“I used my cell in the truck and when one of the men called me out in a hurry, I dropped it there. I didn’t know there was a problem until I got back to the house and you were gone.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “You must have been worried sick. No wonder you yelled at me.”
“I should have had more faith in you,” he countered. “I should have waited to hear your side of what happened.”
She promptly said, “Yes, you should have.”
He found himself smiling with chagrin, and when she grinned at him, he laughed softly. “So you’ll stay the rest of the week?”
Her smile faded. “I’m still not sure that’s such a good idea.”
“At least stay for tonight. I’ve got that date with Amanda and no baby-sitter.”
“Amanda could come over to your house,” Hope suggested. “Then you wouldn’t need a baby-sitter.”
Jake frowned. He hadn’t even considered that option because he knew Amanda’s attitude toward kids. Besides, he planned to have a serious discussion with his fiancée, and he didn’t want to be interrupted, which was always a possibility with kids around.
“I’d rather not,” he said. “Please. Come home with me.”
She made a face, wrinkling her nose. “I’d rather—”
He didn’t give her a chance to finish, simply rose and reached for the sleeping boy and slipped him up over his shoulder. “We should get these kids home to bed.”
She looked up at him, opened her mouth to speak, closed it again, then rose with the little girl in her arms. “All right. I’ll stay tonight.”
“After you,” he said, gesturing toward the door. He didn’t have baby car seats in his truck, and he ended up laying Huck on the back seat of the extended-cab pickup. He was surprised when Hope got into the back seat with Becky.
“It’s safer back here if I’m going to hold her,” she said.
He didn’t argue, simply closed the doors and got in himself. They made the trip home in silence, although he caught Hope glancing at him once or twice when he checked on her in the rearview mirror.
He waited until they’d laid both kids down in their beds and closed the bedroom door behind them before he put a hand to the small of Hope’s back. “We have to talk,” he said.
She hesitated, then hurried ahead of him down the stairs to the kitchen. Once there, she began cleaning up the breakfast dishes.
“I’d like to talk,” he said.
“I’m listening,” she replied.
He took a cereal bowl out of her hand and laid it in the sink, then turned her around to face him, holding her by the shoulders. “I want your full attention.”
She crossed her arms and stared up at him, her chin out thrust. “So talk.”
“I’ve been thinking—”
At that moment, Becky let out a wail.
“Becky’s awake,” Hope said.
Jake swore under his breath. He hadn’t realized, until Becky woke and it was impossible to speak, exactly what it was he’d been wanting to say to Hope. I’ve been thinking about the two of us together and I think...maybe...I feel things for you that I never thought...
She hurried out of the kitchen and up the stairs. He stared after her, grateful to the wailing child. He had no right to say those things to Hope until he’d ended his relationship with Amanda.
He looked around the kitchen, then began to clean up the mess. He didn’t actually hear Hope return. It was more like he felt her presence. Yet, he was still surprised when he turned and found her leaning against the doorway, her arms and legs crossed, staring at him. “How long have you been there?” he asked.
She smiled and said, “Long enough to see you know your way around a kitchen.”
“Being single can do that for you.” He waited for her to cross into the room, but she stayed where she was. “Becky okay?”
“Her fever’s gone,” Hope said. “She was thirsty. I gave her a bottle of water and she went back to sleep.”
“Did you have lunch?” he asked.
“I thought I’d wait until the kids are up and make something for all of us.”
Jake emptied the water in the sink, rinsed it out, then wiped his hands on a dish towel as he turned to face her. “I think you and I need to talk.”
She raised a brow. “Oh?”
Jake knew that he couldn’t wait until his seven-o’clock date with Amanda before sharing his thoughts with Hope. He was a decisive man. When his mind was made up, he acted. He didn’t want to wait to tell Hope what he was thinking. And feeling.
“I’ve been thinking about the two of us.”
“Oh?” she said again, warily this time.
“Maybe I should say I’ve been rethinking some of the opinions I had about whether we could possibly make it as a couple.”
She stood up, her indolent posture gone, her dark gaze intent on him. “And what have you decided?”
He ticked off the points he had to make, using his fingers to count them, doing it logically, the way he’d thought it all out. “First, you like and want kids—as I do—and you’re young enough to have them. Second, we’d be good in bed together.”
He waited for her to comment, but when she said nothing, he continued. “Third, since you’ve been a rancher’s daughter, you understand what it means to be a rancher’s wife. Fourth, you haven’t changed your mind in the past three years, which suggests you’re serious about wanting to marry me.”
“Loving you,” she corrected in a soft voice. “I haven’t changed my mind about loving you. However, after that recitation, I’m not so sure I’m still interested in marrying you.”
He frowned. “What the hell have I said wrong?”
“You’ve listed all my qualifications as a wife—all the ways I can accommodate your needs. What about what I need? What about what I want from you?”
Jake made a disgusted sound in his throat. “How the hell do I know what you want? Or need?”
“Love, for a start. I want to be loved. Do you love me, Jake?”
