Strictly Business Page 11
When Jake came out of the bathroom, she was gone, only her bra was left. He thought about bringing it down to her room but knew that would be a mistake. They would either fight or make love. And he didn’t have the strength to resist her twice in one night.
He stripped off his pants and climbed into bed. He would have to apologize in the morning. He had promised to be gentle, and he’d been anything but. Damn it, he’d kept his promise, though. She was still a virgin. So why had she run off? And why, as he lay here in the dark, did he find himself wishing she’d stayed. Not just for sex. Why did he want her curled beside him?
* * * * *
Jess lay her head on the pillow and felt the tears starting. Why was she always so wrong? Her hair, her eyes, her body. And being a virgin at twenty-nine was odd indeed. Even now that she’d finally had an orgasm, she’d done something wrong. He’d run out, without even a kiss or a “hold on.” He’d just left. As the tears began to dry, the anger set in. Somewhere, someone wouldn’t think she was weird. There was someone out there that would like her, just the way she was. Including her apparently inappropriate reactions to sex. She spent the night wavering between hurt, embarrassment and anger.
Chapter 18
When she woke the next morning, Jess had settled on the anger. She’d decided that playing it cool would be the best approach. She was sure that with all his past partners, Jake’d had bad sex before. So, at least this time it hadn’t gone quite that far. She would just be cool. Icy, in fact.
As she looked in the mirror to put in her contacts, for the first time in fifteen years she resented them. She had always appreciated the shield they offered, but right now she felt like she really was hiding. And she was tired of hiding. She looked at them, brown circles in the dish. She knew it was foolish to place so much importance on two little pieces of plastic, but she was done. Done hiding, done fighting who she was and done trying to please other people. She found herself dumping the case, the contacts and the solution in the trash before she even thought it through. She also left her hair down and put a rubber band in her pocket for later, when it got hot.
She walked into the kitchen, expecting questions and staring. No one was in there except Marsha. She grabbed a mug of coffee, sipped with great pleasure, and said, “Good morning Marsha.”
Marsha looked up and stared. Just long enough that Jess started to regret tossing her contacts. Finally, she shook her head and said, “Good mornin’, Jess. Are you off to the house this mornin’?”
“Yeah.” She smiled back at Marsha, appreciating her more than ever before. “In fact, I think this week we need to get over and take a look at cabinetry. I think Jake’s going to want some custom-made cabinets, so we’ll have to order them way in advance. I’m sure he’ll want your input.”
So, maybe her voice did catch a little when she said Jake’s name. So what? She managed to get it out, right? She finished her coffee, rinsed her cup and headed to the door. Maybe her luck would hold and she could get over to the house site without seeing Jake at all this morning.
* * * * *
Jess showed up on the site, hair down, no over-shirt, eyes silver. The guys, who had started framing that morning ahead of schedule, all stopped. A strange hush came over the build site. She was trying to ignore the hush, the staring, but it wasn't easy. She felt the tension starting in her shoulders.
Mike looked up when everything stopped. He looked around, stopping when he saw Jess. He was obviously shocked since it took him almost a full minute to even move. Finally, he walked over, leaned in, kissed her on the head. “Hey, gorgeous. Let’s go take a look at the blueprints. I was thinking we might change the location of the kitchen island just a little. Nothing structural, just switch the angle.” He turned and headed toward the left part of the house. Jess gladly followed.
They managed to work until lunch time, when Mike called it a day and sent the guys home early. Jess was still onsite, finishing up some notes and measurements for the kitchen. When Mike came over and tapped her on the shoulder, she was so startled she dropped everything.
“I sent everyone home. I saw some of the guys at the bar pretty late last night, so I knew they were beat, and it’s Saturday. Plus, we’re right on schedule, a little ahead actually. I figured they could use the break.”
Jess threw her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Mike’s arms came around her, squeezing. “It’s just an afternoon off,” Mike said laughing.
