Текст книги "Sweet Deal"

Автор книги: Kelly Jamieson

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She lowered her phone to the table and gulped. Holy crap. Her body quivered.

“He thinks we should know a little more about each other so we can be convincing tomorrow.”

Myra folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, smirking. “See?”

Shelby scowled, her insides all fluttery. “I see nothing.”

“Well, he’s not going to stand you up,” Kiara said in her gentle manner. “If he wants to see you tonight.”

“This is not a date. Tomorrow is not a date either. He’s doing me a favor, probably because he feels sorry for me.”

And she wasn’t looking for a real boyfriend, anyway. She’d had enough of guys who’d only been interested in one thing. And it wasn’t her mind. She was entirely focused on her career, putting in long hours to prove she was able to take on all these assignments and projects Andrew kept giving her. She was determined to make a success of this job after what had happened with her last one.

In a way, it really pissed her off that she had to go to such lengths to get her damn boss off her back and let her be successful at her career on her own merits. Geez. Why did things have to be so freakin’ complicated?

“Yeah. Sorry for you. I’m sure that’s how he’s feeling,” Myra said, still smirking.

“Oh crap.” Shelby blew out a breath. “Don’t even start. You know my track record with men.”

“Oh, Shelby. You can’t let what happened with Mark turn you against all men.”

“It wasn’t just Mark.” She rolled her eyes. “And you know it.” A knot of pain lodged in her chest. In the past, she’d had the unfortunate tendency to fall into bed with guys. To equate sex with affection. And to then be hurt when she never heard from them again. Dammit.

“She has had a string of bad luck,” Kiara said to the other women.

“I know,” Riley said. “If we looked like her, we’d probably have the same problem. Instead of guys lining up outside my door, I can’t even find one guy to go out with.” She sighed dramatically.

“That is not true, Riley.” Shelby shook her head. “You’re just too picky.”

Riley snorted. “Yeah. Right.”

“You are. No guy ever meets your high expectations. Anyway.” Shelby leaned down and picked up her purse from the floor. “I better go. I need to change.”

“Shelby!” Riley exchanged amused glances with Myra and Kiara. “Why are you going home to change? It’s not a date!”

Shelby pressed her lips together, glad they’d already taken care of the bill so she could escape. “I know, but…but…oh never mind.” With a scowl she couldn’t stop from tipping up into a smile, she waved a hand as she hurried out of the restaurant.

Amigo’s was a fun, casual place, and she didn’t want to show up there in her suit and silk blouse. She took a mental inventory of her wardrobe as she drove home. Her new jeans, the flowery pink and blue top and her favorite shoes, the dusty-pink stilettos—that’s what she’d wear. Then she planned her time, something she was very good at, quickly coming up with a plan of action that would get her out the door, dressed, hair and makeup done, and to the bar by nine o’clock.

She did it, of course. Her anal tendencies—no, she was supposed to call it detail oriented—were what made her such an excellent project manager. She walked into Amigos at exactly nine o’clock and looked around the dimly lit bar for Jake.

He was there, sitting at a table for two in the back. She started toward him before he saw her, taking the opportunity to admire him—his strong jaw with that sexy dimple right in the middle, his chiseled nose and cheekbones. He was probably nearly a foot taller than her five foot two, and wide through the shoulders. He wore his dark brown hair long on top, artfully messy, with neat sideburns. He had a definite presence, an air of masculine confidence, but he sat there staring into space looking almost sad.

Her footsteps slowed. His expression tugged at something inside her.

An axe murderer. She smiled as she recalled his comment. Yes, she’d been cautious when he’d suggested picking her up at her home, because really, she didn’t know him from a hole in the ground, but she had no doubts he was an upstanding citizen—professional, successful, judging by the quality of the suit he’d had on, the Baume & Mercier watch on his wrist, the hi-tech phone he carried. He was well spoken, confident, and dammit, sexy as hell.

