Big Girls Don't Cry (19 page)

Lexie was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, uncertainty clouding her beautiful eyes. He wasn’t surprised. As though he hadn’t spent the last fifteen years of his life expertly wooing women, he acknowledged to himself, he didn’t know what to do either. He was reminded of Grandpa Carl’s cryptic advice: “If you can’t race it or take it to bed, you don’t need it.” Problem was, even though he couldn’t take her to bed, he needed her like he’d never needed a woman. Guess that left his bike for comfort tonight.

Calling on his better self, he walked over to Lexie and chucked her under the chin. He saw her swallow and knew her mouth was as dry as his. Her little tremor echoed the one that hit him when he touched her.

He smiled down at her. “You were great tonight, Lexie. You had every man in the place eating out of your hand. And I’m glad to say that most of them looked as addled as I feel when I’m within ten feet of you. You are quite a woman, Alexis Beloi. Hell, woman, you are as sexy pounding a bag in sweats as you are in that harlot’s costume and those ‘fuck me’ shoes. “

She blushed and looked down.

Then she smiled that shy smile that made his balls tighten.

“Thanks, Jake. You did pretty well yourself. You managed to glower in the corner and not pay attention to the fact that every waitress and stripper in the house was after your butt.”

Jake roared. Emboldened, he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“The glower was real, darlin’. God help the man who touches you. He’ll be picking up body parts off the floor.”

Feeling her hard tremor, he pulled her up close to him, breathing in the tantalizing scent of mint and lemongrass. He held her for a moment, then stepped back. Reaching down, he tilted her face up to his and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

“Sleep well tonight, darlin’. Pleasant dreams.”

Chapter 19

Lexie was startled to see that the clock beside her bed read eleven o’clock. Shocked, she jumped out of bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept past six o’clock in the morning. And that was on the days she didn’t have to teach her five a.m. advanced class. She thought with a guilty smile, it must have been Jake’s parting words last night. She had slept well and her dreams had been pleasant; confusing, but very pleasant.

She dwelt for a moment on the big man who was turning her life upside down. She had to admit that there was something comforting about knowing that Brady and Clint and the others were watching over her, and, of course, Jake. But he wasn’t watching, she thought with a grin, he was damn well hovering. She tossed her head at the sleepy eyed woman in the mirror. Right, girl, I thought you didn’t want to get close to a man, especially one as big and controlling as that one. What had Bella called him? The blue-eyed hottie? She frowned, admonishing herself. If you know what’s good for you, girl, you will send that guy packing before you end up falling for him. She stripped off her thigh high nightie and headed to the shower. Oh, well, she reminded herself, winking at the flushed woman in the mirror, she never had known what was good for her. Maybe that was about to change.

~~~

Jake stood at a distance watching her practice. When she wasn’t at the house, he knew he could find her here. She was on the last form in the Kung Fu dragon sequence. He marveled at her grace and power. She was an astonishing woman, beautiful beyond belief and also amazingly talented. She was an enigma. He grinned at the thought of her temper, her fierce glares and sharp tongue. And then she’d smile that shy smile and look up at him her eyes as wide as a doe in the woods startled by an unseen hunter. Watching her graceful movements, he was struck that her body was all soft sexy woman on the surface with lithe taut muscles beneath. He smiled. An upside down metaphor for Lexie: tough as nails on the surface, soft and vulnerable underneath.

He waited until she finished, then came up beside her.

“Hey. Impressive practice.”

She whirled to see Jake standing a few feet away. A rush of heat flooded her. She knew from the twinkle in his eyes that he saw her reaction. Staring at the tall broad shouldered man with the smoldering blue eyes, she groaned. He was entirely too good looking. From the cocky grin on his face, he knew it, knew how he affected her. She would have loved to think of some smart remark to take him down a peg, but the only word that popped out was a soft, “Hey.”

“Since you agreed so quickly, how about I up the ante? If I know you and I’m beginning to think I do, you haven’t had anything to eat today. Right?”

She shrugged.

“I don’t like to eat before I practice.”

“Hmm. Or much after, right? That settles it, sugar. How about I take you to a great truck stop I know that makes the best breakfast outside of my Aunt Maud’s and they serve it twenty four hours a day
.”

Her guard immediately went up. That would mean riding on his bike, being close to him.

“I…I…can’t, Jake. I need to shower. I’m all sweaty.”

A flash of amusement flickered in his eyes. He stroked her cheek and drawled, “Darlin’, I can’t think of a better combination. Pancakes, bacon and sausage and a hot sweaty woman. Yum!”

He frowned in mock dismay and gave her a wicked wink. “Okay. I’ll forego the hot sweaty woman for the moment, as long as you promise there’ll be one in the future.”

“Yeah, I am. And I’m also impatient as hell. A gorgeous woman, the hottest bike made by man, and the promise of more food than you’ve eaten in a week? Damn, sugar, life doesn’t get any better than that!”

