Unbelievably, her look told him coffee wasn’t all she wanted.
Unsure of what to do, he did the only thing he could think of. He shifted his briefcase to hide the effect she had on him for the second time in less than five minutes.
Perhaps coming to see her in person wasn’t the best idea he’d had.
Jacob cleared his throat. “Sounds good. I’ll put my stuff down, then join you.” In about ten years once I lose this monster erection you’ve given me.
Jesucristo. Since when did she become so brazen? She'd been responsive when they kissed, sure, but she’d stayed reserved the rest of the time, almost as if she didn’t trust him.
Based on his current reaction, he couldn’t blame her. He didn’t trust himself when he was around her.
17
Sara danced her way to the coffee pot.
I did it, Christopher. I actually made my move.
She gave herself a mental high five and giggled.
Sure, asking Jacob to meet her in the breakroom wasn’t exactly the same as asking him on a date, but it was progress for her. If his expression was anything to go by, the look she’d sent him had done its job in letting him know how she felt.
Sara giggled again.
Jacob had seemed downright terrified.
But he’d also seemed turned on. Had he thought she wouldn’t notice his strategically placed briefcase or the unmistakable bulge he’d forgotten to cover as he passed her?
She poured two cups of coffee, filling hers with more cream and sugar than coffee and leaving his plain, save for one packet of sugar, then took them both to the table farthest from the door. A meeting in his office would have afforded them more privacy, but since they’d met that first day over coffee, it felt fitting that the drink would play a role in her taking things to the next level.
Dear God, she was about to take things to the next level.
Sara sat down as her nerves got the best of her.
Why had she thought she was ready for this? Her legs shook under the small table.
What did she know about having a passionate affair?
A big, fat, resounding nothing, that’s what. She also didn’t know anything about dating a man with shadows in his eyes as deep as Jacob’s went. The heartache of them would break her if she allowed herself to get close to him just like it broke her to see the shadows in her sister’s eyes. Maddie seemed more lost with each passing day.
At least Jacob’s seemed to be letting up a bit. The last time they’d seen each other, there’d been a moment when they’d all but disappeared.
Of course, that felt like a lifetime ago.
Christopher had still been alive then.
Sara sipped on her coffee and tried to quiet her own pain. Maddie was the real person suffering. In one day, she’d lost everything but her child and her home.
Sara had offered over and over again to host an event for Tessa like she’d planned for the Gallos—it wouldn’t bring Christopher back, but it would at least help out—but her sister shot down every suggestion. Damn pride. Why couldn’t Maddie see accepting help wasn’t demoralizing? Everyone needed a hand up at some point. Tessa just needed a few more than the average person.
But that was Maddie’s problem. Because she’d had to beg and plead to get her daughter a specialized bed, and because she fought with Medicaid each year just to keep their coverage, Maddie felt like all she did was keep her hand out. No amount of their family telling her differently would change that.
A click sounded from the hallway, signifying the opening of the employee only door.
Sara sat up straighter, shoving thoughts of her family aside for now, as well as shoving aside the guilt that quickly followed. Christopher was right. She wasn’t betraying her family by wanting to be with Jacob.
“That’s it, Sara Beth. Live your life and go find your happiness.”
Sara smiled at the sound of her brother-in-law’s voice in her head.
Her smile brightened when Jacob rounded the corner and stepped into the breakroom. Ready or not, it was time for her to let go of her fears.
Jacob met her at the table and returned her smile. “Things are coming together nicely with the fundraiser,” he said. “I’ve never seen anyone hustle quite the way that you have.”
His compliment came at a cost to him. He studied his hands as they wrapped around his coffee cup.
Maybe they weren’t that different after all. What are you so afraid of, Jacob?
As if he recognized how vulnerable he looked, he glanced up at her. “Are you okay? Your family? You’ve had so much going on, you look like you’re barely getting any sleep.”
She refused to acknowledge the massive amount of butterflies that began to flutter in her stomach just because he’d cared enough to ask. How could she melt that quickly? “Sleep is for pussies.”
Oh, good God, did she really say that?
His bark of laughter said she absolutely had.
Damn. Damn, damn, damn, damn.
He reached out and squeezed her hand. “I’ll remember that the next time I’m struggling to get any myself.”
It was hard to tell if she liked his touch more, or the fact that he hadn’t wanted her to feel embarrassed.
No. No it wasn’t. His hand against hers sent shivers up her spine. The good kind of shivers.
He let go of her too soon for her taste. But then again, eternity would have been too soon.
Because he’d opened the moment of intimacy, she took a chance and asked for more. “Does that happen often for you? Not sleeping?”
She waited while he decided whether or not to share more and sipped on her coffee. Hot bliss slid down her throat, warming her from the inside. Spring was right around the corner and once it hit she’d switch to iced drinks, but for now, she savored the heat—and the opportunity to study Jacob up close.
The shadows in his eyes had lightened again, making the lines of his face appear softer and more appealing. Something definitely still lingered in the way of pain, but she now saw a tiny sliver of hope.
What had caused the change?
He cleared his throat, and she prepared for him to avoid her earlier question.
