“So bad, I’m having difficulty putting it into words.”
“Well, it’s just as well that you’re home,” Jake said, pleased he had managed to avert the awkward silence that had first been their companion when their drive had begun.
Coming to a stop before her apartment, he cut the engine in a deliberate attempt to force her into inviting him into her home. He wasn’t ready for the night to be over. If he knew MacKenzie, and he did, she would probably ignore his subtle ploy with a goodnight that left no room for objection.
He knew a lot about MacKenzie, but as yet she knew very little about him. Each time he was in her company, his awareness of her grew. She grated on his nerves, yet at the same time she was an enigma that he wanted to solve. The more he found himself spending time with her, the more he wanted to know about her.
Everything about her seemed to indicate that they should have nothing in common, but he was forever drawn to her. Whatever that imperceptible something was, it was real, and he was unprepared to leave his feelings unexplored. Where she stood, Jake was unsure, but he was a Kingdom. Therefore, it didn’t matter. He was going to explore what was between them, and he intended to make her acknowledge her attraction for him.
There was nothing in his arsenal that could prevent the lure she had inadvertently cast in his direction. Jake knew that everything in life had a natural course. Some relationships developed without intervention while others needed constant attention to take root. He instinctively knew he and MacKenzie fell into the latter category.
Even as he made up his mind to move forward, Jake considered how he would counter her refusal to his question. “Are you going to invite me in?”
“Sure.”
Her agreement came as something of a surprise; Jake hadn’t expected her to be so readily willing to extend their time together. Although she had surprised him, he wasn’t going to question her agreement.
Leaving the car, Jake began his walk to MacKenzie’s door to assist her. Before he could reach it, she was out of the vehicle and standing on the sidewalk waiting for him.
“I would have assisted you out of the car, MacKenzie.”
“Well, as you can see there was no need. I can get out of a car perfectly fine on my own.”
“That’s not the point and you know it!”
“Jake, it’s not a big deal, get over it,” MacKenzie said with a dismissive air.
As MacKenzie was about to walk away, Jake’s hand shot out and took hold of her arm. “We need to get a few things straight; when you’re with me, you will wait for me to assist you in and out of vehicles. Do I make myself clear?”
“You’re kidding me, right?” MacKenzie laughed.
“Do I look as though I’m making a joke?” Jake was pissed that she was making light of something he took so seriously.
“That sort of stuff doesn’t matter to me, but if that’s what you want, then it’s fine with me,” MacKenzie said with a shrug.
Jake was again taken aback by her swift acquiescence; it was out of character and he knew she was up to something.
“Shall we?” Extending his arm, he indicated that they should move inside. He wasn’t finished with the conversation, but he was finished with speaking on the sidewalk.
With another shrug of her shoulders, MacKenzie headed towards her door with Jake following close behind. Somewhere in the back of his mind he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that given the chance she would slam her door in his face.
As soon as she got through the door, Mackenzie kicked off her shoes before she switched on a table lamp, which cast a soft glow around the room. Moving forwards, she led the way into the main living area where she switched on two more lamps.
As the glow of the lighting filtered into the room, Jake took a good look around. He had been inside her home once before; that was on the day they had first met. That disastrous encounter had set the pattern from which he was still trying to recover. She hadn’t allowed him to take her home after the New Year; insisting that Aviva had already volunteered.
For the first time, Jake took in his surroundings. When he had been there before, he hadn’t been that interested in her home. Now everything had changed.
The room wasn’t big, and it was decorated in varying shades of cream, brown and green. Her wall hangings were of abstracts and African imagery. Dotted around the room were sculptures that complimented the other artwork. There were lots of plants. Everywhere he looked there were different types of indoor plants that seemed to blend perfectly into their surroundings. He liked the room and thought it suited her perfectly.
“May I offer you something to drink?”
“Coffee sounds good.”
“Coffee coming up. Please have a seat while I go get it started.”
“Do you mind if I join you?” Jake asked, aware that she was giving him an odd look.