Passion Never Dies (6 page)

To her shame, she wished she had not had to admit to him about Richard, but she knew it would have eaten her up inside if she had hidden the truth from him.

“So, you have a boyfriend?” Jake asked in a hard voice. His eyes glittered with an emotion she couldn’t read.

“We aren’t in a committed relationship,” Diana hedged, “but I’ve been dating him for a little over a year.”

A small tic appeared on Jake’s cheek and he stayed quiet until the silence made her uncomfortable. His hand still covered hers gently, but she could see in his eyes that he was far from pleased with her answer.

“I see,” he said slowly. “So, where do we go from here?”

Diana bit her lip as his green eyes probed into hers.

“I’ll have to tell Richard about you,” she replied softly.

“I don’t share, Diana,” Jake said in a hard voice.

At a loss for words, she looked down into her coffee cup, unable to hold his intense gaze. Their waiter suddenly appeared and set Jake’s steak and a potato down on the table before leaving.

Jake released her hand and placed his finger under her chin, lifting her face up to his.

“You do what you have to do,” he said quietly, “but just so you know, I don’t give up easily on the people or things I want...and I want you.”

Diana let out a breath of surprise at his words. They sent an excited thrill up her spine, but she also felt trepidation at the challenge in his eyes.

“I see,” she said. “I suppose that’s your way of throwing down the gauntlet?”

Jake smiled suddenly, amused at her words.

“That’s medieval, but, yes,” he added seriously, “I’m not about to let you go, Diana.”

Diana shook her head at his statement.

“You realize that you’re causing a minor earthquake in my life right now, don’t you, Jake Redmond?”

“So, what are you going to do about it, Miss Mulroney?” he asked, a twinkle in his eye.

“I have no idea,” she replied honestly.

Jake was more masculine, more exciting, more sexy than any man she had ever met or been with. Diana had a feeling that she was getting in over her head, but she knew that she was helpless to stop the feelings that overcame her each and every time she was with him. She wanted him badly and she was afraid that he already knew it.

Jake laughed, leaned over and kissed her lightly, taking her by surprise.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, sweetheart,” he said.

Diana blinked at his use of the endearment and watched him pick up his fork and knife. He cut into his tender steak and quickly began wolfing down his meal.

“You sure you don’t want anything to eat?” Jake asked.

“You sure you don’t want another steak?” she answered, marveling at how quickly he ate.

Jake smiled. “Sorry, I haven’t eaten since this morning and this is delicious.”

“Go ahead,” Diana said. “I’m happy with my coffee.”

Jake finished his meal in record time and sipped the last of his wine.

“Would you like dessert, Diana?” he asked, leaning over the table toward her.

“No, I actually should be heading home now. It’s been a long day,” she said. She wanted to spend more time with him, but she needed to go home and collect her thoughts.

Jake gave the waiter his credit card and then placed his hand over hers.

“Thank you for joining me for dinner tonight,” he said and stroked his thumb over her hand. “We should do this again soon.”

“Let’s take this slowly, Jake,” she said, her hand tingling from the gentle stroking of his thumb.

She did not want to rush into something with Jake. He was too lethal to her senses and she had some unfinished business with Richard to attend to first.

“Take all the time you need, Diana,” he said, lifting her hand up and kissing her palm gently. “Just as long as you know that I’m not going anywhere.”

Diana couldn’t help staring at his lips as they kissed her palm.

“Is there anything else I can get for you tonight, sir?” asked the waiter, who suddenly appeared before them, handing Jake back his credit card. “No, thank you,” Jake answered, smiling at the waiter. “It was a delicious meal.”

Jake abruptly stood up and pulled out Diana’s chair. He took her hand and they walked out of the restaurant together.

~

In the parking lot, Diana watched Jake open the passenger side door of the car, but before she could step inside, he turned her around to face him.

“What -” she said before he swooped down and kissed her passionately.

Shocked by his sudden kiss, she released her purse, which fell to the ground, and returned his kiss helplessly as she clutched his waist. His tongue invaded her mouth as he held her head between his hands and angled his body into hers, pressing her into the passenger side door. Aroused to a fever pitch, she moaned as she lost herself in his wildly fervent kiss.

