Slow Hands

simply had no idea.
    Men who cheated pissed him off as a matter of principle. But one who’d cheated on her? Well, this sonofabitch Oliver was just lucky he wasn’t coming to the wedding.
    “I bet you’ll look totally wicked,” Jenny said. “While I’m going to look like Dora the Explorer in her party dress.”
    “Totally wicked,” Jake murmured, already smiling at the thought.
    “No comments, you.”
    In the backseat, Jenny stopped talking, and began to avidly stare down at the cell phone in her hand. The texting must have commenced. Knowing his sister was fully occupied now, Jake still kept his voice low. “I’ll be happy to keep an eye on you, make sure everything stays in place.”
    “Mmm, hmm,” Maddy said, sotto voce, watching his sister in the backseat.
    “She wouldn’t notice if a tidal wave came off the lake unless it filled the car and took that stupid phone out of her hands.”
    “Then I guess you’d better tell me where I’m going,” Maddy murmured, nodding toward the sign as they entered the campus of the university Jenny attended. “Which one is her dorm?”
    Jake pointed to a nearby building, and by the time they’d parked outside it, Jenny had a big grin on her face. Whatever Toby-the-asshole had said in his text messages had obviously mollified her. She’d forgiven him.
    Until next week.
    They got out to say goodbye to his little sister, who gave both of them enthusiastic bear hugs for coming to her rescue. Maddy, who didn’t seem the type to appreciate being hugged by a complete stranger, still had a smile on her face as they got back in the car to leave.
    “I like her.”
    “She liked you, too.”
    “I don’t ever remember being that young and energetic.”
    “I disagree. You seemed like an energetic powerhouse the other night. And that day on the boat. And the night of the baseball game…”
    Maddy, who hadn’t seemed to be the type to even know what teasing was a few weeks ago, gave it right back to him. “Well, I fear my batteries might have run completely dry. It’s going to take something pretty spectacular to charge them again.”
    He was up for the job. “Good. Then let’s head back to your place and I’ll do everything I can to…spark a charge.”
    “Are you saying you want to plug something in?”
    Jake barked a quick laugh. “You do know you’re teasing me, right? That this is called banter. You’re flirting with me and you’re not talking in that snooty voice you used to use. And thank God you’re not or calling me porcine for fantasizing about you in that bridesmaid dress.”
    She didn’t respond at first, merely appearing to think about his words. He wondered if he should have said anything at all. The changes coming over Maddy were visible to him—maybe they hadn’t been to her.
    Maybe she hadn’t yet acknowledged, even in her own mind, that she was opening up to him. Trusting him. Letting down her guard and being the woman he’d sensed was there, beneath the surface, all along.
    From her warmth toward his sister, her men-suck commiseration, her bridesmaid talk, her openness about her bad breakup, hell, even accepting a hug without the slightest wince, Maddy was as unlike the woman he’d spoken with in her office that day as he was unlike…well, the gigolo she’d taken him for.
    Maybe it’s time to end this . It was definitely something to consider.
    “I suppose I should thank you,” she said softly. “I’ve been pretty cold and hard since the…incident…with Oliver.” Nibbling lightly on her bottom lip, she added, “I wasn’t always the ice queen.”
    Jake reached over and touched her cheek, lightly, briefly. “You were never really the ice queen.”
    Maddy nodded, still pensive, serious. Maybe even thinking some of the same things he’d been thinking. If she continued to think that way, she might very well be ready to hear what it was he had to tell her.
    Soon. Hopefully very soon.
    “You know…” he said, changing the subject to the other one that was foremost on his mind. “Thinking of you in that bridesmaid dress you were talking about has suddenly got me anxious for a preview. Let’s go back to your place so you can model it for me.” He made no attempt to disguise his wolfish tone or true, lustful intentions.
    “What about dinner?”
    Jake merely leaned back in the seat, stretching his long legs out as far as he could in the small car. “I suddenly prefer to dine in. Do you have anything…appetizing at your