Surprisingly, he didn’t. “Some days are harder than others. Or some nights, that is. But can I tell you a secret?”
Sara nodded her head, unwilling to speak for fear her runaway tongue would cause him to stop talking.
“Ever since you started this fundraiser, sleep has come easier and easier.”
An emotion that sounded like awe filled his voice and captivated her. She blurted out before she lost her nerve, “Do you want to go out on a date?”
When nothing but silence met her question, Sara held her breath while simultaneously cursing herself and cheering herself on for her bravery.
Jacob cleared his throat and tugged on the knot of his tie. “I, um, ahem…”
He’s going to say no, he’s going to say no. In a rush of anxiety, Sara backtracked her offer. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. Clearly, I put you in an uncomfortable position. That was wrong. You’re my boss. I’ve overstepped. Can we just forget I said anything?”
Jacob reached out and laid his hand on top of hers again. “You didn’t overstep.” As if he looked into his own past, he stared at a point on the wall over her shoulder while his thumb made seemingly absentminded circles on her skin. He took a sip of his drink and looked back at her in surprise. “How did you know the way I take my coffee?”
This time she stared at the spot on the wall. “I, um, heard you order it at The Morning After.”
Great, Sara. Nice way to make yourself look like a psychotic stalker. Who remembered details like that about a person they didn’t know?
She tried to pull her hand from his in an attempt to escape and save them both further embarrassment, but he held her firmly.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you since we met, either.”
He appeared as stunned by his announcement as she was. H
er mouth opened and closed but no sound came out.
She nodded her head, hoping he’d take it as an encouragement to keep talking.
“I’m not going to lie, Sara. I’m interested in you. More than I should be. You intrigue me on a level no one else has seemed to reach.”
She intrigued him?
That wasn’t quite the “I’m going to throw you on the nearest surface and rip your panties off” she’d been hoping for. But what did she expect him to say? That he wanted to fuck her right then and there? He was her boss, after all.
Yet even with that logic, there was a part of her that had wished that’d been exactly what he’d said.
Instead, he asked, “What if this is merely a case of being the right person, but at the wrong time and place?”
She’d wondered that herself before she’d allowed Christopher to convince her otherwise. But didn’t they owe it to themselves to find out? Neither of them were in a relationship.
Unless…
Sara’s hand still rested in his, giving her confidence to prod him further. “Is there someone else?”
“There hasn’t been anyone in my life since I ditched my ex, Elise. But—”
“You’re not ready.”
He confirmed Sara’s guess with a nod.
Relief eased the remainder of her fears. “That’s fair.” Her mind needed more time, too, even if her body didn’t.
Not ready, however, didn’t mean no.
Sara linked her fingers with his, unwilling to let their mutual wariness be an obstacle. “You said you’ve enjoyed working on the fundraiser. Why don’t you get down in the trenches with me? If nothing else, maybe it will give you a few additional nights of sleep.” And if they were lucky, the time spent together could help them both figure out if taking things further was the right move. Dating him would be as big a step for her as it seemed to be for him. It’d mean trusting someone who never would have earned her trust even six months before.
“I’d actually like that,” Jacob said. “It’d be nice to put faces to the Gallo family.”
“Why don’t you meet me at the branch an hour early on Monday? We can go over some last-minute details then, and if you send me your schedule, I’ll arrange a time for us to meet the Gallos that day, too.”
Jacob and Sara shared a grin, then jumped apart, dropping their hands guiltily when both the employee back entrance and the door that led out to the lobby opened in the hallway at the same time.
Neither of the two employees that had opened both doors could see Sara and Jacob yet, but it still felt like they’d been caught doing something illicit. A blush warmed Sara’s cheeks as the rise of excited voices identified her coworkers.
“Hey, girl,” Naomi called out. She rushed passed the open doorway to the breakroom without sparing a glance at Sara and Jacob inside. “I’ve been waiting all day for you to come in. That was low of you to not finish telling me the story before you left.”
“Shh.” The woman who, until recently, had been a floating teller among BCFs five most southern branches spoke in lowered tones. “He’s here.” Despite Yolanda’s attempt at caution, the tile of the hallway and breakroom brought her voice straight to Sara and Jacob’s ears.
Their conversation made Sara’s blush deepen. Heat infused her neck and chest.
“So what?” Naomi spoke in a normal voice. “He’s probably in his office like he always is. Don’t spare any of the details. I want to know everything about our sexy CFO.”
“I suppose that’s my cue to leave.” Jacob mouthed the words and stood. But instead of leaving, he moved next to Sara’s chair where he bent to whisper into her ear and trail a finger along her cheekbone. “I like it when you blush.”
Sara liked it when he touched her.
She didn’t have a chance to tell him that, though.
“Hurry up. I’m dying here. I friggin hate suspense.”
Yolanda laughed at her friend, but her next words stopped Jacob mid-stride in the middle of the breakroom. “Two weeks ago, a friend of mine serviced the CFO, if you know what I mean.”
Naomi gasped. “No way. As in…?”
Sara looked at the man who’d just sworn he hadn’t been with another woman since the ex he’d supposedly ditched the day after they’d met. She didn’t have to see her coworkers out in the hall to imagine the gesture Naomi made. “Serviced” could only mean one thing and the guilt in Jacob’s eyes confirmed her suspicion.
