Chapter Seven
Jake had managed to keep himself busy with wedding decorations the majority of the day. Now, he had to go back into the room to grab his suit for the wedding. Which was a blessing, because he’d woken up with a throbbing erection and the remnants of a dream about Erin’s legs wrapped around him. Hell, he couldn’t even escape her in sleep now. His sisters might say that this was his subconscious trying to tell him something. Luckily, he didn’t believe in that crap. He was no stranger to compartmentalizing, and he’d do that in regard to Erin. Sure, she was tempting, but he could push those thoughts away.
He slipped the key card into the slot and opened the door.
A faint tap-tap-tapping caught his attention, and he turned to find Erin on the bed, her laptop on her lap.
“Don’t teachers get the summer off?”
She looked up from her computer and gave him a bright smile that made all his earlier irritation melt away. “Not this one. Looking to see if there were any job openings since yesterday.” She frowned, her eyes scanning her screen.
“Any luck?” He grabbed the suit from the bathroom and pulled his shirt over his head.
She shook her head, her shoulders drooping. Just like that, it was like a cloud had passed in front of the sun, darkening the mood. He didn’t like to see her this way. Would do anything to erase that hurt in her eyes.
“We’ll get extra drinks tonight at the wedding. Maybe we can go hiking tomorrow.” He knew that look. She needed to get out of her head. Usually Jake’s way of blowing off steam would be hitting the weights at the station, but he supposed any type of physical activity would do.
“I did bring a pair of hiking shoes.”
He jutted his chin to the overnight bag and the carry-on. “You probably packed your whole wardrobe in that monstrosity of a suitcase.”
She wagged a finger at him. “There’s nothing wrong with having options.”
He just nodded. Give him one or two choices and he was set. It seemed that Erin’s life was one of those destination signs pointing in all different directions, with every city imaginable listed.
“Can you help me with something?” Erin called from the bathroom. Jake already had his suit on and had helped with the last-minute preparations. Now he was free for the next hour until the ceremony.
He walked into the bathroom and swallowed hard. Erin’s dress was open down to the small of her back, tan smooth skin on full display. No bra. The thought made his dick twitch.
“Will you help zip me?”
It was one of those dresses that had the big opening in the middle, the zipper starting at her shoulder blades. “Sure thing.” He grasped the delicate zipper between his fingers, and his thumb grazed her bare skin. A soft whimper escaped Erin’s lips, and he bit down hard on his tongue. Nope. Do not picture what sounds she’d make if your hands were other places. But hell, he was only human. His mind went there. It went a lot of places, including what type of sounds she’d make if he took a nip at her neck.
She cleared her throat, snapping him back to the present. He’d been standing there for who knows how long, closer than he should have been standing. Just an inch closer and his chest would be flush with her back. It’d take less than two seconds to have her dress pooled on the floor—he’d put money on that.
Back. Off.
Reluctantly, he released her zipper and backed away. “I need to make sure my sister doesn’t need anything else before the ceremony. I’ll see you at the wedding?”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and thumbed the coin that was practically searing a hole through his pants. He had no right to be thinking those things. Not when this was Erin. Hell, he owed it to her to show her respect. She was here as his friend, and he’d like to keep it that way. It didn’t matter that she’d admitted to liking him in high school. He planned on ignoring that for the remainder of the weekend.
She looked at him through the reflection of the mirror, her expression unreadable. Ever since last night, everything had felt different. Tighter. Like whatever was between them was seconds away from snapping. “Yeah, I’ll sit by Bailey,” she said.
“Great.” He hadn’t seen his daughter since last night. She’d sent him that text at midnight that she was back safe from her escapades with his sisters, but that was it. A pang of guilt hit him that this had been the last thing on his mind all day. “I’ll see you soon.”
He took one last look at her, blonde hair swept over her shoulders, her black dress hugging every mouth-watering curve.
He made it out of the room and loosed a breath, banging his head against the wall. This woman was his damn Achilles’ heel. Twenty-four hours and then he’d be in the clear. Until then, he just needed to repeat to himself that he had enough willpower to stay away from her. He hoped it was true.
