Heart's Desires (3 page)

CHAPTER 5

Jake sat in the over decorated apartment, wondering to himself how in the hell he wound up there.  Although everything around him screamed opulence, he felt it was overdone and gaudy.  He really hated when people tried to flaunt their wealth by buying expensive shit they didn’t need.  Like, who in their right mind needed a gold plated lamp?

I’m going to kill my cousin, Lo, for this
, he thought, taking in the overwhelming clutter of expensive stuff.

Jake was taking Lauryn and her friend Kate out for dinner.  He wasn’t so sure why Lauryn insisted that he go with them, but she’d practically begged him and promised she would owe him a favor of all favors if he went. He reluctantly agreed, and now his reluctance grew every second he was in this annoying woman’s apartment.

“Uh hey, Kate, are you almost ready there sweetheart? We still need to pick up Lauryn.”  Jake looked at his watch for the millionth time.  He was not a patient man, and dealing with this flaky woman was testing his limits.

“Yeah I’m ready . . . sweetheart.”  Kate came out of her bedroom wearing a plastered on blue bandage dress.  She paused just before reaching Jake, flashed him a toothpaste ad smile, and batted her long fake lashes.

Kate’s high pitched voice was anything but sexy, but with the seductive look that graced her pretty face and the extra sway in her hips, you couldn’t have told her that.

Jake cleared his throat, barely able to contain the eye roll and the curse words that were on the tip of his tongue. 
This is going to be a long fucking night!  And I’m going to kill Lauryn,
Jake thought as he sighed loudly and moved toward the door.

After he picked up Lauryn, the three of them headed to the restaurant.  It was packed because it was Friday night, but with Lauryn being the socialite that she was, it was easy for them to get in, and they also got one of the best tables in the place.

Once their drinks were ordered, the three of them sat chatting about mundane things.  Kate was in full on flirt mode, and Jake was growing tired of her antics.  He could appreciate a good looking woman just like any other red blooded male, and Kate was attractive.  With her long, fiery red hair, big blue eyes, and svelte figure, she definitely would be considered hot.  However, her clingy demeanor and constant toddler like whining was definitely a complete and utter turnoff to Jake.

“So Jake, Lauryn tells me that you’re single.  How does a fine specimen such as you stay unattached?”  Kate boldly asked as she slid her chair closer to Jake’s.

Jake raised an eyebrow and cut his cousin a look.  Lauryn simply shrugged, looking away. 
She is going to owe me big for this shit. 
Turning his attention back to the annoying woman, he thought he would just cut to the chase. 

“I’m single by choice.  I haven’t found anybody that can hold my interest.”  Jake knew that wasn’t a true statement; he knew the only woman that captured his every waking thought and ran rampant through his dreams was hell bent on running from him.

“Well, their loss my gain,” Kate stated with an air of confidence.

Jake didn’t comment, not because she was right in her assessment of the situation, but because he had just made eye contact with the object of his obsession.  And she was on a fuckin’ date.  Jake growled low in his throat when the man caressed Charlie’s arm.  He held their eye contact as he sipped the amber liquid from the tumbler the waiter had placed on the table.  Her magnetic hazel orbs grew wide as she recognized Jake’s heated emerald gaze.

“Did you just growl?  Oh sweetheart, not in front of your cousin,” Kate exclaimed, excitedly batting her long dark lashes.

Jake finally broke eye contact with Charlie and looked over at the crazy woman beside him.  But before he could even think to comment and hurt her feelings, Lauryn finally had something to say.

“Did you just call him sweetheart?”  Lauryn asked incredulously.  A frown marred her beautifully tanned face.

“Well, uh yeah.  Jake called me sweetheart before so I just thought…” Kate stuttered, looking confused by Lauryn’s hostility.

“Jake calls everyone sweetheart.  Believe me, it’s nothing personal.”  Lauryn rolled her eyes at the dense woman.

