22. Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-two

Clara

Jake walked me back to my building after lunch. As easy as it was to be with him, he also made me flustered, like I was a young, inexperienced girl. In a way, I was. I'd only known one man, and since Jake was nothing like Miller, everything he gave me was brand new.

I was thankful for it too. I'd had quite enough of that life.

At the front of my building, I stopped, intending to say goodbye, but Jake caught my fingertips and pulled me along.

"Nope. It's door-to-door service."

"You really don't have to walk me back to my office."

"I really do," he insisted. "You haven't asked me out on our second date, so I don't know when I'm going to see you again."

Laughing, I walked with him through the lobby, swiping my pass at the executive elevator.

"This wasn't a second date?"

"No." He eyed me seriously. "You told me you'd plan it. This was lunch."

"But there was a kiss," I reminded him.

"And there's going to be another one before I leave you." He crossed his arms. "Still not a date."

I stepped into the elevator and whirled around to tease him. "Well, you would know since you're the dating expert with your vast experience."

He walked right into my space, backing me against the wall. Luckily, we had the elevator to ourselves, but I had a feeling Jake might not have cared either way.

"My vast experience, huh?" He cupped the back of my neck and bent so we were nose to nose. "Funny, I don't remember any of it."

"That is funny." I wet my lips with the tip of my tongue. "You're too young to have memory troubles."

"And you're too smart to taunt me in a confined space." His lips touched mine in a barely there kiss. "Be good, Clara."

My thighs clenched around the ache between them, and my breath seized in my chest. How was this man capable of being sweet one minute and melting my panties the next?

The elevator came to a stop, and Jake retreated as if nothing had happened. It took me a moment longer to pull myself together and scrape myself off the wall. As soon as the doors opened, I took a deep breath, straightened my back with my head held high, and exited the elevator. Jake chuckled under his breath as he escorted me to my office, as promised.

Except we didn't make it there. Luca stepped out of his office, pausing when he caught sight of us.

He scratched the side of his head and shot us a sheepish look. "Did I forget to put a meeting on my calendar?"

Jake put his hand on the small of my back. "Not with me, you didn't. I'm here to bring Clara back from our lunch."

"Lunch?" Luca echoed, his gaze following where Jake's arm had disappeared behind me. "Ah, I see. That's where I'm headed now. Unfortunately, mine is business and not…friendly."

"You should go. You don't want to be late." My eyes flared, signaling for him to go away and end this awkward encounter. I planned to tell him Jake and I were dating at some point, but not yet. Not until I was certain it would amount to more than a dinner or two.

"You're right. I should." He reached out to shake Jake's hand. "Nice to see you again."

Jake closed his hand around my brother's and gave it a firm shake. "You too, Luca."

Luca gave me a pointed look I interpreted to mean, " We're talking about this as soon as humanly possible. "

I had little doubt he'd let this drop; I just hoped he'd give me time to formulate an explanation.

Jake escorted me to my office and closed the door behind us. Once we were alone, he didn't ravage me like I thought he might. Instead, he prowled around the room, inspecting my art and what I had on my desk.

What I had on my desk…oh no.

Picking up the cookie box, he lifted the lid. "You didn't eat it." He raised his eyes to me. "Do you not like cookies?"

I patted my round hips. "I obviously like cookies, and that one looks and smells delicious, but—"

He took it out of the box, sniffed it, and turned it over on his palm. My stomach tumbled. This was about to be embarrassing.

"It does smell good. You want to share it with me? Give me a little bite of your cookie?"

He held it between his fingers, just about to break it, but I couldn't let that happen. I wasn't ready.

"Wait!" I rushed to him, snatching the cookie away. Only when it was safely back in the box did I remember I had to face him and explain why I'd just done that.

He chuckled. "Guess you don't want to share."

I looked up, my lips rolled over my teeth. "It's not that. I would share anything with you."

His head tilted as his eyes darted around my face, thoughtful in his examination of me.

"But not the cookie."

"Not that one. It's so…cute. And you ordered it for me. You had to explain to someone exactly what you wanted it to look like and what it should say. I just want to keep it and look at it for a while. I'm not ready for it to be gone."

God, I sounded like a lovesick teenager, not a thirty-seven-year-old mother. This was truly humiliating, but I couldn't help being honest with him. His gift had touched a long-neglected part of me and made me feel special in a way I never had.

"There's that sweetness I can't get enough of," he crooned.

One moment, I was dying of embarrassment. The next, I was in Jake's arms, being kissed to within an inch of my life. He groaned as he tangled his fingers in my hair, keeping my mouth locked against his. Not that there was a chance I'd pull away.

He kissed me until the burn in my cheeks spread across my body like wildfire. Then he lifted me onto the edge of my desk and situated himself between my spread legs. Shoving my dress to the tops of my thighs, he stroked my bare skin and panted against my lips.

"Eat the cookie, Clara. It's not going to be the only one I send you." One hand moved to graze my cheek. "You were neglected for so long, weren't you? You're starving, and I'm going to be the one to feed you—fill you up until you forget what it's like not to be cared for."

