Then it hit her that possibly he was just in another part of the house, maybe making some coffee. So, not seeing any clothing on the floor, she quickly pulled the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around herself before going to investigate. A few moments and a quick peek into the garage later she had her answer—he’d left without a word to her. What did you expect? A letter with hearts written by your name? This is Jacob Hay, he doesn’t do romance.

   Hitching the bedding up tighter under her arms, she released a disappointed sigh before moving to the coffeepot and turning it on. She walked back to the bedroom and into the bathroom to take a shower while the coffee was brewing. As the hot water cascaded over her, she let her mind drift to the previous evening. Jake had set her body afire in a way that she’d never dreamed was possible. As mind blowing as the sex had been, though, it had been the surprisingly tender gesture of him holding her close in his bed afterward that had really touched her. Maybe that’s why waking up alone this morning had shocked her. Obviously, she’d expected a bit more from him today. If nothing else, some kind of acknowledgment of their night together would have been nice.

   Was that expecting too much from a man who had openly admitted to never having had a serious relationship? The current situation was something new for them both. They were attracted to each other and had acted on it. Did it have to be more than that at this point? She’d married Jake in a drunken Las Vegas moment. There was nothing traditional about it. So instead of the hurt that she had originally felt at his absence, she did something she wouldn’t normally do. She decided to live in the moment for as long as possible. She had to believe that Jake had come into her life for a reason and she could either embrace their time together or make herself miserable by overanalyzing everything that occurred.

   God, hadn’t she spent enough time being unhappy?

   Turning off the shower, Lydia stepped out and squared her shoulders. She’d had kick-ass sex last night. For today, that’s all she needed to focus on.

Chapter Seven

   Lydia stood on the sidewalk holding a large gift bag while she waited for Crystal to pick her up. They were attending a baby shower for Suzy Merimon. She and her husband, Gray, had adopted an adorable little boy they’d named John Nicholas Merimon. They’d actually been present for his birth and had taken him home from the hospital with them almost two months ago. Lydia had liked the outspoken Suzy from their very first meeting, and she couldn’t wait to see her again today. Danvers International wasn’t the same with her on maternity leave.

   As she stared off into the distance, her thoughts turned to Jake. They had been living together now for almost three weeks and the most surprising thing had happened. They acted just like a normal, married couple. Lydia had taken to making dinner most evenings, and more often than not, Jake was home to join her. Afterward, they would talk about their day, and if Jake didn’t have work to do, they would watch a movie. And they continued to make love every evening. She’d considerably broadened her horizon and could now add sex on the bathroom counter, against the wall, and in the laundry room.

   Jake, it seemed, was insatiable. She had averaged having sex maybe a few times per week before Brett had gotten sick, and after that, it had been almost nonexistent. But since she moved in with Jake, they hadn’t missed a single day. Sometimes more than once. He was surprisingly affectionate and considerate out of the bedroom as well.

   Even Chris had been low-key regarding her presence in Jake’s life, which was unexpected. Casey had visited them several times, but her mother had been sullen on both occasions. Lydia had a bad feeling it was possibly the calm before the storm, but she didn’t want to burst Jake’s hopeful bubble. As uncertain as things were, the one thing that Lydia was positive about was that she adored Jake’s daughter. They’d bonded so easily and quickly that it was as if they’d been in each other’s lives for years. She knew that she should try to keep some distance between them, but she just couldn’t. She didn’t know how she would survive not seeing the little girl again when Jake no longer needed her. The mere thought of not being a part of either of their lives was like a knife to her soul.

   When Crystal pulled up to the curb and honked her horn, Lydia almost jumped out of her skin. Wow, she hadn’t realized she was that zoned out. She walked around the Mercedes C-Class that Mark had insisted on buying Crystal when they had gotten engaged. He didn’t feel that her other car was safe enough. Crystal had disagreed, of course, because she loved her Volkswagen Beetle, but in the end, it hadn’t been worth the argument, she’d said. As Lydia slid onto the sleek leather, she thought her friend had made the right decision.

   “Hey, buddy,” Crystal called out before leaning across the seat to hug her. Even though they had talked on the phone for almost an hour the previous night, they hadn’t seen each other since Crystal had returned from her honeymoon a few days earlier and Lydia had missed her terribly. “How are you?” Pulling back, Crystal studied her intently for a moment. “You look amazing. You’re glowing in a way I’ve never seen before.”

   Lydia laughed. “You’re the one who just got back from two weeks with your dream guy. I think if anyone could light up the night, it would be you!”

   Crystal smiled dreamily and nodded. “Yeah, I’m beyond happy. I never thought I could feel like this. After being married to someone as reserved and downright cold as Bill, I always thought every relationship was that way.” Wiggling her eyebrows, she giggled. “Boy, was I wrong! Marriage to Mark is the polar opposite. He’s amazing both in and out of bed.” With a sigh of contentment, she added, “I feel like I can be the me I’ve always wanted to be with him. Does that sound crazy?”

   “Not in the least,” Lydia assured her wryly. “I feel the same with Jake, and we’re just pretending to be married. Is it totally weird that being with him is as natural as breathing to me? I mean we’re basically strangers who got married for none of the right reasons, but it feels so right.” Before Crystal could answer, Lydia moaned and dropped her head forward. “Don’t bother to answer, that sounds insane even to me.”