“You could say I've never been the dutiful son. They've always had this master plan for me and I’ve never followed it. Instead I've always gone out of my way to do my own thing. The one time they got their way is when they stopped me from joining the Navy, and I've regretted it ever since,” Jake said.
Charlie kept silent as he began to explain. Somehow she knew he didn't share information this personal with everyone.
“They'd deny it but I think they wanted to turn me into a clone of Dylan. When I went to college I did everything possible to separate myself from him. Got into the club scene. Showed up with a different actress or model all the time. Hit the casinos in Vegas and Monaco. The media picked up on it and my reputation as a playboy was born.”
She didn't want to believe him. It didn't fit with the man she knew.
Perhaps seeing the uneasiness on her face, he reached for her and pulled her close again. “I didn't sleep with all of the women I took to the clubs. I just created the image to show my parents I was my own man. But the media didn't know that. And my parents saw the pictures and made their own assumptions.”
She could understand how everyone would come to that conclusion. Even she had believed that Jake was the playboy Prince Charming the media portrayed. His parents knew the real man, though, didn't they? She didn't think they would just blindly accept what the media printed about him. However, convincing Jake didn't seem likely. So instead of trying, she switched the topic back to his immediate concern.
“It still doesn't bother me. Trust me I can handle whatever she writes.” Charlie leaned in and brushed her lips against his. A delightful shiver of desire ran through her at the brief contact and every inch of her body called out for his touch. Forcing herself to go slow she ran her hands up his forearms and over his well-defined biceps before making a path down his chest. As she moved her hands over his flat stomach she felt his muscles tighten. When she reached the hem of his polo shirt, she slipped her hands under and reversed her previous path. Under her fingers she felt his muscles bunch and tense. At the same time she heard the slight change in his breathing.
With her heart hammering in her ears she pushed Jake gently to the floor of the gazebo, their earlier conversation forgotten. As they kissed she felt his hand slip under her shirt and up her spine. His hands were callused from working outside but the roughness only seemed to intensify the experience of having his hands on her body again; an experience she didn't think she would ever tire of.
Through the thick haze of desire, she heard gravel crunching under tires. As if just awakening from a dream, Charlie remembered they were in the gazebo behind her mom's bed and breakfast. Not the best place for getting up, close and personal.
“Now might be a good time to go upstairs,” Jake whispered near her ear.
She could feel his uneven breathing on her cheek and she couldn't contain a smile. She liked knowing she could affect him just as much as he did her.
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
Charlie tossed the remains of their snack into a basket. Later she would wrap the leftover blueberry turnovers. Right now her body urged her to work fast and get to a place where they could continue what they'd already started.
With everything cleaned up, Jake helped her to her feet and they sprinted toward the back door. She assumed whoever had arrived would go through the front entrance. Only family used the door that led into the kitchen. She guessed wrong though and almost collided with Sean.
Sean remained silent as he glanced from Charlie to Jake then to the basket. “Need seconds that badly?” he asked finally.
“Something like that,” Charlie answered. She sensed her brother knew exactly where they'd been heading.
“Don't let me stop you.” Without another word he walked back toward his loaded pickup truck in the driveway.
From here she couldn't tell what all the boxes in the truck contained, but she guessed it would take Sean awhile to carry them all inside by himself.
Next to her Jake let go of her hand. “Need help?” he called out as if reading her mind.
Turning around to face them again, Sean eyed Jake for a moment before answering. “If you're offering, I'm not saying no.”
Her brain knew it was the right thing to do, and if Jake hadn't offered, Sean never would've asked. Still, disappointment washed over her. Removing boxes from her brother's truck was not what her body wanted to be doing right now. It wanted to be upstairs removing Jake's clothes instead.
“The bed isn't going anywhere,” he whispered in her ear, his warm breath caressing her cheek. “Your brother and I can take care of this if you want to go in,” he added before kissing her.
