Leo (A Sign of Love Novel)(40)

I stare at him, my jacket half on and half off. I take a deep breath. "I want to believe you, Jake, I just… I don't want to… "

"Evie, listen, God, if you only knew… " He trails off, laughing a humorless laugh.

"If I only knew what?"

"If you only knew how ridiculous it is for you to think that I would ever betray you, much less with Gwen. Really, if you could get inside my brain, you'd be laughing, too."

"Jake - "

"Please, just trust me, please don't go."

I look at him closely to judge his sincerity and I sense that he's telling the truth. So I let him lead me away from his foyer area, taking off my coat and throwing it back on the bench near his door, following Jake and following my heart once again. But hoping deep inside, that that doesn’t make me a fool.





CHAPTER 20


I work another catering job on Thursday, returning home late. I'm exhausted as I crawl into bed but the money is good, and I appreciate the feeling of safety being ahead financially makes.

On Friday, Jake asks me to stay with him and when I walk into his condo at seven thirty, having been dropped off by a co-worker since Jake had an errand to run, he scoops me up and kisses me and says, "I'm running a bath for you so you can get a second wind because I'm taking you out dancing tonight."

"Dancing?" I sputter. "I don't know how to dance."

"Yes you do. You just don't know it. Have you ever been to a nightclub?"

"No, I've been to bars, but - "

"It's not right that a 22 year old girl has never been out dancing. I want to be the first to take you. I want to have as many firsts with you as possible." He grins at me.

"You do realize that I have to work tomorrow, right?"

"I won't have you out too late."

"Hmmm… Okay, well then there's only one flaw in your plan. I have nothing to wear to a nightclub."

He grins a sneaky grin. "Go look on the bed."

"Jake," I put my hands on my hips. "You don't need to buy me clothes."

"Indulge me, Evie. I bought you one dress and some shoes. It means something to me to do that. Please accept it."

I raise an eyebrow at him but head towards the bedroom to check it out anyway. What in the world would Jake pick out for me to wear to a nightclub?

I walk in his room and lying on the bed is a one shoulder, sexy little peacock blue number, with an edgy black belted waist and a pair of stiletto black heels that Nicole would drool over. I finger the silky material and I have to admit, I love it all.

I turn around and Jake is leaning casually in the doorway, one hip resting on the frame, arms crossed, a small smile on his face.

I smile. "I love it. Thank you. Did you really pick this out?"

He grins. "Well, I had some help from a saleswoman at Nieman's. But I did give her the color scheme I wanted, and I looked at the clothes you left here for your size."

"Peacock blue, huh?" I raise an eyebrow.

He shrugs. "I like the color. Just don't ask me to take you anywhere near the zoo."

I laugh and then kiss him quickly, before I head to the bathroom to peel off my dirty work clothes. Jake runs me a bath and then heads to the kitchen to throw together a quick dinner for me since he's already eaten.

I soak in the lavender scented bubble bath Jake bought for me, turning on the jets to high. After about twenty minutes, my body and my mind feel rejuvenated and I pull myself out of the cooling water and start getting ready.

I pull on a black thong and then dress in the outfit Jake bought for me. The dress fits perfectly, although it's very sexy, clinging to every curve I have. I'm not that big on top, a good b cup, but I have a small waist and long legs and even I can see that this dress flatters me.

I blow dry my hair and curl it in loose waves. I up the drama of my usual makeup with a darker, smokier eye and some nude lipgloss.

When I walk out to the kitchen, Jake turns around and his body stills as his eyes roam over me, filling with heat. "You're stunning."

I smile, fidgeting a little. "Thank you. I have a personal shopper who's well acquainted with my figure."

He grins at me and places a bowl on the counter. "Pasta Primavera with shrimp," he says.

I sit down and dig in saying through the first mouthful, "Oh God, this is delicious. Did you make this from scratch?"

"There's nothing to that dish. Chopping some vegetables and boiling some pasta."

I don't buy it. It's way too delicious. "I'm going to cook for you next. You've spoiled me enough already."

"Get used to it. I like spoiling you."

Then he takes off the long sleeved, cotton pullover he's wearing and I freeze as I see that the white t-shirt he's wearing underneath has a big stamp across the front that says, World's Greatest in bold, black print.

I almost choke on my food, snorting and bringing my napkin up to my mouth so I don't spew pasta all over him.

"What?" he says innocently.

I point at his shirt. "World's Greatest what?" I ask, trying to rein in my laughter.

"Oh, this?" he asks, pointing to his chest. "It's all inclusive. World's Greatest Guy, World's Greatest Lover, World's Greatest Cook," he motions to my pasta when he says this last part. "You name it, I'm the greatest."