by Zoe Forward
Could this afternoon get any worse?
“I forgot I’d put that in there.” His suppressed smile spurred her onto the defensive. “What?”
Jake’s mouth trembled against his effort not to smile. “So, what exactly happened on your flight?”
“Maybe I got it on in the bathroom with the hot guy seated next to me. I’ve always been curious about the Mile High Club.” As usual, Jake spurred her to needle him with dirty imagery. That kind of statement wasn’t her normal. Only with him.
His eyes widened, eyebrows popping upward. Then his gaze dropped down her body again with heated interest he’d never openly cast her way in the past. “Got any details you want to share?”
“Give me that.” She lunged forward to snatch the thong, but her boot heel caught the uneven pavement. He caught her arm, stabilizing her.
Even Jake’s long fingers were sexy, the ones wrapped supportively around her arm. He might be a computer programming god, but he probably knew how to work a woman into the height of sexual frenzy and then some with those fingers. Her mind strayed way beyond the do-not-cross tape her brother had strung around Jake long ago like it did every time she got close to him. Well, like it did before he spoke and broke the spell. Every time they tried to be civil, they ended up arguing.
Whatever vibe pinged between them right now had to be a figment of her overactive sexually deprived imagination.
“Stop being a jerk.” She snatched the underwear and shoved it back in the pouch.
He held open the door for her. The way he gently closed it suggested he didn’t want to hurt the car.
His saunter around to the driver’s side was more of a swagger. Him a computer geek, like her, and a big-time video game CEO didn’t mesh with the package.
A glance at her phone showed her last few calls. Her stomach cramped. How could she ask Jake to be her date? Ugh. The big question was how to avoid arguing with him long enough to convince him they could survive attending the wedding together without killing each other.
She didn’t have to do this. She could tell Jake the truth. Maybe he’d figure a way out of everything in California. Hadn’t worked for her brother, Kaleb, when he told Noah he’d been dragged into the Stadium, the venue for the illegal eGaming events. Actually, Noah found Kaleb stealing technology from NJ Legacy for Symphis, and that’s when her brother spilled the truth. Like Becca, Symphis had sucked him in. Hearing this six months ago spooked her since she’d been pulled in at the same time on the opposite coast.
She had to give the date thing a try. Her goal was to survive to next week when she could activate her escape plan, which was five months in the making.
The drive into the city turned into a nightmare on a Thursday evening at the peak of rush hour. Jake maneuvered the car as if he were a Formula One driver. He zipped into an empty parking space to their right then zoomed in front of the car in the left lane. She hissed and grabbed the oh shit handle.
Jake chuckled.
“You think I’m a crazy driver?” she snapped.
“She’s perfection. Scared?”
She bit back a yelp as he wove a quick swerve around a turning car and hit the accelerator to speed through a yellow light. The car accelerated so fast that her head smacked against the seat.
“I’m worried you’ll wreck this thing.” A scathing comment fought for escape when he gunned another yellow light, plastering her against the seat once more.
He seemed disappointed when she didn’t snap at him again. Was he trying to scare her? He swerved and glanced her way with a smirk.
“Oh my God. You’re doing this on purpose. Should I wave my hands in the air and scream like one of the Barbies you date who probably get a thrill out of the adrenaline rush?”
He slowly smiled as he braked the car to a stop at a red light. His gaze scanned down to her chest. “There’s a lot to be said for adrenaline.”
She crossed her arms, offended by his player tone. “I’m not one of your easy hookups who will giggle, lean down, and suck you off while you drive.”
His eyes dilated, and his cheeks flushed. His mind totally went there. Based on his indrawn breath as his gaze dropped to her lips, he was on board with the imagery.
Surprise, surprise. Jake wasn’t as immune to her as he acted. She liked it in a way that had nothing to do with being forced to be his date.
His eyelids slowly shut and reopened as if processing information that didn’t compute. His eyebrows rose in question. “Have you done that before?”
“What? Giggle at a guy who shows off by scaring me? Actually, I have.” She smiled, feeling naughty. “Or have I had my head in his lap while he drove?”
“You’re messing with me, aren’t you?” His gaze returned to the endless red light.
“You were being a jerk on purpose.”
“Maybe I was. But have you…while a guy was driving?” He glanced back at her.
“He’d need to prove himself a highly competent driver before I…” She let his imagination do the rest. She cleared her throat of the desire thickening her vocal folds. “Do you know the hotel everyone’s staying for the wedding? Mom booked me a room there.”
His gaze lingered on her lips for a few seconds too long before he answered. “Yes.”
After a few more turns, he pulled into the valet area of the skyscraper hotel.
Her hopeful hop out of the low-slung car turned into a clumsy contortionist move. No hope that looked smooth or sophisticated. She met Jake at the front of the car where he worked to remove her overstuffed suitcase.
She cleared her throat to get his attention. “I have a problem.”
“Yeah, your suitcase won’t come out of the trunk.” He tugged harder, dislodging a corner.
