True Divide by Liora Blake Read Free Book Online

along.”
    The most absurd kind of satisfaction rises up inside me when I register what he’s owned up to. Wanting to see me. Going out of his way to do so. I take a sip of my drink and say nothing. Although I’m sure the smile teasing across my mouth says everything. Another win for Lacey, thank you.
    â€œTotally worth it, though. You look . . .”
    Jake pauses. I hold my breath.
    â€œ. . . amazing . I swear, fucking felt like I was in some flashback. Was the hospital PA system actually playing emo love songs or was that shit just me? ’Cause I kind of wanted to just grab your hand and find a dark stockroom somewhere. Which basically describes every single day of my existence during our senior year.”
    Jesus. That right there, those few sentences, might effectively sum up all that I’ve ever understood to be Jake Holt. A wild mix of bold proclamations, self-deprecation, swoony flatteries, all with a thread of eager rowdiness woven in, just to hold it all together.
    My heart starts to thump enthusiastically, my body reacting to what it knows as opportunity. Jake grins, a slow-burn expression that forces me to consider a suddenly obvious question. What would sex with Jake be like now? Soft and slow? Rough and furtive?
    I narrow my eyes and think on that for a moment. When Jake gives an impish little raise of his brows and lifts one hand up to tug on his bottom lip almost absentmindedly, I have a pretty good guess. Hot. Focused. Relentless. And, if I’m not mistaken, he’d manage to make it fun, too. So, to put it simply, I think sex with Jake now would be awesome.
    Before I can decide what to do with that assessment, Sandi comes sweeping through the bar, phone still in her hand, and stops next to the table, car keys in her other hand.
    â€œMack filled his tag. So my boys are on their way back from elk camp. Gotta get those home fires a-burnin’. You ready?”
    Only when she looks up for my response does she see Jake. Her brows lift, she volleys a look between us, followed by a grin. “Unless you already have a better ride arranged.”
    Subtle, she isn’t. Jake looks my way, expression almost entirely blank, but his eyes lock on mine.
    One deep breath and I calculate everything. The last time I indulged in the idea of “one night” with an ex, I didn’t wake up feeling like it was the best idea I’ve ever had. The rum in my drink slows my response time and at the hesitation, Jake’s eyes widen ever so slightly. Over his shoulder, I can see Dusty perched at the bar, and the sight reminds me of what can happen when you give in to the wrong kind of nostalgia. And I don’t want another one of those nights—or mornings. Yes, an empowered woman can do whatever the hell she wants. Yes, her life can, and probably should, include the occasional night with a man for purely decadent reasons.
    Unfortunately, Jake once said every generous and gentle word I can remember that was spoken in truth, instead of strategy. He provided the backdrop to each lusty and heady moment of true wanting I’ve ever experienced. Then he left without any indication that I had anywhere near the same impact on him. Even though all of that stopped hurting years and years ago, it still happened. There’s no changing that.
    â€œI can give you a ride, Lacey. No need to take off if you aren’t done here.”
    His eyes hood a bit and glaze ever so slightly. I smile. “I’m sure you can. But . . . I’m good.”
    Slipping out of the booth, I stand to pull on my coat, and Jake doesn’t bother hiding his leisurely perusal. Up and down, then back again, over the entire length of my frame. Which, if we’re keeping track— and, we are —makes three for me. Three thrilling, satisfying wins.

    Sandi drops me at my car and proceeds to flip me off as she drives away, her final reaction to the fact I didn’t give her a