Page 73 of Hardcore Vanilla
She honestly hadn’t been sure whether or not he’d be the type that would take it as an insult that she wanted to pay, but he didn’t seem bothered by it overall. Just that he wanted to pay for the date that he’d asked her out on.
Setting up that they would switch back and forth made her feel better.
Finally, Friday night and dinner with Kate and Andrew rolled around. Sharon wore a little black dress with no panties, garters and stockings, and no bra. She figured if they were going to Stronghold afterwards, Jake would appreciate the easy access.
At least, she hoped something would happen at Stronghold. They hadn’t talked explicitly about it, she realized.
Dinner was a little awkward, because Andrew kept glaring at Jake. Eventually she started kicking him under the table every time she caught him at it and he turned his glare to her.
“Stop kicking me,” he ordered, making Kate look up in surprise. Although she was seated next to Andrew, she obviously hadn’t realized what Sharon was doing. Jake turned his head to stare at Sharon too. She smirked. What? She had good aim.
“Stop glaring at Jake,” she countered, not at all apologetic.
******
Amusement sprang up as Andrew and Sharon stared unwaveringly at each other across the table. They really were like siblings. Jake remembered having similar staring contests with Lexie when he was growing up. Granted, they’d been children at the time.
Chuckling, he dropped his arm from Sharon’s shoulders to around her waist, pulling her along the seat of the booth so that her leg pressed against his. Immediately, Andrew switched his glare.
“It’s fine,” Jake said, his thumb stroking the side of Sharon’s thigh where Andrew couldn’t see it. Sharon leaned into him and Jake’s grin widened while Andrew glowered. “It doesn’t bother me.”
“Well it’s bothering me,” Sharon muttered, side-eyeing Andrew, who suddenly looked a bit abashed.
“I’m not trying to bother you, just…” Andrew sighed, leaning back against his side of the booth, his gaze jumping back and forth between them. “You two went from having a major fight that caused Sharon to call Kate in the middle of the night, to coming back and saying you’re in a relationship. I think I have the right to be a little worried.”
“I think I have the right to be a little worried,” Sharon mimicked him, but in a much higher tone of voice. Somehow, Jake managed to keep his face straight. She dropped back into her normal voice to respond. “No, you don’t, because you don’t get a say in my relationships.”
“No, but I get a say in how he treats you,” Andrew said, giving Jake a threatening look. It was all posturing and they both knew it, but for some reason Andrew seemed compelled to see it through. They were all aware that if Jake hurt Sharon, Andrew wouldn’t be the only one coming for him. Truthfully, he was less scary to Jake than most of the women in the group.
“I’d say I’m treating you pretty well so far, wouldn’t you, princess?” Jake asked, giving her thigh a little squeeze as he leaned down and dropped a kiss on her forehead.
“Oh, definitely,” she purred back at him, sensual heat practically dripping from her voice and nearly making him laugh and ruin their little show. As entertained as Jake was by getting under Andrew’s skin, he wasn’t nearly as good at it as Sharon was. Then again, she had a lot more practice than he did at getting under people’s skin in general – and obviously enjoyed it.
Andrew growled.
“Oh stop,” Kate scolded him. “Just because your sister is dating a loser doesn’t mean that you can take it out on Sharon and Jake.”
“Ah ha!” Sharon said, turning to face Andrew again. “I knew this wasn’t about me! It’s about Iris.”
“It’s still about you,” Andrew argued, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table as he stared Sharon down, his expression earnest. “I care about you. I want you to be happy. I don’t want you to be hurt.”
The sincerity in his voice was undeniable and Jake could practically feel Sharon soften beside him. Andrew’s little speech even touched him.
“I’m going to do my best to make her happy,” he reassured Andrew, who lifted his gaze to meet Jake’s. Something indefinable passed through the air between them, a kind of recognition. Jake got it, he really did, especially after talking to Patrick. Andrew saw himself as being somewhat responsible for Sharon, even if she didn’t see it that way.
Realizing that his warning had been heard and understood, Andrew straightened up and nodded at Jake. Both of the women looked back and forth between them, Kate appearing amused, while Sharon was a bit disbelieving.
She shook her head and groaned. “You two are Neanderthals.”
Jake winked at her. “Isn’t that why I’m Captain Caveman?”
******
Of course they couldn’t have a nice, normal night at Stronghold without ribbing from their friends. They were all standing around at their usual bar table, except Angel and Adam who were at home with baby Melody, and Luke and Olivia who were at Marquis.
“What was that about you and Jake not getting together just because you’re the last two single people in our group of friends, again?” Ellie teased her quietly. Not quietly enough though – both Maria and Hilary overheard her and started cracking up. Dammit. She knew she shouldn’t have helped Ellie become more outspoken.
“I know, I know,” Sharon said with a resigned sigh. “I’m a walking cliché. But can you blame me? I mean, look at this.” She reached over and yanked up Jake’s shirt to show off his abs.
