What Tomorrow Brings (Florida Keys Series) (8 page)

REDJH: I don’t think any man cares how you get here, just as long as you do. Do you think that feigning a memory loss makes a difference if there is a fire going on between two people?

RomancingBetty: That’s hot and a good point REDJH, but dishonesty is not a good start in any relationship.

REDJH: I hate to burst your bubble Romancing Betty, but we’re not talking about a serious relationship here, or are we?

AuthorChristinaDey: What would it matter REDJH, with women it’s more about the romance then just crawling in bed with someone. Would you be prepared to romance the lady too?

REDJH: Well now, that would be something that she would need to stick around for to find out.

AuthorChristinaDey: What do you mean REDJH? Are you saying that if a woman crawled in your bed with you and after a night of pure, raw sex, you wouldn’t know if you would romance her after that? Are you saying most men want a one night stand?

REDJH: Now we are talking my dear. I had no idea it was that intense! If that were the case and I’m not sure it isn’t, then you can bet you’d be romanced right in your own bed while we were having pure, raw sex!

PBOO: Now that’s what I’m talking about, honey! REDJH you can text me privately if you’d like!

REDJH: Lol, PBoo. I’m kind of tied up right now.

PBOO: Tied up? Now that is interesting to know...

AuthorChristinaDey: You didn’t answer my question REDJH. Are you into one night stands? Maggie heard a laugh, soft and subtle coming from inside her bungalow. Oh my, she’d forgotten he was only a few feet away, sitting on her couch! This is incredibly crazy! Did she really want to know the answer to her question? She needed the answer though because Maggie was starting to feel close to Jake and she didn’t want to be too disappointed if all he cared about was a one night stand.

REDJH: I doubt any man would answer the truth to that question. I could say of course I’m not into a one night stand, but would you believe me? I could promise romance but I’d rather show you myself just what I am capable of.

Maggie swallowed. It was getting hot outside, yet there was no sunshine at all. She quickly looked up at the sky. It looked like it was going to downpour any minute. She hoped that wasn’t the case because if she had to run inside now with her cheeks aflame, she’d die of embarrassment. She watched her face book page as more and more ladies commented on Jake’s remarks. He sure had them going and thanks to him jumping onto her page, she was almost certain she’d wind up with a ton more fans which suited her perfectly.

Her readers asked how he would romance a woman?

REDJH: If she were here with me, I’d take this beautiful rose from the vase that is sitting in front of me and entwine the flower in her hair, brushing my fingers through those dark, thick waves. I’d brush my knuckles across her cheek and down her chin and neck, lightly followed by small kisses then back up until I found what I was looking for, those sweet lips that I have been dreaming about for days.

Maggie slammed the laptop shut! She jumped up and ran into the house, hurrying past Jake who was sitting in the living room, leaning over the laptop that was sitting on the coffee table. He looked up as she flew by, but she couldn’t look at his face.

“It’s too hot out there,” Maggie yelled. “ I need a shower!” She drowned out his chuckles with the running water of a very cool shower.

Chapter Nine

Maggie let the water pound over her hair and face, running down her back until she couldn’t stand the cold any longer. What had she been thinking to get in on that conversation! Now she didn’t know if she could go back out there and face Jake. Had he thought she wanted a one night stand with him? Or, could he read between the lines and know that she was a woman who loved romance? Anyone with common sense would know that a writer of romance would want to be what else but romanced? If he did try to romance her, she wouldn’t know if it was real or if he was just trying to use that to get what he wanted. Which was what she wanted to, wasn’t it?

How could she not want him? After spending that incredible time with him at the Full Moon party and riding on his harley, arms wrapped around him driving down the highway with the wind in her face and his body so close, any woman would be crazy to turn him down. She even felt a bit responsible for his injuries, after all, if he hadn’t tried to get back to her, she was pretty sure that he would’ve gotten help sooner. At least he could’ve called his brother sooner. Because of that, he had been down and out for quite a few days. Even though it was his suggestion that led them to the private island, she still felt partially responsible. But then again, if all this wouldn’t have happened, Jake Hatfield, aka hot man, would be up in his house and she wouldn’t be enjoying these moments with him. Everything happened for a reason, didn’t it?

