get it spent so Jake couldn’t take it back.
Barely able to hear his low voice, she listened as he gave the information to his head accountant. Then Jake clicked shut his phone. “It’s done. Now you’ve got a lot of money to spread goodwill over Dallas.”
“Thank you,” she said. “So are we ready?”
He waved his hand toward the door and opened it for her. She swept out ahead of him and he fell into step beside her as they moved to the elevator.
They walked to the car in silence. She was aware of his height, his shoulder occasionally brushing hers. At the car, he reached around her to open the door for her and she caught the scent of his aftershave.
As she slid into the car, she glanced up to see him looking down at her legs. Her skirt had fallen open at the slit, revealing her long legs.
“Thanks,” she said perfunctorily, looking forward and trying to ignore him—which was totally impossible. He walked around the front of the sports car, taking his usual long strides that conveyed self-assurance in every step.
At the restaurant, as they followed the maître d’ to a linen-covered table, skylights let sunshine spill into the dining room. Emily was aware of women turning to look at Jake. Women gravitated to him like iron filings to a magnet. A lot of them wouldn’t have cared what Jake’s motives were for marriage. They’d be deliriously happy with all he could give them. Was she being unreasonable? She didn’t think so. As far as she was concerned, deception was an unforgivable breach of trust.
Jake held her chair, his fingers barely brushing her, so slight on her back and arm that it could have been accidental. But she suspected Jake did very little unintentionally.
He sat across from her and once again, she could see faint amusement in his eyes. He was so damn certain of himself. He knew that he was handsome and sexy and that she couldn’t resist his kisses.
A waitress placed menus in front of them. Emily opened hers and tried to ignore the sparks that danced between them every time she glanced at Jake.
She ordered a huge breakfast, figuring she’d skip lunch and eat on his dime.
With a wink for Jake, the waitress took their menus. Emily looked into Jake’s eyes. “You do impress women everywhere you go,” she said.
“There’s one I don’t impress enough,” he replied. “So if I’d refused to coach, would you really have walked? Admit it, Em. We have a deal now and the money is being moved. Would you have walked out on the million?”
“Yes, I would,” she said. “It doesn’t seem real to me at this point, anyway.”
“After over a year of being married to me, I don’t see how it can’t seem real. Of all the women in the world, I picked the one who isn’t interested in wealth or luxury.”
“As I recall,” she said, smiling at him, “you said that’s what you were searching for.”
“Not to this extent. It never occurred to me anyone would react to money the way you do.” He touched her cheek. “I don’t usually miss the mark as I have with you. Maybe I’m losing my touch.”
“Jake, as the old saying goes, you can’t win ’em all. You always expect to win, that much I know about you. But nobody gets what they want all the time.”
“True,” he said, smiling at her with a flash of white teeth in a warm grin that was an invitation to relax her guard. She wondered how many times he’d coaxed what he wanted out of women with that irresistible smile. And she was as vulnerable to it as any of them.
“Are you free late this afternoon?” she asked sweetly, smiling at him in turn, sure she couldn’t do to him what he could to her.
Pleasure flashed in his eyes. “Sure, I’m free,” he said, reaching over to take her hand in his and lightly rub his thumb across her knuckles. Tingles spun from his touch, fanning an ever smoldering blaze. “And, for you, if I weren’t, I’d get free. What did you have in mind?”
“I’ll call this morning and see if I can catch the boys. You can start coaching late this afternoon,” she said. Jake would hate to start today—all the more reason to make him do so, as far as she was concerned.
Instantly, his eyes turned glacial. He dropped her hand and sat back. “Dammit, Emily, this coaching thing is going to be disastrous. Football is history in my life. And I’m not a teacher.”
“You’re a smart man, Jake, and these are good kids. You’ll manage.” She paused while the waitress appeared with orange juice and cups of steaming coffee.
She fussed over Jake and then left them. “I don’t think our waitress has noticed my wedding ring.” Emily laughed. “Let me tell you about the boys. Orlando Crane and Anthony Day are American. The other two haven’t been in this country long. English is their second language.”
“Dammit, Emily! I can’t talk to them?”
“Oh, please!” she exclaimed, exasperated. “You travel and do business all over the world,” she said, her anger flaring at his stubborn refusal to cooperate. “How many languages do you speak?” Jake clamped his mouth shut and the glacial look returned to his expression. Undaunted, she continued, “Enzo Oquendo is Costa Rican and Tanek Kozlik is from Germany, but that wasn’t where he was born.”
Suddenly Jake sat back and relaxed, a crooked smile tugging up one corner of his mouth. “I can’t believe you’ve managed this.” He leaned forward over the table and his voice dropped. “I want you, Em. I want to make love to you and to get through that iron wall of anger you’ve thrown up between us.”
Her pulse drummed and her nipples became taut as his gaze drifted languidly over her. She wound her fingers together in her lap and hoped she could maintain the iron wall of anger he referred to. “This is one time you won’t be getting your way. You brought it on yourself,” she whispered, leaning toward him; she looked into his eyes and saw the tiny flecks of green near his pupils. “You’re not going to make love to me.”
“We’ll see, Em,” he whispered, touching her throat.
“You want me to need you and beg for your loving, to get wild with you so you can flaunt that male dominance of yours. Not this time,” she said, shaking her head and hoping with all her heart she could live up to her words. Looking into his thickly lashed eyes, she was thankful they were out in public because she was melting right now. Her knees were weak, her insides jelly and she was hot, wanting him and trying to bank the hot images his words called to mind.
“Perhaps. Challenges are always interesting,” he said. Again she received one of those come-hither, crooked smiles that was as seductive as a caress. He drew his fingers along her throat lightly, and she knew her racing pulse would give him satisfaction.
To her relief their waitress appeared with their breakfasts, placing a golden omelet in front of her, along with crisp strips of bacon, flaky biscuits and a bowl of fruit with ripe red strawberries, blueberries and chunks of green melon. She still had no appetite, but knew she should eat. She hadn’t eaten a thing yesterday.
“When I get back to the hotel, the first thing I’ll do is try to make arrangements for this afternoon. I’ll go with you to introduce you to the boys and I’ll bring refreshments.”
Jake
