Fake It

by Jennifer Chance

  And what was the truth? The only thing Jake knew for sure was that Anna had been in his arms and it had just felt … right. So right that he was pretty sure she needed to be there again. And soon.

  Now, despite the fact that it was one A.M., light blazed from all the downstairs windows of the guesthouse, and music spilled out. The rest of the guests could party all night for all he cared. Anna seemed to feel the same way, because she put a finger to her lips and reached out for the door. He leaned forward, nudging her curly hair away from her ear, and kissed her.

  She turned. “Hi there,” she said, smiling up at him. He could read excitement in her gaze, but nerves, too. The foreplay was over, and she knew it. She could still stop things at any time, but he didn’t think she would. In fact, he hoped like hell she wouldn’t. He certainly wasn’t going to.

  “Hey.” He leaned forward and kissed her again, this time on the lips, feeling her mouth tremble beneath his, a sweet mixture of confusion and the coffee they’d stopped for at an all-night diner on the way home. Desire punched through him. “Open the door, Anna,” he said roughly. “I need to get you upstairs.”

  “Oh. Yes. Right,” she said, flustered. “But, um, do you really think we can get away from all that?” She turned back to the door, squaring her shoulders. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a mess.” She opened the door wide to blinding light.

  “Happy birthday!” screamed a crowd in unison, the announcement followed by peals of laughter as Kristen’s wedding guests doubled over at their own hilarity—it was clearly a joke they’d used every time the beach house’s front door had been opened in the last thirty minutes. Jake grabbed Anna by the arm, guiding her through the sea of bodies to the wide stairs.

  “Where’d all these people come from?” He eyed the group. The wedding guests had already returned to their conversations and drinks. Anna’s response was lost to him as they walked up the stairs. They reached the top without having to step over any revelers, and Anna gave him another smile, this one almost shy, as they entered their room. Their room. He really, really liked the sound of that.

  They cleared the door and Jake flipped the lights on. He glanced down to the doorknob and smiled when he noticed it had a locking mechanism, even as Anna headed straight toward the chest of drawers. Excellent. “Will you look at this.”

  Anna’s outstretched hand stopped when she heard the door shut, along with the unmistakable sound of a lock clicking home. She forced herself to move again, pulling her pajamas out of the bedroom chest. Her fingers grazed the silky Victoria’s Secret lingerie she’d bought downtown that week, still hidden in its own secret silk bag, and she swallowed, suddenly feeling too stupid for words. There was no way she could put that on, especially in what was clearly a kid’s bedroom, complete with bright white-painted furniture and a charming full-sized bed. The bed had seemed perfectly innocuous in the full light of day when she and Jake had dumped their stuff earlier, but now it just seemed … imposing.

  “So, um, this suddenly feels weird, the two of us, being here, as if we were a normal couple getting ready for bed, like normal people. Doing things normally,” Anna said, turning around to see Jake leaning against the bedroom door, physically shutting the whole world out. “Are you feeling weird? Because if you are, I could totally go down to the bathroom to get dressed. I have no problem with that, seriously. I know all of this is happening fast, and we still don’t really know each other and, you know … stuff.”

  Jake shook his head as he reached up to unbutton his shirt. She tracked his movements, her mouth going dry as one button after the other came undone, revealing the soft white T-shirt that skimmed Jake’s abs.

  “That’s not necessary,” he said as she stared at him. He first shrugged out of his shirt, then peeled his cotton T-shirt over his head.

  Oh good lord. Jake’s upper body looked like a male model’s, all corded muscle and deep tan, with rivers of ridges flowing down into his khakis. Anna swallowed. “Um, wow. I never see you doing anything but work in your garage,” she said weakly, plopping down on the edge of the bed. “Where did you get your tan?” She was locked in a room with the most gorgeous man she’d ever met. She didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry.

  He shrugged, the movement sending a ripple of reaction both through his body and her own.

  “Mexico,” he said. “I go down to ride there a couple times a year to recharge. I think I’m heading back after I get the brownstone wrapped up, actually.”

