Georgia’s face pinched just ever-so-slightly before she put a smile back in place. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? There is still so much damage all around with the deck being gone and the front wing being crushed.”
“The front wing is only partially crushed,” Susannah corrected mildly, “and we would just keep that part of the house closed off for now. I know I’d feel better just going over and doing a walk-through myself. Not that I don’t trust Jake or the engineers, but it’d help give me my own peace of mind.”
“Well…no one’s throwing you out of here, Susannah,” Georgia said pleasantly. She was the epitome of the typical Southern belle who was always gracious, with a smile on her face even when she was mad as hell.
And Mallory had a feeling her aunt was mad right now because for years it had been well known that she had wanted Pops’ house for herself. When Susannah had moved down to help care for Pops, all of Georgia’s plans were put on hold.
Hopefully indefinitely.
“And I appreciate your hospitality,” her mother said with a smile of her own. “And if it’s okay with you, I will stay here tonight. Tomorrow, though, I’m hoping the power will be restored and we can start letting life return to normal.”
At that point, Uncle Beau went back to talking about the plans he had discussed with the funeral director – visitations, flowers, a suit for Pops - and Mallory couldn’t take it anymore. When she pushed her chair back and went to stand, everyone stopped talking and looked over at her.
“Sorry, but…I just need to go get some air,” she said apologetically. Then she looked at her mother. “Can I borrow your car?”
“Why don’t you go over and walk through the house?” her mother suggested. “I think we both know that’s where you’re going to go.”
Smiling sadly, Mallory nodded. “Thanks.” Then she looked up at everyone. “I’ll see you all later.”
It took less than five minutes for her to get her things and be in the car, pulling out of the driveway. The sun was setting and she realized a little too late that she wasn’t going to have much daylight to help her see things in the house. Surely she’d be able to find a flashlight or something if she needed it, right?
When she pulled up in front of Pops’ house, she didn’t pause or hesitate. She was practically frantic to get inside.
Once she was through the front door, she realized she was breathless and shaking.
There was no one to call out to and no one to respond.
Walking slowly, she peeked into Pops’ office and couldn’t bring herself to stop. The house was eerily quiet and when she looked at the closed door to the downstairs wing, she was almost relieved. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle seeing his room right now.
By the time she walked around the downstairs, she realized it was almost pointless to be here. Her thoughts were scattered in what felt like a million different directions and with the fading sunlight, there wasn’t anything she could even do. Going to the kitchen pantry, she found a flashlight and took it with her before walking out the front door. She closed and locked it behind her and decided that maybe a little time down at the boathouse would be better for her.
Careful of the multiple fallen branches, Mallory walked around the side of the house and down to the pier. Sunsets were always beautiful out here and even with the overcast sky, she knew she would sit up on the party deck and enjoy it.
Down the pier and up the ladder to the deck she climbed and tossed her purse down on the floor. None of the furniture was up here so it wasn’t like she had somewhere to sit, but it didn’t matter. Standing at the rail looking out at the water was exactly what she wanted.
Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly, feeling all the tension leave her body. If she could, she’d camp out right here tonight and skip going back to her aunt and uncle’s house. It wasn’t anything personal; this was just the kind of mental health therapy she needed at the moment.
Between this reprieve from her hectic work life and her grief over Pops, Mallory knew she’d take this kind of alone time over anything else. This had always been her happy place–the only place she ever felt like she could come and truly relax. At least, for a long time that had been the case. After her breakup with Jake, the boathouse held too many memories–ones she didn’t want to think about. But after their kiss earlier, it was really no surprise she ended up here.
It was also no surprise when she heard footsteps on the pier.
Jake.
She didn’t move. Hell, she had to make sure she was even breathing by the time he was up on the deck beside her.
“What are you doing up here?” he asked quietly, looking out at the Sound just as she was.
“I had to get out of there. They were talking about the funeral and…I just couldn’t. It was too much.”
Beside her, he let out a long breath. “In my head, I knew this day would come. Knew we’d be facing a day when Zeke wasn’t here anymore. The reality of it is much harder than I thought it would be.”
Unable to speak, Mallory simply nodded.
They stood like that for a long time. The sky was almost dark and she couldn’t see much of anything anymore, but she could feel Jake beside her. More than anything, she wanted to lean into him and feel him wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was going to be okay. Logically, she knew it would–knew she would always mourn the loss of Pops–but right now she wanted comfort and to just…feel something other than grief.
Turning her head, she looked at him and gasped softly when she saw he was already looking at her. “Jake,” she whispered, but had no idea what else to say.
Reaching out, he cupped her cheek, caressed it. She leaned into his hand, loving how rough his skin felt against hers. She’d always loved that about him, the fact that he worked with his hands and they were so large and rough. It’s funny how up until this moment she hadn’t realized how much she missed that.
“You staying at the house tonight?” he asked, his voice no more than a whisper too.
