With a grunt, she pushed open the door and immediately dropped her bag onto the floor.
Something was wrong with her. It was like all the pent-up emotion of her childhood, her past, drama with her parents, and finally the pressure of losing her career, were finally hitting her.
Stupid flowers.
It was their fault.
They were yellow roses, just like the ones Jake had gotten her a few days ago. Damn him.
She pulled a rose from the vase and inhaled. For a brief minute she allowed herself to dream, that it was her honeymoon suite. That Jake was her husband, that he’d bought her flowers and hadn’t been puking just an hour ago.
When she opened her eyes, the reality of her situation hit her square in the face. In the form of a single king-sized bed.
So close, yet always so far away; that was the story of her life. She was so close to graduating with honors, but it was Beth who finally clenched the title of Valedictorian.
And when she had her first job interview, her parents had taken her out to dinner only to be disappointed that it was with a news station.
When Beth got her job, she was given a car.
It was as if all the things she’d ever wanted in her life were always close enough for her to want them, yet never close enough for her to grasp them.
She was like that damn hamster and his wheel.
She hated hamsters.
With a huff she sat on the bed and watched as the door swung open, revealing a very haggard-looking Jake. At least someone was having a worse day than she was.
“How you doing, princess?” she asked.
“I hate my life.” With a groan he stumbled to the bed and fell face down on top of it. “Best part of my day… Go ahead, ask me.”
Char leaned back on her elbow so she could see him better. “Almost getting arrested.”
He shook his head.
“Hmm, meeting the youngest state senator in Oregon history?”
Jake showed her his middle finger.
Laughing, Char guessed again. “Finally puking in a toilet like a big boy.”
He sighed and lifted his head so their eyes were locked. “Rooming with you.”
The teasing smile fell from Char’s face as her heart hammered in her chest. The room was silent except for the sound of her sharp intake of breath. She suddenly seemed to have an inability to inhale and exhale softly.
She finally managed an “oh.”
Jake just continued to stare at her as if she was the most precious thing in his existence, as if he really meant what he said—that the best part of the day was being with her in a room. Then again, he was a player. Maybe he thought he was getting lucky.
“Well, hate to break it to you, champ…” His eyes narrowed. “But you’re not sleeping with me.”
“Oh, that.” He rose slowly to his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I already knew that. I’m pretty sure me and the floor are going to have a good time tonight. All that heavy breathing and grinding.”
“What the hell kind of night do you have planned for the floor? And in what universe is any of what you just said okay?”
Jake grinned. “That’s for me to know and for you to find out. You know you can always join me and the floor if your bed gets too soft.”
“I like things soft.”
His eyes twinkled. “Pity.”
“Jake Titus!” Char threw a pillow at his face.
Laughing, he walked toward the bathroom. “Hurry up, Char. We gotta freshen up for cocktail hour. By the way.” He turned on the faucet and pulled out a wash cloth. “Who the hell gave Grandma a whistle? That should be illegal in all fifty states.”
Char didn’t answer. Fascinated, she watched him get ready as he ran the cloth over his face. Droplets of water fell onto the sink. Feeling a bit heated, she took off her zip up sweater.
Damn Jake Titus for making eye drops look sexy as he tilted his head back and dropped them into his eyes. He blinked, once, twice, and then they were running down his chiseled cheeks.
“Stop watching, Char.” Jake called. “It was creepy ten minutes ago. Now I’m just concerned you’ve had a seizure or something.”
Flustered, Char almost tumbled from the bed as she stomped over to her bag and began digging through it for a sexy cocktail dress.
Two could play that game.
She didn’t just want to play—she wanted to win.
Chapter Thirty-two
“Jake?” Travis’s voice was muffled by the blood roaring in Jake’s ears. “Did you hear anything I just asked you?”
No, sorry, I was watching legs. Two of them to be exact, and those legs belonged to a beautiful brunette with striking blue eyes and such an electric smile that it hit a man dead center in the chest. “Sure, bachelor party. I’m in.”
“No strippers.” This from Kacey.
Jake nodded in agreement, still keeping his eyes trained in Char’s legs as she stood a few feet away from him talking to his mom.
Travis snapped his fingers in front of Jake’s face. “Get it together, man. If you don’t watch it, you’re going to start panting.”
Already there. “Sorry, just distracted.” He cleared his throat and turned to look at Travis and Kacey. Travis looked irritated, Kacey looked concerned. Oh great, he was going to get the talk again. To save time he beat her to the punch. “Kace, I’m fine. It was a rough night, bad choices, I’m better now, and I’m hitting the water, not the alcohol. Seriously, you’re not my mom.” That sounded harsher than he’d meant it to sound, which was proven when Travis took a step forward. But Kacey stopped Travis with her hand.
And then her eyes followed Jake’s as he stole another glance at Char.
With a growl she handed Travis her drink and pulled Jake by the ear outside. “OW, what the hell, Kace!”
“You slept with her!”
“What? Who?”
“Char!”
“Yes!” Her eyes grew twice their normal size. “No, I mean a long time ago, yes.”
Holy shit he was sweating.
Kacey released the hostage ear and crossed her arms. “How long?”
“A year or so.” He looked down at the ground. “It was a mistake.”
“You!” Kacey poked his chest as Jake tried to shush her. “You’re the one that she spent the night with before the whole YouTube clip.”
“Guilty.” In more than one way.
Scowling, Kacey shook her head. “I should have known. All signs pointed to a Titus.”
“All signs?”
“Yeah, drinking, debauchery, irresponsibility, TV…”
Jake held up his hand for her to stop. “Fine, I get it. But it’s not like I’ve done anything since, and you know it.” Damn her for calling him on his bullshit. When he’d got drunk at her engagement party she’d told him to shape up his life or die in a prostitute’s bed—no joke. It wasn’t as if he didn’t try to do right, it just seemed like every time he did, he got shit on. It was so much easier to go the other route, to be what people expected. Irresponsible and carefree. It seemed the minute he did try to act serious and be responsible—people asked if he was drunk. It was embarrassing and again made him want to flinch, to pull away, and fall back into old habits.
“You have that look,” Kacey said, interrupting his morose thoughts.
“Look, what look?” Jake tried to change his face but failed miserably when Char walked by the window.
“That look!” Kacey poked him in the chest again. “You’re falling for her!”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
Jake wiped his face with his hand and cursed. “Can you please be an adult?”
“Says the guy who slept with two drunken twins last night.”
“I didn’t.” Jake coughed. “I couldn’t… I mean… I didn’t want to and I didn’t.”