by Thayer King
Jakob ran a hand over his hair. The women in his life were giving him hell. Her brown eyes were so sad and resigned. His gut twisted. He was ruining a dream for her. Not that being married to him was a fantasy. It was the idea of marrying her soul mate. She’d no doubt been anticipating being chosen since she registered at eighteen.
“This isn’t easy for me either, you know. We’ve always been friends and I don’t want this situation to ruin that.” He didn’t know what would happen with him and Ella. She hadn’t sounded that positive when he called her last night. Just convincing her to stay in town had been a major feat. “How about if we take a break and have some lunch?”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I need to get back to the bakery. This place is fine.”
“Sienna, please, let’s just have lunch so we can talk.”
“What is there to discuss? You don’t want this marriage.”
There was no way to respond to that. He couldn’t allow himself to want this marriage or to think of her any more than he did. “Sienna, please. You’re the most reasonable woman in my life right now.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “All right.”
***
They were a pretty miserable pair, Sienna decided as she stared across a piping hot pizza at Jakob. They’d been seated rather quickly. Other than placing their order for a pepperoni pizza with extra cheese, silence had settled over their table. Jakob kept rubbing his forehead, his chin, or the back of his neck.
If it hadn’t have been for Mika, she wouldn’t even be in this awkward position. She’d been going on and on about how wonderful it was to have her be an official member of their family, completely ignoring the reality of her situation with Jakob. When Jakob suggested that they go apartment hunting, she’d been eager for any excuse to escape the bakery.
Jakob served her a slice and then got his own. “So…I liked the last place.”
She nodded. “You’ll understand that I don’t want to sign the lease.”
“Okay.” He bit into his pizza. “I’ll go back and talk to the manager. He hinted that we could move in at the first of the month.”
“How much is the rent? I’ll pay my half, of course.”
He frowned. “You will not. The place is dirt cheap.”
She imagined he thought so. As a tennis star, he’d often made millions of dollars at a single tournament. She had no idea how much he’d earned in endorsement deals. Though he’d never won one of the major tournaments, he’d been to the semifinals of the U.S. Open and the Australian Open on multiple occasions and had been ranked among the top ten players in the world most of his career. Greenville wasn’t a terribly expensive town, but the apartment building was nicer than the ones that catered to college students.
“I can’t let you do that.”
“Sienna, I’m not taking money from you and that’s that.” His tone brooked no arguments.
Knowing when to give in, she sipped her soda. She dug into her pizza. It wasn’t until she tasted it that she realized how hungry she was. She moaned. “This is delicious.” Jakob’s eyes widened before his deep brown irises went impossibly darker until they appeared almost black.
He cleared his throat and broke eye contact. “Um, so do you think you can be ready to move in by the end of the week?”
She nodded. She didn’t have much in the way of furniture. And it wasn’t as if she had to move all her belongings. This was only temporary.
“So, I know you said you weren’t seeing anyone, but I find that hard to believe. Are the men here stupid?”
“Mika and I have been really busy with the store. Getting up early to bake bread doesn’t leave much room for dating. I’m usually in bed by nine, ten at the latest.” She picked a piece of pepperoni off her pizza and popped it into her mouth.
“I well understand the restrictions work can place on dating.”
“Why did you decide now was the time to retire?” He grimaced and it occurred to her that it could be a sensitive subject for him. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“It’s not really a big secret. I did issue a press release after all.” He sighed. “I’ve had too many injuries. A knee in 2098, a torn rotator cuff last year…. That stuff heals only to come back on you as you age. And unfortunately, at twenty-nine, I’m a senior citizen when it comes to tennis. Did you see me in the second round at the U.S. Open last year? Five sets. I thought I was going to vomit a lung,” he admitted with a grin.
“But you won.”
“Mm. And then I lost the next round against a guy I ordinarily would have beaten in my sleep. The old body doesn’t recover as fast as it used to.”
