Strictly Business (22 page)

She gave Jake a quick squeeze as they headed out of the new
house and back to the old house to shower. As they reached his room he started
to pull her in, but she shook her head, pulling her hand free.

“Uh uh. Tonight I want to get dressed alone. I want you to
be able to see the completed package, not the process.” He watched as she
scooted down the hall, sweaty and grimy, thinking to himself he liked this
package just fine.

* * * * *

When they walked into Gilroy’s, they were both pleasantly
surprised to see Cody already there, along with some of the others from the
ranch. The rest would soon follow.

Jess went over to give Cody a welcome back hug. Cody took
the opportunity to whirl her around and kiss her, hard. Instead of ‘hello’ he
offered, “Damn girl. You’re sexy as hell!” He turned, slapped Jake on the
shoulder. “So, I see you tried being nice to her?”

Jake cocked an eyebrow and squinted his eyes, making Cody
laugh.

The night was perfect, an atmosphere of celebration flowing
through the bar. Marsha and Ben had been voted the designated drivers, but even
they had one glass of champagne. Maybe she had love on the brain, but she
thought she saw a little something between those two. She smiled and winked at Ben.

Jess danced with everyone. Everyone except Jake, that is.
They both knew that when he finally claimed his dance they would be leaving
shortly afterward. That was fine and well, until she saw him on the dance floor
with Bethany plastered against him. She could tell he was uncomfortable, trying
to ease himself away, but she was still furious.
The audacity of that woman!
Jess let her have her dance, waiting until she could catch her alone and speak
to her. Besides, she thought it might be fun to see Jake squirm a little too.
After all, turnabout’s fair play.

She grabbed Cody’s arm. “Hey, let’s dance.”

He was more than willing to comply. As they danced, he took
a moment to tell her, “You know I joke around a lot, but I gotta say, Jake
really is a lucky man. You take care of him, okay? Treat him right.”

Jess nodded. “He is lucky. He’s got friends like you. And
Marsha, and Ben. Even though his parents don’t live here anymore, he has family
right on the ranch.” She smiled up at him with a huge, mischievous grin. “Don’t
tell him yet, we want to find the property first, but Sunday morning, when Jake
leaves, Mike, Cindy and I are going to look at office buildings. We’ve already
started the paperwork to become partners. As soon as we have office space,
we’re going into business for ourselves in Evanston.”

“And you haven’t told Jake?”

She shook her head. “I was going to tell him, but he’s
leaving tomorrow for that auction, so it seemed like it might be a good
surprise. Besides, as well as things are going, we haven’t talked about the
future or anything permanent. I’m staying, regardless of what happens with him.
I like it here. I found something I didn’t even know I was looking for. Me.”

Cody looked concerned, a slight frown marring his good
looks. “Don’t you think he should know, Jess?”

“Well, yes. Eventually. Things are good right now between
us. I don’t want to mess it up or push him into thinking I want something
permanent if he’s not ready. It's really only been a month or so. I’ll tell him
once things are official. We sign the partnership paperwork tomorrow and we
have several properties lined up to view as well. Just, don’t mention it to him
yet. Please?”

He still seemed reluctant, but he nodded. Jess could tell he
was uncomfortable with some part of this plan, but before she could ask him why
she caught sight of Bethany plastered to the front of Jake trying to get her
lips on his.

At her quick intake of breath, Cody turned to see what
caused it. A wicked gleam came into Cody’s eyes as he whirled Jess closer to
them. Before she had a chance to think, they were dancing right next to Jake
and Bethany. Jake looked over and caught Jess's eye right before Cody leaned
Jess down in a low dip.

Cody bent over Jess, pressing his lips against her ear and
whispered, “Just follow my lead.” He brought her back up, pressing her close
against him, slowing his pace, making the simple two step sultry and steamy.

Jess had always caught on quick, and being friends with
Mike, who had a penchant for mischief, had sharpened that trait. She played
along as Cody put just enough twist in his hips to piss Jake off. As Jake
rudely pushed Bethany away, Jess caught her sexy, staged pout and the very real
hatred in her eyes.

