Page 46 of Crave

"Where is he taking you?"

"None of your business." Almost as a reflex, I look at the flowers David sent me earlier today, eyeing the card that holds the name of the restaurant where we will be meeting. Jacob follows my gaze. I try to rush past him to grab the card, but he beats me to it.

"Give me that!" But it's too late. He opens it and reads the note.

"He's taking you to Tiki's, but he can't bother to pick you up? Not much of a man, if you ask me."

"Unlike you, he's a nice guy," I shoot back. I watch as he puts the card back in the flowers.

"That's what you're looking for? A nice guy? Sounds boring." I decide to ignore him as I button my coat, hoping he'll take the hint and leave. Instead of leaving, he comes back and stands in front of me, grabbing my hands. "I don't think you want nice at all. Nice won't make your pulse race like it's doing now. Nice won’t give you that wild look you have in your eyes. The type of look that tells me you’re two seconds from letting me fuck you into oblivion. You've probably had nice and you didn't want it. What you want is excitement, and I excite you. Let me know when you figure that out."

He drops my hands and walks out of my house, closing the door behind him. Despite running late, I take a seat on the arm of my couch to calm down my racing heart.

CHAPTER 13

SANDY

“What the hell are you doing here?” I hiss as soon as David turns the corner to find the restroom. I look around the rest of the restaurant to make sure that we’re not being watched by the other patrons.

“We own this restaurant. I just want to make sure you two have a nice evening.”

“Don’t you dare sit down.” He ignores me and sits directly across from me.

“No chemistry.” He reaches across the table and puts a piece of stray hair behind my ear. My body reacts, and I’m thankful my padded bra is able to hide the evidence. My heart rate picks up. The ache I’ve had between my thighs since he showed up at my apartment intensifies, and I feel a shiver spread across my body. Everything disappears when his gaze catches mine. I break our stare down my eyes fall on his full lips. I automatically think of our last kiss, but I shake that thought out of my head.

“Please leave. And what the hell do you mean by no chemistry?”

“Exactly what I said. You two have zero chemistry. If I didn’t know, I’d think you two were brother and sister.”

“Trust me. The things I want to do to him are not things I’d do with my brother.” It’s a complete lie. I’m not the least bit interested in getting romantic with David. On paper, he’s perfect for me. He’s attractive, we have similar backgrounds and interests, but I feel nothing.

“You’re just saying that to get to me. You don’t want him.”

“Really? Since you know so damn much, what do I want?”

“Me.”

“Yes, Jacob,” I say with an exaggerated eye roll. “I want you so much I’m here with another man.” The sarcasm oozes from my lips as I look around the restaurant, eager for David to return.

“He’ll be gone for a while. I made arrangements for someone to give him a tour of the kitchen.”

I grab my wine glass and drain it in one unladylike gulp. I plaster a fake smile on my face to mask my annoyance at David. The first person I saw when we stepped inside Tiki’s was Jacob Clark. It was the least surprising thing of the night. A part of me knew that he’d be here. What I was not expecting was his faked surprise at seeing me, quickly introducing himself, and reminding me that we met before. He made quick work at befriending David and offering us the tasting menu on the house.

Without even so much as checking with me, David accepted. I didn’t hide my annoyance, and I didn’t miss Jake’s smirk. My irritation only grew when David told Jake he’s a trained chef and would love the opportunity to work at this restaurant.

“You have a lot of nerve, you know that?”

“And any man who lets another man pay for his date doesn’t deserve a second date. If you were here with me, do you think I would let another man take over like I just did?”

“But I’m not here with you. You had your chance a week ago. Don’t you dare sit here and act like you give a damn about who I go out with. You made it quite clear a week ago that you don’t want me.”

“Wrong. I’ve wanted you since before I even saw your face. Your back was turned towards me, and you were talking to my mother. I should have waited until the conversation was over before making my way over to her, but I couldn’t wait. I had to get to you. I had to touch you. I’ve thought of nothing but you since that night. How could you think that I don’t want you, Dee?”

“How could I think that? Your actions, Jacob. What else? You know what? This conversation is getting us nowhere. Please, leave.” I grab the menu, making a point of reading it. I place it directly in front of him, shielding his view of my face. Within seconds, he snatches the menu from between my fingers and lays it down on the table.

“You know what the worst part is? You here all dressed up and looking so damn beautiful. And it’s all for another man. You should be here with me, not that idiot back there. But I know that it’s my fault we’re not together tonight. I made a mistake, Dee. A stupid one. I let old demons get in my head, and I did something foolish. Call off this date and let me explain.” He reaches over and grabs my hand, causing butterflies to come alive in my stomach with nothing but a gentle touch. But it’s his eyes that are almost my undoing. Those brown orbs begging for me to give him a chance and listen to what he has to say.

I look down at our touching hands, and for one crazy second, I want to give him what he wants. I want to tell David that within five seconds of walking into the restaurant, I knew there would never be anything between us. I want to leave with Jake and listen to what he has to say, to kiss him again and run my fingers through his hair, but I’m reminded of what happened every single time I agreed to hear him out.

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