Between the Lines

by Angela Benson

  She and Jake were a little more circumspect. But barely. For the fast dances, she did force Jake to put a few inches between them. The slow dances were torture.

  “I must be losing my touch,” Jake whispered in her ear, his breath on her skin adding to the erotic haze she now found herself in.

  She didn’t understand what his comment meant. How could he think he was losing his touch? Their bodies were pressed so close that neither of them were able to move a muscle without the other feeling the full effects of it.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked when she didn’t respond.

  She shook her head, too weary at her lack of self-restraint this entire weekend to even speak.

  “Want me to tell you what I’m thinking?”

  She grunted and pressed her face closer to his chest. “I can guess.”

  He chuckled. “But I want to tell you.”

  She gathered the material of his shirt in her hands. “Jake . . .”

  “I want to see your eyes widen when I make love to you,” he murmured. “Did you know you did that?”

  Eleanor swallowed. Hard. That warm feeling that had been with her since Jake had entered her cottage yesterday got warmer. “Then I want to hear your whimpers of pleasure as I—”

  “Don’t,” she pleaded, pulling away from him and running from the dance floor.

  Jake rushed after her but she thwarted his efforts when she entered the ladies’ room.

  A couple of minutes later, Megan stormed in.

  “What’s wrong with you? Jake’s hovering outside that door like he’s going to break it down.”

  Eleanor buried her face in her hands and tried to shake off the emotions she was feeling. It didn’t work. When she dropped her hands, the feelings were still there.

  “What’s wrong?” Megan asked again.

  “Nothing. Everything.” Eleanor dropped down on the plaid plastic settee.

  “Did he say something to hurt your feelings?” Megan asked, her voice full of concern.

  Eleanor shook her head slowly and extended her hand to her friend. How could she explain what Jake did to her?

  Megan took her hand and sat next to her. “Want to talk about it?”

  “There aren’t enough hours in the day.”

  Megan settled back on the settee. “I’ve got nothing but time.”

  “What about Carl? I don’t think you two have been apart for this long since you’ve been together.”

  “He’s all right. Anyway, I think he has his hands full with Jake.” She brushed a wayward strand of hair from Eleanor’s face. “If I hadn’t come up when I did, I’m sure he’d be in here by now.”

  “What’s with him, Megan?” Eleanor asked, truly bewildered by her actions and his.

  “He’s falling in love.”

  “In lust, maybe,” Eleanor muttered.

  Megan shrugged. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

  “That’s what it is,” Eleanor declared. “Strong, strong lust.”

  “And great, great sex,” Megan finished for her.

  Eleanor laughed and some of the weight she’d been carrying feel away. “Extraordinary sex.”

  “So, what’s the problem?”

  The problem was that Eleanor feared she was feeling something much more than lust. Much, much more.

  Carl reached across the table and stopped the glass that Jake put to his lips. “Drinking is not going to help.”

  Jake shook off his hand. He needed something, and though he knew it wasn’t a drink, a drink was all he had. “It might.”

  “I don’t know, man. You might regret this drinking later on tonight, if you know what I mean.”

  Jake placed the glass on the table. “It probably won’t matter.”

  “Then why did you put the glass down?”

  Jake ran a finger around the top of his glass. “Why do women play with a man’s mind? Just tell me that.”

  Carl chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “Is that women in general or one, stubborn, know-it-all woman, in particular?”

  Those words made Jake smile. “One stubborn, know-it-all woman who’s also the sexiest, most desirable, and most giving woman I’ve ever met.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “What?”

  “Sounds like you’ve got a bad case of—”

  Jake lifted a hand. “Don’t even say it. Don’t even think it.”

  Carl ran a finger down the side of Jake’s drink glass. “They say the denial stage is first.”

  “I’m not denying anything.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do.”

  “Okay.”

  “You don’t believe me?” Jake asked.

  Carl leaned forward and rested his forearms and elbows on the table. “I’ve been there, man. You can run, but believe me, you cannot hide.”

  “Well, I’m not running and I’m definitely not looking to hide.”

  “Uh-huh,” Carl said. “So what happened with Eleanor?”

  Jake shrugged. If he knew the answer to that, he wouldn’t be sitting at this table dying to take a drink he didn’t even want. “You tell me. You’re the expert with women.”

  “My guess is, you and she are suffering from the same problem.” Jake didn’t have to ask what the problem was. The word love had crossed his mind more than a few times in the last thirty-six hours. Usually it was preceded by making, as in making love. But there were a couple of times the lone word formed itself in his mind. “You think so, huh?”

  “I think so.”

  Eighteen

  Jake took Eleanor’s key and unlocked her door.

  “You don’t have to do this, Jake,” she said, wishing he had allowed Carl and Megan to drive her home. She needed to get away from him. Their one night of do-it-and-get-it-over sex had turned into two days of glorious passion that would forever change her life. “I assure you I’ve been letting myself in for a while now.”

  He stared at her and pushed the door open. “Go in, Eleanor.”

  Eleanor sidestepped him and entered the house, stopping just across the threshold. “Well, thanks for a nice evening.”

  “A nice evening?” Jake practically yelled at her. “Is that all this was for you—a nice evening?”