“Are you sure? I don't mind.” The more people working the sooner she and Jake could continue what they started.
“Jake's right. We’ve got this. Go on in.”
“Don't say I didn't offer.” Charlie didn't have a good reason to argue with her brother so she carried the remains of their snack and went inside.
Jake watched her walk into the house then joined Sean at the back of his truck.
“Gonna be around long?” Sean asked.
“Till Monday.” Jake pulled a large box out of the truck bed.
Sean reached for another as well but didn't pick it up. “Does Charlie know about your pregnant ex? If not I suggest you tell her.”
Jake didn't miss the threatening tone of the statement. He wanted to hate the guy for it, but if the tables were reversed he could see himself doing the same thing. How many times had he done similar things on Sara's behalf? More times than he cared to count.
“I don't want her hurt. Understand? And your arm wouldn't be the first I've broken on my sister's behalf without her knowledge.”
He didn't doubt Sean could do it without breaking a sweat either. Charlie's brother reminded him of a brick wall. “She knows everything O'Brien. Just for the record it's not mine.”
“Glad to hear it,” Sean said, his voice losing its menacing tone.
If whatever existed between him and Charlie was going to continue he didn't want any bad blood between him and her family. “Are we good then? Or is this going to be a problem?”
“We're good.” Sean slapped him on the back before lifting his box and starting toward the house. “A reporter stopped at Quinn's Hardware asking questions about you,” Sean said before disappearing down the stairs around the side of the house that led into the basement.
And today just keeps getting better. “Just me?” Jake wondered if Marcy Blake made that stop before or after her stop at the Victorian Rose.
Sean dropped the case he carried and motioned for Jake to do the same. “At least while I was there she only asked about you, but I left before she did. Why?”
Jake heard a trace of the threatening tone from before return to the other man's voice, and he wondered if Charlie realized just how protective her brother could be. He doubted it.
“She stopped here this morning,” Jake said as he headed back outside.
“And Ma was a wealth of information,” Sean said before Jake could comment any further.
“You could say that.” Once again he felt guilty for dragging Charlie and her family into this new scandal.
“Leave it to her. She just doesn't know when to stop.”
The need to defend Maureen O'Brien's behavior fueled Jake's next comment. “It's not her fault. Marcy Blake could get a corpse to talk. That's why she's so good at her job.”
Sean stopped near his truck and leaned against the side. “Ma means well, but she likes to talk, always has. I hope she didn't say too much.”
“Nothing that Marcy couldn't find out from some other source.” Jake reached for another box. “But you should be prepared for other reporters if and when Marcy writes about Charlie coming to Newport with me.”
Sean groaned and pushed away from the truck. “Great. Just what we need. More chaos around here.” He pulled the next case off the tuck bed. “On second thought it might be good for busines
s,” he said after a minute. “After people read the President's son stayed here they might figure it's good enough for them too.”
Sean walked toward the house. “Hey, maybe I should put a plaque outside the room you used. Billionaire playboy Jake Sherbrooke slept here. What do you think? Maybe I could charge a premium for that room.”
Jake heard Sean laugh as he disappeared down the basement stairs. Guy's got a strange sense of humor, Jake thought following him down. “Always glad to be of service. Do you want me to sign it for you?”
“I like the way you think, Sherbrooke.”
It took a few more trips to empty the truck but eventually all the boxes were stacked in the basement.
“You want a beer?” Sean asked closing the door to the storage room in the basement behind him.
He wanted to find Charlie and pick up where they'd left off in the gazebo, but sharing that information with her brother was out of the question. “Sounds good.” Jake followed Sean to the opposite side of the basement.
“Do you play?” Sean asked as he opened the door to the refrigerator.
Since the pool table stood between them, Jake assumed Sean was referring to pool. “A little but not since college.” He accepted the ice cold bottle Sean handed him.
“I don't play much anymore either. But before we started the bed and breakfast I used to play in a league. Now I get together with a couple of guys maybe once a month to play.” Sean took a long swallow from his beer. “You up for a game?”
