He stepped back wearing that sexy smirk. What the heck? He totally heard me award myself a point earlier. All of that was just to get a rise out of me. “OK.” I gave him my best game face. “Point Jake. But I hope you enjoyed that because that’s the last one you’re going to get today.” I turned and started to walk toward the house, throwing a little extra hip into every step.
When we got inside, sandwich stuff had been pulled out onto the center island in the kitchen. Everyone was either sitting and eating their sandwich or still in the process of making one.
“Bout time. I was worried you two got lost,” Maya teased as she put the finishing touches on her sandwich.
I walked over to where she was and started making my own sandwich. “Jake here started driving the pace of a turtle.”
“Yeah, I noticed. Weird how that happens.”
Normally Maya teasing me would have made my cheeks turn bright red, but I was preoccupied with beating Jake so I was only half listening. “Mmhm. Yep.” I scanned the counter, obviously distracted. I picked up the mayonnaise and a piece of bread.
“Em, that’s mayo. You don’t even like…”
“Here, Maya, hold this for a sec.” I quickly shoved a piece of bread in her hand. “Oh shoot!” I blurted out, after squeezing mayo onto a part of her hand that wasn’t touching the bread. “My bad. Totally missed the bread.”
“Eww! Em. What the…”
I cut her off again, grabbing her hand and palming my butt. “Maya! Why would you do that? You got mayo all over me!” I grabbed a paper towel and looked over both my shoulders like I was trying to see where all the mayo got on my shorts.
I walked over to the other side of the counter where Jake was standing and pouted, “Maya just got this crap all over me. I was going to wear these again. Can you please help? I can’t see where all of it is.” I gave him one more frustrated look before turning toward the counter and resting my forearms on the granite while bending over so he could see where all the “mayo” was. “Can you see it?” I whined.
“Yeah, Em. It’s everywhere. Hold on, give me that paper towel. Maya, why the hell would you do this?”
Maya leaned back against the opposite counter eyeing me as she spoke with an amused grin, “I just don’t know what came over me.” She took a bite of her sandwich and watched as Jake attempted to clean off all the mayo.
I handed Jake one more paper towel and knew he wouldn’t be needing another one as he let his hand slowly move across my backside one last time, lingering a little longer than needed.
“Alright. We got most of it,” he let out in a strained tone.
I turned around to face him. “Thanks, Jake. I really appreciate it.” A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as I slid my arms around him to give him a hug and then leaned up to whisper in his ear, “Point Emma.”
I began to pull out of his arms while realization swept over his face. “Oh you want to fight dirty, do you?” I gulped as I strained to free myself from his grip, but he was quicker and stronger. Once he had a solid grip on me, he threw me over his shoulder. “Alright then, Blondie. Let’s fight dirty!”
“Jake!” I shrieked, while tirelessly trying to free myself. “When are you going to stop hoisting me over your shoulder and carrying me places?”
“Whenever you stop giving me a reason to,” he chuckled. At the door, Jake stopped and turned toward the kitchen. “Grab a victim guys, we’ve got a bit of a walk.”
“Do it and die,” Maya threatened Evan as Jake opened the door.
Realizing my efforts to escape were futile, I once again resorted to resting my chin in my hands as Jake walked us outside. I watched through the door as Alli squealed when Spencer snatched her up and fell in line behind us. Maya, on the other hand, was shooting daggers at both Heath and Evan, silently warning both of them on the way out the door and the entire time we were walking.
I couldn’t see where we were going, but I watched as the ground turned from manicured lawn to solid dirt. The air also went from fresh with a hint of flowers to a pungent scent that matched the surroundings. It felt like we had been walking forever when Jake finally stopped. “Am I finally getting too heavy for ya there, cowboy?”
“Not even close. Evan, help a guy out, would ya?” Jake called out as he nodded to something in front of him. I tried to turn and get a peek at what he was nodding at, but all I could see was the side of what looked like a barn. “Em, would you stop fidgeting? You’ll see soon enough.”
