Page 37 of A Night To Remember

“Thank you. Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you.” Jake picked up a photograph of Kristy. It was the one of her standing beside a large number two, a wide smile on her angelic face. Charlie’s heart skipped a beat at the longing look in his eyes. “Where’s Kristy now?”

“I dropped her off at the daycare center. I…I needed some time to myself,” she said clumsily, not knowing exactly how she should act around Jake now.

“She’s very beautiful. She looks like you,” he said quietly still looking at the photograph.

“She has your eyes,” Charlie remarked.

“Yes, I noticed. I told my parents about her last night, by the way. They’re anxious to meet you both. They would like it if you could come to dinner with Kristy on Saturday.”

It was a simple enough request and Charlie could hardly refuse. She had a lot of time to think about it, and Kristy had a right to know her father and her other family.

“Do they know we’re black?” she asked hesitantly. She knew Jake didn’t care about skin color, but she wasn’t so sure about his parents. Charlie wasn’t so naïve as to think everyone would just accept them so willingly.

Jake gave her a funny look before replying. “Yes, they know. When you meet my family, you’ll realize that race isn’t important to them. Believe me, they’re probably the most unbiased two people you’re likely to meet.” There was a brief moment of silence.

“Jake, I’m really sorry. I thought a lot about what you said and you were right. It was wrong of me to keep Kristy from you. I was just scared of losing her.” It wasn’t the full truth. There was no way she could admit to him that she was too scared to get close to anyone the way she had with Paul. She doubted Jake would understand.

“Why would you think you would lose her?” he asked gently as he approached her.

“Because I thought maybe you would think that you could do a better job at raising her. You’re in a better financial position than I am.”

He cupped her face, tilting her head up so she could meet his eyes. “I think you’ve done a great job. It’s obvious you love her and she loves you. I wouldn’t dream of taking her away from you, but I do want an active role in her life. And that means spending time with her and helping you out financially. I’ve missed out on so much of her life and I don’t intend to miss out on any more.”

When Charlie opened her mouth to protest, Jake brushed his thumb across her lips to silence her. “I have plenty of money. The least I could do is help you and my daughter out. You shouldn’t have to bear the responsibility alone. There’s another reason I came.”

“And what reason is that?” she asked, mesmerized by his beautiful light eyes.

“To apologize.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.” She shook her head. “I’m the one who kept Kristy a secret from you. It was a rotten thing of me to do.”

“It was, but I do owe you an apology. I was such an asshole yesterday. I shouldn’t have ripped into you the way I did. Instead of unleashing my temper, I should have walked away so I could calm down. Then I would have been able to discuss the situation with you like a rational adult. I came very close to doing something I regretted and I hate losing control like that. I could have seriously hurt you.”

“But you didn’t, Jake. You were justified in your angry. What I did was…”

“Yes, it was pretty rotten. I was angry that you would keep my daughter’s existence from me, but the truth is…I felt betrayed. I thought there was a bond between the two of us.”

Charlie pulled away from him, unable to handle the ramifications of what he was saying. She turned her back to him, unable to meet his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Panic set in because he was getting too close to a subject she would rather avoid.

Jake stepped behind her and grasped her shoulders. “You do. The times we’ve been together, we set the world on fire. It’s more than just sex between us and you know it.”

“No.” She refused say out loud what she already knew to be the truth.

“Yes.” He dipped his head to kiss her neck.

“This isn’t what I came here for, but whenever you’re around, I can’t keep my hands off of you.” His soft whisper was like a gentle caress against her skin. Charlie couldn’t hold back her shiver.

He lowered his hands to fondle her breasts, squeezing them gently in his palms. Charlie found herself arching back against him, almost as if her body had a mind of its own. Jake gyrated his hips, rubbing his erect penis against her ass. She molded her bottom against his hardness.

He lowered one hand and unbuttoned her jeans. One arm gripped her waist tight, holding her against him as he ran his tongue over the delicate curve of her ear. A flood of heat rushed between her legs. This man had cast a spell on her. Why else did she burst into flames with a simple touch? Jake slid his other hand inside her panties, finding her hot little button.

Charlie let out a low moan. Her knees would have given out on her if Jake hadn’t been holding her upright. He rolled her swollen bundle of nerves between his thumb and forefinger. “Do you like that?” His breath fanned her cheek.

“Yes,” she answered, trying to catch her breath. “You know I do.”

His fingers released her aching clit before sliding into her moist channel.

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