Erin chewed on her bottom lip as she sat on the bed, staring at the door.
“You’re an idiot, Jenkins.” Of course she had to go and make things awkward by blurting out that she’d had a thing for Jake since prehistoric time. There was a lot of last night that was fuzzy, but she remembered that part. For a second there, she thought she’d hit the jackpot, especially when he’d joined her on the bed. And then his phone had gone off and, boom, reality check.
Beer? No longer her BFF.
She pushed off the bed, strode over to the mirror, and gave one more look-over, deeming herself made up enough not to be given major side-eye by any of the wedding party.
Now all she needed to do was make it through this evening and never show her face around town again, and she’d be good. It was a solid plan. Mostly. Besides the fact that she was here in Oregon for another month.
She stood in front of the mirror, putting her hair into a half pony. Then down. Then all the way up into a bun. Then half down.
She let out a frustrated groan. “Come on.”
Nothing looked right. Or maybe she was just freaking out and her hair was the only bit of control she had left.
A knock came from the door, along with a muffled “Housekeeping.”
She shuffled around the bed and opened the door to find someone from the hotel staff standing behind a cleaning cart.
“Come on in. I’ll be out of your way in just a second.” She always felt awkward being present while someone came to clean the room because she always had the urge to help them pick up. “Just need to grab my bag, check my lipstick one more time, and should be good to go.” Why did she feel the need to give this poor woman the play-by-play commentary? Maybe she really was starting to lose it.
Bag. Now. Go.
Making her way across the room, she searched for her little wristlet that contained her ID, cash, and aspirin in case the headache from this morning decided to make a reappearance. Her clutch sat on the coffee table by the couch, along with Jake’s glass of water from last night.
He’d been in her bed. For less than two seconds, but still. If that text message hadn’t come through, they might still be in there. Maybe.
She glanced at the clock on her cell phone. Crap. Fifteen minutes until the ceremony. She quickly backpedaled out from the tiny space when her legs hit the couch and she went down, ass first. She landed on something hard, and then the moaning came. Not from her, but from the TV.
“For the love.”
She clicked the remote, and this time the “Power” button didn’t work.
A woman dressed as a wizard stepped into the frame, wielding a wand. “You’ve been a very bad boy, Harry.”
Oh dear God.
“This isn’t what it looks like. This was the only thing that was on.” She winced. Nope. Not the right thing to say. That would imply she wanted to watch the freaky-deaky debauchery of her favorite childhood series. “Not that I’m into this kinda thing. I mean, if you are, more power to you.”
“Is that a wand in your pants, or are you excited to see me?” came from the TV, full blast. Erin cut her gaze to the plug in the wall and debated tearing it out.
“I mean, this is the only channel we were able to look at because the remote is broken.”
Erin smacked the remote against her palm and tried the “Power” button again. Nothing.
The housekeeper stared at her, arching a brow. Yeah, she wasn’t buying it. Wasn’t it in their job description to not pass judgment on hotel guests? Because Erin would put money on this woman witnessing weirder stuff than role-play porno.
“I’ve been a bad little wizard and cheated on my exam. Punish my chamber of secrets, baby.”
Come. On. Stupid. Button. Her zero chill factor made a brief drive-by, and now Erin was in full-on meltdown mode.
She tried the remote one more time, and the button remained stuck inside. She raced to the wall and ripped the plug out, closing her eyes, and then turned slowly toward the housekeeper. “Can we just keep this between us?”
The housekeeper held up her hands, a scrubber in one hand, a bottle of cleaner in the other. “I didn’t see anything.”
Well, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore. One more night and she’d be out of here. It was bad enough she had to skirt around Jake in the room while they pretended not to be in each other’s space.
Enjoy the wedding, be a good date, then it was back to the grind with job hunting.
As soon as she walked out to the main area, her breath evaporated from her chest. Across the grassy expanse, chairs had been set up to face the deep-blue lake that glistened in the afternoon sun. A wooden pergola, intricately carved with vines and leaves, was set up in the center, twined with exotic flowers of various shades of purples and blues. Five rows of white chairs were laid out on either side of the makeshift aisle, and rose petals lay on the runner covering the lush green grass. A dream wedding, Erin decided. On a teacher’s salary, she’d either need to not buy food for the next five years to save for this or marry into a really, really rich family. So basically it wasn’t in the cards. Which was fine. Erin wasn’t one for glitz and glam—because, let’s face it, dry-clean-only clothing did not mix with Crayola products or science experiments.
