Her hands probed inside his collar, twining in the hair that grew longer at the nape of his neck. She was eager, too, he realised, wondering how long it was since she’d allowed any man to touch her. The boy she’d run away with—Andy Johnson?—had he been intimate with her? Jake thought he could gladly kill any man who’d touched her against her will.
She moved against him and he was sure she must feel his taut maleness against her hip. Her response, her willingness, was making him want to move faster than he’d intended, and when her legs parted he couldn’t prevent his thigh from pushing urgently between hers.
‘Ah, Eve,’ he groaned, one hand sliding down to cup her bottom, moving beneath the short hem of her dress to find the soft skin at the top of her legs. She arched against his hand, and that almost drove him crazy. He so much wanted to be inside her, to feel her taut muscles urging him on.
Eve’s head was spinning. There was increasing moisture between her legs, which she was sure he must have felt when he touched her there. She almost stopped breathing altogether when his fingers slid partway into her.
Acting purely on impulse, she trailed her hand down his chest to the waistband of his trousers. His shirt was half open anyway, and she completed the task. The buckle on his belt presented the next obstacle, but when she would have loosened it his hand stopped her
‘Wait.’ Jake’s voice was hoarse, and she realised he was no more immune to her explorations than she was to his. ‘I don’t think you know what you’re doing to me. I’m not made of stone, you know.’
‘Nor am I,’ she murmured, kissing his chest, loving the feel of his springing hair against her face. ‘I want you, Jake. I want to make love with you. I don’t want to be an oddball any more.’
‘An oddball?’ Jake gazed down at her with puzzled eyes. ‘You’re not an oddball.’
‘Yes, I am.’ Eve took a deep breath and continued, ‘I’ve never let any man get close to me before.’
Jake shook his head. Cassandra really did have a lot to answer for, he thought again. ‘Come,’ he said softly, once again stopping her when she would have opened his zip to stroke his throbbing erection. ‘I want to show you my bedroom. Besides, we don’t want to risk being interrupted by Luigi asking if we want more ice.’
‘Ice?’ Eve felt a sob of laughter rising in her throat as Jake lifted her up into his arms and strode purposefully across the room.
‘Not such a bad idea, in the circumstances,’ agreed Jake huskily. ‘Maybe some ice is exactly what we need.’
A flight of open-tread stairs gave access to the upper floor of the villa. Double doors stood wide into a huge master bedroom, with long oriel windows giving a magnificent view of the bay.
Jake laid Eve on the wide damask-covered bed. Only one lamp was burning, but beyond the windows the moon could be seen throwing a silver pathway over the sea. Its pale light added to the magical beauty of their surroundings, and when Jake lay down beside her she turned eagerly towards him.
Jake was gentle with her now, even though she sensed the urgency underlying his touch. Her dress had pooled about her waist, and she thought her bra must be somewhere between the bed and the sofa downstairs. But such insignificant considerations went out of her head when he bent to nibble at the creamy fullness of her breasts.
She wasn’t able to stop herself from trembling, and he lifted his head again, to give her a searching look. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘I like it that you’re not so sophisticated. And that you don’t honestly realise how sexy you are.’
Eve sucked in her breath. ‘No one’s ever called me that before.’
‘Then they must have been blind,’ said Jake thickly, feeling an increasing sense of euphoria at the knowledge that in many ways he was going to be first with her. In every way that mattered at least.
It was a simple matter to slide her dress down her hips, and, releasing one plump nipple, he allowed his tongue to trail a sensuous path from her breast to her navel. She quivered again, as he used his teeth to pull her lacy scrap of underwear away, and fairly bucked against him when he replaced his probing fingers with his tongue.
‘You can’t—You mustn’t—’ she began, but as he caressed her he saw the way her eyes grew dark with desire, and her breathing quickened in concert with her body’s response.
She climaxed moments later, and he stifled her cry of wonder beneath the hungry pressure of his mouth. It pleased him enormously that she was so responsive, and this time when she reached for his buckle he didn’t attempt to stop her.
