Page 9 of Heartless (Scathing Hearts #1)

Jake

I stacked my coffee mug in the dishwasher and tagged my cell.

Morrison’s girl had enthusiastically agreed to every date and seemed to have no close friends except for the Ashford girl.

Every time she’d asked about my life, I’d made it as boring as possible.

It worked, she’d stopped asking. The girl was a smiler.

A giggler. And a fucking talker. It was tedious as fuck, but it served me well.

I now knew that Kimmy couldn’t stand her, which didn’t surprise me, and that she considered Joel her half-brother.

She didn’t know whatever the motherfucker had in store for her and still thought it was paternal love.

The more I pretended to care, the faster she was getting attached.

She was hungry for affection, and with women that often translated into sexual need.

But I couldn’t fuck her.

Every time I’d gotten semi-hard, I’d look into those fucking eyes, and ice would run in my veins.

I texted her.

Jake: I want to see you.

The reply came seconds later.

Sienna: When?

I pushed on the call button. She picked up after the first ring.

“Good morning, Jake.”

“Hey, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. What about you?”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

She made one of those purring sounds women did when they were happy. “Me too,” she whispered.

Hooked, line, and sinker.

Time to reel the bait in. “Are you free for dinner?”

“Tonight?”

“Yes."

“Nigel wants to introduce me to one of his friends who’s a publisher, and we’re supposed to—”

“It’s okay, we’ll do something when I come back.”

“Oh. Are you leaving?”

“Business trip to Stockholm. I’ll be back on the twenty-third.”

The trip wasn’t planned for another six months, but I needed to keep her tethered.

“That’s really far,” she whined.

I suppressed a smile. “I just wanted to see you before my trip. I know it’s fast, but it’s just the way you make me feel. I’ll text you when I’m back.”

“I’m having lunch with Nigel, and I’ll ask him to reschedule dinner. I haven’t written anything in months, anyway.”

Lunch and fucking dinner. Morrison was keeping her real close. “I’ll cook for you at my place. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

She giggled. She had a throaty voice, and her laughter was no different.

“What should I bring? I can buy dessert or wine. Or beer.”

“Just you, Sienna.”

There was a smile in her ‘okay.’

“Um... Jake?”

“Yes?” Here comes my bottle of Weller. I leaned into my cell. “What is it, sweetheart?”

“I’m happy I met you... because I like you. A lot.”

This time, I wasn’t lying when I replied, “I like hearing that, sweetheart. Seven.”

****

Sienna

Nigel had taken me to another exorbitantly expensive restaurant. As the server ambled away, he said, “I’m sorry about your mother’s house. I’ll have someone take care of the insurance papers.”

After I’d completed a dictionary-size amount of paperwork, the insurance company was still waiting for all kinds of reports in order to make the payment. Thankfully, Mom had left me a little bit of money, but it was thinning fast.

“It’s okay, Nigel, I’m taking care of it. But thank you.”

He tapped gently on my hand. “You’ve suffered one terrible loss after the other, and I worry about you, little dear. You should be with family. Why don’t you come live with us?”

He’d been so kind, but... I didn’t know exactly what it was. I exhaled a slow breath. No, I did know. I couldn’t forget my conversation with Rowena Wheelan.

Nigel’s hand weighed heavier on mine. “Let me be your father and take care of you. You’ll have your own wing, and Kimmy is wonderful company.”

Maybe to you.

God, I was being so ungrateful to this lovely man who’d welcomed me with open arms.

Pulling my hand away, I smiled. “It’s really kind and generous, Nigel, but I’m fine.”

His gaze hardened. Nigel Morrison did not like being told no. Which oddly grounded me in my decision.

Fortunately, the arrival of our food broke through the tension.

The fish melted in my mouth and was perfectly seasoned. “Did Joel go back to Tokyo? And how was your trip?”

Sawing through his steak, his tone was casual. “My trip was just business. But Joel was quite disappointed that you hadn’t come to his goodbye dinner.”

