laughing a little. “It might be crazy, but then again, it might just work. I’ve been travelling to Boston a lot,
spending time at the veteran’s center. I could say I met you on one of my trips six or seven months ago.”
She swallowed. “I keep to myself. Nobody would know if I had a secret
boyfriend. I mean, people wouldn’t
expect it, but I don’t think they could disprove it either. How would anybody know?” She thought about it some more. “Of course, Max Mendez knows.”
“Don’t worry about him. Max is discreet.” Jake ran his thumb across his bottom
lip. “And then there’s Skylar,”
Jake said. “She knows we haven’t
been an item, she was with you the night of the party, right?”
“Yeah,” Raven said, suddenly feeling
guilty. She hadn’t been thinking
about Skylar at all, only about Jake and the notion of being his fake
girlfriend. “Sky’s fine, she won’t
say anything if I ask her not to.”
That hadn’t always been true, Raven thought, but now Skylar had more important things on
her mind than spreading gossip. She
wasn’t going to be running around at the restaurant blabbering about Jake
Novak. She was probably going to be
in the hospital and dealing with her health for the foreseeable future.
Jake took a deep breath and let it
out. “We’re going to have to act
like we’re in a serious relationship,” he said, finally. He looked over at her. “Are you ready for that?”
She laughed. “I think you need to ask yourself that
question, Jake.”
“Listen,” he said, getting up and coming
towards her again. “I know what
this means. I get it. That’s why I’m telling you. I need to know that you understand,
Raven.”
“I understand,” she said, her stomach on
fire from his challenge. “I’m not
stupid.”
“I didn’t say you were stupid.” He was close to her again, and she felt
the pull of him, the physical pull, and the wanting to be even closer.
Would he hold her at night when they were
pretending to be girlfriend and boyfriend? Would they sometimes lay naked together, his arms encircling her,
keeping her safe and warm?
“You didn’t say it but you keep hammering
me over the head about how serious it’s all going to be,” she said, forcing
herself to stay present and not fall into fantasizing about him. This whole thing couldn’t be based on
her trying to start a relationship with Jake. If she tried to do that, he would break
her heart and she knew it.
“I just need to make sure that I can
trust you—“
“You’re never going to know that until we
do it,” she interrupted.
He stepped closer to her still, his jaw
working, hands clenching and unclenching. “I want to do it,” he said, and the way he said it gave the statement a
hundred possible meanings.
All of the meanings she could think of
turned her on. “If you want to do
it, then stop making excuses and just do it already.”
He smiled slowly. “And you think you can handle all of
me? All of Jake Novak?”
“Don’t talk about yourself in the third
person, it makes you sound arrogant. That’s lesson number one for your personality makeover,” she said,
smiling a little despite herself.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Yes,” she said, “I know I can handle all
of you.”
His hand reached out and cupped her butt
and pulled her into him, as his face turned towards hers. She was pressed against his rock hard
body now, and he was warming her, heating her up like fire.
“It’s going to be fun,” Jake whispered,
“watching you try.”
“But this can’t happen,” she said, prying
herself away from his grip. She
wanted him too much and he knew it. He was toying with her in his own way, and she felt the need to turn the
tables once more.
Jake’s eyes narrowed. “What can’t happen?”
“This,” she said, trying to control her
breath. “You
spending time at the veteran’s center. I could say I met you on one of my trips six or seven months ago.”
She swallowed. “I keep to myself. Nobody would know if I had a secret
boyfriend. I mean, people wouldn’t
expect it, but I don’t think they could disprove it either. How would anybody know?” She thought about it some more. “Of course, Max Mendez knows.”
“Don’t worry about him. Max is discreet.” Jake ran his thumb across his bottom
lip. “And then there’s Skylar,”
Jake said. “She knows we haven’t
been an item, she was with you the night of the party, right?”
“Yeah,” Raven said, suddenly feeling
guilty. She hadn’t been thinking
about Skylar at all, only about Jake and the notion of being his fake
girlfriend. “Sky’s fine, she won’t
say anything if I ask her not to.”
That hadn’t always been true, Raven thought, but now Skylar had more important things on
her mind than spreading gossip. She
wasn’t going to be running around at the restaurant blabbering about Jake
Novak. She was probably going to be
in the hospital and dealing with her health for the foreseeable future.
Jake took a deep breath and let it
out. “We’re going to have to act
like we’re in a serious relationship,” he said, finally. He looked over at her. “Are you ready for that?”
She laughed. “I think you need to ask yourself that
question, Jake.”
“Listen,” he said, getting up and coming
towards her again. “I know what
this means. I get it. That’s why I’m telling you. I need to know that you understand,
Raven.”
“I understand,” she said, her stomach on
fire from his challenge. “I’m not
stupid.”
“I didn’t say you were stupid.” He was close to her again, and she felt
the pull of him, the physical pull, and the wanting to be even closer.
Would he hold her at night when they were
pretending to be girlfriend and boyfriend? Would they sometimes lay naked together, his arms encircling her,
keeping her safe and warm?
“You didn’t say it but you keep hammering
me over the head about how serious it’s all going to be,” she said, forcing
herself to stay present and not fall into fantasizing about him. This whole thing couldn’t be based on
her trying to start a relationship with Jake. If she tried to do that, he would break
her heart and she knew it.
“I just need to make sure that I can
trust you—“
“You’re never going to know that until we
do it,” she interrupted.
He stepped closer to her still, his jaw
working, hands clenching and unclenching. “I want to do it,” he said, and the way he said it gave the statement a
hundred possible meanings.
All of the meanings she could think of
turned her on. “If you want to do
it, then stop making excuses and just do it already.”
He smiled slowly. “And you think you can handle all of
me? All of Jake Novak?”
“Don’t talk about yourself in the third
person, it makes you sound arrogant. That’s lesson number one for your personality makeover,” she said,
smiling a little despite herself.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Yes,” she said, “I know I can handle all
of you.”
His hand reached out and cupped her butt
and pulled her into him, as his face turned towards hers. She was pressed against his rock hard
body now, and he was warming her, heating her up like fire.
“It’s going to be fun,” Jake whispered,
“watching you try.”
“But this can’t happen,” she said, prying
herself away from his grip. She
wanted him too much and he knew it. He was toying with her in his own way, and she felt the need to turn the
tables once more.
Jake’s eyes narrowed. “What can’t happen?”
“This,” she said, trying to control her
breath. “You
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