Free Sweet Seduction (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) by Judy Angelo Page B

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and looked at Meg.  “Do you think I should call again?”
    “Of course you should, child.  As long as your
conversation ended on a friendly note there’s no reason not to.”
    Sam pulled at a lock of hair that had slipped out of
her scrunchie.  “I don’t want him to think I’m stalking.”
    “That’s not stalking, that’s being proactive. 
Listen,” Meg gave her a conspiratorial look,”  “men don’t know what they want
half the time.  You have to prod them along.  If I had waited for your father
to make up his mind on his own do you think we’d be married today?”  She gave
her trademark snort.  “I’d probably still be waiting for him to pop the
question.”
    Sam sighed.  “Okay, I’ll call.  But it’s only to check
that he’s okay, not because I’m fishing for a date or anything like that.”
    “Of course not, dear.  I totally believe you.”  Meg’s
wide grin said she’d formed her own conclusions.
    Well, whatever Meg thought, that was her problem. 
She’d call but definitely not from here.  Her stepmom knew too much already.
    And that was how Sam ended up making the call from her
cell phone that afternoon while sitting in her car in the local park in the
shade of a copse of trees.  As the gentle breeze blew through the car window
she dialed Jake's number.
    “Hello.”  It was more of a moan than a greeting. 
    Sam frowned.  “Jake?  Is that you?”
    Another moan then a hoarse whisper.  “Not so loud. 
Please.”
    Sam’s heart lurched.  “What’s the matter?”  Luckily
she remembered to whisper her urgent question.  “You sound terrible.”
    “Migraine,” he whispered then groaned.  “Since
yesterday.”
    “Oh, my God.”  Sam felt her heart flutter.  Jake was
in pain and he was all alone.  “I’m coming over.  Just leave the front door
open for me.”
    “Okay,” he said with a sigh then hung up.
    At the speed at which Sam drove that morning she got
to Jake’s house in under fifteen minutes.  She didn’t bother to ring the
doorbell but just turned the knob.  Good.  He’d left it open like she’d asked. 
She left her boots at the front door and climbed the stairs to the master
bedroom.  The door was ajar.  “Jake?” she said softly, understanding how
sensitive he would be to loud noises.  She pushed the door open wider and stuck
her head in.  The curtains were drawn and all she could see in the dimly lit
room was a blanket-covered mound in the middle of the king-size bed.
    “Jake,” she whispered again as she padded over to the
bed.  He didn’t even budge.
    Gingerly, Sam sat on the bed beside him and rested a
gentle hand on what must have been his shoulder.  This time she said nothing
but stroked slightly so he would know she was there.
    Only then did he stir.  He gave a groan from deep
under the covers and slowly pulled the blanket from over his head.  He
struggled to open his eyes and then he was squinting up at her.  She gasped. 
Jake’s eyes were bloodshot and puffy, his forehead wrinkled in pain, and he
looked like he hadn’t shaved in days.
    “Oh, Jake,” she whispered, her heart weeping at the
sight, “you poor thing.”  She rested her palm on his forehead and he sighed and
closed his eyes.
    What did it matter that she was little more than a
stranger to him?  What did it matter that he’d been running away from her since
the day they’d met?  Right now he needed her and she was going to be there for
him – whether he liked it or not.
    “Just relax,” she said softly.  “I’m here now.  You’re
going to be alright.”
    He didn’t answer but just lay there with his eyes
closed, his breathing shallow, perspiration beading his upper lip.
    Sam slid off the bed and headed for the bathroom where
she grabbed a face towel off the rack and held it under the faucet.  She wrung
out most of the water then headed back to the bed where she folded the towel
into a narrow strip and laid it over Jake’s forehead