Jacob waved a hand. “Be my guest.”
“Normally, when you come in here you’re not alone, and I never see you with the same woman twice. Which one are you trying to forget tonight?”
Jacob snorted. “Funny, I’ve already forgotten.”
He wished it was true.
He didn’t want to fixate on her. It was sad and pathetic. He didn’t do sad and pathetic anymore. He’d left that side of himself in Seattle two years ago when he’d moved here to start a new life.
“Maybe I’ll become a monk,” Jacob decided.
“That doesn’t sound like a very good plan to me.”
“I could try it. What’s the harm?”
Steve grinned at him. “You know what the best way to get over somebody is?”
“Tell me.”
“Get with somebody else. As soon as possible.”
Jacob leaned over the bar. “You are a wise, wise man.”
“That’s why I get paid the big bucks.” Steve’s grin widened. “And if you don’t mind me helping you out a bit, there’s a babe over in the corner who’s been giving you the eye all evening. I’d put money on her being a sure thing.”
Jacob swiveled around on his stool and looked in the direction the bartender had nodded. And sure enough, there was a beautiful blonde staring at him. She wore a short skirt and had fantastic breasts that practically spilled out the top of her tight red top.
“You don’t have to thank me,” Steve said. “Just send me an invite to the wedding.”
Jacob tested his legs by standing up for the first time in an hour and moved toward the blonde without thinking twice. Yes, this was exactly what he needed. He needed to forget Amanda. After all, she already thought he was a womanizer. And that was an accurate enough description, at least until lately. He loved women. Always had.
This woman looked easy to love. Or, maybe she just looked easy.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said, then cringed at his words. He could totally do better than that.
Luckily the blonde didn’t seem to mind. “Hey. You’re Jacob, right?”
“Guilty as charged.”
“I’ve been waiting for the chance to talk to you. I would have gone up to the bar but—” She leaned forward to share some of her cleavage with him. “—I’m way too shy.”
Sure she was.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Mandy.”
He grimaced. Mandy sounded a lot like Amanda. Too much like it. A thin layer of his pleasant inebriation burned off at the thought.
She patted the seat next to her. “Come sit with me.”
He sat. He needed to order more drinks. He couldn’t let himself sober up. Not tonight.
“I have to be honest.” Mandy’s gaze slowly traveled the length of him. “You went out with my sister Emily last year and she couldn’t stop talking about how amazing you were in bed.”
“Oh yeah?” He racked his mind for anything that might clue him in to who Emily had been. The fact that nothing came to mind did not make him proud.
“Mm-hmm,” Mandy wrapped her hand around his left knee and began to rub. “I guess I just wanted to find out for myself.”
He nodded stiffly. “Sounds good to me.”
“You don’t know how good.” Her red lips curled into a sexy smile and she leaned forward to kiss him as her hand boldly moved up his thigh.
Mandy wasn’t bashful, that was for sure.
And he wanted this. A gorgeous blonde with a sexy little body throwing herself at him? Giving him every indication that she was ready, willing and able even without having to use his empathic ability to get a read on her true feelings? That sounded like a very good thing indeed.
At least it did in theory.
She moved away from him and frowned when she realized that he wasn’t kissing her back. “Something wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
“Don’t you find me attractive?”
“You? You’re hot. No question.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
That was an excellent question.
“I don’t know,” he said.
That was not an excellent answer.
“I want you to take me back to your place,” she whispered, and wrapped her arms around him so her large breasts brushed against his chest. “I’m not normally this forward, but I really want you, even if it’s just for tonight. I’m okay with one-night stands.”
Hot blonde. Hot body. Willing to have sex with him with no strings attached.
And he had never been less aroused in his entire life.
Something was seriously wrong with that picture.
He pried her arms away from him. “This isn’t going to work.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” He grappled for a response. “Because I’m not in a good place tonight. I need to get my thoughts together.”
Understanding came over her face. “Is this a girlfriend issue? Because I can be very discreet.”
The woman was every heterosexual man’s wet dream come true.
But Jacob knew that a simple night of sex was not in the cards for him at the moment and it wasn’t just because of the alcohol. It was because of the picture seared into his brain.
A picture of Amanda.
A hot line of annoyance burned the rest of his buzz away.
That was Amanda for you, he thought. The ultimate buzz kill.
Then he gripped the side of his chair as another thought occurred to him.
This had to be a part of the curse. The clock was still working its magic nearly twenty-four hours after they’d first come in contact with it. Amanda could read his thoughts and he could make her tell the truth. They were compelled to be together sexually if in close proximity for too long.
And he could not get it up for anybody other than her.
He was in serious trouble.
8
JACOB STAYED at the bar for another half hour before he decided to call it a night. He wasn’t sure exactly what tomorrow would bring, but he knew he had to find an answer. He had to find a way to break the curse and the invisible ties that seemed to bind him to Amanda so tightly that he could barely look at another woman.
He emerged into the warm night air and began walking down the sidewalk. His house was less than a mile away and his chosen route there was through the populated area of the small town. Strip malls, restaurants and a multiplex theater.