“No, for this morning. For just being you, being normal.” It’d only taken about ten minutes of Mike acting normal for the rest of the crew to fall in line. And no one had asked any questions. Jess loosened her arms from Mike’s neck, grabbed his cheeks and kissed him right on the mouth. There was nothing romantic in the kiss, just simple gratitude. “Thank you.”
* * * * *
Jake walked up the ramp where the front porch would be and into the kitchen area, just in time to see Jess kiss Mike. He'd been on edge since he woke up this morning. Having tossed and turned all night, dreaming of a certain brunette wrapped around him, he hadn't slept very well for the few short hours he'd been in bed. Tap on the fact that he spent all morning fighting arousal and the need to track her down and find out where she'd run off to, and edgy had worked its way over to pissy. And now, the person who had caused him such misery was in the arms of another guy. He felt the temper he’d been fighting with all morning boil over. He tried to tamp it down, tried to find his normal sense of calm, and failed. Without any conscious thought he felt the water bottle fly out of his hand, across the room and hit a beam just next to Mike.
Mike reacted first, stepping back and turning to face Jake. “Dude, it’s not like that.” Mike held his hands up, ready to explain.
Jess finally seemed to snap out of her daze and turned to face Jake. It was then that he saw her eyes. That made it worse. He knew he was glaring and she was glaring right back. Jake took one step toward her, not sure if he was planning to yell, throttle her or kiss her. He stopped right in front of her, still glaring, teeth bared at her, still unsure what he was going to do when she started yelling.
“What the hell are you thinking? You threw a bottle at him. Are you insane? Mike’s my friend. I can hug him any time I want to! And you…you are…”
“I’m what?” Jake’s voice was cold, though he felt anything but.
“What you are doesn’t matter, but I know what you’re not. You’re not my keeper!”
In that same cold voice Jake asked, “After last night, you think that I’m going to let you kiss another man? Especially Mike?” He had her bent backward over a frame piece for the kitchen wall, trapped between his arms. Even though Mike was standing right there, even though he was so angry he could strangle her, Jake’s body still responded to her. He felt himself growing hard and instead of trying to hide it, he pressed his erection against her belly. And he heard her quick intake of breath.
“You get no say in the matter. My life, my body.” She shoved her hands against his chest, trying to push him away.
He held her there, still unsure of what exactly he was going to do. She had been so warm and welcoming last night. Then she ran off. And now, not only was she wrapped around Mike, she was screaming at him. She pushed against Jake’s chest again and he finally eased back a little bit.
“You lost your rights to any say in who I kiss when you ran out last night!” With one hard push she shoved Jake away and walked toward Mike, grabbing his hand as she passed him. “Let’s go.”
Just before she headed down the ramp she yelled without even turning around. “This week we need to go pick cabinetry. Clear some time in your busy schedule.”
Chapter 19
Tuesday morning, Jess strode into the kitchen at six. She wasn’t sure what time Jake wanted to go into town to look at cabinetry, so she thought it best to be up and ready before it even occurred to him. They hadn’t spoken since Saturday. They’d been in the same room, severa
l times, and once she’d bumped into him in the barn. He didn’t even nod at her and she wouldn’t acknowledge him either. She knew he was still angry. His rage was almost palpable, leaving a residue every time he entered a room. Everyone could sense it. You could almost feel the universal sigh of relief when he walked out again.
She had dropped a note off on his desk yesterday reminding him that they needed to go pick cabinets today. She still wasn’t at all sure how they were going to manage that without speaking to each other, but she was willing to give it a try. They were close to seven weeks into this project, and with everyone putting in overtime it was coming along really well. She always thought of timelines based on tract homes, or even for large business structures, so she was amazed at how fast this was going. Building one house was certainly different to building twenty at once. They absolutely had to pick out cabinetry and counters. Appliances, flooring, window coverings. So much to do. She would have to speak to him.
This was going to take at least one entire day, probably more, unless he already knew what he wanted. Jess perked up at that thought. Maybe he already had some ideas. He was so damn opinionated about everything else, maybe this would be easier than she thought. Then he walked in and that hope went right out the window.
