Page 61 of The Sweet Life

“He’s lying across the back of the couch like he does every day. The way you’re trying to distract me has me curious, though. You must have some interesting stuff on your lists.” He reached around her to unlock the door, his warm breath caressing her neck.

She shivered. “What are you doing?”

“Key seems to be stuck.”

She pressed her lips together and put her hand over his, turning the key and then the knob. “Would you look at that,” she said as she walked inside, moving to the couch when Max lifted his head instead of immediately turning it when he saw her the way he usually did. She tentatively reached out, stroking his beautiful coat.

“Jake, he’s letting me pet him,” she whispered, slowly lowering herself onto the couch in an effort not to scare him away.

“Maybe you should take him for a walk then.”

“Are you crazy? Did you see the size of those raccoons?”

“Do you hear that, Max? She’ll risk your safety just to get rid of me.” He sat on the other side of the cat, scratching behind Max’s ears, receiving a contented purr for his efforts.

“Don’t go for a walk then.” She nudged Jake’s fingers away as she tried eliciting a contented purr of her own. “I just thought it would be nice for you and Max.”

“You’re happy right where you are, aren’t you, buddy?” Jake toed off his dress shoes, looking as content as Max as he relaxedon the couch, stretching out his long legs. “Come on, tell me the truth. How many lists do you have on your phone?”

“You have a one-track mind. I havealist.” She kept her fingers busy removing her heels instead of scratching the side of her nose. “I’m never wearing heels again.”

Now, that was the truth. Although given the way Jake’s gaze had moved over her legs when she’d walked out of the bedroom in her heels earlier that day, she might make an exception on occasion. His gaze was just as intent as he watched her take off her shoes now. She released a teasing moan.

She was rewarded by the heat in the gaze that met hers. “I bet you a lifetime supply of smoked-bacon-wrapped Oreos that you have more than one list on your phone,” he said.

She swore he’d moved closer to her on the couch. She could feel the heat from his body, smell his cologne. The scent should be illegal. It had her thinking of doing things that… she’d been thinking of doing to him on their fake romantic beach walk that she’d wished had been real. Which might have been why her voice came out low and husky when she said, “Those cookies were orgasmic, but that’s not enough to entice me to risk the identity of my new celebrity client.”

“What if I promise not to look at anything other than your lists?”

“Sorry, no can do.”

He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “What would entice you?”

She knew what would happen as soon as she said the words dancing on the tip of her tongue, and still, despite the consequences and complications, she said them. “Whatever you were going to collect from our bet?”

“Are you absolutely sure that’s what you want?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice breathless and needy, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Well, not until he lunged for her and began tickling her like he used to. And just like she used to, she laughed. She sounded like a seal in heat, and that made him laugh, and then she could hardly breathe, too weak to tickle him back or yank his hand from just above her knee.

“Our bet was you get to tickle me?” she cried when he finally relented. “What kind of bet is that? We’re not seventeen.”

He grinned, pushing her hair out of her face. “No, but I got to hear your weird laugh again, and I got to touch you.”

“You wanted to touch me?”

“I did. I do. I want to touch.” He trailed his finger down her neck to her collarbone. “And kiss.” He pressed his lips just below his finger. “And lick.” He swirled his tongue just above her cleavage. “Every inch of you. But you have to be sure—”

“I’m sure, very, very sure,” she interrupted him.

“You didn’t let me finish. I don’t want to be just roommates with benefits, Sage. I want more with you, from you.”

She wanted him. She wanted this. She wanted more with him too. But… “I can’t leave my job, Jake. I’ve worked too hard to get where I am.”

“I’m not asking you to. I’m not even asking you to live in Sunshine Bay full-time. I want to explore the possibility of us, together, in a long-term relationship. I don’t want it to be just about sex.”

“It would never be just about sex between us. But just to say, I’d really like it to be about sex for the next twelve hours at least.”

Sage woke up the next morning in Jake’s bed. He had his phone in his hand and an apprehensive expression on his face that made her groan. “You are not the one who is supposed to have morning-after regrets. I am!”

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