He looked up and spotted her, and the lost boy look changed into a warm, sexy smile that had her tummy fluttering.

Uh-uh. So not happening.

But she couldn’t help smiling in return as she dropped into the other chair at the table and hung her soft leather purse over the arm rest.

“Hi.” He held a beer between two hands. “I already ordered, but we’ll find the waiter and get you something right away. What would you like?”

“Um. A glass of wine, I guess. Chardonnay.”

Jake lifted a hand, and someone came over immediately. A pretty waitress with an eager smile for him. Sure. Shelby would just bet he got great service wherever he went, especially from females.

“So,” he said, after he’d ordered her wine. “I guess we need to get to know each other.”

“Yes.” She glanced at her watch. “We should be able to cover a lot of the basics pretty quickly.”

He grinned. “Efficient, aren’t you?”

She gave him a pleased smile. “Yes I am. Efficient is my middle name.”

“I’ll remember that tomorrow if someone asks me.”

She laughed and held up her hands. “Okay, okay. My middle name is really Rose. What’s yours? And what’s your last name, by the way?”

“Yeah, last names would be good to know.” He shook his head and smiled ruefully. “Jacob James Magill. I’m thirty years old; I’m a Senior Business Analyst and team leader at Coast Power Inc. Single, never married. I enjoy basketball and hockey—playing and watching—I’m a triathlete and I like to play Texas Hold’em with my friends.”

She laughed again. “You sound like a singles ad.”

He grinned. “Those are the basics. Now you.”

“Shelby Rose Leighton. I’m a project manager, as you know. I’m twenty-eight years old, and I could probably kick your butt at Texas Hold’em.”

His grin nearly melted her panties. “In your dreams, blondie.”

She shifted in her seat, feeling very warm and charmed by his easy teasing and sexy smile. “There’s something we have in common if anyone asks.”

“Favorite food?” he asked.

“Ice cream. I live for ice cream. Butter pecan is my favorite. You?”

“Steak. Well, any kind of beef. Rare.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Eeew.”

“Are you vegetarian?”

“No, I eat meat, I just don’t like to see blood on my plate. Favorite drink?” She nodded at the beer in his hand.

“Yup, this is it. Surf Coast Pale Ale. Yours?”

She lifted her wine glass with a smile. “Though I’m pretty addicted to caffeine.”

“Another thing in common,” he said. “So if anyone asks, that’s where we met, right? Java the Hut.”

“Right. Over our mutual appreciation of fine coffee. Um…family? Parents? Brothers? Sisters?”

A shadow darkened his eyes briefly, and she caught a glimpse of pain and vulnerability that made her insides soften and warm. Then the corners of his mouth turned up. “I have three sisters.”

Her eyes widened. “Omigod. Really?”

“You bet. I’m the youngest. They tortured me with unbelievable cruelty when we were kids. Curled my hair, painted my nails.”

She choked on a laugh and eyed his large masculine shape. “That seems very unbelievable.”

“I wasn’t always this size.” One big shoulder lifted and the smile still hovered on his lips. “There was a time when all three of them were bigger than me. No longer, I’m happy to say, and they don’t get away with that shit anymore.”

She sensed the affection for his sisters in his tone and dammit, she liked it. She liked the confidence he had in himself and his masculinity to share something like that with her.

“They’re all married now and I have eight nieces and nephews.”

She tipped her head to one side. “Holy crap. That must make for some crazy family get-togethers.”

“Well. We don’t get together that much.” He looked down at his beer, then back up. “We kind of lost touch when I was about fourteen. My mom left and took my sisters with her.”

Shelby could only blink at him in disbelief and dismay. “She took your sisters with her? But not you?”

He gave a careless shrug. “Yeah. She said she didn’t know what to do with a teenage boy. Thought I’d be better off with my dad. Who she didn’t want to be married to anymore.”

Her heart squeezed. She knew what it was like to feel unwanted, but that was just because her parents had basically ignored her. To be the one child left behind…how awful. How rejected and abandoned he must have felt.

