Splintered Oak (Winsor Series Book 3) (20 page)

“Awesome. You up for another?” I asked in his direction, refusing to look behind me.

“Sure,” he beamed, sending me a grin. “Should I ask who my new shooting partner is?”

He was smooth, and kind of cute. I didn’t mind. He was a good distraction. “Naomi,” I offered with my outstretched hand.

“Troy. Nice to meet you. You come here by yourself?” he leaned against the game to get a better look at me.

Before I could respond, I felt Jake’s arm slide around my waist as I was pulled back to him so tightly that every inch of our bodies made contact.

His lips found my neck before he whispered just loud enough for Troy to hear. “Sorry that took so long.”

I tried to move away from him, but was rendered immobile by his tight grip as he stared at Troy with a look that screamed murder. Troy responded by backing away and mumbling something about seeing me around.

Once the guy was out of sight, Jake released my waist, allowing me to disengage and turn around. Suddenly consumed with fury, I crossed my arms. “What, that girl can grope you and hang all over you, but God forbid a guy talks to me? How is that fair?”

Jake’s dark glare soon turned to humor as he took in my face. “Why Naomi, are you jealous?”

Indignation rose up in me as I dropped my jaw in shock. “Of course not!”

Jake let out a chuckle and sashayed towards me like a lion sizing up its prey. He gripped my hips and brought me close to him again. I trembled at his touch, unable to respond.

His breath was on my ear, making my stomach leap as his words filled my head. “Baby, you just say the word, and I’m all yours. You already own me.”

His eyes met mine, his longing reaching well past my defenses. I stared at him, shaken, aching and terrified by what was happening inside of me. Unable to speak, I spun around and away from him, not stopping until I reached our abandoned golf putters.

“I believe we still have a round of golf to play,” I reminded him as he joined me at the table. The look I shot him was warning enough, so he just took the stick and smiled.

“Whatever you want,” he conceded. But the air between us had shifted, and deep down I knew it would be impossible to change it back
.
  

23. FATHER WOUNDS

JAKE

The morning seemed brighter, the air fresher, as I readied for the day. The night before had been exhilarating and beyond anything I had ever experienced. Naomi had been a sight to behold, looking as if she stepped right o
ut of a sports commercial. She was so unaware of her appeal, yet I saw more than one pair of eyes follow her throughout the evening.

She hadn’t noticed any of them, only mine, I realized with a smile. Try as she might, I could feel her weakening, could sense her affection for me. A satisfied smile crossed my face. I was good with her. Probably because I liked everything about her – the way she looked, sounded, smelled, even the way her strange mind was constantly processing.

Chuckling to myself, I remembered the fury on her face as she watched Aimee. I’d been ready to kill that little stalker until I saw the reaction she pulled from Naomi. The green-eyed monster had consumed her, thrilling me. Jealousy never appealed to me before, but I found it endearing coming from Naomi. Heck, everything about her was endearing. From those dark expressive eyes to the stubborn set of her jaw as she lined up the golf ball; she has me completely entranced.

Even knowing I had
my counseling appointment in an hour didn’t hinder my good mood. Heck, if Bruce wanted to talk about love and fluffy rainbows today, I’d be happy to oblige. Life was good.

Whistling as I poured some coffee, I didn’t even mind that David was staring at me as if I had grown an extra head.

“So, did you pop the question?” I asked with a grin, sipping from my cup.

“Huh?” David still stared
at me in surprise.

“Your girlfriend? She say yes?” I clarified.

David’s eyebrows shot up and then he smiled. “Yeah, she did. Lord knows why.”

I walked around the bar and set down my cup. “Congrats man!” I beamed, slapping his back before picking up the coffee again.

David’s eyes slanted as he turned to watch me get settled in the living room. “Thanks,” he replied hesitantly, shaking his head as he turned back around. I almost laughed. Surely I wasn’t always so grumpy.

I heard Naomi’s door open and shot her a warm smile as she closed it behind her. “Morning. You sleep good?” I
shot her a suggestive grin. Had she thought about me as much as I did her?

