asking? "Jake--are you asking me to move in with you?"
He looked at her intently. "Yes. You and Caleb."
Her ears rang as she swallowed his words. As far as practicality, it made sense. After all, when he was in town they spent most of their time together. But moving in, living together? That was a big deal. The part of her that got lost in his blue eyes and thought about waking up to him on Saturday mornings, standing over the stove as he danced around the kitchen with Caleb in his arms, screamed yes. The dreamer, the lover in Keisha wanted nothing more than to take the next step. But the rational part of her mind, the one that was lit up with dread every time an attack ad came on, that wondered when the shoe would drop and Jake would decide he was better off with a socialite than a single mom was leery.
"Are you sure, Jake?" she asked softly. "Do you know what you're getting into?"
"Well hopefully," he whispered, dropping his hand back to her thigh, "I'll be getting between those legs sooner rather than later."
She held his hand steady. "I'm being serious."
He gave her a small nod, stroking her leg gently. "I know sweetheart. So am I."
"But Jake-"
"And I know you've been screwed by love, by trusting men."
He spoke of Holden, Caleb's dad. Keisha had loved him the moment she set eyes on him, believed every lie he told her. When she got pregnant, he fell off the face of the earth. She’d tried dating after, but those that weren't out for sex usually had a problem with Caleb.
But not Jake. He loved Caleb. Rocking him to sleep, dancing with him, hell, he even tolerated mind numbing programs on the kid network.
His eyes searched hers, needing some sort of sign. Needing a response.
"I know it's a big deal," he said after a moment. "But I love you. I love Caleb. I want to build a home, a future with you."
"I love you too," she said, leaning toward him until her forehead touched his. The contact, skin to skin, made more sense than anything Keisha had ever known.
To fall in love was to shut your eyes and leap, hoping as you plummeted down someone would catch you. Never allow harm to come to you.
Keisha jumped, feeling the smile on her face as she dove into the unknown. "Okay. I'll move in with you."
Chapter Two
Jake
“Have you completely lost your mind?”
Jake Cunningham had always been grateful that his father, Conrad, never minced words.
Since he was the son of a successful entrepreneur that had his fingers in just about every successful pie in the continental US, Jake had always been treated with kid gloves. Throughout most of his youth, he’d always questioned if his teachers and friends only got close out of hopes that manna would rain from heaven or tiptoed around him out of fear that they’d fall out of his father’s good graces.
He could always count on his father to give it to him straight—but he found a part of him wished he could at least pretend to be happy about Keisha, even though he knew it was fool’s hope.
“I mean, this is completely insane, Jake,” Conrad railed on, loosening his tie.
“According to Dr. Jackman, I’ve got a clean bill of mental health—in fact, she says I’m the happiest she’s seen in a long time.”
It was the truth. Considering Marshal’s team had been pulling out all the stops, digging out every skeleton and quote taken out of context to bloody him in the public eye, it had to be the gospel truth. Last race, he’d lived in the gym, sweating it out to keep from exploding. But how could he be upset, how could he take anything personal when he knew Keisha would be waiting for him at the end of the tunnel?
“That woman is an overpriced crackpot,” Conrad seethed.
“Right,” Jake said with a bitter chuckle. “Still raw that she didn’t try to dissuade me from Trixie, I see.”
Conrad’s aqua eyes clouded over. “Don’t even say that girl’s name in my presence.”
He’d get no complaints from Jake. It was hard to believe that just four
He looked at her intently. "Yes. You and Caleb."
Her ears rang as she swallowed his words. As far as practicality, it made sense. After all, when he was in town they spent most of their time together. But moving in, living together? That was a big deal. The part of her that got lost in his blue eyes and thought about waking up to him on Saturday mornings, standing over the stove as he danced around the kitchen with Caleb in his arms, screamed yes. The dreamer, the lover in Keisha wanted nothing more than to take the next step. But the rational part of her mind, the one that was lit up with dread every time an attack ad came on, that wondered when the shoe would drop and Jake would decide he was better off with a socialite than a single mom was leery.
"Are you sure, Jake?" she asked softly. "Do you know what you're getting into?"
"Well hopefully," he whispered, dropping his hand back to her thigh, "I'll be getting between those legs sooner rather than later."
She held his hand steady. "I'm being serious."
He gave her a small nod, stroking her leg gently. "I know sweetheart. So am I."
"But Jake-"
"And I know you've been screwed by love, by trusting men."
He spoke of Holden, Caleb's dad. Keisha had loved him the moment she set eyes on him, believed every lie he told her. When she got pregnant, he fell off the face of the earth. She’d tried dating after, but those that weren't out for sex usually had a problem with Caleb.
But not Jake. He loved Caleb. Rocking him to sleep, dancing with him, hell, he even tolerated mind numbing programs on the kid network.
His eyes searched hers, needing some sort of sign. Needing a response.
"I know it's a big deal," he said after a moment. "But I love you. I love Caleb. I want to build a home, a future with you."
"I love you too," she said, leaning toward him until her forehead touched his. The contact, skin to skin, made more sense than anything Keisha had ever known.
To fall in love was to shut your eyes and leap, hoping as you plummeted down someone would catch you. Never allow harm to come to you.
Keisha jumped, feeling the smile on her face as she dove into the unknown. "Okay. I'll move in with you."
Chapter Two
Jake
“Have you completely lost your mind?”
Jake Cunningham had always been grateful that his father, Conrad, never minced words.
Since he was the son of a successful entrepreneur that had his fingers in just about every successful pie in the continental US, Jake had always been treated with kid gloves. Throughout most of his youth, he’d always questioned if his teachers and friends only got close out of hopes that manna would rain from heaven or tiptoed around him out of fear that they’d fall out of his father’s good graces.
He could always count on his father to give it to him straight—but he found a part of him wished he could at least pretend to be happy about Keisha, even though he knew it was fool’s hope.
“I mean, this is completely insane, Jake,” Conrad railed on, loosening his tie.
“According to Dr. Jackman, I’ve got a clean bill of mental health—in fact, she says I’m the happiest she’s seen in a long time.”
It was the truth. Considering Marshal’s team had been pulling out all the stops, digging out every skeleton and quote taken out of context to bloody him in the public eye, it had to be the gospel truth. Last race, he’d lived in the gym, sweating it out to keep from exploding. But how could he be upset, how could he take anything personal when he knew Keisha would be waiting for him at the end of the tunnel?
“That woman is an overpriced crackpot,” Conrad seethed.
“Right,” Jake said with a bitter chuckle. “Still raw that she didn’t try to dissuade me from Trixie, I see.”
Conrad’s aqua eyes clouded over. “Don’t even say that girl’s name in my presence.”
He’d get no complaints from Jake. It was hard to believe that just four
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