Jake slowly lowered her to the ground, making sure her feet were securely under her before letting go. Emma gave a little moan at the loss of contact.
“Don’t worry, Emma girl. I’m going to have you soon, but when we fuck, it sure isn’t going to be next to the outside of a chimney in broad daylight.” Emma blushed again, and Jake laughed taking her by the hand.
“Come on girl. Let’s keep exploring this place.”
They went back inside, checking the house over carefully. The realtor had emailed the inspector’s report from a few months ago, so she knew the house was sound. She and Jake spent the afternoon talking about what she would need to fix first and what she would eventually like to do with the place. Jake liked the craftsmanship of the house. The windows and doors were straight and tight. The floors were solid.
He could see the look on her face as she measured the rooms, checked out the kitchen and bathroom, and walked around the yard. Her face showed delight, and he realized that it had been a long time since he had taken pleasure in watching someone else’s joy.
They walked out on the porch and sat down on the front steps. Emma had wanted to try out the porch swing with him, but he didn’t want to take a chance it would hold his weight.
Settling on the steps, they sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, allowing the afternoon sun to soak into them.
“Tell me about your mom,” she asked turning her body toward his.
“Well, it was soon after my dad died that she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.” He paused, looking at her. “I don’t want to bore you if you know about RA.”
“No, please continue,” Emma replied, placing her hand on his arm. “I don’t know anything about it.”
“Well, RA is a bitch of a disease that affects the joints. When she was first diagnosed, I read everything I could about it. The joints become swollen, inflamed, painful, and then eventually deformed.”
“Is there no cure?”
“No, although there are new drugs coming out all the time. She is on several of them and they will work for a while, and then eventually not seem to work anymore.”
“Jake, I admire you so much for taking care of her. I know what it is like to put everything on hold to help take care of family. I never saw it as a sacrifice, not even a duty. It was always just done out of love.”
Jake looked over at the beautiful woman sitting next to him, so closely he smelled the delicate scent of her shampoo. Their knees touched, and he found himself wanting to pull her into his lap, but the seriousness of their conversation held him back.
“She does not consider herself disabled, but she is not able to work anymore. She had been a secretary for years, but her fingers are now swollen and bent so that she cannot type or file. Sometimes if it is a bad day, she cannot grasp a phone. Some days she feels really good, but some days just getting out of bed is painful.”
Jake angled his body so that they were facing each other, knowing what he was about to say could possible end the beginning of their relationship, but he knew from past experience that it needed to be said now.
Emma looked expectantly into his face, knowing that what was on Jake’s mind was of utmost importance.
He looked down at Emma’s small hand, still on his arm, but noticed that she was gently smoothing her fingers over his skin, as though willing him to be at ease through her touch.
“Emma, you have to understand something. We said earlier that we both wanted to see where this could go,” pointing back and forth between each other. “But I do live at home with mom and don’t know when that will end. I had an apartment of my own for a while when I first came back to town, but spent more time at her place so I just gave it up. Most women consider that to be a deal breaker,” he admitted ruefully, but continued to hold her eyes.
Emma looked deeply into his baby blue eyes, knowing that in front of her was a man after her own heart. She leaned over and clasped his much larger hands in her tiny ones, holding them tightly.
“Jake, not only is that not a deal breaker with me, it makes me want to know you more than ever,” she said with a smile.
Jake looked at the smile that radiated throughout him and found himself wanting that smile to greet him every day. Leaning over, he placed a gentle kiss once again upon her lips. Emma felt the strength of his emotion wrapped up in that kiss and found herself wanting it to last and last. She moved closer, and he pulled her up on his lap. Deepening the kiss, Emma knew that she was feeling more for Jake than she had ever felt for any man before.
Finally breaking off the kiss, Jake leaned back against the railing and tucked Emma into him. They sat there in the afternoon sun and continued to talk about the house.
“There are almost ten acres to the property,” Emma said, looking over the reports from the realtor. “There is supposed to be a small hunting shack somewhere near the back of the property line, but I don’t want to walk that far today,” she added.
Jake made her promise that she would not wander around her woods without him. He glared at her, knowing how independent she was.
“No, no. Don’t worry, I have no desire to get lost in the woods.” she laughed.
“So what do you think?” he asked.
“I really like it. I can afford it and I feel like it is something that I can fix up, make it mine, finally have something that is all my own. It is only ten minutes away from Laurie’s place and only fifteen minutes away from the high school where I will be working in the fall,” Emma stated. She looked up at him questioningly. “So what do you think? I would really value your opinion.”
Jake reached out and pulled her in close. As independent and self-reliant as Emma was, Jake was honored that his opinion was important to her. “It’s a good place, Emma. And babe, if it puts a smile on that gorgeous face then I’m good.” He leaned down for another kiss, taking her mouth in a slow, gentle kiss that affected Emma more than she wanted to admit. She knew she could fall hard for Jake and wondered if she hadn’t already.
