Page 80 of Cinderella Screwed Me Over
All through the game, I chewed on my fingernail, going back and forth on my plan to take Jake home with me. Earlier today I’d been so sure; now I was wondering if I was ready for this casual, easy fun to end.
But Tina thinks I’m wasting his time. And maybe I am.I took in his profile, the stubble on his chin, how his eyes had a hint of green, since he was wearing black today.Who am I kidding? We already passed the casual stage. It’s time for the make-or-break one.
When the game was over, I picked up the remote—just to see how much I could get away with. Jake didn’t rip it out of my hands; he didn’t even say anything about it.Divine Designwas on the HGTV channel, so I stopped there, waiting for the protests.
Jake didn’t protest. He started kissing my neck, then trailed kisses along my jaw. After that, I didn’t care what was on television anyway. Within a few minutes we ended up horizontal on the couch. The weight of his body made me feel secure and dizzy, all at the same time. Still, he didn’t seem close enough. I hooked my leg over his, bringing our bodies together. Delicious heat wound through me. His tongue rolled over mine.
I arched into him and shockwaves shot through my core. He moaned and slid his hands up my shirt. His fingers brushed the bottom of my bra. One more inch and this was happening—I’d never be able to stop.
Shit, shit, shit!
I pressed my hand to his chest, pushing him back. “I think…I think we better slow down.” Closing my eyes, I blew out my breath. My rules about sex had been in place long before I typed up my case studies. I only crossed that line when I was sure I was ready for the next step, and I didn’t plan on breaking that for anyone.
I opened my eyes, bracing for the anger or for him telling me I was a tease or worse—I’d gotten it before. When it came to sex, women were called a prude, a tease, or a slut. No in between and nothing flattering. No good job, you’ve waited the perfect amount of time and had the exact right number of partners.
Jake leaned his forehead on my shoulder and I could feel his breath coming in and out against my skin.
“Sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have let it get that far.”
“I just…need a minute.” He took a couple more deep breaths, lifted his head, and gave me a quick kiss on the lips, then slowly sat back up, pulling me with him.
I straightened my shirt, unable to look at him.
He cupped my chin and gently turned my face toward his. “I’ll wait.”
For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why he would. No doubt he’d be able to find another woman willing to go all the way. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to just say screw it, do my best to not think about what would happen afterward, and finish what we started. But I couldn’t. It wasn’t me, and I still wasn’t willing to put my heart out there that much quite yet. “I just can’t… Not until…”
“I’ll wait,” he repeated.
Tina’s words ran though my head again:If you really don’t think there’s something there, you shouldn’t waste any more of his time.
There’s definitely something, I thought. But I’m not sure if it’s enough. Or if I can really do this to myself again.I leaned into his chest and inhaled his familiar musky and woodsy-smelling cologne.Time to put him to the real test.
“I was wondering…” I almost chickened out. But then I thought about how close I’d been to ignoring my rules a moment ago and charged on with it. “My stepdad’s birthday is on Sunday, so I’m going to Longmont.” I glanced up, looking into his eyes. “I was wondering if you wanted to come with me.”
A smile spread across his face, sending a pang of guilt through my gut. “Really?Youwantmeto meet your family.”
Is it too late to take it back?
“You don’t have to. The ranch is kind of in the middle of nowhere. I’ve just got to drive over and—”
“I’ll go.”
The guilt running through me deepened as I stared at him.
He doesn’t stand a chance.
Chapter Twenty-seven
As the city fell away to a whole lot of nothing, I glanced at Jake. He’d asked several questions about my family during the drive, and I’d filled him in on the basics. After all the effort he’d put into learning the names and history of my family, I decided I should let him know what he was in for.
“My brothers usually give my…”Boyfriendstill wouldn’t roll off my tongue. “They like to give everyone who comes home with me a bad time. You don’t have to try to impress them. They might call you a city boy or whatever, but that’s just the way they are. They have a strange sense of humor. If they ask you to do anything you’re not comfortable with, just say no.”
Jake grinned. “That’s so sweet. Darby Quinn’s worried about me meeting her family. It almost seems like you care about me.”
My phone rang, saving me from coming up with something to say to that. When I saw it was my mom, I answered.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Mom said. “I wanted to make garlic toast to go with dinner, but I forgot the French bread. I’m in the middle of frosting the cake and I was hoping you could swing into Johnson’s Market and pick it up for me.”