  No, it was much, much more than that to her, but she couldn’t tell him that. He might want a summer affair, but she didn’t. Her heart was already too involved. “There’s no need to yell. I can hear.”

  “What’s going on, Eleanor?” he asked, his voice a sensual whisper that caressed her skin as his hands had done earlier.

  She grasped the doorknob tighter. “Nothing’s going on. I’m tired and I want to get some sleep.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t want to leave.”

  Why was he making this so difficult? she wondered. Men with lesser egos would have taken a graceful exit at her sleep line, but not Jake. “Why do you want to stay?”

  He leaned against the doorjamb. “I like being with you.”

  Heaven help her, her knees went weak. “You mean, you like sleeping with me.”

  “That, too.”

  She cleared her throat. She wasn’t going to let him work his magic on her again. She knew it wouldn’t take much for him to get back in her bed. She hated the weakness in her that made that true. “That’s not enough.”

  He stood up straight and pulled his hands out of his pockets, all attempts at casualness gone. “What do you want from me?”

  Everything. “Nothing.”

  He put his hands back in his pockets. “Nothing?”

  “Look, Jake. We had a nice time. More than a nice time. But it’s over. Let’s not make more of it than it was. You wanted me. I wanted you. We both got what we wanted. Let’s leave it at that.”

  “That’s it?”

  She nodded, then watched the play of emotions in his face. Anger and frustration reigned. “Okay, then that’s the w
ay it’ll be. See ya.” He turned and made his way up the path to the main house.

  Eleanor closed the door and leaned back against it. He was gone and she was glad. Nothing could become of them anyway. Jake was a big-city man with big-city plans. She was content in her small town working for her newspaper. She had been right to turn him away.

  She dropped her purse on the couch and began shrugging out of her clothes. She was naked when she reached her bedroom and collapsed on the bed.

  The feel of the fabric of the comforter against her naked skin sent shock waves through her. It was as if Jake had touched her skin. She jumped up from the bed and grabbed her robe, quickly sliding it on. She collapsed on the bed again, still thinking about Jake. He’d invaded her body, her mind, and her life.

  And he’d taken away her comfort in her own body.

  Damn Jake Mason.

  ***

  Jake made his way up the path and into the main house, all the while thinking about the thirty-six hours he’d spent in Eleanor’s arms. He couldn’t be angry with her, because he understood her. He’d known it would be different with her. He’d been right. Though she hadn’t said it, he knew she didn’t want an affair; no, Eleanor wanted a relationship.

  “Hi there, Jake,” Mathias called when Jake reached the stairway leading up to his bedroom.

  Jake turned and faced Mathias, who stood in the doorway of his office. “Hello, sir. How are you doing?”

  “Fine. Fine. What have you been up to?”

  For a split second, Jake thought Mathias knew exactly what he’d been up to. “Nothing much. Enjoying Lamar.”

  Mathias nodded. “So I see. You didn’t come home last night.”

  Jake searched Mathias’s eyes, but found no guile in them. “No, sir. I didn’t. That’s not a problem, is it?”

  Mathias pulled off his glasses, took a white handkerchief from his jacket pocket, and wiped the lens. “No, that’s not a problem. I was a little worried though.”

  Jake was immediately sorry for his suspicions. “I’m sorry about that, Mathias. I’m not used to having someone worry about me and my hours. You know, Eleanor may have been right. Maybe I need my own place.”

  “Nonsense,” Mathias said quickly. He put his glasses back on. “That won’t be necessary.” He walked over and put an arm around Jake’s shoulder. “I’m not going to put a cramp in your style.”

  Jake turned and allowed Mathias to lead him up the stairs. “That’s not it, Mathias. I need some privacy.”

  Mathias dropped his arm. “Privacy, huh? I guess that means you’ve found yourself a lady friend.”

  Jake studied the older man’s profile. He had the sneaking suspicion that Mathias did know about his evening with Eleanor. “Well, you could say that.”

  “Mind if I ask who the lucky young lady is?”

  Jake was grateful they had reached the top of the stairs. Now, he needed to escape to his room. “I don’t know if giving her name would be very chivalrous of me, Mathias,” Jake answered, praying Mathias would let it rest.

  Mathias nodded. “I see.”

  Jake sensed the older man wanted a response from him, but he didn’t have one to give him. “I guess I’ll say good night.”

  “Good night,” Mathias said, but he kept standing there as though he was waiting for Jake to say something more.

  “Good night,” Jake said again and reached for his doorknob.

  As Jake stepped into his room, Mathias asked, “This woman. Do you have feelings for her, Jake?”

  Jake turned around and met Mathias’s stern gaze. The older man did know he had spent the last evening with Eleanor. “Yes, sir,” he answered in earnest. “I care a lot about her.”

  Mathias nodded, apparently accepting the truth in Jake’s words. “That’s good, Jake. That’s very good. I’ll see you in the morning, son.”

  Jake watched Mathias travel down the hall to his bedroom and close the door, then he entered his own room.

  Mathias knew Jake was sleeping with Eleanor. Jake was sure of it. And Mathias was upset about it. Jake was also sure of that. He couldn’t blame the man.