* * * * *
Jake saw her sitting there, looking stunning as always. Dressed and ready for the day before he was. He wondered again how they’d ended up here. She’d been in his bed one night and in Mike’s arms the next day. Now they hadn’t spoken to each other in three days. And instead of getting over it, getting past one night and a few kisses, he still wanted her. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. Every night was a struggle not to walk into her room and kiss her senseless. The constant desire and following torment of seeing her there in his home only added to his anger. He shouldn’t want her like this. He hadn’t even made love to her. It had occurred to him, on more than one occasion, that maybe if he just took her, lost himself in her one time, he could move on. Get over this desire for a woman that made him crazy. Unfortunately his mother had taught him better than that.
Not that he was against one night stands, or casual sex between two consenting adults, but she was a virgin. There was no way he was going to take her virginity just to get her out of his system. She’d waited this long for a reason, though he didn’t know what it was. So instead he spent his days being teased and his nights in hell. He had tried to ease the pressure every day, usually more than once, and that seemed to make it worse. He could still feel her body contracting around his finger as he brought her to climax.
Just looking at her sitting at his table, fully clothed, and he was already hard. He muttered, “Fuck me,” as he grabbed a mug of coffee. He turned to leave the room, once again without saying anything, when she finally spoke up.
“I get that we’re not speaking to each other, however, we have some business we need to take care of. You have to pick cabinets and countertops at the very least. They take a while, especially if you custom order, which you most likely will. So, we are going into Evanston today. Go take care of the morning routine. I’ve cleared my schedule for the entire day, so I’m available to help if there’s anything I can do. And at ten o’clock we are leaving.”
Her voice was calm and icy. One hundred percent professional. If he hadn’t been there, he would never suspect their night of passion or the fight the next day. He wanted to hit her. He had never before wanted to hit a woman, but right now he wanted to hit her. Or kiss her until the ice melted. Rip her shirt off and remind her that she wasn't always that cold to him.
That’s what he wanted to do. What he did was say, “Fine,” and storm out the door, slamming it behind him.
At nine fifty-eight, Jake walked back into the kitchen. Jess was already there waiting for him, a glass of iced tea in her hand. She looked cool and composed. But he noticed, while he was glaring at her of course, that her eyes were shooting fire this time. Not quite as calm as she was this morning. This actually brought a little smile to his lips.
Which caused a look of confusion to run across her face. His smile got bigger as he turned to the sink. “Just let me wash up and we’ll head out of here.”
As he was drying his hands, she stood, grabbed her purse and her briefcase and headed toward the door. She still looked a tad bit confused but she wasn't speaking. He was actually enjoying her discomfiture. He smiled a little more as he followed her out to the truck. When he climbed into the driver’s seat, he looked back over his shoulder, scowl firmly back in place. “What are you doing back there?”
“I assumed we were driving to Evanston. Why, did you plan to murder me instead?”
“Look lady, you may not be speakin’ to me, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to act as your chauffeur! You can either find your own ride into town, or drag your sexy ass up here!” He hadn’t really meant for the “sexy” to come out.
The confused look gave way to fury. She was practically yelling when she finally answered. “No, I’ll ride back here. Marsha can ride up front.”
“Marsha’s not coming. Now, get up here!” He was shouting, he knew he was shouting, he kept telling himself to stop shouting, but it wasn’t working.
“Why isn’t Marsha coming? It’s her damn kitchen! It’s not like you cook in it or anything. She should get to choose what works for her.”
“She did! She approved the layout, and I’ve taken her over to the house to walk her through the basics too. I get to pick the cabinets.”
She had just stuck that aforementioned sexy ass in the air, contorted into weird positions and climbed over the seat like a kid. Jake snapped.
All at once, his hands were on her arms, pulling her across the car. Thank God for bench seats. Jake dragged her onto his lap and pressed his mouth hungrily against hers. There was no tenderness, no romance. This was need, desire, hunger.
