Page 65 of Work It Out
Still tucked close against him from chest to hip, she expelled an exasperated sigh and thunked her head on his chest once, twice, a third time. “Only you,” she mumbled into his shirt. “Only you could make me forget I was surrounded by a gazillion gossipy people who could see me dry-humping you like a horny teenager. In. A. Church.”Thunk, thunk, thunk.
Chuckling, Jake cradled her head against his chest with one hand and kept the other at her back. “Be careful, you might shake loose something important.”
When she leaned back, her beautiful brown eyes weren’t burning for him anymore. Instead, they shimmered with heartache and worry. “What am I going to do with you?”
Love me.
She wasn’t ready to hear that. Hell, he wasn’t ready to say it.
Instead, he said, “We’re going to see where this goes.” He refused to live with more regret and, if he walked away from her now, without ever knowing what it meant to be claimed by this woman with her incredible heart, he’d absolutely regret it for the rest of his life.
“I hate that we hurt her,” Rayah whispered. “She’s just starting to live again. I don’t want her to lose ground.”
Jake hooked a knuckle under her chin. “I’ll go talk to her. Save me a seat?” He glanced at his burger. Saliva filled his mouth and his stomach growled, but it’d have to wait. “And keep my burger safe. I really want that burger, even if it’s cold.”
Rayah’s smile was rueful. “You should thank Vicky. She advocated for bacon and mayo. I would’ve left them off.”
“I knew I liked that kid.” He forced himself to step back. “Go on, cupcake. It’ll be all right. But you should know, I fully intend to revisit this conversation when I get you home.”
A blush covered her cheeks and ran downward, disappearing below her neckline. What he wouldn’t give to see how far that blush continued.
She took one look at his face and laughed. “Go. I’ll guard your cheeseburger.”
“You’re an angel.” He kissed her temple one more time. Keeping his lips off her altogether was asking too much. Then he went in search of Vicky.
He found Samuel propping up the wall of the lobby next to the front door, no doubt ready to bolt at the least provocation. On the other side of the wall a loud hum of voices bounced off the stained-glass windows and wafted out the doorway as the people of Bigbone waited for the drawing to begin. Granny and Gramps stood near the pulpit, bickering about something or other from opposite sides of a huge raffle drum.
Jake stopped out of sight of the crowd, shaking his head. The squabbling was nothing extraordinary, but he couldn’t believe that drum was still in one piece. That thing was older than he was. And why were they still using it? A computer program could put the townspeople in random pairs in seconds, yet they insisted on spending hours and hours handwriting everyone’s name on a slip of paper and going through the whole ceremony.
Laughter erupted from the pews in the back, where a dozen people listened to one of Zandar’s stories of past Hunts. Yep, that was why they continued to go through the whole bit every year. The Hunt was another excuse for the town to grumble and pretend they hated gathering even as they threw themselves into their traditions with all they had.
“She’s not in there.” When Jake turned around, Samuel added, “She went out the side door three minutes ago. Pierce followed her.” The anger had faded out of his voice, leaving behind his normal flat cadence.
“You going in?” Jake asked.
“I’m good here. I’ll hear my name when it’s called.”
“You’d better.” Rayah strode toward the source of all that noise, carrying his plate in one hand and a drink in the other. She frowned at Samuel. “If I have to do this, so do you.”
“That’s the spirit, cupcake.” Jake patted that luscious ass to send her on her way.
“Gross,” Samuel grumbled.
Jake expected Rayah to give him hell, but was pleasantly surprised when she threw a saucy wink and a grin at him over her shoulder before she strode off into the fray. The sway of her hips in those jeans was a siren’s call, but he needed to find Vicky. He nodded to Samuel and shoved out the side door and into the icy evening air. The sun set so quickly in the mountains. It’d been light outside when he’d walked into the church. Now, it was full dark and freezing. The moment the sun went down, the temperature plummeted twenty degrees.
Vicky and Pierce stood at the far end of the lot by his Jeep.
“Vic,” Jake whispered as he drew close enough to see her well. Damn it. Pierce was trying to comfort her and keep her warm, but she was only wearing a thick sweater and leggings. Worse, mascara tracks ran down her cheeks, and her nose was red and swollen. She’d cried hard.
Pierce hugged her closer and glowered at him. “Is this your fault? What the hell did you do? She won’t tell me what happened.”
“I’m fine,” Vicky whimpered.
Sure, she was.
“I’ll take it from here.” Jake stopped a few feet away. “Go on in. They’re ready to start the drawing.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Pierce said.
