by Sara Rider
“Leave that boy alone, or I’ll disqualify you for unsportsmanlike conduct,” Jean shouted. “Besides, that ain’t the look of a man discovering his woman has a bosom for the first time. That’s the look of a man who’s been smacked in the face by love.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but anything he said would only be another cinderblock tied to his ankles while he tried to swim out of this mess. Why shouldn’t he just let their misconceptions do the dirty work for him?
Because it might not be a misconception at all.
The thought stilled him. He didn’t know where it came from, but it was absurd. Sure, he was attracted to her, and yeah, he liked her. Who wouldn’t? She was smart, funny, kind. But he wasn’t capable of anything deeper. Certainly not love. Hell, the fact that thought even passed through his mind was proof he was a lying son of a bitch when it came to relationships. He was so good at it, he was starting to fool his own brain.
How many times had he told Kelly he loved her over the years, only to argue with her about something inane a few minutes later? No matter how ridiculous, how inconsequential, neither of them could let go of any fight. The last time had been about him shaving before going out to dinner. She’d been excited to go to a new steakhouse in town—not because of the food, but because it was a place for the wealthy folks in town to be seen. He’d refused. Looking back, he didn’t even know why. Maybe he was pissed because she’d never deigned to eat at the Holy Grale. Maybe it was because he just felt like being an asshole that day. It sure as hell wasn’t because shaving was a hard thing to do. He’d discovered Kelly in bed with Greg the next day.
He couldn’t imagine treating Clementine the same way.
He was so transfixed by her, he didn’t notice Chastity grab a beach towel and shove it into his arms. “I think my little sister forgot her towel. Why don’t you bring it to her instead of watching her from afar like a lovesick puppy?”
Jake barely registered the amusement in her voice, but there was no question she was still suspicious. There was only one way to fix that. “Yeah, of course.”
As if on autopilot, he marched down to the dock where Clem was watching the twins splash in the water wearing their bright yellow lifejackets. His excuses for staying away from her seemed to fade away with every step closer. Every warning sign telling him this was a bad idea drowned out by the thrum of desire pounding in his chest.
He needed to end everyone’s doubts about his relationship with Clem once and for all.
She turned to him and started to say something, but the words died on her lips. He wrapped the towel around her shoulders and used the ends to pull her into him. Without a word, he knotted his hand into her wet hair and lowered his lips to hers.
12
Jake’s lips crashed against hers, and Clem almost forgot how to breathe. She’d seen the hunger in his eyes when he approached, but there was nothing that could have warned her for how her body would electrify under his touch. He stroked his tongue against her lower lip, urging her to open and she melted against him like wet sugar. There was no way to resist. She wanted him. There were no defenses against this kind of attraction.
She parted her lips and let him in, and every inch of her skin buzzed with the awareness of him. The roughness of his five o’clock shadow scratching her cheeks. The way his hand holding up her towel pressed against her breasts. It was the kind of kiss that made the world around them blur, cocooning them in their desire. He was claiming her. Marking her. Shattering every reason she’d had for believing kissing him was a terrible idea.
Because, holy shit, kissing Jake was an awesome idea.
Butterflies exploded in her stomach. She ran her fingertips along his chest, needing to feel the hard muscle and golden skin that had been taunting her like a shiny toy just out of reach all afternoon. He stiffened, like he hadn’t expected her touch, then let out a soft growl against her mouth before tightening his grip in her hair, deepening the kiss until she was certain her body would combust with need.
And then it was over.
He let go of her and pulled away.
She grabbed the ends of her towel before it dropped, and stared dumbly at him, realizing she probably needed to switch her brain back on and process what just happened. She would, as soon as she could get her lungs to stop expanding and contracting so intensely.
As soon as his stopped doing the same.
He swallowed, Adam’s apple gliding along his throat. “Your family was getting suspicious that we hadn’t done that yet,” he said in a gruff whisper.
