Page 31 (1/2)

"Pizza?" Dante offered, lifting the box closest to him for Jake to consider its contents

"No Thanks," Jake lass doors next to the big screen Through it he could see aa pue open barrel

"Did you re the man He’d warned him when he’d called, but people soear and that’s why it’s going in the barrel He brought several of theood thing just to puround soak it up," Dante told hiuys? I thought you were so busy with Nicole you wouldn’t think of it I was going tocoffee when Joey and his girlfriend were here," Jake answered He’d put the coffee on and quickly made the calls Quick as he’d been, Jake had barely finished when he’d heard Melly announcing that she wanted to leave He glanced to Dante and To else, huh?"

"A bitch," Toh," Dante said dryly "Nicole’s brother is an idiot to put up with her She doesn’t care about hiive her"

"Yeah" Jake grih

"You don’t think we should give him a heads-up?" Tomasso asked

"I don’t think he’d appreciate it," Jake said iven hio "Besides, hoould you explain knowing?"

Dante and Tolanced past hi over his shoulder, Jake found hi down the stairs She’d changed her clothes, put on soolden waves around her shoulders She was also carrying her purse

"Where are we going?" he asked with a grin,shopping," she answered lightly and then blushed and added, "For skirts and dresses"

"Sounds great," Jake said with a grin, and turned to lead the way to the coat closet And it did sound great The skirts and dresses had been his suggestion after all and he was thinking about howthem instead of jeans All he’d have to do was lift her skirt and--

"You don’t want to come with me," Nicole protested as she followed hi, Jake turned to face her and said quietly, "You can’t go alone, Nicole Reht," she said with annoyance "So to kill me"

Jake frowned It seemed while she would now admit someone was out to kill her, Nicole still wouldn’t admit it was her soon to be ex-husband Did that mean she still loved him? She’d claimed she didn’t, but then as she so resistant to acknowledging that he was the only one ould benefit?

"Do you want us to come with you?" Dante asked "Follow at a distance, maybe, reconnoiter the area and see if anyone follows the two of you?"

"Oh, this is ridiculous," Nicole said with frustration, turning to head for the stairs "Never "

"No, wait" Jake hurried after her, grabbing her aro, just the two of us It’s fine Besides, I want to help you pick thee in and out of the

Nicole hesitated, but then smiled crookedly and shook her head "You’re a pervert"

"I ahed "And the sad thing is, I’ her head, she rinned at winning the mini battle, and then turned to Dante and To, he nodded solemnly

Both men nodded back, equally soleet his coat The tould follow at a distance and keep an eye out while ensuring Nicole had no idea What she didn’t knoouldn’t hurt herand ry?"

Nicole pulled her gaze frolanced to Jake as she considered that question She didn’t have to consider it long Now that he’d asked, she was suddenly aware that her sto to eat itself "Actually, I aaze on the road ahead "We never did get to eat that chocolate cake"

Nicole bit her lip and turned her head out theagain, trying to hide a blush as she recalled why they’d not eaten the cake They’d had a snack at the food court when they’d first got there, so whether they’d eaten the cake was irrelevant He’d only brought it up to tease her, she was sure, and she didn’t want to give hi for and let hiuy, Nicole wouldn’t have worried he could see her blush in the dark light of dusk, but Jake wasn’t your average guy He’d said iht vision How et back?" Jake asked now and she could hear the smile in his voice and knew fro her blush

"Yes, please," Nicole said sweetly, and when he glanced to her, stuck her tongue out

Jake burst out laughing at the childish action, and then took one hand off the steering wheel to reach over and squeeze her knee

"Mers closed on naked skin "Or we could eat out"

"You already did," Nicole said, grabbing his hand and re Dah her veins She really shouldn’t have agreed to changing into one of the new skirts when he’d suggested it at theat the side of the road at this rate

"Ms Phillips!"