by Sara Orwig
He held her shoulders, leaning close with his eyes blazing. “You knew they’d do that! They didn’t want this any more than I did!”
“Maybe they didn’t,” she said, stiffening and glaring back at him. “But you’ll win them over. I know you can if you want to. If money was at stake here, you’d go after it like a starving man after food.”
“I don’t want to do this!”
“You have a choice,” she came back at him. In spite of the anger flying between them, Jake’s wavy black hair fell over his forehead and he looked as desirable as ever. “Take your hands off me, Jake!” she snapped, her pulse drumming. “You’ll survive.”
His gaze lowered and he thrust her away from him, looking at her slowly from her head to her toes. His hot gaze was as tangible as a caress and she could see the change in his expression. A muscle worked in his jaw, but now desire blazed where anger had been. He looked into her eyes and she lost her breath.
“Dammit, Emily,” he said, his voice thick and husky now. Her insides tangled and knotted as her lips parted.
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No thanks to you,” he said, grinding the words out as he wound his hand in her hair and tilted her head back. “They would have beaten me to a pulp if they could have.”
“I can’t believe that! They’re nice polite boys—”
“The hell they are!” He leaned down to kiss her throat. “The deal’s off,” he said.
“If the deal’s off, I don’t stay, Jake,” she announced, closing her eyes and swaying closer. “You’ll win them over,” she said, forgetting football, kids and her bargain with Jake. “Stop kissing me,” she said in a whisper with the force of melted butter.
“You don’t mean that,” he said. “Dammit, I’m not coaching them,” he repeated, and covered her mouth before she could reply.
Why was she in his arms? Why was she kissing him in return? She’d spent the past two days furious with him. So why couldn’t she resist him the second his mouth touched hers? She’d kissed plenty of men she could resist. Why couldn’t she withstand Jake? As his arms enveloped her and he kissed her passionately, she stopped worrying about it.
How long they kissed, she didn’t know. Nor did she notice Jake unbuttoning her blouse. But when he shoved aside the silk and her bra to caress her breasts, she gasped with pleasure. It was just the jolt she needed to realize that if she didn’t stop him right away, she wouldn’t at all.
She caught his wrist. “Jake, wait,” she said, pushing against his chest and then pushing again, harder this time. When he released her slightly, she gulped for air and pulled her blouse together. Desire darkened his expression, making it more difficult for her to tell him no.
“We have an arrangement,” she said, wriggling out of his embrace and walking away from him as she swiftly buttoned her blouse.
She turned to find him aroused and looking at her with such hunger she wondered if he would try to kiss her again in spite of her protests.
“I’ll cook steaks for us,” he said. And then he left the room, slamming the door behind him.
She was startled at his abrupt departure. “I don’t want to eat dinner with you,” she said to the closed door. With shaking hands, she changed to jeans and a T-shirt as swiftly as she could. Jamming her feet into loafers, she snatched up her purse and left, hurrying downstairs to her car to drive away. She knew she should’ve just told Jake she wouldn’t eat with him, instead of running the minute his back was turned. But she was tired of Jake getting his way about everything.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, she wondered how much she would anger Jake by standing him up for dinner. She was certain that had probably never happened before in his life, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to be in his arms tonight, to battle the charm that could mesmerize and seduce her. He was probably in the outdoor kitchen now, an elegant area adjoining the back of the house that had the most elaborate barbecue she’d ever seen. Jake had radiant-heat flagstones under the veranda flagstones for when the weather turned chilly. Cool air piped out on hot nights for summer parties. He didn’t need Hubert Braden’s inheritance in the least.
She drove aimlessly for a time and then stopped to call her folks. To her delight, her father was already prepared for Sunday morning and they weren’t busy. Plus her sister and one of her brothers were there with two nieces and a nephew.
Eagerly, she climbed back in her car and headed for her parents’ house, relieved to know she would have a night away from Jake and all his manipulation.
Jake stripped down and stepped into a shower, wishing he had Emily with him, hoping the hot water would take away his aches and save him even more pain and stiffness tomorrow. He’d meant what he’d said to her. If he didn’t work out for at least an hour every day, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to crawl off that field.
Clamping his jaw closed, he stood, relishing the hot spray over his throbbing muscles while he thought about dinner with Emily. Dressed in the red silk, she had been irresistible, a tempting flame. His fury and frustration had rolled over into white-hot desire. And she had kissed him back. Her anger and her reluctance, her coldness, were shallow. He could easily get past them—he already had twice today.
His pulse sped up in anticipation of dinner with her. He dressed in charcoal slacks and a black knit shirt and strode out of his closet, glancing at his king-size bed, seeing Emily sprawled naked on it. He told himself to go slow tonight, flirt, kiss her, build the fires in her. She was too passionate to keep saying no to him.
He whistled as he combed his hair. Eagerness had him hurrying down the hall to her room. The door stood open, and he decided she must have already gone downstairs.
After searching the kitchen, the living rooms and the terraces, he looked to see if her car was in the driveway.