  “To Mexico?” Anna repeated. She didn’t know where she was going to be assigned next with Morris-Winston International, but chances were, wherever it was, the only sun she’d be seeing would be through plate-glass office windows.

  “Mexico, Europe, somewhere. I’m due for a trip.”

  “How long will you be—oh.” She swallowed as Jake slid out of jeans, leaving him in thin, gray boxer briefs that did more to reveal than conceal his tight, toned ass and—

  Yeah. She looked away hurriedly, then glanced up to meet his gaze, as Jake’s grin transformed his face into something extremely dangerous. He walked toward her, and Anna scooted backward on the bed. Only there wasn’t that far to go.

  Jake put both hands down on the hard mattress, his half-unclothed body leaning in to hers, his face close. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, sweetheart. Maybe a few months, maybe a year. You gonna miss me?”

  “A year!” She couldn’t believe her ears. “You’ll be gone a year?”

  “If that’s what it takes.” His gaze roamed her face. “So what do you do to recharge, Anna? When you’re done working around the clock, taking your meetings, handling your calls? How do you relax?” He tilted his head closer, his lips brushing hers. “I have a few ideas you could try.”

  “Jake, there are people here. Many, many people.” Anna said, her heart racing. Despite how she’d felt at the rehearsal dinner, under the trees and stars, she hadn’t completely thought this through. Not tonight. Not at Kristen’s guesthouse. And not with a perfect stranger who was making her body react in ways she didn’t even know were in the owner’s manual.

  “But there’s nobody in this room but us, Anna,” Jake murmured. He leaned in closer for a real kiss, the heat from his mouth leaving her gasping for air. “And that’s not going to change.”

  He knelt down at the edge of the bed and scooped her toward him, her dress running up her thighs as he pulled her close. When their bodies connected, Anna sucked in a breath, lost in the riot of sensation of his legs against her inner thighs. The only thing left covering her lower body was her thin strap of a thong, and that was going to disintegrate at the rate she was going.

  With a soft groan, Jake pressed Anna down into the bed, lifting his body over hers in a smooth, sinuous motion. He supported himself on his arms, staring down at her. His body rocked forward, moving slowly against her, then pulling away, each stroke longer and harder than the last. Desire licked along Anna’s skin. She strained toward him, wanting more, wanting to feel the heaviness of his body, to surround herself with the spicy scent of his skin. Her mouth went slack as she looked into Jake’s warm, brown eyes, reading the invitation there, the demands he wouldn’t make until she gave some sort of sign. She lifted her legs slightly as Jake shuddered against her, both of them savoring the heat that was building between their bodies. Oh, screw it, Anna thought. She’d played it safe for a long, long time.

  Now she wanted to play with fire.

  When Anna crossed her heels behind his back, lust jackknifed through Jake’s body. He sank down onto her, feeling her softness against the solid planes of his chest. He kissed her deeply, tasting her, stroking her tongue with his and feeling the power of her beneath his hands, and coursing through his bloodstream.

  “You’re amazing,” he groaned against her mouth, and she kissed him back hard, releasing her ankles and easing her legs down to settle on the mattress. She pushed Jake to the side, and his eyes drew level with her high, firm breasts, now spilling out of her d
ress. Breasts that were covered with a sheen of perspiration that made him ache to lick it off.

  “You really need to lose that dress,” he said, and she smiled even as her cheeks flushed.

  “Maybe you could help me? The zipper is in back.”

  Wordlessly, Jake got to his feet and pulled Anna over to the white dresser that stood against one wall. The mirror above the dresser reflected her beautiful face and tousled hair, as well as her sweet, full curves. He took her breasts in his hands as he stood behind her, feeling their softness through the silky red cloth, his long fingers curving over them. Anna sighed, her bottom wriggling, and Jake gritted his teeth at the explosion of pleasure the movement caused. He moved his right hand to Anna’s back. His left hand kneaded one exquisite breast as he gently pulled the zipper of her dress down her back, stopping only when he saw the edge of her thin black thong.

