Baby, Don't Lose My Number (8 page)

“I do trust you.”

Their gazes met, locked, the moment suddenly intense. As if she really did trust him. As if they were in some sort of real and permanent relationship.

He wanted it. She was everything he didn’t know he was looking for. Sounded crazy, he barely knew her but he just felt it deep in his bones.

As if it was almost…

Fated. He’d found her phone and ended up finding the woman of his dreams.

But would she agree? Or think he was crazy? He felt pretty damn crazy. Emotions swirled inside him, filled his head, his heart full to bursting.

Jake ignored the urge to say something heartfelt and sentimental so he squeezed her close. Gave her pert ass a little smack that made her cry out. As if she liked it.

“Let me rest just for a minute, babe,” he said, pulling her close. Letting her continue to ride his leg. “And then I’ll make it worth your while. I promise.”

Chapter Six

“She’s blushing. She doesn’t want to talk about her weekend with Mister Cell Phone,” Morgan teased.

Mia shook her head, her cheeks so hot she was afraid they might go up in flames. “I’m not one to divulge details.”

“Which means the details are outrageously juicy.” Morgan rubbed her hands together gleefully. “Whenever you’re ready to spill we’re here to listen.”

“Stop it, Morgan. Can’t you see you’re embarrassing her?” Jenna reached across the restaurant table and patted the top of Mia’s hand. “Ignore her. She doesn’t understand.”

“Ouch. Just because I’m surrounded by the two of you so long gone in lust doesn’t mean I don’t understand.” Morgan took a sip of her diet Coke with enough force to slurp up the entire glass.

Mia bit her lower lip. She didn’t mean to make her friend mad. Of course, she wasn’t the one who made the remark but she knew Jenna didn’t mean anything by it either.

“Sorry, honey,” Jenna said, her expression full of remorse. “I didn’t mean to…”

“Oh, ignore me.” Morgan waved her hand around with a frown. “I’m being a bitch, sorry. I’m just jealous.”

Mia would be jealous of herself too. She’d been giddy and walking on air for the last three days. So busy with work she hadn’t been able to get away from her desk to meet the girls for lunch. After work she spent all of her time with Jake.

And was having the time of her life too.

They’d finally coerced her into going out to lunch. Larry was away at a business meeting for most of the day so she was freer. A relative term since he loved to constantly harass her via text message or email.

Jake threatened to toss her cell phone more than once. He acted as if he was joking, but she had a feeling he was dead serious.

And for once, the idea appealed. The thought of being free of Larry’s constant barrage of terse commands sounded blissful.

But again, she needed it. She couldn’t give up her job. She’d checked online to see if there was anything available in their city but nothing great. And certainly nothing that paid as well as this.

She was stuck.

“So, this guy…Jake. You really like him?” Jenna asked, interrupting Mia’s thoughts.

“I do.” Mia didn’t even hesitate. She did really like Jake. A lot. More than she wanted to admit. They were so intense, her feelings for him. He was all she thought about. The moment she saw him after work, it was as if she could forget all her troubles. All she wanted was him. She didn’t care about food or sleep. Watching TV or reading a book. She just wanted to spend time with him. In bed, out of bed, it didn’t matter.

“He’s nice? Has a good job? Is good in bed?” Morgan ticked off the questions as if she read them from a list.

“Yes, yes and yes,” Mia answered with a smile, taking a sip from her drink. They were at a sandwich shop not too far from work, in walking distance and the place was packed with the usual lunchtime crowd.

“We’ll have to all go out sometime,” Jenna said, casting a worried glance in Morgan’s direction. She’d blundered again though Morgan didn’t really notice.

“I can’t believe you’re ditching your nighttime work schedule to hang out with a guy,” Morgan mused with a slight shake of her head. “He really must be something to tear you away from Larry.”

“Larry met him.” Mia took a bite of her sandwich, amused at the expressions of disbelief of her friends’ faces.

“When?” Morgan asked incredulously.

Mia shrugged, going for casual. What she was about to admit would probably look stupid but they were her friends. Hopefully they wouldn’t judge. “At his house on Sunday. He was hosting a barbecue and invited me to come. I’ve, uh, been avoiding those types of situations because out of the office he makes me uncomfortable. And so I invented a—fake boyfriend to keep me otherwise occupied on the weekends.”

