65
Leila chatters non-stop while touching up her makeup in the car. The journey is short, and before we know it, we’re stepping out into a scene from the movie Cocktail.
The restaurant is nice and private; it has a beach theme with little palm roofs over each table, which spill out onto the sand near the shore, all strung with fairy lights twinkling now that the light is fading.
As we enter, we spot our party immediately and make our way across the crowded sands of the outdoor part of the restaurant as Jake has picked a table near the shore.
Unaware that we’ve arrived, as we approach, Jake stands up while talking to Daniel in a rather animated way, and Daniel is hopping about beside his chair, demonstrating something ridiculous. They’re laughing heartily, and Richard is shaking his head at whatever they’re reminiscing about, his twin crimson with sheer embarrassment. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he’s the butt of the joke. Jake looks gorgeous in a white shirt and blue designer jeans over sneakers.
He glances our way absent-mindedly, then does a double-take, his eyes locking with mine in recognition. His mouth drops open as he runs his eyes over my hair and then back to my face. A spark of electricity flashes across my stomach and almost makes me gasp.
Holy hell!
He’s never looked at me in that way before, and it sends a shiver through my abdomen, heating my pelvic floor instantly.
Jesus, Emma.
He smiles and walks toward me; his hand moves impulsively straight to my hair and gently pushes a strand back off my face. He runs his fingers through it lightly, the motion tingling my scalp seductively; his face is close enough for me to feel his breath on my skin, exposed by the low neckline of my dress, and I almost stop breathing with this intimacy. He knows how to command attention anyway; I can see why he doesn’t need to make much verbal effort.
“I like this. A lot,” he utters softly, his piercing eyes suddenly heavy, his pupils dilated. They’ve already been drinking before coming to the mainland; he looks intoxicated. The overall effect is devastating on my hormones. My body is on instant high alert to him, like it has been since Chicago, and I inhale slowly, trying not to react to his proximity openly. Every part of me is trembling at his contact.
“Thank you.” I blush and pull the hair from his hand, shyly tucking it back with the rest of my short waves. He leans down and plants a gentle, unexpected kiss on my cheek, causing a sensation of warmth and stomach-fluttering with the brief graze. I quell the urge to moan at the contact.
What the hell is going on? Leila planted seeds in my head, and now I’m going all cuckoo.
Grasping my hand, he leads me back to the table. Leila throws me a wink and grin, looking mightily pleased with herself, and all I can do is follow him weakly, momentarily knocked limp with his reaction to my hair. I’m over-analyzing everything, from the response, the cheek kiss, the hand-holding, the way I’m almost falling over myself, to the look in his eyes as he turns to guide me to a chair. Leila has messed with my head big time; I’m uber-aware of him, sexually stirred, and I try to shake it off as I sit down.
***
We sit outside under palm frond umbrellas. The food is amazing. We’re drinking cocktails, and it’s helping me unwind and relax, fruity, decorated drinks that taste like tropical juice and soda.
Daniel, Richard, and Vincent have all whistled and complimented my hair, and I keep catching Jake looking at me as though he’s seeing me for the first time. I try to ignore how frequently I notice his eyes on me. A small ripple runs through me, both a warning and a thrill.
Why does Jake have to be so good-looking, with eyes that can strip you bare?
It’s unnerving.
I’m starting to warm a little to Daniel Hunter now that he’s stopped leering at me. Well, in not such a sleazy way; now, it’s occasionally more of a flirty male glance.
“What motivated this?” Daniel reaches out, scooping a strand of my hair, and Jake bats his hand away aggressively.
“No touching.” His scowl is somewhere between funny and serious; Daniel just raises an eyebrow and grins.
“Sorreeeee, big man. You have to admit, though, your girl does look extra hot with this new do.” He winks at me.
“Ummm, thanks,” I cut in blandly, watching how Jake glares at Daniel and then punches him lightly in the shoulder.
“She’s not going to sleep with you, so you can cut out the compliments and the flirty crap,” Jake says with an irritable tone and an alpha male stance. A sulky boy is brewing.
“Oh, I don’t know. I reckon I could charm Miss Ander … OWWW!” Daniel squawks like an injured animal as Jake shoulder-punches him with more force than before. “Calm your pants, Jake. God! You’ll be pissing on me next,” he huffs and swipes his beer from the table, casting his friend an angry frown.
“Don’t tempt me,” Jake jokes, a bit too dryly for humor, as he grabs his beer. Both men throw snarky looks at one another before taking what looks like synchronized swigs of their drinks.
“Jeez, testosterone flying much?” Leila interjects with a heavy sigh, pulling some of the tension away.
“Men!” I offer in answer, and we both raise eyebrows at one another in agreement,
“Needless to say, I was right!” Leila grins at me triumphantly.
“About what?” Marissa cuts in with a pinched tone that makes us flick our eyes towards her with cool indulgence. She’s sprawled at the table with full cleavage on show, right in Jake’s eye line. Miracle is picking her nails in a similar pose on her right, completely bored.
Ughhh.
“That Jake would be enamored with her short new do … that she would look sexy as hell!” Leila’s triumphant tone earns her a roll of the eyes from Marissa and a bitch snarl.
“Jake’s a man. He appreciates it when women try really hard to get a reaction from him,” she responds icily with a flick of her hair. She and Jake exchange instant, harsh glares while I simmer, holding my tongue.
“You would know.” Leila’s scathing comment comes with a new tone I’d not heard from her … disdain … with a major attitude. I glance over at her and catch sight of the twins moving uneasily in their chairs as they lift their drinks to focus on those instead. Miracle lifts her head in interest, eyes gleaming with the possibility of drama.
“Emma doesn’t need to vie for my attention; she already has it. And her hair is a knockout. Much like her,” Jake cuts in smoothly, his cold gaze fixed on Marissa; everyone goes quiet and averts their eyes with a lot of fidgeting. Leila smirks.
“Man, did it just get cold in here?” Daniel jumps up from his perch on the table's edge and slaps Jake on the back, “We need a new topic and way more booze, man.”
“Couldn’t agree more.” Jake relaxes back, leaning to peck me on the cheek softly before he turns to gesture to a waiter. I get that inward surge of smugness to match Leila’s. He cut Marissa down easily and made a show with a kiss. My champion.
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