Baby, Don't Lose My Number: Fated, Book 2

by Karen Erickson

  She actually blushed. And she still hadn’t released his hand. “I need it for work. My boss calls me a lot.”

  “Larry?” His brows rose at her shocked expression. “When I answered your call I couldn’t help but see the text notices from him.”

  “Oh, yeah. Larry. He’s my boss.” She finally let go of his hand.

  “What boss calls you on a Friday night?” She didn’t look like the workaholic type though now that he could check her out more closely he realized not a hair was out of place. Her clothes were immaculate, no wrinkles, no smudges, everything…perfect.

  He had the sudden urge to mess her up. Undo the ponytail and run his fingers through her hair. Kiss that pretty mouth until her lips were swollen and red. Smooth his hands over the front of her tank top until the hem lifted a little bit, revealing a slice of bare, soft skin.

  His cock twitched eagerly at the thought.

  “He’s a very busy man,” she explained, her voice hesitant. “Something’s always going on, and I need to be on call to assist him however I can.”

  And now it sounded as if she were making excuses for her boss. Not that it was any of his concern. “Well, glad I could help out.”

  “You did. Help me out, that is.” She grinned and the sight of it dazzled him. Her pink cheeks, the straight white teeth, her lush mouth and summer blue eyes…shit.

  She was hot. And he could see himself with this woman. Holding her, kissing her, burying himself deep inside her…

  “Nice meeting you.” He was reluctant to let her leave but what could he say? Hey, call me sometime? Let’s go out? Can I take you home and get you naked?

  His skills were slipping. Too many years working too damn hard did that to a guy.

  “It was nice meeting you too.” Her gaze slid over to where Krista stood. “I’ll let you get back to your girlfriend.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend.”

  Mia’s mouth dropped open in surprise but then she immediately closed it. “She’s not?’

  He shook his head. “She’s my little sister.”

  “Oh.” She studied him for a moment, a slight smile curving her mouth once more. “And you went to a sappy romantic comedy with her?”

  Jake shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a nice brother.”

  “Yes, you really must be.” A passerby jostled her, and she took a wobbly step forward, diving practically into his chest. He grabbed her by the arms and righted her, his fingers tightening automatically. As if they didn’t want to let her go.

  “Careful,” he murmured, his gaze dipping to her mouth. He stifled a groan when he caught a glimpse of the swift swipe of pink tongue across her lips.

  “Thank you.” She slowly withdrew from his hold, her voice shaky. “I need to go back to my friends.”

  “I need to take my sister home.”

  “Bye.” She turned on her wedge-heeled foot and started for the restaurant that sat across from the movie theater.

  “Hey.” Ah, what the hell, he needed to take a chance. Couldn’t remember the last time he did that and it was about time he returned to the land of the living. He couldn’t wimp out now, not over a woman.

  Mia stopped and glanced at him over her shoulder, an expectant look on her face.

  “Call me sometime.” He winced. Did that sound like a jackass comment or what?

  “You didn’t give me your number,” she replied.

  “Check your contact list.” He smiled and waved as she grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts.

  “You put your number into my phone?” She glanced up at him, her brows furrowed in confusion. A little crease formed between her brows as well, and he thought it was kind of cute.

  “I thought it wouldn’t hurt.” He shrugged.

  Now she glared at him, her expression wary. “Are you a player or what?”

  “Not even.” He might’ve been when he was younger, but that was a long time ago. He was almost thirty, and his player days were long over.

  “You don’t know me. You didn’t know what I looked like when you put your number into my phone,” she pointed out rather logically.

  “I liked your voice.” Jake shrugged. He spoke the truth.

  Mia shoved the phone in her purse as she fully faced him. “What?”

  “I said I liked your voice.” He couldn’t believe they were having this conversation as a constant stream of people passed between them.

  “Oh.” She blushed again, he could tell even with the short distance between them. “You want me to call you.”

