Kiss Me

by C. C. Wood

  Kaylie rolled her eyes at his pat answer. Of course the smart ass had an answer. He usually had a response for everything.

  “Alright, you’re a police officer. I’m sure you know breaking and entering is a crime.”

  Jake had the nerve to smile outright. “I didn’t break anything. I used a key.”

  She snarled at him and looked around for something else to throw at his hard, smirking head. She’d seen too much of that little smile today and she was tired of it. When nothing presented itself, she gave a short scream.

  Jake went from smiling to laughing. “Calm down, Kay.”

  Kaylie continued to glare at him, wishing she could shoot laser beams from her eyes and reduce him to dust. With her teeth clenched, she asked, “Why are you here, Jake? Don’t you think our conversation at lunch was painful enough or do you want to keep up with this analysis of our break up and see if you can twist the knife a little deeper?”

  She wanted to feel triumph when Jake flinched, but all she felt was frustration and remorse. Kaylie knew she sounded bitter and angry over something that she should have long since gotten over but, with Jake’s stubborn refusal to let this go, it felt like it had happened yesterday. The wound had been scarred over but now it felt raw and deeper than ever.

  Kaylie sighed. “Look, Jake. Let’s just call a truce and go back to civility, okay? I really don’t want to fight with you. Believe it or not, I don’t enjoy it.” Her shoulders sagged as she turned back to the stove and removed the skillet from the burner.

  Struggling not to cry, she slid the grilled cheese sandwich onto a plate and cut it in half. Then she poured the soup into a bowl. Kaylie wished he would just leave. Though Jake hadn’t said anything, she could feel his presence in the room behind her. As she opened a drawer to get a spoon, she saw his hands land on the counter on either side of her hips. His body was warm and surrounded her smaller frame. When they were together, she loved it when he wrapped around her. Now, it just made her feel trapped.

  After she pulled the spoon out of the drawer, Kaylie jerked her elbow back and connected with Jake’s ribs.

  “Back off, Jake.” She whirled around to face him. “I don’t appreciate you crowding me and I sure as hell don’t appreciate you just letting yourself into my house.”

  Before she could continue her tirade, Jake’s large hand settled over her mouth. His eyes were intense and his jaw hard.

  “Okay, Kay, you got to talk. Now it’s my turn.” He paused and shook his head at her when she tried to jerk her face away from his hand. “No, you’re going to stand here and listen. When I’m done, I’ll move my hand, but not before then.”

  Kaylie’s eyes sparked over his palm and Jake leaned in to trap her against the counter. “And if you bite me, you will not like the consequences.”

  She rolled her eyes. He knew her too well. Kaylie heaved out a huge sigh and waited.

  Understanding that she was giving in, Jake pulled his weight away so she was no longer crushed against the counter. He was still too close but at least she could breathe again.

  “You’re right. I should have talked to you about how I was feeling before I broke things off. Now, seeing how much it must have hurt you, I truly do regret it. If I had known…” he trailed off for a moment, looking over her shoulder. Then his eyes came back to her before he continued, “I wouldn’t have done it like that, Kaylie. I just want you to know that. When we broke up, you seemed fine, practically unaffected. I didn’t like it because I thought it meant you hadn’t really cared all that much about me. In fact you seemed almost cold whenever I came around with Kevin. I just thought you were ready to move on.”

  Kaylie just stared at him, not sure what to think. After a few moments, he slowly removed his hand from her mouth.

  “Do you think you can forgive me, Kaylie?” he asked.

  She stared up at him, feeling both bitterness and hope writhing inside her. When she didn’t respond, he sighed. “I am sorry, Kaylie. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  Kaylie nodded. She could see that he meant it. That was something she had always admired about Jake. If he did something he regretted or that caused someone else pain, he would apologize; no bluster, no bullshit.

  “I can forgive you, Jake.”

  He smiled at her. “Good.”

  His hands cupped her cheeks and he leaned in to brush his mouth lightly across hers. Then the gentle contact grew into something more intense as Jake nipped her bottom lip until she opened her mouth for his tongue. The kiss grew until it was almost out of control.

