by Lori Foster
“I don’t own lipstick,” she blurted out. “I don’t even own a nice dress.”
He laughed, framing her face with his hands. “And you think a dress and makeup would make you more appealing?”
When she shrugged, Jake leaned down, capturing her lips once again in a brief, tender kiss.
“I’m not concerned with the wrapping on the package, Allison. Though I have to say, you are beautiful without being fake.” He forced her to look at him before he continued. “I’m intrigued by the woman who’s hell-bent on nurturing every animal back to health and making sure they have good homes. I’m fascinated by the woman who is so guarded around people that it’s obvious she’s scared to let anyone in. But most of all, I’m completely miserable because I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind and I want more.”
Jake couldn’t believe he’d shared his feelings, but now that he had, he was relieved. Perhaps now that he’d shown her his vulnerable side, she’d be able to open up as well and not feel the need to keep her own feelings so close to her heart.
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered. “No one has ever been intrigued by me before.”
And that statement right there solidified his thoughts. No one, other than Charlie, had ever put her first. No wonder she was always looking out for others. She’d never learned to take care of herself first.
“Call Tucker and see if he can come out for the rest of the day,” Jake told her.
Allison blinked. “Actually, he’ll be here soon. Why do you need him?”
“You’re taking a break,” he told her. “You’re going inside, getting ready, and I’ll be taking you to dinner. Tucker can handle grooming, exercising or whatever else needs doing, can’t he?”
Allison tilted her head as if the idea were preposterous. “I can’t go out to dinner, Jake. Sam is leaving in two days, and I want to make sure he’s perfectly groomed before he leaves. Besides, I’m still watching over Charlie.”
Jake dropped his hands. “You’re making excuses. The foal is fine, the vet has reassured you every day since his birth, and Tucker is more than capable of doing anything you need for Sam. So, what else do you think is standing in your way of a nice evening out?”
As she worried her bottom lip with her teeth, Jake stood and waited. Yet again, fear guided her choices. He didn’t want her to think too far ahead. Didn’t want her to find more reasons not to let someone into her life.
The sound of tires crunching over gravel was literally music to his ears.
“Perfect,” he said, moving toward the opening of the stable. “Sounds like your relief just arrived. Tell you what. You take an hour and work with Tucker and Sam while I go inside and work on the kitchen sink. Then I’ll go shower myself and pick you up at five. Sound good?”
The look on her face was priceless, but he just steamrolled right over her before she could speak.
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
He walked from the stable, stopping in front of Tucker.
“I’m taking Allison out for dinner. I assume you can do what needs to be done here without her?”
Tucker glanced over Jake’s shoulder toward the stable, then back to Jake. “It’s about time,” Tucker proclaimed. “I’ve been telling that girl to go have some fun, and I’m glad a man’s finally making her get off this farm. I’d be thrilled to take care of the animals.”
As Jake went in the back door of the old farmhouse, he couldn’t help but smile. At least one person was in his corner, and before the end of the night, Allison would see what she’d been missing.
Only thing he worried about was that he’d see what he’d been missing, too. How he could have gotten so far entangled in Allison’s web of vulnerability was beyond him, but there it was. The cold, hard truth was that he was beyond smitten, or any other silly word. He was starting to really care for her, and he wanted to take this, whatever this was between them, to the next level. He wanted her to open up, to talk to him so he could understand what he was dealing with.
He realized he wanted to heal her, make her smile more and show her that love was the greatest feeling.
Strange for him even to consider that, when his own marriage had ended on such a sour note, but Allison was nothing at all like his ex.
And perhaps that’s why he was so intrigued and fascinated by her. And why he was so determined to make her see that this chemistry they had sparking between them wasn’t going away anytime soon.
Chapter Six
“How’s your stomach?” Allison asked, as they walked in the back door leading to the kitchen.
Jake held the screen door open and followed her in. “I’m stuffed from dinner, but if you’re talking about the kick I took from Sam, I’ll be fine.”
When she flipped the kitchen light on, she stepped around the sawhorses set up in the middle of the room. Renovations may have been coming along fast, but the mess and inconvenience always made it seem longer.
She walked into the living room and hung her coat and purse on the hall tree in the foyer.
“Thanks for dinner,” she told him, shaking her hair over her shoulders. “I’m glad you got me out of the house.”
“Don’t you mean dragged?” he joked, coming into the spacious room and taking a seat on the sofa.
“I wasn’t dragged!” She laughed, taking a seat beside him. “I went of my own will. I’ll admit there was some persuasion on your part, though.”
Jake loved seeing her smile, loved watching that light sparkle in her eyes. If he had his say, he’d be seeing that beautiful face long after his work here was done. But no need to scare her. It was time to ease his way deeper into her life. Someone as fragile and vulnerable as Allison definitely required baby steps, though she’d probably throw horse crap at him again for suggesting such a thing.
She sank into the cushions and sighed. With her head tilted back and her eyes closed, she muttered, “I really should go check on the puppies.”
