Some Like It Wild Read Online Free PDF Page A

backward for a few seconds, openly laughing at me.
    Ohmigod, he knows I was looking at his butt!
    And, of course, I’m mortified. I push on the accelerator and swerve far away from Jake when I pass him. I keep my eyes glued on the road ahead.
    When I reach the house, I park and pull my briefcase from the backseat. I take out the folder labeled
Theopolis Estate
and flip it open in my lap, but that’s as far as I get. My eyes keep straying to the rearview mirror, waiting for Jake to appear in it. It’s like my brain is stuck and won’t move forward until he does.
    A flash of red catches my eye. Jake’s shorts. Moving at a steady pace, he jogs into my frame of view, moving closer and closer. Again, I admire the way he glistens in the sunlight, like a champion thoroughbred in peak physical condition.
    I force my eyes back to my folder when Jake gets near the rear of my car. From the corner of my eye, I glance at the sideview mirror as he passes. He doesn’t even look down, just jogs right on by. He takes the steps two at a time and opens the unlocked front door.
    I’m watching him, expecting him to disappear indoors, when he turns. He meets my eyes and tips his head toward the inside of the house before he crosses the threshold, leaving the door ajar for me.
    “I guess that’s my cue,” I mumble to myself.
    I gather my things, trying to keep my mind off the image of Jake stripping off those red shorts to get in the shower. Absently, I wonder if his skin is tan all over, or if he has a tan line.
    Holy crap! Laney, you’ve got to stop this!
I warn myself. I won’t be able to concentrate at all if I don’t get a grip.
    I focus on the list of things I need to get done and in what order as I get out and walk up the steps. Once inside, I listen for Jake. I hear nothing but muffled sounds coming from upstairs. Thankful for the short respite in which I can attempt to reset my wayward brain, I make my way into the dining room and begin spreading out my things onto the table.
    Firmly back in work mode, I’m making mental lists and dividing up areas to inventory together when I hear a throat clear behind me. I whirl to find Jake lounging in the doorway, smiling as he watches me.
    “I didn’t want to scare you. You looked deep in thought,” he observes.
    “Thank you. I was.”
    “So,” he begins, straightening away from the doorjamb, “what do I need to do?”
    I can’t help but notice the way his pale yellow T-shirt clings to his still-damp skin, or the way his thick eyelashes look spiky and wet.
    “Uh . . . well . . .” I stammer, struggling to get my mind back on the task at hand. I squeeze my eyes shut and then turn them to the documents spread out in front of me. “Actually, there’s nothing I really need from you at this point. It’s a matter of going through each room and inventorying what’s here. If I have any questions, I’ll make a note and ask you later.”
    Now that I’ve managed a coherent sentence, I look back at Jake.
    “All right, I guess I’ll just check back with you after a while then.”
    “No need,” I assure him. “I’ll be fine.”
    He grins, a wicked gleam lighting his amber eyes. “Regardless, I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
    There’s no point in arguing. I feel like the more I protest, the more it will give away my discomfort with his close proximity. Instead, I nod and give him a tight smile. “Okay. See you then.”
    I pick up some random papers and study them as if they’re important when, in reality, I don’t even process what I’m looking at. It’s not until, from the corner of my eye, I see Jake leave that it registers that I’m holding them upside down.

SIX: Jake
    “I ’m taking care of it, Jenna. Would you stop worrying?”
    “It just kills me to think of those two losers living in our house, destroying everything Mom and Dad worked so hard for.”
    “I know, Jenna. That’s why I told you to stop worrying about it. I’d never let that happen. I’d