Both Morgan’s and Jenna’s mouths dropped open. “Are you serious?” Jenna squeaked.

Mia shrugged, feeling foolish. She set her sandwich down on the paper wrapper. “He can be kind of creepy. He invited me to his house once before for one of those afternoon party things. I was practically the only guest. His wife treated me awful. Larry acted as if he wanted to get me alone, and I don’t mean to discuss business. I finally escaped. Never went back until a few days ago. With Jake on my arm.”

“How did it go?”

“It was still weird. But at least I had Jake with me.”

Morgan slowly shook her head. “I can’t believe you never told us this. You need to report him.”

“Report Larry? Yeah, right.” Mia didn’t feel very hungry anymore. All the talk of Larry zapped her appetite.

“Seriously, what a creep. He can’t get away with this. No wonder he can’t keep an assistant to save his life.” Morgan waved a finger at her. “You need to tell someone and soon. What if he does something inappropriate? Attacks you? You need to put a stop to it.”

“Who’s going to believe me? It’s my word against his. And he’s never actually done anything overtly creepy. He’s never touched me inappropriately.” Well, not really. “He just gives off a bad vibe.”

“Well, that bad vibe is going to grab your ass one day and then what will happen? Please report his ass and quick.”

“You really should,” Jenna added, concern glowing in her eyes. “It’s not right. I’m sure he’s done this before. Like Morgan said, he’s never been able to keep an assistant as long as you. I bet he’s just biding his time until he does something bad.”

Mia sighed. She should’ve never told them. She could handle this on her own. In fact, she was determined more than ever to find another job. It was true. Larry had never actually touched her in a rude manner. Yes, his hand lingered on her arm or around her shoulder just a touch too long but nothing wildly vulgar. He joked and made sexual references but nothing too overt. She could handle it.

But not for much longer. Who needed that sort of misery? She was the happiest she’d ever been. She had good friends and Jake. The only downfall was her job. So she needed to make a change.

She vowed to do it by month’s end.

“Jake, I want you to come back and work for me.”

Jake stared at his father from across the kitchen table. “I don’t know, Dad…”

“Don’t give me that I don’t know crap. It’s time for you to stop sitting on your ass and start work again,” Don Miller said in his usual gruff manner.

With a sigh Jake rubbed at the back of his neck. He knew this conversation was coming. He just didn’t figure it would be here so soon. “I appreciate the offer, but I think I’m going to wait it out a bit longer.”

“What, sit on your ass and collect disability for the rest of your days? That’s no life, son.”

Anger simmered in his veins as he sat up in his char. He’d come over to his parents because his mother offered lunch. He didn’t think he’d get a shitty speech. “I don’t plan on sitting on my ass and collecting disability for the rest of my life. I broke my freakin’ back. I had a huge beam drop on me and nearly kill me only a few months ago. I don’t think I’m quite ready to go back to work.”

His father’s gaze softened just a fraction. “I feel like you’re just sitting idle. You need to be working. Hell, I need you there, son. I miss you. We all miss you.”

Jake’s anger and frustration lessened a fraction. “I appreciate that. I miss you guys too. But no way am I ready to get back out there yet.” Physically, not quite, but he knew he was close. Hell, he was working out every day both in the gym and in the sack. His vigorous lovemaking with Mia on a daily basis would rouse a dead man from the grave.

But the thought of getting back out there and walking the beams, and all of the hard ass work that came with the construction site, freaked him out. Made him freeze. Deep down inside, he knew it was more a psychological thing versus a physical thing. Yet he knew his father wouldn’t get it.

“Come back and work in the office, then. I had to let the bookkeeper go. Found out she’d screwed up the books so bad I had to go back in myself and work on it to straighten it out. I can’t make heads or tails of it,” his dad muttered.

“Have Mom help you,” Jake suggested.

Don laughed. “Right. Your mother is too busy to mess with the books. Ever since she retired she’s even busier than she was before.”

An idea bloomed in Jake’s brain, and he contemplated it. He wondered if it was too risky, asking the woman he’d been involved with for only a week if she’d like to come work for the family business.

