Sins of the Past (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

had taken his silence as shock.
    “I know. Ironic, isn’t it, that the daughter of the town slut is a twenty-nine-year-old virgin.” She shook her head.
    Jacob stared at Lorna as he tried to come up with something to say that wouldn’t get him beat up from his tiny neighbor. He felt himself starting to sweat as he tried to figure out if she was joking or if she was serious. He didn’t relax until his tiny neighbor started cracking up laughing.
    “You should see your face right now,” Lorna said between giggles. “Don’t worry. I didn’t expect you to say anything. I just figured I should tell you before whatever this is between us went any further.”
    “I just don’t… I have no idea what to say right now. The first thing that came to my mind was how a woman as beautiful as you was still a virgin.” Jacob grimaced. “That sounded a whole lot better in my head. I don’t mean that just because you’re beautiful you should be sleeping around. What I meant was…” Jacob stopped himself before he said something that got him in trouble. “I think I’m going to quit while I’m ahead.”
    “It’s cool. I know what you meant.” Lorna patted his chest. “I’m a virgin by choice. It’s not that I’m saving myself for some special reason or anything. I just haven’t found anyone interesting enough to have sex with. Until now.”
    The last part of her statement was whispered so low he had to strain to hear. Jacob wasn’t sure if she had meant for him to hear them, but her words had him nearly swallowing his tongue. With just those two tiny words she had his blood boiling, but he was able to keep himself from pulling her back against him and burying himself deep inside her. She may not be saving herself for something special, but he had every intention of making her first time something she would never forget. If that meant he had to deny himself for a little while longer, then so be it.
    “Were you planning on going to the fair next week?” Jacob had seen the flyer advertising it earlier when he was at the grocery store.
    “I hadn’t planned on it. I don’t usually do town events.”
    “Would you like to go with me?”
    Lorna frowned. “Like a date?”
    “Well, yeah. Like a date.” Jacob couldn’t get over the incredulous look on her face. He was almost scared to ask his next question. “Haven’t you ever been on a date before?”
    “Nope.”
    Her simple answer had Jacob’s blood boiling for another reason. He felt his anger rising at the thought that someone as beautiful as Lorna hadn’t even been on a date before. He couldn’t understand the people in the town that he chose to move to. “Consider this our first date then. I want to take you out and have some fun. No backwoods yokels, no gossiping housewives, just you and me, and maybe some cotton candy and candy apples.”
    Lorna hesitated before answering. “When you put it like that, who can say no to cotton candy and candy apples?”
    Jacob laughed and pulled Lorna back against his chest. “Come on, I’ll get the rest of your groceries and walk you home.”
    “I’ll just leave them here. That way, you can cook me dinner tomorrow night.” Lorna turned and headed toward the door.
    Laughing, Jacob gripped his crutches and followed Lorna. She had no idea, but the way he was already feeling toward her, he would happily cook for her every night if that meant he got to spend time with her.

Chapter 6
     
    “Finally,” Julio Valente muttered as he picked up his ringing phone. “This better be good news.”
    “It is, sir,” his informant said on the other end.
    Julio just grunted giving the other man permission to speak.
    “The SEAL who attempted to shoot you is Jacob Benson. He’s no longer enlisted and I have his address.”
    His informant got straight to the point just as Julio expected. “Excellent.” He rubbed his hands together and smiled. There was one thing he liked just as much as money, and girls. That was revenge and Julio planned on dishing out something extra special for this Jacob Benson. No one came into his home and took what was his.
    Not only had Jacob tried to kill him— granted it was a decoy— but he also had Julio’s investors running scared. That cost him money and didn’t help his reputation. For that, Jacob would pay.
    After getting the address, Julio hung up and sat back in his chair. It paid to have informants, and he had his men everywhere. Nothing happened that Julio didn’t know about