No, I’ll rephrase that – figure out how to want to extract myself from it.
My head and heart are not matching at the moment, and my hormones are raging a war all on their own.
Continuing to sip on my beer, I listen to the guys talk, but I really can’t focus. All I can focus on is Jake’s thumb, gently stroking that one small part of my body.
It’s like everything has homed in on this one small area. I’m heated. My skin is humming, buzzing under his touch.
I put my beer down on the table, and bind my hands together in my lap.
Focus. I just need to focus.
Then Jake put his hand under the table. He pushes his fingers in-between my palms, forcing my hands apart and takes hold of my hand.
Jake often holds my hand, that’s nothing new, but this time it’s different. There’s a different meaning there. Or was it there all the other times too?
I don’t know, but what I do know now, is that this feels like he’s staking a claim on me.
And I like the feeling. I want to be his.
He slides his fingers in-between mine, entwining our hands like lovers would, and rests our bound hands onto his hard thigh.
I could try to pretend his touch on my back was nothing. But not this.
I look across at him.
He stares back at me steadily, for a long moment before looking away, but I read his eyes clearly.
He wants me tonight.
And from what my eyes where saying back to him, I think I just said yes.
Chapter Thirteen
We finish up our drinks and leave the club, heading straight into the waiting cars.
I managed to untangle my hand from Jake’s on the way out of the club, so I make a quick dash for Ben’s waiting car, which Denny and Smith are just climbing into. Denny looks a little surprised to see me in their car, but he says nothing.
I could feel Jake’s eyes on me as I climbed into their car, leaving him with Tom and his girl for the night, but I don’t care. I just need to put some distance between us right now.
If I can just get to the hotel first and back to my room alone, then tonight will be without incident.
If not … then I really don’t know what will happen.
But even as I think it, I don’t really believe it. I know exactly what will happen.
If Jake wants me tonight, then me travelling back in a separate car will not make the least bit of difference. Because I want him too, and I don’t think I can find the will to say no.
When we reach the hotel, Ben pulls up first and I clamber out of the car. My feet are still bare and my shoes are in my hand along with my handbag.
I’m vaguely aware of the other car pulling up, but I’m too distracted by how cold this floor is outside the hotel.
“Jesus Christ! This floor is freakin’ freezing!” I cry out, hopping from one foot to the other on the tiled floor. The night air isn’t cold but it’s like there is air con blasting out across the tiles, deep freezing them.
Smith chuckles at me, as I start to tread on my tiptoes carefully across the frozen tiles. “You okay there girlie? You need a hand?” He holds his hand out for me take, but I don’t get a chance to respond, because the next thing I know Jake is scooping me up in his arms.
“Arggh! Put me down you idiot!”
Jake says nothing, and just strides through the door and into the hotel lobby with purpose, and me in his arms.
Everyone is staring at us and, Smith, Denny, Tom and his girl – whose name I still haven’t gotten, are all finding this highly amusing.
“You can put me down now,” I say, a little clearer and a little firmer, as we reach the carpeted floor in the hotel outside the lifts.
He stares straight into my eyes. “I know but I’m not going to. I start a job, I finish it.”
My heart takes a clear blast in my chest, and I gulp down.
The doors ping open and Jake strides into the lift with me still in his arms.
Not even waiting for the others he presses the button for our floor.
“We look silly like this,” I say quietly.
“And since when have you cared about how we look?”
What can I say to that?
And truth be told, I don’t want him to put me down, I like the feel of being in his arms.
Jake makes me feel like a girl. Like a woman. It’s not something Will’s ever truly managed to do. Not that Will’s not manly, of course he is, but Jake is in a whole other league. He’s alpha to the extreme.
And yes, I’m independent and strong, but sometimes … just sometimes, it’s nice to be taken care of. It’s nice to be made to feel like a lady.
The lift quickly reaches our floor; the top floor of course, and Jake exits, taking a left, heading toward my suite.
My suite is next to his, so I’m praying he just drops me at my door, and goes to his. Actually thinking on it, my suite’s always next to Jake’s whichever hotel we stay in. Hmm…
Okay, so the rational side of me is praying that Jake will just leave me outside my room – what small part of it there is left. But I know he won’t.