Even so, it took all his self-control not to lose it completely when she took his thick shaft into her hands. But he wanted to be inside her when he found his own release, and, although she protested, he drew away to tear off his shirt and push his trousers down his legs.
Then he was beside her again, satisfying her impatience and his own by positioning himself above her. Eve knew a moment’s panic when she saw how big he really was, but her legs parted willingly when he straddled her.
‘Did I tell you that you’re beautiful?’ he breathed, and she felt the heat of his erection nudging her wet core.
He entered her in one almost smooth thrust, only briefly balked by the unmistakable barrier he encountered. Eve, who hadn’t been prepared for the pain after the gentleness of his mouth, tried to stifle her moan of anguish against his throat, but it escaped anyway. She hadn’t realised how much her body would rebel at this unfamiliar invasion; hadn’t anticipated that it would hurt so much.
Nevertheless, when he withdrew again she was no less distressed. ‘No,’ she protested, but Jake was staring down at her in stunned disbelief.
‘You were a virgin,’ he said in a strangled voice. ‘My God, why didn’t you tell me?’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
‘I told you I was an oddball,’ Eve whispered, trying to make light of it, but Jake wouldn’t let her go on.
‘You’re not an oddball,’ he exclaimed harshly, but once again Eve intervened.
‘What would you call a twenty-five-year-old virgin?’ she asked mockingly, but he laid a hard palm across her lips.
‘Innocent,’ he said tersely. ‘God, I’m such an idiot. I thought—after what you’d been through—’
‘Because of Graham Fulton?’ Eve’s lips twisted. ‘I told you. I spent all my nights in the bathroom.’ She pushed her lips against his palm for a moment, before drawing his hand away. ‘And Andy Johnson knew how I felt, and he looked out for me.’ She smiled. ‘Until I met you, I couldn’t bear a man to touch me, you see,’ she confessed huskily. ‘Ever since—ever since that man came to my room, I’ve always kept the opposite sex at arm’s length.’
Jake groaned. ‘Oh, baby, I’ve been such a fool.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ she protested, bringing his hand to her face and pressing it against her cheek. ‘Not to me.’ She waited a beat and then asked tremulously, ‘You do still want me?’
Jake groaned again. ‘Of course I want you. Now more than ever. But—’
‘No buts,’ said Eve firmly, levering herself up on her elbows and drawing his hands to her breasts. ‘I’ve wanted you for so long. I couldn’t bear it if you didn’t feel the same.’
‘Dear God!’ Jake couldn’t prevent himself from crushing her against the soft pillows of his bed. ‘I think I’ve been waiting for you all my life,’ he added shakily. His mouth possessed hers with the utmost tenderness. ‘I just don’t want to hurt you again.’
‘You won’t,’ said Eve, not knowing how she knew this, but she did. ‘Please.’ Her fingers stroked his swollen erection. ‘You can’t stop now.’
Which was nothing less than the truth, thought Jake ruefully. But he wanted her to share his delight in their joining, and, although he still blamed himself for acting so recklessly, he ached to be inside her again.
Gently, he spread her legs and eased into her, using his lips and his tongue to relieve any anxiety she might feel. But, amazingly, she received him easily, her body slick and damp from her
exertions.
And Jake was blown away again by her sweetness. She was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman, and the muscles in his gut tightened when they felt her willing response.
For Eve, it was equally as moving. Now that she knew what to expect, she welcomed his heat and the fullness his body created. But she was still unprepared for the feelings that surfaced when he withdrew partway before pushing into her again. They were like the feelings she’d had before, only deeper, stronger, causing a wave of expectation to sweep through her abdomen and up her spine until it felt as if she was tingling all over.
Almost instinctively, it seemed, she lifted her legs and wound them about his hips, holding him inside her. Jake took a steadying breath, trying to control the urge to quicken his pace, but it wasn’t easy when he could feel the rippling wave of her orgasm tightening her muscles around him.
His body throbbed with the need for his own release, but once again he realised he was in danger of making another stupid mistake. The condom he should be using was still lying in the drawer of the table beside his bed. In his eagerness to make love with Eve he’d forgotten all about it, and he still had the sense to know that she wouldn’t have done anything to protect herself.
