Burning Wild
Page 104
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Andraya nodded. “Breakfast,” she echoed.
“It looks great,” Emma said. “Thank you so much.” Jake set the tray on her lap and she tried not to look dismayed at the strange mixture that looked like it might have eggs in it. “Did you two cook?”
Kyle nodded solemnly. “Daddy helped.”
“And he let you choose what you wanted to put in Mommy’s eggs?” Emma watched Jake’s face. He’d had fun. He’d learned to have fun, spending the morning with his children, letting them mix the ingredients into her eggs. She could see the lines of strain had eased and imagined him with the children on chairs, hunched over a mixing bowl, and Jake laughing to himself.
“They were very certain of what goes into a breakfast scramble,” Jake said, trying to look innocent. He failed miserably.
Emma’s heart melted at the mischievous joy in his eyes. He had never learned the art of teasing, yet here he was, two little chubby hands clutching his, all three faces beaming at her.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Kyle asked anxiously.
“I was just thinking Daddy should share this with Mommy,” Emma said, holding out a spoonful of the egg mixture.
Both children looked at Jake expectantly. He stared at the gooey mess like it might bite him. “Daddy ate, remember?”
“You’re always hungry and the children did such a good job,” Emma countered.
“You have a mean streak in you,” Jake observed, perching on the edge of the bed. “I’m going to retaliate, you know.” Reluctantly he took the spoon from her.
“I think I’m pretty safe,” Emma said, knowing his retaliations tended to be sexual. She smirked at him as the children watched him reluctantly put the spoon into his mouth.
She held out the glass of orange juice as he swallowed so he could wash it down. Jake choked a little, smiled at the children and raised his voice. “Susan. Could you see if the nurse is here to watch the children while Emma showers?”
He had that black velvet voice that insinuated all sorts of erotic things. Susan came running and caught each child by a hand. “I’ll take them downstairs.” She blushed to the roots of her hair, obviously thinking Jake wanted to be alone with Emma.
“You can’t eat this stuff,” Jake said as soon as Andraya and Kyle were gone. “You’ll be sick for a week.” He took the tray from Emma and set it aside.
She started to get out of bed but he stopped her, taking her hand. “I want to get married.”
Emma looked up at him startled. “We just got engaged.”
“I’m aware of that, Emma, but we have two children. Let’s just get it done. I can get us a license immediately and we can get a judge here and just do it. By the way, I have the papers for you to sign for the adoption.”
Emma pulled her hand away and shoved the covers back, rolling away from him to the other side of the bed where she had a robe. She couldn’t think straight being nearly naked with him fully dressed. There was something too erotic about the way his eyes brushed over her skin and heated her body. Her brain just refused to function. She wasn’t going to say yes just because she wanted sex—and she did want sex. Just looking at him filled her with love.
He was so lost. He’d admitted it to her. He fought himself over the growing feelings he had for her. She knew he wanted to keep his emotions in check and regard her and the children the way he did his possessions. His. He cared for them, protected them, provided the best for them, but he didn’t invest his heart. The problem was, Jake didn’t know himself very well. He cared for the people working for him. He cared for Drake and Joshua and every other lame duck he’d brought home. And he loved Andraya and Kyle. In his eyes, when he held her, in his voice when he talked to her in the middle of the night, Emma saw and heard that he loved her. He might not recognize it, but she did.
“Emma, stop stalling. How hard can it be just to say yes? Why wouldn’t we?”
“You’re like a gazillionaire, Jake. You need a prenuptial to protect you. That takes time to put in place, especially when you have the money and property and companies you have.”
His eyebrow shot up. “Did Stillman contact you?” he asked suspiciously.
Emma shrugged, trying to look casual. “I contacted him.”
He stood up, towering over her, looking incredibly intimidating. Emma refused to step back, looking up at him, refusing to be sorry for doing what she felt was right.
“You did what?”
“It was important to me to protect you,” Emma said quietly.
“No.”
Emma swept past him, heading for the bathroom, her nerve breaking at the muscle ticking in his jaw. Jake caught her arm, abruptly halting her.
“I’m not discussing this with you, Jake,” she said, pressing her lips tightly together.
“No, I’ll be discussing this with Stillman. I don’t want a prenuptial. It’s going to be difficult enough without you thinking we’re not on equal footing. Whatever I have is yours. I meant what I said when we first talked marriage. I don’t believe in divorce. This is it for us. We do it, and we find a way to live with it.”
Her heart jumped. “Jake, try being just a little romantic about marriage instead of being ruthless. You sound like you’re threatening me instead of proposing.”
He caught her chin and tipped up her face. “I’ve tried never to lie to you, about what I am inside or how difficult I can be. I have every confidence that I’ll do my best for you, but I’m also very aware I’ll want everything my way.
