Chapter 544

• “I don’t know what that is.” I smile sassily, and he sighs, bopping me on the nose with a fingertip. We’ve been making jokes about the lack of sex lately. I guess to try to get our heads around the emotional barrier that Jake still has, one I can no longer understand. We’ve come so far, yet he still doesn’t attempt to touch me that way. I’ve never pushed because I don’t want to be rejected again.
• “Well, play your cards right, shorty, and I might be talked into trying again. I can’t keep beating the shit out of boxing bags for the next few months. I can’t handle looking at you and not doing anything about it.” His pained gaze tells me he’s been thinking about this a whole lot more recently than he lets on.
• My ears prick up, and I pass him my wanton look below lowered lashes with more than a little hope simmering.