Chapter Three

“I wanted to see if you were almost ready to leave? I thought we could go somewhere and talk,” Jake asked intently.

“Um, sure,” she blurted out quickly. Way to sound too eager. Couldn’t I have at least pretended to think about it for a moment?

When he gave her a pleased smile and took her hand in his firm grasp, she had to bite her tongue to contain her moan of pleasure at the physical contact with him. They wished her friends a good night and Jake led her toward the nearest exit. It seemed so surreal to depart as a couple with him that she almost wilted on the spot when he pulled his keys from his pocket and the sound of the doors unlocking on a Ford truck a few feet ahead filled the air. He opened the door, and then gave her a boost onto the leather seat. The move may have taken her by surprise, but she was grateful because otherwise she would have been doing an ungraceful leap since the truck was much higher from the ground than her car. He remained at her side while she carefully tucked her dress around her legs. When she was finished, he leaned across and buckled her seatbelt. “All set?” he asked sweetly.

I could spread my naked body across the hood of your truck and you could take me right now, she thought. In reality, she replied with a simple, “I’m good. Thanks, Jake.”

He walked around to the other side and settled into the driver’s seat. She was embarrassed to admit that even the loud throttle of the truck turned her on. “I really appreciate you agreeing to come with me,” he said as they merged into traffic. “We could go to my house, or if you’re not comfortable with that, then there’s a diner a few blocks down that has decent coffee.”

The safe answer here is the restaurant, Lydia thought. But she wasn’t hungry and caffeine was likely to keep her up all night. Plus, if she was honest, she was very curious as to where he lived. Wouldn’t it be easier to talk without a bunch of strangers sitting close by? Like you really care about that. You just want to go home with him. “Your place is fine,” she replied, trying to sound casual. Truthfully, she hadn’t said those words to anyone since Brett died. Don’t go there. You’re doing nothing wrong.

When he turned off the highway on the Garden City Beach exit, she assumed he lived in one of the nearby high-rise condominium buildings. But they passed by the last ones without slowing down. Instead, they rode for a few more miles until they passed through the gates of Sea Crest Village. The houses weren’t mansions like some in the area, but they were considerably out of her price range. She knew that Jake was a vice president for The DeSanto Group, and obviously, he made a good living if he was able to afford a home in this subdivision. He pulled into the driveway of a house with a stucco and stone exterior. He clicked a button on the bottom of his rearview mirror and the double garage door opened. “Home sweet home,” he quipped as he cut the engine of the truck and came around to her side once again to offer assistance. When she was out of the vehicle, he took her hand and led her toward a door to the left. He unlocked it and they walked in. She blinked a few times when he flipped on the light. They were in a kitchen with tons of dark cabinets and gleaming beige granite countertops. He pointed out a barstool, saying, “If you want to have a seat, I’ll get us something to drink. What would you like? I can make coffee or I have orange juice, Coke, and bottled water.”

“I’ll just take water,” Lydia answered as she looked around the kitchen. The space was almost as big as her living room and kitchen combined. The taupe color on the walls made it appear warm and inviting. There were no pictures on the walls, nor any clutter, other than a loaf of bread on one counter.

He opened the refrigerator and got two bottles out. He put one in front of her before opening his own, then took the seat next to her. She stifled her gasp of pleasure as the side of his muscular leg rubbed against hers in the close confines of the bar area. He cleared his throat before turning sideways to face her. “Lydia, I need to explain a few things to you, and I hope that you won’t be too angry with me.”

When he paused, eyeing her expectantly, she murmured, “Okay . . . go ahead.” She couldn’t imagine what he had to say that might piss her off. Okay, sure, they had gotten married in some drunken moment of insanity, but otherwise, they didn’t even know each other well.

He ran a hand through his hair, causing the scent of his shampoo to invade her nostrils. She was so busy inhaling his masculine fragrance that she jolted slightly when he began speaking again. “That night in Vegas, you weren’t the only one drinking too much because you were upset. I’d had some bad news just a few hours before my flight and I wasn’t in the best condition either.”

Alarmed, Lydia put her hand on his arm, fearing the worst. Was he sick? “Oh no, Jake, what happened? Are you all right?”

He covered her hand with his, giving it a squeeze. Instead of removing it, though, he left his hand there as if grateful for the contact. She was stunned when he said, “I have a daughter. She’s six years old, and her name is Casey.”

“Wow, I had no idea,” she exclaimed without thinking. “Are you married?” Rolling her eyes at her own stupidity, Lydia added, “I mean, obviously you weren’t already married, or you wouldn’t have married me—right?”