Joel hadn’t been. And I knew this because he’d told me when I’d texted him to wish him safe travels and promised we’d reconnect when he came back.

After I’d swallowed a bite of my baby potato, I set the prongs of my fork on the edge of the white plate.

“Nigel, that must have been quite a shock to find out about me.”

He kept cutting through the piece of meat on his plate. “I know I’ve missed out on most of your life. But let’s not dwell on what we can’t change. I promise we’ll make up for all those years we’ve lost. And Joel always wanted a sibling. Now he has you.”

God, if I hadn’t met Rowena, I would have gobbled it all up.

“Why didn’t you have more children?”

Nothing in his posture betrayed any discomfort.

“You’re an adult, so I know you can understand.

I haven’t been as lucky in my relationships as I could have been.

And part of it is my responsibility, but bringing children into defective relationships is never a judicious choice.

” He leaned in. “What about Caitlin? You said she never had a steady relationship. Didn’t you want a brother or sister? ”

It was weird to hear Mom’s name in his mouth, and knowing he’d just lied to my face made the sound grating. “Mom dated often, but we never needed anyone else in our lives.” My chest squeezed. “Then... she got sick.”

He nodded slowly. “I think Caitlin would have been happy that we met.”

I wasn’t so sure about that anymore. “Can we reschedule tonight’s dinner with your publisher friend?”

His posture stiffened, and his fingers clenched around the handle of his knife. “Are you all right?”

I couldn’t help the irrepressible smile that my heart associated with the thought of Jake. “I have a date.”

“You’re dating?” The question itself was banal, but his tone had taken on an edge.

My grin widened. “Yes. His name is Jake Rhodes. We—”

His hand slapped on the table. My heart hopped in my throat. Diners at nearby tables jerked in their seats.

Nigel’s jaw was tight, and his voice was but a hiss. “I forbid it.”

My lips moved but no sound came out. Then I rolled my shoulders back and leaned in.

“You forbid it?”

The slight tick of his jaw was the only indication he knew he’d gone too far. I slanted back, dabbed my napkin on the corner of my mouth, and placed it beside my plate before locking my eyes to his.

“Nigel, you have no right to forbid or allow anything in my life. You’re not my dad, you’re not my friend, you’re just someone I share DNA with.” He flinched, but I sallied forth. “It is not and never will be your prerogative to tell me how to live my life.”

His features recovered fast. “Sienna, little dear—”

“I’m not your ‘little dear’.”

His gaze fired, but his tone was as calm as mine. “You’re making a mistake. I know him—”

“It’s my mistake to make.”

“Sienna, we should deal with this like adults—”

“There’s nothing to deal with, Nigel.”

Before he could respond, I pushed my chair back, and without another word, I snatched my purse and walked out of the pretentious restaurant.

After ordering a car, I dialed Gabby’s number, but my thumb stilled over the call icon. Since the fire at my house, I’d called and texted several times, but she hadn’t responded. I took a deep breath and pushed my cell in my pocket.

Twenty minutes later, the tinkle of an incoming message rose in the back of the car driving me home. It was a text from Nigel.

Nigel: I spoke out of turn. Let’s spend the day together tomorrow.

After the tantrum in the restaurant? Not a chance. I thumbed the side of my phone.

When my cell pinged again, I kept the back of my head on the headrest and raised it to read the screen. This one was from Gabby.

Gabrielle: Want to hit up Mojitown for drinks tonight?

My heart twinged. She hadn’t said a word about my house. But I had plans. Wonderful, sexy plans, so it was with a healthy dose of satisfaction, and a pinch of pettiness that I typed:

Sienna: Having dinner with Jake. Maybe next time?

Gabrielle: Jake Rhodes with the big. Eggplant emoji?

Sienna: I really like him. Heart eyes emoji

Her ensuing, numerous texts came in a fast cacophony of electronic peals.

Gabrielle: How do you keep him interested?

Gabrielle: Anal?

Gabrielle: Four laughing emojis. Kidding.

Gabrielle: Deets. Now!

I turned off the cellphone and dropped it in my purse.