~~~

Jake smiled at her across the formica covered table in the crowded truck stop. Her cheeks were flushed from the ride. Wispy tendrils of blond hair escaped her ponytail, curving alluringly around her face and neck. Her eyes sparkled, dancing with excitement. He grinned in appreciation.

“Ah, sugar, we do. But we like them better when they’re wrapped around our backs hanging on tight.” He added with a wink, “Preferably in handcuffs.”

His jeans tightened at the thought. The flood of heat that pinked her cheeks didn’t help. Damn, just looking at her flushed and starry eyed was an aphrodisiac his unruly cock didn’t need. Thank God for the tabletop. Not that it was likely he’d settle down before they had to leave.

At that moment, the waitress arrived with their food. Lexie’s eye widened like saucers at the platter of food the woman plunked in front of her. Given that Jake had done the ordering, the woman winked at him. Her laugh was as brash as her bright red hair.

“I dunno, honey. I don’t think she’s eaten that much food in her life, let alone one meal.”

Reading the nametag pinned to her ample chest, Jake agreed. “I think you’re right about that, Trixie.”

~~~

Several hours later, Jake dropped her off at the house. He hopped off the bike and lifted her off before she could get down. He picked her up like she weighed nothing. He proceeded to take off her helmet and strapped it to the back of the bike.

“Yeah, it was, darlin’.” He gazed at her for a long moment then added, “Brady’s going to come and get you tonight. I’m taking a different tack. But I’ll be waiting here for you when you are done.”

She nodded and almost ran up the steps. When she turned back to wave at him, he was watching her, a knowing smile quirking his lips.

Watching him ride off, Lexie struggled with her feelings. She had loved being with him. They’d laughed and talked as though they’d known each other for years. And she’d eaten more than she could remember ever eating at one time. The problem was the motorcycle. Pressed against him, drinking in his scent of leather and strong male almost did her in. From the way he’d taken her hands in his and pressed them against his taut belly, she knew he was on to her. She wanted to think she hadn’t given herself away, but his quizzical grin when he lifted her off the bike and the way he’d stroked her cheek confirmed if it was a secret, it was one they shared.

~~~

As they’d agreed, she met Bella at the club precisely at 7 p.m. It was virtually empty. Without the strobe lights and pounding music, it looked like a large dining hall. Hard to believe that at nine o’clock it would be filled with raucous laughter and hundreds of men and women out for a night of high stakes entertainment.

Bella ushered her in to the ante room to the back office. Lexie hoped her need for privacy meant that Bella was ready to talk. She decided to keep the conversation light to see if Bella was forthcoming.

“I gotta tell you. I’ve worn some indecent costumes in my life, but this one beats them all. How the heck do you keep this thing from this thing from riding up your butt? “

“Honey, that’s the idea!”

“Who designed this thing anyhow?”

“That would be Sergio. He likes his girls. And the more you can see of them, the better.” She gave Lexie an appraising glance. “He’ll probably come after you next.”

Lexie put up her hands. “Uh huh. No way. I’m off men for a while. After this last guy that I’m still trying to get rid of, I’m done with men. They’re too needy. I need a break from men.”

Bella winked. “Well, honey, I can tell you, if you aren’t interested in that blue-eyed hottie, there isn’t a girl working here that wouldn’t lap him up in a second! That is one righteous man. Those eyes, and damn that butt. Tell me, honey, is he as hot in bed as they say he is? What is it they call him? The ‘all night wonder’?”

Lexie hid her shock. Both at the familiar way Bella talked about Jake and the flare of anger at the idea of any of the gorgeous women who worked here going after him. She frowned, “Please, let’s not talk about him. I’ve got enough on my mind.”

Getting control of her emotions, she focused on the mission.

“Bella, I don’t want to sound ungrateful because I’m so grateful that I got the job here.”

“You should be. Hell, girl, there a line a mile long of girls wanting to work here. In case you didn’t notice, every girl in this place scores at least a ten on a hot chick scale of one to ten.’

Lexie nodded.

“I know that. But I’ve run in to some bad shit lately and I could really use some cash. You…you mentioned last night that I might be able to get a little on the side.”

Bella was dismissive. “Hell, honey, I’m not talking about filling out your personal stash. Uh huh. This deal is bigger by a magnitude of about a thousand! Tell, me, girl, are you interested in making some serious money?”

Bella sneered. “I prefer to say I’m a business woman. Me and the other girls here have walked into a goldmine. We tapped into an operation that is bigger than any I’ve seen. And I’ve seen a lot.”