He doubted it would be much of a game. He'd never mastered pool, but in this instance that would be a plus since it meant the game would be over all that much sooner. Grabbing a pool stick off the wall, he approached the table. “Rack them up.”
***
Much later that evening Jake laid in bed staring at the canopy above his head. He could feel Charlie's slow even breathing next to him as she slept, and he couldn't help but marvel at how right it felt to have her by his side. A part of him wanted to press a pause button and keep them just like this forever. He'd learned a long time ago how rapidly situations could deteriorate and loathed to see that happen between Charlie and him. He didn't know how far their relationship would go, but he wasn't in any rush to see it end. Something he knew could happen if the media threw their relationship into the spotlight. While Charlie insisted she could take anything the media tossed at her, he knew from experience that it could be far worse than she imagined it.
Although if anyone could handle it, he suspected it'd be Charlie. She wasn't one to take BS from anyone, and she didn't hold anything back. If Charlie felt a certain way she let you know it.
Even though he knew she could take care of herself, that didn't stop him from considering the different ways he might be able to protect her from unwanted media attention. He figured in the worst case scenario he could hire a private body guard to keep an eye on her. His family had done it in the past before his father took office and the Secret Service became a regular part of his family's life. They'd most recently done it when Callie's identity came out. If he did hire protection, Jake knew Charlie would hate it. Not that he would blame her. There was nothing fun about having someone follow you twenty-four seven. He shuddered at the memory of what it'd been like with the Secret Service following his every move. Thankfully the only time he interacted with them now was when he saw his father.
Jake rolled onto his side so he could look at Charlie and once again he marveled at the beauty sleeping next to him. Sure he'd been with beautiful women before, but Charlie's beauty was natural. It didn't need enhancing from makeup or fancy hairstyles. With his hand he brushed a few pieces of hair off her check and tucked them behind her ear. As if dead to the world she didn't stir as he let his fingers linger on her cheek. Part of him wanted to wake her, but he held back. Instead he climbed out of bed and tossed on a pair of shorts. He knew it'd be awhile before sleep returned so he pulled out his laptop and tackled his latest emails.
Chapter 11
“I've got good news and bad news,” Jake told her over the phone one week later.
Charlie didn’t like the sound of that. In her book nothing good ever resulted when someone began a conversation that way. “Give me the good news first.” She cradled the phone against her ear as she continued to fold laundry.
“My lawyer got the ultrasound results from Blair's lawyer yesterday. Blair is 14 weeks pregnant. Her estimated conception date is in March. I was in England that entire month.”
“Sounds like great news so what's the problem?”
“She could claim she was with me. Technically we were still together then. Or she could argue it’s only an estimated date. The research I read said the technology is not one hundred percent accurate.”
Charlie didn't see his bad news as earth-shattering. There must be people in England that could confirm Blair hadn't been with him. “No, but its pretty darn good. Besides whoever you were visiting can confirm you were alone right?” Although he'd left out any names, he'd told her that he recently visited family in England during one of their conversations.
Jake remained silent on the other end of the line and a knot began to grow in Charlie's stomach. What was he hiding? Had he left out some important details when he'd told her about his trip?
“I can't. I was visiting my cousin. He was in drug rehab. If I tell the media who I was with they'll start digging and AJ's hospital stay would come out. Right now no one but me and his girlfriend know about it. He doesn't want the rest of the family to know yet.”
Charlie admired him for his sense of loyalty but didn't agree with his decision. If he could put an end to the speculation now, he should consider it. “Have you asked him?”
“Trust me, AJ can't handle it right now. I'll just have to wait it out. My lawyer is still pushing for DNA testing. Though her lawyer did suggest that she'd be willing to admit she might be mistaken in exchange for two million dollars. Apparently Blair is running a little low on funds.”
