Suzy and Mia started clapping wildly while Emma cuffed Ava on the shoulder and made a clicking sound with her tongue. “You have been paying attention, after all, haven’t you? I could have sworn you were blocking me out during our girl chats, but you wild woman, you were not only listening—hell, you were also taking notes. I’m so flipping proud of you!”

   The other quiet woman in the group, Claire, surprised them next by adding, “Wow, Mac is a big boy, huh? I’m not surprised in the least. I’ll deny it with my dying breath if anyone mentions it to Jason, but Mac just has the walk.”

   Nodding her agreement, Suzy said, “You got that right, sister. If you ladies don’t believe me, then watch our guys walking at the office one day and you’ll see how they’re practically bowlegged. One of the saddest days for me was when I saw the new hunk they hired in advertising walk with his knees almost rubbing together.”

   “I noticed the same thing,” Mia agreed. “I knew immediately he was packing no more than four or five inches. Such a damn shame.”

   “But what about the saying that it’s not the size, but what you do with it?” Lydia pointed out, feeling as if she needed to defend the small guys of the world.

   “Bullshit,” Emma coughed out. “A big dick just gets you from point A to point B faster and with more fireworks. I don’t need a man down there trying to eat me to China and back because he can’t get me off any other way.”

   When a throat cleared behind her, Lydia jumped back a few steps, colliding with a hard wall. “Didn’t mean to scare you, babe,” Jake drawled in her ear. She looked over her shoulder to see his eyes were full of mirth. There was no doubt in her mind that he’d at least heard Emma’s last comment, if not more. “Ladies,” he added, greeting her now gawking friends. They were staring at him as if he were the last dish on an all-you-can-eat buffet. Lydia had to give him credit for not turning tail to run. In fact, he didn’t look uncomfortable in the least, which made her like him that much more. She wasn’t sure he could do anything at this point that she wouldn’t find attractive. Maybe she really had been without a man for too long.

Chapter Three

   “I wanted to see if you were almost ready to leave? I thought we could go somewhere and talk,” Jake asked intently.

   “Um, sure,” she blurted out quickly. Way to sound too eager. Couldn’t I have at least pretended to think about it for a moment?

   When he gave her a pleased smile and took her hand in his firm grasp, she had to bite her tongue to contain her moan of pleasure at the physical contact with him. They wished her friends a good night and Jake led her toward the nearest exit. It seemed so surreal to depart as a couple with him that she almost wilted on the spot when he pulled his keys from his pocket and the sound of the doors unlocking on a Ford truck a few feet ahead filled the air. He opened the door, and then gave her a boost onto the leather seat. The move may have taken her by surprise, but she was grateful because otherwise she would have been doing an ungraceful leap since the truck was much higher from the ground than her car. He remained at her side while she carefully tucked her dress around her legs. When she was finished, he leaned across and buckled her seatbelt. “All set?” he asked sweetly.

   I could spread my naked body across the hood of your truck and you could take me right now, she thought. In reality, she replied with a simple, “I’m good. Thanks, Jake.”

   He walked around to the other side and settled into the driver’s seat. She was embarrassed to admit that even the loud throttle of the truck turned her on. “I really appreciate you agreeing to come with me,” he said as they merged into traffic. “We could go to my house, or if you’re not comfortable with that, then there’s a diner a few blocks down that has decent coffee.”

   The safe answer here is the restaurant, Lydia thought. But she wasn’t hungry and caffeine was likely to keep her up all night. Plus, if she was honest, she was very curious as to where he lived. Wouldn’t it be easier to talk without a bunch of strangers sitting close by? Like you really care about that. You just want to go home with him. “Your place is fine,” she replied, trying to sound casual. Truthfully, she hadn’t said those words to anyone since Brett died. Don’t go there. You’re doing nothing wrong.

   When he turned off the highway on the Garden City Beach exit, she assumed he lived in one of the nearby high-rise condominium buildings. But they passed by the last ones without slowing down. Instead, they rode for a few more miles until they passed through the gates of Sea Crest Village. The houses weren’t mansions like some in the area, but they were considerably out of her price range. She knew that Jake was a vice president for The DeSanto Group, and obviously, he made a good living if he was able to afford a home in this subdivision. He pulled into the driveway of a house with a stucco and stone exterior. He clicked a button on the bottom of his rearview mirror and the double garage door opened. “Home sweet home,” he quipped as he cut the engine of the truck and came around to her side once again to offer assistance. When she was out of the vehicle, he took her hand and led her toward a door to the left. He unlocked it and they walked in. She blinked a few times when he flipped on the light. They were in a kitchen with tons of dark cabinets and gleaming beige granite countertops. He pointed out a barstool, saying, “If you want to have a seat, I’ll get us something to drink. What would you like? I can make coffee or I have orange juice, Coke, and bottled water.”

   “I’ll just take water,” Lydia answered as she looked around the kitchen. The space was almost as big as her living room and kitchen combined. The taupe color on the walls made it appear warm and inviting. There were no pictures on the walls, nor any clutter, other than a loaf of bread on one counter.

   He opened the refrigerator and got two bottles out. He put one in front of her before opening his own, then took the seat next to her. She stifled her gasp of pleasure as the side of his muscular leg rubbed against hers in the close confines of the bar area. He cleared his throat before turning sideways to face her. “Lydia, I need to explain a few things to you, and I hope that you won’t be too angry with me.”