  Suddenly Kaylie realized what she was doing and pulled back. When Jake made a move to follow her, she slapped her hands on his chest and pushed him away.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  Jake blinked. “I was kissing you. Why, would you rather be doing something else?” He grinned wickedly as he said it.

  Kaylie rolled her eyes at his suggestive comment. “No, I’d like you to go. I’m glad we had this chat and settled things, but I’m hungry and my dinner is getting cold.”

  Jake’s eyes grew hard. He pulled his hands away from her as though she burned him and he stepped back.

  “What?” he asked softly.

  Kaylie remembered that voice. It meant that Jake was moments away from losing his formidable temper. He was usually so easy going; it took a lot before he would get truly angry. When he did though, watch out. She tried to step away but remembered the counter was behind her just in time. Instead she cleared her suddenly tight throat.

  “I’m pretty hungry Jake, and I’d like to sit down to eat my dinner. While I’m glad you explained why you did what you did and we settled our differences, it’s been six years and we’ve both moved on. It’ll be less awkward when we see each other at Kevin’s rehearsal dinner and wedding, but it doesn’t really change anything else.”

  His eyes narrowed to slits. “It doesn’t change anything else?”

  Kaylie was beginning to get a little nervous. This was a side of Jake she rarely saw through the years, the side that came out when he joined the Marines with her brother.

  “No.” She squared her shoulders. There was no way she would let him know he could intimidate her. Long ago, Kaylie learned that lesson with big men. You either stood up for yourself or they would run roughshod all over you.

  “You really mean that?” he asked.

  Kaylie nodded. “Yes. You asked me to forgive you, I did. Now, we move on. It’s been too many years, Jake. We can’t go back to the way things were. I don’t want to go back either.”

  He took several steps back, staring at her as if a third eye had popped up on her forehead.

  “You really have moved on, haven’t you? Last night,” he paused, “last night, the things you said and the way you were acting, I thought maybe you still…” he stopped speaking and just looked at her, the same expression on his face Kaylie had seen twice in the last two days.

  Kaylie bit her lip and proceeded to lie her ass off. “Jake, I do care about you, but I have moved on. I want to settle down and have a family but it won’t be with you. That dream died six years ago.”

  Jake’s expression changed subtly and it was making her heart pound. He looked determined, even a little ruthless. This was not the man she knew and she wasn’t sure what to expect.

  “You’re lying, Kaylie,” he stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

  She scowled at him. “No, I’m not.”

  The corners of his mouth twitched. “I’ve been a cop for years, Kay, and I’ve known you for even longer. I know when someone is lying to me. The question is: what are you lying about?”

  Kaylie carried her sandwich and soup to the kitchen table and plopped down in her chair. Maybe if she ignored him, he would go away. She took a spoonful of soup and cringed. Cold tomato soup was not her favorite thing.

  Suddenly, Jake yanked her chair away from the table and spun her around. He leaned over so that his face filled her vision.

  “Answer me, Kaylie
. What are you lying about? Are you lying about moving on or are you lying about never having a home and family with me?”

  She put her hands to his shoulders and shoved but the big ape was too solid and didn’t budge. “Move back, Jake.”

  He responded by resting his hands on the back of the chair behind her shoulders, trapping her between his arms. When she kicked him in the shin, he didn’t even flinch, just set his legs on the outside of her knees so she couldn’t kick him anymore.

  Feeling cornered and extremely irate, Kaylie tried to shove him again.

  “Move back, Jake!” she shouted.

  “Not until you answer me.”

  “Fine! I’m not really over you. I’ve tried. I’ve dated, a lot, but it just doesn’t feel right with anyone else. I want to move on, but it hasn’t happened. It’s stupid and crazy. It’s been six years. Any normal, sane woman would have found someone else, probably someone better by now.”

  Jake grinned down at her as she finished her tirade and Kaylie crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him.

  “Move back, Jake.”

  He did. Only, when he stood, he yanked her up with him and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “I was right,” he muttered, still smiling.

