past half hour regretting my decision, either. Not when Jake had turned me into a puddle of mush from his kisses and from the freaking phenomenal orgasm he’d given me. Not when we’d had to have a ten-minute conversation with Gavin, who had been woken by Gil’s theatrics. Not when we’d watched Gil’s overnight guest storm out of the condo. And not when we’d made the short walk down the hall to his place.
Not even now, as I stood in his living room while he closed and locked the door behind us. It was the second time I’d been here; however, since, the first time, I hadn’t had a chance to see much more than Jake’s impressive body plastering me to the wall, it felt like the first.
“Meow.”
I smiled down at the fluffy black-and-white cat eyeing me suspiciously. “You must be the pussy that keeps all the women away.” I glanced behind me at Jake. “What’s his name?”
“Cat,” Jake said, deadpan.
I waited for him to tell me he was kidding. He didn’t even crack a smile. “Really?”
He nodded. “Coffee?”
“Sure.” While he disappeared, I wandered around the enormous living room, Cat padding close behind. “You didn’t decorate this yourself, did you?” I called out, letting him hear my doubt. Even though I’d asked, I knew he hadn’t.
Jake briefly stuck his head back in the room. “No.”
“Didn’t think so.” I might not know him all that well, but this place felt more like a showroom than a home. Like maybe he’d walked through a furniture store and pointed at the various room designs and told them to pack it up and put it in his place. Or better yet, someone else had picked it out and he’d just moved in, sight unseen.
I looked down at the various pieces of furniture, frowning as I tried to figure them out. Yep, definitely someone else’s doing.
Definitely didn’t suit his personality. Or maybe it just didn’t have any personality at all. Not sure. I assumed whoever had chosen them was going for eclectic, but they hadn’t quite hit the mark. The place was a mish-mash of different things that didn’t necessarily go together, causing it to have a cluttered gallery feel.
After giving the living room a thorough once-over, I made my way to the kitchen—a room that was bright and clean and didn’t make me feel as though I was in a museum—to find Jake leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his broad chest, waiting for the coffee to finish. I hopped up on the island counter, crossed my ankles, and stared at him. A second later, his curious cat hopped up there with me, rubbing along my side before making his way into my lap.
“You seriously didn’t give this little guy a name?” I asked.
Jake turned to look at me. “Cat’s a name.”
“No, cat is what he is. Spot is a name. Or…” It came to me. “Oreo. That’s a perfect name for him.”
Jake’s eyes widened. “That’s what my niece calls him.”
“Really?” That was cool. “Well, I’m gonna call him Oreo.”
“He only answers to Cat,” Jake replied, grinning.
“I get the feeling he doesn’t answer to anything at all.” Even though I’d only known him for a few minutes, Cat seemed far too independent to let a mere human boss him around.
“True.”
“So, is this what you do for fun?” I asked, petting the cat and nodding toward the fancy coffee maker.
“Make coffee?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “When I’m not writing, yeah.”
“So, what? You’ve been making coffee for the past year?” When he gave me that confused look, I laughed. “I have a confession to make.”
His dark brow lifted slowly, his teal eyes locking with mine.
I smiled. “I saw you on the Today Show.”
Jake shook his head, grinned shyly, and dropped his gaze to the floor. He really was attractive, and the little things, such as the reticence, were such a turn-on.
“It wasn’t that bad,” I assured him, although, to be honest, it had been a train wreck. He’d looked fantastic, but every time he’d opened his mouth, it’d seemed only air had come out. “Next time, you should have them drug you before you go on.”
“Oh, hell,” he murmured, then turned away from me. “I’m hoping there won’t be a next time.”
I laughed again. “You spend a lot of time in New York since you moved back?”
“Only when my editor feels the need to light a fire under my ass, or embarrass me in front of the entire country.”