A knowing grin spread across Evan’s face as he eagerly agreed. I knew something was wrong as soon as Maya started to back away, and then I heard it turn on. “Evan, don’t you dare!”
“Oh, don’t be such a baby, Em. It’s just a little water. And you did ask me to help you clean all the mayo off, didn’t you? Now what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t help you out?” He tightened his grip around me. “Go ahead, man. Let’s make sure she gets nice and clean.”
I let out a scream as soon as the water hit my skin. It was so cold. I started squirming more furiously than I had earlier. As soon as I could get down from here they were so dead, both of them.
The water made it harder for Jake to hold on to me. He eventually lost his grip, bellowing over in laughter once I was free. “Point Jake,” he choked out between laughs. I would deal with him later. For now, I had to get that dang hose away from Evan and off of me. I eagerly took a step forward toward Evan, not thinking about the ground also being wet – until I slipped back into Jake, knocking us both down into what was now mud.
“Dude. Evan. We got a dry one over here,” Spencer prodded.
“Well then, let me help you out with that,” Evan moved the hose from me to Alli, who broke out into a fit of giggles. “Spence, move her over here. That way neither one of them can get too dry.”
Jake was still on my hit list, but when I heard that the hose was coming back Evan became my top priority – again. Plus, Jake already had mud on his backside and that would do for now. I scrambled up, being more careful with my footwork than I had earlier, and went straight for Evan. I made sure to sling some mud back with my foot at Jake as I moved forward. “Maya! A little help here!” As soon as my words were out, Evan moved the hose back toward me and began alternating the water flow between Alli and I.
“Nah. Looks like you got it handled over there, Em!” Maya proclaimed loudly as I heard Jake, a little too late, come up behind me.
“Oh no you don’t,” Jake had a playful edge to his voice as he wrapped his arms around my waist. “You got me all covered in mud. The least I can do is return the favor.” He wrestled me down to the ground before smearing mud on my cheek.
“Maya!” I screamed.
“Fine, bitch. I’m coming!” She tried her best to sound annoyed but even she couldn’t choke back all of her laughter.
“Go for the hose!” I yelled, while trying to stop Jake from smashing a glob of mud on my chest.
“What?”
“Get the freakin’ hose, Maya! The hose!”
I knew she heard me when Evan started shouting, “Hey. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, hey! One step closer and…”
“I’ve been hit!” There was no hiding the shock in Maya’s voice. “Evan, surrender the damn hose!”
“Never!” he shouted. “Holy crap! She got it! We lost the hose! Repeat, we lost the hose!”
At his confession, Jake turned his attention toward Evan and chunked a handful of mud at him. “Son of a...Jake! We are supposed to be on the same team, moron!”
“Hey!” Alli piped up. “Heath doesn’t have a drop of mud or water on him.”
We all stopped and looked over at Heath. Sure enough, he was totally clean. Too clean. Before he could protest, Jake threw a glob of mud his direction that hit him in the back of the head.
“Seriously?” Heath barked, whipping around to face Jake and me. “Who threw that?”
Without missing a beat, Jake pointed at me and shrugged innocently. My jaw dropped and I gasped, “Liar
! I can’t believe you just threw me under the bus!”
Once Heath was involved, it turned into an all out girls versus guys muddy, water war; although, I’m pretty sure Jake was throwing mud at whoever was close to him. When everyone else picked up on that little fact, it turned into a free for all.
I don’t know how long we had all been engaged in our mud war, but someone let out a catcall sort of whistle, cueing the rest of us to stop. I looked around and found Maya laying face up in the mud with her arms wrapped around Evan’s neck. Both of them were looking into each other’s eyes and wearing big, goofy grins. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that the two of them just kissed.
Realizing they had an audience, Evan climbed off Maya and then helped her up. When Maya looked over at me, I raised one eyebrow and gave her a questioning look. The smile on her face grew and confirmed my suspicion. That little tramp! I can’t believe she didn’t tell me.
After everyone got over the spectacle of those two, we all glanced around and got a good look at each other for the first time. We looked ridiculous. There was mud everywhere.