When Jake tapped Cody’s shoulder, a little harder than Jess
thought strictly necessary, Cody looked up and said, “You’re welcome,” as he
strode away.

Jess laughed at Jake’s baffled expression as he pulled her
into his arms. “That was strictly for your benefit. Well, Bethany’s too.”

At once, Jake’s fierce expression eased, even settling into
a smile. “I should have known. Cody would never make a play for you.”

“Oh, I guess I’m not his type?” Jess smirked, raising her
eyebrows.

“Oh, no. You’re definitely his type. But you’re mine.” Jake
smiled. “It’s the Guy Code. He keeps his hands off.”

He whirled her away, pulling her in so her back was to his
front. He whispered in her ear, “I think it’s time to go.”

She looked back at him. She didn’t want this night to end.
“Not yet, please? This is too perfect. It's our first night out as a couple.”

She felt him sigh against her hair. “Then, we’d better quit
dancin’. I still can’t have you this close to me.” He pushed her back, spinning
her to face him. “I wonder how long that’ll last?”

Jess hoped it would never stop.

As the song ended, Jake headed to the bar and Jess headed to
the bathroom. She used the toilet and found Bethany waiting by the sink as she
emerged. She ignored her, washing her hands in silence. Bethany waited until
she was done to start spewing her venom.

“You know, you’re only temporary. Just like Karen. He may
want you for now, but he always comes back to me.”

Jess looked at her. This hit too close to her own worries,
bringing defensive anger to the front. Her mother had always taught her if you
can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Jess held onto that for
about five seconds. “You know, Bethany, throwing yourself at a man when his
lover is right there makes you look cheap and desperate. Everyone in here saw
you and knows it. Everyone but you. I’m not Karen, and I’m here for the long
haul, sweetheart, so put away your kitten claws and go find someone else. I’ve
got something you’ll never have.” She turned on her heel and headed for the
exit.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

Jess turned around, just as she reached the door, smiling
gleefully over her shoulder. “His love.” She opened the door and walked out,
hearing Bethany as she chased her down screaming obscenities.

“You bitch! You’ll never get him, do you hear me? He’s mine.
I will make you regret this, you just wait and see.”

Everyone in the bar turned to see what was going on. Jess
drew on every year of training from her mother and walked calmly to Jake
without turning back. She saw some guy grab Bethany around the waist in the
mirror over the bar. She was still yelling as he hauled her outside.

“Are you ready to go?” she asked Jake, forcing a smile.

“Sure. What was that about?”

Jess shrugged her shoulders. “Your ex is jealous.” Jake
looked down at her, clearly waiting for more details. “It’s fine, Jake. Nothing
I can’t handle.” She reached onto her tiptoes, pressing a soft kiss to his
mouth. “Take me home? I think it’s time to be alone now.”

That was all the sidetracking Jake required.

As they dozed off to sleep, Jess decided to brush away the
incident with Bethany. She had been mad, furious even, but really what could
she do? Short of flipping into the crazy category and killing Jess off, or
maybe boiling her rabbit, there was nothing Bethany could do to spoil this. She
and Jake had only known each other a short time, but it had been intense, and
they’d come through a lot to get here. Self doubt on both sides,
misunderstandings and distrust. Fighting. Lots of fighting. And they’d still
made it this far. She wasn’t going to let Bethany play on Jess's own
insecurities and drive another wedge between them.

Jake hadn’t said anything at all about ending things and he
wasn’t acting like it either. Her body sighed as she remembered the passion in
their lovemaking less than an hour before. No, Bethany was wrong. She was here
to stay. And soon she would have her business established here. Then she would
truly have it all.

She looked at the man sleeping next to her. She was still
amazed at how much she’d changed in just a few short months. She hardly
recognized herself sometimes. And it was more than just her appearance. That
was merely an external reflection of the internal changes.

Jake had changed too. He’d become less angry, he smiled more
often. She thought about the scowling man she’d met that first day in his
office. Now when he looked at her, she could see the light, the love in his
eyes. She smiled softly as she drifted off to sleep.