The surprised jerk of her head and then the guilt that washed over her face told me she had, making my smile even bigger.

“David’s officially off the market,” I informed her. “I think a celebratory dinner is in order.”

Naomi looked in David’s direction and that beautiful smile moved across her face. “Really? Oh congratulations!” Despite the joy in her voice, she seemed to walk toward the kitchen with unease, refusing to look in my direction. My gut clenched a little, but I dismissed it as I approached the bar.

“So sixish? We could go to Landry’s,” I looked between the two of them.

Naomi cleared her throat and turned toward the refrigerator. “Um
, I can’t tonight. I have plans.”

The knot tightened, but I forced myself to be casual. “Really, what are you doing?”

She looked visibly uncomfortable as the room suddenly felt charged. “It’s just a football thing, some kind of mingle party…with Jonathan.”

The silence lingered while the air between us simmered with tension and repressed anger.

I took a deep breath, all the joy I had felt disappearing when she said his name. “Like a date?”

Naomi set down her juice in frustration. “Yes Jake, it’s a date. We can just celebrate tomorrow, okay?” I watched her squeeze her temples and wince.

“You still having headaches?” I demanded, moving toward her, needing to feel her next to me, or I would lose it. “You need to get that checked out.”

She pulled away when I softly touched her temple and moved quickly out of the kitchen. “It’s fine. Look, I have to go. David, I’m really happy for you.”

She grabbed her bag and fled the apartment without looking back.

I stared after her, still reeling from her news and the distance she suddenly put between us. Had I misread her feeling
s so completely last night?

David cleared his throat, forcing me to look in his direction. “I recommend you make yourself scarce tonight,” he suggested, grabbing his coat.

“What are you talking about?” I growled, my sunny disposition long gone.

“You’re on probation, Jake, remember that. I’m not stupid. I’ve seen the way you look at Naomi. Being here when her boyfriend picks her up is just asking for trouble.”

Always the practical one, I thought bitterly. It was my condo as much as it was hers, and I was not going anywhere.

“He’s not her boyfriend,” I grumbled before slamming my bedroom door shut behind me.

An hour did very little to calm the storm in my gut, so waiting for Bruce to see me only made me more agitated. I bounced my knees and pretended to look through one of his muscle magazines, but neither did anything to relax me. Bruce was late, and I began to wonder if he did it on purpose just to throw me off guard.

His door opened and I stood, avoiding eye contact when a rough looking guy hugged Bruce and then wiped his eyes as he left. Bruce glanced in my direction and waved me back. He was decidedly more relaxed today than he had been yesterday morning when he all but threatened me to set up an appointment.

Wiping the sweat off my palms, I followed him back, feeling my chest constrict. Why did the air get so thick in his office? You’d think the man could afford a decent air conditioning system.

“Glad you could make it, Jake,” he offered as he shut the door behind me.

“I didn’t really have a choice, did I?”

Bruce chuckled. “No, I guess not.” He sat across from me and looked down at my knees that were still bouncing. “You nervous?”

Forcing my legs to stop twitching, I pretended to relax. “No. Just ready to get started.”

Bruce suppressed a smile. “Okay then. Why don’t we start with your cousin? I haven’t heard back from that detective.”

I shook my head in disgust. “Yeah, I doubt you will. What you witnessed was a very well delivered threat. My roommate saw the guy who attacked Issy, and she went to the cops. This guy is filthy rich and has a
very
large payroll, if you know what I mean. The detective all but told her he would go after me if she pursued the case. Issy took off, so at least she’s safe. End of story.”

His eyebrows rose at my resigned tone. “Wow, I didn’t expect you to give up so easily, Jake.”

“What can I do?” I demanded as my stomach knotted with guilt and then the anger that always followed. “He has an iron tight alibi and dirty cops in his back pocket. Not to mention, I don’t want him going after Naomi. And I have no doubt he will if I provoke him.”

Bruce just nodded and sat back to watch me. “This is a different side of you, Jake. I got the impression that you are an act first, deal-with-the-consequences-later type.”

I just shrugged, so he continued.