She shook her head. “I think we’re coming back tomorrow. I’m supposed to stay with everyone over at my aunt’s place tonight.”
He stepped in closer and Mallory’s eyes fluttered shut at how warm and wonderful he felt. “Don’t,” he said, his breath warm against her cheek. “Come home with me.”
Her body arched against his and she almost moaned with pleasure at the gentle contact. “I…I can’t.” Pausing, she moved slightly against him. “I should have left already.”
Jake’s mouth moved against her cheek, gently nipped at her ear. “You’re a grown woman. You don’t have a curfew. Stay with me.”
There were a million reasons why she shouldn’t.
Opening this door with him could only lead to heartache again.
His mouth moved down the slender column of her throat and Mallory’s head slowly fell back to give him more access. It felt so good…so wonderful…so right…
“Mallory,” he sighed as his arms slowly banded around her.
He continued to kiss her throat, her jaw, until his lips covered hers and then she was lost. There was no way to fight it and it didn’t matter that this wasn’t a good idea or how it would be that much harder to go back to her life in New York, away from him. For tonight, she needed him. She needed this.
Jake said her name again–it was a breathless plea and Mallory responded with her own breathless “Yes.”
Taking her by the hand, Jake carefully led her through the dark across the deck. He stopped to pick up her purse and handed it to her. “Text your mother so she knows you’re safe,” he said before making his way down to the pier.
Pausing, Mallory did as he requested before following him down. At the door to the boathouse, she stopped.
“Here,” she said, reaching out for the door knob. “I want to stay here with you.”
With nothing more than the light of the moon, she saw the confusion written on his face. “It would be a lot more
comfortable up at my place.”
She moved in close and placed soft kisses along his jaw. “Maybe later. But for right now, I want to be here. Please.”
Reaching around her, Jake opened the door and slowly backed her inside. Once the door was closed behind them, Mallory refused to think of the past and didn’t give the future a second thought. All she focused on was the here and now.
She kicked off her sandals as Jake peeled her blouse off. His hands immediately went to the button of her pants as hers snaked under his t-shirt and slid their way up over his chest. They kissed as they moved in the tiny space and they laughed as they bumped into things, but they never stopped moving–never stopped touching.
By the time she was naked and sprawled out on top of the oversized sofa she had always loved, and Jake was kneeling between her legs, she thought she’d go mad with want for him. She didn’t want him to go slow, didn’t want to spend too much time thinking about what they were doing.
Reaching up, she wrapped her hand around his nape and pulled him down for another searing kiss. He kicked his jeans off and Mallory helped slide his boxers down. And when they were skin to skin from head to toe, she let out a moan of pure pleasure.
He said her name as his mouth moved over her body.
She said his as she wrapped her legs around him.
And when their mouths and bodies finally joined together, there was no need for words any longer.
5
It was after midnight and Jake sat back on the large sofa and watched Mallory scramble around getting dressed like she couldn’t wait to leave.
Not the greatest moment for a man’s ego…
When she was close enough for him to touch, he reached out and snagged her hand. “Hey,” he said softly, “come back to the house with me.”
She looked confused for a moment and then must have realized he meant his house. It was something they’d never done before–during that entire summer, they’d never spent an entire night together and all of their more intimate times had been here in the boathouse.
“I should probably go,” she said, not looking at him.
Not letting go of her hand, he gave another gentle tug. “Why?”
Now she did look at him. “What do you mean why? It’s late and we’ve…” She motioned toward the sofa. “You know. So…I should leave.”
Ah…now he was getting it. Standing, he let the blanket that was covering him fall to the floor as he pulled her into his arms. “Here’s the thing, Mal, there’s no curfew and no one’s waiting on us. I’ve got a house two minutes away that we can go to and crawl into bed and stay there all night.” Placing a light kiss on the tip of her nose, Jake held his breath and waited for her to tell him why it wasn’t a good idea.
And waited.
And waited.
Was it possible they were on the same page here?
Slowly, he stepped away and began his own search of his clothes and began getting dressed. They may have already had rounds one and two here in the boathouse, but the thought of finally having Mallory Westbrook in his bed for a whole night had him more than ready for round three.
Once he had his jeans on, Jake scooped up his shirt and found Mallory was still standing in the same spot. Okay, maybe she wasn’t completely on the same page.
Yet.
Moving in close again, he kissed her cheek as his hands smoothed up and down her bare arms. “Please.” It was one word and he thought it would be more powerful than a lengthy explanation of why she should come home with him.
“Okay.”
That clearly worked.
Hand in hand, they left the boathouse and carefully made their way back up the pier and across the property to his house. Neither spoke other than for him to whisper for her to be careful as they navigated through the yard debris. Once they were in the house, Jake offered her something to drink which she readily accepted.