“Yep. A blow job. Right out on Ocean Beach, no less. I mean, I didn’t see them actually doing the deed, but I did see them together. And my friend came over immediately afterwards talking all kinds of shit.”
Riiiight.
The sinking feeling in Sara’s stomach had less to do with Jacob’s lie than it did with the fact that she’d believed him in the first place. She’d let a fake conversation with her dead brother-in-law convince her to go against every truth she’d ever known. And for what? Simply because she’d wanted a chance to service Jacob as well? That conversation had been nothing more than her telling herself what she needed to hear to do what she’d wanted to do.
She’d known better than to trust her desires.
“Sara, wait.”
Sara ignored Jacob and hurried out of the breakroom, trying to act normal as she passed her coworkers. She nodded toward Naomi and offered a faint smile to the slender black woman next to her. “Hey, Yolanda. Thanks for covering for me on Tuesday.” Without waiting for a reply, she brushed past the pair to the lobby door and headed back to her desk and the customer who thankfully waited.
18
Jacob stopped pacing in front of the bench to remove his suit jacket, drape it over the armrest, and check his watch for the twentieth time, then he resumed his nervous path in the grass.
What the hell was he going to say?
He’d been nervous as fuck ever since Sara had sent him a company email last night asking him to meet her at Presidio Park again. Based on her expression and the way she’d run out of the breakroom when she’d heard about his behavior at the bonfire, he had a lot of explaining to do, especially considering how much he now wanted to take her up on her offer of a date.
Now? Mierda. He’d wanted to take her up on her offer the second she’d uttered it.
But what the hell did that mean? Jacob didn’t do relationships. Not ones with any depth to them at least. So why was he starting to feel like he wanted to with her?
As soon as she’d run away yesterday, he’d packed up his things and left her branch.
It hadn’t been as easy to leave behind his desire for her.
He’d gone home and spent hours looking at her Facebook page. He’d meant to just take a quick peek to find out about the Sara that didn’t work at BCF. The next thing he’d known, three hours had gone by. He now knew her family, her friends, her interests. Pictures of her and her niece had shaken him, videos of silly girls’ night antics had kept him laughing, and clips of her volunteer work with local veterans had touched a part of him he vigilantly guarded.
Jacob checked the parking lot again.
Jesus, Ramírez.
He sat down, hoping nature would work its magic on his nerves.
It didn’t stand a chance. He went on alert as soon as Sara’s red Toyota pulled into the parking lot.
His heart beat a fast rhythm as she stepped out of her car and he got a glimpse of one long expanse of toned, tanned leg before her skirt hid it in a cascade of blue that settled down around her ankles.
The closer she came, the more his throat tightened. “Thanks for coming.” He forced the greeting out in an attempt at normalcy, but the words came out like gravel.
An amused gaze met his. “Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?” She nudged him with her knee as settled on the bench beside him.
Despite her levity, he didn’t take her forgiveness as a given. He turned to face her on the stone bench. “Does that mean you’ll accept my apology?”
“Your apology for what?”
“For—”
“Jacob, you don’t have anything to apologize for. I…” She picked at a loose string on her skirt, and he had an overwhelming desire to lay his hand over hers to still the worried movement.
“Look, I’m not going to lie,” Sara said. “When I first heard Yolanda mention you being with another woman, I felt betrayed. Which is stupid. We’re not dating. You don’t owe me anything. I mean, yes, I wish you hadn’t lied to me about being with anyone else. But we’re adults—”
“I didn’t lie. Despite what your coworker told you, I assure you my dick was not in her friend’s mouth.” And Jacob hadn’t wanted it to be. He didn’t even remember the woman’s name. “Don’t get me wrong. La mujer was persistent.” Hell, she’d been more than persistent. Until he’d called her Sara’s name. Jacob chuckled. “Do you want to know what happened when she touched me?”
Sara looked away, and her chestnut waves caressed her shoulders at the shake of her head. “Not even in the least.”
Too bad, cariño, because I’m going to tell you. Jacob had plenty of secrets, but he didn’t want this to be one that stood between them. “Once I called her your name and waxed poetry on your attributes, she stopped finding me appealing.”
“Wha…?” A cute, jealous pink tinged Sara’s cheeks and the tops of her breasts showing above the neckline of her tank top. Her voice lowered to a whisper as she asked, “Why were you calling her my name?”
“Because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the day we met. I didn’t lie to you about that, Sara.” He hooked a finger under her chin to turn her to face him again, then because he couldn’t stop touching her, he twined a stray lock of her hair around his finger before tucking it behind her ear. “If your apartment complex had video security, I could prove it to you.”
“You could?” The bluest eyes he’d ever seen stared back at him, void of the emerald green that usually mixed in.
How could she not know how unforgettable she was? He nudged her knee with his like she had when she’d first sat down, and gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Si, I could. As embarrassing as it is for me to admit, I stumbled all the way to your place that night and serenaded your empty apartment.”
Morrow's Horizon (The Morrow Women Series Book 1) Page 14