Oh. Right. Fake relationship, fake kiss. She tightened the towel around her body, feeling like she’d just had a bucket of lake water tossed in her face.
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Ellie and Millie sang in unison, saving Clem from having to come up with a coherent response.
“Think that’s funny, eh?” Jake crouched by the edge of the dock and splashed a bit of water in their direction, setting off a fit of giggles and shrieks. The twins dogpaddled toward him and tugged at his ankles. He pretended to lose his balance, waving his arms in the air in an exaggerated motion, then cannonballed into the water with a huge splash.
She rubbed the towel against her goosebump-covered arms while she watched him chase her nieces around the dock with a hand above his head, pretending it was a shark fin. The way he switched gears so easily made her head spin. She’d never been the most confident person in the world, but there was no way she was the only one who’d been flipped upside down by that kiss. It might have been fake, but the embers still smoldering inside her were real.
The question was, what was she going to do about it?
Jake walked a good ten minutes up the gravel road before hitting the dial button on his phone. The service wasn’t bad at the cabin, but he didn’t want to risk someone overhearing him. He flicked a pinecone with the toe of his shoe while waiting for the call to connect, growing increasingly frustrated with each ring.
“You’ve reached the cell phone of Eli Hardin. If you are a vendor with a deal on crystal malt, please press one. If you are a lady looking for a little quality time with a man in touch with his sensitive side, press two. If you are my roommate and business partner concerned about the lack of daily updates like some blowhard control freak, please hang up, find the closest body of water, and drown yourself because you are hopeless.”
Jake sighed. “Eli.”
“What? Unless you forgot to pack enough clean underwear and need me to come to the rescue with a six-pack of tighty-whities, there is no reason for you to be calling me.”
“How’s the Grale? Did the shipment of hops come on time?”
“The shipment did come on time, but the furnace caught fire, burning down the entire brewery and taking out most of the bar. A couple of patrons died, but it’s okay because the bottles exploded like fireworks, which made for a pretty cool show.”
He scrubbed his hand along his jaw and tried to remember why in the hell he ever decided to become friends with this fool. “Not funny.”
“No, it’s not. It’s hilarious, because nothing’s wrong. Julia and I have it totally under control. So there’s no reason for you to be calling for an update when you’re supposed to be out there showing the woman you’re pretend-dating a good time.”
“How’s the wedding planning?”
Eli’s exhalation was loud enough to hear through the phone. “Honestly? Better than expected. Julia recommended they go with a white cover over the pergola, and Kelly agreed. She even complimented her on the idea. Don’t hate me for saying this, but she’s a lot nicer when you’re not around.”
That bit of information should have improved his mood, but it didn’t. He’d always known Kelly wasn’t a bad person. Somehow, he’d always brought out the worst in her, like a python dropped into a cobra’s cage. “That’s good. This needs to go off without a hitch.”
“It will, but you phoning for an update isn’t going to change that outcome either way. I know you didn’t call for gossip abo
ut your ex, so why don’t you tell me what this is really about.”
“I think I’ve found a solution to our problem with the menus.”
“You’re seriously working on vacation? How do you even do that in the middle of the woods?”
“Clem’s family owns a printing shop. Their rates are competitive and I think they would be more reliable. Might be worth looking into. They do shirts, too. We can update the uniforms like Julia wants. Her sister is a graphic designer and can work with Julia to come up with a new logo and design.”
“Jesus, man. You’re making deals with Clem’s relatives? What’s going to happen when you break up?”
Shit. He hadn’t really thought that far ahead. “I don’t know. I’ll figure something out. The fact is they do a really good job and we shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to lower our costs.”
Eli’s laughter rang through the receiver. “Let me guess, next thing you’re going to tell me that sleeping with Clem would be a good business opportunity, too.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Whoa? You’re actually sleeping with her?”
“No!” He jerked his head to the side and looked down the road, even though he knew no one was around to overhear him. “But things are getting complicated.”