How could someone blow through the money Blair Peters made modeling?. She modeled for all the top designers as well as Victoria's Secret. Charlie didn't know what the going rate for a fashion model was, but it had to be way up there.
“For that kind of money she should come right out and tell the truth.”
“She wants to save face.”
Charlie couldn't contain her sarcastic laugh. “So it looks better to admit she was involved with two men at the same time?”
“I guess it does in her mind. Not that it matters. I'm not paying her anything.”
She still thought getting someone to verify his whereabouts during the month of March was the best solution. “Jake, maybe you should talk to your cousin. See what he says. He might surprise you.”
“What are your plans for this weekend?”
Jake's immediate switch in topics let her know he considered their previous topic closed for further discussion.
Fool. She wanted to reach through the phone and beat some sense into the man. “None, why?” she asked, choosing to take his hint and drop the subject.
“I thought we could spend it together.”
A warm sense of excitement spread through her. It occurred every time she anticipated spending time with him. And she wasn't sure she liked it. None of the men she dated in the past affected her this way, and she couldn't help but wonder if that meant her feelings toward Jake were developing into something she didn’t want to deal with. Every time they were together she tried to remind herself she wasn't looking for love. That she was only having fun with Jake. But somehow she suspected her heart was slowly getting invested in their relationship despite her efforts.
“What did you have in mind?” Charlie pushed aside worries for the moment. She could sort out her feeling later when they weren't on the phone.
“How does a weekend on Martha's Vineyard sound? I can pick you up and we can fly to the island together,” Jake said.
The worries she'd just buried exploded in her head again. How should she
interpret Jake and his actions? They never discussed an exclusive relationship, yet he treated it as one. He called almost every day. Sometimes they talked about nothing of importance. The weekend before he traveled up to see her and now he wanted to take her away. Just what was his game? Should she tell him she didn't want anything serious in her life? Or should she go with the flow and keep having fun? Eventually he would move on to someone else. She knew that like she knew the sun would rise tomorrow. So why worry about it now, right?
“It sounds nice. I've never been.” Charlie proceeded to put her clothes away while ignoring the uneasy emotions lurking just below the surface. By agreeing to go was she leading him on and giving him the wrong impression about what she wanted? If on the off chance he wanted something permanent between them, he had a right to know the truth.
Get serious. This is Jake Sherbrooke aka Prince Charming. Even if he wanted a serious girlfriend he wouldn't look at you.
Though it hurt to admit, Charlie's silent reminder to herself pushed most of her unease away. Another relaxing weekend with Jake sounded wonderful, so why should she deny herself?
“I'll take that as a yes,” Jake drawled.
Charlie closed the bureau drawer causing her reenlistment papers to scatter across the floor. She'd been prepared to fax them the day before, and then had gotten distracted. For whatever reason she'd hadn't gotten around to it yet. “You twisted my arm. I'll go with you.” She picked up the papers and put them back into their envelope.
“I knew I could convince you,” Jake replied smugly. “I'll have a car pick you up and bring you to the airport. I'll meet you there.”
***
Jake leaned back in the plush leather seat and stretched his legs out as his last conversation with his lawyer replayed in his head. He'd suggested that Jake consider paying Blair off. As much as he wanted this scandal to disappear, he refused to play her game. It now made sense why she repeatedly tried to change his mind about their relationship. She wasn't the first woman to use him for his money. Unfortunately, he didn't have another quick and easy way out of this situation. Not unless he wanted to drag his cousin into things. Charlie suggested he reconsider his decision on that front. He knew she meant well, but she didn't understand his cousin's fragile state. Even if he just announced that he'd been in England during March the media would somehow track down his exact whereabouts. They always seemed to. Once they did that, it wouldn't be hard to trace things back to AJ. He wouldn't let that happen. No one else in the family knew about AJ's problem and he'd promised to keep it that way. If it meant he had to make some sacrifices to keep his promise, oh well. Both his family and Charlie seemed willing to stick by him.
The Billionaire Playboy Page 14
