Playing With Trouble (Desire Bay)

by Joya Ryan

  She’d never felt more primal. Never been taken over by passion, by lust, like this before. She was getting closer. That fire he’d built up with his mouth on her sensitive flesh flooded.

  “Yes . . . yes . . . Jake, yes!”

  But he stilled. Buried deep inside her and not moving. Taking her to the edge only to keep her there. She groaned a frustrated breath, and his deep chuckle in her ear ignited her skin another degree.

  “Still hate me?” he asked.

  “Right now?” She wiggled her hips, attempting to get a little friction to finish the job, but he held her immobile. “Urg! Yes! I hate you so much right now!”

  She felt his smile against her hair; then he shifted his hips, hitting even deeper than she thought possible, and sent her careening over the edge of bliss.

  She screamed. His name? The Lord’s name? She didn’t know. All she knew was that her vision wavered from the intensity of the pleasure. Hot, pulsing lava replaced her blood, and her heart beat it out a mile a minute. Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, his cock hardened further, and he hissed when she felt him twitch with his own release. It was so powerful, it made her come again before the first orgasm subsided.

  They stayed like that for a long moment—her head against his chest, his arms wrapped around her. She gently kissed his neck as he stayed inside her, as if unwilling to leave her body. Before she realized what a sweet gesture it was, she looked up at him.

  “This doesn’t change anything,” she said.

  He met her stare. With her bare ass against him, one of her feet still on the bumper of his truck, he smiled down at her. “We’ll see about that.”

  Chapter Four

  Jake kicked his bedsheets off like a kid throwing a tantrum. He kind of was being a brat, though, because he hadn’t slept in twenty-four hours. Not since Laura had walked into his life and he’d gotten a firsthand taste of her last night.

  He needed to stop making a habit of getting into close quarters with her. Though it was a delightful habit, it was also a bad idea. Very, very bad. Because she tasted better than he could have ever imagined.

  He was still reeling from last night, and the sun had been up for a couple of hours now. He’d watched the dark night fade to grays, and finally blue skies peeked through. Yep, it was a new day, but he still felt like he was in the eye of a tornado named Laura.

  Last night, she had attempted to put up a fight about him taking her home, but her legs were wobbly and he’d like to think it was from him kissing the hell out of her. Or maybe fucking her against his truck.

  Either way, he had given her a ride and seen her to the doorstep of her camper. After she’d slammed said door in his face, he’d walked the few paces to his own house. Not the happy good night he’d hoped for.

  That woman made his head, and other parts of his body, ache.

  He ran a hand through his bed-rumpled hair, padded the long, quiet steps to his kitchen, and poured a cup of coffee. The walls were bare, but he had a lot of windows and a nice view. Standing in any main room in the house, you could pretty much look out and see the expanse of land that surrounded him. Land and a camper, that was.

  He took a long swallow of coffee and thought about sitting on his couch. Then didn’t. Because the leather was cold this time of the morning. In fact, his house was cold all the time. Jeanine had left him before the house was fully built, so they never got to fight about the thermostat. They had also never fought about what to do with the spare room. Jake’s vote had been for a nursery; Jeanine’s vote had been to leave him for a better man in a better place. Big-city dreams with a big-city guy. That wasn’t Jake. Never had been and wouldn’t ever be.

  Now he had a house for a life he didn’t have. One that included love, happiness, and family. What he did have, though, were pieces of a busted heart and experience with women who constantly had their eye on something better.

  Speaking of women always looking for something better, he glanced outside for the hundredth time at the bright morning and the trailer in his driveway. Was she awake yet? Why should he care? She wasn’t dating him. Something she’d made very clear. And he wasn’t backing off what was right for the business. Which was steadiness and no risk.

  But goddamn, she was passionate.

  Strong.

  Stubborn as hell.

  And she seemed to know exactly what she wanted.

  Until something better came along . . .

  Because Laura Baughman was ambitious. And that meant taking risks and opportunities, and to hell with the rest. She’d run once, might again, and Jake just had to be prepared for the latter. And while he shouldn’t like her, he couldn’t get last night out of his mind.

  “Knock, knock!” a happy voice rang out. His sister, Erica, came through his front door, letting herself in like she always did. “It’s past breakfast,” she said, eyeing him. “Put on a shirt. I brought muffins.”

  He gave her a half hug and grabbed a muffin out of the little pastry box, not caring about the shirt at the moment, because his eyes were back on the trailer.

  “You’re here earlier than usual,” he said. It was a Saturday, after all. And even though Erica came by every Saturday morning when she was off shift at the clinic, he’d never seen her before nine.

  She walked in, her curly hair swinging way past her back. She had the same dark hair and blue eyes as Jake, but she looked just like their mother. Petite and always sweet, with a smile. Jake apparently looked like his dad. Big, tall, and rough around the edges. Something he hated knowing and being compared to since the man was a poor excuse for a father, husband, and general human being.

  She poured herself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter.

  “Heard you had an interesting day yesterday,” she said with a smile. “Wanted to come check on you a bit early. Get the scoop.”

