Page 112 of The Love Rematch
“I think Nina took it.”
“Dammit!” He scrubs his hands through his hair as guilt racks through him. “There was a note. I swear, there was a note, Em. I—”
“Shut up.”
She takes his hand to silence him and steps closer. A gentle scrape fills the quiet as she slides her palm over his unshaven cheek. Jake drops his forehead to hers and breathes her in while her nails rake over his scalp. A shiver spills down his spine, extending all the way to his toes.
“Listen to me, Jacob William Henry the Third, and listen good,” she murmurs, her gaze boring into his. “The next time you spend the night in my room, you will not, under any circumstance, leave until I am awake. Understood?”
The edge of his lip tugs up. “So you’re saying there’s a next time?”
“Jake.”
“Understood.”
“Good.”
He smirks. “You’re sexy when you’re demanding.”
“I’ve been channeling my inner Samantha for too long.” She rolls her eyes and steps back, then reaches up to release the tight cinch of her hair. Auburn waves cascade down her back and it’s all he can do not to sink his hands into them, especially when she exhales a soft groan. “God, I’ve been waiting all day to do that. You have no idea how good it feels.”
“I know how good it looks,” he murmurs, not bothering to hide his arousal as she shakes out her hair and returns to herself. “How’d you and Sam manage to make the switch, anyway?”
“It was easy.”
Jake frowns. Fooling their high school English teacher for an hour so Emily could sneak out of school early on her birthday had been easy. Fooling Nina Chen for five minutes, let alone an entire morning, was anything but. “Really?”
“Yeah.” Emily shrugs. “After I hung up with you last night, I told Nina that Dr. Hughes was my dentist and I had a cavity.”
He snorts.Genius.
“Sam made a big splash, the way Sam does, and it must’ve left Nina feeling guilty or something, because when I asked if Sam could spend the night in my room, she said yes.”
Nina Chen, guilty? Not a chance.
“So I used the time to catch Sam up on the show,” Emily continues, unaware of the doubts spinning through his mind. “I warned her about today’s date with Ethan, and then prepped her for the proposals tomorrow. When my parents arrived for filming this morning, I was dressed as Sam and Sam was dressed as me. None of the crew seemed to notice, especially once Ethan arrived. She was practically salivating to rip him a new asshole, and I think Nina could sense it because she hardly glanced my way. Come to think of it, I’m actually curious how their date is going. I mean, he’s a jerk, but I think I pity anyone who has to face my sister when she’s in rare form like that.”
Emily trails off with soft laughter and shakes her head.
Everything becomes clear.
Nina wasn’t fooled. Far from it. She just saw a better opportunity and took it. Sam’s always been the bold one, the loud one, the one everyone is drawn to. She’s the perfect leading lady for a show likeThe Love Match,which deals in absolutes, and Nina must’ve sensed it immediately. A finale with Sam at the helm will be inherently juicier than one led by Emily because Sam doesn’t shy away from the drama. She thrives in it. Nina probably noticed the switch right away. Hell, she might have even predicted it. To her, it was like a golden opportunity falling right into her lap.
But maybe Emily is right, too.
Jake surprises himself with the thought, yet it feels accurate when he thinks back to that final look Nina gave him and the hint of regret in her eyes. Maybe she did feel guilty. Maybe Nina Chen has a heart, after all. A teeny, tiny, barely beating, most-likely-stained-black heart, but a heart just the same. Because letting Sam stay meant letting Emily run here to him.
Jake opens his mouth to say as much, but at the same time, Emily inhales sharply and turns toward the nightstand on the other side of the room. Worry lines pull at her forehead, and his stomach sinks. The reality behind her urgency crashes back in. She’s here for much more than a reunion with him—how much more, he has no idea, but even thinking it makes his blood run cold.
“Before we say anything else, I need to use your phone.”
He nods, unable to find words.
Emily walks to the bed and lifts the handheld from the receiver. Jake stays frozen on the other side of the room. His heart comes to a halt as her elegant fingers gently tap in the number. The subsequent ring deafens in the quiet. At the gentleclickof an answer, Emily’s shoulders hitch.
He holds his breath.
“Hi, Dr. Laghari? This is Emily Peters. I’m sorry to call on your private line, but my sister said it was urgent so I didn’t want to wait for the office to— Yes. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. That’s no problem. I’ll be back in the United States tomorrow. Yes. Okay. Thank you.”
