Read Online Sweet Seduction (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) by Judy Angelo - Free Book Online

imprinting
the image on her mind, then clutching her purse close she stepped forward. 
“Hello, Jake,” she said, her voice low and husky even to her own ears.  She
almost sounded sexy.  Well, none of that would be any use to her right now. 
She was about to get her ‘walking papers’.
    He looked up and when he saw her his pensive look
dissipated and he gave her a smile that looked genuine.  Dared she hope that he
was happy to see her?
    “Hello, Sam,” he said as he turned toward her.  “You
look very beautiful.”
    “Thank you.”  She dropped her eyes, felling the warmth
of a blush rising to her cheeks.   Get a hold of yourself, woman.  He’s just
saying that to be polite.
    The maitre d’ came forward and Jake cupped her elbow
with a firm hand and guided her toward the table for two.  He pulled out her
chair and waited until she was seated before taking up his position across from
her.  They placed their order then waited for their wine glasses to be filled. 
Then, finally alone, their eyes met across the candlelit table.
    “Thank you for coming, Sam.  I know you didn’t have
to.”
    She bit her lower lip then nodded.  What could she
say?  I know you’re going to give me the boot but I came anyway because that’s
the kind of girl I am?  As sad as the thought was she almost smiled.  She’d
always prided herself on being strong but this evening she was feeling anything
thing but.
    “I wanted to tell you, I’m sorry.”
    Sam blinked.  “Excuse me?”
    “I know I acted like a brute yesterday and I wanted to
apologize.  And explain.”  Jake frowned as he stroked the stem of his wine
glass with his thumb then he gave an almost bitter laugh.  “You must think I’m
the strangest man you’ve ever met.”
    “No, I understand.”  She’d said it quickly, without
thinking, but then she realized she really did understand.  “You lost someone
you loved deeply and…you need more time to deal with it.”  Sam remembered how
long it had taken her to recover from being jilted just a month before her
wedding.  It had taken a long time for her to even think of another man in that
way.  How much worse it must be for Jake who had lost the woman he’d shared
vows with?  He definitely needed more time to heal.
    He raised his glass to his lips and took a sip.  A few
seconds passed and then he spoke.  “I wish that was all,” he said sardonically,
“but there’s more.”
    Sam frowned but said nothing.  She would let him speak
in his own time. Mirroring his action, she reached for her glass and began to
sip her wine.  It helped fill the silence while she waited.
    “My wife is dead because of me.”
    For the second time that evening Sam blinked in
surprise.  No, shock was a more accurate description of her state.  She
returned the wine glass to the table with a bump.  “What do you mean?”  She
stared at him in consternation.
    Jake’s face darkened with emotion and his fingers
tightened on the stem of his glass till Sam thought it would snap in two.  “It
was a car accident,” he said, his voice brittle and harsh.  “I was the one
driving.”
    Sam stifled a gasp and held her tongue.  Now was not
the time to interrupt.
    “I…wasn’t paying attention.  I took my eye off the
road for one split second and…that was all it took.”  His jaw tightened and he
looked away, eyes narrowed as if seeing the accident all over again.  “The SUV
in front of us stopped suddenly and I ran into the back of it.  It wasn’t a
huge van but…Jessica wasn’t wearing her seatbelt.”  He looked at Sam then, and
his face was gray with pain.  “I didn’t know.  I thought she’d buckled up.  She
cracked her head against the windshield.  She never…woke up from her coma.”
    It was then that Sam reached for his hand.  She had to
do something, even if just that.  She couldn’t bear to see him in so much
pain.  “It wasn’t your fault, Jake.  It was an accident.”
    He shook his