His body looked pretty damned perfect to her. He was long, lean, and all hard muscle. And she shouldn’t be thinking of him that way. A shiver raced through her, and she quickly changed the topic from his body. “It’s odd to hear you refer to yourself as old.”
“In tennis years, I’m ancient. Announcers were calling me old three years ago every time I stepped onto a court.”
“So any ideas about what you’ll do with your twilight years, grandpa?”
“Ha, ha. I still have some endorsement deals that I’m contractually obligated to fulfill. Plus, I’ve gotten some job offers, but none I’m interested in taking. I’m just taking some time off. You know, this is the first time since I was in college that I was home for Memorial Day? Usually, I’m off in France for the French Open. Ella still wanted to go. For the shopping. Not the clay courts.”
“Mind if I ask you another personal question?”
“You’re my wife. Ask away.”
She wished he’d stop saying that. Because she wasn’t truly his wife and she never would be. It made her long for the real marriage he was denying her. “What is it about Ella that made you decide to settle down?”
He ran a hand over his dark chocolate curls. “I guess it’s a matter of timing. Ella’s been very supportive of my decision to retire. I’ve met lots of women who were only interested in me because they wanted to date a tennis star. Ella didn’t even know who I was.” His lips tilted in a self-deprecating smile. “Not that I’m universally known. Anyway, I liked that. She comes off as self-centered and shallow, but she’s not that way when it’s just the two of us.”
Sienna nodded and swallowed a lump in her throat. He loved Ella. She needed to get that through her head. There was no hope that he would change his mind and want her and their marriage instead. Though she’d tried to ignore Mika’s optimism, it was infectious. A small part of her brain had been holding out hope that he would trust in the Bioexpa promise. For her own peace of mind, she needed to be prepared to let him go and to move on with her second match.
Chapter Three
Day 1 of Cohabitation
Moving was a long and tiring job. Even with Mika, Jakob, and both sets of parents helping, it took several hours to get them both moved into the new apartment. Sienna couldn’t imagine how much worse it would be if she’d been moving all her belongings. Jakob had even less to move since many of his possessions were in storage in Florida.
After her lunch with Jakob, Sienna had rented bedroom furniture for the guestroom. She figured Jakob could decorate the remainder of the space. She planned to spend as little time there as possible. The less attached she became to Jakob, the better. God forbid she should develop deep feelings for him.
When they were done unloading the moving vans, their parents hugged them and wished them luck before leaving. Jakob’s bedroom suite and dining set arrived from the furniture store. Sienna arranged her clothes in the guestroom closet. It was going on four o’clock when she began getting nervous about her own furniture. She called the rental company only to find out that they had sold the items she’d intended to rent. “Crap,” she said.
Mika turned from the task of stowing shoes in the closet. “What’s wrong?”
“Looks like I’m slee
ping on the floor tonight. They gave away my furniture. They offered to let me pick out another set at a discounted rate, but there’s no way we’ll make it there by closing time. And even if we could, they can’t guarantee immediate delivery.”
“That’s nonsense,” Mika said. “Jakob’s bed is king-sized. Sharing won’t kill you.” She lifted her brows. “It might even be a good thing.”
“Um, no,” she said, but Mika was already calling for her brother.
He leaned in doorway, his hands braced above his head on the frame. “What’s up?”
“Sienna wants to share your bed.”
Jakob’s dark eyes swung to her. Sienna choked at her friend’s phrasing. “Excuse me?” he finally asked, his voice completely devoid of emotion. Mika explained the situation to him. Jakob ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Sienna, I’ll sleep on the floor. You can have my bed until you get one.”
“I can’t ask you to do that. I’ll make a pallet out of some blankets-”
“Nonsense,” he said, echoing his sister’s sentiment. “It’s a big bed. Neither of us wants to sleep on the floor. We’ll share it.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think-”
“Don’t argue with me. Besides, it’s only for a few days until you can get your own bed. If it makes you feel better, we can roll up a blanket and put it between us. Think of it as a sleepover.” He checked his watch and winced. “I’m taking Ella to dinner. I’ll be back by nine-thirty or ten. I hope that’s okay?”