She was still so close to him that his light cologne or aftershave or whatever he used to smell so addictive had her swaying toward him. On went her glasses as she forced herself to step away. “Not that. I need some help. But I’m…”
“What’s wrong?” Her heart stuttered and tumbled over itself when his eyebrows drooped into a frown of concern, reminding her he used his player persona as a front to keep people at a distance. In truth, this man had a deep vein of intense loyalty and compassion for those close to him. She’d witnessed it in how he treated her brother. “Is it about being stood up? Whoever he was, he’s an ass. Forget about it.”
She couldn’t do this out here. “Thanks, but will you walk me up to my room? I need to talk for a minute.”
Alarm spread across his face. His eyes darted to the hotel and back to her. “In there? What do you want to talk about?”
“Please.”
“In your room? How about we talk in the dining room? Or I’m sure there’s a private lobby or bar. It’s just… I shouldn’t be in your room.”
“This is important. Please?”
With a deep frown, he nodded. He handed the keys to the valet. “You can keep her out here. Somewhere safe. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She checked in. Her heart pounded as they silently rode the elevator up. She stared at him in the mirrored walls. He avoided her gaze. Ask him to be your date. Hell if she knew how to broach the topic. She’d never had enough nerve to ask a guy out before. Most men in computer engineering or game design were too busy being jealous of her skills than being into her as a woman. She and her ex had never actually gone on a date before they considered themselves an item. They worked on a few projects, shared a few kisses, and boom, they were together. That was how college worked, unlike the real world.
The shadows beneath Jake’s eyes suggested strain, perhaps lack of sleep, and probably too much work. She worried his workaholic nature pushed him to overdo it again. Last New Year’s Eve, he’d conked out on her parents’ sofa way before the ball dropped. Uncharacteristic. Noah wouldn’t let anyone disturb him, explaining Jake had been working nonstop for weeks on the holiday promos for some of the new computer games their company was launching. She’d wondered why he was alone on New Year
’s.
“So, how’s work?” she asked.
“Busy.” His shoulders lifted and dropped.
“You guys are always busy. Are you doing okay?”
He rubbed his forehead and then his eyes. “Sure. Lots going on. Lots on the line.”
She wanted to hug him, but his stiff stance made her hesitate. Instead, she touched his arm. “I worry about you overdoing it. Noah too. It’s okay to slow down once in a while. Take a break. Take care of yourself. NJ Legacy will go on without you if you take a vacation.”
His eyes sparkled with emotion she couldn’t interpret. “We can’t slow down. We have momentum right now. If we don’t run with it, everything might crash. We might lose opportunities.”
“If you lose yourself in the process, how’s that a win?” She dropped her hand from his arm.
“How’s school?”
After a so-so headshake and grimace, she stared at the floor numbers as they increased.
“Problems? Is that what you wanted to talk about?” Relief washed over his face.
“No.”
Tension crept back into his expression.
“I took a job that turned out not to be what I expected.” That sounded reasonable.
“A work-study sort of thing? They do that in grad school?”
“It’s intense.”
“Why do it? You’ve only got another few months, right? Finish your master’s degree and then on to a real job. With your talent, you’ll land a job anywhere you want.”
She blushed at the compliment, quite something coming from him, CEO of one of the world’s top three gaming companies. If I were graduating. If I were actually still in grad school.
“Quit if you feel it’s too much. Do only what you want.”
“That’s your sage advice for me? Do what I want? It sounds like a sneakers ad slogan.” She bit back a giggle.
“Forget it. Go with your gut or whatever. Got a next step planned?”
“Working on it. Nothing certain yet.” She ducked her gaze away from his.
“Noah offered you a job with us last year. That offer still stands.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m not sure gaming is where I want to end up. I also want to make it on my own, not because my brother gave me a pity job.”
“I can respect that.”
Silence descended again, uncomfortable. She chanced a glance at the angles of his face and then his lips in the elevator mirrored walls, wondering who he’d been kissing recently. “You seeing anyone?”
Why’d you ask that?
His gaze narrowed. “If I say yes, will you jump down my throat about one-nighters like you did at Christmas?”
Crap. She hadn’t meant to bring up that explosive conversation. “Then you’re not seeing anyone, at least not the same someone regularly?”
He folded his arms across his chest. “It’s none of your business.”
“Well, as long as you’re happy…”
He threw out his arms. “I’m happy. Okay? So fucking happy. I couldn’t ask for a better life.”
She gritted her teeth into a fake smile. “Great. Then I’m happy for you.”
“No, you’re not.” His stare didn’t waver from hers in their mirrored reflection.
“Are you not happy? Are you looking for something different in your personal life?”
“I never said that.”
“You sounded like you said that.” Stop riling him up.
“Why are we debating this?”
The elevator dinged and stopped. Thank God. “This is my floor.”
She led him into the two-room suite.
After he arranged her suitcase on a stand, he leaned against the wall near the exit. Tension radiated from him, and he looked antsy for a quick escape. “So, what’s up? I assume I’m not up here to hash out my happiness.”
Silence stretched between them until she felt her cheeks scorch. “So, there’s this thing I hoped you could help me with at the wedding.”
“I thought you had a real problem.”
“This is a real problem.”
“Is someone threatening you?”
Yes. “Uh, not exactly.”