  Seemed the small-town chatter mill was already in full swing. By now, most of Yachats would have heard that Laura Baughman was back and set to work in one of the most lucrative businesses in town. Though she was spinning it that she was an owner. Which was half-true and was already ruffling some feathers. He’d never finished his conversation with Russ last night, but he wasn’t worried. Jake controlled the warehouse, and that was final.

  “Day was fine,” he said and took another bite of muffin.

  “Fine?” Erica repeated, eyeing him. He may be the oldest, but Erica was sharp. She saw through his bullshit real quick. Always had. “Is that why you’re so fidgety and keep staring at that god-awful monstrosity parked in your driveway?”

  “Hey, that was Walt’s.”

  “Yeah, and it looks condemned. Thank God he finally moved in with his lady.”

  “It’s not condemned,” he said. Sure it was rough, but it was livable. And Laura hadn’t complained once, so that was something. Impressive, actually, considering he’d wager that her shoes were more expensive than Jake’s whole wardrobe put together.

  “You should get rid of it. Or at least hide it,” Erica said.

  Jake shook his head. Sure, everyone might know Laura was in town, but no one knew the details of her arrangement. Like that she was living in the old trailer in his driveway and drinking hose water. Wow—now that he thought about it, it sounded kind of bad.

  The woman might irritate him, but he respected her drive. He just didn’t understand how she could be so tenacious about taking over the shop and living in her dad’s old camper when she had been used to the California city and sun the past ten years.

  “I can’t get rid of the camper,” Jake said. He hadn’t told his sister about Laura. Because, honestly, he hadn’t had much time to think about it. But those red heels she wore were stomping all over his life.

  “And I don’t need to let anything go,” he added. Because he was trying like hell to hang on, actually. Hang on to the business, and to his own sanity.

  He glanced at the camper again.

  The blonde holed up inside there was threatening both.

/>   Erica looked around his home as if she were examining invisible wallpaper until finally her stare was serious when it landed back on him. Shit, he knew that look. She was scrutinizing. And any minute she was going to tell him exactly what she thought his problem was.

  “I think you do need to take a look around,” she said. “You have nothing in your home aside from functional basics, really, but you hold on to things you should be moving past. And I’m not just talking about the trailer.”

  He growled low and took a drink of coffee. Oh, he knew what she was talking about.

  “I’m not in the mood for this, Erica.”

  “I just worry about you,” she said and tucked a thick lock of hair behind her ear. When she did that and put her hand on her hip, she looked just like his mother when he was on the receiving end of a scolding. He knew she cared. It was why she came over every Saturday morning to make sure he was still alive and to feed him pastries.

  He still felt the need to say, “I’m a grown man and I’m fine.”

  “I know you’re fine,” she said. “You’re always fine. But fine isn’t good, Jake. I worry about your emotions.”

  He laughed. “Well, I can honestly say that my emotions are fine, too. But thanks for the concern.”

  “Look around you,” she said. “This place is—”

  “This place is a beautiful home.”

  “It would be if you could call this a home. It’s desolate. It’s like you’re living in a shell of a house. There’s no sign of home anywhere in here.”

  “Well, sorry I don’t decorate because it’s unnecessary for me.”

  “It’s not about picking out curtains, it’s about actually living. Waking up and living a happy life. You just function. Go to work and come home. That’s it.”

  “That’s all I’ve ever done.”

  “That’s not true,” Erica said quickly. “You had a life, a happy one. At least you did before Jeanine left you.”

  That hit hard. She had left him a year ago, and it still hurt. He’d built this place to have this idea of home that his sister was currently shoving down his throat. A home with a wife and kids. All of which he’d mapped out in a future with Jeanine, only for her to leave for bigger and better things. Now he was the chump stuck with the house and no family to put in it.

  Technically she’d left him while he was still in construction on the house. He remembered being so excited to tell her they’d finally gotten the drywall up and it was time to pick paint colors, only to find she’d had her bags packed. She’d taken his sense of trust, his dreams for the future, and the ring. Which was fine. She could have it. All of it. Because Jake didn’t need her for a future. Or paint colors. He had his place and a job he liked, and that’s it.

  He. Was. Fine.

  She was a risk he shouldn’t have taken in the first place. And he’d learned his lesson.

  He glanced at the camper again.

  Have I?

  “I didn’t mean that to sound so harsh,” Erica said, backpedaling, because Jake realized it had been a solid minute and he still hadn’t responded. “You used to smile more. Losing Jeanine was hard on you, I know. But you are so . . . predictable. All the time. I want you to be happy, truly happy again. You should get out more. Spend time with friends. Make new friends.”

  Oh, he’d made a new friend from an old friend last night. Seeing Laura in that moonlight had been a fantasy second to none. But she wasn’t just a risk—she was a walking time bomb. Ready to blow up everything in a moment and leave a trail of bloody hearts in her wake.

  “I’m stable and responsible because I’m running a business,” he said.

  “A business that’s not yours,” she countered.