“But I’ve connected with my sisters again,” he said with a smile. “It wasn’t their fault, what happened. My mom’s gone now, but I see my sisters and all my nieces and nephews sometimes.”

“That’s good.”

“What about you?”

“I’m an only child and my parents are separated. For the time being.”

He lifted an eyebrow.

“They have an unusual relationship,” she said carefully. “I guess what you’d call a love-hate relationship. When they’re together, they’re crazy for each other, then they start fighting, like, really fighting—doors slamming, things being thrown, smashing dishes—and then they split up. But when they’re apart, they’re even more miserable, so it usually doesn’t last long. I think this might be the seventh or eighth time they’ve split up.”

“Wow.”

“I know.” She smiled ruefully and hitched a shoulder. “What can you do?”

“Your hobbies?” he asked.

“I don’t have time for much fun these days. Too busy working. I do things with my girlfriends. I guess they’re kind of like my family. I’ve never been athletic, like you, but I do run to stay fit.”

“Do we run together?” he asked, arching a brow. She laughed at the crazy question.

“No.” She gave her head a firm shake. “You’d leave me in the dust with those long legs. But I am pretty good at poker and I like dancing.”

“Dancing. Ugh.”

Their eyes met and even though they had different opinions on dancing, amusement shimmered between them.

“I’m trying to get you to take ballroom dancing lessons with me,” she said, tapping her chin. “Because we watch Dancing with the Stars together and I want to dance like that.”

Now he gave a shout of laughter. “Dancing with the Stars, huh? Okay, honey.”

This was fun. Even though it wasn’t real. Maybe because it wasn’t real, it took away all the pressure of a real date, of really trying to get to know someone. Shelby had never felt so relaxed with a guy. Though awareness of him did create a few tingles. His big hands holding the beer bottle were lightly sprinkled with dark brown hair, his fingers long, nails neat and trimmed short, but definitely not manicured. The cuffs of his loose button-up shirt were folded back on strong forearms and she swallowed hard as her eyes moved over bulging biceps and the open neck of his shirt.

“So how long have we known each other?” he asked.

“Hmm. When do you think we first saw each other at Java the Hut?”

“April twenty-fifth.”

She blinked at him, her smile fading. “April twenty-fifth? Really?”

His cheekbones darkened, but he maintained the cheeky grin. “I remember it well. It was the day I got promoted to Senior Business Analyst.”

“Ah.” Whoa. For a minute there, she’d been a bit freaked out that he remembered the exact date they met. “Okay. Let’s go with that. We had coffee a few times, started dating.”

“Sounds good.”

They looked at each other, and the music and loud chatter in the bar muted, the rest of the room shrank away into dark corners, leaving them sitting in a circle of awareness at the small round table. Shelby dropped her gaze to the table then lifted it again, a tentative smile touching her lips. She licked them, then wished she hadn’t as Jake’s gaze fell to her mouth.

Heat slid down inside her, pooling between her thighs. Oh heavens. She was getting all girly mushy and this wasn’t even a real date. Shit.

“What kind of movies do you like?” Jake finally asked, his voice taking on a faintly rough edge.

They chatted about movies and music and their work. He convinced her to order another drink, and pleasantly mellow from the wine and a little beguiled by his charisma, she was happy to sit there and talk. He was so easy to talk to. He didn’t make her feel stupid. And though he’d given her admiring glances, he really hadn’t looked lower than her mouth, unlike most guys who seemed to think they had to talk to her boobs. His interest in what she had to say seemed genuine, and that was probably the sexiest thing about him.

She was tired of guys who thought she was a brainless, big-boobed blonde, guys like the last few she’d dated who’d never called again once they’d gotten her into bed. Guys who didn’t want to talk about current events or even play a smart game of poker unless it involved the removal of clothing.

