Page 21 of Heartless

As I shut the door behind him, he hoisted the bulky plastic bags he was carrying.“Are you hungry?”

“Did you bring food?”When he nodded, I grinned.“You might just be perfect.”

When his huge chest shook with silent laughter, a bomb blew up under the skin of my face.

“I’m sorry.I...I—”

His lips touched mine.And a different type of sizzle jolted my body.

He straightened up too soon.“Kitchen?”

I led him there, and as he set the containers on the island, I closed the lid of the wooden trunk on the counter.

Jake chin-pointed at it.“Treasure chest?”

“Yes.After seeing what’s left of my house, it got me thinking about what matters the most.I grew up there, so I’m sad, but at the end of the day, they were just walls.”I placed my hand on the lid.“But this contains the only things that would break my heart if I lost them.”

He effortlessly grabbed the heavy trunk.“Where do you want this?”

“Can you put it in the living room, please?”

While he strode out, I washed my hands, pulled plates and glasses out of the cupboards, as well as the cutlery out of the drawer.I couldn’t remember if I’d brought napkins, so I grabbed the roll of kitchen towels and ripped four out.

“What happened to your house?”Jake asked from behind me.

I opened the fridge.“I’m still waiting for the fire report, but they say it might have been an electrical problem.”Glancing over my shoulder, I added, “I have some beers in there, but I don’t know if you like that brand.I also have wine.Oh, wait.I have a bar cabinet in the living room.I’ll go check—”

Jake’s frown silenced me while the fridge door shut in a muted humph.His lower back was slanted against the island, so he was fully facing me with his legs crossed at the ankles and his hands in his pockets.

His lips twitched.“You don’t know what’s in your bar?”

I shook my head.“I didn’t set anything in here.My uh...birth father got this place for me and everything in it, including the bar.”Hearing myself, heat crawled up my face, so I hid my embarrassment behind a smile.“But I picked the patterns and stuff.”

His voice was low.“Your birth father?”

Dear God.I’d made it sound like I’d been adopted.No wonder Jake was frowning.“I mean I only met him recently.”

The frown smoothed.“Got it.It’s good that he’s taking care of his girl.”

Remembering my conversation with Gabby, I edged closer and watched him more intently.“He’s...You may have heard of him.His name is Nigel Morrison.”

Jake’s head twitched.“Your father is one of the richest men in the country?”

“He found me by chance, and...”I arced my hand in the air.“All this is his way to make up for lost time, I guess.”

Jake pecked my lips.“You deserve to be taken care of, sweetheart.”

Relieved by the absence of change in his demeanor to my grand announcement, I sniffed the air and pointed at the containers.“Is it Indian food?”

He nodded.“You like it?”

I smiled wide.“I love it.”

****

Iloved Jake’s voice.It was deep and utterly male.After dinner, I’d curled up in the corner of the sofa with my legs folded under me and listened to Jake telling me about his life and the places he’d been.His knee was bent over the sofa, his arm laid over the back of it, and his chest turned to face mine.He was dreamy.

The bass roll of his chuckle unfurled between us.“Like the look of you, too, sweetheart.Do you always say what’s on your mind?”