“It looks great,” Emma said. “Thank you so much.” Jake set the tray on her lap and she tried not to look dismayed at the strange mixture that looked like it might have eggs in it. “Did you two cook?”
Kyle nodded solemnly. “Daddy helped.”
“And he let you choose what you wanted to put in Mommy’s eggs?” Emma watched Jake’s face. He’d had fun. He’d learned to have fun, spending the morning with his children, letting them mix the ingredients into her eggs. She could see the lines of strain had eased and imagined him with the children on chairs, hunched over a mixing bowl, and Jake laughing to himself.
“They were very certain of what goes into a breakfast scramble,” Jake said, trying to look innocent. He failed miserably.
Emma’s heart melted at the mischievous joy in his eyes. He had never learned the art of teasing, yet here he was, two little chubby hands clutching his, all three faces beaming at her.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Kyle asked anxiously.
“I was just thinking Daddy should share this with Mommy,” Emma said, holding out a spoonful of the egg mixture.
Both children looked at Jake expectantly. He stared at the gooey mess like it might bite him. “Daddy ate, remember?”
“You’re always hungry and the children did such a good job,” Emma countered.
“You have a mean streak in you,” Jake observed, perching on the edge of the bed. “I’m going to retaliate, you know.” Reluctantly he took the spoon from her.
“I think I’m pretty safe,” Emma said, knowing his retaliations tended to be sexual. She smirked at him as the children watched him reluctantly put the spoon into his mouth.
She held out the glass of orange juice as he swallowed so he could wash it down. Jake choked a little, smiled at the children and raised his voice. “Susan. Could you see if the nurse is here to watch the children while Emma showers?”
He had that black velvet voice that insinuated all sorts of erotic things. Susan came running and caught each child by a hand. “I’ll take them downstairs.” She blushed to the roots of her hair, obviously thinking Jake wanted to be alone with Emma.
“You can’t eat this stuff,” Jake said as soon as Andraya and Kyle were gone. “You’ll be sick for a week.” He took the tray from Emma and set it aside.
She started to get out of bed but he stopped her, taking her hand. “I want to get married.”
Emma looked up at him startled. “We just got engaged.”
“I’m aware of that, Emma, but we have two children. Let’s just get it done. I can get us a license immediately and we can get a judge here and just do it. By the way, I have the papers for you to sign for the adoption.”
Emma pulled her hand away and shoved the covers back, rolling away from him to the other side of the bed where she had a robe. She couldn’t think straight being nearly naked with him fully dressed. There was something too erotic about the way his eyes brushed over her skin and heated her body. Her brain just refused to function. She wasn’t going to say yes just because she wanted sex—and she did want sex. Just looking at him filled her with love.
He was so lost. He’d admitted it to her. He fought himself over the growing feelings he had for her. She knew he wanted to keep his emotions in check and regard her and the children the way he did his possessions. His. He cared for them, protected them, provided the best for them, but he didn’t invest his heart. The problem was, Jake didn’t know himself very well. He cared for the people working for him. He cared for Drake and Joshua and every other lame duck he’d brought home. And he loved Andraya and Kyle. In his eyes, when he held her, in his voice when he talked to her in the middle of the night, Emma saw and heard that he loved her. He might not recognize it, but she did.
“Emma, stop stalling. How hard can it be just to say yes? Why wouldn’t we?”
“You’re like a gazillionaire, Jake. You need a prenuptial to protect you. That takes time to put in place, especially when you have the money and property and companies you have.”
His eyebrow shot up. “Did Stillman contact you?” he asked suspiciously.
Emma shrugged, trying to look casual. “I contacted him.”
He stood up, towering over her, looking incredibly intimidating. Emma refused to step back, looking up at him, refusing to be sorry for doing what she felt was right.
“You did what?”
“It was important to me to protect you,” Emma said quietly.
“No.”
Emma swept past him, heading for the bathroom, her nerve breaking at the muscle ticking in his jaw. Jake caught her arm, abruptly halting her.
“I’m not discussing this with you, Jake,” she said, pressing her lips tightly together.
“No, I’ll be discussing this with Stillman. I don’t want a prenuptial. It’s going to be difficult enough without you thinking we’re not on equal footing. Whatever I have is yours. I meant what I said when we first talked marriage. I don’t believe in divorce. This is it for us. We do it, and we find a way to live with it.”
Her heart jumped. “Jake, try being just a little romantic about marriage instead of being ruthless. You sound like you’re threatening me instead of proposing.”
He caught her chin and tipped up her face. “I’ve tried never to lie to you, about what I am inside or how difficult I can be. I have every confidence that I’ll do my best for you, but I’m also very aware I’ll want everything my way.