She bit her lip as the thought entered her mind that maybe Jake was expecting more than she’d planned. It seemed far-fetched that he was going to all this trouble out of the goodness of his heart. For her.

“I have to go,” she said, standing so fast her chair wobbled. She grabbed her purse and forced a smile. “Sorry, but I have work to do in the morning.”

“Saturday?” He stood too, although more slowly, a faint frown creasing between his eyes.

“Yes.” She nodded vigorously.

She opened her purse and dug for her wallet, intending to pay for her drinks. He laid a gentle hand on her arm, and she paused, lifted her eyes to his face.

“I’ve got it,” he said quietly.

“No. I want to pay.” She rummaged farther, lips pressed together. She did not want to owe him more than she already did for agreeing to do this. Lord knew what he’d expect in return for drinks. Her stomach clenched painfully and she tossed a bill onto the table. “There.” She flashed him her brightest smile. “Thanks again for doing this.” She made her voice cool and brisk. She extended a hand to him and, after a brief pause, he took it. She gave a firm shake then released it. “We’ll still meet at the North Beach parking lot?”

“Uh. Yeah. Sure.”

“Great. See you then.”

Chapter Three

“Hey, Mom! I’m here. And I brought you cookies.”

Silence greeted Shelby as she let herself into the house where she’d grown up, where her mom still lived, at the moment alone.

“Mom? You home?”

Shelby frowned at the lack of response. She’d told her mom she’d drop over Saturday for a little while. Why wasn’t she here? Then she heard muffled noises down the hall of the spacious bungalow. She moved through the front foyer, through the living room and paused, listening. Her heart picked up its pace a little. Was her mom okay?

“Shelby?” Mom’s voice called from her bedroom down the hall.

“Yeah, it’s me. You okay, Mom?”

“Fine, fine. Just hang on a sec.”

Shelby let out the breath she’d been holding and walked into the kitchen. She set the container of chocolate-chip cookies on the counter. Breakfast dishes still sat there—a couple of plates, knives, two coffee mugs.

She turned at the sound of her mother entering the kitchen. “Hi,” she said, smiling. Her mom was tying a robe around her waist and her short, blonde hair stood up all over her head. Her cheeks were pink. “Um…did I come at a bad time?”

“Oh no. Well. I forgot you were coming.”

No surprise there. Shelby tried to keep the corners of her mouth from turning down. But when her dad appeared in the doorway behind her mom, she saw why she’d forgotten. She sighed.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Hi, Shelby sweetie. What’re you doing here?”

“I made cookies this morning. I brought some for Mom.”

“That’s so sweet of you,” Mom said. “You make such good cookies.”

Shelby wasn’t sure why, at her age, she still made these stupid little efforts to please her parents. She should have moved past that, shouldn’t have the need for their approval anymore, but it seemed that she liked to continue to torture herself. She knew her mom would eat the cookies or serve them to guests without even remembering Shelby had made them. Her mom hadn’t even remembered she was coming that afternoon.

She would’ve asked her dad what he was doing there, but it was pretty obvious. “Are you getting back together?” she asked.

“Yes.” Her mom beamed and shot a smile over her shoulder at Dad. “We already are. Your father moved back in yesterday.”

“Wonderful.”

Her mom frowned. “You don’t sound very happy for us.”

What could she say? Wasn’t it always better when love triumphed? When a marriage survived, got another chance? But she knew it wouldn’t last, and sometimes she wondered if it wouldn’t just be better if they split up for good and quit riding this rollercoaster they’d turned their lives into. “Of course I’m happy for you,” she said with a smile.

“Thanks for dropping in,” Mom said.

“And for the cookies,” Dad added.

Okay then. So much for maybe a cup of coffee, a cookie and a little chit-chat. “You’re welcome. I have to go now. I have a company picnic to go to later this afternoon.”

“Oh, how nice. That RBM seems like such a nice place to work for.”

“I don’t work there anymore, Mom,” she said patiently. “Remember? I left there a year ago. Now I’m at Gold Shield Insurance.”

