Read Online Trusting Jake (Blueprint To Love Book 1) by Lauren Giordano - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lauren Giordano
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of pleasure his announcement caused, Jen avoided his gaze. Her reaction was wildly unprofessional . . . and absolutely futile. She couldn't afford to think about Jake that way. Like the stunningly perfect male specimen he was.
"I don't have to call anyone to ask permission," he continued, oblivious of her dangerously inappropriate thoughts. "It's one of the many perks of singledom. Now, are we clear on tonight?"
Rounding the bed, she paused to ruffle Alex's curls one last time, before stooping to kiss his forehead. "I feel guilty about this- but if you're sure."
As hard as she fought them, her eyes filled with tears again. This time, from relief. Blinking them back, she smiled at Jake. "I don't know what I would've done without you," she admitted, accepting the tissue he offered for the millionth time that day.
"Bad things happen . . . and you handle them as best you can." Jake pushed the door open, allowing her to pass.
Shaking her head in dismay, the realization hit her. "But– I was a basket case. I completely melted down in the waiting room. I embarrassed you-"
Reaching out, he captured her fluttering hand as Jen relived her earlier behavior. "Stop beating yourself up," he insisted. "You acted like a mom, terrified as hell about her son. I think that's admirable, not something to be ashamed of." Raising her fingers, he brushed his lips against them. "Forget it."
***
Forgetting was easier said than done, Jenna acknowledged. Wrapped in her grandmother's quilt and the memories hovering in the still darkness, sleep eluded her, dancing just beyond reach of her exhausted, racing mind. "2:17 A.M." She groaned after checking her alarm clock for the tenth time. On a normal day, her handsome, demanding, larger-than-life boss was hard to ignore. After hours of tossing and turning, she'd concluded that as a compassionate, thoughtful member of the human race, Jackson Traynor was impossible to forget.
Thoughts of Jake stubbornly refused to leave as her mind replayed the day's events. He'd been wonderful. Solid. Dependable. When she'd iced over with fear, he'd taken charge. When she'd dissolved in tears, he'd remained composed. Jen was astonished to admit it felt good. Being held in those strong, steady arms- The sensation of his capable hands stroking her back while she sobbed into his shirt. Her fingers tingled where his mouth had lingered. He'd looked after her, helping in the most desperate hours of her life. Each compassionate gesture– so foreign, yet so wonderful. How would she ever repay him?
How long had it been, she wondered, since she'd allowed herself to feel safe with a man who wasn't a brother? Since she'd trusted anyone? "It was Rick," she muttered. "And look where that left me."
It still amazed Jen how her husband had slipped under her family's radar. With three older brothers, she'd rarely been allowed to rely on her own discretion. Either a potential suitor passed the Billy, Dan and David Stone test or she didn't leave the house.
Until college. Finally, she'd made decisions without three bodyguards second-guessing her. And who had she chosen? Rick had been nothing like the men her brothers would have chosen– safe, boring guys who were too afraid of the Stone brothers to risk trying anything. Rick Cahill had been exciting– dangerous. And she'd wanted him badly. In her haste to prove she was capable of making her own decisions, she'd harbored the illusion Rick could be tamed. The sullen, moody, bad boy with terrible grades and increasingly suspect friends would somehow morph into a soon-to-be-husband– reliable, thoughtful, teasing and loving– like her brothers.
By the time she'd dragged him home to meet her family, it had been too late for their opinion of her wild, unconventional boyfriend to matter much. Shortly after that last visit home, she'd dropped out of school. Furious, her parents had cut off contact. Two years later– they were gone– killed by a drunk driver during a vacation Jen
"I don't have to call anyone to ask permission," he continued, oblivious of her dangerously inappropriate thoughts. "It's one of the many perks of singledom. Now, are we clear on tonight?"
Rounding the bed, she paused to ruffle Alex's curls one last time, before stooping to kiss his forehead. "I feel guilty about this- but if you're sure."
As hard as she fought them, her eyes filled with tears again. This time, from relief. Blinking them back, she smiled at Jake. "I don't know what I would've done without you," she admitted, accepting the tissue he offered for the millionth time that day.
"Bad things happen . . . and you handle them as best you can." Jake pushed the door open, allowing her to pass.
Shaking her head in dismay, the realization hit her. "But– I was a basket case. I completely melted down in the waiting room. I embarrassed you-"
Reaching out, he captured her fluttering hand as Jen relived her earlier behavior. "Stop beating yourself up," he insisted. "You acted like a mom, terrified as hell about her son. I think that's admirable, not something to be ashamed of." Raising her fingers, he brushed his lips against them. "Forget it."
***
Forgetting was easier said than done, Jenna acknowledged. Wrapped in her grandmother's quilt and the memories hovering in the still darkness, sleep eluded her, dancing just beyond reach of her exhausted, racing mind. "2:17 A.M." She groaned after checking her alarm clock for the tenth time. On a normal day, her handsome, demanding, larger-than-life boss was hard to ignore. After hours of tossing and turning, she'd concluded that as a compassionate, thoughtful member of the human race, Jackson Traynor was impossible to forget.
Thoughts of Jake stubbornly refused to leave as her mind replayed the day's events. He'd been wonderful. Solid. Dependable. When she'd iced over with fear, he'd taken charge. When she'd dissolved in tears, he'd remained composed. Jen was astonished to admit it felt good. Being held in those strong, steady arms- The sensation of his capable hands stroking her back while she sobbed into his shirt. Her fingers tingled where his mouth had lingered. He'd looked after her, helping in the most desperate hours of her life. Each compassionate gesture– so foreign, yet so wonderful. How would she ever repay him?
How long had it been, she wondered, since she'd allowed herself to feel safe with a man who wasn't a brother? Since she'd trusted anyone? "It was Rick," she muttered. "And look where that left me."
It still amazed Jen how her husband had slipped under her family's radar. With three older brothers, she'd rarely been allowed to rely on her own discretion. Either a potential suitor passed the Billy, Dan and David Stone test or she didn't leave the house.
Until college. Finally, she'd made decisions without three bodyguards second-guessing her. And who had she chosen? Rick had been nothing like the men her brothers would have chosen– safe, boring guys who were too afraid of the Stone brothers to risk trying anything. Rick Cahill had been exciting– dangerous. And she'd wanted him badly. In her haste to prove she was capable of making her own decisions, she'd harbored the illusion Rick could be tamed. The sullen, moody, bad boy with terrible grades and increasingly suspect friends would somehow morph into a soon-to-be-husband– reliable, thoughtful, teasing and loving– like her brothers.
By the time she'd dragged him home to meet her family, it had been too late for their opinion of her wild, unconventional boyfriend to matter much. Shortly after that last visit home, she'd dropped out of school. Furious, her parents had cut off contact. Two years later– they were gone– killed by a drunk driver during a vacation Jen
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