“Oh, well.  I just thought.”  Kate started, but then she flipped her perfectly coifed red hair over her shoulder and smoothed down nonexistent wrinkles on her skin tight dress.  Her blue eyes were filled with embarrassment and anger.  “Whatever, look I’m going to the ladies’ room.  Excuse me.”  She sashayed away without a backwards glance.

“Why are you friends with that person?”  Jake quirked an eyebrow at his cousin, curious about her response.

“She’s not a friend.  It’s a long story.”  Lauryn waved her hand to dismiss her cousin’s questions, but he wasn’t having it.  “I owe Daddy a favor. Being the social butterfly that I am, he asked me to befriend the twit because she’s new in town.  She really is an annoying bitch, but Daddy and her father are business associates, so it is what it is.”

Jake nodded in understanding.  His baby cousin was the epitome of a socialite, and her spoiled ass would do anything to stay on her father’s good side so that she could continue to gallivant around the globe partying.

“Anyways,
why
were you growling?  Is that something that you do often…”

Before Lauryn could finish her question, she saw Charlie across the room, and flashed an all knowing smile before waving at the couple sitting across the restaurant.

***

Charlie watched from across the restaurant as the buxom redhead caressed and rubbed against Jake.  She wasn’t sure if they were on a date or not because for some reason, Lauryn was there too.  But she was sure of the feelings of fury that bubbled up inside her every time the woman touched
her
Bear.

Charlie was beginning to have second thoughts about running from Jake.  Yes, he could break her heart, but the feelings she was having watching another woman touch him felt as though she had a broken heart already.  Her feelings were conflicted; she knew she wanted his sexy ass, but she also knew he scared the living shit out of her.

She tried not to be obvious that she was watching them from across the room like a stalker, but she hadn’t seen Jake since her party, and he looked so damn good with his tousled hair and manly beard.  She couldn’t tell how Jake felt about the beautiful redhead touching him because as usual, his face was unreadable. Charlie only knew how Jake was feeling by the look in his eyes, and he was facing the woman for the most part, so she couldn’t really see the look in them.

Her date was oblivious that she had tuned him out.  He had been talking about himself all night.  Between him droning on about himself and watching Jake with another woman, Charlie was in first date hell!

Worst date ever! 
Charlie thought to herself as she sighed, but as soon as she looked up, she looked right at the person who had held her attention for most of the night. 

Charlie nervously looked away when she saw the look of anger flash on his handsome face.  Then Lauryn waved at her, so she smiled and waved back.  She was relieved that Jake finally broke eye contact; his mesmerizing emerald gaze was unnerving.  She felt her heart rate speed up and her pulse jump. She reached for her water and took a big gulp.

“Do you know those people?”  Jared asked, his gaze moving from Jake and Lauryn to stare at Charlie.

“Yes, they’re friends of mine. 
So
, I’m having a really nice time.  I can’t wait for the meal to come out.”  Charlie choked out the lie quickly.  In reality, she wasn’t having a nice time.  In fact, it was something like torture to listen to this man go on and on about how good of a catch he was. She knew all of his accomplishments starting with his Little League basketball championship win, up until his most recent multimillion dollar sale of a mansion.  All he did for the entirety of the night was talk about himself.

Charlie was actually really thrown off by his change in attitude. When they’d had coffee, he seemed like a genuinely interesting guy.  He asked her questions about her life and chatted about common interests, but tonight he had done a complete one eighty.  And although she would rather eat rocks than have to listen to anymore of his bullshit, she wanted to change the subject in hopes that Jared would let the subject of Jake rest.

“If they’re your friends Charlene, why is he staring with a scowl on his face?”  Jared frowned.

“Charlie.”

“What?”  Jared turned, giving Charlie his complete attention.

“My name is Charlie.  Nobody calls me Charlene.” 

Jared shrugged his shoulders dismissively.  “Your mama named you Charlene and that’s what I will call you.”

Did this asshole just quote “Coming to America” with a straight face?  He better be joking, otherwise he’s a bigger dick than I thought.

