serious adult Jake.

  “Talking of cars,” he added, “where’d you park yours? There’s a no-parking area down the street where the city occasionally tickets people even on weekends.”

  “It wouldn’t start.” She scowled. “Second time this month—and the garage promised me the problem was fixed.”

  Jake picked up the chopping board. “I can have a look at it if you want.”

  Juliet wasn’t sure which one of them was more surprised by his absentminded offer. Because he went dead-straight right after, as if he’d remembered too late that it was Juliet to whom he was speaking.

  Too bad for him, because she was going to accept. Jake had always been a genius with cars. “If you can fix Dixie, I’ll bake you an entire tray of pastries.”

  A sudden unexpected tug of his lips that stole her breath. “Deal.”

  That was when Juliet realized she might’ve outfoxed herself. Because now Jake was going to be inside her internal garage and thus effectively inside her home. He’d fill it up with that drugging masculine scent she was trying to ignore but that she wanted to sniff straight from his neck like a strung-out junkie.

  Oh hell. What if she lost all her self-control and lemur-jumped him?

  13

  Bring It On, Cupcake

  After a short freak-out, Juliet decided liberal use of air freshener when he came to look at her car would keep her hormones at bay. She’d just let Jake think she was a neat freak who enjoyed refreshing her home every five seconds.

  Freak-out aside, the barbecue ended up being far more fun than she’d expected. Aroha was present, as was the rest of the bridal party, along with Nayna, her husband, Raj, and their cheeky little boy, Gabriel’s rugby mates, and of course the Bishop-Esera family. She’d been wary about how the family felt about her beyond the natural joy created by a wedding. Given their close association with national-level sports, they had to be aware of the way the tabloids followed her around.

  It made her want to pull out her hair, especially as she hadn’t done anything the least bit tabloid-worthy since leaving Reid. Every so often, however, a reporter would snap a photo of her walking out of a coffee shop or leaving Everett’s manufacturing plant and spin a story about how her “broken heart” had “never healed” or how she was “bravely rebuilding” her life after her “doomed romance” with Reid.

  Juliet would give those reporters a real taste of doom if she ever caught them.

  The only thing she regretted about ending her marriage was that she hadn’t done it twenty-one months earlier—because one month post-wedding was all it had taken for Reid’s dickish nature to come out. The man must’ve given himself a coronary pretending to be a good guy for the three months they’d dated prior to marriage.

  The good news was that things had finally begun to calm down. New Zealand’s two-year separation rule prior to the dissolution of a marriage meant her divorce from Reid had only become legal fact six months earlier. So now the magazines and tabloids couldn’t even spin stories of their reconciliation.

  Especially since she’d had zero contact with him in those two years.

  “Juliet.” Alison walked over to embrace her with a maternal warmth that caused Juliet’s eyes to sting. “It’s so nice to see you again.” Lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, she said, “Thank you again for organizing that bra for me—I just about cried when I saw the one I especially bought had shrunk even with handwashing, and nothing else would work under my dress.”

  “Oh, it was my pleasure.” The small prewedding emergency had been easy to defuse for the vice president in charge of operations and supply for a lingerie company. “If you ever want anything like that, just let me know.” No, she wasn’t above sucking up to Charlotte’s mother-in-law, not when Alison gave out hugs that potent.

  The older woman’s smile lit up the gray of her eyes. “I might just take you up on that, sweetheart. You know how hard it is to find a good bra.”

  “The holy grail.”

  Tucking her hand into the crook of Juliet’s elbow, Alison drew her toward a small group on one side of the lawn. “Come, let’s go see what Harlow and Catie are plotting.”

  “Hey, princess!” Danny called out just as Juliet and Alison reached the step-siblings. “You painting your nails or you going to help me with games for the kids?”

  Catie’s eyes acquired a dangerous glint before she stomped off toward Danny. Juliet had yet to see the two of them have a civilized conversation.

  “One day,” Alison said with a sigh, “those two will decide to behave themselves.”

  Harlow, quietly sophisticated with his black-framed glasses and tailored clothing, slid his hands into the pockets of his pants. “Honestly, I’d start to worry about demonic possession if they did.”

  Molly and Fox came over to join them even as Alison laughed, and the conversation meandered down various paths, including details of the locations Molly and Fox intended to hit on their travels. But regardless of anything else, Juliet never forgot Jake. It was as if her body was an antenna tuned directly to his presence.

  Desperation had her reaching for another glass of cold lemonade.

  “Game time!” Sailor’s voice boomed over the small crowd even as her hand touched the handle of the pitcher. “Gather the troops!”

  Jolting, Juliet turned to see a buzz of activity as tables were moved out of the way and chairs repositioned. The Eseras had a large backyard for this part of the city, a green haven that morphed into a miniature rugby field in a matter of minutes. Unsurprisingly, the family had the transformation down to a fine art.