Josie and Tom’s wedding was set for six o’clock on the dot, leaving them in the last hours of the summer heat. Today was a minor miracle, the temperature touching only past the seventy-degree mark, which promised for a chilly night. She’d spent time in Bend during a Fourth of July celebration once, and it’d been ninety during the day, and then a light dusting of snow had come in the evening. High desert was nothing if not unpredictable. With the flimsy excuse of a shawl she’d packed, she prayed there’d be no snow in the forecast tonight.
Ten minutes before the wedding, she checked her hair one last time in her compact mirror and walked down the main lawn.
The sun had dipped below the tree line. Laughter bubbled through the outdoor area as kids chased each other through the grass. Twinkle lights hung like falling stars from tree branches. Erin’s hand flew to her chest. Everything about this was so . . . perfect. Like she’d been transported into a fairy tale, and any minute a prince and princess would be holding hands at the altar.
“There you are.”
Jake walked up behind her and placed his hand on the small of her back. Warm calloused fingers swept across her bare skin in a delicious caress.
Oh, hello there, lady bits.
She glanced up at him, his hair artfully tousled, his blue eyes standing out against the navy button-up and blazer.
“Ready to take a seat?” he asked.
“Sure thing.” He led her down the aisle, this part of the grass covered in a pristine white runner. Four rows from the front, they took a left and grabbed the two available seats next to Bailey.
Bailey sat low in her seat, her phone wedged between her crossed arms. Erin’s heart lurched a bit as she regarded her. The same age as all her students. The same I’m-too-cool-for-this/why-does-everything-have-to-be-so-boring facade. And at the same time, that awkward quirkiness that only a preteen could manage. God, she missed her students. Erin smiled and gave her a tiny wave before taking her seat.
As soon as her back hit the white folding chair, the threat of waterworks pressed against her sinuses, just from one glance at the altar. Erin didn’t know what it was about wedding ceremonies, but no matter whether she knew the bride or not, tears would be flowing before the bride made her way down the aisle. Call her a sap or whatever, but she loved the idea of love. The thought of two people coming before their closest friends and family to pledge their love for one another remained one of the top romantic gestures in her book. That and flash-mob proposals.
From the swans in the lake to the ornate flower arrangements at the ends of each aisle, this place screamed love, and, by golly, the tears might start even before the bride made an appearance.
“Everything looks perfect,” she said.
Jake’s gaze dipped to her dress, and her skin burned from her ears down to her toes. “Yes, it does.”
Erin fanned herself with the program that was propped on the seat next to her.
Music from the nearby DJ station started up, playing a soft melody, and Julie began her descent down the aisle with one of the groomsmen from the party the previous night. Next came Hazel, arm in arm with another groomsman.
Erin was doing good. Not a tear in sight. She even managed to keep her laugh contained when the flower girl chucked her basket of flowers at someone’s head in the audience. And then Josie appeared from behind the barn and linked arms with her father. Her sweetheart-cut dress swished across the grass in dramatic arcs. The gauzy fabric floated in the breeze, and with the sun setting behind her in the distance, she looked like she’d floated straight down from the heavens. Her father’s bottom lip quivered as they reached the top of the white runner on the ground, pulling his daughter closer.
And, yep, her throat constricted, and the tissues came out. From what she saw, it was a beautiful, albeit blurry, ceremony.
Thirty minutes later, Jake took a seat next to Erin at one of the tables in the barn. Bailey was at another table with Hazel and Julie, taking selfies on her phone, completely in their own little world. Which suited him just fine at the moment. He wasn’t one for weddings. The idea of finding someone to spend the rest of your life with just seemed like a load of crap to him. But Josie looked so damn happy standing up there with Tom that he had to believe they’d be part of the small percentage who were actually able to keep their marriage afloat.