  Jake swallowed. She still wore her black spiky heels, too. The vision of Anna in nothing but her thong and high heels assaulted his mind, the lure of it too powerful to ignore. He glanced back up to the mirror and found her watching him, her eyes half-lidded with both fascination and desire.

  Slowly, Anna pulled the dress away from her breasts and down the smooth curves of her belly, hugging the cloth to herself sensually, her eyes locked on his face. Then Jake wasn’t looking at her face anymore, because with a flip, Anna let the silky dress drop to pool around her feet. Her hands came up, sliding up her waistline to trace her own figure. Her fingers cupped her breasts as she arched her back against him.

  “Watch me, Jake,” she whispered, and Jake bit back a startled cough. He didn’t need any urging in that department, that was for sure. Anna’s hands moved sensually over the roundness of her breasts, squeezing them gently, her fingertips moving over her aroused nipples. Her strokes grew longer, more passionate, and as she moved her hands, her body stretching over his, her bottom tilted up against his stiff shaft in silent invitation. Jake’s hands dropped to Anna’s hips, guiding her movements. She faltered a moment, pressing into him, her breathing suddenly harsh.

  “Do you like this?” she asked. As he smiled, quick and hard, triumph flickered across Anna’s reflected gaze. She dropped one of her hands down to his, and moved it up to her mouth. She brushed it over her lips as he watched, both of them mesmerized by the movement. Her tongue darted out to lick the tips of his fingers, delicately at first. Then, with her gaze fixed on his face, she opened her lips around one of his fingers. She pressed it into her mouth as her lips tightened, her cheeks hollowing as she pulled it out again. The gentle rasp of her tongue against his calloused skin made every inch of Jake’s body go on high alert.

  “Anna,” Jake said, his voice husky, but she just smiled, the most goddamn sexy thing he’d ever seen. She continued to lick and suck each of his fingers until the pressure was almost too much to bear. This had to stop.

  Jake reached for Anna’s hands and placed them again on her breasts, beneath his palms, feeling the heat of her body suffuse his fingers. He squeezed her gently then released one of her hands. He stroked his fingers down her ribs, his hand lightly caressing her belly as she froze in his embrace. Anna’s eyes grew wide as her gaze moved from his fingers to his face, then back down again.

  He smiled and dropped his hand farther, tucking it into her silky panties. He reveled in the smooth, trimmed fringe that met his questing fingers. Anna’s folds were liquid heat, their quivering reaction to his fingers sending a fresh wave of need spiraling through him. He stroked her, his fingers soft at first, then more insistent, as her breathing told the story of her body’s reaction to his play.

  Anna sighed and trembled against him, and he heard her begin to say his name, only to have it change into a low, sexy moan as he slid one finger inside her, stroking the tight, wet passage. He raised his gaze, barely able to tear them away from the image of what he was doing to her, and the knowledge of what she was doing to him, and what they could do to each other.

  They watched each other in the mirror a moment more, then Jake eased his fingers away as Anna closed her eyes with a sigh, leaning back against him. He reached over to his Dopp kit lying on the dresser, and put one shaking hand inside. Then he pulled out a small foil packet, setting it on the dresser where she could see it. Her eyes opened once again, and she smiled softly as his gaze raked her face. He ached to be inside her, needed it more than anything he’d needed in a long, long time.

  “You know what I want?” he whispered into her hair.

  She shivered at his words, her eyes hot, intense. “I know what I want,” she said.

  “Anna, I—”

  BAM! Somebody crashed against their bedroom door, and Anna leapt away from the dresser. She pitched toward the bed, her feet tangled in her dress still twisted on the floor.

  “Oh, ma-ann,” someone moaned, clearly in pain. Jake grabbed his T-shirt and Anna dived for her duffel bag, kicking off her heels as an agony-filled string of epithets came through the door from the hall. “Holy shit … ohhhh.”

  Jake stood at the ready as Anna wrenched on a T-shirt. “Go, go, go,” she said, rummaging for shorts. Without waiting for her to find them, Jake pulled open the door.