She responded in kind. Her tongue slipped out to run along his lips. His mouth opened, letting her tongue in to duel with his. She whimpered then wrapped her hands around his neck, digging them into his hair.
He twisted her around until she was straddling him. He felt her hips slide, rubbing up against his erection, making his cock throb and jump against her.
Jess pulled her mouth off his, taking in a deep breath before she cried out, bucking her hips against him. Jake felt her cries against his lips, her breasts pressing against him. He thrust his hips toward her as she ground down on him. When he found himself wishing he could rip the crotch out of her jeans and ram himself inside her, reality slapped him in the face. They were in the cab of his truck, in the front yard, in full view of everyone. And they hadn’t even spoken to each other in days. This was not the time, nor the place. Reluctantly he pulled his mouth from hers and pushed her slightly away resting his forehead against hers.
“I’m sorry. This isn’t the right time for this.”
She slowly climbed off his lap, settled into her seat and latched the seat belt. “It’s fine, let’s go please. We have a lot to do.”
The ice was back in her voice. He waited for the anger to come. It had been with him constantly since he woke up without her three days ago. Instead of anger, he felt…disappointment. He just couldn’t seem to get things right with her.
They drove into Evanston in silence. When they got to the design center Jess had found online, they each got out, closed their doors gently and headed in, again in silence.
Jess turned to him. “Let’s take one swoop all the way through. Make note of anything that jumps out at you, and we’ll come back and narrow it down from there.”
Jake was completely out of his league. He liked several of the kitchen combinations they’d put together, but he had no idea what he actually wanted in his house. He just kept hoping he’d know it if he saw it.
And then he did. Only it wasn’t the kitchen he saw, it was Jess's face. Her whole face lit up.
He watched her walk into one of the kitchen layouts, run her hand along the edge of the countertops, s
mile at the cooktop. She fingered the knobs on the cabinets, ran her hands across some shiny silver thing above the stove. What was that called? A range hood? Apparently, this was the kitchen she wanted. Why did that matter? It shouldn’t be important to him what she wanted in the house. He stood there, stunned, as he thought back to their discussions. The floor plans, the house style, everything. He had wanted her input, wanted her to approve of his choices. Why? Why was this kitchen all of a sudden the only one he wanted? As he began to answer his own questions, terror took hold.
He saw her turn to look at him. He had no idea what his face looked like, but if hers was any indication, it wasn't good.
She ran over, gripping his shoulders and shaking him. “Jake, Jake, are you okay? What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
He could hear the panic in her voice and that was enough to help snap him out of his own. He was being ridiculous anyway. He was listening to her choices because she was the expert She knew what she was doing and he didn’t. He respected her opinion, that was all. And there was nothing terrifying about that.
He took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m fine. I think I just got a little overwhelmed. There’s a lot to absorb in here.” Somewhere inside he knew there was more to this than he was admitting to, but he wasn’t ready to face it quite yet.
Jess shrugged. She still looked confused, but she didn't ask any questions, for which Jake was extremely grateful.
* * * * *
He followed her as they wandered through yet more kitchens and into the flooring department. She glanced over and inadvertently spotted a really dark wood floor that would look perfect with that kitchen. The kitchen was going to be plastered, not wood sided, so the kitchen and flooring didn’t have to go with the exterior logs. She could see this all flowing into the niche, a huge tobacco colored table. Warm tan leather sofas with a splash of color from throw pillows, a bright area rug. Warm, neutral tans on the walls. An accent of that same tobacco in the built-in shelves. Very masculine, very comfortable, but still enough color to be homey and nice for Marsha and guests. All of a sudden, the whole main floor of the house came together. She turned around, all set to talk him into the kitchen she liked, when she remembered it didn’t matter. This wasn’t her house. She wouldn’t be choosing any of the furniture. She would offer opinions to make sure his choices in cabinets and flooring didn’t clash and that would be it.