Secret Love - Brenda Jackson [36]
Jake swallowed as he glanced from the older man to the bed. The picture of Diamond in his bed started a fire burning deep within him. He would’ve given anything to have been in that bed with her. He drew a long ragged breath. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“And you know what they say about a woman finding her way to a man’s bed.”
Jake raised his head slightly. He lifted his chin. “No, what do they say?”
“Some claim that once a woman finds her way to a man’s bed, it’s hard as heck to get her out of there. The problem is that they go straight from the bed and into his head. And once a woman finds her way into a man’s head, he can’t seem to think of anything else but her.” Blaylock straightened his form. “You planning on going out tonight?”
Jake frowned as he looked at the older man. “Yeah, I thought about it. Why?”
“No reason. Just asking.” Blaylock crossed his arms over his ample belly. “I tried to get Diamond to wait here for you this evening, but she figured you’d be too tired for company. Would you have been too tired to see Diamond, Jake?”
Jake really didn’t like where this conversation was headed but he answered truthfully anyway. “No, not in this lifetime.”
“I didn’t think so,” Blaylock said simply before turning and walking back out of the room.
Jake was in such a hurry to finish undressing that he didn’t notice Blaylock’s smug smile.
The Jeep’s tires rumbled over a dip in the graveled road, making Jake tighten his grip on the steering wheel to retain control of the vehicle. “Whoa, slow down before you kill yourself,” he mumbled to himself. He was a half mile from the cabin when he eased his foot off the gas pedal and slowed down.
He took a deep breath, wondering why he was driving so recklessly in his mad rush to get to the cabin. He knew the answer without really thinking about it. Ever since Blaylock had told him that Diamond had taken a nap in his bed, he hadn’t been able to think of anything else. In his mind, he could see her under the covers but she wasn’t asleep and she wasn’t curled up either. He could see her awake with her body stretched out and ready to receive his.
Jake swore under his breath. If he didn’t get himself together, he would lose control of his mind as well as his vehicle. This thing with Diamond was going to be the death of him if he didn’t put it in perspective. He rubbed his chin with his fingers, feeling the stubble there. For Pete’s sake! He hadn’t even taken the time to shave. Blaylock was right. Once a woman got into a man’s head, he couldn’t think of anything else.
His heartbeat increased when he saw the cabin in the distance, and the first thing he noticed was that the lights were on, which meant Diamond hadn’t gone to bed yet. He could feel his pulse race, and a sweet-hot ache of desire coiled deep within the pit of his stomach. His fingers that clutched the steering wheel tightened and felt damp.
Jake couldn’t help but wonder why he was going through these changes with a woman. After all, the only thing the two of them had shared that afternoon six days ago was hot, delicious sex, nothing else. He knew not to even think of anything more. Years ago another woman had made it very clear that when it came to ranch life, highbred sophisticated ladies couldn’t hang for the long haul.
After he brought the Jeep to a stop in front of the cabin and got out, he stood around for a few minutes before walking up to the door. Despite the old bitter memories that were trying to resurface tonight, Jake had a feeling that once he crossed over that threshold and came back out later he would not be the same. For once he had to be honest with himself and admit that despite everything, he was hopelessly in danger of falling hard for a woman. But he was just as determined not to let that happen.
At first Diamond thought she was hearing things but then realized that wasn’t the case when another knock sounded at the door. Her heartbeat accelerated at the thought that her late-night visitor could only be Jacob. She took a deep breath and let