Jake got up Saturday morning trying to get through the
chores as quickly as he could. It still took all morning and part of the
afternoon. When Jake didn't see Jess come for lunch, he knew she was still at
the new house dealing with the kitchen. As soon as he could, he headed over
there. It was already three when Jake walked in and found her smiling at the
walls. He felt a little tug on his heart. He loved seeing her here, in what
would soon be their home. As he walked toward her he thought of next weekend,
placing the ring on her finger. He needed that, needed to know that she was
truly his. That intense feeling of possessiveness surged through him, making
him want to grab her and scream,
“Mine!”
This wasn’t the first time he’d
felt this way with
her
, but it was previously unknown.

He’d never been possessive or jealous. That’s why it had
been so easy for Karen to cheat on him. He didn’t think these feelings had
anything to do with Karen, though, or her indiscretions. This was all for Jess.
He never wanted to let her go, wanted her with him always. And now he had to
kiss her goodbye.

Jake snuck up and slipped his arms around her waist, his
lips against her neck. She turned meeting his mouth with hers. “Doesn’t it look
amazing?” she asked when she finally pulled her lips away. “It looks better in
here than I thought it would.”

He looked down into her shining silver eyes, “It’s
beautiful.”

She playfully punched his shoulder. “Seriously, look at this
kitchen. It’s perfect!”

Jake looked around, finally taking in the surroundings, not
just her. The kitchen was mostly in place. Some details still needed to get
done, but the basics were all there. “It looks good. Really good.”

“You sound surprised.” At his shrug, she asked, “So, why’d
you choose it? You obviously weren’t sure it would work.”

He put his hand under her chin, tilting her face up to his,
meeting her eyes. “Because you liked it. It’s important to me that you like
this place.”

“Oh,” she breathed. “But we weren’t, I mean…we hadn’t… We
weren’t even speaking.”

“This house is for us, Jess. I think I knew that almost from
the beginning. I knew even before I knew. That’s why I fought so hard. It’s
always been
our
house.”

This was the first time he had referenced a future together
and he watched her face closely, hoping to see the answer he wanted in her
eyes.

She stepped closer, placing her lips against his with soft
tender kisses. “So, you’re heading out early tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah. I’ll only be gone a few days.” He had no idea why he
felt like asking if she would still be here when he got back. He just had this
strange sense that this was too good to be true. He kept waiting for the other
shoe to drop. He hoped that would stop once he saw his ring on her finger.

“Well, maybe we should head back to the house. Make an early
night of it. We wouldn’t want you to be tired when you leave tomorrow.”

He kissed her, teasing her lips with his tongue, slipping
his tongue in to gently taste. “I do need to get my sleep.” He ran his hand up
her side, grazing her breast, teasing her nipple and settling behind her neck.
He stepped in, rubbing gently against her, bringing his mouth back to hers,
just shy of touching. He wanted to kiss her again, but wasn't entirely sure
they'd make it back to the house if he did. After a long minute, he pressed his
mouth against hers, fast and hard, then he stepped back. “Let’s go to the
house.” He needed her in his bed.

When they reached the house, they went around to the front
door, the door no one used, and headed straight to his bedroom. As soon as the
door shut, he pushed her against it. Heat flared instantly, her body responding
to his need. He stripped her shirt off, throwing it across the room. As he
unbuttoned her jeans, Jess shoved her boots off with her toes. By the time her
jeans joined her shirt, her little moans of pleasure told him she was ready. He
drove her higher, bending to suckle the other nipple deeply, his tongue rasping
through the lace. She lifted her leg, wrapped it around his thigh, straining to
get closer to him. As he felt her body tense he stopped, stepping back. He slid
off his shirt, then his boots and jeans.

Jake took her hands, leading her to the bed. He knew she’d
been on the brink, could feel it in her muscles, but he wanted this to last. He
called on all his strength, fighting for calm as lust raged through him. When
he thought he was calmer he sat back on the bed. Jess surprised him, kneeling
in front of him, placing her hands on his thighs.

Oh, God…she wasn’t going to…he couldn’t take that. Not right
now. He wasn’t in control… She’d never…