before she comes home.”
“I see.” But she didn’t. Not really. “You’re saying you were only at the shows because of your sister?”
“She’s shy. I agreed to escort her so she wouldn’t feel so out of place.”
“She went to Paris alone,” Bella pointed out.
Jake shrugged. “I don’t always understand how Lise’s mind works.”
Bella was starting to understand how Jake’s worked, though.
She’d believed he’d come to the trunk shows to see her. Looking back, she realized it had been a ridiculous assumption to make, but she’d been so enthralled by him at first sight she’d wanted to believe the impact had been mutual.
It hadn’t.
Remembering how she’d practically thrown herself into his bed made her go hot with mortification.
She’d offered herself and he’d taken her up on the offer, but no wonder he hadn’t said anything about the future. He didn’t see one for them. He’d made his lack of commitment clear from the very beginning.
She couldn’t pretend otherwise.
How could she have been so stupid?
No wonder he had left the shows so many times without talking to her. The consuming interest had not gone both ways. He was a highly sexed man, he’d proven that to her in the last few days. He would hardly turn her down when she’d made it so obvious she wanted him.
But that said nothing about his feelings.
Men didn’t have to feel anything emotional to enjoy sex. Didn’t all the women’s magazines say so?
She hadn’t realized right up until that moment how much she had been counting on the feelings that were strong enough to bring a man back to trunk show after trunk show to grow into something more. Something lasting.
“You’ve gotten quiet all of a sudden.”
“It’s probably time I went home.” Each word she forced herself to utter dropped like a boulder, shattering her cracked heart. “You don’t need this type of publicity and Christmas is almost here.”
Jake drove toward the ranch in stunned silence. He shouldn’t be surprised. Christmas was coming and she’d made it clear from the beginning she planned to spend it with her family. And he had acted like an idiot when he first saw the story, but, damn it, he hadn’t meant he wanted her to leave.
“I don’t care about the publicity.”
The sound she made must be universal feminine for, “Yeah right,” because his sister did the same thing.
“I don’t. I said I was sorry about the way I reacted at first and I am.”
“It’s okay, Jake. I’m pretty upset myself. I hate the fact that Lexi’s more interested in my image in the tabloids than the way I represent her clothes on the cover of a magazine or on the catwalk.”
“Her world is pretty superficial.”
It was Bella’s world too, but now wasn’t the time to argue semantics. “You’re right. It is and I’m not sure how much longer I want to stay in it.”
He about drove off the road and Bella gasped.
“Jake!”
“Sorry.”
He straightened the truck. “Are you serious about leaving modeling?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure where I want to go from here. My career has consumed my life for so long.”
“You’ve been doing pretty good at the ranch and we don’t have a single catwalk.” Truth be told, he found her a hell of a lot sexier wearing one of his shirts tied in a knot at her waist than showing off the sheerest of Lexi’s Creations’ lingerie.
His words made Bella laugh, but she didn’t reply. She just looked out the window, her face averted, so he couldn’t read her expression, no matter how many sideways glances he slanted her way.
Every mile nearer the ranch came, the more he felt a sense of urgency to do or say something to cement his relationship with Bella. If she walked away now, would she ever come back?
He’d follow her, if she didn’t. He wasn’t in the habit of giving up on something important to him and that’s just what she was. Important. Necessary.
Did she realize it?
Probably not…because
“I see.” But she didn’t. Not really. “You’re saying you were only at the shows because of your sister?”
“She’s shy. I agreed to escort her so she wouldn’t feel so out of place.”
“She went to Paris alone,” Bella pointed out.
Jake shrugged. “I don’t always understand how Lise’s mind works.”
Bella was starting to understand how Jake’s worked, though.
She’d believed he’d come to the trunk shows to see her. Looking back, she realized it had been a ridiculous assumption to make, but she’d been so enthralled by him at first sight she’d wanted to believe the impact had been mutual.
It hadn’t.
Remembering how she’d practically thrown herself into his bed made her go hot with mortification.
She’d offered herself and he’d taken her up on the offer, but no wonder he hadn’t said anything about the future. He didn’t see one for them. He’d made his lack of commitment clear from the very beginning.
She couldn’t pretend otherwise.
How could she have been so stupid?
No wonder he had left the shows so many times without talking to her. The consuming interest had not gone both ways. He was a highly sexed man, he’d proven that to her in the last few days. He would hardly turn her down when she’d made it so obvious she wanted him.
But that said nothing about his feelings.
Men didn’t have to feel anything emotional to enjoy sex. Didn’t all the women’s magazines say so?
She hadn’t realized right up until that moment how much she had been counting on the feelings that were strong enough to bring a man back to trunk show after trunk show to grow into something more. Something lasting.
“You’ve gotten quiet all of a sudden.”
“It’s probably time I went home.” Each word she forced herself to utter dropped like a boulder, shattering her cracked heart. “You don’t need this type of publicity and Christmas is almost here.”
Jake drove toward the ranch in stunned silence. He shouldn’t be surprised. Christmas was coming and she’d made it clear from the beginning she planned to spend it with her family. And he had acted like an idiot when he first saw the story, but, damn it, he hadn’t meant he wanted her to leave.
“I don’t care about the publicity.”
The sound she made must be universal feminine for, “Yeah right,” because his sister did the same thing.
“I don’t. I said I was sorry about the way I reacted at first and I am.”
“It’s okay, Jake. I’m pretty upset myself. I hate the fact that Lexi’s more interested in my image in the tabloids than the way I represent her clothes on the cover of a magazine or on the catwalk.”
“Her world is pretty superficial.”
It was Bella’s world too, but now wasn’t the time to argue semantics. “You’re right. It is and I’m not sure how much longer I want to stay in it.”
He about drove off the road and Bella gasped.
“Jake!”
“Sorry.”
He straightened the truck. “Are you serious about leaving modeling?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure where I want to go from here. My career has consumed my life for so long.”
“You’ve been doing pretty good at the ranch and we don’t have a single catwalk.” Truth be told, he found her a hell of a lot sexier wearing one of his shirts tied in a knot at her waist than showing off the sheerest of Lexi’s Creations’ lingerie.
His words made Bella laugh, but she didn’t reply. She just looked out the window, her face averted, so he couldn’t read her expression, no matter how many sideways glances he slanted her way.
Every mile nearer the ranch came, the more he felt a sense of urgency to do or say something to cement his relationship with Bella. If she walked away now, would she ever come back?
He’d follow her, if she didn’t. He wasn’t in the habit of giving up on something important to him and that’s just what she was. Important. Necessary.
Did she realize it?
Probably not…because
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