Chapter 6
The foreclosure sale went through with no hassles and Emma found herself a first time homeowner. She was so busy with the new house that the next couple of weeks seem to fly by. She and Laurie spent almost every day at the new house, cleaning, painting, and refinishing. Emma had lived in rented apartments for so many years that the idea of painting thrilled her. Choosing a soft taupe for the living and dining room, she painted one accent wall in the dining area a deep hunter green. She carried the green color scheme into the kitchen, mixing it with yellow accents. She bought new appliances and arranged to have her furniture from storage delivered. Carol came over on her days off and helped as well.
Tom, Rob, and Jake, plus several of their firefighting and police friends came on the weekends to paint the outside. Emma chose pale yellow for the house with green for the shutters. It wasn’t unusual for her to look outside and see a few of the men with yellow in their hair and green all over their hands. One hot Saturday afternoon, she looked out of the kitchen window seeing Jake, Tom, and Rob all shirtless. All three were gorgeous men, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Jake’s naked chest. Bulky muscles covered his arms and pecs, with just a spattering of sandy colored chest hair tapering down towards his…
“Emma, what are you staring at with your mouth hanging open?” Laurie interrupted as she and Carol walked into the room. Emma, embarrassed at having been caught gawking, snapped her jaw shut and turned around, trying to look innocent.
Carol peeking out of the window at the three Greek gods in the yards, leaned in and said, “Yummy!” All three women laughed and were unashamed to continue enjoying the view as they finished painting the rooms.
Emma desperately wanted flowers in her yard having lived for years in the city where the only flowers were at the park. Knowing that Helen loved planting, she turned to her for advice.
“What are your favorite flowers?” Helen asked. Emma, feeling silly, had to answer that she didn’t know. Helen patted
her hand and said, “Well then, dearie, what is your favorite color?”
At this, Emma smiled answered, “I love every color of flower!”
Helen laughed and said, “Leave everything to me – I will take care of your garden!”
Helen brought over plants in vivacious colors and began to fill up the old flower gardens around the yard and in front of the porch. This riot of color brought new life to the discarded property, creating the vision that Emma had for her home.
Helen and Roger’s grandson Brad came over several afternoons to help his grandmother in the yard and to mow the grass. Emma enjoyed getting to know him and found out about the high school where she would be working. Rob’s sister, Suzy, was a year younger than Brad, and she would show up on occasion as well. She was a cute, likeable girl and it didn’t take Emma long to realize that Suzy had eyes for Brad. Brad tried to be nonchalant about Suzy, but his eyes would follow her whenever she was over visiting.
Emma never had such a support system before. When she thought back to all those years where she was alone raising Laurie, and then when they were struggling to finish college, it brought her to tears. Now she looked around and realized a community of friends were all helping out.
When Jake was there, he would walk by just to check up on her. He was a very touch feely boyfr… well, Emma did not know what to call him. He came to see her every day when he was not on duty and spent most of the weekends with her helping with the house.
Jake did not want her moving in until she had a security system in place. The closest neighbor was half a mile from her house. The decision about a security system quickly devolved into an argument.
Emma tried to be upfront about her finances. She had saved enough for the down payment and budgeted for appliances, but a security system was out of the question. Jake’s solution was to pay for it himself, which made her uncomfortable.
“Babe, I just want you safe. You live out here, in your dream house in the woods, but you are a woman living alone.”
In the end, Jake got his way and Emma wondered aloud if he was going to win all their arguments.
“Only the ones about your safety, Emma girl,” Jake assured her, as he pulled her in for a hug, kissing the top of her head.
*
One week later, it was move-in day. Jake wanted to be there when the movers came with her furniture, but he was called out on a case. Emma did not mind; she was so used to dealing with everything on her own, and Laurie was coming over to keep her company.
The movers backed the truck up to the front porch and began moving her furniture in. Laurie arrived just as the furniture was being taken off the truck.
“Emma, you kept the dining room set,” Laurie exclaimed with a huge grin on her face. She ran over to the dining table and lovingly ran her hands over the wood.
“Oh, I couldn’t get rid of some of our parent’s things,” Emma said, fondly remembering the many family gatherings around the table over the years. “It may be old, but it has memories for both of us. In fact, I kept almost everything except the old sofa. That I gladly got rid of,” she laughed.
The movers hauled in the dining room and living room furniture and had started on the other furniture when Rob and Jake came over. Laurie stood on the porch directing the movers as they were coming out of the truck. Rob hopped up on the porch, grabbed her in a big kiss, making her giggle as he swung her around.
Jake, not seeing Emma, headed into the house. Hearing her voice from the bedroom, he headed down the hall. Jake walked into the room and saw that one of the movers stood too close to Emma, peering down her shirt as she looked away explaining where the bedroom furniture needed to go.
“Sure is a nice bed you’ve got there, lil’ lady,” the flirtatious mover said as he looked down at Emma. Seeing where his eyes were focused, Emma was going to put him in his place when suddenly the man was pushed backwards away from her.
“What the hell?” the man yelled as he swung around ready to fight. He looked up at Jake’s furious face and immediately backed up.
Jake growled as he stalked closer to the man, but before he could land a punch, Emma stepped in.
“Jake. Calm down,” she cried. “I had everything under control.”
He rounded on her, his face showing his frustration. “Under control?” He was incredulous, looking at the bulky mover compared to her tiny stature.