Now that she was here with him, he felt nervous and unsure of what he was supposed to do or say. The obvious move was to kiss her senseless and lead her into his bedroom, but…there was something about this moment that carried a lot of weight.
Reaching over to her, he took her purse from her hands and put it on the kitchen counter. Then he took one of her hands in his, led her into the living room and sat them both down on the couch. The entire back wall of the room was made of sliding glass doors so they had moonlight once again as their only light. When Jake looked at Mallory, he saw her studying him curiously.
“What?” he asked quietly.
“I thought you would have led us right to the bedroom,” she said, just as quietly.
He shrugged. “It was my first instinct but I thought it might be nice to sit and talk for a bit. We haven’t done that in a while.”
She laughed softly. “Six years.”
Then he couldn’t help but laugh with her. “Give or take.”
With a small smile on her face, Mallory moved in close and rested her head on his shoulder. “That summer seems like a lifetime ago sometimes.”
“And others it feels like yesterday,” he admitted. Kissing the top of her head, he whispered, “I’ve missed you.”
Mallory sighed but didn’t respond right away and Jake suddenly felt foolish for his admission. Then she put him out of his misery. “I’ve missed you too.”
Relaxing, he wrapped one arm around her and held her close. “You know, if all you want to do is stay out here and talk all night, I’m fine with that.” He paused. “Or if all you want to do is go inside and go to sleep, that’s fine too.” He kissed her head again.
“What if I want to go inside and crawl into bed and talk to you there?” she asked, and there was a mixture of playfulness and insecurity to her voice that only Mallory could pull off.
“We could totally do that too.”
She slowly moved out of his embrace and stood, holding out a hand to him. “I think I like option number three, but with a possibility of a fourth.”
They walked down the short hallway to his room. When they were next to the bed, he kissed her–slowly, sweetly. There was no hurry. Jake simply enjoyed being able to kiss her again. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to undress each other again before sliding beneath the sheets. He wished he had known he was bringing her back here–he would have made more of an effort to make sure the place was cleaned up a bit more.
Mallory snuggled in close beside him and placed a kiss on his chest as she settled in.
“I want you to know,” he said, “I didn’t plan on this.”
“Me either,” she replied quietly, sleepily. “When I left Aunt Georgia’s earlier, I really just needed to get away. I had gotten your text and when I showed it to my mother, she knew I was going to go to the house.”
“I’m glad you did.”
They were silent for a moment before Mallory thanked him.
“For what?”
“For getting the engineers out to the house. I know you must have had to pull some strings to make that happen, so…thank you.”
“It’s exactly what Zeke would have wanted me to do.”
More silence.
“Jake?”
“Hmm?”
“This is nice.”
He nodded. “It is.”
“I’m only going to be here for two weeks,” she said after a long pause. “I figured that would be enough time to come here and help with the cleanup and for the funeral.”
Everything in him stilled. She was laying down the parameters for them and while he should have been thankful, right now he resented it. Six years ago they had been fine with a long-distance relationship. It hadn’t been ideal, but they could have made it work. And even though just earlier today he was looking at spending time with Mallory as a way to get her out of his system once and for all, right now that logic seemed wrong.
And when she put it out there so bluntly?
He was more confused than ever.
It was hard not to be when he had Mallory naked and wa
rm beside him in his bed. And that’s when it hit him–if this was all they were going to have, two weeks, he was going to have to make the most of it so when she left this time, they wouldn’t have any regrets.
She whispered his name again and Jake realized he was done talking. The clock on their time together started ticking only minutes ago and he didn’t want to waste a second of the time they had.
Maneuvering them until he was stretched out on top of her, he leaned down and kissed her–this time deeply. And as she slowly wrapped herself around him–in a move he really loved–he gave himself over to whatever it was they were doing.
The sun was just coming up and the sound of an alarm beeping woke her up. Mallory went to sit up, but Jake had one arm banded over her, keeping her still.
“Power’s back,” he murmured against her shoulder. He released her momentarily to shut off his alarm clock. “Everything else will calm down in a couple of minutes. All the electronics tend to make some sort of noise when they’re starting up.” He moved back up behind her–her back to his front–and it felt so good that she felt herself starting to doze again.
But her brain was already awake now.
“What time do you think it is? The clock is flashing midnight.”
Behind her, he shrugged. “Five, maybe six.” He yawned. “Too early to be up yet.”
She knew what he meant. They hadn’t slept more than a handful of hours and more than anything she wanted to be able to close her eyes and go back to sleep. But there was a lot to do today considering the power was back on and her mother was going to move back into Pops’ place–and that meant she would too.
And there would be a lot to deal with.
When she went to move again, Jake’s hold tightened. “Not yet, Mal,” he said sleepily, kissing her shoulder again. “All night I dreamed about waking up and making love to you again as the sun came up.”
His words affected her more than they should, she thought. They spent the night making love. How could he have been dreaming about doing it again?
Remind Me Page 8