Jake continued to press into her and she felt his erection rub against her stomach. Diana moved sinuously against him and heard him groan at her sensuous movement. He placed both hands on her bottom and arched her farther into him. At her gasp, he released her lips and looked down at her with blazing eyes.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve been waiting to do this all evening,” he said, bending down to kiss her neck.

“Mmm,” she said, unable to hold back a moan as he gently licked her neck. “I guess this is your dessert?”

Jake chuckled gently and lifted his head, his hands squeezing her bottom.

Diana was wildly aroused, but she was still feeling guilty over Richard. She needed to stop this until she could break it off cleanly with Richard. However, there was no denying it any longer. She was in too deep with Jake and she couldn’t prevent herself from being with him even if she had wanted to.

“I need to go home,” she said reluctantly.

Jake looked intently into her eyes for a long moment before he nodded, seeming to understand her need to end the evening.

“I’ll take you home, sweetheart,” he said and bent to kiss her lips one more time. “You won’t regret this, Diana. I promise,” he said against her lips before he kissed her softly, his tongue gently thrusting inside her mouth. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Your lips are too sweet,” he mumbled as he hugged her to him. “Go out with me tomorrow night.”

Diana frowned slightly.

“Jake, I have to tell Richard about us. Tomorrow night I have a date with him.”

Jake frowned in displeasure. “A date?”

“Yes, it was planned a while ago,” Diana answered reluctantly. “I need to let him know and end it with him.”

“Will it be difficult for you to break up with him?” he asked carefully, an unreadable expression on his face.

Diana hesitated, uncomfortable about opening up to him just yet. Even though she and Richard had more of a “friends with benefits” relationship, she knew that if given a chance, he would want a deeper connection. He had always been kind and sweet to her and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. But now wrapped in Jake’s arms, she knew that she needed to be honest with Richard. She had never felt intense longing for him like she did for Jake and although she had been content enough with him until Jake had come along, now she knew she would never be again.

“It would be harder to let you go,” she said quietly.

Jake’s smile took her breath away and he cradled her face in his hands, giving her another kiss.

“Let me take you out to lunch on Sunday,” he urged her.

“Okay,” she agreed readily, not sure what was on her calendar, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to be with him.

He kissed her again, tracing his tongue across her lips before he kissed her voraciously. They both heard a car honk and a loud wolf whistle before parting reluctantly. Diana looked up to see a couple of teenagers in a car drive by, smiling at them.

“Too much public display of affection again,” Jake said, laughing as he released Diana reluctantly. “You have a knack of making me forget where I am.”

“Ditto,” she smiled impishly up at him. She had never been one to forget her surroundings completely, but with Jake anything was possible.

“Come on, I’ll take you home now,” Jake said, releasing her.

~

“You’re going to do what?!” exclaimed Natalie, loud enough for the other patrons at the trendy coffee shop to turn and look at her and Diana curiously.

“Nat, I know it sounds crazy, but you don’t understand,” Diana said, smothering a yawn and taking a sip of her iced coffee, hoping to wake up. She had wanted to sleep in since it was Saturday, but Natalie had called her especially early in the morning and had insisted that they get together to talk.

“Richard has been the sweetest guy to you for over a year now and believe me, Diana, there aren’t that many good men around. Jake Redmond comes out of nowhere and you’re throwing Richard out for him?” Natalie asked accusingly, her blue eyes blazing.

“I’m not throwing him out,” Diana replied indignantly. “I’m letting him go. There
is
a difference. You and I both know that my relationship with Richard was going nowhere. I don’t have deep feelings for him and I never will. It’s unfair to continue on with him when I’m intensely attracted to Jake.”

Natalie shook her head and tossed her long, red hair over her shoulder. “It’s called lust, Diana,” Natalie stated bluntly.

“No, Nat, I think it’s more than that,” denied Diana. She loved Natalie like a sister, but she tended to be a tad aggravating at times.

“Richard and I have never referred to each other as “boyfriend” and girlfriend” stated Diana. “I’ve been a bit unkind to him when you think about it. We’ve dated for over a year and I still haven’t been able to commit to him. It’s time he found someone who can love him and make him happy.”

