CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jake
What the hell just happened?
Lacey should have been ecstatic. She should have been jumping into my arms with joy. Because I wasn’t marrying her mom, I was with her. We were gonna be a couple.
But instead, she lay back against the pillows, wan and beautiful. Shit, she must have lost ten pounds in that hellhole, and I vowed to put the poundage back on.
But more than that, it was her demeanor. Because my baby was here, yes, but she didn’t do much more than be sad.
“Honey,” came my rough growl. “We’ll work it out. We’ll be a couple.”
But her eyes merely moved to the window with a faraway look.
“Of course,” she said, voice calm. “Of course.”
Of course? What did that mean? There was nothing “of course” about this, there was nothing predictable about our relationship. I just called off a wedding to her mom, for crying out loud. So what was this of course stuff?
But the brunette was mysterious as a Sphinx. She smiled wanly again and said, “Jake, I feel really tired. Would you mind?”
Yes, I minded. Pulling up a stool, I plunked my big body next to her bed.
“Sure honey, you go ahead and sleep,” was my protective growl. “I’ll be right here.”
And for the first time in a while, real humor lit up those brown eyes.
“Oh Jake,” she said softly. “That’s not what I mean. Go out and do whatever you need to do,” she said with a nod of her chin towards the door. “I’ll be fine here.”
“No,” was my curt reply. “I’m staying here.”
But Lacey wasn’t taking no for an answer. With a sigh, she threw back the covers and got out of bed herself, wobbling back and forth. Shit, it was the drugs doing this to her, making Lacey weak like a foal.
“Damn,” I grunted, catching an arm. She was so thin now, I could circle her bicep with one fist easily. “Get back in bed!”
But Lacey rolled her eyes at the ceiling.
“Jake, either you go or I go,” she panted, out of breath. “I can’t sleep with you breathing down my neck, so either you leave, or I find a different place to stay.”
And I got it, I got it. She needed her privacy to do feminine things. So I tucked the female back in, and strode towards the door, turning back on my heel once.
“You move and you’re toast,” came my harsh growl.
But whaddya know, the sweet female was already asleep, her face pale against the white pillowcase. Shit. What those fuckers did to her. I was gonna have their asses for breakfast.
And shutting the door behind my massive form, I turned back to the hallway. Because what the hell was going on? Lacey should have been ecstatic to see me, she should have thrown herself into my arms, eager to begin a real relationship.
But instead, she’d said, “We’ll talk about it later.” That was a brush-off for sure. So what the hell? Did I do something wrong?
Turning into my office, I let out an exasperated grunt. Women. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em. I dropped into my chair, ready to boot up the computer when the door opened again.
“Yo yo,” came the greeting from my best man Cade. Or ex-best man, come to think of it. “Wassup?”
“Not much,” was my grunt. “Why?”
“Just seein’ if you wanted to grab lunch with me and Mary next week,” the fucker replied, lowering himself into an armchair. “Mary’s visiting her sister, so we’re in New York for the whole week.”
Oh right. Most out of town guests left after the wedding was called off, but clearly Cade had other commitments.
“Yeah sure,” I grunted. “Just let my secretary know when.”
A pause as Cade looked at me speculatively.
“You gonna bring that little chickadee?” he asked casually, nodding towards the hall. “That girl you brought in?”
Tension hovered in the air. But I broke it.
“Naw, I don’t think she’s ready,” was my low drawl. “Lacey’s ill, she’s not ready for that.”
Because Cade had seen how I carried her into the house, protective and loving. He’d seen how I’d given her the master, intent on taking care of the sweet female.
“That’s Amanda’s daughter, right?” Cade drawled. “Like your ex-fiancee’s daughter?”
Immediately my expression grew shuttered.
“Yeah,” I grunted. “But it’s a lot more than that.”
A pregnant pause.
“You wanna spill?”
“Naw,” came my terse reply. “It’s no big deal.”
But Cade’s known me for ages and knows exactly how to press my buttons.
“Well, I’d think there’s something buried down there,” he drawled, twirling a pen in his hand. “I mean, like mother like daughter? You doing them both?”
That got my goat because shit no. Why would I touch Amanda if I had Lacey?”
“Shut the fuck up, motherfucker,” came my grunt. “Get outta here.”
And Cade stood then.
“Yo man, it’s not my business. But by the look of it, you got somethin’ for that honey you just brought in. Like big deal, call off my wedding type of problems. So you in love or something?”
Of course I had problems. Of course I’d called off my wedding because how could I touch Amanda, when all I wanted was her daughter instead?
But what made me snarl and grab my desk was the word “love.” Because was I in love with Lacey? Did I love that sweet nymphet, falling at her feet in a helpless mess?
Fuck no. Guys like me don’t fall in love. We fuck, sure, we make women fall in love with us. But it doesn’t go the other way. There’s too much money to be made and too much pussy in the world to waste our time.
But Cade was on a roll. As he sauntered to the door, my buddy flicked the pen into a canister.
“Listen dude. I just call ‘em like I see ‘em, and you’ve never looked the way you did this morning. Bringing her in, it was like World War Three happened, you were ready to burn down this city and sell the leftovers for scrap. So yeah, mofo. I’d say there’s something there.”
And with a chuckle, Cade was gone, the door banging behind him. Fuck houseguests. Fuck ‘em all.
But in the silence, I sat back at my desk, mind whirling furiously. Because shit, did I love Lacey? Sure, I cared about her. I called off a wedding for the girl, hunting her down, and I was gonna stick it to those mofos at Safe Haven. But did I love her? That was a different story.
Because love means a lot of things. Fidelity. Mutual respect. Adoration. Could I be myself, the disgusting, depraved asshole, and yet also love someone as sweet as Lacey?
And suddenly, the answer was clear. Yes. I absolutely adored her. I worshipped that sweet form. I was willing to turn myself inside out, to turn my life inside out for the brunette. In fact, I’d already done it. I’d called off a society wedding, starting up the rumor mills. I was getting ready to initiate a lawsuit, all because of how they treated Lacey. In fact, I’d brought her to my apartment, and put her to bed in my very own king. That, more than anything, showed that I’d let her into my heart.
Floored, my mouth dropped open, heart racing. Shit. The titan Jake Mason had been brought down by an eighteen year-old virgin. A forty-five year old asshole was now on his hands and knees, ready to do whatever the girl wanted. What the hell?
But it felt good. It felt right. This woman is my everything, and frankly, I was the last to know. I was the last to see the signs, to fully internalize what was going on. Because I’m a callous motherfucker, someone who does crazy shit for the hell of it. And now, presented with the best thing in my life, I’d almost missed it.
Because Lacey told me she loved me. Sure, I heard it up there in my bedroom, that sweet whisper, the way her eyes flooded with emotion. But I’d chosen to ignore it. Because what was I gonna say? “I love you too?” Hell no, those words weren’t even in my vocabulary.
But oh shit. Everything’s changed and I need to tell her. She’d already pulled away, her eyes sliding from mine, her body there but that mind already gone. Had I lost her already? By being a complete asshole, had I already lost my one real opportunity with the brunette?
And suddenly I lurched up, papers flying to the ground. Because I’d fucked up bad. I’d kept Lacey guessing, when all along, the truth was right here. I loved her. I needed her. I’d do anything to keep her with me, night and day, our bodies locked together, her breath mixing with mine. Shit! Fuck! Shit! Talk about giant screw-ups.
And in a few short strides, I was out the door and on my way to her bedroom. Because my world doesn’t work without the brunette … and hopefully, there was still time.