Tina smiled as she looked at Jewell, who shrugged her shoulders. She was surprised to see her first drink was finished. Then another was being set in front of her, and when that one was gone, she found herself laughing with the whole group of boys, who she learned were attending the University of Washington.
She stopped her drinks after the third one, knowing she didn’t want to end up doing something foolish, but when three hours passed and she felt immeasurably better, she thanked the boys and Tina, and then decided it was time to go home. She would much rather eat food at her own place than deep-fried bar food.
Her companions lodged protests, but they didn’t hassle her too much when she left and made her way back down the streets in a much better mood than she’d been when she first set out on this minor adventure. That good mood immediately vanished when she walked in her front door and heard laughter coming from the sitting room.
Her stomach clenched when a male voice piped in. Her part-time housekeeper wasn’t alone, and though Jewell could pretend the person with Elsa was anyone other than Blake, she knew beyond a doubt he was there. Of course he could disappear for days on end and then show up whenever he felt like it. It was his apartment, after all; he seemed to own everything and everyone.
When she stopped in the doorway and saw Blake with a smile on his normally stern face, laughing at something Elsa had said, she felt an odd surge of jealousy. That was ridiculous. If he wanted to run off with her housekeeper, a woman he’d hired, that would save her a lot of hassle. She should leave them to their fun, just walk away in relief.
That isn’t what she did, of course. Instead, she took another step forward.
Jewell’s eyes were drawn to the laugh lines next to his eyes as his face opened up, making him so much more human. He was wearing a pair of jeans that hugged his thighs to perfection, and a shirt that seemed molded to his sculpted chest.
Her stomach clenched with raw need, and her head started to spin a bit. When she tried to take another step, she found herself gripping the doorjamb and holding on for dear life.
She was glad that neither Blake nor Elsa had noticed her yet, because it gave her a moment to compose her features, to pull herself together. She was really regretting her drinks, even if she was no longer feeling their full effect.
When Blake’s shoulders tensed and he turned his head only an inch in her direction, she knew he’d become aware of her presence. Maybe he had been the whole time. Maybe the flirting and the laughter had all been for her benefit. It seemed that everything Blake did was calculated, so why wouldn’t this be as well?
There was no use hiding now, so she finally let go of the doorjamb and moved into the room, hoping her voice would sound normal when she was expected to speak.
“You’re home sooner than I expected, Ms. Weston. I haven’t begun dinner yet,” Elsa said, and she stood up.
“It’s fine, Elsa. I’m not very hungry,” Jewell replied.
“Oh, pish posh. I’m sure you’re starving after being out all afternoon. Time just got away from me. Mr. Knight is very entertaining company,” Elsa said as she started to leave the room.
Jewell gritted her teeth at the “company” comment. It had looked like Elsa and Blake were enjoying each other’s company a little too well, she thought snidely, but she was proud of herself for not speaking those thoughts aloud. It was also stupid to let it affect her. Hadn’t she told him to give her Justin and find another woman to help close his big business deal? Maybe he was doing just that.
“I’m sorry for keeping you, Elsa, but I appreciate that you didn’t leave me to sit here all alone,” Blake told her, his voice positively dripping honey and making Jewell grind her teeth together.
“Don’t let me interrupt you guys,” Jewell said. “I really need to go take a shower anyway.”
“I’ll have dinner ready in half an hour,” Elsa said. The housekeeper was obviously beginning to feel the tension in the room, and desperately eager to escape — which was exactly what Jewell wanted to do herself. “You’ll be staying, won’t you, Mr. Knight?”
“Yes, I’d love to have dinner here, Elsa.”
And with that, Elsa scampered away, leaving Jewell standing there. And just her luck — Blake caught her eyes and held on with that powerful gaze of his. She didn’t know what to do or say first. There was so much on her mind, so many unanswered questions.
Had Tyler really spoken to him? Was Blake going to give up on this crazy notion that they should get married? If he was going to give up on that, was he also done with the affair? And what about Justin?
Instead of acting on her urges to ask him anything, Jewell quickly hightailed it. She rushed to her bedroom, then shut and locked the door, and leaned against it. After catching her breath, she went into the bathroom and took an extra-long shower.
So what if she spritzed herself with superexpensive scented body oil? She was only continuing the routine she’d started since finding the stuff in the room. There was no thought of pleasing Blake, she assured herself. That was the last thing she was interested in doing this evening.
Finally emerging from the bathroom, she followed the sound of laughter once again and found Blake and Elsa in the kitchen preparing dinner together. And once again, the sight stopped her in her tracks. Blake wasn’t normally so helpful. Maybe something really was going on between him and the housekeeper. Did Elsa keep house for him too? She was here only a couple of times a week…
“Do you need me to do anything?” Jewell asked as she joined them.
“It’s actually almost ready. Mr. Knight was a terrific help. He prepared the beef medallions while I worked on the vegetables and dessert,” Elsa said as she checked the oven. Whatever they’d made smelled terrific, and Jewell’s stomach gave a quiet growl of appreciation.
A few minutes later, the meal was complete and Elsa insisted that Jewell sit. When Blake chose to sit not across from Jewell but beside her at the end of the table, she squirmed slightly at his close presence.
Elsa put the plates down on the table, and Jewell’s first taste was an explosion of flavors on her tongue. When she turned to thank Elsa, she discovered that the woman was already gone. So Jewell turned her attention back to her food. As she nibbled away, and the silence began to grow oppressive, she couldn’t help but think of other meals she’d shared with Blake back at his apartment. More than one had ended with her on the table as dessert for Blake.