“Your face changes when you say her name. I take it she is more than just a roommate?”

Irritated by the turn of questioning, I ran my hand through my hair. “What is your fascination with my love life?”

“Do you have a love life? I thought you were more into casual sex.”

He wasn’t going to let up; I could see it in his eyes. So fine, I’d play along, whatever. “It’s not like that with Naomi. She’s special. Innocent.”

“Like Avery?”

“Yes, I guess in some ways, but still different. Avery’s innocence was situational. I knew how to push her buttons. Until the end, I always had the upper hand. Naomi’s is intentional, if that makes sense. She’s the strongest person I know. She knows who she is and what she wants. Half the time I’m with her, I can’t tell if I’m coming or going or if I even want to be. She gets me all messed up in the head, making me question things that I’ve never questioned before.”

Realizing that I’d said way more than intended, I clamped my mouth shut and waited for Bruce to do what he always
did and twist my words around.

He didn’t even try to hide the smile this time. “She sounds like a great girl. I guess my next question is, what are going to do with that? Jake, I’m not sure if you are aware of this, but you seek out women to meet your needs—to feel affirmed, worthy, valued. I imagine in the heat of passion, all those feelings are met. But how do you usually feel the next morning?”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know, I haven’t been with a woman in a month.”

“I’m sure you still remember.” Bruce paused and watched as I fidgeted more in the chair. Why
were all his questions so personal? It felt like an invasion.

“I feel disgusted. Sometimes with myself, sometimes with them. I just want them to leave,” I admitted.

“So in a way, you are re-creating trauma.”

My brow furrowed as I tried to understand what the heck he was talking about. “What trauma?”

“Jake, your father leaving you and your mother dying is trauma. You having to be her caretaker at fifteen years old is trauma. This battle you have inside of you where you love and then hate is recreating those feelings you have for your mom and dad.”

“Whoa, stop right there. I do not hate my mother, and I don’t love my father. My mother was perfect. She was strong despite the hand she was dealt. Gees, what is it with you therapists wanting us to blame all our issues on our childhood? I’m a man. I like sex. I like sex with multiple women. It’s simple genetics.”

“So you think every man is incapable of commitment? That every man is driven by sex?”

I wanted to say yes, but my mind immediately thought of Grant and his unending loyalty to Issy. How he stayed true to her even when she left him, and how broken he was that day in the hospital. “No, I guess not if they find the right woman.”

“Is Naomi that right woman for you? Do you think your pattern of behavior will change simply because you feel intense feelings for her?”

Now I was agitated again and stood to pace the room. “I don’t know. Maybe. I want to be better. I want to be a good guy for her.”

“You know what? I believe you. I think you really do want to change. So, let’s just say that I’m right in this case and it’s not just about sex, but a deeper problem. Would you be willing to fix it, so that you don’t bring that anger and entitlement into this new relationship with Naomi?”

A resigned sigh drifted from my lips as I pictured her twirling around the dance floor tripping over her feet, then her concentrating on making the perfect dinner, and finally that look in her eyes when I’d gotten too close. The look that embodied desire and fear. Yeah, she is worth it.

Sitting back down, I put my head in my hands and nodded.

“Good, I have a few exercises we are going to try,” he explained.

I looked up, fearful for the first time. “You’re not going to try and hypnotize me or anything like that, are you?”

Bruce dropped his head back and laughed. His booming voice did little to lessen my unease.

“No, nothing like that,” he finally assured me. “I want you to do some homework. I want you to write a letter to your father, telling him exactly how you feel about his actions. Then, one to your mom.”

“I told you, I’m not angry with my mom.”

“Okay then, just write whatever you like. Let’s call it a grief letter. Write about how you felt when she was sick and how you felt after she died.”

My heart thudded and tears threatened my eyes. “You’re going to get a blank page. All I’ve felt since she died is emptiness.”

Bruce took in the hard set of my jaw and my glassy eyes. His voice softened just a little. “Somehow, I think you’ll find something to write about.”

I wiped awa
y the accursed tears. Maybe he was right.