It was all for research, she told herself. He really had helped her with writer’s block, more than he would ever know. She hopped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her. Picking up another one, she wiped the fog from the mirror. Big brown eyes stared back at her. Who are you kidding, Maggie McCoy! You are falling big time for a Hatfield!

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Maggie woke with a start as she realized Jax was licking on her face again. She opened her eyes to see Jake beside the pup smiling. “Wake up Maggie, I made us some dinner.”

She stretched and realized that she had fallen asleep on the bottom of her bed. After taking a shower, she had gotten dressed and then sat down on the bed watching the storm pummelling down from the bedroom window. Before she realized it, she had fallen asleep right there on the bed, the one Jake had been sleeping in for days. His smell was everywhere and she hadn’t been able to help herself when she curled herself around the blanket and pillow, taking in the smell of soft leather and spice.

“It’s going to be one of those rainy days in the keys tonight, Maggie. I made some dinner and thought we could watch a movie, if you like,” Jake offered as she got up and followed him out of the bedroom.

She walked into the living room to find the coffee table set up. Pillows sat on the floor around the table and a small candle was burning, alongside THAT vase of flowers. “Impressive,” Maggie smiled at him. “Your doing good Jake. What else you got?”

He gave her his trademark wink. “Sit,” he ordered. The outside dreary weather tried to bleed in through the windows, making it darker than usual in the late afternoon. Jake’s make shift candle burned bright on the coffee table, giving off just the right amount of romantic flare. He brought two plates over and then sat beside Maggie on the pillows. Then he pushed a few buttons on the remote until a classical sound came out of the speakers. Maggie was impressed.

“Oh wow, where did you get this?” she cried out when she saw the variety of seafood on her plate. Crab cake, scallops and conch covered the plate, along with a few items she wasn’t sure about. Her eyes gazed around the little kitchen and saw the cardboard containers from a local take out. Smiling to herself, she wasted no time dipping one of them in butter and put it in her mouth. “What is this?”

“Oysters.”

She gulped as it slid down her throat. She wasn’t a fan of those but did he deliberately buy oysters for this romantic dinner? Everyone knew they were supposed to be a lover’s aphrodisiac. Well, the night was young and he was doing well in the romance department. The man was trying, she’d give him that. She looked at him and smiled and caught him staring at her, his face serious.

“Jake, don’t look at me like that.” She put her fork down.

“Can’t help myself,” he said, his voice low, husky.

She licked her lips. He reached over to the flower vase and pulled out a yellow rose. Breaking the stem, he slid it carefully behind her ear then brushed his fingers through thick hair. She shivered. His knuckles caressed her cheeks as he slid them across her face, her chin, down her neck. She closed her eyes and waited in anticipation for his lips to come next. He didn’t disappoint. He dropped light kisses across her chin and neck, making Maggie’s head swirl. She leaned her head back, giving him more exposure as he gently caught her earlobe in his mouth, then found his way to her lips.

“Are you sure, Maggie?” he asked, his husky voice a mere whisper as he yawned in spite of his mouth all over her.

Maggie blinked. “Did you just yawn? Jake?” She pushed him away, insulted at first until she looked into his eyes and noticed the pupils were tiny and glazed over. “Jake, what’s wrong with you? Are you on something? Are you drunk?”

He shook his head, like he was trying to snap out of it. “I’ve got this incredible feeling of sleepiness that suddenly just came over me. I’m really sorry Maggie. I can’t seem to help myself.” He yawned again, his eyelids drooping closed until he snapped them open.

“Perhaps you did too much today. Maybe Jon was right.” She reached over to grab her wine glass and took a long swig on the glass, downing it all at once. She needed that, she sighed, then licked her lips to the funny taste on the glass.

Her eyes lit open. “Jake, where did you get this wine?” She jumped up from the pillow on the floor and ran to the refrigerator. She knew before he even answered. Yanking the door open, she knelt down to check the bottom rack. “Jake, did you take the bottle from the bottom shelf? That wasn’t wine, it was apple juice and roxanol liquid.” The empty wine bottle had been rinsed out because it had been the only thing she could find when Jon mixed the concoction for Jake. She should have labelled it, but never thought anyone would find it.