My breathing stuttered, and I let my head fall against his chest. "We've only gone on one date. You can't promise me that."

"It's been over a year. You've been in my head since the first night at The Tavern. You're not going anywhere, and neither am I. I intend to see this through, wherever it goes."

"Okay."

He pried me from his chest and tucked his knuckle under my chin so I had no choice but to meet his gaze. It was warm, playful, belying the curves at the corners of his mouth.

"Okay." He kissed my temple. "Go for a ride with me Friday night? Unless you planned your date for then."

I shook my head. "I have an idea, but it's not for a couple weeks."

"Well, I'm not waiting that long." He gave my chin a shake. "Say yes. Go for a ride with me."

I nodded. "I'd love to."

"Good." He touched his lips to my forehead and backed up, carefully replacing my dress over my thighs. "Eat the cookie."

I nodded. "I will."

I would have walked him out, but my knees weren't quite working after he'd melted my bones, so I sank into my chair and watched him go. When he was out of sight, I picked up the cookie box. I'd never been sentimental, and it was silly of me to have saved this. Before I could talk myself out of it, I broke a piece off and slipped it into my mouth.

Vanilla . Of course it was delicious.

I ate it slowly, taking little bites between replying to emails. A quarter of it was gone when Luca arrived, sauntering into my office with a smirk.

"Is there something you want to tell me, my dear sister?"

With a sigh, I rested my elbows on my desk. "Jake and I are dating."

He folded himself in the chair across from me. "I gathered that. I caught the vibe at dinner last week." He rubbed his chin in thought. "Looking back, there was a vibe at our first meeting too, if I'm not mistaken."

"There was a vibe," I confirmed. "I like him."

The explanation I'd wanted to drum up fell away. In its place, I chose simplicity.

"He seems like a good guy. I can't say I'm not surprised at the pairing. For one, I thought you were content leading the nun life. For another, Jakey is younger than both of us. Never thought you'd rob the cradle."

I shot him a murderous glare. "Never, ever say anything like that again, or I'll steal Clementine and give her to Nellie."

That made him laugh and hold up his hands. "No, no, don't take my cat. I'm only kidding. I don't care about your age gap. It's no big deal. Not like you're some withered prune. You've got a few years yet."

I flipped him off. "You have the same genes I do."

"True. And they're damn fine genes at that." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "Seriously, I'm happy you're getting out there. You deserve to have someone take care of you, you know."

Jake's promise echoed in my head, and I smiled. "Thank you. I'm happy too. Cautiously so, but still."

"No one would blame you for being cautious." He tapped the edge of my desk. "Did you tell Jake we're moving forward with Motor Zone?"

"No. I thought about it, but I'd rather not have our business dealings overlap our personal relationship. He'll find out through his lawyers or brother."

"That makes sense. It's a good idea to keep it separate. Hopefully it will remain possible."

Moving forward didn't mean the deal was signed. That was still months away. Next would be the SWOT analysis, then our lawyers would meet with their lawyers to draw up terms, and we'd sign a memo of understanding once we agreed. Anything could happen in the following months. Deals fell through all the time. Luca's meaning rang loud and clear. If something happened and we couldn't seal the deal with Jake's company, I could only hope it wouldn't affect our personal relationship.

"One of the many reasons I'm cautiously optimistic," I returned.

"You always were the smart one in the family." His gaze fell on the pink box on my desk. "Aren't you going to offer your brother a bite?"

On instinct, my hand shot out to pull it closer to me. "No."

"Rude." He reached for it, and I swatted him away, making him laugh. "Come on, Clara. You're seriously not going to give me any? It's a huge cookie. What does it say on it?"

With a sigh, I turned it toward him. I'd eaten around the words, leaving them there.

"Number one champion…of what?" he asked.

"Bowling. Jake had this made for me after I beat him," I rushed out, hoping he'd leave me alone now that he had an answer.

Something about Luca loosened, and the corners of his mouth curled into a soft smile he usually reserved for his wife and my daughter. It was…tender. Sweet, even.

"I think I like this guy." He stopped trying to steal my cookie and met my gaze. "Remember, Saoirse and I are happy to babysit and keep Nellie overnight. All you have to do is name the date. All right?"

I nodded, a wad of emotion lodged in my throat. Without Luca's support, I wouldn't have survived my divorce and becoming a new mother. I was on my own two feet now, but he was still there for me, never allowing me to feel like I didn't have backup.

"I remember."

It was only later, when I was replaying our lunch in my mind, I realized Jake hadn't mentioned my ex at all. I didn't believe there was any way he hadn't gone home and looked him up.

He saw my scarred underbelly, my heavy, beat-up baggage, and hadn't been scared off. If anything, he'd drawn himself closer to me, making really lovely promises.

Moving forward with him terrified me down to my core.

But I'd been brought up with the confidence to face difficult situations and survive in boardrooms filled with men who would always look down on me because I was a woman.

If I could do that—with style, might I add—I could crack open my heart, just a little, and allow Jake inside. Being closed off and alone wasn't a good example to set for Nellie. I had to take this chance.

If it blew up in my face…well, at least I could say I tried.