Billionaire Wolf's MateDate - Serena Meadows Page 0,10

look on his face that quickly changed to innocence when she’d catch him.

She hated the way he made her feel when their eyes met, hated the thrill of attraction, hated the sizzle of passion that made her heart beat faster and her palms get sweaty. As hard as she’d tried to block it, it was always there, simmering just under the surface, threatening to drag her in, tempting her to make a mistake that she’d regret and get involved with exactly the kind of man she hated.

Pushing the feeling away as the least of her problems, she filled her plate, then looked around the table once more and made a decision. Sliding her chair back from the table, she excused herself, went back into the house, and found the manilla envelope that started all her troubles. Dumping the contents out on the table, she sorted through them until she found the business card with Jacob’s contact information.

Forcing herself not to stop and think, she grabbed her phone and dialed his number, relieved when he picked up on the second ring. “Hi, Janice, I was hoping that you’d call,” he said when he picked up.

“How did you know it was me?” she asked. “Never mind; it doesn’t matter. I was wondering if you could come over and talk to me. I think I’m ready to hear what you have to say.”

Chapter Five

***Reggie***

Reggie was relieved when the meal was finally finished, glad that the torture of watching Janice struggling with her emotions was almost over. No matter how hard he tried to block it, an overwhelming need to comfort her kept flashing through him, making it almost impossible not to gather her in his arms. Now, he could flee without attracting attention and hope that Ryan would keep his promise not to blab all his secrets.

But before he could make his escape, the sound of the doorbell ringing echoed through the house. Janice jumped to her feet. “I invited Jacob over; if he wants to talk to me, he can do it with all of you around,” she said.

There was a long silence, then Derek said, “I think we missed something.”

Janice looked over at Melanie. “You didn’t tell him,” she said.

Melanie shook her head. “It’s not my story to tell,” she said.

Janice smiled at her. “Thank you, but I think you should tell everyone what’s going on while I go let Jacob in.”

Reggie watched Janice disappear into the house, feeling like he’d been caught doing something wrong and hoped that Jacob wouldn’t give them away when he saw him. He’d known from the moment Ryan suggested it that it was a mistake to come tonight, that the farther he stayed from Janice, the better it would be, but now he was stuck, trapped in the one place he shouldn’t be.

He barely listened as Melanie recounted Janice’s first meeting with Jacob, trying to look as interested as the rest, but focused on the door. When she was finished, he looked away from the door at Ryan, who raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything, then looked away when he stayed silent. With only a few moments to decide what he was going to do; he chose the easy way out and waited for Jacob to appear without explaining his role in Janice’s problems.

Only a second later, Janice and Jacob appeared in the doorway, and it didn’t take more than a glance to see that they were related. There was a collective gasp from the table, and even he couldn’t help staring until he caught Jacob’s eye and quickly looked away. Janice looked around the table at the shocked faces, then up at Jacob, who seemed to be recovering from the shock of seeing them all.

“Jacob, these are my friends,” Janice finally said. “I hope you don’t mind, but I don’t think I can do this alone.”

Jacob looked around the table, his eyes lingering briefly on Reggie, who shook his head just enough to get the message across. “I don’t mind if that’s what will make you more comfortable,” he finally said.

“I’ll get you a chair,” Derek said. “I think we’re all very interested in what you have to say.”

“I understand this must seem a little...well strange and unbelievable, but I promise you everything I have to tell you is the truth,” Jacob said.

“Maybe you’d like some coffee,” Melanie offered. “We haven’t had dessert yet. Just let us clear the table and bring it out.”

When they all had plates of chocolate cake and steaming