Charlie chuckled, but Jared held his face tight, still frowning. He was serious.

What a DICK!

“So why is he staring?”  Jared questioned again, the frown on his handsome face growing deeper.

“Not sure. Why don’t you go over and ask him?”  Charlie pushed her water glass to the side, picked up the wine glass, and sipped her wine casually, knowing if he was fool enough to go over there, he would most likely get his ass kicked.  She smirked to herself.

No, he would definitely get his ass kicked.

“He’s nobody to me. Why would I go and ask him anything?”  Jared crossed his arms over his chest like a pouting child.

The meal hasn’t even come out yet and I’m ready to go already. I HATE dating. 

Charlie took another long, fortifying sip of her wine to calm her nerves, but when she looked up, Jared was still staring at her with a look of annoyance on his face.  She took a deep breath, but before she could ask him what was wrong, she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

She already knew who it was.  Her heart was racing, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, just like it did every single time they were within close proximity of each other.  She was so distracted by Jared’s pouting that she hadn’t seen Jake approach.

“Hey Heart, how’ve you been?” Jake’s deep baritone sent chills of awareness over her entire body.  However, when he turned to introduce himself to Jared, the angry look in his eyes betrayed the smile on his gorgeous face. Jared’s hostility was obvious as he narrowed his eyes and stiffly introduced himself, but he didn’t make any further comments.  He frowned at Charlie as she and Jake exchanged small talk.

“I saw you and
your friend
over here, and decided to come speak.”  Jake moved in closer to Charlie, looking her directly in her eyes.

She smiled nervously. He was so close she could smell the heavenly scent of his cologne mixed with something that she came to know as simply the essence of Jacob Cameron. Charlie cleared her throat and leaned away, putting some much needed distance between them. 

“Yes, I saw you with Lauryn and
your
friend.  It looks like you guys are having a good time.” 

Jake smiled, showing his dimples and his perfectly white teeth. 
She’s jealous. 

“Yeah this place is nice,” he stated noncommittally, stroking his beard.

Charlie narrowed her eyes.  “Oh, I see Lauryn’s back at your table. Why don’t I walk you back, so I can say hi…” It was a statement, not a question. Charlie moved to get out of her seat.

“Wait a minute.  You’re just going to leave your date while you go off with some dude I just met?”  Jared huffed, still acting like a child.

“You just met him, I didn’t. Plus, you’re a grown man. I’m sure you can sit a second while I go and speak to my friend.”

“It’s rude to go off with another man while you’re out with someone, Charlene.  When I agreed to come out with you, I didn’t think you were one of
those
types of females,” Jared remarked snidely.

Charlie took another deep breath, probably the thousandth time that night, and tried to relax before dealing with this dickhead. Yes, she knew it was extremely rude to leave her date and go off with a fine ass man that made her panties wet, even if that date was a major douche, but she had to get away from him before her ladylike allotment was depleted on him.  She hadn’t cursed once that night, and for Charlie that was something akin to a miracle.

Jake saw the smug look of satisfaction on the bastard’s face, but he was about to shut his ass down.  Before Charlie could exhale the deep breath, Jake answered for her. “Heart is a grown ass woman.  If she wants to go speak to a friend and leave your whining ass over here, she will do exactly that.  If you want to go, tear your ass. I promise that you won’t be missed, and she will be well taken care of.”

“Fuck you, man. Charlene is my date.  If you think I’m going to just let you come over here like you run shit, then you are sadly mistaken.”  Jared pushed his chair back and stood up with his fists clenched.

Both men were muscular, but Jared didn’t have shit on Jake.  However, Jake’s muscles wouldn’t even need to come into play. With his special ops training, he could kill a man with his bare hands without breaking a sweat.

Charlie couldn’t believe how quickly things had escalated, but the last thing she wanted was for a fight to break out.  Plus, being the star of a video on
World Star
was definitely not a good look.