  A body sprawled across the threshold: Todd Moreland, curled into the fetal position.

  Anna’s dipshit of an ex was apparently stone-cold drunk, and definitely passed out on their floor.

  Oh, hell no.

  Jake didn’t even have to think about what he wanted to do next. He looked at Anna, stepped over Todd, and held out his hand. “Pull some clothes back on, sweetheart—especially that long skirt thing I saw in your bag.”

  She blinked at him. “That’s a beach cover-up.”

  “Perfect,” he said, grinning. “Because it looks like we’re going to hit the beach after all.”

  Chapter 13

  The breeze was barely blowing as they walked down the long veranda, the sounds of the beach-house party fading quickly as they moved farther away, and Anna wondered if she would get her voice back. It was the perfect evening, sultry and warm, with just enough breeze kicking up from the water that it made you want to stand close to the man by your side. The moon was bright, almost full, and the waves rolled gently, the sound of the surf on the sand the perfect counterpoint to the wind rustling the long grass topping the dunes. They both were barefoot, and it felt like every summer-vacation fantasy that Anna had ever had—only this one was real. This one was happening.

  She tightened her hand on Jake’s and he squeezed it back, drawing her off the long veranda. “I say we walk for a while first,” he said, his teeth flashing in the bright moonlight. “It’s a perfect night.”

  She smiled up at him, and words didn’t really seem necessary to her for once. She felt like her heart was going to burst, like she was being given a precious opportunity, and if only she said the right thing—or didn’t speak at all—she couldn’t, wouldn’t ruin it. They walked down to the shoreline where the sand was firmer, and followed the curve of the water down the beach. The space between the houses and their long boardwalks got farther apart here, with larger dunes speaking of long, quiet summers protected from the ocean storms.

  “This place looks nice,” Jake murmured, and she looked up. A huge outcropping of dune grass seemed to guard a patch of sand up a little way from the beach, and there was no sound at all from the far-off houses. Anna couldn’t even muster a murmur as he pulled her up the beach. She felt like the minute she started talking it would be too much, too loud, too fast, too—

  “You know, you think entirely too much,” Jake observed. He pulled his T-shirt off and threw it on the ground. “Hands up in the air.”

  “Jake, I—”

  “Nope, still too much thinking. Up.” He grabbed the bottom of her T-shirt and pulled it high, over her head, and Anna gasped as the cool breeze assaulted her skin. Before she could twist away he’d already sprung the hooks on her bra and slid it off her shoulders. “Good God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed, pulling her to him
. The feel of her naked breasts on his chest caught Anna’s breath, but after a long, hard kiss he pushed her away again. “So what do you think?” he asked. “Skinny-dip before or after?” He waggled his brows. “Or both?”

  “Skinny-dip?” Anna practically blurted the words out. “In the ocean? Is that even legal?”

  “I don’t think the fish are going to mind.”

  “Fish?” She turned her head to look out over the water, her eyes going wide. Of course there would be fish out there. It just seemed so … big. Big, and kind of spooky.

  “Okay, definitely not before.” Jake chuckled, and she felt his arms go around her again, just as the breeze kicked up, worrying the light material around her legs as Jake bent down toward her. “Hi, there. My name is Jake. My family comes here for vacation every year, and we’re staying in that big pink house down the beach. How about you?”

  Anna smiled up at him as he twined his fingers in her hair. “Well, hello, Jake. I’m Anna, and you should know that I don’t take off my shirt for every boy I find on the beach.”

  “No?” Jake pulled away from her, looking down at her full breasts, her nipples pebbling at his scrutiny. “Well, I’m here to tell you, Anna, that’s a crime against nature. Though I kind of like the fact that I’m the only one seeing you like this right now.” He dropped his hands from her shoulders to palm her breasts, carrying their weight in his capable, calloused hands. “I like it a lot.”

  “I like it too—ah!” Anna’s breath strangled a little as Jake drew his thumbs over her nipples.

  “You like to be surprised, Anna? Or would you prefer to know exactly what I want to do to you?”