Page 36 of Jake

Catherine looped her arm through Lauren’s and pulled her out to the backyard where the pool and a lot more people were.

“I did good though, right?” Catherine asked.

“What?” Lauren looked over at her friend, lost.

“With pairing you two up. It was a good idea, right?”

“Yes, Catherine.” She rolled her eyes, but it ended with a laugh instead of the seriousness she intended.

She squealed and clapped her hands before hugging Lauren. “I knew you guys were perfect for each other. You can tell me all about it when we get home!”

Excited, Catherine grinned from ear to ear until she saw someone and instantly grabbed Lauren’s arm, pulling her to face away from the subject. She knew who it was. It had to be Ryker. Catherine had been interested in him as long as she’d known them, but he kept himself away from her.

Most recently, Catherine had tried to help fix his image, as she did for anyone who needed it. Ryker had flat out refused her. Catherine had sulked for all of a day and then declared herself uninterested in him.

She was still interested though. It was clear, but now she avoided him whenever he were near. It was the reason she found herself being dragged back into the house. Turning her head, she caught Ryker looking in their direction before he focused his attention on something else quickly.

“Hey.” Lauren pulled her arm. “I’m getting whiplash at being dragged around.”

“Sorry.” Catherine polished off her drink. “Need another?”

“No.” Lauren held up her own full drink.

“I’m going to get one for me then.”

She didn’t wait for acknowledgment before walking away and leaving Lauren standing there alone. Lauren looked down at her drink and considered if she was even interested. Deciding one wouldn’t be a bad idea, she sipped at the surprisingly fruity drink.

Jake caught her eye as he stood talking with his friends. His dark hair was a stark contrast to his white shirt, and she openly admired him as he interacted with them.

Catching her eye, he grinned. He said something to his friends and then sought her out.

“Like what you see?” He leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

She didn’t even try to hide the shiver this time. His breath on her neck sent the most wonderful, thrilling tingles through her body.

“If you’re going to do that every time, I might have to only whisper when I talk to you,” he whispered again.

She shivered but stepped away with a laugh. “If you do that, I can guarantee I’ll just spend my time avoiding you.” Teasing, she took a few steps away.

“Oh, a chase could be fun. I’ll give you a head start.”

Oblivious to everyone around her for the first time at one of Cade’s parties, she casually walked away, a grin splitting her face as she attempted to get away from Jake. The goal was to get caught, of course, but the fun was in the chase.

“Hey, you’re Cade’s secretary, right?” A man she didn’t know stopped her.

She’d given up trying to correct people about her being an assistant and not secretary a long time ago, so she just smiled. “Yes.”

“Does he know you’re out here looking like this?”

“What?” Lauren smoothed out her swimsuit coverup and looked down at herself before looking back at the man and trying to smooth out her hair.

“Looking like you want to have some fun.” He threw his head back and laughed at his own terrible joke.

She was looking to have some fun, but definitely not with him. Looking around for Jake, she didn’t spot him right away.

“I can show you a good time,” the man said, clearly already having had too much to drink.

He reached out for her, and she turned, avoiding his touch. “No, thank you.” She tried to walk away, but this time, he grabbed her when he reached out for her.

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