CHAPTER FIFTEEN
If it wasn’t for the dogs running around behind her, I might think I had the wrong apartment. “Sorry. I’m looking for Jake?”
“He’s not home right now,” she informs me, still studying me like I’m some species she’s never seen before.
“He … asked me to meet him here. I’m sorry, who are you?”
Her perfectly arched brows meet when she scowls. “I’m someone who’s not about to let you inside until Jake shows up and tells me it’s okay.”
Great. What is she, a detective? Somebody who’s used to interrogating people and knows how to avoid answering direct questions?
My skin crawls as this woman—tall, willowy, devastatingly beautiful—stares me down. Here I am, standing in the hallway, feeling like a total idiot, while she blocks the way into the apartment.
And where the heck is Jake?
I lick my lips, which have suddenly gone dry. “Well, he told me he’d pick up food before coming back here. I guess something must’ve held him up.”
“I guess it did.”
Darn it, that didn’t work. I hoped maybe once I confirmed what Jake’s plans were, she would come around and figure out that I must know him, that we must have made plans to meet up. No such luck. Shouldn’t I know better by now?
I’m just about to ask what gives her the right to be in Jake’s apartment when he’s not there when the elevator doors open. I could just about faint with relief when they do, especially since Jake steps out with shopping bags in both hands.
“Hey.” He grins when he sees me. A grin that dissolves when he sees who’s standing on the other side of the apartment door. “Erin? What are you doing here?”
Yes, I would like to know the answer to that question too.
I turn to her with a smile, brows lifting. How quickly the tables have turned.
“I told you, I had to come back and grab some of my things. This is the first chance I’ve had since I got back.” At least she’s gracious enough to step aside, so I can enter, followed by the man whose apartment this is in the first place.
Grab some of her things?
Oh no. Tell me this isn’t the ex-girlfriend. But I thought they broke up ages ago. Why would he still have her things?
“Great. You can leave your key, too, while you’re at it.” Jake brushes past her, heading straight for the kitchen.
It’s an open layout, meaning I can see everything he does from where I stand by the front door. The fact is, the air in the apartment is so tense, I’m not sure what I should do. So, I don’t do anything but stand there, waiting to be directed.
“Yeah, I’ll do that,” Erin mutters, pulling a ring of keys from her purse and going through them as she speaks.
“Is there anything else you need?” he asks, coming back from the kitchen and joining me. His arm slides around my waist for good measure.
I’m not dumb. I know that a big part of the reason he did that was to make sure she knows he’s not withering on the vine now that she’s gone. He wants to send a silent message that there’s somebody new in his life.
Even so, the little thrill of victory that shoots up my spine at his touch is pretty nice. It’s not my fault she is such a snooty thing.
Her gaze flits down to where his hand rests at my waist before darting back up to him. “I guess not,” she mutters, slinging her purse over one shoulder and picking up a paper bag that I assume holds whatever she came to collect.
Once she’s out in the hall and the door’s closed, Jake leans against it. “Her timing is still impeccable,” he mutters. Then, he turns to me. “I’m sorry about that. Let’s just forget that happened, okay?”
“Sure.” I shrug, though I can’t help but feel a little sideways after what I just witnessed.
Why did she still have a key? Did they really break up as long ago as he said? I can’t stop asking myself these questions even though I know it would be better to move on and act like it didn’t happen.
“Good. I brought back enough food to feed at least five people, so I hope you’re hungry.” He greets the dogs finally, and they both soak up his attention before practically tackling me to the floor. At least when he scolds them, they obey. Maybe they are trained after all.
I probably shouldn’t ask, should I? I should pretend that little bit of awkwardness didn’t happen, just like he wants me to do. It’ll only make things worse if I bring it up.
Then again, I know myself. I know I won’t be able to stop thinking about that glorious of a woman who just walked out of here.
“I’m sorry, but I have to ask. Was that your ex-girlfriend? The one you told me about?”
His shoulders slump a little. “Do we have to do this?”
“I’m not trying to do anything. I’m curious, especially since she treated me like an intruder when she opened the door.”
“That won’t happen again,” he promises. “I admit, I should’ve been more diligent when it came to getting her key back, but she was overseas for eight months on a research project.
When she came back, part of me figured it wasn’t such a bad idea for somebody else to have a key in case something happened here.
If I was stuck at the hospital and the dogs needed feeding or walking. ”
I have half a mind to remind him that there are services for situations like that. Heck, in a building like his, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had somebody on staff who could take care of those little incidents should they come up.
Either he can hear my thoughts or we’re of the same mind on this.
“I know those are just excuses,” he admits with a sigh. “It’s never an easy thing to do, cutting those last few ties. Having you here with me gave me the strength to do it, especially since I got the feeling she was being rude toward you.”
He comes to me, planting a kiss on top of my head before giving me a quick hug. “I’m sorry. Now, can we forget about her for good?”
“I look forward to it.” I smile.
After that, we take the food out to the coffee table before sinking into the big, overstuffed sofa. I guess he needs big furniture like this, being as large as he is.
“They are really well behaved,” I observe of the dogs, who sit patiently and watch as Jake unloads one container after another from the bag.
“It’s only when they get excited at being outside that they forget themselves a little,” he explains with a fond look in their direction. “That’s when they start aggressively sniffing the butts of other dogs, but you know that from having seen it for yourself.”
“Yes, I do remember that.” I also remember the terrier who humped the daylights out of his leg, but I’ll spare him the memory. “I recall almost getting my arm pulled off too.”
