Call It Destiny

chuckled. „You’ve got a point there. Oh, well. Buying the bike did give me an excuse to buy a black leather jacket. Mom wouldn’t let me have one until she found out that it’s another form of protection, like the helmet.“
    „It looks terrific,“ Heather said admiringly as Jim unfastened the heavy jacket. „A bit warm on a night like this, though.“
    „You take it easy on those streets, Jim,“ Jake began with a frown. „Motorcycles and wet pavement don’t mix well.“
    Jim’s enthusiasm was quickly masked as he heard the lecturing tone in Jake’s voice. „Yes, sir, Mr. Cavender. I’m being real careful with the bike. The last thing I want to do is wreck it before it’s even paid for. Well, excuse me, I’m a little late.“ The young man flashed a fleeting grin at Heather. „I’ll be glad to give you a ride sometime, Miss Strand.“
    „Thank you, Jim. I’d love it,“ Heather assured him warmly. As the busboy hurried off, she rounded on Jake. „There was no need to lecture him. I’m sure his parents have already given him any number of sermons on the subject of driving motorcycles.“
    „Well, he’s certainly not going to get any words of wisdom from you, is he?“ Jake noted evenly as he walked her toward her private cottage. Set some distance from the hotel itself, the charming structure, done in an adobe style with a wide front porch, afforded privacy and convenience. Jake used a similar cottage located across the garden. Heather’s parents had an elegant home with a lovely private terrace that overlooked the beautifully kept grounds of the resort. „You looked ready to grab the keys and go joyriding.“
    „It’s been a long time,“ Heather explained gently, secretly amused at his stern tone. „That black Yamaha I told you about? The one on which I made my escape from Tucson and Rick took when we parted ways?“
    „What about it?“
    „It was mine. Bought with the money I’d earned working in the hotel restaurant during my senior year in high school. I know exactly what kind of battle Jim had to wage to get his parents’ permission to buy the bike. Just imagine what I had to go through! My mother nearly fainted and my father yelled for a week before giving in. I loved that bike. On it I felt wild and free and totally independent.“ Heather lifted her head in remembered pleasure, inhaling the rain-freshened air and closing her eyes briefly in recollection. „It was a fantastic feeling.“
    „And then you went to California and found out what it really feels like to be free and totally independent, hmm?“ There was an acidly repressive tone to Jake’s words as he politely took the keys from her hand and opened her door.
    „Ah, Jake. You do have a way of bringing things down to a more mundane level, don’t you?“ No wonder the man didn’t consider himself adept at dealing with people. He wasn’t! „Don’t worry. As I’ve been assuring you all evening, I’m a changed woman.“ She reached out to pluck her keys from his hand. „You’ll see just how realistic and businesslike I am these days when you read that prenuptial agreement.“
    „I’ll go over it tonight,“ he promised, not moving from her threshold as she stepped inside. The intent considering gleam was back in his gray eyes as he stood watching her a moment longer in silence.
    With a spark of purely feminine intuition, Heather knew he was about to kiss her. The thought took her by surprise but she found the notion not at all unpleasant. In fact there was a definite sense of anticipation beginning to simmer in her bloodstream. A curious longing to gain some hint of what a real marriage to this man would be like. She had come to realize one could only cover so many details in a prenuptial agreement.
    Jake stepped forward abruptly, tilting her chin with strong fingers. The gray gaze reflected a hint of silver fire that caught Heather off guard. Passion was not something she had expected to find in Jake Cavender. Perhaps she had been wrong. She felt the power in his hand and an unfamiliar wave of excitement washed through her. Love and desire were not items she had expected to find in her arrangement with Jake. The prospect of such a potential was both dizzying and a little frightening.
    Heather’s lashes settled lightly against her cheek as she allowed him to lift her face for his kiss. She sensed his nearness, felt the heat of his body only inches from hers. The sensation of his mouth hovering above her