“How complicated?”
“Her family was getting suspicious, so I kissed her.”
“And?”
Fuck. They’d been friends a long time. He didn’t need to spell it out. “And I shouldn’t have.”
“Because you like her?”
Because he might. But he wasn’t going to say it out loud. “She’s vulnerable right now.”
Eli laughed again. “Give her some credit. She’s not a snow globe. She’s a woman, which, in my experience, means she’s automatically guaranteed to be a million times tougher than you or I could ever dream of being. Why not trust her to know what she wants? I’ve watched the two of you pretend not to notice each other for years. But you’re both single now, you’re attracted to each other, and, frankly, if a good-looking son of a bitch like you can’t score with a woman who looks at him like he’s a hot-fudge sundae, what hope do the rest of us have?”
“That’s the problem. I never should have been looking at her all that time.”
“You weren’t the one who cheated, Jake,” Eli said, voice sobering. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Yeah, I did.” Eli was his best friend and would defend him blindly until the end of time, but Jake wasn’t dumb enough to think he wasn’t equally responsible for Kelly’s infidelity. Besides, he’d never hesitated to take advantage of their frequent “breaks” to find some nameless co-ed willing to warm his bed until he and Kelly bowed to their parents’ meddling and got back together. But by the time he’d caught her with Greg, he and Kelly hadn’t actually touched each other in almost eight months.
“You know, I think someone stubbed their toe somewhere in Siberia that I don’t think you’ve blamed yourself for yet. Might want to get on that. But do me a favor and don’t underestimate Clem. She’s smart and she can decide for herself what she wants.”
He ended the call and made his way back to Darlene and Frank’s cottage where they were preparing dinner, Eli’s words running in his mind the entire time. Could it really be so simple? Kissing Clementine had succeeded in erasing everyone else’s doubts, but Jake was more confused than ever. He’d kissed women before without feeling a damn thing, but he couldn’t get Clem out of his mind. His brain had been spinning all afternoon to come up with excuses to do it again. One taste of Clem’s lips had snapped his self-control into pieces.
But what if he was honest about the fact sex was the only thing he could offer and let her decide? Shit, saying it like that made him realize how arrogant he was being. Clem was a hell of a lot smarter than he was giving her credit for.
Or maybe he was just thinking with his dick.
He returned just as some kind of commotion was erupting around the picnic table that had been serving as the locus of food preparation for the last couple days. Darlene was crouched down with Clover next to her, rummaging through the cooler set on the grass. Frank was standing over her with his arms crossed in front of his belly, shaking his head and arguing about something Jake couldn’t quite hear.
Clem dashed out the front door of her parents’ cabin, letting the screen door clatter behind her. “It’s not there. I’ve looked everywhere.”
Their eyes met, and for the briefest moment everything around him faded. The only thing he could see was her. The tension pulling at her cheeks disappeared when she smiled at him. She’d showered and changed since their kiss, wearing a plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up and top buttons undone just enough to make him want to peek down the front. Those same cutoffs, too. There was nothing overtly sexy about the outfit, but she looked so hot in it, just one glance at her could have ignited the campfire.
“This is a disaster,” Darlene said, throwing her hands up in the air.
“Hey, Mom, calm down. It’ll be okay,” Clover said, taking her by the elbow and bringing her to a lawn chair. “Just sit.” Chastity came over with a water bottle, forcing her mom to take a sip.
Darlene handed the bottle back to Chastity and wiped her hands along her khaki-colored Bermuda shorts. “I’m okay. No need to fuss over me. I’ll be fine.”
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to improvise,” Frank said.
“Oh no,” Clem said, though no one else seemed to notice or react to her negative pronouncement.
Jake figured this was as good a time as any to interrupt. “What’s going on?”
“We forgot to pack the marinade for the steak,” Darlene answered with an oddly shaky voice. “But that’s fine. We’ve got some ketchup and oregano we can use. And maybe some orange peels. I was going to use that for the Jell-O salad tomorrow, but I think we can sacrifice them for the steaks.”