He didn’t want to think about Amanda or what she was up to that night, but he couldn’t help it. He absently fished into his pocket and pulled out the digital camera, flicking it on and scrolling past the pictures he’d taken of the grandfather clock. There it was. That’s what he was looking for.
It was the shot he’d taken of Amanda in the hall outside the bedroom. She looked over her shoulder at him, her bright-blue eyes burning right into him from her beautiful face. There was a longing in those eyes. A deep, aching need that only he could fill.
Then again, he had had a lot to drink tonight. He was probably seeing things that weren’t there at all.
“What am I going to do about you?” he asked the picture very seriously.
When the picture didn’t respond, he grudgingly shut the camera off and stuffed it back into his pocket. He’d have to download the photos Monday morning at the office. He’d talk to Patrick. Maybe the boss would know what to do, because he sure as hell didn’t.
He kept walking, one foot in front of the other, until he passed a restaurant called Chez Nuit. Fancy, expensive French food with cream sauces and hard-to-pronounce names that didn’t appeal to him at all. Two people exited the restaurant as he strolled past and his chest tightened as he saw that one was Amanda.
He was about to avert his gaze and keep walking despite the sight of her acting like a lightning bolt straight to his heart and crotch, when she frowned, turned to the left and their eyes met. Hers widened slightly.
Coincidence? he wondered. Or was this chanc
e meeting part of their shared curse? He hadn’t been going to take this way home but something had made him turn onto this street that had led him to her. An irresistible compulsion.
She looked incredible in a black dress that fitted her slim but curvy frame perfectly, low-cut enough to give the slightest glimpse of the deep valley between her mouthwateringly perfect breasts. She wore her long dark hair loose, draped over her left shoulder. He remembered what that hair felt like running through his fingers; brushing against his face, his lips, his chest. So incredibly soft and it smelled so, so good.
He frowned. Could she read his mind from this far away?
She didn’t immediately turn around and run away from him. That was a good start. Pushing aside any fears, he made a beeline directly toward her, his eyes never leaving hers for a second.
“Amanda,” he said, but couldn’t seem to summon a smile.
She looked nervous. “Jacob. Fancy seeing you here.”
“I was spending some quality time over at O’Grady’s.” He nodded in the direction of the bar.
Damn, she was so beautiful. He couldn’t stand it. Why couldn’t she be ugly? Maybe that would make this easier. Or, hell, maybe not. He wasn’t sure anymore.
She bit her lip and looked down at the ground.
Shit, she heard me, he thought, and then willed his inner voice to shut the hell up before he made any more of a damn fool out of himself.
“Jacob Caine, right?” the man standing next to her said. Jacob had only fuzzily registered that there was anyone else in the vicinity. “We met once before.”
Jacob felt the color drain from his face, and he tore his gaze away from Amanda to look at the dude in the suit that probably cost as much as he paid for a month’s rent. He was tall, not unattractive, and he held out his hand in greeting. Jacob eyed it warily before shaking it.
“David,” he replied, feeling bile rise in his throat. “Good to see you again.”
David K. Smith. Mr. Perfect Boyfriend at your service. The man responsible for whisking Amanda away to her so-called normal life in the big city where she could forget about ghosts, curses and Jacob.
“Amanda,” Jacob said. “We need to talk about, uh, the job last night.”
“You accompanied Amanda on her assignment last night?” David asked in a conversational tone.
Jacob raised an eyebrow. “I did.”
“Thank you for taking care of her and bringing her back in one piece.”
Jacob gritted his teeth together. He’d taken care of her, all right. “Believe me, it was my pleasure.”
He flicked a glance at Amanda to see if she appreciated his choice of words. She looked as if she wanted to shrivel up and disappear. Her gaze was wide and he could practically read her mind, even though that was her talent, not his.
Don’t say another word! is what her expression screamed at him.
“You had dinner at Chez Nuit?” Jacob asked.
“Yes,” Amanda replied tightly. “It’s one of our favorite restaurants.”
“We went on our very first date here,” David added, and curled an arm around Amanda’s waist. “Fond memories.”
Jacob smiled tightly. “I’m sure. The food here isn’t my style. Did you enjoy your dinner, Amanda?”
“Not really,” she said quickly and then her face crumpled and reddened a bit. “I—I mean, of course I did. I loved it.” Her eyes moved to David. “It was delicious, really.”
He chuckled inwardly. Can’t lie to me at the moment, LaGrange. Remember?
David looked slightly bemused. “If you say so.”
The adoring look on David’s face, despite his obvious confusion, was unnerving to say the least. In a way, Jacob wished David was an ogre rather than a nice guy—despite the middle initial—who genuinely liked her. “Listen, Amanda, I need to talk to you.”
“Can it wait?” she asked.
“Not for very long.”
“Is this work-related?” David asked.
“Of course,” Amanda said. “What else would it be?”
What else would it be? Jacob thought drolly. Other than the fact that we’ve had sex three times since the clock cursed us? The fact that you can read my mind right now? Wouldn’t want your darling boyfriend to know about that, would you? Might put a bit of a crimp in your master plan.
