Tessa knew that the only way she would know for sure was if she just asked him. They needed to talk.
Just then, Jake rounded the corner and pulled her into his arms. “Come on. I’m taking you home.”
Tessa couldn’t make sense of everything right now, but the one thing she knew for sure was that home with Jake was the only place she wanted to be.
Chapter Twenty-Two
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Tessa walked in the front door of Jake’s condo, all of the trepidation she had felt about him since she had been back in Hope Falls melting away like snow under the rays of the bright, springtime sun. Far from feeling timid and unsure in his presence, she now felt bold. Sexy. Incredibly turned on.
Their encounter at Say Cheese had started her down that path, but the scene in the bar had clinched it. Wow. She knew it was a little cliché that she’d gotten so turned on by Jake’s hyper-masculine, testosterone-fueled display—but she couldn’t help it. When he had stormed up to save the day with his “Me Tarzan, You Jane” routine, she just hadn’t been able to help herself. Her body—and even her brain—had jumped right on board and responded with, “Um, yes, Me Jane. Now bring me home, Tarzan, so I can take a ride on your big swinging vine!”
As soon as they stepped past the threshold, the clatter of claws on hardwood filled the space, and seconds later, Lucky dashed pell-mell into the room. He leapt into Tessa’s arms as if she were his long-lost best friend and he were about one-tenth his actual size.
She felt Jake’s arms behind her, holding her up under the assault of the dog’s heavy body, and then he quickly moved around in front of her and lifted Lucky down. He scolded Lucky, telling him never to do that again, but Tessa could hear the undercurrent of affection and amusement in his voice. From the way Lucky was wagging his tail, Tessa guessed that the dog was picking up on it as well.
She giggled. “He seems very intimidated.”
Jake shook his head. “Well, apparently I’m not nearly as adept at putting my own dog in his place as I am drunk assholes.”
Tessa grinned widely. “Well, those guys deserved to be put in their place. Lucky, on the other hand… Well, he’s a good boy!”
Obviously, Lucky did not grasp the meaning of her entire speech, but he did clearly pick up on the words “Lucky” and “good boy,” which caused his tail to sweep back and forth with even greater speed and intensity as he rose up on his haunches, placing his front to paws on Tessa’s chest and beginning to lick her face.
Tessa laughed, ruffling the dog’s fur affectionately. She murmured to him as she petted his silky coat, assuring him that he was, indeed, a good boy.
Jake called Lucky to him and the dog happily followed his owner.
“You’re going in the laundry room, boy.” Jake patted the yellow lab’s head as he looked over his shoulder at Tessa. “I have plans for you and they don’t include my dog getting more affection than I do. I don’t care if his name is ‘Lucky.’ But don’t worry. I’m going to put plenty of his favorite treats in with him. He’ll be more than happy.”
“Okay.” Tessa liked the sound of plans. “I’m just going to go freshen up. I would like to be dog-spit free for your plans.”
“Use the upstairs. The downstairs is connected to the laundry room and I want to get him settled.”
Tessa practically skipped up the stairs, through the bedroom and into the bathroom. She turned on the water and washed her face, the cold temperature bringing her back down to reality a little bit, piercing the lust-and-adrenaline fog that had been firmly holding her brain in its grip since Jake had touched her in the photography studio this afternoon. However, far from giving her second thoughts, this moment of bright-eyed clarity only served to make her even more excited about the encounter that she and Jake were going to share.
This had been too long coming. It was time. She wasn’t sure if this was the smartest move they’d ever made, but she knew she needed Jake and he needed her. And this was going to happen. Tonight.
Tessa assessed her freshly scrubbed face in the mirror and saw a woman who was surer of herself than Tessa could remember being in years. That was partly attributable to Jake’s influence, sure. But the strong, clear-eyed determination she saw in her own eyes came from deep within, and she was proud that she had that reserve of strength inside, just waiting to be tapped.
She smirked. Speaking of waiting to be tapped. She smiled as she dried off her face, immensely amused by her own pun. Then, as she reached for the doorknob, all of the self-assuredness and confidence she’d been so happy to be feeling vanished. Poof! In a span of three seconds, it was gone.