Jake took in the sight of her. Though she’d put on a green sweater that did amazing things to the curves she’d kept hidden, and had donned a touch of makeup, she still looked physically exhausted.
“I’ll go check on them. Wait right here and don’t move.”
He grabbed his coat and ran out the back door. Once he made sure the dogs were safe in the tack room for the night, complete with food and water in their bowls, he rubbed their little furry heads and closed the door. He even checked on the horses he’d come to love. Funny how just a month ago he’d known nothing about them, but now watching Allison work with them, care for them as if they were children, he found himself not so eager to return to Florida, where a condominium awaited him.
For a guy who’d loved the beach life, it was hard to believe that horses and a certain raven-haired beauty seemed so much more appealing.
His boots crunched over the gravel as he made his way back to the house. He assumed he’d find Allison asleep on the couch, but when he entered, he found her running the vacuum. Seriously?
“What are you doing?” he yelled over the humming of the sweeper.
Okay, that was a dumb question, but the fact that she was cleaning was even dumber.
She tapped the switch with her foot, sending the room into silence. “I haven’t cleaned in here for a while, and all the dust from the remodeling was driving me nuts.”
“You just can’t relax, can you?” he asked, walking over to take the vacuum from her hand.
“I’m not good with staying still,” she told him with a grin. “I never have been. If things need doing, I can’t just sit and pretend they’ll get done on their own.”
He shoved the sweeper into the corner and came back, taking her hands in his. “But the dust and any other chores will still be there after you take some time for yourself.”
“I wouldn’t know how.” Those emerald-green eyes came up to meet his. “Do you know what it’s like to not know where your next meal will come from? Or if your heat will get kicked off becaus
e your junkie father forgot to pay the bills?”
Oh, Lord. She was ready to open up. Jake had waited for this moment, but now that it presented itself, he wasn’t so sure he was ready to hear it. But he would listen, because he was finding himself falling a little harder for Allison each day, and he’d be damned if couldn’t man up when she needed him most.
He tugged her over to the couch, tucking her into his side with his arm around her. “No, I have no clue what that’s like,” he whispered against her ear.
“If I didn’t find something to cook for us, if I didn’t write the checks and put the bills in the mail, who knows what would’ve happened.
“My father couldn’t hold a job for longer than a week or two, because he’d either steal or be too hungover to show up for his shift. If we didn’t have the money coming in from my mother’s social security, I don’t know how we would’ve survived.”
Jake gritted his teeth. How the hell did a father, a supposed man, allow a young girl to take care of him? Jake wanted to find the jerk and pummel him.
“I remember one time, my dad told me to call a friend to come get me because he was going to kill himself.” Allison sat up, looking into Jake’s eyes. “I almost wanted him to. Is that terrible? I mean, at that time I was ten and I had lived for five years like this and I just wanted to go live with anyone else. I wanted to know what it was like to have a roof over my head, food in the kitchen and no fear of having the heat shut off. I wanted someone else to give me security, but at the same time I felt guilty, because if I left, who would take care of my dad?”
Jake wiped the lone tear streaking down her cheek. “Even though that loser completely neglected you, you were still determined to save your family. Don’t even try to convince me you’re not remarkable, Allison. I know better.”
She blew out a breath and smiled. “I don’t know about that, but I do know that I’d lost my mother, and even though my father was a deadbeat, I didn’t want to lose him, too. I mean, he was really all I had left. That was the only life I knew.”
Allison shook her head and came to her feet, forcing his hands to fall to the cushion. He watched her pace to the window and wondered how long she’d battled this inner war with herself.
“You were lucky when Charlie came along, then,” he told her rigid back. “I wish I’d known him beyond when I was a kid.”
Allison threw a smile over her shoulder. “I can’t even begin to express how proud he was of you.”
That wedge that had driven his mother and uncle apart only made his heart ache for the love and bond that was stolen from him.
Jake stood and crossed the scarred floor. “I’m glad you two had each other. I’m a firm believer that paths cross in life just when we need someone most.”
When he placed his hands on her shoulders to turn her fully around, it wasn’t tense muscles he felt, but soft, relaxed woman.
“Do you believe that, Allison?” he murmured, as he leaned in closer to those lips that mocked him.
“Right now I’ll believe anything if it means you’re going to kiss me,” she said, smiling.
How could a man turn down an invitation like that?
Enveloping her in his arms, Jake leaned down and kissed her. Arching her backward, he completely overpowered her. He didn’t want to be so demanding, but he couldn’t stop himself from taking control any more than he could stop his myriad feelings where this woman was concerned.
She clutched his shirt, moaning, as he deepened the kiss and ran a hand down to the small of her back, his fingers slipping just inside the waistband of her jeans.
“Take me upstairs,” she murmured against his lips.
“We can go to my room,” he told her.
She eased back, looking him in the eyes. “No. I’ve never had a man in my bedroom, and I want it to be you.”
Jake was utterly humbled at the fact that she’d not only opened up enough to trust him, but that she’d invited him to her bed. They could’ve been naked and on the couch at this point, but she wanted to bring him just another level deeper into her world.
