Wicked Need (The Wicked Horse Series Book 3)(30)
And why would I?
Even though I truly understand what happened to our relationship, Tarryn left me a little jaded by her infidelity. Besides, there was no shortage of tourists and locals to f*ck once I settled here in Jackson. Once The Silo opened, that pretty much sealed my fate as a bachelor because I could get off whenever I wanted with no-strings attached. It’s not that I’m opposed to the strings, but it’s just easier when they’re not involved.
“This is monumental, dude,” he says with a grin. “It’s about time you started dating again.”
“We’re friends,” I correct him. “She’s down on her luck and crashing at my place for a few days.”
Friends who are f*cking though.
“Friends my ass,” he says without any qualms of dismissing my motives so quickly. “So when do Lorelei and I get to meet her? How about dinner this weekend?”
“Maybe,” I say, not bothering to try to assert that this is a friends-only deal. He’s not buying it. Not because he has any great insight into me, but because he doesn’t want to. Jake’s always been a romantic at heart, and he wants everyone to fall in love, get married, and pop out kids. “She’s going to come here after she’s done dropping resumes off, so you can meet her then.”
“She’s job hunting?” he asks before taking a sip of his coffee.
“Yeah, you hiring?”
“Not right now, but I will be in about two weeks to gear up for the start of hunting season. I’ll need some extra help to keep track of all the expeditions and guides.”
“How many are you up to now?” I ask curiously. Jake has never hunted or fished in his life that I know of, but he’s become quite successful at gathering knowledgeable guides who flock to this area during peak tourist season to pick up work.
“I’ve got eleven,” he says nonchalantly. “Seven returning from last year and four new that I’m hiring.”
“Jesus,” I say with a teasing grin. “Do you even bother with the snow sporting world anymore?”
“Still my one true love,” he answers before pushing his chair back and standing up. “And I need to get to it as I have a shitload of stuff to do today. I’m already a few hours behind.”
“Sure, man,” I say, standing up as well and not wanting to hold him up… too much. But I have to ask, “Listen, this friend of mine… her name’s Cat, and she’s really in a tough spot. If you hear of any job openings, let me know, okay?”
“You know I will,” he reassures. “But you know it’s tough around here. Everyone wants to live and work in this area.”
And that’s the f*cking truth. I’ve been all over the world and much of the United States, and there isn’t much that’s comparable to this area in the way of scenery and activities. Throw in the grandeur of Yellowstone just north of us, and the competition for work is stiff.
Movement over Jake’s shoulder and beyond the open doorway of the breakroom catches my attention. I see Cat walking toward us. I’ll admit that my tongue was hanging out of my head this morning when she came out of the bedroom wearing a slim-fitted skirt that came just down to her knees but with a slit up the side that showed just a tiny peek of her lower thigh when she walked in her high heels. It wasn’t enough to be overtly sexy, but it was enough to get a man’s attention and for him to wonder what else was up there. Luckily, I knew the answer to that question.
I smile at her, and she says hesitantly, “The guy up front said you were back here and that I could come on back.”
Jake turns to the sound of her voice. Because he’s a genuinely friendly guy and an extrovert on steroids, he sticks his hand out and says, “You must be Cat?”
She enters the breakroom and takes his hand, shooting me a quick smile before looking back to him. “And you must be Jake. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“And I haven’t heard nearly enough about you,” he says as he gives a quick shake and releases her hand. “But unfortunately I’ve got to get to work. So I demanded that your man set up a double date with me and my wife, Lorelei.”
Cat’s eyes cut to mine. While she doesn’t need to say a word, I can read the look. It says, He doesn’t know we’re just f*cking?
I shoot her back a look that says, It’s more than just f*cking and you know it.
She smirks at me before turning back to Jake. “That sounds like fun. We should do it soon.”
And just like that, it looks like I might be having my first real date in well… for f*cking ever. There’s never been anyone other than Tarryn and shit… we were still kids when we started seeing each other. Dates back then consisted of making out in the school library or grabbing an ice cream in town. Once we got older and life got busy, dates were an uncommon occurrence.
“Sounds awesome,” Jake says. He turns to look at me with a pointed look that says, Let’s do this sooner rather than later before you chase her off. Turning sideways, he slides past Cat while saying, “Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” she murmurs and then turns back to me. “Sorry that took so long.”
“No worries,” I assure her. “You hit all the places you wanted to?”
A slightly uneasy look crosses her face, but she nods. “Yeah… now it’s a wait and see.”