The Disobedient Virgin

But something was in the kitchen with them. Something dark and unpleasant. It had shown itself in those first seconds a little while ago, when Jake had looked at her, his face set and unsmiling.

Cat’s nerves hummed in anticipation as she climbed onto a stool, opened a napkin and spread it in her lap.

“Mmm,” she said brightly, “this looks wonderful.”

“Dig in before it gets cold.”

The eggs really were good. At school, scrambled eggs had been hard lumps. These were fluffy and light—and lodged in her throat just the same.

“Where’d you learn to make eggs like this?” she said, in the same artificial voice.

“I put in some time working in a restaurant when I was a kid.”

“You? Working in a restaurant?”

Her surprise was genuine. Despite his mood, despite what he had to tell her, he couldn’t keep from smiling.

“I worked at a lot of things growing up.”

“Did your family believe work would be good for you?”

Jake laughed. “My family consisted of one person. My mother. She worked her tail off to support us. When I was old enough, or maybe I should say when I finally figured out that it was time to get my act together, I worked to help put food on the table.” His tone gentled. “Don’t look at me that way, Cat. We’re not all born rich.”

“Of course not. I just thought…” She expelled a long breath. “I don’t know what I thought,” she said truthfully “Except…except that something’s very wrong and I want you to tell me what it is.”

“Finish your supper first.”

“No.” Her fork clattered against her plate. “Jake. If you regret what—what we did—”

She cried out as his hands bit into her shoulders. “Regret it? Sweetheart, how could I regret something so wonderful?”

“Then what is it? You look so—so unhappy.”

“Yeah.” His hands dropped away from her and he got to his feet, picked up their plates and took them to the sink. “Lucas called.”

It took her a moment even to remember who Lucas was.

“He wanted to apologize to you. To me, too. He said—well, he said a lot of things. Mostly he said he regrets leaving you with the wrong impression. He was—he was very taken with you, Cat.”

What was this? Jake speaking on behalf of another man? Jake, who’d held her in his arms for hours and hours, telling her that someone else was taken with her?

Making love with Jake had pushed her problem aside. Now it came rushing back.

Jake had made love to her, but nothing had changed. She had to find a man to marry, and he had to see to it that she did. Otherwise she’d lose her inheritance.

But she didn’t care about her inheritance. To hell with it! She’d give it up gladly to stay with Jake. How could money be more important than a once-in-a-lifetime love her lonely heart had always believed existed only in fairytales?

The question was, would Jake walk away from the pledge he’d made to Javier Estes? Would he give up whatever had made him agree to find her a husband in the first place? Was he willing to lose…?

Well, she didn’t know what he’d lose. He still hadn’t told her.

“Jake,” she said quickly. “Jake, listen—”

“Lucas wants to see you. Tonight. He has a townhouse just a few blocks away. He’s having some people in. A spur-of-the-minute blizzard party, he called it. And…” Jake’s voice trailed off. He came toward her slowly, his eyes locked to her face. “If you want your inheritance,” he said gruffly, “it has to be this way.”

He didn’t say the rest. He didn’t have to. It had to be this way so that he could meet his commitment to marry her off. Whatever he’d get for that, it meant more to him than she did.

It broke her heart, but how could she fault him for it? She’d almost forgotten that she was the one in love, not Jake.