“Oh, of course!” Her mom slapped her forehead. “I’m so scattered! I knew that.”

Shelby smiled and nodded. “Well, I’ll talk to you both later.”

She paused outside the front door and closed her eyes, sucked in a deep breath and let it out, then shrugged her shoulders. Maybe this time things would be different for them and they’d be happy together. And maybe she’d win the fifty-million-dollar lotto this weekend.

Jake waited in the parking lot for Shelby Saturday afternoon, leaning against the fender of his SUV in the warm summer sun, wondering what the hell he was doing there.

He wasn’t exactly the knight-in-shining-armor type. One girl he’d dated had called him a player, a term that made even his lip curl, but hey, he wasn’t looking for a relationship, just fun and a little companionship sometimes, and yeah, sex. He tried to make sure the women he hooked up with felt the same, made it clear upfront whenever he met someone, so there were no hard feelings, except sometimes, there were hard feelings. Girls got all emotionally involved even though they knew they shouldn’t, said they wouldn’t, and then they blamed him when he had to pull the plug.

So doing a good deed like this was a little out of character for him, and he had to question his own motives. Shelby was a hot blonde he’d been eyeing with interest for months. Was he just using this as an excuse to get into her panties?

He rubbed his face, adjusted the sunglasses sitting on his nose. Hell, he didn’t even know why he’d made this crazy offer. But he was here and he had to go through with it. After this, she’d be on her own. She’d have to find some other way to get her dickhead boss off her case.

But, man, he hated to think of some asshole doing that to anyone. Whatever. The world was full of assholes and she was a big girl. Well, not literally. Literally, she was a tiny little thing, a blonde kitten in pink high heels.

A kitten he’d been thinking about since last night. Last night had been fun.

He straightened and glanced at his watch. One minute before three o’clock. He paced to the back of his vehicle, watching the parking lot, hands shoved into his jeans pockets.

It had been fun until suddenly out of the blue, it was as if she’d thrown up a wall of ice and had practically sprinted out of the bar. He’d racked his brain the rest of the evening trying to figure out what he’d said that had shut things down so fast, and couldn’t come up with a damn thing.

Far be it from him to pretend to understand women. His track record in that area was pretty pathetic.

A car turned into the lot, a little silver Pontiac GT convertible, exactly on time, and his body went on alert, a small adrenaline rush singing through his veins. The car slowly approached, pulled into the spot next to his and he recognized that gleaming blonde hair.

She emerged a moment later, slammed her car door shut and, as she walked toward him, held her remote over her shoulder and locked the doors with a chirp. She wore jeans, like he did, sitting low on her hips and rolled up above her ankle. Instead of pink heels, today she wore pink flip flops, and a modest tank top hugged her body, not hiding her impressive chest but certainly not displaying it in an overtly sexy way. She was sexy nonetheless. Christ, she could dress in a sack and she’d still be sexy as hell. What was it about her? Yes, she was pretty, with a sweet oval face, plump lips and big eyes, and yes, she was blonde, though her long hair was straight and silky, not teased and bimbo-big. And though she was small, she was definitely stacked and probably had a cute ass, too, in those jeans.

But there was more to it than that, and damned if he could put his finger on what it was.

She greeted him with a determinedly cheerful smile. “Hi. You came.”

He lifted a brow. “You thought I wouldn’t?”

“I wondered. I still don’t know why you’re helping me like this.” She gave him an assessing glance. “But I do appreciate it.”

“Wait till the day’s over,” he said, setting his fingertips on her lower back and directing her around to the passenger side of his vehicle. “If we convince your boss you’re taken and get him to lay off, then you can thank me.”

She laughed. “Okay.”

He drove the short distance to Pacific Park, the big, beachside park where the picnic was being held, and soon they pulled into another parking lot, already half-filled with vehicles.