“You’ll get used to that. We’ll strengthen you up.”
I don’t know if he knows what he just said, whether it was a slip of the tongue or something deliberate. But he definitely made it sound like he expects me to be around for a while.
Of course, he won’t get an argument out of me if that’s the case. I want to be around. Very much.
“Jeez, were you expecting additional guests?” I ask when I finally take in the amount of food on the table.
When he suggested Chinese, it’s not like I was going to say no.
It’s probably my favorite kind of takeout.
There’s lo mein, fried rice, broccoli with garlic sauce, sweet and sour chicken, sautéed tofu with vegetables, an entire metal container of eggrolls.
“I wanted to make sure we had something you liked.” He shrugs with a sheepish little smile. “That’s all.”
I can’t help but lean in to kiss his scruffy cheek. “You’re a sweetheart.”
He smiles, leaning in like he’s about to kiss me. “So are you.”
Oh, yes. Food be damned. I’m about ready to let him lay me down on the couch and—
The sound of his stomach rumbling makes us both laugh.
“Hmm. First things first,” he mutters.
If he thinks I’m going to pig out, he’s got another thing coming. It would be one thing if I had nothing more than a nervous stomach to deal with. I mean, there’s a really good chance tonight is going to end very well—wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Anybody would be a little nervous.
On top of that, there’s the memory of what happened when I went to Blake’s apartment and had dinner before fooling around. I barely made it through the horrific embarrassment of burping like a longshoreman while we were making out.
Though I know now that I mishandled the situation and shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.
Still, I can’t think of much that’s less sexy than somebody letting out an echoing belch.
And after seeing what came before me in the form of Little Miss Erin with her raven hair and pouty lips and surgeon’s skill, it feels more important than ever to make a good impression.
I bet she never let out a belch like that during a key moment.
This is why I pick at a few different things while we watch a comedy on TV.
A nice TV, wide-screen, the picture so sharp and clear that it’s like we’re right there with the actors.
Aside from that and the elaborate game system under the TV, there really isn’t much in the apartment to give away how well-off he is.
He’s a very humble person, and like he said, his priorities have shifted.
“Are you not hungry?” he asks, noting how little I’ve taken on my plate.
“No, I am, and it’s all delicious.” I pop a piece of chicken into my mouth like that’s going to convince him. It really is good, too, perfectly crispy and not the least bit oily. I need to get the number to this place.
“Are you comfortable? Should I adjust the air-conditioning?” He even leans forward, like he’s about to get up from the couch.
I shake my head, waving him back. “I’m fine. Thank you. Everything’s great.”
Instead of relaxing against the couch cushions, which I hoped my reassurance would lead him to do, he rubs his hands over his thighs. His thick, muscular thighs. Thighs my legs have been wrapped around. Oh boy, I need to snap my attention back to the current moment.
“I just want you to be comfortable. I want you to feel at home and relaxed. It’s important to me.”
The simplicity and earnestness in his voice touches my heart in ways I can’t describe. He’s so genuine, so sweet.
And so damn sexy. Maybe even sexier because he’s so kind.
Which is why I lean forward to place my plate on the table before practically throwing myself at him.
“Whoa!” He laughs, sitting back as I straddle his lap. “What brought that on?”
“You,” I breathe, leaning down until our foreheads touch. “Just you.”
His hands slide up my back, a smile creeping over his face. “Then, I guess I have to thank myself,” he whispers before catching my mouth. His arms wrap around my back and pull me tight, practically forcing me against what’s already growing in his jeans.
Forget dinner. This is much more delicious.
He holds me in place, shifting positions until I’m on my back and he’s on top of me, and he kisses me for all he’s worth, one hand moving up and down from my shoulder to my ankle and back again.
My skin is on fire, nerves tingling, heat spreading in my core. He wants to know why I didn’t eat very much? This is why I didn’t eat very much. Because this is what I really want. For once, Kitty Valentine is going to give herself what she really wants.
Buzz! Buzz!
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jake mutters with a heavy sigh before pushing himself up on both arms so he can wiggle the phone out of his pocket. “Sorry about this.”
“No problem.” Sure, I’m lying here underneath you with my blouse practically unbuttoned and my chest heaving and my skin flushed. No problem.
Rather than tossing the darn thing aside, which I really wish he would do, he takes a look at the screen. He’s a doctor. I guess he can’t afford to disregard a random phone call. There might be an emergency someplace.
Granted, I have no idea how these things work, but I’m guessing it’s possible.
“I’m sorry. I should take this. She’s already texted, like, ten times. She’s not going to stop.”
Before I even have the chance to ask who he’s talking about, he’s off the couch and answering the call.
The man’s jeans are still tented in the front—and quite a respectable tent, I must say, the sort of tent that makes a girl wonder if she can handle everything a man is packing—but he’s answering the phone.
“What?” he barks.
And all of a sudden, I know exactly who’s on the other end. And exactly what drove her to text him so many times. And exactly why she felt the need to call him. Because she knew I would still be here, and she wanted to get in the way.
He goes to another room, closing the door, but I can still hear him arguing, even over the TV and the dogs, who are now nervously pacing back and forth, sensing Jake’s anger.
After a few minutes of this, I decide to sit up, button my shirt, and go back to eating. Romulus sits on one side, Remus on the other, and the three of us continue watching the movie while I eat to my heart’s content and occasionally give them a piece of chicken.
Why not? The mood’s been ruined, so there’s no sense in starving myself anymore.