Hell, if he had his way she’d be a part of his family sooner rather than later. It wasn’t such a bad idea, her working at his and his dad’s construction company. “I think I know someone who could do a great job for us.”

His dad’s eyes lit up. “Really? Who?”

“This woman I know. She’s really smart and good at her job. But that’s the only problem. She already has a job. I don’t know if she’d be interested in working for us.”

“Well, ask her. That’s the least you could do. And the worst she could say is no. I say do it.” His father pushed away from the table and stood, glancing at the clock on the wall. “I gotta get back to the site. But we’ll talk later, okay? Keep me updated on what your lady friend says about the job.”

Jake watched his dad leave the house. Heard the heavy slam of his truck door outside as he climbed in and fired it up. His lady friend. The term made him smile. She was definitely his lady friend.

But she was more than that. She was his friend, his lover, his…everything. He enjoyed spending time with her. When she wasn’t around, he missed her. It was fucking ridiculous.

He thought he might be full-tilt in love. Completely insane since he hardly knew her. Who fell in love after a week? No one did. And if they claimed they were in love, then everyone around them knew they’d lost their minds.

They had gotten to know each other though. They talked for hours, sharing little things about their lives. Old stories, new ones, tidbits about their respective families and the like. She was sweet and smart and sexy. She laughed easily and was serious when needed. Hot as fire in bed and up for just about anything.

Thinking about her now made him wish it was closer to five o’clock so he could surprise her at work by picking her up. Taking her back to her place where he’d strip her naked and push her down onto the bed. Rub their naked bodies together until their legs entwined and their breaths mingled. Kiss her pouty mouth, lick at her delectable tongue. Suck her nipples, suck her clit until he slammed his cock deep. Losing himself inside her for the rest of the night.

Forget dinner. Who needed to eat when you had sex with the most beautiful girl on the planet?

Yeah. Damn. He had it baaaad.

Determined more than ever, he went and said goodbye to his mom, then headed to the local mall. The most dreaded place in the entire world—at least to him. He was going to go inside, find some nice store, find a saleslady to help him and he was going to buy Mia a gift. A gift that meant business. A gift that would reflect his feelings toward her. Nothing too crazy but damn, he had to let her know what she was to him.

After an afternoon of shopping and with a package nestled in the front pocket of his worn out jeans, he went to her work, ready to pick her up. Something he’d never done before. He hadn’t even bothered calling. Thought he’d march right on in and find her. How hard could it be?

He entered the building and went to the perky receptionist who greeted everyone, letting her know he was looking for Mia. Awareness dawned in her eyes and she called who he assumed was Mia on the phone but she didn’t answer.

“I know she’s still up there,” the receptionist said as she hung up the phone and smiled at him. “I haven’t seen her leave yet. Surprising since she’s been leaving five o’clock on the dot all this week.”

Jake could barely contain his grin. The reason she didn’t stay late at work anymore was because of him. She’d confessed as much on Monday night when she stopped by his place breathless and eager at exactly twenty minutes after five. The minute he let her inside she’d launched herself at him. “Can I go up and see her?”

“I don’t see why not. Third floor, take the elevator and when it opens, go to your right and down the short hall. Last office on the right.”

“Thanks.” He winked at her, earning a little giggle for his trouble and he went to the elevator, eagerly pushing the button. Tapping his foot, he waited for the elevator to arrive and when it did, a stream of people disembarked. Many of them cast a curious glance in his direction as they passed.

Who knew he’d draw this much attention?

Once the elevator was empty he got on and pushed number three. Tapped his foot again as he rode up the elevator, hoping like hell he wasn’t making a wrong step by coming to pick her up. Would she be happy to see him? He’d already planned on telling her he’d drive her to work in the morning. He didn’t mind.

He’d do anything for her.

The elevator doors opened with a quiet swoosh and he exited. Caught sight of the maze of cubicles before him in the large open room. Most of them were abandoned since it was just past five and he followed the receptionist’s directions. Headed down the hall toward the last office on the right.

He stopped in stunned silence when he saw what was going on inside.

Mia struggled to get out of the seeming embrace of her jerk-off boss. The look of terror on her face struck at his heart and he barged inside without thinking.