It’s not that she was just imagining that that’s what her grandma might say. Grandma Adie had said that. Multiple times. In fact, every time Tessa and Jake would get into a disagreement and Tessa would go and tell her grandma, those had been her exact wise words of wisdom. She’d always taken Jake’s side. But in fairness, his had been the right side to take.
Deciding to heed her grandma’s advice, Tessa cleared her throat and turned in the heated leather seat, pulling her leg up underneath her in an effort to appear casually relaxed and grateful. “Thanks for the ride.”
Jake didn’t look over at her, his attention directed at the road illuminated by his headlights in front of them, but she did see a twitch in the corner of his mouth. “So you’re talking to me now?”
“I wasn’t not talking to you,” Tessa defended. Sure, her defense was total BS, but whatever. He didn’t know that. Actually he probably did. Jake had always been able to read her like a book.
Instead of calling her on her blatant lie, he did something that took Tessa by complete and utter surprise. Jake—gasp!—apologized. “I’m sorry if what you saw upset you. Honestly, I’m not with that girl. I was only dancing with her because it’s her birthday. And she kissed me, not the other way around. And I didn’t put that song on the jukebox.”
Tessa was speechless. For several reasons. The Jake she knew did not apologize for things. Mainly because he never did anything wrong, but still. He hadn’t done anything wrong this time either. And he’d remembered their song.
Now she really felt silly for the way she’d reacted. “You don’t have to apologize. Who you kiss or kisses you, who you dance with, is none of my business.”
“I know I don’t have to apologize,” Jake said as he turned onto Shady Creek Lane. “I know it’s none of your business. But it still feels like it is.”
Jake’s words caused goose bumps to pop up on her skin, and Tessa’s palms grew damp as her heart started beating so fast it felt like it was trying to set a world record. She knew exactly what he meant. It did still feel like it was her business, but she’d never expected him to say that.
Tessa turned back around, facing forward as the large SUV pulled up the driveway in front of the house. She felt like she should say something. But what?
Before she had a chance to come up with anything brilliant, Jake continued, “It feels like a lifetime has passed and also like no time has passed at all.”
“Yeah, it does.” That was exactly what it felt like.
They both sat staring at the house they had planned to have their happily-ever-after in. The heavy atmosphere could be cut with a knife. Tessa had so many things she wanted to tell Jake. To ask Jake. About him. About them.
But when she opened her mouth, the only thing that came out was, “Why haven’t you moved in here yet?”
Jake let out a small forced laugh. “I don’t know,” he said as he raked his hands though his hair. Then, leaning his head back against the headrest, he placed his hands on the steering wheel.
Tessa watched as his large fingers wrapped around the wheel and she felt a pull deep inside of her. She hadn’t forgotten how those fingers felt on her body, in her body.
Trying to distract herself, she glanced up at Jake. Bad move. With his head tilted back, it gave her a perfect view of the sexy lines of his neck. Her lips tingled with a desire to press her mouth against his exposed skin. She saw the shadowed line of his vein protruding out and running down into the hood of his sweatshirt.
Her pulse quickened as her eyes—acting on their own accord!—darted down to his lap to do a quick visual inspection to determine if his sexy neck vein was making an appearance because he was mad or frustrated or if it was because, like her, he was turned on.
Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. Tessa saw the large, bulging evidence that Jake was, in fact, still physically affected by her. A thrill swept over her and tiny firework-like tingles exploded throughout her body. She couldn’t tear her eyes off of his lap, which was growing bigger by the second.
“Tessa.” Her name rumbled from deep his chest.
Her eyes shot up to his and the look she saw there caused her center to spasm with arousal. His eyes were filled with hungry, predatory need. He’d never looked at her like that when they were teens. This was the look of a man, a man who knew what he wanted and exactly how to get it.
Tessa wasn’t sure who moved first, but they moved towards each other, meeting over the console. Jake cradled her face in his hands, his fingertips wrapping around the back of her neck and kneading in an erotic massage.