Lily needed to tell him the rest of what she’d learned at her doctor visit, but she hated admitting she needed anything from him.
When she remained silent, Jake squeezed her hands. “Don’t listen to your mind, Lily,” he murmured. “Listen to your heart. You even told me yourself that you couldn’t turn off your feelings. I’m only asking for a week. Let me take care of you, show you how we could be with no secrets, no lies.”
One week. It was a drop in the bucket compared to the time she’d already spent with him. But how would her heart be at the end of that time? Resisting him was hard on a good day and she had no doubt he’d pull everything out of his arsenal to win her back.
She just had to be smarter, stronger and remain the one in control. Jake couldn’t know how much he still affected her.
“The doctor also told me I needed to stay off my feet and let others do things for me.” Lily closed her eyes, sighed and refocused on Nash. “I can’t keep imposing on the Barringtons. Looks like you get your wish. I’ll give you one week, but that doesn’t mean I’m falling back into the way we were before.”
Liz chose that moment to step into the room carrying a plate and a glass. When she set them on the table, Lily laughed as Jake thanked her.
“Grilled cheese and chocolate milk?” Lily asked, quirking a brow.
“Your favorites.”
Why did he have to be so damn sweet at times? This was the same man who purposely betrayed her. She had to remember that. Who’s to say he wouldn’t resort to those tactics again?
“You owe me nothing,” Jake continued, picking up where he’d left off before Liz had come and gone. “But I’m willing to give you everything. I’m laying it all out there for you to see.”
Determination poured from him; he was serious and he wasn’t backing down. It’s not as if he could break her heart any more than he already had, and at the end of the seven days she’d leave. She’d go back to LA or even Arizona to visit her mother and then on to the set to record the animated film she’d just signed on for.
Lily continued to hold his gaze. “I won’t sleep in the same bed as you.”
Jake opened his mouth, but Lily cut him off. “That’s my nonnegotiable. I’m not here to play house.”
His eyes darted to her lips, then back to her eyes. “Deal. But, do you really think you can be here any amount of time and not fall back into my bed?” He eased forward, laid his hands over her stomach and feathered his lips across hers. “Now who’s the liar?”
Jake came to his feet, set the plate on her lap and walked out of the room. Her lips tingled from the barely there kiss and she cursed her body for the ache that spread through her, begging for more.
Only an hour into her seven-day stint. Why did she feel as though she’d just fallen right into his perfectly laid trap?
Eighteen
Lily had chosen the bedroom upstairs at the opposite end of the hall from Jake’s. That was as far away as she could get.
Day one down. Only six more to go and she would be free to leave for Arizona to see her mother again before heading home to LA. The thought of going back across the country both thrilled and worried her. She was eager to get going on that animation film, but going back to all the shallow people, the chaos of daily living and the lavish lifestyles just didn’t appeal to her anymore.
Last night before bed, Lily had sent off a quick text to Ian, letting him know where she was. More than likely the Barringtons knew, but she figured she should at least let her agent know what was going on.
Not that it was anybody else’s business, but she didn’t mind if Ian shared where she was staying. These were complicated circumstances, after all.
Lily was thankful for the adjoining bath and it would serve Jake right if she spent the rest of her seven-day term in her room. No doubt Jake would show up at her door with trays of food so she didn’t have to get up. He’d take the bed rest seriously and he’d use it to his advantage—best she knew that going in. She was allowed to get up and move around, but for the most part, she was supposed to be down with her feet up.
She’d showered and changed into the dress Jake had picked out that day they had gone shopping. Damn it, he’d see this as a sign she was giving in. Little did he know most of her clothes were still back at the rental house and this dress just so happened to be in her suitcase...a suitcase he’d had Linda pack up and bring out to the estate. He was still taking control and she wasn’t sure if she was warmed by the fact or ticked that he still felt he had a right to be in charge of her life.