“All I’m saying is all this mud slinging made me work up an appetite,” Spencer said. “Plus, Alli needs a shower.” He made a show of sniffing his girlfriend and then waving his hand in front of his nose, which earned him a playful shove.
“I could definitely eat. Someone didn’t allow me to eat my sandwich earlier.” Jake pulled me into him and kissed me square on the lips before I could protest. “But first we shower. Trust me when I say that none of you want the wrath of my mother to come upon you for tracking mud in her house,” he laughed and then motioned for me to hop on his back, a request with which I readily complied.
By the time we got back to the house most of the mud on us had dried, but Jake still insisted we take off our shoes and leave them by the door. I tried to hop down so I could remove my shoes, but Jake tightened his grip, preventing me from slipping down. He motioned for me to stick one leg out at a time, and then he removed each of my shoes. We all walked as gingerly as possible back to our rooms so that we didn’t get the floors any dirtier than they had to be.
I assumed Jake would put me down when we got back to our room, but he didn’t. He walked in, shut the door with his foot, and then went straight through to the bathroom. Again, he shut the door with his foot then leaned slightly forward to keep me on his back as he turned the lock. The sound of the click caused my pulse to race. Neither of us had said a word since we walked into our room, and I prayed he couldn’t hear my heart beating frantically in the silence. Stupid betraying body, and all because of one little click.
He walked us over to the counter and turned around to set me down before turning on the shower to let the water heat up. When he walked back to me the look on his face let me know what he was thinking, and I bit my lip in anticipation. Breathe, Emma. Slow. Deep. Breaths. He placed one hand on each side of me on the counter and then leaned his forehead against mine, pressing against my legs with his body. My legs seemed to fall open on their own accord, allowing him to sink closer to me and causing me to suck in a breath.
I wrapped both arms around his neck and he lowered his lips until they were inches from mine. “I swear if you say point Jake, I will never speak to you again.” I whispered breathlessly.
“Shut up and kiss me,” he murmured against my lips.
I smiled at the use of my own words, and then did exactly what he asked. I connected my lips to his, and he instantly deepened the kiss. I tangled my fingers into his hair and was suddenly brought back to the reality of the situation. “Jake, there is dried mud everywhere,” I laughed.
“I guess we’re gunna have to fix that,” he countered in a husky rasp, causing my giggles to fade. He secured me to the front of him and walked us over to the shower, opened the door, and stepped in, closing the door behind him. He walked us until my back was pressed firm against the wall and then crashed his lips into mine.
I no longer cared where there was dry mud. He kissed a trail across my jaw and then down my neck, sending my mind once again into that blissful, hazy, fog. I wiggled my legs until he let them drop and then adjusted my hands at the bottom of his shirt, tugging it up before I lost my nerve. He quickly shrugged out of it, making me feel braver and more eager than I had before. With my newfound audacity, I reached down and grabbed my own shirt, pulling it up and over my head in one swift move. Then, I reached back, unhooked my bra, and let it fall to the floor.
His eyes instantly went wide and he sucked in a sharp breath. He took a step forward, causing me once again to have my back against the wall, and then placed one hand on either side of me. His eyes took their time scanning down my chest before slowly coming back up to meet mine.
I silently took pleasure in the obvious effect I was having on him. Not wanting it to stop, I leaned forward until my lips met his and then reached out and hooked my fingers in his belt loops – pulling him closer. As soon as my bare chest hit his, he let out a low growl before wrapping one hand around the nape of my neck and the other around the small of my back. He secured me firmly to the front of him as he kissed me, only stopping when I sunk my thumbs into the top of his jeans and began to pull down.
“Emma,” he let out in a throaty whisper, grasping both sides of my face and looking into my eyes. “You don’t have to do that.”
I took my bottom lip in between my teeth trying to decide if I was brave enough to follow through with what I so desperately wanted. It’s now or never. Deep breath. I smiled a small smile and pressed my chest into him as I whispered in his ear as seductively as I could, “I thought today there were no promises.”
