Chapter Five

   Lydia had become good friends with Mia Gentry through their mutual friend and colleague, Crystal. So when Mia had called her at the office and invited her to lunch, Lydia had gratefully accepted. With Crystal away on her honeymoon, Lydia was in desperate need of some girl time. Plus, she was dying to talk to someone about her situation with Jake. The hours they had spent together yesterday, first at the aquarium, and then at dinner, had been one of the best days she’d had in a long time. Being with Jake and Casey had been so easy and natural. When they’d gotten back to his home after dropping Casey off, he’d poured her a glass of wine and he’d had a beer while they talked about their jobs and families.

   Of course, it only made sense that she know his background if she was to convince Chris that they had a real marriage. He had assured her that Chris herself didn’t know much more about him than a stranger off the street would know. Jake’s parents came to see Casey often, but Chris had never visited with them nor had she expressed any interest in doing so. He said that she simply used them as another backup babysitter in the event he was out of town and her parents were unavailable.

   Lydia could hardly believe it when Jake had mentioned that it was almost midnight. They’d been sitting and chatting for hours by that point. They’d walked down the hallway together and again he’d had what appeared to be a bashful moment when he stood uncertainly at her door before leaning forward to drop a kiss onto her cheek. “Thanks for today—for everything.” She’d stood there fighting the urge to follow him as he headed in the direction of his own room. Sexy Jake’s powerful presence was a heady thing to be around, and sweet Jake was melting her inhibitions and her underwear at an alarmingly fast pace. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be sneaking into his bed before their first week of marriage was over.

   “You look like a woman who’s got it bad, sugar,” remarked an amused voice. Lydia’s eyes flew to the open doorway, where Mia now reclined against the frame. “Don’t bother to tell me you’re over there pondering a work problem because I won’t believe it.”

   “You had it right the first time,” Lydia admitted wryly. Why deny it since she planned on asking her friend for advice during lunch anyway? She got to her feet and pulled her purse from the side drawer of her desk. “Want to walk around the corner to the sandwich shop?” she asked as she moved toward Mia.

   “Sounds good to me. I could totally murder a turkey sandwich right now,” Mia joked as they rode the elevator down to the lobby. Mia chatted about the latest security system installation she was working on for Danvers while they ordered their food and found a quiet table in the corner.

   Despite her earlier statement about being hungry, Mia pushed her sandwich aside after a few bites and asked, “What’s going on with Jake? I called you a couple of times over the weekend to check in but kept getting your voice mail.”

   Lydia dropped her face in her hands and mumbled, “The quick answer is that I’m hopelessly infatuated with him.”

   “Mmmhmm.” Mia smacked her lips. “He’s totally fuckable. I’d be more concerned if you didn’t feel the way you do.”

   “I was attracted to him from the start, but now I feel as if I’m just a step away from attacking him,” Lydia admitted.

   Shrugging her shoulders, Mia asked, “So what’s the problem? You’re both adults. Make a nookie date and get to it. Hell, you can even have dinner first if you want to keep things civilized.”

   “I’m living with him,” Lydia blurted out. “I agreed to help him with some issues he’s having with his daughter’s mother.”

   The bite of food Mia had taken appeared to lodge in her throat as she made a choking sound. Lydia leaned over to thump her on the back until she waved her away. “Jake has a kid? And baby mama drama? Holeee shit! Why am I just now hearing about this? Did you know?” she asked incredulously.

   Shaking her head, Lydia said, “Nope, sure didn’t. When I left with him after Crystal’s wedding, we went to his house to have a chance to talk and he told me everything. He offered to give me an annulment; actually, he wanted to arrange it. Then—”

   “Wait.” Mia held her hand up. “I thought you guys did the dirty in Vegas. Was he going to lie to avoid going through a divorce?”

   Trying to keep any trace of disappointment from her voice, Lydia said, “No, apparently we never had, er . . . intercourse. Which makes sense considering I can remember us fooling around, but it’s been driving me crazy that I couldn’t recall the main event. He said even intoxicated, he wouldn’t let that happen without me being completely sober.”

   “But it was okay to marry you while you were tipsy?” Mia said dryly.

   Lydia felt strangely defensive of her husband, the man she barely knew. “It might not have been the best idea, but we were both in a dismal place that night. I was missing Brett, and what might have been if he hadn’t gotten sick. Jake and his ex are pretty close to battling for custody of their daughter. She’s saying she’ll drop her part if he’ll either marry her or pay her more support. And he’s determined to get joint custody. He’s afraid that his daughter is going to get dragged through a custody case and he doesn’t want that to happen to her. He thought if he were married, Chris might back off her demands and the court would look favorably on him if he presented a more settled image, and I just wanted to know what it would feel like to say, ‘I do.’” Rubbing at the slight ache in her temples, Lydia admitted, “As insane as it may sound, I was upset when I found out that we hadn’t had sex that night and our marriage could be ended so easily. I mean, it’s not like I’m in love with him, but he makes me feel desired again. I’ve been like a robot since Brett died.” Pausing, she looked around to make sure no one was listening before continuing, “I haven’t . . . you know, wanted anyone sexually in years. But from the moment I met Jake, it’s as if my body is some kind of computer that’s abruptly come back online.”