The Billionaire Playboy(53)

“For that kind of money she should come right out and tell the truth.”

“She wants to save face.”

Charlie couldn't contain her sarcastic laugh. “So it looks better to admit she was involved with two men at the same time?”

“I guess it does in her mind. Not that it matters. I'm not paying her anything.”

She still thought getting someone to verify his whereabouts during the month of March was the best solution. “Jake, maybe you should talk to your cousin. See what he says. He might surprise you.”

“What are your plans for this weekend?”

Jake's immediate switch in topics let her know he considered their previous topic closed for further discussion.

Fool. She wanted to reach through the phone and beat some sense into the man. “None, why?” she asked, choosing to take his hint and drop the subject.

“I thought we could spend it together.”

A warm sense of excitement spread through her. It occurred every time she anticipated spending time with him. And she wasn't sure she liked it. None of the men she dated in the past affected her this way, and she couldn't help but wonder if that meant her feelings toward Jake were developing into something she didn’t want to deal with. Every time they were together she tried to remind herself she wasn't looking for love. That she was only having fun with Jake. But somehow she suspected her heart was slowly getting invested in their relationship despite her efforts.

“What did you have in mind?” Charlie pushed aside worries for the moment. She could sort out her feeling later when they weren't on the phone.

“How does a weekend on Martha's Vineyard sound? I can pick you up and we can fly to the island together,” Jake said.

The worries she'd just buried exploded in her head again. How should she interpret Jake and his actions? They never discussed an exclusive relationship, yet he treated it as one. He called almost every day. Sometimes they talked about nothing of importance. The weekend before he traveled up to see her and now he wanted to take her away. Just what was his game? Should she tell him she didn't want anything serious in her life? Or should she go with the flow and keep having fun? Eventually he would move on to someone else. She knew that like she knew the sun would rise tomorrow. So why worry about it now, right?

“It sounds nice. I've never been.” Charlie proceeded to put her clothes away while ignoring the uneasy emotions lurking just below the surface. By agreeing to go was she leading him on and giving him the wrong impression about what she wanted? If on the off chance he wanted something permanent between them, he had a right to know the truth.

Get serious. This is Jake Sherbrooke aka Prince Charming. Even if he wanted a serious girlfriend he wouldn't look at you.

Though it hurt to admit, Charlie's silent reminder to herself pushed most of her unease away. Another relaxing weekend with Jake sounded wonderful, so why should she deny herself?

“I'll take that as a yes,” Jake drawled.

Charlie closed the bureau drawer causing her reenlistment papers to scatter across the floor. She'd been prepared to fax them the day before, and then had gotten distracted. For whatever reason she'd hadn't gotten around to it yet. “You twisted my arm. I'll go with you.” She picked up the papers and put them back into their envelope.

“I knew I could convince you,” Jake replied smugly. “I'll have a car pick you up and bring you to the airport. I'll meet you there.”



***



Jake leaned back in the plush leather seat and stretched his legs out as his last conversation with his lawyer replayed in his head. He'd suggested that Jake consider paying Blair off. As much as he wanted this scandal to disappear, he refused to play her game. It now made sense why she repeatedly tried to change his mind about their relationship. She wasn't the first woman to use him for his money. Unfortunately, he didn't have another quick and easy way out of this situation. Not unless he wanted to drag his cousin into things. Charlie suggested he reconsider his decision on that front. He knew she meant well, but she didn't understand his cousin's fragile state. Even if he just announced that he'd been in England during March the media would somehow track down his exact whereabouts. They always seemed to. Once they did that, it wouldn't be hard to trace things back to AJ. He wouldn't let that happen. No one else in the family knew about AJ's problem and he'd promised to keep it that way. If it meant he had to make some sacrifices to keep his promise, oh well. Both his family and Charlie seemed willing to stick by him.#p#分页标题#e#

The fact his family remained behind him didn't surprise him. While they may not always agree or support his decisions, they would never turn their back on him. Charlie, on the other hand, did surprise him a little. The fact she had not tossed him out on his ass when she read the magazine pleased him, more than he thought possible in fact. After all, in many ways they barely knew each other. But at the same time he felt closer to her than any other women he'd dated. Jake didn't know what that meant in the long term, though he did know he was looking forward to another weekend together. This time away from both their families.