  Given the available land area, they played in two teams of three. Jake was on the opposing team to his daughter for the first game, but he hollered and clapped along with everyone else when Esme zoomed over the try line with the ball tucked under her arm.

  Juliet’s cheeks hurt from smiling, her throat hoarse from cheering.

  The Bishop-Esera men got their father to play as well, then dragged in their mother for a turn. Juliet got a clue when they pulled Molly onto the field, and began to back away very slowly. But it was too late.

  “Hey!” Molly put her hands on her hips. “If I have to play, so do you.”

  Juliet groaned. “I am so not sporty.” Jogging was the only physical exercise she’d ever adopted.

  “It’s fun!” Emmaline tugged at her hand. “Come on, Jules.”

  Since she couldn’t exactly argue with the cute kid, she walked onto the field. She was replacing Danny, who walked to the sideline with Catie beside him. The two were muttering at each other, the words too low to hear.

  Juliet’s team consisted of her, Fox, and Emmaline.

  Their opposition was formed of Molly, Esme, and Jake.

  Juliet’s heart kicked, but she kept her eyes on the prize.
From what she’d seen, this family took rugby seriously, even when it was touch rugby in the backyard. American Fox had clearly already been taught the rules, because he knew exactly what to do when things kicked off. He slipped the ball smoothly back to Emmaline.

  Who ran, then threw the ball back at Juliet. Just barely catching it, Juliet sidestepped Molly to go for the try line. She was almost there when Jake made a lunge toward her.

  She dropped the ball.

  Everybody on her team groaned.

  Little Emmaline threw up her hands. “Come on!” she cried, and it was so adorable that Juliet couldn’t help but grin.

  Jake meanwhile, was bending down to grab the ball. “You better up your game, Jules,” he said, a glint in his eye that she’d never before seen. “I mean, you’re getting schooled by a seven-year-old.”

  Oh, now it was on. “That’s Juliet to you, Jacob.”

  “Restart!” Aroha, a rugby fanatic and the current referee, blew the whistle.

  Juliet had never had so much fun in her life. Molly was in hysterics at one point, and Fox argued passionately with Aroha about a foul while Emmaline nodded sagely alongside him. Esme, meanwhile, scored a second time—and did a victory booty dance, pigtails bouncing and hands fisted. As for Jake, Juliet actually saw him laugh.

  The sound rippled over her like a rough caress.

  Annoyed at how badly he affected her, she redoubled her efforts to bring him down and finally succeeded in managing a touch that meant he had to turn over the ball. Taking it, she buffed her bright purple nails on her shirt and blew off nonexistent dust. “Oh, what’s this? Superstar Jacob Esera schooled by a newbie. Tut-tut.”

  “You want to bring it, Jules?” The light of battle in his eyes, he made a come-on gesture with both hands. “I’m right here.”

  Smirking even as her insides went all hot and tight, she tapped the ball at Aroha’s whistle, then passed it immediately to Fox, who passed to Emmaline. Then she and Fox put themselves to blocking Jake and Molly, which left Esme the only line of defense. And she was on the wrong side of the field.

  “Try!” Aroha’s whistle pierced the air as Emmaline put down the ball on the other side of the opposition’s try line.

  Juliet blew Jake a kiss. “Better luck next time, cupcake.”

  Hands on his hips, he smiled with slow deliberation… and a shiver raced up her body. She still wasn’t ready for his counterattack. She couldn’t seem to go anywhere on the field without running into a hard male chest or feeling a pair of hands at her hips—a legal touch that meant a ball turnover.

  Her skin was electric by the time Aroha blew the full-time whistle and the teams swapped out, but far more scary was how much she’d enjoyed playing with Jake—and how much she was coming to like him.

  * * *

  Juliet did a good job of avoiding Jake for the rest of the barbeque, eventually ending up on the kitchen tidy-up crew while he helped with the external cleanup.

  “Just put it all in here.” Alison passed over a large plastic container that could be sealed and put into the refrigerator. “Someone will hoover it up.”

  With everyone pitching in—including Esme and Emmaline and Nayna’s little boy, the kids assigned to find any straws or bottle caps that had fallen onto the grass—it only took a short time to set the house and yard to rights.

  Afterward, Juliet picked up her handbag, dug into it for her phone. She’d just opened up the ride-share app when Alison came by to put something on the table. “Oh, you don’t need to do that,” she said, catching a glimpse of the app. “One of us will drive you home.”

  “It’s no bother,” Juliet began, long used to looking after herself.

  But Alison would have none of it. “It’s dark, and you shouldn’t be getting into a car with a stranger.”

  It was such a motherly thing to say that Juliet’s throat swelled up. Her aunt had never been like Alison. No one in her life had been like Alison.

  By the time she found her voice again, Alison was already calling out to one of her sons. “Jake, sweetheart, please drop Juliet home.”

  14

  One Night of Nakedness and One Night Only (What Could Possibly Go Wrong?)