“Looks like Tom is stuck now,” he said.
Both their gazes moved to the groom, who was beaming ear to ear. “I think he’s happy with his decision,” she said.
“A little liquid courage also helped.” Tom had taken a few swigs of scotch before the photos this morning. The poor guy didn’t know what he was getting himself into. It also didn’t help that the photographer was up in his face the entire day. He felt for the guy.
“You are terrible.” A smile twitched at her lips.
“Just callin’ it like I see it,” he said. He was a realist. Why spend so much on one day that they probably wouldn’t even remember twenty years from now? He’d rather use that money to pay for an exotic trip.
“Such the romantic,” she mused.
“Hey, I can be romantic.”
Erin arched a brow.
“Did I tell you that you look beautiful tonight?”
A flush crept up her neck and filled her cheeks. “Thank you.”
She stared down at the hors d’oeuvres on her plate. In fact, she hadn’t really said much the past few minutes since they’d taken their spot at the table. It might have been the weird TV mishap last night, but he wasn’t delusional. He saw the look in her eyes when he’d caught her gaze in the mirror earlier. There was so much want and desire. And every single neuron in his body shouted to give her exactly what she needed.
She picked up a small tart off her plate and took a tentative bite. And then she moaned, and her eyes fluttered shut.
Jake’s fingers clutched the fork until the metal dug into his skin. Did she realize what that was doing to him? She had to.
“Oh my Lord. Have you tried these?” She pointed to the pastry.
“No.” His mouth was so damn dry. He took a sip of water, but it did nothing to help.
“You need to. Here.” She brought it up to his lips. He thought about saying no. But what was the harm in taking a bite from her dessert?
He bit into the flaky crust, a mix of cherries and something he couldn’t place rushing past his lips. “Shit. That’s really good.”
Her eyes crinkled in the corner as she smiled at him. His jaw tensed as he fought back thoughts of last night. His composure came so close to crumbling. In fact, the more time he was around Erin, he realized this might be a losing battle.
She fumbled with the pastry, and it dropped in his lap and then made its descent to the floor. Cherry and powdered sugar streaked his dress slacks like a red-and-white starburst, and Erin grabbed for the napkin next to her place setting. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
She rubbed the white napkin vigorously across the top of his thigh, dangerously close to other areas. Back and forth, her fingers continued to work along his leg, her red nails digging into his pants. Shit. He was trying his best, he really was, but it was absolute torture to resist her. His fingers wrapped around her hand and stilled her motions.
“You need to stop that.”
“Why?” She looked up at him, confusion crossing her features.
“Because if you keep that up, I’m going to take you back to the room and finish what you started.”
Confusion etched across her brows, and Jake knew the second she’d finally processed his statement. She looked from him to his lap, and her eyes widened a fraction. Then that sexy little half smile graced her lips as she realized just what was happening. “Is that so?” Her fingers brushed against the evidence that she was, in fact, affecting him.
His eyes fluttered shut. When he finally opened them, he turned to find Erin staring at him, heat and wicked desire laced in her gaze.
“You’re playing with fire, Erin.” The little voice in the back of his head warned him. Wrong. Don’t take this any further.
“Good thing I have someone professionally trained in my presence.”
He chuckled. “You know, I’ve heard a lot of firefighter jokes, but that one ranks possibly the worst.” A feather-light touch of his finger traced up the inside of her thigh, and her knees parted infinitesimally as her body begged for more.
Fuck. What was it about this woman that he couldn’t resist? He couldn’t even keep his damn hands off her.
Everyone around them made their way to the dance floor at the start of a song that Jake had heard at every wedding. Even most of the men knew the moves to this. He’d memorized Bailey’s dance routines when she was younger, so his fatherly dance duties had been paid in full. No more dancing for him.
A warm hand slid up his thigh, bringing his attention back to Erin, who was looking at him through hooded eyes.
“Want to go someplace quieter?” she asked.
He couldn’t ignore the heat in her gaze any longer.
“Yes,” he said. No wasn’t an option anymore.
She pushed back from the table and stretched out her hand. They were going somewhere quieter to talk. Yes . . . just talk. He glanced down at Erin’s dress, the material hugging her ass. There was nothing friendly about the way he was feeling for Erin at the moment. Nor did he feel like talking.