“What does love have to do with anything? I want you. I’m willing to take care of you and have children with you. Isn’t that enough?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s not.”
“I’m not going to fall in love with you, Hope. I don’t think I can,” he said in a harsh voice. He wasn’t going to expose himself to that kind of hurt again. Especially not with someone as young—and potentially flighty—as a twenty-one-year-old girl. “But I want you. I haven’t stopped wanting you since the day you cornered me in your father’s barn.”
He watched her eyes widen, and her mouth opened slightly as her breathing became less steady.
“That’s not enough,” she said. “Not nearly enough.”
Her rejection stung. Especially after he’d made himself vulnerable, admitting he wanted her. Why had she pursued him so long and so hard, if she didn’t want him? His eyes narrowed. “So this has all been a game? See if you can get Jake Whitelaw to kowtow, then blow him off?”
“It’s nothing like that,” she protested. “I told you what I want.”
“To get me on my knees,” he shot back. “Total surrender.”
“Is that what you think love is? Capitulation? Defeat?” she cried. “I can’t believe I’ve wasted all these years loving you, wanting you—”
“So you admit it,” he snarled. “You do want me.” He was across the room and seized her in his embrace before she had time to form a reply. Then, because he was afraid she would try to deny what she’d admitted, his mouth came down to capture hers, demanding the response he wanted.
She turned to liquid fire in his arms, her mouth hot and wet, as he shoved her body up hard against the male part of him that had turned to rock at the mere thought of her softness.
&nbs
p; He squeezed her jaw, forcing her mouth open for the intrusion of his tongue. He felt his breath catch at the honey he found inside. She was sweet and soft.
And suddenly eager.
Her hands clutched his hair and she opened her mouth wide. Her tongue dueled with his, demanding equal pleasure. Her hips pressed against his and he felt the heat of her. His pulse raced, his heart pounding in his chest, the sound of it deafening in his ears.
His hands slid up from her waist and cupped her breasts, feeling the soft weight of them in his palms. His gut tightened at her guttural moan. Her head fell back and he saw her eyes were closed, her brow furrowed, her mouth open and panting, her features revealing a rapture that made him burn.
He ripped at her shirt, popping buttons as he yanked it free of her jeans, impatient to see her, to touch her naked flesh. He recognized the bra she wore. He’d seen it before. Or one very like it. Pure white, with small cups that revealed all of her breasts except the nipples. He only needed thumb and forefinger to release the catch and then shoved the scrap of cloth out of his way.
His mouth latched on to her nipple and he suckled strongly, feeling his body thrum and pulse as she writhed in his arms, her hands unsure, her body alive with feeling, her moan of desire and pain and wonder making his heart pound with excitement.
“I can’t...I don’t...” She gasped.
She grabbed him by the hair and pulled his mouth away. Her dark eyes were dazed, glazed, and she struggled for breath. “I want to touch you,” she rasped as she yanked at the buttons on his shirt.
He let her go and ripped it off himself, buttons pinging onto the counter, then stripped his long johns off, leaving his chest bare to her gaze.
She looked at him as if he was candy, and she was a starving kid.
“Hope,” he grated in a voice he didn’t recognize as his own. “I—”
She didn’t give him a chance to say more. She simply slid her fingers through the pelt of dark curls on his chest, then nestled her cheek against him, fitting her hips into the cradle of his own.
He felt his body harden, felt his pulse speed so his heart felt like it might pound its way out of his chest.
She looked up at him, an impish smile on her face, then reached down and began to unbuckle his belt. “I’ve wanted to do this for a very long time.”
He stood still, afraid to move, afraid to breathe, as she unsnapped his jeans. He heard the rasp as his zipper came down. Then groaned aloud as her hand slid down the front of his briefs to cup him. It had been too long since he’d had a woman. Three years, to be exact. And if she kept touching him like she was, he’d spill himself like a schoolboy.
“Don’t!” he said. He had no idea how harsh his voice sounded until he saw the hurt look on her face.
“You don’t want—”
“Woman,” he exclaimed with a laugh, “I want it too much!”
He saw the relief on her face, and then the return of a mischievous smile as her hand cupped him from the outside of his jeans. “I want it, too,” she teased.
She shrieked with surprise when he picked her up, but he was already halfway to her bedroom by then. He threw her on the unmade bed and turned to close and lock the door. Then he yanked off his boots and shoved down his jeans and briefs. When he looked at her, she was staring at him—at one particular part of him—her eyes wide with astonishment and... anxiety.
When she met his gaze, he said, “Don’t worry. It’ll fit.”
“I don’t think so,” she murmured. “You’re...”
“Just right for you,” he said as he pulled her boots off. He unsnapped her jeans and started tugging them off. His finger hooked her bikini panties, and they came off as well.
She grabbed at his hand, but it was too late. She was left wearing a pair of gray wool boot socks. She reached for the sheet, started to cover herself, then laid it back down again. She faced him boldly, then reached down and, one at a time, pulled off the socks as though they were black silk nylons.