  “I definitely want you to call me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I want to ask you out.”

  “On a date?” She also looked damn cute when she wrinkled her nose.

  “Yeah,” he answered slowly, nervous when he noticed his sister ending her conversation. He really didn’t want to do this in front of Krista. “Call me tomorrow and let’s get together.”

  “I don’t even know you.”

  “We could get to know each other.”

  She went silent, and he felt Krista’s presence as she slowly approached. Maybe he shouldn’t have done this after all. If she turned him down he’d feel like an ass.

  “Okay,” she finally said with a little nod. “I’ll call you.”

  “You promise?”

  Mia smiled, the sight of it like a zing of electricity straight to his dick. Thank God for baggy cargo shorts. “I promise.”

  Without another word she turned and headed toward the restaurant, easily becoming swallowed by the crowd. He stared at her retreating back, long enough to get an appreciative look at her tight ass.

  “You hot for Ms. BlackBerry or what?” Krista teased.

  Jake started for the parking garage, and she immediately followed. “Maybe.”

  “Good.”

  He stopped and stared at his sister. “Why do you say that?”

  “You’ve been home for almost a month, and you haven’t done hardly anything.”

  “I’m catching up on sleep.” It was an excuse, and he knew she knew it.

  “Your friends call, and you don’t call them back. Then they call me and complain.” Krista always liked getting right to the point. “It’s nice to see you interested in someone of the female persuasion. I thought you might’ve lost your mojo.”

  Jake gave her shoulder a little shove. “You know nothing about my mojo.”

  “I know you’ve been isolating yourself, and it worries Mom.” Krista smiled. “She’ll be thrilled to hear you flirted with a pretty girl.”

  “Don’t tell her anything,” he muttered, pulling the keys to his truck out of his pocket when he spotted it up ahead.

  “I’m going to tell her everything.” Krista laughed. “Jakey’s in love,” she sing-songed.

  “Brat.” He wasn’t in love. But he could admit he was in lust.

  Serious lust.

  Chapter Two

  Warm, slightly rough hands touched her, cupping her breasts. Mia arched into those big hands with a low moan, tendrils of heat curling throughout her body. Warm lips brushed her flesh in a shower of kisses, the velvety swipe of a tongue across her nipple made her pussy clench and she reached out. Her hands settled on the man’s head, fingers threading through silky soft hair.

  She couldn’t remember ever being touched like this, kissed like this. Or feeling like this. Aroused, edgy with need, frustrated. He teased, he tormented and when her eyes flew open she found herself staring into Jake’s beautiful green eyes.

  His hand slid down to cup her between her legs. His fingers slipped between the swollen lips of her sex and she cried out. She was wet, almost embarrassingly so but he smiled, looking pleased.

  Very pleased.

  And then he was above her, his thick cock pressing into her and she went with it. Didn’t protest, whimpered for more, really, and he gave her what she wanted. He slammed deep within her so forcefully she lost her breath.

  Lost her damn mind.

  “Jake
,” she whispered, her fingernails raking down the smooth contour of his muscled back. God, he was huge. Everywhere. And she was having sex with him. He was inside her body, and it felt so good surely she must be dreaming.

  Mia frowned. Heard the beep of her cell phone indicating she had a text message and she groaned.

  “Yeah, baby, you feel so good,” Jake whispered roughly in her ear right before he licked her neck.

  She shivered. Loved it when a man paid particular attention to her neck and he did just what she wanted. Because he was her perfect dream lover and, oh yeah, there was no way this was real. No way at all.

  Mia’s eyes flew open, and she stared at the ceiling, frustration vibrating throughout her body. God, she’d never had such a graphic dream before. Ever. Especially with some guy she didn’t even know. But she wanted to know him. Bad.

  Her phone beeped again, and she glanced at the clock. It wasn’t even seven a.m. It had to be Larry. He even interrupted her dreams.

  Growling, Mia punched her pillow and rolled over onto her side. She was going to sleep in if it was the last thing she did.