He gulped, “Are you sure, Emma?”
I placed a kiss on his neck and let my lips spread in to a smile before leaning back and letting my shorts fall to the shower floor.
His eyes drank me in as they moved over my almost completely bare body. “Beautiful. You’re beautiful,” he whispered. “I plan on taking my time with you. I don’t ever want you to forget our first time.” His words alone caused my stomach to do a flip, but when he began running a soapy loofah over my body, gently cleaning all the mud off, I thought my heart might stop. “Perfect,” he murmured against my neck once every inch of me was clean, sending a chill down my spine.
Nerves rose up my chest as I reached out and took the loofah, planning on wonderfully tormenting him the same way he had me. When my fingers wrapped around his to pull the loofah from his grasp, the corners of his mouth stretched into a smile. I ran my hand over his back and down his chest, stopping when my fingers hit the top of his soaked jeans, and let the loop of the loofah slip around my wrist. Using both my hands, I managed to easily undo the button, causing Jake to clamp his mouth shut. He reached out and braced himself against the wall as I tugged his jeans down, and then he slowly stepped out of them as I stood back up. He let out a groan as I ran the loofah over the rest of him and barely let me finish cleaning him off before reaching down and taking hold of both of my arms to once again pin me against the wall.
He crashed his lips to mine and slid his arms around the small of my back, pulling me back with him until I was directly under the water. I never would have imagined that kissing someone while they shampooed your hair could be so sensual until I experienced this with Jake. Once he was finished, I eagerly returned the favor.
When I was done, he wrapped me tightly in his arms and kissed me until I was breathless. “Don’t move,” he uttered, hopping out of the shower and reappearing with a towel in hand. “Turn off the water, Emma.”
I turned the handle, shutting off the water, and took the few steps that closed the gap between us and into the towel that Jake held open. “Arms up, Em.” I lifted my arms and he wrapped the towel around me, tucking the end in so that it would stay in place before lacing his fingers through mine and stepping out to lead us into the bedroom. He walked us over to the door. No sooner than he had turned the lock, he was pulling me into his chest and crashing his lips into mine.<
br />
He had both hands gripping each side of my face as he backed us into the wall – not once breaking the kiss. I ran my hands down his back, digging my fingers into his skin as I attempted to pull him closer, needing him closer. My head fell to the side as he dropped his lips to my neck, causing my back to arch forward and a moan to escape my lips. Jake let out a low growl and placed one hand against the wall while gripping my rear with the other, pulling me forward until my body was again fully pressed against him.
A nervous adrenaline surged through me as I snaked my hand between our bodies and pulled my towel free. Jake stepped back just enough to let it fall to the ground before pressing his chest back into mine. Placing both his hands on the wall, he lowered his lips to my ear. “I love the way your skin feels pressed up against mine,” he breathed. “It drives me the best kind of crazy.”
His words caused a smile to tug at the corners of my mouth while I reached up and circled my arms around his neck, kissing him as I pressed up on my toes. He must have known exactly what I was thinking because in one swift motion he was lifting me up, allowing me to secure my legs around his waist and then reconnecting my lips to his. My hands formed fists in his hair as I kissed him with everything that I had. Eventually, he walked us over to the bed, and I broke the kiss so that he would let me slide down once he had stopped. Before I lost my nerve I reached down and shimmied out of my panties, silently praying he couldn’t hear my heart that was now beating incredibly fast.
Jake looked like he was in awe while his eyes gazed up and down before once again closing the distance between us. He cupped my cheeks with his hands and lowered his lips to mine. “I love you, Em,” he murmured against my lips. “I don’t know how it happened, but from the moment I met you I knew I would never be the same.”
My entire body warmed as he kissed me. If I had thought my mind was in a haze before, I don’t even know what you would call what it was in right now. Time seemed to slow as Jake reached down and removed the last piece of clothing that stood between us. All I knew for sure was that there was nothing I wanted more as he pressed his lips against mine and lowered us to the bed.
The Exception Page 14