The striptease worked. The instant the second sock hit the floor, he covered her body with his, settling his hips in the cradle of her thighs and lowering his chest onto hers, using his arms to keep his full weight off her.
When he sought her face again, the boldness was gone, replaced by innocence and apprehension.
He knew she was a virgin. She’d told him as much. He’d never made love to a woman who was untouched by another man. He wouldn’t have believed it would make a difference to him. But he felt a sudden possessiveness and a gladness that made his throat feel tight.
He reached a hand down between her legs and she squeezed them tight to keep him out.
“Hope,” he said in a tender voice. “Let me in.”
“It’s going to hurt,” she said matter-of-factly. “I know that. Just go ahead and get it over with.”
He waited for her to spread her legs and when he touched her realized that she wasn’t nearly ready for him. He leaned down to find her mouth with his and kissed her. Her lips were rigid, and he realized she was too frightened to respond.
He played with her mouth, kissing one side and then the other, not touching her anywhere else, just letting her get used to the feel of his body on hers. Gradually, he felt her hands at his waist and then felt her fingertips grip his hips and slide up his back, as her body became more pliant beneath his own.
His mouth found hers again, and this time her head came up as she kissed him back. Her tongue came seeking, and he opened his mouth to her, enjoying her tentative forays as she learned the taste of him. He deepened the kiss and felt her body melting against his. His hands moved along her hip, then upward to her breast. He played with her nipples, bringing them to hard peaks, then lowered his head and suckled once more.
He felt her body arch beneath him, felt her hips pressing upward, seeking respite. He lowered his hand and this time her legs opened wantonly, as she welcomed his touch. She was slick and wet, her body ready for his intrusion.
He felt her stiffen as he penetrated her with his finger. He found her mouth with his, and felt her body quicken as he mimicked the sex act with his tongue while his finger worked inside her. But she was small. And he wasn’t.
He realized he probably would hurt her, but he didn’t know any way to mount a virgin that would lessen the pain.
He slid his hands beneath her hips and lifted her, angling her so it would be easier to enter her, then began to push himself inside her.
Her eyes went wide, and she gripped his arms tightly, her fingernails digging crescents in his skin. “I don’t—” she cried. “You can’t— I can’t—”
Jake could feel her pulling away and realized that the best way to spare her pain was to broach her quickly. He took a breath and plunged into her to the hilt. She bit her lip to hold back a cry of pain, but it escaped anyway.
“Shh. Shh,” he said as he lay quiescent, deep inside her. “It’s done now. The worst is over.”
He brushed the sweaty hair from her forehead and kissed away the tear that had slid down her temple, then soothed the hurt where she’d bitten her lip.
“Sorry I yelled,” she muttered, refusing to meet his gaze. “But I felt like I was being torn in half.”
“Look at me,” Jake said.
She glanced up, seemed embarrassed, then looked away.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, chuckling. “So you might as well look at me.”
This time she looked at him defiantly. “I’m looking. Now what?”
“I will always treasure the gift you’ve given me today,” he said.
Tears welled in her eyes, and she bit her lip again. “I love you, Jake,” she said.
He felt the pause, the empty space in time where he should have said the words back to her. “You’re beautiful, Hope,” he said instead. “Lovely beyond word
s.”
He saw the light die in her eyes and searched for what he could do or say that would bring it back. He could bring her pleasure. He could offer her that. He caught her mouth with his own and sipped from the nectar there. He found the soft spot beneath her ear. Bit at her neck and shoulder hard enough to incite both pleasure and pain.
As her passion built, she returned the savage embrace, her hands moving over him, all the more erotic for their unpracticed touch.
He used his hands and mouth to incite her desire and began to move inside her, slowly at first, then more rapidly as her desire matched his own. She arched against him, animal sounds of need wrenched from her as they climbed the peaks of satisfaction. He felt her stiffen and groan and spilled his seed inside her with a guttural sound of satisfaction.
His body was heaving, and hers beneath him, as they both sought the breath to stay alive. He slid off to the side and pulled her into his arms, fitting her hips against him. Her eyes were closed, her body slick with sweat, as was his. He kissed her shoulder, liking the salty taste of her.
He closed his eyes. Finally satisfied. Wanting to sleep. Not wanting to think about what he’d just done, or what it meant. He’d marry her, of course. And figure out a way to assuage his conscience where Amanda was concerned.
Oh, God. What was he going to say to Amanda? And how was he going to explain this to his family?
Hell. He would figure out something to say. This was right. He and Hope belonged together. He didn’t know why he’d fought it for so long.
“Jake?”
“Umm,” he mumbled. He’d have to teach Hope that the last thing a man wanted after sex was conversation. “Don’t worry, Hope,” he said. “We’re going to be married as soon as I can get a license. It would have been better to wait a decent time after my wedding date to Amanda, but I didn’t use a condom, and I don’t suppose you’re on the pill. Better safe than sorry.”
“I’m not going to marry you, Jake.”
It took a moment for the words to sink in. Jake sat up and stared at Hope, who pulled the sheet up to cover herself as she sat up and stared back at him.
Sisters Found Page 11