Dammit, he thought, he couldn’t do this to her. But when he attempted to withdraw she only tightened her long legs about him.
‘Don’t,’ she whispered huskily, her breathing hot and unsteady against his throat, and Jake groaned.
‘You don’t understand—’ he choked, but she only covered his mouth with hers.
‘I do,’ she breathed against his lips, and although he knew what he ought to do, the temptation to let her have her way was irresistible.
Besides, she was making frantic little sounds now that were totally driving him crazy. He was drenched with her scent, with her essence, and, giving in to a force that was stronger than he was, Jake spilled himself inside her.
His orgasm seemed to go and on, and when the shuddering pleasure had ceased he felt absolutely drained. But absolutely replete, too, which was something he’d never experienced before.
He realised suddenly that he was slumped on top of Eve, but when he would have rolled away she stopped him again. ‘I’ve got to be crushing the breath out of you,’ he protested, but she only wound her arms around his neck and gazed up at him with wide, adoring eyes.
‘I don’t care,’ she said huskily. ‘And before you say anything I don’t care if I’m pregnant either.’
‘Eve—’
‘No, I mean it, Jake. And I don’t want you to think it’s your responsibility. You’re an honourable man, I know that, but this was my decision—’
‘Stop! Stop right there!’ Jake silenced her with a hard kiss, and before she could start again he exclaimed, ‘For God’s sake, I love you! I think I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you. And if you think I’m going to let you go now, without a fight, you’re very much mistaken.’
Eve’s lips had parted for his kiss, but now, when he lifted his head, she found she needed to suck some much-needed air into her lungs. ‘I—I don’t know what to say.’
‘Well, you could say you liked me just a little bit, too,’ said Jake, trying to make light of his passionate declaration. Taking her arms from around his neck, he rolled onto his back beside her, staring up at the shadows that hid the ceiling. ‘Unless I’ve jumped the gun again—’
‘No!’ Eve scrambled up now, to look down at him with anxious eyes. ‘It’s not that.’ She made a helpless gesture. ‘I just—well, it’s like you said: you’ve taken my breath away.’
Jake lifted his hand to touch her cheek. ‘But you knew I cared about you.’
Eve shook her head. ‘My grandmother cares about me,’ she said fiercely. ‘You—you said you loved me.’
‘I do.’
‘But how can you?’
‘How can I not?’ he retorted, a little thickly. ‘You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, all rolled up in one delectable package.’
She quivered. ‘I’m not delectable.’
‘Oh, you are.’ His fingers slipped beneath the soft weight of her hair. ‘Delectable, and sweet, and very, very desirable.’ He pulled her mouth down to his, unable to resist the urge to taste her lips again. ‘So what are you going to do about it?’
‘What am I going to do about it?’ she echoed.
‘Yeah.’ He released her lips and transferred his attentions to the luscious breast that was suspended only inches above his mouth. ‘You could start by telling me how you feel about me.’
‘Oh, God!’ Eve bent over him, cradling his face between her palms. ‘You know I love you,’ she exclaimed fervently. ‘But even now I can’t believe that you want me.’
‘Believe it,’ said Jake huskily, reversing their positions so he could bury his face between her breasts. ‘Ever since you came to the island you’ve been driving me crazy. I knew I had to give you time, but, like I said before, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t think about anything but us being together.’
Eve was dazed by his urgency, and not a little shocked by the growing hardness against her hip. ‘You—you want me again?’ she breathed, the exhilaration of knowing she could do this to him sweeping over her.
‘Constantly,’ he said, his hand slipping between them to caress her. ‘Oh, baby, you have no idea how much…’
Hours later, they had a midnight feast of strawberries and champagne. It was only right and proper that they should celebrate their unofficial engagement in such a way, Jake said, climbing back onto the bed with the bottle of champagne and two crystal glasses in his hands, and Eve stared at him in disbelief.
‘Our unofficial engagement?’ she said, blinking, and Jake grinned back at her.