They managed to make it to the hallway they’d been in last night, before his daughter had interrupted and brought him to his senses. But everyone else was out on the dance floor right now. There was no one coming to interrupt this time.
The bass of the music pulsed down the hallway. Darkness swelled around them as they entered the little room where Jake had gotten ice the night prior. Erin’s hair fell loose around her shoulders, her blonde waves teasing at the straps of her dress, ones he desperately wanted to rip off.
“Not in the mood for dancing?”
“Not in the least bit.” Dancing was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment. Especially when Erin moved in that damn dress. It made him want to rip it down the middle until the two pieces of fabric floated to the floor. Then it’d just be Erin in a pair of sky-high heels. The thought of every inch of her skin on display forced him to surge closer, caging Erin in.
“That’s too bad. It’s a good song.” Her hips swayed to the music. So confident. He liked that about her. He bit back a groan as he watched her, wondering just how good that would feel if he pushed her against the wall and took her right here.
“What is that look for?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
She arched a brow. “And you called me a bad liar.”
Screw it. She wanted honesty? He’d give it to her.
“I’m thinking how you in that dress is driving me absolutely insane.” He moved his head down to the shell of her ear. Her hair brushed against his nose, that delicious coconut scent shutting his brain down even more. She reminded him of a goddamn tropical drink. And with the sweltering heat, he could go for a cold one right about now.
She shivered under his touch, but she continued to dance to the music. Her body arched as she turned around, now giving him a perfect view of the backside of the dress. The fabric dipped to just above her ass, two dimples on full display. Judging by how the fabric stretched across her, there was a matching set of nothing on underneath. Christ. He was in so much trouble.
She turned to look at him, a sly smile spreading across her lips. “What’s the matter, Jake? Something got you scared?”
He laughed but was a little unnerved that she could tell what he was feeling without even looking at him.
Her ass brushed against his pants as she reached her hands up and around the back of his neck, pulling him closer. She moved against him, and there was no hiding his reaction to her as she brushed against it.
Fuck it. He was already going to hell. His hands slid down the side of her silky dress, his fingers bunching the material until the hem moved up her thighs. Might as well do something worth going to hell for.
Erin was going to burn alive. Heat traveled from her head to other parts as Jake’s hands coasted over her hips. Her pulse galloped wildly as calloused fingertips dipped under the hem of her dress, tracing circles up her thighs. She continued to move against him, letting the beat of the song guide her movements.
“You’re making it very hard to be good, Erin.”
“I’d hate to see what bad behavior looks like.” Ha ha. Just kidding. Load her up with a bunch of Benjamins because she’d make this place rain in order to see what bad looked like on Jake Bennett. She brushed against him again, and there was no ignoring his hard length that bulged against his dress slacks. Heat slicked the spot between her thighs, and she thought she just might break out in a sweat if the temperature ratcheted up any higher between them. Heat poured through his dress shirt, and his scent wrapped around her. A hint of cologne, a bit of body wash. She wanted to turn around, fist his shirt, and press her nose against it, memorizing this scent. Heck, if she could get away with it, she’d rip it right off his body and roll around in it until it was permanently etched into her skin.
“You’ll find out soon enough if you keep doing that,” he said.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She smiled. Did it make her a bad person that she was totally turned on by the fact that he was reacting to her like this? It’d been forever since fire hummed in her veins. Need pulsed deep in her belly, and if his hands coasted any higher, he’d find out she was just as affected by him.
His fingers edged up her dress, high enough that if anyone came into the tiny room, she’d be flashing a good amount of skin to them. “Tell me, did you really think about me in high school?”
Her eyes fluttered shut. “Yes.”
“What types of things?”
“Your hands between my thighs.” She unhooked her laced fingers, and one hand traveled between them, brushing against his hard length. “Other things between my thighs.”
His breath hissed through clenched teeth. “Christ, Erin. You’re going to kill me.”
Her fingers wrapped around his hardened length and moved up and down his shaft through the coarse fabric. “I think you said something similar in my daydream. Except there was a little more profanity.”