  Kaylie tried to shove away and grunted when he refused to loosen his grip.

  “It doesn’t change anything, Jake. It really doesn’t,” she insisted.

  He shook his head. “Of course it does. You never got over me. I never got over you. We were meant for each other Kaylie, we were just too young and stupid to know it six years ago.”

  She continued to scowl at him. “We? Not we, Jake, you. You didn’t talk to me or you have known that I thought you were my soul mate.” She poked him in the chest with her index finger. “So, the last six years were all your doing and your fault.”

  He nodded. “You’re right. It was my fault. And you’re also right, I was too young and probably not as ready to settle down as I thought. I also think you weren’t really ready to settle down either.”

  Kaylie quit struggling to get away. “Dammit, Jake, how am I supposed to stay mad at you when you admit you were an idiot?”

  Before she could move, he kissed her quickly. “You can’t. That’s why I admit when I’m wrong. My dad did the same thing and it kept him out of trouble with my mom.”

  He looked so completely and utterly smug that Kaylie had to laugh.

  “Sounds like your dad was a smart guy,” she said.

  Jake cupped the back of her head and tucked her face into his neck. “Yep. I learned from the best, which is probably why they’re still happily married after thirty-six years.”

  Kaylie allowed her body to relax. It had been so long since she felt this way, comforted and content. Other men in her life had held her, but it just didn’t have the same sense of rightness that she felt with Jake.

  For a long time, they stood in her kitchen, holding each other. Kaylie’s stomach growled and Jake laughed.

  “Okay, I’ve kept you from your dinner long enough.” His stomach growled too. “Um, care to share?”

  Kaylie shook her head. “I’ll order pizza. I don’t think that I have any other food in the house and tomato soup and grilled cheese aren’t very good after they’ve gone stone cold.”

  She didn’t say one word about his assumption that it would be okay for him to stay for dinner. Honestly, she didn’t care. Kaylie didn’t know what he was up to or why; she just intended to enjoy his company. For the first time in years, her stomach didn’t tie itself up in knots when he was in the same room.

  Two hours later, the pizza had been demolished and they were sprawled on her couch watching television. It was getting late and Kaylie was sleepy, but she honestly didn’t want to kick Jake out. The evening had been fun. Even more fun than the evenings they spent together six years ago. Beans had taken to Jake like they were old friends. The usually cranky cat had curled up next to Jake’s thigh and started purring so loudly that he almost drowned out the sound from the television. Kaylie had done almost the same thing, without the purring. Her head was resting on Jake’s shoulder, his arm around her, and they were both stretched out on the couch.

  Finally, Kaylie forced her eyes open for the third time and Jake squeezed her shoulders.

  “You’re sleepy, babe. Go to bed. I’ll clean up the mess from dinner.”

  Groggy, she nodded and rolled over Jake’s body. “G’night, Jake.”

  Kaylie yawned as she headed down the hallway to her bedroom. She was more than ready to put on her pajamas. She knew she should be polite and walk Jake to the door, but the emotional toll of the last two days and the lack of sleep had caught up with her. He let himself in, so Kaylie decided he could also let himself out.

  Still half asleep, she did her night time routine and changed into her pajamas. Beans landed on the bed by her feet and curled up next to her ankles. Within minutes Kaylie was asleep.

  Chapter Four

  Kaylie shoved at Beans. The damn cat had draped himself across her waist and wouldn’t budge. She snuggled deeper into the blankets on her bed and tried to throw him off. He was dead weight.

  Annoyed, Kaylie mumbled, “C’mon, you tub of lard, you’re too heavy. Get off me.”

  When the weight at her waist tightened and dragged her body back until she was touching warm skin, the morning fog in her brain evaporated. Kaylie opened her eyes and looked down at the tanned arm wrapped around her.

  “Holy shit!” she screeched, flailing under the blankets until she was free of the arm and the bed.

  Jake blinked up at her, his hair tousled and chest bare. For a second she just appreciated the picture, then she got back to the matter at hand.

