Ralinkov gave Maggie the same strange look as the Swede, but said nothing. He lifted her hand to his lips. She couldn’t help being charmed by the twinkle in his eyes.
“You still know how to zero in on the prettiest women, Vlad.”
Jake’s cool voice over her shoulder made Maggie tense. Though his comment seemed harmless enough, experience had taught her that a calm delivery was more dangerous than shouting. A simple remark—poison delivered with a smile—the prelude to the backhander that inevitably followed.
She knew Jake wouldn’t hit her, but she edged away from him nonetheless, looking anxiously for Emily. Thankfully, her daughter was by the grill, chatting with Gio and Tina.
“We played together for a while on the Hawks.” Jake clapped him on the back. “Best damn center in the game. I’m glad we’re on the same team now.”
The two men laughed and began reminiscing about previous encounters.
Maggie watched Jake carefully. Was the easy camaraderie as genuine as it seemed or was he saving his anger for when they were away from the crowd, like Lee had done? She searched his face for telltale signs but saw nothing untoward. No twitching jaw muscle, no narrowing of his eyes.
Could she trust her own judgment? She’d been wrong about her ex, missed some obvious clues. They said the best way to tell how a man would treat his wife was to see how his father treated his mother. She hadn’t met Lee’s father until it was far too late, but had known straightaway that history was repeating itself.
Maggie looked across to the grill. Gio planted a smacking kiss on his wife’s pink cheek before presenting her with the best steak, cooked just as she liked it. Jake was from good stock. Clearly his reputation wasn’t the whole story.
Her pulse skipped at the possibility, even as a cautious inner voice warned there was no smoke without fire.
Maggie had seen enough evidence to know Jake’s nickname had been earned. Her eyes traced the white scar on the bridge of his nose and the one bisecting his eyebrow. Could there be something special behind the image? Something different?
Someone different?
She was tempted to believe there was. Tempted to find out for sure. Was it time to give Jake the benefit of the doubt?
Maggie thought back over everything that had happened since they’d met. With very few exceptions, he hadn’t behaved at all like she’d expected. The way he’d treated people—his mother, Aunt Karina, Emily. Maggie herself.
Jake had surprised her at every turn.
But did she dare take the risk on him?
She looked up at Jake. Their gazes caught and held.
Turquoise fire flared in the depths of his eyes.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. Heat pooled deep within.
Did she dare not to?
* * *
“HANDS OFF MY cannoli!”
Jake grinned as Maggie’s hand hovered protectively over her dessert.
“But there are none left and you have two.” He enjoyed teasing her. “You could share.”
She smiled at his hangdog look, then playfully smacked his sneaking fingers. “You’ve already eaten three. You’ll spoil your boyish figure.”
His chest caught at the mischief in her dark brown eyes. He shifted to ease the ache in his already tight groin, only to stifle a groan as she nibbled a pastry shell, then slowly, deliberately, sucked cream from its center.
Two could play at that game.
Jake wiped powdered sugar from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. The pulse at the base of her throat fluttered. As he licked his thumb clean, her lips parted on a soft gasp.
He leaned closer.
She watched intently as his mouth neared hers. His lips hovered whisper close, then headed over her cheek to her ear.
“Delicious,” he murmured, before snatching the remaining cannoli from her plate.
Maggie blinked, then laughed. “Sneaky. I’ll have to keep my eye on you.”
His heart kicked. Yes, please.
He hadn’t meant to spend the whole afternoon with her. This morning, he’d been full of good intentions—he’d introduce her around, then leave her alone. Maybe she’d find a nice, suitable guy there. He’d ignored the wrench in his guts at the thought of her dating someone else; whatever was best for Maggie and Emily was what was important.
Then he’d spotted her in that pink summer dress, looking as delicious as strawberry ice cream. Those daisy-shaped buttons trailing enticingly down her front had blown his noble plan out of the water.
It was only one afternoon. What harm could there be in spending it with her and Emily?
He’d been surprised by how much he’d enjoyed being part of their family unit. It had given him hope for the future. For the new life he would be living. For the changed man he would become.
Now he and Maggie shared a blanket under the trees, watching the party wind down in the graying light. The balmy evening air still held a spicy tang from the barbecue. His mom and Aunt Karina sat on the porch swing, their heads bent over their latest quilt, while Tru, Vlad and Juergen chatted with Tracy at a nearby picnic table. On the other side of the lawn, his dad had set up a street-hockey goal and was coaching Emily as she tried to score on Ike.