for the key to her happiness. Sleeping with Jake might make her happy for the short term. Though she’d insulted his prowess in bed, Caley suspected that she’d thoroughly enjoy being seduced by him. He was different now. A shiver skittered down her spine. He was definitely a man—a very sexy, handsome, powerful man.
She sighed, her breath clouding in front of her face. Her rational mind told her she didn’t need to add any more complications to her life. But sleeping with Jake might not be complicated so much as exciting and dangerous and wildly satisfying. Closing her eyes, she took another deep breath. Was it really Jake that she wanted or just someone—anyone—who made her feel better about her life?
Caley had nearly cleared one wheel of the car when Jake pulled up in an SUV. He beeped the horn at her, then rolled down the window and grinned. “Get in,” he said. “I’ll take you to town. You’ll never get that car dug out by yourself.”
Caley held her breath as she stared at him. He’d looked handsome that morning, dressed in only his boxers, his hair mussed by sleep and a scruffy day-old beard darkening his jaw. Now, he looked almost irresistible. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and she wondered when she’d kiss him next. Caley turned back to her shoveling, afraid that she hadn’t the power to resist him. “I—I can drive myself.”
“Come on, Caley. You’re not going to get the car out in any kind of reasonable time.”
She glanced over her shoulder, ready to concede defeat on both the car and her immunity to his charm. Jake jumped out of the SUV, grabbed the shovel, stuck it into a snowdrift and held out his hand. “Come on.”
Caley stared down at his fingers, long and tapered. A memory drifted through her mind, hazy but real. He’d touched her that morning. It hadn’t been part of her dream. His fingers had danced over her skin and his touch had made her body come alive.
Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his and he led her to his SUV. He opened the passenger-side door and helped her inside, then circled around to get in behind the wheel. In the end, she really didn’t want to drive into town on her own, especially along curvy West Shore Road. All it would take was a skid into the ditch and she’d have to listen to Jake’s repeated “I told you so.”
“Buckle up,” he said.
Caley turned to him. “I think we need to get one thing clear. I’m not in love with you anymore. Any crush I might have had as a teenager is long gone. So don’t act like you have me wrapped around your little finger, because you don’t.”
Caley turned to stare out the window, embarrassed by her sudden outburst. She was usually so careful about her choice of words. What was it about Jake that made her act like a petulant teenager? Why did he always have to challenge her?
Jake threw the truck into gear and headed up the hill to the end of the driveway. The SUV easily handled the deep drifts and the slippery conditions. But she wasn’t about to give Jake the satisfaction of being right.
“You were in love with me?” he asked. “When exactly was that?”
“Years ago,” she murmured. “For about a week. It’s all a very vague memory.”
“So you aren’t even slightly attracted to me now?” A grin quirked at the corners of his mouth.
“No,” she lied.
He considered her answer for a long moment. “Too bad. Because I’m still kind of attracted to you. Yeah, I know. Surprising, right?”
“Still?” Caley asked, stunned by his admission.
“Yeah, still. Hey, I always thought you were hot.”
Caley laughed out loud at the audacity of his comment. “Please,” she said.
“No, I did. I do. Come on, Caley, look at yourself. A guy would have to be crazy to think otherwise. You’re beautiful and sophisticated and smart.”
She wasn’t sure whether he was teasing her or telling the truth. But it did make her feel better. Caley smiled.
“All the guys were madly in love with you that summer before you left for college.”
“Now you are lying. But go on.”
“I told them you were taken.”
She frowned at him. “But I wasn’t. Why would you tell them that?”
“They were only looking for one thing and I just didn’t want them putting the moves on you. I didn’t think you were ready for that. And maybe I felt a little possessive.”
“You were the reason I left for college a virgin.”
“Believe me, I would have loved to help you out on that one, but I wasn’t sure I’d be the right guy for the job.” He paused. “I’d assume you solved that problem a while ago.”
Caley giggled. “Are you asking if I’m a virgin? I’m twenty-eight years old.”
“I was talking about finding the right guy. Teddy mentioned that you’re living with some lawyer.”
Caley opened her mouth, ready to tell him that Brian was probably moving his stuff out of their apartment as they spoke. But admitting that would leave her with no defense against seduction. “Yeah. We’ve been together for a couple years. What about you?”
Caley didn’t want to hear the answer. She wanted to believe that the only woman on his mind was her. But that would be unrealistic. Jake was an attractive, successful man.
“No one special,” he said. “I guess I was saving myself for you.”
She bit her bottom lip, focusing on the road ahead. Why did he say things like that? Was he testing her? Jake had always enjoyed teasing her, but this was different. It was as if he was daring her to take his words seriously.
They drove for a long while in silence. She took out her cell phone and began to text another message to her assistant.
“Do you take that thing with you everywhere?”
“I need to be available. People are counting on me.”
“The rats would continue to race even if you weren’t running alongside them. Take a break. You’re supposed to be on vacation.”
“Partners don’t ever really go on vacation,” she said. Still, she tucked the phone back into her pocket, leaving the message unfinished.
A question nagged at Caley’s brain, a question she never thought she’d have the nerve or the opportunity to ask. But it needed to be answered. “If you were so attracted to me, then why did you turn me down that night?”
He smiled, but kept his gaze fixed on the road ahead. “You’d just turned eighteen. I was almost twenty. I didn’t think it was the right time. It was your first time and I figured that should be perfect. I wasn’t sure I would be able to do that for you.” He glanced over at her. “I did you a big favor, Caley. I didn’t want you to regret your first experience.”
Caley sat back in the seat and stared out the window. Though his words did a bit to soothe the memory of her humiliation, she had a hard time believing