“It’s a nice day for this,” Shelby commented as they walked toward the crowd of people. The scent of hot dogs and hamburgers floated in the warm summer air. The laughter and cries of children could be heard from a distance, and as they approached the group, Jake saw the kids being organized into some kind of race.

“Seems like a good turnout.”

He reached for her hand and she started as he closed his fingers around hers. She shot him a glance and he smiled reassuringly. Hey, they had to make it believable.

Her hand, small and cool, relaxed in his.

As Shelby began to mingle with her coworkers, Jake trailed after her, being introduced to a bunch of strangers. He didn’t know a soul there. This could be a long evening. Ah well. Maybe they’d get a chance to be alone for a while and…

And what?

All they had to do was convince the boss they were in a relationship—they didn’t have to actually have a relationship. But the memory of how much fun he’d had talking to her last night tugged at him and made him strangely want more.

And where was the slimeball boss anyway? Shelby had never mentioned his name so how was he going to know when she introduced them to each other? She’d likely say something. He checked out the crowd.

Lots of people—men, women, kids—laughed and talked in the sunshine. This was a nice corporate event.

Shelby introduced him to more people and he couldn’t help but notice that everyone treated her very…carefully. They were polite and friendly, yeah, but distant. Almost cool. And then he remembered her comment about how things were getting uncomfortable at work because of the favoritism her boss was showing her.

Anger surged in him. Didn’t the asshole realize what he was doing to sweet little Shelby? Jesus. He wanted to curl his hands into fists and his fingers tightened around Shelby’s so much she shot him an inquisitive glance. He smiled as they made small talk with her coworkers.

And then across the crowd he saw her.

His old girlfriend. The one who’d dumped him for his best friend. His heart lurched into a wildly unsteady rhythm and his gut tightened painfully. Christ. What the hell was she doing here?

He didn’t want to see her. Ever again.

Jesus. He had to get the fuck out of here. Now. He looked down at Shelby and opened his mouth, but she was laughing at something someone had said.

They couldn’t leave. He’d committed to this, and they were here and he had to see this through. He swiped a hand across his sweaty forehead.

But wait. Maybe it would be good for his ex to see him with a hot little blonde on his arm. Show her he was over her.

He wasn’t. He wasn’t over her betrayal and he wasn’t over being betrayed by his best friend either. The two of them had screwed him over so badly and the old anger, humiliation and hurt rose inside him. He wasn’t listening to the conversation, had no idea what was going on, just stood there in a fog of growing panic, until Shelby finally pulled him away from the group.

“You’re breaking my hand,” she muttered, trying to extricate her fingers from his. “Geez, Jake.”

“Sorry.” He released her fingers and dragged a hand through his hair, trying not to look at Gianna, and failing.

“Are you okay?” Shelby demanded in a low voice, though she kept a smile firmly in place.

“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” He was sweating as if he’d just run 20K of a triathlon.

“My boss is over there,” she whispered. “Let’s go say hi.”

“Yeah. Let’s do it.”

Let’s get this the hell over with and get the fuck out of here. But what if…what if…

And then his “what if” became reality as Shelby led him over to—Gianna. And Andrew. Ex-girlfriend and former best friend. Standing there, their smiles fading as Shelby approached and they saw him.

“Hi, Andrew.” Shelby stopped in front of them. “Hi, Gianna, how are you?”

Gianna gazed at Shelby, glanced sideways at Andrew, then focused on Jake. “Hello, Shelby. I’m fine, thanks.”

“I want you to meet my…boyfriend, Jake Magill.” The hesitation was barely perceptible. “Jake, this is Andrew Haddon, my boss, and his wife, Gianna.”

“We know each other,” Andrew said, his expression wary.

Jake plastered on a smile. “Andrew! Gianna! Good to see you!” He could not fucking believe this was Shelby’s boss. His mind worked furiously to process all that was happening.

“You’ve met?” Shelby repeated, a cute crease between her eyebrows. “Really?”