“Did I do anything else with my mouth?” he growled in her ear, still pressed up against her. His chest brushed against her back, the lean muscles of his stomach rubbing against her.
A second wave of heat bloomed between her thighs. Just the sound of his voice short-circuited her brain. Made her desperate with need. Was it possible to orgasm from a sexy voice? She’d bet that Jake reading the phone book could get the job done. “Your mouth was relentless.”
Too tight. Everything in her was coiled so tight, she felt like she might explode at his next touch. Her dress pressed painfully against her aching breasts.
Her breath hitched as his fingers brushed against the aching spot between her thighs, slicking against her arousal.
“Shit.” He groaned. He ground into her harder and flattened her into the wall.
Her legs parted as Jake’s thigh slipped between, shoving her dress even higher. The song outside in the reception switched to something faster. She ground against him, and pleasure sparked in her core as her center rubbed against his dress slacks.
“You keep doing this to me and I’m going to take you right here against this wall. I don’t care who sees.”
A thick finger teased at her entrance. Every muscle in her body tensed as her aching breasts brushed against the wall. Her nipples puckered against the silk as Jake palmed one of them, rubbing his thumb in maddeningly slow circles.
She chanced a look back at him and was met with intense eyes. Ones that promised he wouldn’t stop until he’d wrung out every possible bit of pleasure Erin was capable of experiencing. Every muscle, every bit of flesh and bone inside her body, turned to smoke, floating, hovering.
She turned around, the motion doing nothing to stop his two hands from working over her body. “And here I thought you were doing everything in your power to make sure we don’t get together.”
“We shouldn’t be together,” he said, but even she could tell that his resolve had strained too far, like a rubber band that’d been pulled too far and lost its elasticity.
“You’re absolutely right.” Bad idea. So bad. But the train had left the station, and it was heading right toward I-don’t-give-a-shit station.
He leveled her with a look. One that spoke of want. Need. Desperation. “I want to make one thing clear. This is a onetime thing. I can’t give you anything more than tonight.”
“Who said anything about attachments? I’m not looking for anything either,” she said. This was a chance to be with her high school wet dream in living color, who currently looked like he might devour her. One fantastic night, then she could get on with her life and stop wondering just how good he’d feel between her thighs.
She pressed the flat of her palm along the tented fabric of Jake’s pants and gave a long stroke. His head knocked back, his brows pinching together. This man’s resolve buckled under her touch, and she couldn’t wait to bring him to his knees.
The song out in the reception changed again, another fast one with a deep bass beat. And it was just her and Jake, tucked away, out of sight, bodies sliding against each other. She continued rubbing her palm along his erection, her fingers wrapping around his impressive length.
“Shit, Erin.” Jake’s legs shook and tensed, seeming to fight for control. “You can’t keep doing that.”
Can’t wasn’t part of Erin’s vocabulary.
Challenge accepted. Up. Down. Up. Down. She continued her pace as Jake knocked his head back against the wall.
His hands moved from her hips to cup her ass. He pulled her up, and her legs wrapped around his waist.
She bucked against him in response, her center riding along the expanse of the bulge. A flicker of ecstasy sparked in her core. His fingers dug into her hips, and she bucked into him again. His hand slipped between them, his thumb finding her clit.
A cry escaped her lips as he circled the sensitive spot.
“Is that what you want? You want me to take you right here?”
She rocked against him, the pressure between her legs building. So close. She was so damn close.
One finger, then two, dipped into her, and theme-park-worthy pyrotechnics exploded behind her eyes.
Yes. Please. Take her up against the wall. Make it quick and dirty, with clothes pushed hastily to the side.
His lips met her neck, teasing, nipping, and she didn’t know how much more of this she could handle. Her nails raked into his back, fighting for control. But she was falling, falling, falling, letting the build between her thighs take over. Every muscle in her body quivered, every synapse hyperfocused on the two fingers, curving to hit the exact spot that sent her spiraling.
“Oh, Jake,” she cried. Her back arched, and she rode his hand, wringing out every last bit of ecstasy.