“Did someone hurt you?” He crossed his arms with a fierce expression.
She chewed on her lower lip and pulled off her glasses, unable to lie to him. Finally, she spat out, “Will you be my wedding hookup?”
2
Becca did not just suggest they hook up. Or had she? Jake’s mind spun like an unreadable DVD. He cleared the roughness from his throat. “Come again on that?”
“I meant wedding date, not…you know, hookup. We should go together. To the wedding. As in a date. Your date canceled. Mine canceled…”
“What? Like some sort of secondhand date?” Wedding date implied possible after-the-date activity, and hell if she didn’t already put it out there.
“If you don’t want to do it, do you know anyone that could fill in as my date?” A flush spread over Becca’s delicate face, sloped nose, and down her neck. Damn if he didn’t want to see how far south her blush traveled.
Like hell, he’d set her up with someone else to be her wedding date hookup.
Starting anything with Noah’s baby sister was a bad idea. Not just because of Noah. Not just because he didn’t want to screw things up with her family. When it came to this particular woman, she stirred something deep within him, a fascination that panicked him. Nothing about women scared him other than a hint of anything lasting longer than one night. He used to do one-nighters almost weekly, but he’d given up the lifestyle months ago when work ramped up.
That was the lie he told others. Truth was, he got bored. There used to be a time when all it took was a sultry smile and a shapely body for him to be all in for the night. He wasn’t with a woman more than once because then feelings got tangled into the mix, not his. Never his.
He’d endured enough shrink sessions to know his problem stemmed from his abusive shit of an alcoholic father and his mom who wouldn’t leave the bastard because she loved him. This wasn’t an epiphany. What sucked was that thousands of dollars later, he still resented his father.
Becca didn’t bore him. That was a problem.
Jake was the numbers guy and the closer in the computer gaming company he ran with Noah. He was the one who reminded Noah of the costs, of the budget, and how much risk they could take on with each new project. He was also a pro at calculating odds, a holdover from childhood when he’d ponder things like if his mother would take back his cheating father again. That prospect usually held fifty-fifty odds. Right now, he calculated the odds of screwing up when it came to Becca Harrison at about ninety-seven to one. Because she wasn’t programmed to do sex without strings.
Get your eyes off her lips.
“You got stood up. I got stood up…it works,” she said.
“You and me at Noah’s wedding? As in going together and leaving together?”
His gaze slid over her curves. This woman was the full package. Smart to the point of intimidating, even to him, who dealt with computer geniuses daily. Becca understood stuff faster and took it to the next level. He’d been awed several times by her over the years. Aside from brains, she was devastatingly feminine…beautiful, but not in the fake, made-up way. Cosmetics lightly highlighted her face just enough to bring out the gray-blue of her eyes. And curves in all the right places.
No, no, no. Strictly off limits. He couldn’t…not with his best friend’s sister. That was Guy Code 101. Even if it weren’t, it wouldn’t be fair to her, given his relationship longevity potential registered in the negatives. “Do you need a ride to the wedding?”
“I need a date. I’d like to go with you.”
“Is this about some sort of blow to your ego after being stood up?”
“No. I already knew that guy and I weren’t going to work.” She pushed her long auburn-highlighted hair over a shoulder in a flirty move that drew attention to her delicate neck.
“You don’t nee
d a date this weekend, and a weekend hookup isn’t your style.”
“How would you know what’s my style?” She arched a shapely eyebrow. “You don’t think I cut it in the sexy department enough to be your date?”
Didn’t cut it? Her dancing around a discussion of them doing an after-wedding night turned him on. Everything from her curvy body to her pink mouth with the deep indent on the lower lip tempted him. Drove him nuts. He’d imagined kissing up her long, smooth neck far too many times over the past few years. But he’d kept her at a distance. She had Long-Term Relationship stamped across her forehead, something he couldn’t offer her. The guy who stood her up was bona fide stupid.
“What’s your plan? Are we talking you need a date for both the rehearsal and wedding? Or just wedding?” He wasn’t considering this ridiculous venture, was he?
Jake moved a step closer, drawn by the faint hint of floral perfume unique to her. Something shifted in his chest. Something beyond attraction. He found himself riveted by everything that was Becca.
She chewed on her lip, which had him shifting to accommodate his erection. “Two dates. With you?” She smiled. “Sounds like fun.”
Who was this temptress?
The body scan she subjected him to, and his body’s answering hell yes, made being in this room with her dangerous. He’d wanted her from the moment Noah introduced them during his junior year at MIT when Becca was in her senior year in high school. But he didn’t hook up with underage girls. That totally wasn’t his thing. And Becca had always been irritable toward him. Of course, he usually threw up a wall of defense the second she entered the room. Anything to throw her off suspecting how damned much he wanted her in bed.
Lust pulsed through his body. A small part of his brain fired off a warning. But as her gaze moved from his lips to his eyes, his heart rate tripled. If they kissed, there was a 90 percent probability they’d end up on that small sofa or the bed. “We can’t. This is a bad idea.”
“Maybe it is.” She moved closer. His body charged straight into an out-of-control spiral of need.