Wonderful. I finally land a husband only to find that I’m part of a harem.

Jake gaped at her before he managed to stutter a response. “What? No—God no, Lydia. Chris was just a one-time thing. I’ve never been married before. Hell, I’ve never had unprotected sex either, but that didn’t stop Chris from getting pregnant. When she told me, I didn’t believe her at first. I supported her through the pregnancy and went to the appointments, but I insisted on a paternity test when Casey was born. She’s my child, and I love her more than anything in the world. I’ve always been involved in her life and have continued to provide for Casey financially as well. Chris hasn’t worked since Casey was born.”

Uneasy, Lydia glanced over her shoulder before asking, “Do they live here with you? I mean I know you said that you never married, but is this their home too?”

Shaking his head immediately, he said, “No, they’ve never lived with me. Casey spends the night as often as Chris will allow, but that’s about it.”

Confused, she asked, “Don’t you have a custody agreement or something like that in place?”

Jake pinched the bridge of his nose, looking exhausted as he admitted, “No. We’ve never had a formal agreement through the court. I’ve always paid Chris well above what a court-mandated child support payment would be, and outside of occasional difficulties, she’s mostly let me see Casey on a regular basis. In the last year, though, that’s changed. She’s been using our daughter as a bargaining chip to get what she wants, and it reached a head the day I left for Vegas.”

She felt as if she was intruding on his privacy, but since he’d brought the subject up, she felt at ease enough to ask, “What does she want from you?”

Jake chuckled, although there didn’t appear to be much actual amusement in the sound. “Oh no, nothing that simple, I’m afraid. She is demanding either an absurd amount of financial support or marriage. The whole thing has really shown me how vulnerable I am in regards to my parental rights where Casey is concerned. So I’ve filed for official joint custody. Since then, it’s been nothing but threats from her. She wants to portray me as the absent, playboy father, while she’s the devoted stay-at-home mother. She’s filed papers requesting that she be granted sole custody, which is just her way of trying to get what she wants from me.”

“Holy shit,” Lydia blurted out before she could stop herself.

“Exactly,” he agreed dryly. “I guess there is a certain irony in the fact that I have one woman demanding I marry her and I actually tied the knot with another on the day she had me served.”

Biting her lip as she mulled over his revelation, Lydia kept coming back to one thing. “If you were so against getting married—even to keep your daughter—then what could have possibly made you agree to a quickie exchange of vows with me? I know we were both drinking and not thinking clearly, but were you really so out of it that it suddenly didn’t seem so bad to be tied down?”

He swallowed audibly before getting to his feet and pacing the tiled floors. After a few passes around the area where she sat, he halted and stared right at her. “Who am I kidding? You’re not just going to be angry with me; you’re more than likely going to loathe me when I tell you this next part. I can’t believe I did something so fucking selfish and desperate. You’re right, my judgment was obviously impaired, and I’d like to think that had something to do with it, but still, I knew what I was doing for the most part and that makes me a bastard. Lydia, I—”

Dropping her head in her hands, Lydia choked out, “You married me because of Casey. You needed a stable image for the courts. And if you’ve already got a wife, then Chris can’t keep pressuring you to marry her.” His harsh inhalation told her that she’d hit the bull’s-eye. She heard him moving toward her, and seconds later, his hand was on her shoulder. She flinched away from his touch. “Don’t. Please go back to where you were so we can finish this conversation,” she snapped as she raised her head only to glare at him. He immediately backed away, putting some much-needed space between them. “I asked you earlier why you didn’t just marry Chris instead of me. At least she’s not a stranger to you. And you liked her well enough to sleep with her at some point.”

“You already think I’m an asshole,” he grimaced, “so I might as well be completely truthful. Chris was nothing more than a casual dalliance. We never had any type of relationship outside of the bedroom. She’s a good mother but, otherwise, a vile person. That’s the problem, I guess, with not knowing who you’re sleeping with. It’s actually been surprising to me that she loves Casey so much because she’s one of the most self-centered people I’ve ever known. If she and I ever got married, everyone, including Casey, would be miserable. Chris and I can barely be in the same room together for five minutes without arguing. She thrives on drama and strife, and I don’t want to expose my daughter to any more of that than she’s already seen. I’ve thought about it countless times since she started pressuring me but I keep coming to the same conclusion that it would have been insanity to agree to her demands. We literally hate each other. The only reason she wants to be my wife is for some misplaced obsession with wealth and social status. I know I’m likely overreacting and I won’t lose Casey, but I can’t stand the thought of dragging her through a court hearing and I’m afraid that Chris will go through with it just to get back at me.”