He lowered her until her wobbly legs hit the ground. Her pulse drummed in her ears as Jake looked down at her with wild eyes. She needed more of him.
“Room. Now,” he growled.
Those two words promised exactly what she needed, and her stilettos couldn’t move fast enough as they beelined it down the hallway. They brushed past the double doors, back through the main barn area where the reception was still going strong. Erin’s pulse hummed in her ears, and she didn’t dare look anyone in the eye, because if they were stopped for a conversation, she might self-combust.
Twenty paces from the door.
Fifteen.
Ten.
They both looked at each other and grinned. The chattiest family in the world was none the wiser that they were skipping out on the reception.
They slipped out of the barn and into the cool night. The music thumped quietly in the background, the only other sound their breaths as they did Olympic-worthy speed-walking to the main lodge.
Jake fumbled for his key when they rounded the corner to his room. “Shit, I didn’t bring any condoms.”
“I’m on the pill. I get tested regularly. Yadda, yadda. Now would you please hurry up with the key?”
He smirked. “Just want you to know, the only crabs I’ve gotten were at Joe’s Crab Shack.”
She smacked his chest.
He grabbed his wallet from his back pocket and came up empty in terms of key cards.
Damn it.
“I gave my key to Bailey so she could grab something from my room. Do you have yours?” he said.
Erin nodded and pulled one out of her purse. She had just slipped the card into the mechanism when he heard it. Moans. And not just subdued ones, but loud shrieks that sent the hairs on the back of his neck on edge. And it was coming from his room.
They looked at each other with wide eyes.
“Did someone turn on our TV?” he asked.
They barreled into the room just as someone on the screen was deep-throating an eggplant. What the hell was wrong with this channel?
“Take that purplelicious D for me, baby,” a guy as short as he was round said, rubbing the woman’s back.
Jake’s grandma was frantically clicking the remote to no avail, muttering something under her breath. “Where’s the damn Wheel of Fortune? I want my Pat Sajak.”
“Here, Grandma, let me get that for you.” He sprinted for the remote, gave it a hard smack, and then successfully hit the “Power” button. The screen went black, and Jake drew a long breath. Traumatizing his grandmother wasn’t on his to-do list for this weekend.
“Just wanted to see my Vanna.” His grandma fanned her face with the hotel pamphlet. “Bailey gave me your key. She said it was okay if I took a rest in your room.” His grandma lived a few towns over, only staying for the day. Jake chucked the remote on the couch and rubbed her back.
“We’ve had issues with our TV. Sorry about that.”
“I’ve never seen vegetables used that way.”
What was he supposed to say to that? The woman had a picture of the Pope above her bed. She sent him crosses made out of palm fronds for Ash Wednesday and sent little prayer cards with his birthday presents. Man, was he going to hell for everything tonight.
“This is no way to court a young lady, Jake.” Her gaze slid from Jake to Erin, and he couldn’t tell if that was a smile or a grimace. With the way his mom and grandma talked on the phone, it was only a matter of hours before he got the third degree from his mother.
“It’s not like that, Grandma. The TV has been stuck on the same channels, and the front desk was looking into it.”
She gave him a look that obviously meant Sure, sonny. If that’s the story you’re sticking to, then we’ll just go with that.
“I’m going to find your grandfather. Already ate cake, so guess it’s time for me to go home.”
“Would you like me to walk you back to the party?” Anything to try to smooth this over.
“I’m fine. Maybe you should call the front desk again.”
He nodded, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught Erin smothering a smile with her hand. “Will do.”
“Wasn’t even using the right technique, that idiot. I could show her a thing or two,” Grandma muttered under her breath as she grabbed her walker and made her way out of the room. “See you tomorrow.”
Jake exchanged a glance with Erin, and the horror he felt was written all over her face.
“Did she just say . . . ?”
“Those words never need to be repeated. Ever.” His lips pressed into a hard line. He did not need to hear that from the woman who should be associated only with snickerdoodle cookies and fishing at the lake.
“This resort is obviously out to get us.”
It’d been so damn long since he’d been intimate with anyone, but it looked like it was going to be a bit longer. His need for Erin had evaporated. “I don’t think I can do this.”