  “What are you doing in my bed, Jake? I don’t recall extending an invitation.”

  He rolled over onto his back and laced his fingers behind his head. Kaylie swallowed hard. He looked like an ad for Calvin Klein sheets. Determined, she held onto her annoyance, keeping her eyes on his face and her hands on her hips.

  “Sure you did. I came in and asked if it was okay if I crashed with you. As I recall, your exact response was, Uh-huh, which I took as an affirmative.” Even barely awake, he was grinning at her outrage with obvious enjoyment.

  Kaylie gritted her teeth to keep from smiling. While they were dating, he loved to get her “all riled up” as he called it. He thought it was funny and, usually, she did too, but she was confused as hell and refused to allow him to jerk her chain.

  “Jake, uh-huh is more of a grunt than a word. I was probably asleep and just responding to the sound of your voice.”

  He just smiled at her, a real shit-eating grin. “I thought that might be the case, so I asked you again and your response was just get your ass in bed. So, that’s what I did.”

  Both infuriated and amused at his manipulation, Kaylie just threw her hands in the air and turned to leave the room. Before she could take more than a step, Jake’s arm snaked around her waist and her yanked her back onto the mattress. His sleep rudely interrupted by Kaylie’s body landing, Beans growled and launched himself off the bed. Kaylie decided he was a traitor and no more treats in his immediate future.

  She shoved at Jake’s arm. “Let go, Jake. I’m pissed and I don’t particularly want you to hold me right now.”

  He just chuckled and threw his thigh across hers, trapping her under him. “C’mon, Kaylie, lay here with me for a little while. It’s not even seven yet.”

  Kaylie grew still, a sharp little dart of pain lodging itself in her chest. She had forgotten how much Jake liked to snuggle. Well, she made herself forget. It was one of the things she missed most about him. He was openly affectionate, whether they were alone or in public, nothing overt, just holding hands, snuggling on the couch, a small kiss every now and again. Damn if she didn’t miss that. Very few of the men she dated over the last few years touched her just to have contact. Even less of them wanted to cuddle if they slept over.

  Now, Jake was he
re and he was acting like the Jake she knew six years ago; affectionate, sweet, and exasperating. Kaylie stared at him for a few moments until his grin faded.

  “What are you doing here, Jake?” she asked.

  Jake lifted her arm and tucked it around his waist, trapping it under his own elbow. “Holding you.”

  She frowned at him. “You know exactly what I mean and that wasn’t it.”

  He sighed. “Kaylie, at this moment, I just want to hold you. If it’s okay with you, can we talk about this later?”

  Slowly, she nodded and settled into the curve of his body. For a while, she just enjoyed the feel of his skin against her cheek and the way he smelled. Even first thing in the morning, before a shower, Jake smelled good. Soon it wasn’t enough, so Kaylie trailed her fingers of the skin of his back. While Jake wasn’t as brawny as her brother, Kevin, he kept himself in good shape for work. She loved the supple feel of his muscles under her fingers.

  It wasn’t until Jake shifted his hips against hers and Kaylie felt his erection that she remembered it had been way too long since she had sex. Over a year in fact. Kaylie shifted closer, sliding her thigh between his.

  Suddenly, his mouth was on hers. She wasn’t sure if she kissed him or the other way around, but it was beautiful. It felt new and familiar all at once. Jake still smelled the same but he felt larger, broader than he had years before. The way he kissed her was different too. Six years ago, his kisses had been wonderful; enough to make her light headed, but still gentle, sweet. Now, he was nipping at her lips and sliding his tongue against hers as though he wanted to taste every part of her mouth. It wasn’t wonderful, it was spectacular and she wanted more.

  Kaylie pressed her body into Jake’s and pushed until he rolled onto his back. He pulled her with him so she stayed stretched across his torso. Kaylie ran her hands over his shoulders and chest. Jake ran his hands across her waist and hips and Kaylie squirmed. His fingertips were rougher than she remembered when they skated under her camisole. She shivered. Kaylie let him push her torso away slightly as he stripped her camisole off.