The Wager

Chapter Twenty-eight

The first thing Jake thought when he woke up alone in his bed was that God had taken away his sex drive in order to punish him.

But if he was really being honest…

It wasn’t God.

It was Char.

He wasn’t sure if he should hate her or just run over to her house and have his way with her over and over again.

Two girls, both gorgeous, both models… and nothing. Absolutely nothing. Even the whiskey had turned sour in his stomach the minute they’d both started stripping in front of him. He’d actually told them he had to go to the bathroom.

An all-time low.

The bathroom? Had he lost his damn mind?

He pulled a total chick move, ran into the bathroom and sat on the toilet seat with his head in his hands—shaking, yes, shaking over the fact that he’d completely lost control of his life.

All because of a stupid girl he’d met at a stupid junior high camp, that had a stupidly amazing body with stupid bright eyes and luscious lips and—

Well, at that point, in the bathroom, he had more than a drive back.

But then he heard the girls, the twins, calling his name.

And there it went.

Down the toilet.

He sat there for ten minutes. Then, walked out of the bathroom making the lamest excuse known to players everywhere. “Look, I’m just not feeling it tonight. I’m sick.”

The girls both looked at one another and then approached him. Twin one had a black lacey bra and underwear on and twin number two was wearing nothing at all.

Maybe he was gay?

Once they were close enough to touch him, he stepped away. Their perfume was literally suffocating him. Why couldn’t they smell more like Ch—

“Shit!” He yelled, causing both girls to jump. “Sorry, it’s not you guys, it’s me.”

“Really?” Twin one said. “Are you getting rid of us? What the hell is your problem?”

“You. Both of you.” Jake growled. “Now leave.”

They flipped him off in perfect synchronization and grabbed their clothes. The minute the door closed behind them, he fell onto the couch and groaned.

Damn his brother for telling him to stay away from the one girl that actually made him want to give it up. He had to keep telling himself it would get better, that soon he wouldn’t have this problem. Because in the end he knew he was the type of guy that would hurt Char. There would be no happily ever after because guys like him didn’t know how to give it, and he wasn’t really sure he was able to be what she needed him to be.

Had he ever been that guy? The one girls ran to when something went wrong? No, that was his brother Travis. Jake was the screw up, the partier, the one who, when caught by Kacey’s dad at the age of fourteen snorting cocaine and partying with girls twice his age, took him by the ear, and told him he was ruining his life.

Which he was.

It hadn’t helped that the minute that Bill grabbed Jake, he was so high and disoriented that he had fallen into the river by their house and nearly drowned.

He hadn’t touched drugs since. Alcohol? Yes, maybe it was because it was the only way to numb everything. Jake never pretended to be something he wasn’t… he just wasn’t sure if he liked what he actually was anymore.