“Long time ago,” Jake said breezily, waving a hand, still smiling so hard his face hurt. He did not want to get into all that old shit right then and there. Jesus. Sweat trickled down his back and his underarms prickled. “How are you?”

“Great,” Andrew said, though he kept looking back and forth between Jake and Shelby. “I can’t believe Jake is your new boyfriend, Shelby.”

Shelby smiled and Jake had to hand it to her—out of all of them she was the only one who seemed relaxed and at ease. She was apparently a talented actress. He, meanwhile, was totally screwing this up, flummoxed by learning who her boss was.

He flicked a glance at Gianna, as stunning as ever, her glossy, dark hair sliding over her shoulders, bare in a little baby doll top with narrow straps and a pair of short shorts that showed off her long, tanned legs. When he met her eyes, dark and delicious, what he saw there made him freeze. Pity.

She fucking felt sorry for him!

That was hard to swallow. He’d tried to so hard to be big about the whole thing, to not let on how heartbroken he’d been when she dumped him. He’d tried not to stand in the way of “true love”, had stepped aside as graciously as he could so they could be together. But still, she pitied him? Argh. That really blew.

The tension was as thick as chowder, but Shelby chatted on about the beautiful day and the great turnout, thankfully not asking questions about how he and Andrew and Gianna knew each other.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” she said to Gianna.

“Oh?” Gianna dragged her gaze away from Jake and lifted a brow. “Why would you think that?”

“Oh, uh…” For the first time, Shelby stumbled. “Something Andrew said.” She quickly changed the subject.

Finally Jake got a grip on the situation. He wasn’t helping Shelby much, standing there with his mouth open. He dragged his gaze away from Gianna’s dark beauty and slid his arm around Shelby’s waist. Gianna didn’t need to feel fucking sorry him, for Chrissake, and having a hot, little blonde under his arm would show her that. Show her that he was so over what had happened.

Andrew’s scowl could have singed his hair, startling Jake. What the hell was he upset about? Jake was the one who’d been dumped. Betrayed. Now Andrew was trying to cheat on Gianna? Jesus! Focusing his thoughts, Jake zeroed in on the remembrance that Andrew and Gianna’s marriage might be in trouble, from what Shelby had told him.

Well, there was no fucking way Andrew was going to cheat on Gianna with Shelby! Not for Gianna’s sake and not for Shelby’s sake either. He tightened his hold on her and dropped a kiss to the top of her silky blonde head for good measure, deepening Andrew’s scowl and causing a funny look on Gianna’s face. He smiled at them, to show them how happy he was.

This was so screwed up. How the hell had he gotten himself into this mess?

Shelby smiled brightly as she made casual party chit-chat with the other couple.

“The food smells really good,” she finally said and smiled up at Jake. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

He smiled back at her. “Good idea, Shelby Rose.” He looked at Andrew and Gianna and gave them a bared-teeth kind of smile, earning a startled glance from Shelby. “Nice to see you again.”

“You too, buddy.” Andrew wore a faintly puzzled frown as he said good-bye.

As they walked hand in hand toward the tables loaded with food, Shelby blew out a long breath. “That was awkward.”

“No shit.”

“Um…how do you know them?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Long story. Ancient history.”

She nodded and he knew she was curious but didn’t ask anything more, thank god.

“‘Shelby Rose’?” she murmured.

He grinned. “I like it.”

She shook her head, smiling, but then as they stood in line waiting for hot dogs, she went onto her tiptoes and whispered, “Thank you so much.” Then she bit her lip, casting an anxious glance back at Andrew. “He looked kind of annoyed.”

“Yeah.” Jake’s voice came out flat. “He did. You were right, Shelby. He did not like seeing you with me.”

She lifted onto her toes again—wearing flip flops, she was so little, it was kinda cute how she had to stretch up—and kissed his jaw. He slid his arm around her again and pulled her up against him, bending his head to kiss her mouth. And he hoped like hell Andrew and Gianna were watching.