Feeling her heart squeeze in self-pity, Lydia asked, “So you what, listened to my pathetic story about losing Brett and wanting to be married and had a sudden bright idea? Kind of a kill two birds with one stone thing?”

“Lydia, no,” he said imploringly. “We were both crying in our beer or whatever we were drinking that night. You were melancholy over losing your fiancé and your dreams of a life with him, and I was upset over the situation with my daughter. I was just drunk enough to think that it sounded like the answer to both our prayers. You’re a beautiful woman, and most men would jump at the chance to get close to you—me included.”

Out of all the bombs he’d dropped on her so far tonight, that one was by far the most astonishing. Her heart skipped a beat at the sincerity she thought she heard in his voice. No matter how messed up this whole situation was, he seemed to genuinely find her attractive. You’re pissed at him, remember? Don’t go drawing hearts with his name written in the middle. She forced herself to take a hard line and said, “We need to speak with a lawyer about the best way to proceed with a divorce. You may think it’s the answer, but I don’t see our marriage doing anything but complicating matters with Chris. There is no way she’s going to believe that you fell in love and tied the knot just hours after she served you with legal papers.”

“That’s the other thing I wanted to talk to you about,” Jake began uneasily. “I know you assumed in the hotel room that we’d had sex and I didn’t say anything to the contrary. But we didn’t have intercourse. We can file for an annulment if that’s what you want to do.”

Lydia could only gape at him, opening and closing her mouth as she struggled to process his words. “I remember some of that night, Jake! You had your head between my—you know, below the belt—and I definitely had my hands on your—that area as well.”

Leaning against the counter, he said, “I’m not going to lie, Lydia, we were all over each other when we got to the hotel room and it was damn hard for me to stop that night. But there is no way I could have sex with you without knowing for certain that you were one hundred percent coherent and willing. Plus, I didn’t want our wedding night to be something that neither of us fully remembered because we’d had too much to drink.”

Was she crazy to feel disappointed that Jake hadn’t gone all the way with her? Despite how bizarre the last few days had been, she’d felt a certain happiness and satisfaction when she thought about him being inside her. Sure, she hadn’t been able to recall that exact event, but she’d remembered enough to feel certain that it had been amazing. And now she was more than a little upset to discover that what she had assumed had happened actually hadn’t. Leave it to her to get married and have a wedding night that didn’t include the big moment. “Well, thanks,” she grumbled before she could think better of it.

He quirked a brow as if baffled by the note of unhappiness in her voice. “At the risk of you slapping the shit out of me, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” She waved a hand. She didn’t think things could get much worse so what did it matter?

“Did you like the idea that we’d slept together that night? I don’t know you that well and I may be reading you wrong, but you seem . . . let down when I thought you’d be relieved.”

Please, ground, open up and devour me. Don’t leave me here to answer this humiliating question. Of course, her silent prayers went unanswered and Jake stood there waiting expectantly. Oh hell, here goes nothing. “I wasn’t exactly unhappy about finally having sex again after three years—even if I didn’t recall sleeping with you. It made me feel as if I’d finally started to move on, away from the suspended state I’d been in for far too long.

“I knew the marriage wasn’t real and that you’d want out as soon as possible, but still, you jarred me awake. Even with the uncertainty between us, I’ve felt more alive since Vegas than I have in a long time. So yeah, as insane as it may sound to you, I do feel as if a weight has been lifted off me.”

And there you have it, folks. The speech that will send Jacob Hay running for his life in the opposite direction from the insane woman before him.

Instead of looking at her as if she was nuts, though, he walked to her side and pulled her from the chair and into his arms. “Christ, honey, I’m sorry.” He held her so tightly, it was a struggle to breathe. “I’ve messed this up in every imaginable way, haven’t I? I know it’s a lot to ask, but please don’t hate me. We might not have known each other for long, but I do care about you. You’re probably the strongest woman I’ve ever met, and I regret screwing up my chance with you.”

Lydia couldn’t help it; she started laughing. Actually, it sounded more like a pained wheeze since he was still squeezing the life out of her. She twisted until he loosened his grip slightly. “It’s rather amusing,” she chuckled, “that you want a chance with someone you’re already married to. I mean I know it’s fake, but it just struck me as hilarious.”

He relaxed against her, and once again, she was certain he pressed his lips against the top of her head in a quick kiss. “I couldn’t care less if you laughed your ass off at me. It’s better than you chasing me around this kitchen armed with a knife, which is what I was expecting.”