‘Well, you are going to marry me, aren’t you?’ he asked, and for a long while after that the champagne was forgotten.
But eventually Eve wriggled into a cross-legged position beside him. There were things she wanted to tell him, things she had to tell him, before their engagement became official and Jake couldn’t back out.
‘I need to tell you about my father,’ she said, accepting a champagne-dipped strawberry from him and resting it against her lower lip.
‘Your father?’ Jake frowned, fascinated by her unknowing sensuality. ‘I thought your mother didn’t know who your father was?’
‘Oh, she knew. My grandmother forced her to tell the truth when she was searching for me.’ Eve bent her head. ‘He was Cuban, you see, and Cassie hadn’t wanted to tell the Fultons that in case they changed their minds.’
Jake gave a low whistle. ‘No kidding. So—did you get to know him? Afterwards, I mean?’
‘No. Ellie found out he’d been killed in a plane crash in Cuba just weeks after I was conceived. Cassie wasn’t lying about that, at least. He didn’t want to know that he’d fathered a child.’
‘Oh, sweetheart.’ Jake pulled her close and pressed a warm kiss to the top of her head. ‘You certainly had a raw deal.’
Eve glanced up at him. ‘You don’t mind?’
‘Why should I mind?’
‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Eve hesitated. ‘Harry seemed to think it was important that I was half Cuban.’
‘Who? That idiot priest back at Falconbridge?’ And, at her nod, ‘Was that what upset you so much that night?’
‘It was the way he said it. And the fact that he thought I was only putting him off because I was attracted to you,’ said Eve honestly.
‘Hey, the guy had a brain after all.’
Eve cuddled close. ‘I do love you, you know.’
‘I know,’ said Jake smugly. ‘That’s why you’re going to marry me and not him.’
Six months later, Eve sat with Julie Romero on the terrace at the back of the villa. It was early evening, and Julie was nursing her four-month-old daughter at her breast. Watching her, Eve wondered what it would be like to feed a baby. Well, she’d know soon enough, when their baby was born.
Not that that w
as going to happen any time soon. In fact, apart from Jake’s immediate family—and her grandmother—they’d kept the fact that Eve was expecting a baby to themselves. At present it was barely noticeable, although Eve knew her waistline was thickening by the day.
Julie finished feeding the baby and, after adjusting the bodice of her dress, shifted the baby to her shoulder. ‘Thank goodness that’s over,’ she said, with feeling. ‘I didn’t realise a baby’s jaws could be so strong.’
Eve smiled. ‘Here,’ she said. ‘Give her to me.’
‘She’s heavy.’
‘Not that heavy,’ said Eve firmly. Then, after settling the baby over her own shoulder, she said, ‘What time is Mike getting back?’
‘Pretty soon, I hope,’ said Julie fervently. And then, realising how that might sound, she added, ‘Not that I haven’t appreciated you and Jake letting me stay here while he’s been away. But I’ve missed him, you know. Even three days can seem like for ever when you’re apart.’
‘I know.’ Eve was sympathetic, but she was also grateful that Jake had unloaded a lot of the overseas travelling onto his younger brother’s shoulders. It meant they spent a lot more time together, and whenever he did travel Eve went with him.
And, as if thinking about him had attracted his attention, Jake chose that moment to come out of the house. ‘Mike’s just rung,’ he said, his eyes going to his wife and the baby. ‘He landed a few minutes ago. He’s coming straight here.’
‘Oh, marvellous!’ Julie beamed, and Jake patted her on the shoulder before going to join his wife and baby Rachel on the glider. Julie got up. ‘I’ll just go and smarten myself up.’
Jake smiled at his sister-in-law as she went into the house, and then at the baby, trailing a caressing finger down Eve’s bare arm. ‘You know, having visitors can be rather limiting,’ he murmured. ‘I haven’t made love with you anywhere except in our bedroom for almost a week.’
Eve dimpled. ‘Is that a problem?’
‘What do you think?’ His lips caressed her shoulder. ‘I prefer having you all to myself.’
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