purse and walking out the front door.
“What happened?” John asked as I climbed into the cab beside him.
“I just tripped.” It was a crappy answer. I knew he wasn’t talking about my fall, but I really didn’t want to think about what happened back there. I wasn’t sure myself.
“I mean in the kitchen.” He raised his eyebrows, and I knew he wasn’t going to give up.
“I don’t know.” I turned toward the window and busied myself looking for the seatbelt. I still felt embarrassingly aroused from the whole ordeal and didn’t feel like talking.
“Grace looked pretty pissed.” He backed out of the driveway, shifted into gear, and pulled out to the open road.
“I hadn’t noticed,” I lied. It wasn’t like she had anything to worry about. No matter how lustful my thoughts, Jake would never think of me as more than his sister.
“It’s not like you can blame her.”
“Blame her for what?” I couldn’t read his expression.
“For being jealous.”
What? “Why do you think she’s jealous?”
“Oh come on, Katie. A beautiful woman just moved into her boyfriend’s house. I think it’s only natural.” He turned the corner, and my chest tightened.
“Jake doesn’t think of me that way.” I shook my head and turned back to the window.
“Oh.” His brow lifted. “So he’s not your brother?” I could hear the amusement in his tone and cringed.
“Jake’s a man, sweetheart. There’s no way he doesn’t notice you.”
He pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store, and I practically jumped out of the truck as soon as it stopped moving.
He must have noticed the effect he had on me, because when he closed his door behind him, he was laughing. “Come on, Katie, let’s go get some beer. Looks like you could use a few.”
The next few minutes were spent with John throwing various microbrews and alcohol in the bed of the shopping cart.
“How many people are coming over anyway?” I asked, counting ten six-packs and all the fixings for margaritas.
“Just a few, but it would be a crime if we ran out.” He flashed his easy grin, and I felt my mood lighten.
“So how long have you worked with Jake?”
“A few years,” he responded, then pushed the cart to another aisle.
“Is he a good boss?” I caught myself smiling as I followed behind him, not able to ignore the way his ass looked in those jeans. He was very attractive, and I wasn’t blind.
“He’s grumpy as hell”—there was laughter in his voice—“but he’s a good guy.” He threw some plastic cups and plates into the cart before moving on. “Jake doesn’t take any shit, but there’s no one who works harder than he does. I mean…I don’t know anyone who’s built what he has in such a short amount of time.”
I had to agree; Jake was a hard worker. Maybe his drive for success replaced the spot others reserved for family.
“So what’s your story? I mean, now that I know you’re not really his sister.” He turned to look at me, and I noticed the scar between his lip and chin. It sort of reminded me of a dimple, but not. . . no, it was definitely a scar of some sort.
I cleared my throat, grabbed the cart from his hands, and started pushing it myself. “We grew up together.”
“I’m sorry,” he teased, then pulled the front of the cart, so we turned into the produce section.
John went off to grab a bag of lemons, while I busied myself knocking on watermelons.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, coming to stand beside me.
“I’m picking out a watermelon.” I tried to keep my face serious, but I’d always felt silly when I knocked.
“Do you expect it to answer you?” He bumped me with his shoulder like old friends.
“Yeah, you go ahead and laugh now, but when this is the best watermelon you’ve ever had, I expect you to bow at my feet.”
He raised his eyebrows, and I turned away before he could see me
“What happened?” John asked as I climbed into the cab beside him.
“I just tripped.” It was a crappy answer. I knew he wasn’t talking about my fall, but I really didn’t want to think about what happened back there. I wasn’t sure myself.
“I mean in the kitchen.” He raised his eyebrows, and I knew he wasn’t going to give up.
“I don’t know.” I turned toward the window and busied myself looking for the seatbelt. I still felt embarrassingly aroused from the whole ordeal and didn’t feel like talking.
“Grace looked pretty pissed.” He backed out of the driveway, shifted into gear, and pulled out to the open road.
“I hadn’t noticed,” I lied. It wasn’t like she had anything to worry about. No matter how lustful my thoughts, Jake would never think of me as more than his sister.
“It’s not like you can blame her.”
“Blame her for what?” I couldn’t read his expression.
“For being jealous.”
What? “Why do you think she’s jealous?”
“Oh come on, Katie. A beautiful woman just moved into her boyfriend’s house. I think it’s only natural.” He turned the corner, and my chest tightened.
“Jake doesn’t think of me that way.” I shook my head and turned back to the window.
“Oh.” His brow lifted. “So he’s not your brother?” I could hear the amusement in his tone and cringed.
“Jake’s a man, sweetheart. There’s no way he doesn’t notice you.”
He pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store, and I practically jumped out of the truck as soon as it stopped moving.
He must have noticed the effect he had on me, because when he closed his door behind him, he was laughing. “Come on, Katie, let’s go get some beer. Looks like you could use a few.”
The next few minutes were spent with John throwing various microbrews and alcohol in the bed of the shopping cart.
“How many people are coming over anyway?” I asked, counting ten six-packs and all the fixings for margaritas.
“Just a few, but it would be a crime if we ran out.” He flashed his easy grin, and I felt my mood lighten.
“So how long have you worked with Jake?”
“A few years,” he responded, then pushed the cart to another aisle.
“Is he a good boss?” I caught myself smiling as I followed behind him, not able to ignore the way his ass looked in those jeans. He was very attractive, and I wasn’t blind.
“He’s grumpy as hell”—there was laughter in his voice—“but he’s a good guy.” He threw some plastic cups and plates into the cart before moving on. “Jake doesn’t take any shit, but there’s no one who works harder than he does. I mean…I don’t know anyone who’s built what he has in such a short amount of time.”
I had to agree; Jake was a hard worker. Maybe his drive for success replaced the spot others reserved for family.
“So what’s your story? I mean, now that I know you’re not really his sister.” He turned to look at me, and I noticed the scar between his lip and chin. It sort of reminded me of a dimple, but not. . . no, it was definitely a scar of some sort.
I cleared my throat, grabbed the cart from his hands, and started pushing it myself. “We grew up together.”
“I’m sorry,” he teased, then pulled the front of the cart, so we turned into the produce section.
John went off to grab a bag of lemons, while I busied myself knocking on watermelons.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, coming to stand beside me.
“I’m picking out a watermelon.” I tried to keep my face serious, but I’d always felt silly when I knocked.
“Do you expect it to answer you?” He bumped me with his shoulder like old friends.
“Yeah, you go ahead and laugh now, but when this is the best watermelon you’ve ever had, I expect you to bow at my feet.”
He raised his eyebrows, and I turned away before he could see me
Similar Books