“Oh no Jake, that was to help you sleep at night. Don’t you remember, I gave you a glass every night. Your brother put in enough drops to help you to sleep a bit sounder at night and so you wouldn’t be in pain. I had forgotten it was there because after the first two nights you didn’t need it any more.”

She found her cell and paged his brother. Twenty minutes later Maggie was yawning too. While waiting impatiently for Jon to answer his page, it hit her. She just drank a full glass of apple juiced roxanol and Jake was no help, he sat on the cushion on the floor yawning, staring into space. Maggie was getting sleepy herself. She prayed Jon would call back before she passed out. Had she drank enough to harm herself? She was feeling pretty good actually, even if things seemed a bit blurry.

Finally, her cell buzzed. “Jon, you’re not going to believe this one!” After he reassured her that there wasn’t enough roxanol to do any harm in the apple juice except help them both to get a good night sleep, Maggie hung up relieved. She made her way back to Jake. She had to get him in bed.

“Jake, stand up. Time for bed. Jon said that because the roxanol was taken in juice, it isn’t as potent as if you took it just so. He isn’t worried at all.” She grabbed his arm and helped him up. She had a funny feeling he drank more than just one glass because the bottle was empty. Jon had mixed enough for five doses. She had given it to Jake only twice. That left 3 doses and she accidentally had one tonight.

He grinned. “Baby, let’s go to bed.” He winked and slung his arm around her shoulders, staggering through the door to her bedroom. Maggie tried to put him in bed but he took her down with him. They were wrapped in each other’s arms.

“My head is spinning,” Jake said, and he placed his forehead against hers. His arms were wrapped around hers, and he brought his leg over top of hers, nudging them closer together. “But it’s not spinning enough to know that I’ve not forgotten my pledge to romance you,” he mumbled.

“I’m feeling kind of woozy, Jake, but it isn’t from you,” she giggled. Her head was spinning a bit too and she felt as if she were floating. He could have had his way with her and she could’ve cared less. She told him so.

“Oh is that right?” He brushed his lips against hers, a light, flickering movement. She opened her mouth to catch his. They lay there, arms wrapped around each other, lips against each other, unmoving.

“Jake, are you kissing me?” she mumbled, her eyes closed, her body and mind floating deeper away.

“Yes, I think so,” he answered, his warm breath against her lips. Then he stilled.

Chapter Ten

Maggie knew she was in his arms. She sighed and opened her eyes to find those smoky eyes bearing down on her. He looked touchable. His dark hair was the kind that made you want to reach up and run your fingers through it. A bit longer than normal, there were a few fly away waves that just called out for her to touch. Sometime during the night he must’ve taken off his t shirt because there she was, arms wrapped around hard flesh and muscle. She snuggled closer. “I could wake up to this every morning, Jake Hatfield.”

He smiled, a slow, sexy grin that took her breath away and he cupped her chin, lifting her face closer to him. He dropped a light kiss on each eyelid and looked into her eyes. “I’ve got a proposition for you Maggie.”

That got her attention. “A what?”

“You heard me. I’m not sure where we are going here, Maggie. But I do know one thing and that is you don’t want a one night stand. I want to prove to you that I don’t either.”

“Are you sure about that?” she asked, snuggling even closer, temptation getting the best of her.

He laughed. “I”m sure. We’ve woken up twice now in each other’s arms and you haven’t taken advantage of me yet!”

She grinned. “You sound disappointed.”

“Maybe. Maybe I’d like to see just where this takes us. I want to show you I’m not just in this for a one night stand.”

The face book page must’ve really affected him more than she realized. “That’s sweet Jake, and I must say very romantic and brave.”

“Do you know how hard this is for me Maggie? I’m not into relationships. I’ve had my share but I’ve been here, alone, for a few years, living the life. There’s something about the keys that sucks you in, makes you want to be here and no where else in the world will suit. I’ve been many places but this has always been my home. If I were to get serious about someone, she would have to understand that when I crossed that seven mile bridge a few years ago, I came home for good. There is no going back for me. She’d have to be OK with that.”