  Mia clutched her cell phone in both hands, her fingers flying over the keyboard. Yet another message from Larry asking for the status of a report she’d been working on this last week. She knew for a fact she’d emailed him Friday afternoon before she left work with a status update.

  Sometimes she swore he kept in contact with her through the weekend just to keep her on her toes. She constantly felt like she repeated herself to him.

  Her phone beeped yet again, and she checked her messages. Another one from Larry, this time he invited her to come over to his house for a Sunday afternoon barbeque. The very last thing she wanted to do. Then he’d ask where her boyfriend was and she’d have to come up with some sort of excuse. His snotty wife would shoot her a look of fake sympathy, and Larry would secretly leer at her.

  Why did she work for this guy again? Because she loved her job? No, not really. She’d been lying to herself for months. The economy was crap, and it was scary to look for something else.

  So she silently suffered. Had such a lacking life that she made up boyfriends, for the love of God.

  She was really pitiful.

  Unable to help herself she scrolled through her contact list after sending the quick text back to her boss saying she might have plans on Sunday but thanks for the invite. Stopped when she came across the name Jake, selected it so that his number flashed on the screen, big and bold and taunting her.

  Her dream came back to her in all its full, X-rated glory. Her cheeks actually heated with embarrassment at the memories. Rather unfortunate her dream had been interrupted. Rather telling that the one who interrupted was Larry and his constant texting.

  How many times had she done this very thing today? Thinking of the dream, looking at Jake’s name in her contact list. Too many to count that was for sure. Not like the guy was waiting for her call. Someone as gorgeous as Jake, her BlackBerry savior, had to have women lined up for miles, eager for a chance to get close to him. He probably already had a hot Saturday night date planned. Some bimbo with huge boobs who knew how to bat her eyelashes at him and give good blowjobs.

  Not that Mia didn’t know how to give a blowjob, she did, but she’d never been praised for her skills in bed.

  Rolling her eyes, she cleared her phone screen and tossed it onto the couch cushion next to where she sat. A few minutes with a handsome man and now she thought about blowjobs. What the hell was wrong with her? Her cheeks warmed when she remembered the way her friends questioned her last night. It hadn’t taken much for them to get her to admit just how good-looking Jake had been. And how he’d asked her to call him.

  They both encouraged her to do so, especially Morgan. She’d already texted Mia twice today threatening her with bodily harm if she didn’t do it. Mia had laughed it off, but Morgan was tough. Mia would have to endure an endless stream of nagging if she didn’t go through with the call.

  The thought of that alone had her grabbing her phone and once again scrolling through the contact list. Her stomach jumped with nerves, and she inhaled deeply, searching for courage. She rarely called guys. Always waited for them to call her. She told herself she preferred a traditional approach to men and dating and relationships.

  It was better than admitting she was a complete wimp.

  Mia tucked a stray hair behind her ear, recalling her brief interaction with Jake. When she saw him in the distance and how he first noticed her, she knew without a doubt he was the one with her phone. Her heart had started beating triple time because the man looked like he walked right off the cover of a magazine entitled Hot Guy Just for You.

  Not that the magazine existed but she hadn’t been able to stop staring, he was that good looking. Short, golden brown hair cropped close, tall, broad-shouldered and positively bulging with muscles. Clad in a faded T-shirt and baggy shorts, the clothes hadn’t been able to conceal the sheer size of him. He was huge.

  She was no delicate flower, and he made her feel downright dainty.

  He’s interested, she told herself as she clutched the phone. He wants you to call. You don’t call and he’ll forget about you and you’ll regret it forever.

  Determination filling her, she hit the send button and brought the phone to her ear with trembling fingers. It rang once, twice, three times and she pressed her lips together, her finger hovering over the end button. Would she look stupid with a hang-up call? Or even more stupid leaving a voice mail?

  The fourth ring and he answered, his delicious voice sending a shiver down her spine. “Hello.”