And he wasn’t about to turn her down.
He led the way up the stairs, stopping several times to kiss and undress her. By the time they reached her room at the end of the hall, Allison was down to a sheer purple bra and matching panties.
“And you thought your wardrobe was boring,” he joked as he started work on his own shirt removal.
Allison laughed, reaching to assist him. “Just because I’m farm girl on the exterior doesn’t mean I can’t be a little more feminine on the inside.”
He tossed his shirt into the corner and toed off his shoes. “Thank God for that.”
Allison watched as Jake finished undressing, and she was doing a little thanking God herself. Mercy sakes, she’d seen him without his shirt before, on that first day when she’d smacked his face with horse manure, but now that she knew this man was in her bedroom, wanting to make love to her, she could appreciate the package all the more.
Rippling muscles covered by taut, tanned skin clearly showcased that this man hadn’t gained his drool-worthy body in some gym with the AC running. No, those glorious pecs and well-defined abs were evidence of all the hard work he did for a living.
She was so glad she’d put on her prettiest bra and panty set tonight.
“I have a confession,” she told him, stepping back to admire him as he stood wearing only a pair of black boxer briefs. “When we left tonight, I was hoping we’d end up back here, just like this.”
As he stalked toward her, her heart quickened. She bumped into the bed and fell back.
“Oh, yeah,” he said, looming over her. “I’ve been hoping we’d end up just like this since you flung crap in my face.”
Allison laughed. “You’re so lying.”
“Do you really want to discuss this now?” he asked, bracing his hands on either side of her head and sliding one firm thigh up onto the bed beside her heated body.
“I don’t want to discuss anything.”
Allison barely got her answer out before Jake descended on her, wrapping her in his strong, warm embrace. They rolled over the mattress, throw pillows sliding to the floor, underwear quickly discarded.
And from somewhere, she didn’t know and didn’t care where, Jake produced a condom. As he hovered above her and she looked up into his eyes, she wanted to remember this moment forever. She wanted to always remember this feeling of passion, desire and…love.
God, how could she already love him when she’d known him less than two months?
As he slid into her, he kissed her. Slow, soft motions, as if to keep the moment from slipping away. He wasn’t just making love, he was cherishing her.
And that’s how she knew she could love this man. He’d taken his time with her. He’d let her invite him into her bedroom, instead of seducing his way in there as most men would do.
As Allison dug her nails into his back, her body hummed and demanded more. She arched her back, breaking the kiss.
“That’s it, sweetheart,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”
Allison let the overwhelming sensations claim her. Jake kissed her neck, her breasts, as wave after wave of pleasure consumed her, and just as she was coming down, his body tensed, his eyes locked onto hers and he, too, relinquished control of his body.
As their bodies stopped trembling, Allison pulled the covers up around them, silently asking him to stay. When he tucked her against his side and kissed her forehead, she knew she’d done it. She’d gone and fallen head over dirty work boots in love with him.
And he was more than likely going to not only sell her house, but leave and go back to the life he knew—a life she would be no part of.
Chapter Seven
Jake wasn’t a shrink, but he did know when something wasn’t right. He and Allison had made love two nights ago. He’d even spent the night in her bed and made love to her again that next morning. And now she was acting as though nothing had happened.
She hadn’t once tried to kiss him or even cop a feel. Nor was she at the other end of the spectrum, pouting and sulking as some women did because they didn’t know how to approach a man after sleeping with him.
No, Allison was right, smack-dab in the center and not giving him any type of vibe.
And he was starting to get a bit pissed about it. Just once he’d like her to show some emotion, voice how she felt instead of going about this daily routine she’d bottlenecked herself into. He’d love for her to just cut loose and have a yelling fit. She kept all her feelings so guarded, he knew it was just a matter of time before everything bubbled to the surface and exploded.
Now that the plumbing and the sink were installed and the laminate wood floor was partially down, Jake decided to take a break and head out to the stables, where she’d been keeping herself more and more lately.
As he walked, he noticed a full-size truck and trailer pulling out of the drive. His gaze drifted to where Allison stood with one hand shielding her eyes from the sun, the other holding her jacket closed around her waist.
As he got closer, he realized she’d been crying…and then he remembered.
“Was that Sam?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. He’s officially got a new home. You should’ve seen the little girl’s face when she found out the horse was for her.”
Damn. Had he known she’d been out here dealing with all this, he would’ve put that kitchen floor on hold.
“I’m sorry,” he told her, knowing there were no words to ease her hurt.
“Oh, you’d think I’d be used to this,” she declared, waving an arm and turning to go back into the stable. “I’m thrilled Sam has a new home, and I’m even more excited the little girl’s mom and dad were able to give such a great present to her. She was so happy, Jake. It’s just…”
With her back to him, she stopped, dropped her head in her hands and sobbed. The gut-wrenching sounds tugged at his heart as he moved around her and pulled her into his arms. Her body shook, her hands clutched at his shirt and tears soaked through the material.