  “It basically is. I’m not trying to take over Walt’s business to be greedy. I want it to thrive when he retires, and I care about the place and this town,” he said. The thought of Laura crept into his mind again, reminding him just how much of a threat she was. City girl coming in, wanting bigger and better things and messing with everything he’d planned. Everything he’d promised Walt once upon a time. He’d taken Jake up on his idea to sell more home supplies but had insisted that the business stay local, stay true to the town and the people. And that’s what Jake would see through. Because he wasn’t going anywhere. He wished he could honestly believe the same about Laura.

  No matter what, he couldn’t let everything Baughman Home Goods had grown into perish.

  “And what if Baughman Home Goods isn’t going to be yours? What if Walt’s daughter stays and keeps the business? The entire business?”

  “She won’t,” Jake said. “She wants the flower shop and has thirty days to make just that work. Walt left it up to us how to deal with everything in that time.”

  He’d worked too hard with Walt to disappoint him. He wouldn’t let the business go to Laura purely for the fact that she could damage it. Baughman Home Goods was a staple around town—as was Walt’s reputation. He’d fight like hell to preserve both.

  “And how’s that going?”

  Jake shrugged. So far, it was okay. Laura was talking a big game but not stepping on the toes of the business. Yet. But when he didn’t say any of this out loud, his sister clearly caught that he was stalling and didn’t want to discuss this further.

  “Fine.” His sister threw her hands up and let them slap down on the sides of her thighs. The sound echoed a bit, making Jake realize that maybe his place was a bit barren. “I don’t want to argue about your business.”

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “But I do want to argue about your personal life.”

  Ah, Christ.

  “Look, Jake, it’s been a while since you dated. There’s a lot of nice women down at the PTA that always ask me about you.”

  Here we go . . .

  His sister may be younger than him and young in general, but she was the oldest twenty-six-year-old he knew. Because her life had been anything but easy. And normally, Jake wouldn’t be turned off to dating, but the last year had been hell. Between Jeanine leaving and Walt taking up with his lady friend, Jake had poured every bit of energy he had into building the business to be stable and secure so Walt could live comfortably. No, dating hadn’t been high on his priority list. But that had changed twenty-four hours ago. With a set of red heels and one prom queen with a sharp kiss and even sharper bite.

  Who has a firm stance on not dating . . .

  She might not be interested in dating him. But he was interested in getting her to scream his name again.

  In fact, he was more interested in changing her no-dating policy. Maybe they could coexist and enjoy their time together? Make this business work between them. Win-win in the end? Maybe he was once again delusional, like Laura had said.

  He just had to attempt to keep his dick in his pants in the meantime.

  He shook his head. His sister bringing up dating was the last thing he needed right now. Time for a subject change.

  “Speaking of the PTA, where are the kiddos?” he asked.

  Erica had twin six-year-old girls, Bella and Lexi. She was an amazing mom. Especially since she was raising them on her own after their dad took off while she was still pregnant. Jake would always be there for her and his nieces. Unfortunately, his sister had taste like their mother, and both had gone for men who left them high and dry when things got tough.

  Which was why Jake wouldn’t ever leave here. It was home. His family and he loved it. Took care of them.

  “They’re at a playdate, which reminds me . . .” She glanced at her watch, then grabbed her cell out of her pocket. “I’m just going to call and check in.” She started dialing and headed back to his room for privacy.

  And just then, Jake saw the camper out front. A large smile split his face, because not only was Laura stirring, she was exiting . . . and coming his way.

  Laura cleared her throat and gave a good tug to her crisp, white button-up, making sure it was securely tucked into her pressed black skirt. She was dres
sed for business, because she was a business owner, after all. And after a couple of years of working at her old marketing firm, business and business casual were the only clothes she had. Casual didn’t fit in her world.

  She clutched her legal pad against her chest and took a deep breath. She’d been up all night thinking of Jacob Lock. And that had only gotten her puffy eyes and a migraine. Oh, she also had a sizable bruise on her butt from where she’d been hammered into the tailgate . . . literally. But that soreness just made other aches more noticeable and turned her thoughts to Jacob Lock and all the power that came with him. Especially when he was hammering her.

  Those kinds of thoughts needed to stop!

  She had to focus. Not on his mouth or his muscles or the insane way he moved his hips. No, she had a business to focus on. A business he was trying to take from her. A business that she had ideas about.

  And it was time she took charge.

  In her best professional power outfit, she knocked on Jacob’s door, ready to forget everything but the competition between them and to claim her place in this new life once and for all. She was not getting caught up in a man again. Sure, she’d had no idea sex or a man could be so amazing until last night . . . but she was not projecting her issues—thank you, therapy—and she was not chasing a man’s approval. She was taking charge. And Jacob Lock wasn’t on the agenda.

  Last night was a slipup, but she’d keep to her no-dating rule, at the very least. A one-night stand didn’t count as a date, so that was a good thing.

  The heavy door opened, and so did her mouth when she took in the sight before her.

  Jacob Lock with sexy bed hair, dark stubble, a sleepy smile, and low-slung pajama pants.

  “Good morning, Miss Baughman. Sleep well?” With a cup of coffee in one hand, he raised his other to lean against the door frame, stretching that eight-pack of abs and making her instantly drool.

  “Stop,” she whispered.

  He frowned. “Stop what?”