Whipping his towel off, he tossed it toward the bathroom and ignored the erection his thoughts had given him. He had to think of something else to shrink the thing before he went back out there.
The last thing he wanted to do was come across as a lecherous old man.
Christ. He was over a decade older than her and in spite of everything that had gone on today, all the drama a woman had caused him in the past, and in spite of his vow to never let a woman close again, he found himself unable to stop wanting to get closer to Lory. He wanted to strip her bare and find out all her secrets and dreams.
And he wanted to strip her of her clothes and spread her out on his bed.
The bed he’d shared with his son not an hour ago.
He groaned.Shit. He shouldn’t be thinking about fucking a woman in the bed he slept in with his son. What kind of father was he?
Yet again he seemed to prove he wasn’t fit to raise Mad.
Except he had no choice. Mad was his and there was no one else who could or would care and love him the way Jake did.
He’d just have to jerk off in the shower later. For now, he’d push all lustful thoughts of Lory aside and go have dinner with his son and afriend.
She was his friend. At least he thought that’s what they’d become. Strange to think he hadn’t known her a few weeks ago. If she hadn’t been renting the garage apartment and he hadn’t bought this house, would he have seen her again after that day on the street?
Sunnyville wasn’t a small town but it wasn’t a huge city either. He liked to think they would have crossed paths at some point. Their connection was strong. He’d felt it that first day and with each day that had passed since then, that tie had strengthened, tightened in a way Jake didn’t quite understand but wasn’t about to complain about.
Lory had proven time and again how caring and genuine she was. She’d dropped everything to help take care of Mad today. And Mad had taken to her quicker than he had anyone else in his entire life. That alone told Jake he could trust her with his son. With himself maybe.
If he was ready for that.
Hell, he didn’t know if he’d ever be ready to let another woman as close as he’d let Renee. He couldn’t go through what he had again.
Neither could Mad.
Except life should be lived and Jake could protect them all he wanted but there were no guarantees, no matter how careful he was, that neither of them would get hurt in the future.
What was that saying…
Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
Was that it? He couldn’t remember for sure, but for the first time in a long time he thought he might be open to the possibilities of a future with more than just the two of them.
16
“Here you go, Maddox.” Mallory put a small plate with cut up chicken, tomatoes, cheese, and cucumber on the highchair tray.
“You didn’t have to do that. I would have sorted him out.” Jacob spoke behind her.
Looking back, she smiled. “It’s fine. It was easy to put together while I made your salad. Which is in the fridge. As soon as I grab it, I’ll get out of your hair so you can eat.”
“Oh no. I’ll get it, and you went to the trouble of making it—you should get to eat it too.”
“I made my own. I left it up in my apartment.”
“Go get it and come eat with us.” Jacob moved closer and the scent of soap and fresh air surrounded her. “Please.”
She wanted nothing more than to eat with them but she’d already crossed so many lines with these two. And yet she couldn’t bring herself to deny him when he said ‘please’ in that tone of voice, when his eyes begged her to stay. Taking a deep breath, she let her desire to be near them win over her guilt for deceiving them. “Okay. I’ll be back in a second.”
“I’ll wait for you then. What do you want to drink with dinner?” he asked, following her into the kitchen.
“Water is fine.”
“On it.” He walked over and pulled open the fridge. “Good lord, woman, do you expect me to eat all that?”