She was gone! Annoyed, but loath to spend the evening at the house by himself, he thought about where she could have gone. She probably went to visit her family. If she wasn’t there, he’d give up looking. But going to her family’s house might mean he could at least spend the evening with her. Her friendly family wouldn’t turn him away.
Her father answered his phone call and within a minute Jake had an invitation to join them.
Then Emily said hello and Jake could feel the chill in her tone.
“Your dad is his usual jovial self and invited me out for the evening,” Jake said.
“Jake, I intended to spend the night here by myself.”
“I miss you and told your dad I’d come out.”
“Did you hear what I just told you,” she repeated, speaking softly and he knew that she not only didn’t want him to visit, she didn’t want her family to overhear her part of their conversation.
“Maybe you’ll change your mind, Emily,” Jake replied lightly.
“Don’t. I need to go now,” she said and broke the connection.
She obviously hadn’t told her family that she and Jake were having trouble. Shortly, he was back in his car, leaving a sumptuous-looking steak in the fridge as he sped away toward her parents’ house.
By now he knew Emily’s background was modest, but in many ways more comfortable than his had been. They’d moved several times when she was growing up as her father had been assigned to different churches, but now her folks lived in Dallas in a home her father owned. Her brother, Will, and his family lived nearby, her sister, Beth, in the suburbs and the other brothers in Austin and Houston.
Jake liked her family. It was the sort he’d often dreamed about as a kid. Everyone loved each other and got along. Her three brothers had been slightly reserved at first, but it hadn’t lasted. Beth’s auburn-haired husband, Decklin, had been friendly from the start.
Jake thought about his own sister, Nina, married two years now with no children and practicing law in Florida. His mother, who lived two miles from Nina, wasn’t the grandmotherly type. He didn’t think she was waiting anxiously for either of them to give her a grandchild
.
Jake drove through the tree-lined neighborhood of two-story houses in brick and stone, finally turning at a small house where a porch light was on and cars were in the drive.
He parked, crossed the porch and strode to the front door to ring the bell. The door swung open and three kids spilled out. His pulse jumped at the sight of Emily in jeans, a navy knit shirt, her hair caught in a barrette behind her head.
Shooing the kids in and stepping outside, she pulled the door closed behind her. “Why are you here, Jake? This is the one place where I can resist your touch, so there’s not much reason for you to have come.”
“I wanted to spend the evening with you. I like your family, too,” he said, looking down into her wide blue eyes. He wondered whether she was going to send him on his way right now. He wanted to touch her, but he kept his hands to himself. “I missed you.”
Six
E mily stared at Jake in consternation even while her heart skipped beats at the sight of him. She didn’t want her parents to know yet about the rift between Jake and her or the impending end of their marriage. They would worry for the next six months, and she didn’t want that. When the time came to leave Jake, it would be over and done quickly, and they would find out. Earlier tonight, she’d confided in her sister about her failing marriage, but Beth would keep the news to herself.
In the meantime, Emily knew she had to be pleasant to Jake and let him in the house, even though she would like to close the door in his handsome face.
“I wanted to be with you, Emily,” he repeated when she stared at him in silence.
“Please, Jake—when you’re absorbed in your own problems and earning more money, you don’t mind being away from me.” She glanced over her shoulder and then back. “You’re here, so come in for a while.”
Inside, she occasionally thought about the difference between Jake’s lavish homes and her parents’ simpler one. She inhaled the smells of hot bread and the tangy aroma of beef and barbeque that pervaded the entire house. “We’ve eaten already,” she said. She was interrupted by her mother who appeared with a smile, coming forward to give Jake a hug. Emily watched while her family poured out to greet him.
They had always teased her because she was the reserved one in the family. Her ruddy-cheeked father had a smile for everyone, and her mother was full of hugs for friends and family. Beth took after her mother, and her brothers were like her father. Emily was the only one who stood back and observed the world quietly. She had been teased about it all her life, but that was her nature and she was comfortable with it.
She watched her family greet Jake. Her five-year-old niece, four-year-old niece and three-year-old nephew said a quick hello and ran off to play. She’d noticed that children paid little attention to Jake and he didn’t give heed to them. From the start she had wondered what kind of father he’d make, but now she knew that his anticipation of fatherhood had been backed by a goal that had nothing to do with his love for children.
Her father and brother, Will, whisked Jake off to the family room while she returned to the kitchen to help clean up.
Later the family settled in the living room to play a game of cards. She held her sleepy nephew, Sean, on her lap and wondered whether Jake was letting others win. Jake was the most competitive person she’d ever known and she was certain he was holding himself in check. As usual, he’d turned on the charm and her family was entranced.
By eleven her father announced that he had to turn in. Emily glanced at Jake. “I’ll see you to the door, Jake,” she said, standing.
“Nonsense!” her mother exclaimed. “Emily! We’re not sending Jake home at this hour. Jake, you’ll stay, won’t you? Both of you, stay and join us for Sunday dinner after church tomorrow.”
“Mom, Jake and I aren’t dressed for church,” Emily cut in quickly before Jake could answer.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” her mother said. “You look nice. It’s still warm out and some people dress casually. Besides, I can loan you a skirt and blouse if you like. Both of you are fine.”
