Read Online This Game Called Life (Kingdom Book 4) by Theresa L. Henry - Free Book Online

abstracts and African imagery. Dotted around the room were
sculptures that complimented the other artwork. There were lots of plants.
Everywhere he looked there were different types of indoor plants that seemed to
blend perfectly into their surroundings. He liked the room and thought it
suited her perfectly.
    “May I offer you
something to drink?”
    “Coffee sounds
good.”
    “Coffee coming up.
Please have a seat while I go get it started.”
    “Do you mind if I
join you?” Jake asked, aware that she was giving him an odd look.
    “Sure, come on.”
    Jake followed her
as she walked towards another door leading from the main room. The kitchen
surprised him. The room looked as though it belonged to a professional chef.
Pots and pans hung from a central rack with other serious looking gadgets that
he couldn’t begin to name.
    “What can I say, I
like to cook!”
    “I can see that.
I’ll impatiently await an invitation to dinner.”
    “I don’t like you
enough to cook for you. Coffee, no problem, a meal is something completely
different.”
    Jake laughed at
her rudeness even as MacKenzie rolled her eyes at him. “I was wondering where
the real MacKenzie had gone. All that easy capitulation to my requests was way
out of character.”
    “The only reason
you’re getting coffee is because you paid for dinner, and drove me home. So
don’t read anything else into it.”
    Jake made a pretense
of considering her words. He knew she wasn’t going to lower her guard easily.
Therefore, he was going to have to help her along, starting now.
    “Understood,”
moving to a stool by the counter, he shrugged out of his jacket and placed it
on the back of his seat. Then he loosened and removed his tie. Removing his
cuff-links, Jake rolled up his sleeves, as he watched her every move. He knew
she was aware of him; he just didn’t know how much, and he wondered how long it
would take her to look at him.
    She lasted for as
long as it took her to gather the accoutrements to brew the coffee. With that
task complete, her reason for ignoring him was gone. Jake remained quiet,
waiting to see what she would do next.
    Spinning around,
MacKenzie gave him a dirty look, and Jake grinned. Good , he thought,
here was the reaction he had been waiting for.
    “I hate it when
you watch me like that.”
    “How do I watch
you, MacKenzie?”
    “Like... I don’t
know! All I know is I don’t like it, so stop it!”
    “How am I supposed
to stop doing whatever it is you don’t like if you can’t even explain it to
me?”
    “Don’t try to mess
with me, Jacob!”
    “Oh, I want to
more than mess with you, MacKenzie; so I dare you to tell me how I watch you.”
Aware that he had just moved the goal posts, Jake held her gaze without waver.
With an inner smile, he realized he was enjoying pushing her buttons. Where
MacKenzie was concerned, he could get two reactions; she could cuss him out, or
she could be blatantly honest. He knew which he would rather, but only time
would tell.
    “You look as
though you want a big bite of chocolate.”
    Momentarily
stunned at her words, Jake decided to play along. “You’re right, and I have a
very sweet tooth.”
    “That kiss was a
one-time thing. It’s not going to happen again... ever!”
    “Whatever you
say,” Jake agreed, his gaze unwavering.
    “I mean it, Jake!”
    “I already
acknowledged your statement, MacKenzie.” Jake saw a fleeting look of skepticism
pass across her face but said no more.
    “Well good, very
good. How do you take your coffee?”
    “Black with two
full spoons of sugar,” his reply earned him another dirty look, and again Jake
withheld his laughter. He knew she probably thought he was making another
innuendo, but, in fact, that was exactly how he liked his coffee.
    Taking the cup she
offered him, Jake took the opportunity to ensure his hand brushed against hers.
Her reaction at the contact only lasted a moment, but it was enough to give him
all the answers he