Ropes and Revenge (28 page)

This had been a dumb idea. She’d be better off writing Jake a letter, sending him a singing telegram, or maybe having a fruit basket and a month’s worth of venison steak delivered to the Hansen family compound as a peace offering.

Or maybe she would just plan to avoid seeing Jake in person ever again. Considering the firehouse was directly across the street from
Icing
, her new bakery, that could be difficult, but Naomi would find a way to manage. She was a resourceful woman, especially when it came to avoiding things she’d rather not face head on.

She’d been willing to tackle Jake, but Jake
and
Jamison were a different kettle of fish.

She seriously doubted Jamison had told Jake what happened Naomi’s last night in Summerville—Jamison would have been in as much hot water as she herself—but it didn’t matter if Jake knew the truth. She knew, and Jamison knew, and that was enough knowing to create some major problems.

Mitzy ended the bidding—awarding Jamison to a gorgeous young blond at a table near the front, who had shelled out eight hundred dollars for the privilege—and Naomi leaned closer to her sister.

“I’m not feeling well,” Naomi whispered as Jamison spun and strutted off the stage to thunderous applause. “I’ll wait in the car. Come out whenever you’re ready. No rush.”

“No, you can’t leave,” Maddie said, gasping for breath as she grabbed Naomi by the wrist, her eyes filled with tears from laughing so hard. “I’m sorry I couldn’t answer before. Jamison moved back a few months ago.”

“You didn’t tell me,” Naomi said, keeping her tone light. She’d never told anyone, not even Maddie, about what had happened with Jamison, so she couldn’t fault her sister for not spilling the beans.

Maddie wiped her eyes. “Sorry. I’ll catch you up on all the gossip later, but you have to stay. This is so much fun. Stay. Have fun with me.”

Naomi hesitated. She hadn’t seen Maddie enjoying herself this much in ages. A part of her wanted to stay and giggle with her sister, but the part of her that was reeling from seeing Jamison again needed out of here—ASAP.

She was getting ready to order Maddie to have fun without her and make a run for the exit, when the curtain parted again and Naomi lost the ability to form words.

There, wearing nothing but black jeans and a black Summerville Fire Department baseball cap, was the man she’d come for. Naomi’s breath caught and a horrible, excited-but-miserable feeling filled her chest. It was same feeling that had overwhelmed her when Jake had turned and walked away from her at the store yesterday, but this time, he didn’t know she was watching. Naomi was able to let her eyes linger, taking in every inch of the stunning man her high school sweetheart had become.

Jake didn’t strut down the catwalk like his little brother; he owned the stage like the captain of a ship, like a Roman commander leading his army into battle. With his tanned, olive skin, broad shoulders, chiseled chest, and deliciously narrow hips, Jake was every bit the beefcake his little brother was. But that wasn’t what made the crowd suck in their breath in appreciation as he reached the end of the catwalk and took off his hat, his tousled brown hair flopping over one eye as he bowed to the ladies on either side of the stage.

No, it wasn’t his muscles, the strong planes of his face, or those dark brown eyes that glittered with intelligence that made it impossible for Naomi to take her eyes off of him. It was the way he held himself, the way he moved like a creature that was completely at home in its body. Jake was a man who walked, talked, and prowled the catwalk with innate confidence. He knew who he was and where he was going. He was a man who worked hard and loved harder, who believed in the value of a man’s word, and never gave a woman a second chance to make a bad impression.

He was
never
going to let her apologize, let alone forgive her. Jake wasn’t that kind of man. He only let down his guard for a select few. Once his trust was betrayed, an impenetrable wall went up and it was impossible to get through to him. She might as well try begging a block of ice to give her a second chance.

The only shot she had was to appeal to Jake’s sense of honor. If she purchased him fair and square, he would feel obligated to spend the next four Fridays by her side. He would be forced to remain in her presence long enough for her apologies to have a shot of slipping through his defenses.

And that’s why she thrust her auction card into the air—even though she was afraid, even though the logical part of her insisted that having Jamison in the picture meant her plan was doomed from the start.

But sitting there, seeing Jake dazzle the crowd with his smile, Naomi couldn’t resist. She had been dying to see that smile again, ever since the day she’d broken Jake’s heart and walked away from the only person who had ever made her feel completely loved.

MELT WITH YOU is available for Kindle and in paperback now.

Coming to audiobook autumn of 2015.