“Thanks, Bea,” Jake said easily. “I’d love to join the family and hear Al’s sermon.”
“Then it’s settled,” her mother said, smiling and gathering up cards while Beth took Sean from Emily’s arms.
“As soon as I put him down, let’s have hot chocolate before Decklin and I have to hit the road,” Beth suggested. Frustrated and angry with Jake for intruding, Emily was willing to do anything to put off the moment she had to go to her small bedroom where they usually shared a double bed. Soon her sister would leave and her brother, too, would gather up his brood and go. If she and Jake didn’t share the same bedroom tonight and her mother or her father discovered it, there would be endless questions she didn’t want to answer. Better at this point to deal with Jake than her parents. She looked at him, meeting his gaze and wondering what he was thinking. He arched one dark eyebrow and she looked away.
It was one in the morning when they finally went to the small bedroom she’d shared with her sister years earlier. She wondered what Jake really thought about her family. He was always charming and polite. He’d given them some lavish gifts, including a new car for her parents, and she had to admit that Jake had poured money into her father’s mission projects. Yet now she felt everything Jake had done had an ulterior motive, each bringing him one step closer to a huge inheritance.
The small bedroom seemed claustrophobic, and Jake dominated it as he closed the door and turned to study her. “The house was empty without you.”
“Oh, please, Jake,” she said.
She looked at the bed. It seemed postage-stamp size now. In the past, Jake had filled it with his feet hanging off. “I’m not getting into that bed with you,” she said softly.
He shrugged and glanced around. “Suit yourself, but there isn’t much space anywhere else to sleep. What if I promise to stay on my side?”
“I know how long that would last,” she grumbled, looking around the tiny bedroom. It held a desk with a straight chair that was definitely not conducive to sleep. There was little space on the floor. A dresser almost covered one wall. Night tables flanked the bed. An old television on a table stood in one corner, an addition long after she and her sister had moved away from home. A bookshelf took a lot of space. She didn’t want to get into bed with Jake, but she didn’t seem to have a choice.
She glanced at him as he tugged his shirt out of his pants. Muscles rippled in his back when he pulled off the shirt, tossed it on a chair and turned to face her. She tried to keep her gaze off his broad chest.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Stripping down for bed. I’m not sleeping in my clothes and then going to church in them.”
“I’ll bet you’ve never gone to church in a sports shirt like that in your life.”
“Your mom said it was fine.”
“You know you’re just doing this to aggravate me,” she said. She could see amusement dancing in his eyes. He unbuckled his belt and pulled it off.
“Don’t you dare get naked.”
“I wouldn’t think of it,” he said, looking as if biting back laughter. He eyed her. “As pretty as you look, don’t you want to take off your clothes so they’ll be presentable for church?”
“I’m not taking off my clothes and getting into bed with you,” she flung at him as he stepped out of his trousers. Her pulse was jumping, speeding up with each garment he shed.
“Scared?” he asked softly. “Scared of what I’ll do? Or are you afraid of what you’ll do, Em?” he asked in a husky voice. He turned to look in the small closet for a hanger for his trousers. He was down to briefs, which hid little, and her mouth went dry. She was hot and the air in the room had vanished. She could barely breathe. He was taunting her.
“Jake, you know exactly what you’re doing,” she said in a low voice. His back was to her and her gaze ran over his muscles, his narrow waist, his tight bottom and long muscled legs. She saw two big bruises on his arm and shou
lder and wondered if that was from the football. She whirled around, wiping her brow and breathing as if she’d run a marathon.
“Do you care which side of the bed you have?” he asked and this time she could clearly hear the amusement in his voice.
She clenched her fists. “No, dammit!” she flung at him, trying to figure out what to do. She could hear him rustling covers and tried to avoid imagining his muscled length stretched out between the sheets in her old bed, laughing and waiting for her to join him.
“I’d forgotten some of the definite advantages of a small bed,” he said smugly.
Turning, she left the room and shut the door, hurrying to see if her mother was still up and she could borrow a robe. No light showed beneath her parents’ bedroom door and she closed her eyes in frustration, then turned to go search the empty bedrooms. The closets were filled with scrapbooks, tools, all sorts of things. But no clothing.
She looked under the white chenille bedspread in one bedroom and in another at a second bare mattresses beneath a quilt, ready for clean sheets when someone came home for the night. She returned to yank off the chenille bedspread.
She took off her T-shirt and jeans and wrapped herself in the bedspread, giving the empty bed a longing look. But she didn’t want to raise questions with her parents. Reluctantly, she returned to her room.
Jake was stretched out in bed, a sheet over his lower extremities, his bare chest and muscled stomach showing. He had his hands behind his head and a smile on his face that broadened when she appeared. “I thought perhaps you’d abandoned me for the night, but I’m happy to see you prefer my company to sleeping alone. And I do like your…whatever it is.”
“Stop ogling me. I came back here so I wouldn’t get a barrage of questions from my parents or get them worrying about our marriage. Time enough for that later,” she added darkly, glaring at him. He had scooted to the far side of the bed and had a small night-light turned on. She switched off the overhead light.
