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indicating that she wanted that to end the conversation.
    Jake shook his head at her body language. "Well as long as you do as you're told and you respect me and the rules of the house, then it won't have to happen again. That," he paused and tapped her on the nose, "is up to you."
    She didn't want to question his statement and deep down she really did know that he would never actually hurt her, despite how big he was. They sat quietly for a minute and she began to relax against his chest as she stared out of the window. She didn't know why she felt so comfortable in his arms, but her body still felt so exhausted that she didn't have the energy to move.
    "How about I take you riding in a few days when you're feeling better," he asked, breaking the silence.
    "Really?" she asked excitedly.
    "Yeah, really. What do you think?"
    "That'd be great. I just figured you were too busy for something like that," she said, her voice trailing off at the end of the sentence.
    Jake pulled her head back to look at her in confusion. "Why would you think that? I can make some free time every now and then," he said, smiling.
    "Sylvia just told me that all you pretty much do is work," she answered somberly.
    "What else did Sylvia tell you about me?" he said playfully, squeezing her tightly against him.
    "Nothing," she squeaked. "Just that you are a giant ogre and you lock women up in your bedrooms to bore them to death." She laughed as his face made an 'O.' After a second, his face turned to a playful smile and he moved his hands to her waist
    "Oh yeah," he said, starting to tickle her waist until she burst into laughter. "What else did she tell you?" Lilly rolled back and forth on the bed attempting to escape from his tickling grip. She laughed until her eyes were brimming with tears before she started pleading.
    "Ok! She really didn't say that!" she said in between bouts of laughter. "I made it up! I made it up!"
    Jake stopped and leaned on his elbow next to her on the bed. "What did I tell you about lying, young lady?" he asked, sounding extremely serious. Lilly's face dropped and her spine began to tingle. Jake noticed her reaction and realized she didn't know he was playing. "I'm just kidding," he grinned. "You ready for some dinner?"
    Lilly nodded her head and smiled. He was starting to seem nicer every day. Well, he at least had nice moments so far in each day. When he got up off the bed and held out his hand for her to take, she smiled and put her hand in his and they walked downstairs to the kitchen.
     
    ---oOo---
     
    Dinner was more pleasant than Lilly could have imagined. Sylvia and Jake acted as if they were family, joking back and forth between each other. She hadn't seen Jake act so casually and nonchalant other than a few minutes ago in the bed room. It wasn't until Sylvia started asking Lilly more personal questions about her life that things became a little more awkward.
    "So what brings you to Texas, Lilly?" Sylvia asked, gathering the plates off of the table.
    "Oh you know, just traveling. No particular reason," Lilly tried to answer coolly. She noticed Jake's glare from across the table but decided to ignore it.
    "Most people that are planning to drive for a vacation have their vehicles checked before making such a long trip," Jake interjected, getting a sense that there were a lot of details Lilly was omitting from her story. "Nobody advised you of that when you told them you were leaving? A boyfriend? A brother?" he goaded, trying to get her to reveal the truth.
    Lilly felt like shrinking in her chair. She didn't want to explain why she just upped and left. It wasn't always her style to drop everything and run away, but she had felt so trapped and knew that no one would just let her leave if she told them she was planning it. Lilly decided to change the subject. "Would anyone like another glass of wine?" she asked, getting up from the table and walking over to the counter to pour herself another glass.
    Lilly gulped down the