  A combination of relief and nervousness flooded her system and she cleared her throat like an absolute twit. “Hi, Jake, this is uh, Mia.”

  “Mia.” His voice deepened, warm like honey, as if he were pleased she called. “I didn’t think you’d call.”

  “I didn’t think I’d call either,” she admitted.

  He chuckled, the sound of it doing weird things to her already twisted up stomach. “I like your honesty.”

  “I’m not the type who calls guys first.”

  “So, I’m pushing you out of your comfort zone?”

  “Definitely.” And he sounded awfully pleased over it too.

  “So, why am I the exception?”

  He would have to ask her an embarrassing question like that right at the beginning of their conversation. “Maybe because you told me to call you?”

  Now he full on laughed. It was a nice one, the sound of it warming her deep inside. “Have you had a good day?”

  Not really. She’d slept in, lain around in bed and watched a cheesy Lifetime movie, then worked on a letter Larry had requested be ready first thing on Monday. Dealt with his text messages and emails, dealt with Morgan’s text messages and avoided a call from her mother.

  Just another normal Saturday with one exception—the very phone call she happened to be on.

  “It was all right,” she answered vaguely. “How about you?”

  “Nothing too exciting going on—” he paused, “—until you called.”

  Her skin heated at his words. “You, uh, said you wanted to get together? Maybe?” Nice self-confidence, dork.

  “I want to take you to dinner.” His voice lowered even more; she wasn’t sure how that was possible and God, it rippled over her nerve endings, sending delicious little tingles across her skin. “How does seven sound?”

  “Tonight?” she squealed, immediately clearing her throat. She sounded absolutely ridiculous. Like no one had ever asked her out on a date.

  “Yeah, tonight. Unless you have other plans?”

  “Umm, nothing I can’t postpone,” she said, purposely vague.

  “So dinner tonight at seven. With me. Sounds good?”

  “Sure. Okay.” She would’ve said perfect but she didn’t want to sound too excited. “Where do you want to meet?”

  “How about I come pick you up? What’s your address?”

  Mia hesitated
. What if she went out with him and realized he wasn’t her type? What if the conversation was stilted and she became uncomfortable? What if he turned out to be a total pervert?

  It might not be so bad, him being a pervert. It had been a while since she’d had sex. Terrific, mind-blowing, toe-numbing sex. And from what she remembered last night she thought he might be able to deliver.

  Not my type, yeah, right. Only because he could do so much better than little ol’ me.

  “Let’s meet somewhere instead,” she repeated. Just in case, she told herself.

  She could tell he was disappointed at her suggestion, but she didn’t care. Well, she did a little, but she couldn’t let herself care. This was so unlike her, going out on a date with a guy she hardly knew. All of her past boyfriends had been guys she’d known and known well. Boys she went to school with or co-workers, and her last steady boyfriend had originally been her neighbor at the same apartment complex. He’d moved in and everything with talks of marriage and children, the works.

  But he’d been so much older, almost thirty-five. And she’d been barely twenty-four. They’d broken up over a year ago, after she told him she wasn’t ready to get married.

  She hadn’t really gone on a date since.

  After a few minutes of discussing favorite food they decided on a sushi restaurant not too far from her apartment. She hung up and immediately ran to her closet where she started tearing through her clothes.

  Mia wanted to look good on her date with Mister Hot Stuff. She’d already planned on going to the mall to buy a smaller purse. Now she had the perfect excuse to search out a new outfit for tonight.

  Grabbing her gargantuan purse and her phone, she headed out the door.

  Gorgeous.

  That was the first thought rattling around in Jake’s brain when he saw Mia enter the restaurant. She glanced about the crowded room, pouty mouth curved in a slight frown. A mouth his gaze immediately zeroed in on for it opened up an entire night’s worth of fantasies at first sight of it. All of them involving those plump lips fused with his, sliding down his body, sucking on his…