Jake’s stomach lurched, but he masked it as best he could. “Why don’t you let me come up with something?”
“Yes!” Clem descended the last few stairs of the deck and joined him. “Jake’s a great cook.”
He was pretty capable in the kitchen, but there was no reason Clem would have known that.
Darlene and Frank looked at each other. A silent conversation played out between them, the kind that was only possible between two people who’d been married for as long as they had. Loved each other as long as they had. There was such an easy comfort between the pair—something he’d never seen in his own parents.
“Alright, son,” Frank said, clapping Jake on the shoulder. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Clem breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she whispered.
She looked at him like he was her hero and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “Why don’t you see if you can find me some fresh garlic. I’m going to grab some stuff from our cabin.” There was so much more he wanted to say to Clem, but nothing felt right. His instinct was to apologize for blindsiding her with the kiss, but that felt wrong. He didn’t want to apologize for something that felt right. Hell, he wanted to ask permission to do it again. But right now, it was easier to ignore what happened and focus on dinner.
Half an hour later, the steaks were on the barbeque, coated in a simple mix of dried rosemary, olive oil and fresh garlic. He’d gotten Frank and Darlene settled into their lawn chairs with a couple of drinks, and had tasked Clem with preparing the salad while he manned the grill. Taking over the food preparation gave him something to do, but more importantly, it gave him a reason not to think. He focused on cooking the steaks to a perfect medium rare—hoping to subtly convince Frank that meat tasted a million times better when not charred to ashes.
It wasn’t just about the quality of the cuisine. It felt good to actually contribute something while he was there. The Coxes had been nothing but generous with him, to the point it was almost uncomfortable. He was a lot of things, but a mooch wasn’t one of them. And while he was determi
ned to slip a check into Frank and Darlene’s hands before the week was over, getting his hands dirty was a more immediate way of showing his gratitude.
Nerves didn’t hit him at all until everyone was seated around the fire pit, ready to dig into the plates in their laps. He grabbed a bottle of water before sitting down next to Clem, mouth dryer than the scraps of wood crackling in the fire pit. He watched Frank slice his knife through the carefully prepared chunk of beef like it was his ego laid out on the plate, waiting to be flayed and eviscerated. Hell, he hadn’t felt this much anticipation since he’d opened the doors to the Holy Grale three years ago.
The older man popped the first bite past his lips. “Son, where did you learn to grill like this? It’s delicious.”
Relief hit him heavy and hard, like stepping into a summer storm. He glanced at Clem, hoping for the same approval. Her mouth was already preoccupied chewing the bite she’d just taken, so she gave him a double thumbs-up. It was cheesy, but adorable. “I’m self-taught,” he finally responded.
“Well, if you’re this good, I may just have to hang up my apron from now on and let you take over.”
“Be glad to, sir.” Especially if it meant keeping that smile on Clem’s face.
Jake tried to help with clean up after the meal, but Darlene and Frank refused, insisting he’d contributed his fair share already. Eventually, there was nothing left for them to do but return to their cabin at the end of the evening, which meant he and Clem would be alone together for the first time since he’d kissed her.
No big deal, right? They were adults with an admitted attraction to each other, but that didn’t mean they were incapable of self-control. It was reasonable that they would have to show some kind of affection for each other in order to be convincing, but that didn’t mean it had to be awkward. At least, that’s what he was going to keep telling himself until this week was over.
They walked along the gravel road back to their cabin in silence. The dusky sky and rustling of squirrels and other critters hidden in the woods around them provided enough atmosphere that it wasn’t necessary to speak. There was a comfortableness to the quiet moments between them that he wasn’t used to. One that gave him the chance to appreciate the small things he might have otherwise missed. Like the way she scuffed her feet when she walked and sighed every time she looked up at the moon rising over the water.