  Jake cursed himself. He’d known when he moved in here that starting something with Eleanor would cause problems. He’d thought it wouldn’t become an issue, but it had.

  He had to make a decision. He had to move out of Mathias Sanders’s house or he had to stop thinking about Eleanor. Jake leaned back on the bed. He’d start looking for a place tomorrow.

  ***

  Mathias sat in the rocking chair in the corner of his room. He called the chair his thinking chair. The chair had been Barbara’s idea. This was where either of them sat when they needed to sort out a serious problem or if they were trying to find a solution to a tough situation.

  Well, he was in a tough situation tonight. He knew Jake and Eleanor had spent last night and most of today together. He wasn’t naive enough to think they’d been playing chess.

  He got up from the chair, sat on the side of the bed, picked up his telephone, and dialed Eleanor’s number.

  “Hello,” she mumbled.

  “Hi, sweetheart. Were you asleep?”

  “No, Daddy. I was just lying here.”

  He knew she was trying to mask the sadness in her voice, but he heard it and pain wrenched in his gut. “Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, her voice a little stronger. “How are you doing? I haven’t seen you in a day or so.”

  “Fine. Fine.”

  He was silent.

  “Did you want something special Daddy?”

  He wanted to make all her hurt go away as he had done when she was a child. That was his job as her father. But he couldn’t do it this time. What hurt most was that he had caused her pain. “No, I didn’t want anything.”

  “Okay, I think I’ll hang up then. I’m getting sleepy.”

  “Eleanor?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I love you.”

  He heard her smile.

  “I know you do. I love you, too.”

  “Good night, daughter,” he said and hung up the phone. He dropped his head in his hands. What have I done to my baby? he asked himself.

  The phone rang and Mathias considered ignoring it, but he picked it up. It was Randolph.

  “He had sex with her,” Mathias declared.

  “Great!” Randolph exclaimed. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

  “Have you lost your hearing, Randolph?” Mathias said in clipped tones. “I said your son had sex with my daughter.”

  “I heard what you said, Mat, but I don’t know what your problem is.”

  “My problem is that your son had sex with my daughter,” Mathias repeated, his voice rising. “Our plan was for them to get married.”

  “Aw, come off of it, Mat. That’s the way things work these days. First, sex, then marriage.”

  “I haven’t heard your son say anything about marriage.”

  “Give them time. Don’t forget your daughter is twenty-eight, not thirteen.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Mat shouted.

  “Calm down, Mat. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “Then why did you say it?”

  “You talk about them like they’re teenagers. They’re adults, Mat. Don’t forget that.”

  Mathias wrapped the phone cord tight around his wrist. If he was a drinking man, he’d be drunk by now. “She’s my baby, Randolph. She’s no match for a playboy like Jake.”

  “Are you saying Jake took advantage of her?”

  “You said it. I didn’t.”

  “Maybe you got it wrong and your little girl seduced my boy.”

  “Get serious, Randolph.”

  “I am serious.”

  Mathias took a deep breath. This discussion wasn’t getting them anywhere. “Look, I don’t want to talk about this now. My little girl is hurting and your son is to blame. You’d better hope thi
s scheme of ours doesn’t blow up in our faces. Because if it does, you and your son will have to deal with me.”

  Nineteen

  “They can’t do this,” Eleanor exclaimed. “They can’t do it.”

  Jake leaned back in his chair, determined not to be moved by the nervous motion of her tongue licking her lips. “They already did it.”

  “But how could they?”

  Jake propped his legs on his desk and crossed his arms across his stomach. “Let’s see. They probably made reservations. Drove to the airport. Got on the plane.”

  She rolled her eyes and sat on the edge of her desk facing him. “It’s not funny. What am I going to do without Carl? You know he’s our top reporter.”

  “If the loss of one man makes your paper fall apart, you’ve got more problems than Mason Publishing anticipated and we’re going to have to reconsider our deal.”

  Eleanor smiled for the first time since she’d learned Carl and Megan had hopped a plan to the Caribbean for a couple of weeks. “Well, at least that would be one good thing to come out of this mess.”

  Jake dropped his legs from the desk. “There’s no need to get nasty. Carl and Megan left. I’m still here.”

  I’m still here. The words repeated themselves over and over in Eleanor’s mind. I’m still here. “Does that mean you’re going to take over Carl’s assignments?”

  “Carl and I talked about it.”

  Eleanor’s eyes widened and she gave him an accusing stare. ‘You’ve talked to Carl?”

  “Yes.”

  “When?” she said, her voice rising.

  He knew she wasn’t going to like his answer. “Now, don’t get all upset—”

  “When?” she demanded.

  “I spoke with him yesterday.”

  “Yesterday?”

  “Yesterday.” Jake had spent a rainy Sunday hanging around Carl’s apartment with him and Megan. They’d tried to con Eleanor into coming over but she’d rejected the invitation. Jake knew she was thinking about that now.

  “Nobody thought I needed to know?”

  Jake dropped his gaze to his hands, which were folded on his chest. “It came up suddenly. One minute we were talking and the next minute Megan was on the phone making reservations.”