Was this the way he was going to act? If so, her interest in him wouldn’t last long. She needed someone to support her, not to get all moody for no reason.
When he remained silent, she pulled to the curb in an area where no one was around and turned to him with a frown. “What is your problem?”
Jake was not only angry at himself for feeling jealous, now he felt like a jerk for the way he was behaving toward Chloe. It wasn’t her fault she was gorgeous and desirable and that movie stars wanted to have dinner with her.
Sighing audibly, he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Chloe. I know I’m being a selfish jerk right now.”
She frowned. “Yeah. You are. The question is, why?”
Stung by her acknowledgement of his childish behavior, but also embarrassed, he felt his shoulders slump. “The truth is, seeing you sitting there with Ethan Marsh having such a great time made me…” he clenched his jaw, embarrassed by his emotions, but he decided to admit to them anyway. “Jealous.” He met her gaze.
Her eyebrows rose, and then she laughed, which made him feel small and idiotic.
“What’s so funny?”
“You’re jealous of Ethan.” It came out as a statement.
“Yeah. Who wouldn’t be?”
She shook her head. “You’re such an idiot, Jake Mitchell.”
He already knew that and didn’t appreciate her pointing it out. “Uh-huh.”
She took one of his hands in hers. “The whole time I was having dinner with him I was wishing it was you instead.”
Deeply surprised, Jake said, “You were?”
She nodded. “Yes, you goof. If it wasn’t for the movie role he’s offering, I wouldn’t have had dinner with him.”
“Oh.” Even though he’d known this was a business meeting, he’d still been jealous. He was such an idiot and she deserved better. If he was going to be with her, he would have to get over his jealousy because she would be working with famous people who were interested in her. That was the nature of her life. It wasn’t about him, anyway. He had to focus on her and what she needed. In the dim interior of her Ferrari, he smiled. She was worth fighting for, worth giving his all to.
“What are you thinking, Jake?”
He took her hands in his. “That I need to get over myself and focus on you.”
Chloe could see the sincerity in Jake’s eyes and it touched her deeply, but hearing what he was saying struck a chord with her. She shook her head. “I know being with me is different than being with any other woman.” As the words left her mouth, she imagined him being with some other woman. The idea sent a sting of jealousy to her heart and she suddenly had an understanding of what Jake must have felt as he’d watched her and Ethan having dinner together while Jake sat a distance away. Empathy toward Jake suffused her and she squeezed his hands. “It’s not all about me, you know. Your feelings are completely valid.” She shook her head. “If we want to give this a go, we need to communicate better.”
Jake nodded. “You’re right.” He chuckled. “Less kissing and more talking.”
A smiled tugged up the corners of Chloe’s lips. “Why not both?”
That earned her a hearty laugh from Jake. “I like the way you think.” At that, he leaned toward her, and after sliding one of his hands around the back of her neck, he kissed her.
All kinds of sensations washed over Chloe as his lips pressed against hers, and with her hands gripping Jake’s free hand, she found herself falling for him all the more.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chloe made sure to get up early the next morning, early enough to get to her gym before Jake got there. Because if this day was going to be anything like the previous one, this would be her only chance to be alone with him until the evening.
She walked into the dark and silent gym and flipped on the lights, then did some stretches as she waited for Jake to arrive. It didn’t take long, and when she saw him in his gym shorts and a t-shirt that couldn’t hide his muscular body, she had to look away to catch her breath. Not only was he a sweet and thoughtful man, but he was dang hot as well. Turning back to face him, she smiled. “Good morning.”
He smiled in return. “I didn’t expect to see you here this morning.”
It suddenly occurred to her that maybe he would prefer that she not be there so that he could focus on his workout. “I can come back later.” Please don’t ask me to.
He chuckled. “Why would you do that? This is your gym.” His eyebrows rose. “Do you want me to come back later?”
She shook her head, then remembered their conversation the night before about communicating better. Swallowing her self-consciousness, she smiled shyly. “I want to work out with you. If that’s okay.”
His smile grew. “That’s more than okay.”
Relieved that admitting how she really felt had been a good thing, she smiled. “All right then.”
He walked over to her, stopping right in front of her. “Did you sleep well?”
She smiled at him. “Yes. Did you?”
With his eyes steady on hers, he smiled. “Mostly.”
She tilted her head. “Mostly?”
He nodded. “I woke up a couple of times from vivid dreams that seemed pretty real.”
“What were you dreaming about?”
His smile grew and he leaned closer. “You.”
At the look in his eyes, Chloe’s heart thundered in her chest. “Is that right?”
He nodded. “Yep.”
“Care to share what happened in those dreams?”
He straightened. “I’d rather show you.”
Her eyebrows shot up. What was he going to do? “Okay.”
Softly chuckling, he scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Gasping in surprise, Chloe didn’t know what to do or say. Jake took off at a slow jog, carrying her around the room.
“What are you doing?” she finally asked through her laughter.
He stopped and set her down, his eyes crinkling with barely suppressed laughter. “Showing you what I was dreaming about.”
Chloe stared at him a moment. “You dreamt about carrying me around over your shoulder?”
“Well, yeah. In the dream I had to save you from your adoring fans.”
Laughter burst from Chloe’s mouth and she shook her head.
Still smiling, Jake gazed at her. “Are you saying you didn’t dream about me?”
Actually, she had, but she wasn’t going to admit it, not when her dream involved him kissing her. Instead, she lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I can’t remember exactly.”
“Uh-huh.”
Ready to change the subject, Chloe swept an arm toward the equipment in the room. “Should we work out?”
Jake nodded. “Yep. Where do you want to start?”
She glanced at his biceps, suppressing the urge to see what they felt like, and turned to the free weights. “Can you show me how to use those?”
“Of course.” His eyes slid up and down her body, sending a tingling feeling through her. Then he smiled. “What do you want to achieve? Getting more toned? Gaining strength?”