Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 129179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 646(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
"I—thank you, Jake."
We stared at each other for countless seconds, not saying a word. The air seemed thick with heightened tension, and I found myself leaning toward him. Never before had I felt such a need to be closer to someone. Something about him seemed to be calling out to me in a way that was creating thoughts and desires I'd never had before.
Sounds from the hallway pulled me up short. I acted quickly, getting into position behind the cart as I began pushing it toward the door.
"Wait! Don't leave—"
Jake's sentence was interrupted as the door to the office swung open.
"I'm just checking in to see if you need any help finishing up—"
My shift supervisor, Glenn, stopped talking when he saw Jake was in the room.
"Wow, Mr. Channing, I'm so sorry. Had I known you were coming in I would have altered the cleaning schedule, so we didn't interrupt you."
I dared not turn around as I felt Jake walking closer to me. "It's no problem," Jake answered affably. "I'm not here to work. I just came by to grab a file for a conference call I've decided to take from home in the morning."
"Ah," Glenn said as he nodded, "I see. Well, glad we weren't underfoot. It looks like you're finished in here, right Amber?"
For some reason, I was reluctant to leave without saying goodbye to Jake, but there was no choice. I didn't look back as I pushed the cart out the door.
I had not a shred of doubt that I'd never see Jake Channing again.
* * *
I was still thinking about a certain tall dark and gorgeous CEO as I left work almost two hours later. I'd seen my share of handsome men in my twenty-three years, but none had made the impression he had. Too bad someone like Jake would never be interested in dating someone like me.
I yawned as the elevator doors opened into the parking garage. It was just a few minutes after nine, which meant I'd be at Caddy's Diner enjoying my standing order of their pancakes of the day by nine thirty. Afterward, I'd go home, do a load of laundry and get to sleep by midnight. That meant I'd get a good seven or eight hours of sleep, depending on what time Macon got up. Caroline's first class was at eight, so she had to leave the house by seven to get there in time.
I knew she was looking forward to graduating so that she could be the one to spend those early morning hours with the baby. She was also anxiously awaiting Rob's return from Afghanistan. His six-month deployment had become eight, which meant he'd missed out on almost all of Macon's ten months of life. I could see the strain of that was wearing on them both, and I prayed each night that word of his return would come soon. Caroline would be graduating in another ten weeks, and I knew she wanted Rob there more than anything.
As I approached my car, I lifted my head and stopped dead in my tracks. Jake was there, leaning against the cement pillar between my car and the next space. I glanced around, sure that he had to be waiting for someone else. His eyes locked onto mine as I stepped closer.
"What're you doing here?" I asked.
"Waiting for you," he answered.
I couldn't contain the smile that spread across my face.
“Really?”
2
Jake
My grandparents had been married for fifty-two years and had only slept apart on the nights my grandmother had been in the hospital after giving birth to their two children. Going as far back as I could remember, they'd consistently talked about the knowing you would feel when you met the one.
At thirty-two, I was a confirmed bachelor. My siblings—one brother and two sisters—had all found their partners. Me? I'd found zip aside from what kind of lube I preferred to jerk off with. When I was younger, I'd actively looked for my soulmate, but had never had any luck. I gave up the year I turned thirty, and hadn't had so much as a one-night-stand since then. That meant my right fist saw a hell of a lot more action than it should have, but I wasn't interested in meaningless sex or speed dating so it wasn't like I had a choice.
I wanted what everyone else in my family had—an unbreakable connection with one person for the rest of my life. Fucking my way through my area code wasn't going to do that for me.
That didn't mean I didn't want sex—I did—I just knew better than to bother. I never walked away feeling anything, not even like I'd burned anything off or had gotten something out of it.
Instead, I'd left those situations more aware than ever of what I was missing. Each time it happened I'd slid further into a funk—frustrated as fuck that everyone and their mother had a soul mate while I had nothing.