Okay that her husband was taking another woman on a date? She bit her lip and nodded.
“I’ll see you later then.”
The apartment door had barely closed behind him before Mika turned on her. “What the hell? You’re going to let him get away with that? You’re making this too easy on that trollop. He’s your husband. You have to demand your rights.”
“Mika, he’s in love with her.”
Mika huffed. “No, he’s not. He’s gotten himself tied up with her and he doesn’t know how to escape. Jakob tends to make plans and he’ll stick to them out of a sense of obligation. Well, this is one time when obligation is going to lead him into a life a misery.”
Sienna sighed. “Has it occurred to you that he doesn’t want to get rid of her? He’s takes her to dinner every night. It’s our first day living as husband and wife and he’s spending it with her. In comparison, I haven’t seen him since lunch on Monday.”
“Do you want him or not? I kind of always thought you had a crush on him.”
No way was she confessing to that now. It would only make her public humiliation more complete. “Mika, I’d be willing to make a go of it if he was. But he’s not even remotely interested in me. So there’s no point in talking about it, is there? Can’t you just let this go?”
“No. The two of you are screwing this up and trying to make it more complicated than it needs to be.” Mika propped her hands on her hips. She had the same dark eyes and hair as her brother. “News flash, Jakob likes you, too.”
Sienna threw up her arms and returned to hanging her clothes in the walk-in closet. Convincing Mika was an impossible task.
“What no comment?”
“Is there any need to respond to your delusions?”
“I’m not delusional.”
“Then you’re hopelessly romantic.”
Mika snorted. “I can’t believe you’ve never noticed the way he looks at you. When you’re in the room, he can’t take his eyes off you. Frankly, it’s a bit disturbing as his sister to observe these things.”
Sienna shook her head. “You just don’t want Ella as a sister-in-law.”
“I sure as hell don’t. But that has nothing to do with this. I’m telling you, there’s a spark there. Remember the way he touched your face the other day?”
“He was checking me for makeup,” she replied dismissively. When Mika opened her mouth to respond again, she held up a hand. “Enough, Mika. You’re not making this any easier on me. I’ve been waiting to meet my match since I was eighteen. To have him reject me is…” She paused as she swallowed. “It’s devastating. That Jakob and I know each other makes his rejection even more personal. I just want to get this trial period over with and forget that we were ever married.” Something in her tone or her expression must have finally convinced Mika that she couldn’t take any further stress at the moment. Though Mika opened her mouth as though she would continue the argument, she immediately snapped it shut and didn’t say more on the subject. Sienna was relieved to have the reprieve and she planned to enjoy it because she suspected it would be short-lived.
***
Jakob escorted Ella up to her hotel room. She placed her palm on a scanner to the left of the door. A thin beam of light pulsed down and then up before a beep sounded and the door slid open. Her room had a kitchenette, a small den area, and a bedroom off to the left. The kitchenette had a dishwasher, sink, and a regular sized refrigerator. The den had a loveseat, coffee table, end tables with lamps and a large flat screen television. Jakob had not seen the bedroom or adjoining bathroom.
Ella kicked off her heels and burrowed her toes into the plush carpeting. She dropped four inches. He couldn’t help but compare her to Sienna who was a few inches above average height. He judged her to be about 5’8.”He didn’t think he’d ever seen Sienna in a pair of heels. Ella sighed and grinned up at him. Crossing to the sofa, she crooked a finger at him, a flirtatious invitation to follow.
He sat beside her and she twisted to prop her feet in his lap. Obeying the silent request, he began to massage her feet.
“I liked the restaurant you chose tonight. I just wish that they hadn’t seated us so close to that family with those horrible kids.”
