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“I felt it, Jake. I just assumed…since it was so long between our meetings and neither of us really knew if there even would be another meeting…”
“I knew you’d be back.” He rubbed his thumb along my bottom lip. “It’s why I paid the bartender to call me as soon as you walked in the door. Lucky me, you only showed up on nights I was free to hightail it there.”
I pulled back in shock. “You what?”
He shrugged. “You think I wanted to leave seeing you again to chance? I sure as hell didn’t. You wouldn’t give me your number, so bribing the bartender was my master plan. Look how that worked out.”
I thought back to the times he showed up at The Tavern and swept me away. He’d always gotten there after me. I’d sat at the bar long enough to have a drink or two, a little over an hour.
The amount of time it took to drive from his house to the bar—if he was breaking a few speeding laws.
“You’re serious,” I said aloud as I realized this inside my head. “You bribed the bartender.”
“Yeah, mama. I want something, I take it.”
I licked my lips. “For a year, I was the only one you wanted.”
“Mmm.” He tenderly tucked my hair behind my ear. “And that remains true.”
His touch and honest declaration warmed me from my chest outward, reaching the top of my head to the tip of my toes. I wasn’t a young woman. I’d been married and divorced. I had a child and the scars to show for it. I’d worked my ass off to get where I was in my career. Generally, I’d made peace with where I was in my life, content with what I had and never dwelling on what I didn’t. But now, I had this—a man who had wanted me for a whole year despite not knowing if or when he’d see me again. He’d wanted me so badly, he’d bribed and broken laws to have me. It was nearly impossible to believe, but it made so much sense; it had to be the truth.
“For me as well,” I whispered.
“Glad you agree. Even more glad you walked into my garage.”
My mouth curved. “I think we like each other.”
He smiled back at me and dug his fingers into my hair. “You’re just now figuring that out? I like the hell out of you, Clara Rossi.”
There wasn’t much else that needed to be said after that. Jake rolled us onto the mattress and gathered me close. He’d done everything he’d promised me today—feeding me, talking to me, making me smile, then ended the day by tucking me in under the covers.
It was perfect.
A beautiful, lovely day.
Even so, my quiet yet persistent inner voice couldn’t help reminding me not to get used to any of this.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Jake
There was no hiding from my kid. It wasn’t her day with me, but I never turned down some extra Sage time. She just happened to show up, wanting to chat about her day when I was finally getting ready for the date Clara had planned.
Now, she was sitting on the closed toilet seat, watching me trim my beard, suspicion furrowing her brow.
“You never trim your beard at night.”
I met her gaze in the mirror. “It was looking a little unruly, don’t you think?”
She shrugged, still scrutinizing me. “You don’t usually take showers at night either. Are you going somewhere?”
“You’re pretty nosy today, Sagie.”
She shook her finger at me. “And you’re avoiding the question, Daddy. What gives?”
I placed the trimmer on the counter and grabbed my beard oil. “You’re right, I do have plans.”
“What kind of plans?”