“YES, I had everything under control,” she said. The mover hurried out of the room, glad for Jake’s distraction.
Jake’s eyes focused on a spot on the wall over her head, as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
“Jake, I have told you before. I’ve been on my own for a very long time – I know how to take care of things myself,” Emma said softly. She reached her hand up to rest it gently on his chest.
Jake sighed as he held her hand close to his heart. “And I have told you, that you now have me to look after you.” He pulled her in, holding her close.
With their bodies touching from chest to knees, she took a deep breath relishing the feel of having someone hold her, caressing her back.
“I don’t even know what we are,” Emma said with her face pressed into his chest.
“You’re mine,” Jake whispered into her ear. “You just have to get used to knowing I am here for you now.”
Emma, enveloped in security with Jake pressed up to her, could hear his heart beating as her head rested on his chest. She felt a peace that she had not known in a long time.
“Babe,” Jake murmured. Emma raised her head back to look up into his eyes. He leaned down, his breath just a whisper over her lips. His eyes held hers for a moment before his lips moved over her lips. The kiss was gentle, the softest pressure as she savored the feel of him.
Then Emma stood on her toes for better access and grabbed onto Jake’s shoulders. Jake, taking the encouragement, deepened the kiss, his tongue invading her mouth. Their tongues began a mating dance, stealing Emma’s breath as found herself lifted off the floor.
Wrapping her legs around Jake’s waist, she was carried back toward the bed. As he started lowering her onto the bed, the sound of movers coming down the hall with the next load of furniture could be heard. Emma jerked her head back and scrambled away from Jake, straightening her clothes as she backed up.
“Fuck!” Jake bit out. He hung his head in frustration for a few seconds and adjusted the tightness in his jeans before the movers came back in the room. He looked over at Emma, who was blushing bright red. Jake raised his eyebrow at her, but she just blushed more and shook her head. The movers left the room after carrying the dresser in and Jake simply crooked his finger at her.
Emma smiled and jumped back into Jake’s arms. “I don’t know if we should continue,” she confessed.
“I don’t give a fuck about the movers, but I know Laurie and Rob are here, so darlin’, we can just put this off.” Emma slid off of him and started to turn away.
“But babe?”
Emma turned back and looked up at Jake.
“This,” pointing between the two of them, “is going to happen.” Emma smiled shyly as Jake grabbed her hand and led her back down the hall. Glancing down at his tight jeans cupping his swollen dick, she couldn’t help but wonder when this was going to happen. Smiling to herself, they walked into the living room to join their friends.
*
The house was taking shape over the next week and Emma loved it. She worked hard and fast to get the house looking like a home. Curtains were hung, knick-knacks and family mementoes were set around, and most of the moving boxes were gone. One afternoon, Laurie and Emma were in the bedroom, shaking out the new sheets and comforter that Carol had given her as a house warming gift.
“So, Em…,” Laurie said while looking at the bed. Emma looked up at Laurie to see her smirking while tucking in the sheets. Emma looked at Laurie, assuming she knew what was running through Laurie’s mind.
“I was just wondering if the bed has been broken in yet by yo
u and Jake.”
Emma shook her head, which only made Laurie exclaim, “Why not? What are you waiting on?”
Emma answered, “Well, we haven’t had a lot of time alone.” Laurie looked up and noticed that Emma had a sneaky smile on her face. “But I am hoping that will change soon – Jake is coming over tonight and for once we won’t have anyone else around.”
Laurie laughed. “I guess that means you want me to get lost!” Emma shared her laughter.
“Not right this minute, but yes… I want no one around tonight but Jake. And maybe, just maybe, the sheets will get broken in!”
*
Jake, working long hours for the past two days finally got a chance to leave on time. He went home, showered, changed, and checked in on his mother. Mary smiled at her handsome son.
“Are you heading off to see that beautiful girl of yours?” she asked with a twinkle in her eyes. Jake leaned down to kiss her cheek.
“Yeah, we’re finally going to have some time without everyone around,” he replied. “Will you be all right?”
“Of course. In fact, I do not expect you to come back tonight!” she said with a laugh. Jake looked down at his mother in surprise. Laughing, he hugged her goodbye before he headed off to Emma’s.
He stopped by the grocery store to purchase flowers and wine for her and beer for him. His mind was filled with thoughts of Emma as he was driving. It had been a long time since he was this attracted to a woman… one that made him think of a possible future.
He, Rob, and Tom had all been players in college, not that he was proud of that fact. All three had been on the football team, big men around campus and women were plentiful. Jake occasionally had a girlfriend during his twenties, but never one lasting relationship. Less than two years ago, Tom met Carol and while they had had a rocky beginning, they fell in love and married. Rob had continued his player ways longer than either Jake or Tom, but when he laid eyes on Laurie, he was smitten. Jake was happy for his friends, but envious as well. But now…. since Emma walked into his life, he began thinking of the relationship in lasting terms. Much to his surprise, he was not nervous about those thoughts. In fact, he wanted to make sure that he could convince her of the same.
Emma's Home (The Fairfield Series) Page 6