She sagged against his chest, allowing herself the pleasure of letting him support her while she savored his masculine scent. “It’s pretty bad,” she finally agreed. “And I’ve gone from being shocked to pissed, then sad, and now I’m not sure where I am.” Sighing, she asked, “Could I see a picture of your daughter?”

He pulled back, looking down at her in surprise. Then he dropped his arms from around her and removed his wallet from his pocket. He opened it and took out a picture. He looked at it for a moment, and Lydia could see how his face softened. He loved his daughter; the caring expression on his face said it all. He handed it almost reverently to her, and then said, “This was taken just a few months ago at the beginning of the school year. She was so damn excited to be starting first grade. She held my hand on the way to her classroom and told me that she was a big girl now, but she could still be my baby when she wasn’t at school.” Giving a wry smile, he added, “I almost lost it right there. Just the thought of her growing up and not needing me anymore is about more than I can stand.”

Lydia tried to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat at his admission. What would it be like to have a son or daughter to cherish as he so clearly did Casey? Her hand shook slightly as she raised the picture because she already had a sense that what she saw there was going to change everything. She studied the little girl who was a miniature version of her daddy with his dark hair and eyes. But what really captivated her was the girl’s sweet smile complete with a missing front tooth. That was all it took—she was a goner. Right there in that kitchen without ever having met Casey, she fell in love with her. And because of that and the sappy smile that still lingered on Jake’s lips, Lydia shocked herself when she said, “I’d like to help you. I agree, your daughter doesn’t deserve to be put through a drawn-out custody battle if it can be avoided.”

Jake’s mouth dropped open and he gawked at her in disbelief. “I . . . you’ll—what?” he stammered, clearly thinking he’d misheard her.

She looked one more time at the picture she was clutching before handing it back to him. “Your daughter is beautiful, Jake, and I can tell how much you love her. The circumstances in which we got together are so unreal that just maybe it was fate. Since we’re already married, if there’s a way I can help you, I will. I can’t let you lose time with your daughter.”

She was shocked speechless when his eyes teared up and he made no move to hide it from her. The fact that her offer deeply moved him was readily apparent. “I don’t know what to say,” he finally admitted huskily. “I never dared to even hope you’d be anything other than furious with me. But here you are wanting to help me instead. I’m just . . . blown away by you, Lydia. If possible, you’re even more beautiful on the inside than you are on the outside. I don’t want to take advantage of you, though. I feel as if I’ve already done far too much of that. Say the word and I will contact my lawyer and have annulment proceedings started immediately with no ill will toward you whatsoever. Actually, I should insist upon that anyway. This is far too much to ask of you and I’m afraid—”

“Jake,” she interrupted. “I want to do this so stop trying to talk me out of it. Unless you’ve changed your mind and want to end the marriage. If that’s the case, then please say so.”

“That’s not it at all,” he said quickly. “I’d have you moved in here tonight if it were up to me.”

Lydia squared her shoulders and moved toward the door they’d come through earlier. “Then let’s go. I’ll keep my apartment, of course, but we can get some of my clothes tonight and anything else over the weekend.” As she hurried toward Jake’s truck, she had to wonder if she’d completely taken leave of her senses this time. He’d given her an engraved invitation to an annulment and she’d insisted on being his fake wife for the foreseeable future because of a little girl’s smile? Even as she tried to convince herself it was selfless on her part, she knew that was a lie. For reasons that even she couldn’t begin to comprehend, she longed to experience as much time with Jake as she could before this fake relationship self-combusted, even though her attraction to him scared the hell out of her. He was so damn irresistible, though. That she was willing to do something like this showed her how truly lonely she’d been without Brett.

You’re in over your head here. Lydia did her best to push that negative thought aside. She was helping a friend just as anyone would—right?

*   *   *

Jake could hardly believe it. They had gone to Lydia’s apartment, where she had packed enough outfit changes to get her through several days, along with her toiletries. He was leading her down the hallway and into his guest room now. He’d fully expected her to rip into him when he’d confessed everything from that night, and she had been angry—at first. Then she’d appeared almost despondent.

He’d wanted to see her again sooner, but Chris had been calling him and dropping by unannounced for the last two days. She insisted that if he would only agree to marry her, all of their problems could go away. He wondered if she knew just how insane that sounded. He’d finally told her the night before that he’d had enough, and surprisingly she’d actually listened and had backed off today. He knew it wouldn’t last, but he was enjoying the peace while he could. If not for dealing with that since he’d been home, he would have been on Lydia’s doorstep—once he actually figured out where that was.

