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My mother would not be proud of me in that moment.
He was going to kiss me again. I wanted him to. But I shouldn't let him… his lips met mine and I melted despite my many, many misgivings. All thoughts of annoyance gone as he slanted his lips over mine, gently urging my lips to part. The moment they did his tongue dipped inside playfully, teasingly stroking against mine until I was tingling all over.
His hand shifted upward, to circle my breast and—
Bright light flashed over us where we lay on the ground and I squinted, seeing a pair of loafers not far away.
"Miss Gavin! You will leave the premises at once! Your employment is immediately terminated!"
Oh no.
OH NO.
Mr. Peabody was standing three feet away from us with a flashlight in his hand.
Chapter Nine
Jake
I would have laughed at the expression on Elle's face if it hadn't been such a serious situation. In fact, I almost did laugh. Just before I saw her eyes fill with tears.
I cursed under my breath. This was the worst possible outcome. I had just royally screwed myself.
I’d gotten the girl fired. Not just any girl either. The girl I was rapidly becoming obsessed with getting into bed.
Damn it all to hell.
There was no way she was going to sleep with me now.
I wasn't sure which one of us was more distraught in that moment. Her or me. It was a close call, certainly.
I was debating whether or not I should go after Mr. Peabody or try and kiss her again. Both seemed equally fruitless. I licked my lips and decided to go for the second option. I tried to look remorseful as I lowered my head to her delectable lips one more time.
She smacked my shoulder. Hard.
Damn, but the girl could throw a hit!
"Get. Off. Of. Me."
I eased back regretfully. She'd felt so good in my arms, even squashed underneath me in the bushes. But she looked angrier than a wild cat and just as dangerous. I stood up and offered her a hand. She took it, but not without snarling at me as I pulled her up.
"Great. Now I'm back to eating crackers for dinner."
My stomach dropped. Was she really that destitute? A gorgeous girl like her must have some sort of money to look that good, right?
But maybe not…
I took a closer look. She wasn't wearing more than a lick of makeup, and her hair was simply styled. No jewelry other than a simple gold cross at her throat… I started to think I was a fool. The girl was naturally beautiful, to say the least, but that didn't mean she wasn't in a tight spot.
I glanced down at her shoes and my stomach dropped. They were ancient looking. Like not even from this decade. The pointy oxfords looked beat up. One of them was held together with duct tape.
Goddamn it, Jake, what have you done?
"Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
She straighten up and brushed the leaves off of her. I couldn’t help but admire her gorgeous figure. And the way she was holding it together. The girl had grit.
"I don't want your damn pity. I'll figure something out. I always do.”
She’d caught my look. She was smart as a tack on top of being gorgeous, I realized. That was not necessarily a good thing.
It sure as shit made her harder to get into bed.
"I'm sorry Elle. I didn't mean to—"
She brushed herself off and started walking past me down the driveway out of the country club. I watched her, my eyes on the elegant sway of her back. Then I realized she was heading for the street on foot.
Jesus, didn't she even have a car? Something twisted inside me. I’d really hurt someone. Someone I had nothing but admirations for. Admiration and off-the-charts lust. I was starting to feel genuinely guilty, and not just because she’d just become much harder to fuck.
"Elle, wait! Let me help you!”
I ran after her but she kept walking, completely ignoring me. My wheels were spinning, trying to think of a way to fix the situation. To help us both get what we wanted. Her a job. Me… her.
Naked. In my bed. Immediately.
"Forget it. I'll be fine. No, thanks to you."
"Are you seriously going to walk home?"
She stopped walking finally and stared at me. She was acting tough but she was fighting back tears, I could tell. A strange feeling in my gut made me feel like everything was upside down. It was something like regret. And worry.
I felt protective of her, like I did towards my cousin, Phee. The way a big strong man felt towards a woman who mattered to him. Like he wanted to smash anything that made her sad. Well, not exactly the same. This was mixed up with a lot of sexual tension. But there it was, all the same.