  Juliet parted her lips, eyes flaring—she really did not need to be stuck in a car with Jacob Esera—but all she could come up with was “The girls can come along for a ride.” Emmaline and Esme would make great chaperones—for Juliet. Because, as she’d already realized, this was an excruciatingly one-sided attraction.

  Jake no more wanted her than he wanted Reid.

  And lemur-lunge thoughts aside, Juliet wasn’t into rejection. Part of the reason she’d fallen for Reid was how he’d made her feel wanted, accepted. For a girl who’d been rejected by every single living member of her family, that had been one hell of a drug. Reid had known it too—he’d found her at a vulnerable moment, and she’d spilled her guts.

  Her ex had used the knowledge to hook her.

  “The munchkins are exhausted.” Alison smiled. “Ísa’s already got both of them in the bath. Then it’s into pajamas and bed with them. They’re spending the night here—Joseph and I are taking them fishing with us tomorrow.”

  Across the kitchen, Jake grabbed his keys. “Ready?” His expression was impossible to read.

  Juliet nodded—there really wasn’t anything she could do without insulting Alison’s kindness. “Thank you again for the lovely time.”

  Alison gave her a big hug. “We’ll see you next time.”

  Holding the possibility of another invite close, Juliet followed Jake outside to a large gray SUV with a child seat in the back. The two of them didn’t speak as he pulled out of the drive and—after getting her address—turned in the direction of her place. She found her gaze going to the house on the other side of the street. The lights were on inside, and there were people hanging out on the porch in front, beers in hand.

  From the raucous sound of things, the drinking had been going on for a while.

  “He’s going to lose his place in the squad if he keeps that up,” Jake said coolly as he drove out of the otherwise quiet suburban street. “His reflexes are already slower—you can see it when he plays. And cricket season is far from over.”

  New Zealand, Juliet knew, had a major test match coming up against archrivals Australia. “He could bounce back from the party lifestyle when he was younger.” She remembered how Reid would roll out of bed bright-eyed and energetic no matter what he’d imbibed or inhaled the night prior. “I don’t think he’s accepted that his body can’t keep on doing that indefinitely.”

  “I would’ve expected better of you, Jules. You were always smart.”

  “Thanks, Mr. No One Asked for Your Opinion.”

  Hands bone white around the steering wheel, Jake said, “Yeah, it’s not my business.” It wasn’t an apology, not even close. Especially since he followed it up with “But the guy is a total flake. What the hell did you see in him?”

  Security, love, a sense of home.

  She hadn’t known it was an illusion when she and Reid first got together, had taken his words and promises at face value. As for what he’d seen in her, looking back, it had to have been a combination of her need to give love and the fact she had no one else; Reid loved exploiting vulnerability.

  “Callie told me your family banded around you two when you found out about the pregnancy,” she said to Jake—because if he was going to ask personal questions, he had to be ready for the answers. “Each and every one ready to catch you so you wouldn’t fall.”

  A wrinkling of his brow. “Sure.”

  “Other than Callie, I’ve never had anyone who would catch me if I fell,” she said, in no mood to hold her punches. “Reid convinced me that he was going to be that person. So yeah, I was naive for falling for it, but I had my reasons. You don’t get to judge me while living in the heart of a family that will always have your back.”

  He shot her a quick glance before returning his attention to the road. “You lived with y
our aunt. I remember Calypso saying that.”

  “Let’s just say she was never meant to be a mother figure. Annnnnd that’s enough of a heart-to-heart.” Juliet turned her head to look out the window, the conversation just another reminder of the vast divide between them.

  She might have fantasies about Jake, but the reality was— “What is that abomination?” Clapping her hands over her ears, she stared at the radio he’d turned on.

  “Metal.” He nodded his head along with the screeching on the radio. “You don’t like it?”

  She was almost certain he was messing with her now, and the idea of it melted the coldness. “Sure,” she said slyly. “Let’s listen to it the whole way home.”

  Turned out Jake had ears of steel. She cracked first and changed the station. Jake’s laugh filled the car. Reaching over, she shoved his upper arm without thinking about it. Electricity zapped up her arm. Her inner lemur sat up.

  Shit.

  Juliet took to staring out the window again.

  Until at long-freaking-last, Jake headed down the lengthy drive that led to her two-bedroom unit. Set within a grouping of similar homes, it made her feel a part of something bigger than herself. Another illusion, but a harmless one she’d created for the lonely young woman who remained a part of her.

  Unclipping her seat belt as Jake brought the vehicle to a halt in front of her place, she said, “Thanks. I appreciate the ride.”

  But Jake was unclipping his own belt. “It’s not that late. I could have a quick look at your car while I’m here, then I’ll know what tools to bring to fix it.”

  Juliet tensed, but she couldn’t exactly tell him to leave without giving away the intensity of her reaction. “Sure. Let me open the garage.”

  “That’s not your car” were the first words out of Jake’s mouth as the garage door rolled back to reveal her dark blue compact. “Where’s the pink thing?”