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“Why is that good?”
“Because I’ve seen you tackle problems. You don’t quit. If I make myself enough of a problem, you’ll have to keep figuring me out forever.”
Her heart clenched at that word.Forever.Was that even possible? And why did she suddenly want that so damn badly?
* * *
After round two,Frankie pulled herself into the kitchen and made them instant ramen for sustenance. She was getting lightheaded, and it felt safer to blame that on a lack of food than on her unsteady heartbeats. Plus, Jake needed to keep up his energy. She even made an effort to garnish with frozen corn and peas. With a grin, she dropped a few baby carrots into Jake's bowl.
She felt ridiculously proud of her prank when he fake gagged and picked the offending orange vegetables out of his soup with his fingers and tossed them at her. His laughter followed her into the kitchen as she went back for the wine. They cuddled on her couch, wrapped in her favorite throw blanket. Buster was passed out on the floor, snoring, his belly distended from his feast. There wasn't a scrap of that steak or any carrots left on the floor. No wonder he was comatose.
They watched a movie that she didn't pay attention to, and Jake told her about the people she would meet down in LA, and all the places he wanted to take her. When she was sleepy, he snuggled her close and let her doze with his heart pulsing steadily under her ear. It was all so cozy that his request for forever seemed perfectly reasonable as she drifted off to sleep.
* * *
In the light of morning,Frankie looked at herself in the mirror and cringed. Scrubbing her face, she washed away the last traces of that glam girl and slathered on her new sunscreen. See? She could learn. She pulled her tangled curls into a ponytail and brushed her teeth before tucking her toiletries into a travel bag.
She tossed the bag of products Natalie had given her into her suitcase, along with a pair of jeans and her Chucks. A few T-shirts and fresh socks and underwear got tossed on top. When Jake came into the bedroom with a steaming mug of coffee, she was still staring into her closet.
"Why the frown?" He kissed the back of her neck. "When I left, you were limp and grinning."
"Yeah, well now I'm awake and trying to figure out what the hell to wear tomorrow. All of my yacht wear is so last season."
"Or…" He nibbled on her ear and sent a shiver down her spine before he continued. "You can just pack what you'll be comfortable in."
"I don't want to embarrass you, and you've seen what I am comfortable in. Somehow I don't think torn jeans and a band T-shirt is going to pass muster."
"Why don't I take you shopping when we get to LA? You'll get a new outfit as a souvenir."
"And what will you get out of this deal?" Frankie asked suspiciously.
"An extra thirty minutes this morning before we drop Buster with your parents and leave for the airport. Hmmm, how to put those minutes to good use?"
Frankie laughed and gasped when he put down his coffee and took her back to bed. She could worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.
* * *
"Is this really your apartment?"Frankie dropped her suitcase by the door and toed off her gym shoes. The creamy marble floors were pristine, and nothing was out of place. That might be because he hadn't lived here for months, but she didn't think so. Jake seemed like the kind of guy who liked his things to be in order and under control.
"Home sweet home. I bought this the day after I turned eighteen and made it my man cave. When I turned thirty, I called in a designer to help me renovate it into the 'beach chic oasis' you see before you." Jake punched in the code to turn off the alarm and dropped his keys in a basket by the door. "Come on in. Make yourself at home."
"I'm afraid to touch anything." Everywhere she looked there was another detail that told her exactly how expensive this condo was. Inlaid marble trim braided around the edge of the room, linen couches that wouldn't last five minutes with Buster, a freaking custom driftwood sculpture in front of a burbling wall of water.
Jake took her hand and placed it on his chest, and she leaned into him. "See? You're not afraid to touch everything. It's just an apartment. This is the living room, kitchen is through there, and there are three bedrooms and two baths in the back. Relax. This is supposed to be a vacation."
"How the hell am I supposed to relax when I'm nervous about breaking something priceless? That is capital-A Art on the wall." Frankie pointed and stepped back into a side table, causing a mounted piece of coral to teeter precariously. "Fuck!" She grabbed for it and caught it before it fell.
Jake just laughed. "If you break something, you can just pay me back in kisses. Deal?"
Frankie didn't answer. The reality of his home opened her eyes to just how wide the gap was between them. When he was living in a hotel in Silicon Valley or inhaling free coffee at the craft services table, it was easy to forget that he was ridiculously wealthy.
This was a mistake. She shouldn't have come down here. Maybe there was another flight she could catch and be home in time to take Buster for his walk.
"Frankie, look at me." Jake gripped her shoulders and her spinning thoughts quieted. "It's just stuff. It doesn't change who I am or who we are together."
"Sure, yeah, of course." The lies just spilled from her mouth until he kissed her quiet. The kisses turned to caresses, and he backed her down the hallway into his bedroom.
Frankie happily followed him. He pushed all of the worries out of her head, replacing them with pleasure and whispered reassurance. She matched him beat for beat, kiss for kiss. Here they were equals. They came together in a quick frenzy of need. And she kept herself present. He gave, and she gave, and they sprinted together over the edge of anticipation into bliss.
