“Gum.”
“No gum!” Jake pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just what Grandma had on the list.” Bob shrugged and took Jake’s credit card then very slowly put everything into a bag. As soon as Jake got his receipt he ran out of the store. Char was waiting by the car. His footsteps echoed on the concrete as he walked up to the BMW. “You okay?” She sighed and turned to face him. “Well I do wish I had a flask.”
“Oh yeah?”
She managed a smile.
Jake shuddered. “Well, I don’t wish I had to use extra small condoms, thank you very much.”
That brought a smile to Char’s face as Jake unlocked the car for them to get in.
“So that’s it,” he said before starting the car. “Mission accomplished.”
“Right.” She nodded. “Guess so.”
“Yeah.” Irritated with himself, Jake prodded her further. “So you need a ride to the airport or anything Thursday?”
“Um, no, no I’m good.” Char licked her lips. They were still swollen from their kiss. What the hell had come over him? It was the fertility test—well, damn if it didn’t work without ever taking it out of the box.
He gripped the steering wheel hard, and managed to keep his smile as tight as the rest of his humming body.
“Jake?” Char said after a few minutes of silence. Jake was seriously contemplating just pulling over the car and attacking her.
“Yeah?”
“About the wedding. Do you think they’ll let any press inside, you know, to cover some of the pre-ceremony details and family interviews?”
Poor Char, she was probably worried her face would be splashed all over the news again. He needed to put her at ease. “Not at all. Kacey was really specific about no media. So you have nothing to worry about. They don’t want to turn it into a field day. I mean, you know as much as me what happens when the media gets involved.”
“Right.”
“No offense.” He cringed, momentarily forgetting she was a reporter. Though he hadn’t seen her on the news in a while. Not that he’d been some creepy stalker who’d Tivo’d her channel or saved them or anything. He cleared his throat. “So how’s work?”
“Swell.”
“You have any big projects coming up? Curing world hunger or something like that?”
“Something like that.” Char let out a breath and looked out the window. “I’m sorry, by the way.”
“For?”
“The condoms.” She turned to look at him; the moonlight reflecting through the windows of his car highlighted the curve of her delicate neck.
He adjusted himself in his seat and managed to clear his throat, sounding relatively normal and not at all as turned on as he felt. Damn. When was the last time just the mere appearance of a girl had him acting like he was fourteen again? “Yeah, well, I’m sorry I called you an alcoholic.”
She smiled, the type of smile guys dream about at night, the smile that holds promises of forever and stolen kisses, lots of laughter, and… He shook his head. Not on the agenda, not in his life, not his future.
He pulled up to her work where her car was parked. Soft music from the radio played in the background. It wasn’t a date. It wasn’t meant to be, except it felt like one. It was awkward in the same way first dates are. You know, the kind of date where you’re terrified of where to put your hands, if you have food in your teeth, or whether you’re giving off a creepy vibe.
Char reached for the door handle and pushed it open. “See you later, Jake.”
“Yeah.”
He let her walk away.
Again.
It seemed as if he was always doing that. She was always walking toward something and for some reason it made him want to chase her. As if she was a zebra and he was a lion in need of pouncing on her.
Did he only want her because she was angry as hell and hard to get? Or was it more? He put his car back into drive and turned up the music.
Reality. He needed a large dose of it. Either that or a cold shower. Travis had warned him away and for once in his life he didn’t really feel like letting Travis or Kacey down.
“Siri,” he said aloud to his phone. “Find me the closest bar.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
How was it fair that even though Char and Jake weren’t dating, all she wanted to do when she got home was open up a giant bottle of wine and watch bad reality TV? He’d done nothing wrong.
Other than being mind-numbingly attractive, treating her like a princess, then accusing her of being an alcoholic.