Jake, meanwhile, had buried his face in her hair. “Why did you leave me alone? I need protection.”
Her shoulders began to shake at the forlorn tone of his voice. “My big, strong man, scared of a few women?”
“They had the hunt-and-bag look in their eyes.”
Shifting on her heel, she brushed his hair back from his face. “Hunt and bag?”
“Like I’m a trophy for their wall.” Snagging one arm around her waist, he pressed her close. “No more bathroom breaks for you.”
That was when she realized Jake was slightly drunk. Not much, but enough that his decision-making skills had to be a bit impaired—and still he’d looked for Juliet even when surrounded by all that willing female attention. He hadn’t lapped up the attention or basked in it; no, he’d been discomforted by it.
Jake was no Reid and never would be, and she’d never ever forget that again.
“I promise,” she said, with a nuzzling kiss to her adorably drunk lover. “I’ll protect you.” Just as she’d love him with everything she had inside her.
The gossip blogs were filled with photos from the team’s night out, and with so many targets, Juliet got off pretty easy. A snap of her walking into the club with Jake’s arm around her, both of them laughing, and a couple of hazy ones taken inside the club. Labeled with Jake’s name and hers, with “ex-wife of Reid Mescall” next to it.
It made her see red, especially as the gorgeous man she loved was lying asleep next to her, one arm around her waist as she sat up to check the news on her phone. Deciding not to let it color her mood, she flicked through a few other sites and was brought up short by what was purported to be a direct quote from Jake the night before, in response to the question: “Anything to share about your new relationship?”
“I’ll tell you what—I’ve learned that being a vice president in a multimillion-dollar company means a hell of a lot of work. Jules does more in one day than most people do in a week. I’m amazed by her.”
Wet heat burned her eyes.
Putting away her phone, she bent down to kiss Jake’s cheek.
He grumbled at her. “Coffee.”
“Talk first. Did you tell some reporter you were amazed by me?”
“Yes. Now give me coffee.” He pretended to bite the curve of her breast.
Laughing at her morning grump of a lover, she peppered his beard-stubbled face with kisses before pulling on a robe and walking out to put on the coffee. She didn’t remember the tickets she’d been carrying around in her purse until she and Jake were in bed later that night.
Not sure how he’d react but encouraged by his willingness to let down his hair the previous night, she got out of bed to rummage in her purse.
He wolf whistled.
Naked, she bent even deeper, giving him quite the view.
Saying a naughty, naughty word, he threatened to come over there, but she was already turning around with the tickets in hand. “I got you a present.”
Curiosity lit up his face. “Yeah?”
Getting into bed again, she gave him the tickets. He was silent for a long time after looking at them.
“It’s safe,” she said, well able to read his thought patterns. “You just drive the supercar around the track at whatever speed you want.”
The look he gave her was unreadable. “I’m not that boy anymore.”
“I know. You’re an amazing man.” She squeezed his biceps. “But you still like flash cars, and this looked fun.” Let me be your wings, Jake.
Putting the tickets on his bedside table, he turned and slid his hand across her stomach. His kiss was intense, dark, the thigh he threw over hers possessive. She didn’t push the issue, just took him in her arms and loved him, her Jake who’d shut a piece of himself away a long time ago.
It wasn’t obvious, not these days. He laughed often, played with her and Esme both, but despite his love of fast cars, he only drove a “responsible dad” car, had no hobbies that he did purely for fun, and their time at the club the previous night had been a deviation on his part. For the most, his world remained a small and controlled one.
Stable. Structured. Safe.
Juliet had no argument with any of those things, not when Jake never put any strictures or rules on her. She loved their little family and the bigger one of which it was a part. She loved each and every minute she spent with Jake and with Esme. Added to that, she was no party girl and would rather hang out at home than go out.
This wasn’t about that.
It was about the fact that Jake had always had a second passion aside from rugby. Had he left it behind out of choice, that would be something else. But she’d seen how he admired Leo’s Porsche, watched his eyes light up when he worked on the family’s cars, heard the interest in his voice when he caught a snippet of Formula One racing news.
It was as if he’d decided his love of cars was a childish thing, a waste of time for a man who was a father.
Juliet hurt for the boy he’d once been, the boy who’d made that call.
As it was, he said nothing about the tickets the next day. Neither did he mention them in the days that followed. She decided to let it go. She’d try again later, maybe with something less intense. A car show possibly. Juliet wasn’t a woman who gave up easily when it came to the happiness of those she loved.
Taking the tickets from his bedside table one night after dinner, she put them back in her handbag, figuring to pass them on to a couple of girls who worked in Administration.
Jake popped into the bedroom an hour later to grab his phone. When he came out, he said, “Jules, what happened to the supercar tickets?”
Startled, she looked up from her laptop. She was working at the kitchen table while Esme did her homework beside her. “I thought I’d pass them on to people at work.”
Slipping into the chair across from her, he gave her an intent look. “You’re not mad?”
Esme’s head lifted, but reassured by the smiles both of them shot her way, she continued on with her painstaking lettering practice.
“Of course not.” Juliet closed her hand over his. “I don’t want to change you, Jake.” Not when he was so damn wonderful. “I’m just trying to lure you outside the castle walls and out into the wild.”
Turning his hand so the back of it lay against the table, he wove his fingers through hers. “Don’t give the tickets away.”
Breath tight in her chest, Juliet nodded, but she didn’t really believe he’d do it until they were at the track three days later. They’d brought Esme and Danny with them. Jake wanted Juliet to make use of the second ticket and ride with him, so Danny had been roped in to babysit.
“Zoom!” Esme pressed her face to the fence around the track, eyes bright as she watched the supercars racing by.
Only one car was on the track at a time, which reduced the chances of a collision, and each person had a half-hour slot—after accounting for prep time, that meant about ten minutes on the track. Jake had chosen his car online, but Juliet didn’t know what it was until they arrived.
A gleaming red McLaren P1 waited for them, a sexy curve of fire just waiting to take off.
The terms of the ticket meant they had to wear safety gear, including helmets, and they both geared up without argument while Esme and Danny watched, Danny taking photographs on his phone.