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That I’m pregnant with Jake Ballentine’s baby. Though the poster used a different “B” word.
“God, no!”
“Oh, Ium—forget it.” Greer, who co-owns the shop next to mine, was in the congregation last night. She called this morning, alerting me to open my laptop.
Greer has confided that she and her boyfriend, Byron are also actively not protecting. They want a baby. I’d be excited if Greer and Byron were expecting and she had a girlfriend to share being pregnant with.
“How long have you known him?” She moves the subject on.
“Not long.” All broody and imposing, Jake sort of came out of nowhere. “Everything about Jake took me by surprise.”
Or do I have it backward and that was me?
My heart skips a beat. I stop and swallow. Ignoring the sensation in my chest, but thinking back on the entire crazy encounter.
We actually had fun last night with the back and forth.
Nothing about our conversations seemed forced.
Jake hadn’t pressed me for details when I refused to answer some of his questions.
For a moment, I forgot I was sitting there in my wedding dress with my ruined stockings rumpled into a wad next to Jake’s pricey bottle of top-shelf rum.
He must be used to that. Women take their clothes off for Jake on a daily basis.
Stripperstake their clothes off for Jake. He pays women to prance around in their altogether. He’s a prick and a misogynist for taking advantage of them and selling sexual fantasies. I mean, who does that and then contends that they care about the opposite sex?
Except, he wasn’t the least bit dickish… After the kiss, anyway.
Jake hadn’t even tried to get me into bed. Again, the naked women thing explains a whole lot. I don’t have anything Jake Ballantine hasn’t seen.
Maybe he surmised that if I was dashing for a church wearing white, it meant I was a virgin and clingy inexperienced women aren’t Jake’s style. Maybe he wasn’t interested in having sex with me because of what I’d done. Except, I am experienced, and the way Jake’s arousal punched into my stomach when he was kissing me made it seem like sex wasn’t something the man would brush off the table.
Not that I considered what sex with Jake would be like. Okay, not right away. But thinking about something doesn’t mean acting on it. I may have kissed Jake with intention, but I have some pride. I’ve never fallen into the sack with a man I’ve just met.
Oh, my Lord. Who am I that I’m more concerned about the hours spent in Jake’s company rather than destroying Gavin? Can I be any bigger of a detached bitch?
“Jake must be important to you if you called it all off, though, right?” Greer asks.
“Um, yeah.” I hope the breathy tone disguises my underlying fear.
I’m not in love with Jake and I won’t lie and say I am.
What I am is posthumously realizing I’m walking a dangerous tightrope.
Shaking on his vacation offer on a drunken whim, I created the potential for a huge mess. It’s unwise to cross a man who exudes sex and power. I’ll need to play it smart and use some serious smarts to get me out of the deal we made.
Overwhelmed, I wipe my ruddy face with the back of my hand. “Other than shutting down the feeds, I don’t know how to fix this.”
“I understand the pressure you’re under after doing the wrong thing. Don’t make a rash decision about the store. Take some time away from Jake and everything else to think it through.”
“I will.” Isowill. Avoiding Jake Ballentine is my top priority.
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