“Jacob is very dedicated to his job,” she added.
Plus the overwhelming need to kiss you right now. I’m not proud. Just putting it out there in case you want to ditch this guy tonight.
She narrowed her eyes at him.
He couldn’t help but grin.
Don’t worry, beautiful. I’m not going to out you. But we need to talk. I’m serious.
“When is good for you?” he asked out loud.
She crossed her arms. “Tomorrow morning. I’m available to discuss…business matters…between ten and ten-thirty.”
“Pencil me in.”
“I’ll do that.” She was biting her bottom lip again, obviously a nervous habit, and he found he couldn’t stop staring at that lush, sexy mouth of hers.
“Nice to see you again, Jacob,” David said.
“Yeah, you, too,” Jacob responded half-heartedly, trying to push away any dark thoughts about Amanda’s perfect boyfriend. None of this was David’s fault. It was nobody’s fault, actually.
He’d never understand, would he? Jacob pushed the thought in Amanda’s direction.
“No, he wouldn’t,” she said aloud, then cringed.
David gave her a strange look. “What did you say, Amanda?”
“Nothing.” She forced a smile, then glanced at Jacob. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Count on it.”
With a last look at the woman who now haunted his waking hours completely, he turned and forced himself to walk away from her.
AMANDA barely slept that night. She was too busy turning everything over and over in her head and trying to make sense of it all.
But it didn’t make any sense.
Even during dinner last night with David she could barely concentrate on the food or wine or conversation. David had been very patient with her, assuming that she’d had a tough, draining assignment the previous night. He didn’t grill her about it.
When he’d dropped her off at home after their awkward talk with Jacob outside Chez Nuit, he’d given her a brief kiss on her cheek.
“It’ll all be okay,” he said. “You’re making the right decision. Don’t worry.”
He thought she was having second thoughts about leaving Mystic Ridge. But she wasn’t. If there was one thing she was certain about, it was her upcoming move.
She sat in the middle of her living room surrounded by dozens of packing boxes. Today she was focusing on organizing her massive book collection. Funny how many things one acquired over six years of living in the same place. Boxes and boxes of memories, not including the bags of junk that she planned to donate.
The doorbell rang and she tensed. A glance at the clock told her it was ten minutes to ten. She shook her head. Jacob had never been early a day in his life, but today he was making an exception? Fabulous. Really. Just wonderful.
Last night she’d seen him before she could read his thoughts. She couldn’t hear anything until he was within a dozen feet of her. Obviously this mind-reading ability had everything to do with proximity, which confirmed that her recent decision to keep away from him was the easiest way of dealing with this curse. Once she’d left town, the curse would simply cease to be an issue for either of them.
Despite that, she pushed away the annoying shiver of anticipation she got at the thought of seeing him again and rose to her feet. This would be simple. She’d tell him her plan to discuss matters with Patrick at the office tomorrow, get his feedback, but otherwise pretend that nothing had happened. As far as she was concerned, nothing had happened.
Do you even lie to yourself? her inner voice scolded.
The fact that she could barely touch David last night was an in
dication of how self-delusional she was being. Her awkwardness with him wasn’t only because of the guilt she felt at betraying his trust. It had been a whole day since she’d last had sex with Jacob, but it felt as if his body had branded her. When she closed her eyes it was his face she saw, not David’s. That was disturbing on too many levels to count.
Not because of how Jacob had made her feel when they’d made love, but because she knew it wasn’t real.
She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was fake because it was too big, this feeling inside her; she’d never felt this kind of overpowering need before in her entire life.
If she thought it was real, if she let herself explore the sensations and emotions he’d effortlessly coaxed from her…then she’d be in more trouble than she already was. Because if she was truthful with herself, she’d liked it. She’d liked him. Everything about him and everything they’d experienced together. She knew she could easily fall head-over-heels in love with Jacob Caine if she let herself.
And that wasn’t going to happen. Not a chance.
She reminded herself of this sternly as she opened the door, fixing a frozen smile on her face, and was surprised at who stood on the other side. It was a well-dressed, dark-haired woman in her midfifties who was extremely familiar despite Amanda not having seen her for a few months.
“Mom?” she squeaked. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see if the rumors I’ve heard were true.” Her mother’s gaze moved past her daughter and into the small house. “And they are. You’re finally moving away from this dreary little town?”
“I…I am. Yes.”
Madeleine stood there for a moment tapping her right foot. “Are you going to invite me in?”
Amanda snapped out of her daze and waved an arm. “Of course. Please, come in. I have coffee made. Would you like a cup?”
“I’m drinking green tea now. Do you have any of that?”
“Sorry, no.” She awkwardly hugged her mother, trying to get over her surprise at this impromptu visit. “Come in, have a seat.”
“I can’t stay long.”
“I understand. But it’s so wonderful that you dropped by.”
Her mother’s new husband was a banker. She’d only seen Madeleine twice since the wedding last year, but both times she’d been wearing only the best, most expensive fashions, and her hair had always been perfectly in place. This was a far cry from the woman Amanda remembered from her childhood, who’d had to take on two jobs after Amanda’s father had left them without any savings.