“
You
make him happy, Diana,” Natalie insisted. Then she paused, taking a sip of her coffee, “I know Richard can be kind of boring but I just think you’re being a little rash and impulsive. You don’t know anything about Jake. From what Max knows about him, he’s rumored to be pretty ruthless and cutthroat in the business world. He’s Mr. Corporate and you’re Ms. Softy.”

“Oh, come on, Natalie,” Diana protested. “You’re married to a corporate guy. There’s nothing wrong with Max.”

“Max is a big player, but he’s not a business tycoon with major shares in several luxury hotels in Vegas. Jake is nothing like the guys you’ve ever dated before Diana. He’ll eat you up alive.”

“Oh, please,” scoffed Diana, “you’re totally over-reacting. Jake is a perfectly nice guy.”

“How long will he be in Vegas?” Natalie asked, eyebrows raised.

“Just for the summer.”

“That’s it? Then what?”

Diana shook her head in frustration. It was just too early in the morning to be interrogated by her best friend.

“I don’t know. All I know is that I really want to be with him.”

“What is going on, Diana?” Natalie asked, confused. “You’ve always been the play-it-safe kind of girl.”

“But I don’t want to be that girl anymore,” protested Diana. “I played it safe with Richard for a year and quite frankly, it became a bit dull and routine.”

“So, now you’re suddenly the take-a-leap-on-the-wild-side kind of girl?”

“Not necessarily,” said Diana slowly. But with Jake she suspected that if he said “jump”, she would ask “how high?”

“Humph,” Natalie grunted. “You’re a bit naïve, Diana, and I’m saying that in the kindest way possible.”

“I don’t necessarily agree,” Diana said, shaking her head.

“Before Richard, there was Jeff, but you only dated him for a few months and before him there was George. You only dated George during our senior year in college. Then he left to take a job out of state soon after graduation. That’s a total of three guys you’ve dated. I hardly think that makes you knowledgeable about men.”

Natalie paused and then placed her hand on top of Diana’s.

“Look, you’re my best friend,” Natalie said gently, “and I just don’t want to see you getting hurt.”

Diana smiled and squeezed Natalie’s hand reassuringly.

“I know you don’t understand. I don’t quite either, but you see, he makes me feel so special. I completely forget myself when I’m with him. I even forget that we’re in public places whenever we’ve kissed and you know how I feel about public displays of affection.”

Natalie laughed. “You always roll your eyes when you see couples kissing in public.”

“I like the way Jake looks at me and the way I feel in his arms,” Diana said in a soft voice, a faraway look in her eyes.

Natalie put a hand up. “Okay, that’s too much information. But seriously, Diana, there are consequences to everything and I just hope you’re going into this with your eyes wide open.”

“Don’t worry about me, Nat. I’m twenty-seven years old and I can take care of myself,” she replied gently.

“If he hurts you, I swear I’ll have Max beat him up.”

“Thanks,” said Diana, amused.

Natalie sighed. “Fine, this is your decision, but just be careful, okay?”

Diana smiled, reached over across the table, and squeezed her best friend’s hand.

“Thanks, I’ll let you know how it goes tonight.”

Chapter Three

“Sir, would you like another rum and coke?” asked the pretty blonde in the skimpy waitress outfit. She bent over him and Jake had a good view of her bountiful chest. He shook his head wryly and looked over to his colleagues who were busy laughing and drinking. It was only noon, but his business associates had been having happy hour cocktails for the past hour.

Jake glanced at his gold watch and frowned. For some reason, this business meeting was taking interminably long. He didn’t feel jovial nor did he want to discuss business any longer. His attention span had never been so short during a meeting before. It all had to do with one pretty brunette and her imminent break-up tonight.

“Hey, Jake, we’re heading over to the casino. Do you want to join us?” asked one of the men.

Jake shook his head and stood up.

“Sorry, gentlemen, I’m heading out.”

The other men also stood and took turns shaking his hand.

“We’ll have the projections in your office Monday morning,” said one man respectfully.