Parts of their night together in Las Vegas were still fuzzy, but the desire he’d felt for her wasn’t one of them. It had haunted him since coming home. That night, as they’d sat together in the hotel bar after their friends had left, they had bonded over their shared misery. He hadn’t revealed his as she had, but it had been there, choking him. The last thing he’d been thinking when he took the seat beside her was getting into a serious relationship. Hell, he’d been trying to avoid marriage with Chris for months. But as Lydia had told him about losing her fiancé and how it had crushed her dreams of sharing her life with someone, suddenly it had been as if a lightbulb had gone off in his head. Each of them was longing to have someone special in their life. He certainly couldn’t replace the fiancé she had lost, but he could give her the husband she longed for and she could be the noncrazy wife he needed for his daughter. No doubt about it, the beer goggles had truly been on and his idea had seemed absolutely perfect. The fact that he was drawn to Lydia in a way he couldn’t explain hadn’t hurt either.

In the sober light of the next day, he was still very attracted to her, but that was overridden by the guilt he felt at what had seemed much more like deception than friends helping each other. So the fact that she was here with him now was more than he would have thought possible. It also pushed the point home that he hadn’t planned what would happen beyond their I do’s. Did they live together as roommates? Split the household chores down the middle and have separate lives? Or did they attempt to form some kind of relationship—at the very least they could probably manage a friendship. If he was honest with himself, he wouldn’t mind something more. He’d like to get to know her better. It’d been a while since he’d had any interest in a woman that ran deeper than a bedmate for a night. Dealing with Chris and her demands had left him quite cynical where the opposite sex was concerned. But Lydia was so different from the mother of his child.

When she touched his arm, he realized she’d been talking to him—or trying to—but he’d been too zoned out to notice. “Sorry, what was that?” he asked, feeling awkward as hell. He found himself wanting to impress her, and he sure hadn’t been successful at that so far. He was the VP of a very profitable company but had all of the grace of a schoolboy around her.

Before she could answer, she let out a huge yawn and immediately blushed a pretty shade of pink. “Sorry about that,” she murmured. “I was actually asking if it was okay if I turned in for the night. It’s gotten pretty late, and I was up early this morning helping Crystal.”

“Oh, of course,” Jake answered quickly, feeling like a heel for keeping her up. Now that she’d mentioned it, he could see the telltale signs of fatigue on her face. He deposited her suitcase inside the doorway. “The bathroom is right through there,” he added, pointing it out. Then he stood with his hands in his pockets feeling a little uncertain as to what to do next.

Casey was the only overnight guest he’d had in years. When his parents were in town, they usually chose to stay at a beachside hotel, and his brother, Josh—well, he tried not to imagine where he ended up most nights when he visited.

Lydia gave him an amused smirk. “I think I can take it from here. If I have any problems, I’ll let you know.”

He backed away so suddenly, he stumbled, nearly falling onto his ass. You’re so smooth, I can’t imagine why she wants to be rid of you. “So . . . I’m just down the hall if you need anything. It’s the first door on the right.” He turned to leave and then swung back around. “Actually, that’s wrong. It’s the first door on the left from your room. It’s the right from the living room. Or would you consider it the last door technically?”

“I’ll scream,” Lydia deadpanned. At his alarmed expression, she giggled before adding, “I meant if I can’t find you, I’ll just yell your name.”

“Oh . . . right.” He smiled before reluctantly walking away and shutting the door behind him. He was making such an ass out of himself that he should have cut his losses and bolted immediately instead of hanging around her room like some kind of creeper.

If what had just occurred was any indication, his pretend marriage was going to be one hell of a trip. He was usually pretty smooth around the ladies, but that certainly hadn’t been the case just now. He needed to get his shit together and fast. Maybe if he and Lydia sat down again tomorrow and further defined the parameters of their relationship, he might be more comfortable around her. As it stood now, he had no idea how long she planned to remain his wife—or what exactly that relationship entailed. If they were going to live together, though, things needed to be spelled out between them so there were no misunderstandings.

Every moment he was around her, his attraction to her only grew stronger. He owed her so much for agreeing to help him with the Chris situation. He didn’t want to push his luck, but damn if he didn’t want to do something crazy like ask her out on a date. Be grateful that she’s still speaking to you and leave it at that tonight. He decided to listen to the wise voice in his head and go about his usual nightly routine. One that normally didn’t include having a wife just down the hall. He had no idea how he’d ever sleep, but he also suspected he should get used to the frustration because he had a feeling he hadn’t seen anything yet.

When you got fake married, it likely meant other women were probably off the menu for a while.