Jakob frowned. He recalled the family in question. They’d had three children. The older two had been well behaved. Even the toddler had been quiet until dessert arrived. She’d cried a little, but he didn’t consider the minor disruption noteworthy. However, he didn’t disagree with Ella. It would only start an argument and he knew she was especially fragile today. His moving in with another woman couldn’t be easy on her.
She wriggled her toes. “You’re really good at that. You could have made a career out of this instead of running around in the hot sun.”
He smiled and concentrated on her arches. “But the pay isn’t nearly as good.”
“Certainly not.” She removed the pins from her hair and shook it out. It floated about her shoulders in a peach scented cloud before settling into place with perfect precision. “Hey, I talked to my Mom today and she said she saw some really promising real estate available in Manhattan.”
Jakob’s eyes narrowed and his lips thinned. He couldn’t help the spark of irritation that bit into him at her persistence over this particular topic. “Ella, you know how I feel about this. Why do you keep bringing it up?”
She snatched her feet from his grip. Her green eyes spat fire at him. “Would you rather we discuss your marriage and how you expect me to remain in the same town as your soon to be ex-wife?”
He stood. “Maybe I should leave,” he said, attempting to keep his tone even. She knew how guilty he felt about her not being chosen as his wife. But he wouldn’t allow her to exploit that into making him purchase a condo in New York.
“No, Jakob, don’t go!” She hopped up and draped her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry for being cross. You understand, don’t you? How hard this has been on me?” As her lovely eyes filled with tears, the irises turned a darker more vibrant shade of green.
Like any other male, he hated tears. It made him feel awkward and flummoxed, and he’d do anything to make it stop. “It’s okay, Ella. We’ve both been on edge.” Hugging her back, he smiled and kissed her temple.
She grinned and blinked away the moisture in her eyes. He noted that no tears had actually spilled down her cheeks. Slipping out of his embrace, she trailed her hands over his arms and gripped
his hands. She stepped back and tugged him. He’d followed her around the sofa and to the doorway of the bedroom before he realized what she was up to. “Ella, we can’t.”
“Come on, Jake,” she cajoled. “We both know you’ll never last a month without sex. Let me help you.”
Scowling at her, he pulled his hands out of hers. He could and had gone months without sex. Why she persisted in believing that he was some insatiable sex fiend defied him. Yes, he had a healthy sex drive but he was in no way an addict. Tennis was a year round sport so he didn’t always abstain during tournaments. Of course, he avoided all-nighters the day before a match, but he wasn’t going to turn down sex. He found that it relieved stress and helped him to sleep better. Of course, he’d made sure his coach and his fitness trainer didn’t find out.
“Ella, I explained my feelings about this. I’m married and I won’t-”
She screeched and stomped her foot. “Do you want me or not?”
At this very moment, no, he didn’t. He sensed that they were on the verge of one of her tantrums and he wanted out of this room. Unfortunately, a sensible method to extricate himself, without further offending Ella eluded him. The hesitation cost him.
In the space of a few seconds, Ella’s face suffused with red. “Do you want her? Your wife?”
Jakob thought of Sienna, of the sweet, hardworking girl he’d known when he was younger now grown into a beautiful, desirable woman. Thinking of her was another mistake. His reply didn’t come swift enough and Ella jumped to her own conclusions.
Ella glared at him. “You do, don’t you? You find her attractive?”
He ran his hand over his hair. “I don’t know what you want me to say. She’s certainly not a gargoyle.”
“But do you want to fuck her?”
He winced at her wording. Apparently nothing but his lying to her was going to make her happy. Because of course he’d thought about what it would be like to be with Sienna. She was his wife and intimacy was an important part of marriage. And hell, she was hot. Despite his attempts to banish any sexual thoughts about Sienna, he’d only been minimally successful. And he certainly couldn’t stop the dreams. Twice this week he’d awakened so hard and turned on that he couldn’t stop himself from coming.