Debra Webb - In His Touch Box Set (Here To Stay, Up Close, Tempting Trace, Basic Instincts)

by Debra Webb

  And therein lay the problem. “A whole stream of failed relationships,” Jake corrected. “People will think that’s why none of them lasted.” He closed his eyes and forced away the realization. What was wrong with him? He wasn’t supposed to be mourning the fact that he was still single. He was only thirty-two, for God’s sake. And he was a guy. Guys did not have biological clocks!

  Dan frowned. “I never thought of it that way.” He turned his palms up and lifted a shoulder in a resigned shrug. “That’s it, then; you’ll just have to marry Merri and set the record straight—literally,” he added with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t see a problem.”

  Marry her? The fact that he didn’t wince at the idea or instantly protest was more unsettlingly than his sudden vision of Merri in full bridal regalia.

  “We barely know each other.”

  “Well, there’s a way to remedy that,” Dan pointed out. “What the two of you need is time alone with no distractions. Quality time.”

  But Jake understood what he and Merri were likely to do when they were alone had little or nothing to do with what Dan had in mind. There wouldn’t be a whole hell of a lot of talking.

  “Are we still on for tomorrow afternoon?” Dan asked, interrupting Jake’s troubling thoughts.

  “Yeah. Two o’clock.” Jake resisted the grin that tickled his lips. Dan would certainly be shocked when he found out the new boat they were taking out on Saturday was his birthday present. The real present Jake wanted to give him would have to wait until the baby was born. Dan would be vulnerable then. Becoming a father would likely make him more open to Jake’s offer.

  “Great,” Dan said with visible relief. “Suzy will drive me crazy trying to make the day special if I don’t get out of the house, I want her to take it easy, but she just won’t listen.”

  Jake needed to call Merri again. Suzy had said she was helping with the party. Maybe that’s why he hadn’t been able to reach her since Tuesday night. Of course she could be avoiding him. After all, she was probably as embarrassed about their shared moment at the Landry dinner party as he was. One thing was for sure, Jake promised himself, the next time he and Merri fooled around, he wasn’t going to stop.

  “Hey, here’s an idea,” Dan said with sudden inspiration. “How about we all go out to dinner tomorrow night? Suzy and I could referee.” He pulled a serious face. “Tell us about yourself, Merri.” He waved a hand toward an empty chair, then gestured to Jake. “And you, Jake, what is it you like to do besides play footsie at a prospective client’s swanky dinner party?”

  Jake only shook his head at his friend. Though Dan’s idea might be a good one, Jake already knew tomorrow night’s real agenda. He only hoped he would make it through the night in the same house with Merri without doing something equally foolish.

  ~*~

  Meredith sang “Happy Birthday” with the rest of the assembled group as an ecstatic Dan kissed his wife and blew out all thirty-seven of his candles at once. Meredith applauded and smiled, but her thoughts were on Jake. His affection for his friends was displayed in his every action, every word. She had never known a more caring man.

  His patience was unending, his generosity undeniable. And it didn’t hurt that he was great to look at, too. A tiny thrill of desire coursed through her, coiling her already tense muscles in anticipation of his nearness.

  She put an immediate stop to those thoughts and eased back toward the rear of the room. Whatever the cost to her personal comfort, she mustn’t get too close, and she couldn’t risk being alone with Jake. She was too close to the edge. One wrong move and she might be tempted to cross the line that would only bring pain and heartache to both of them.

  Next week she planned to return to New York, by Wednesday at the very latest. Shelley was not happy about Meredith’s decision. A complete romantic at heart, her friend entertained the notion that Meredith could tell Jake everything and fall into his arms to live happily ever after. But Meredith knew from experience that life didn’t work that way. She had counseled couples every day who fantasized in just that manner to no avail. Life wasn’t always easy and was rarely fair. Just like now.

  Not to mention that deception was the number one cause of death when it came to relationships. Lack of communication ran a close second.

  After all her years as a therapist, Meredith knew exactly what she wanted in a husband—if she ever found one. Just her luck to fall for a guy who would never want to see her again if he discovered who she really was.

  The best she could hope for at this point was to pick up the pieces of her heart when it was over. But she wanted more for Jake. She didn’t want him to feel the hurt, or to have any regrets over their short time together. With that in mind, she intended to get through this night, then never see him again. By Wednesday she would be back home, and by Friday Jake would have forgotten her. Dan would probably take him out for a few beers, and some other lucky lady would spot the good-looking single guy at the bar. And that lucky lady just might be the one.

  Pain seared through her, making her want to cry in spite of the lively birthday celebration underway. Boy, she’d made a mess of things. Meredith blinked back the sting of tears. All those years of higher education and counseling hadn’t prevented her from making the wrong choices. How could she presume to help anyone else ever again?

  “Hey, pretty lady.”

  Meredith looked up to find Jake leaning against the wall next to her. The sexy grin on his lips and the twinkle in those velvety brown eyes made her want to weep all over again. How would she ever be able to forget him? He stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb and made her heart flutter.

  In a few weeks he would be looking at another woman this way. One who could honestly return that look of powerful yearning and sincere hope. “I...have to go.” Her voice, along with her courage, fell. She had to get out of here. Meredith hurried past him, ignoring his look of concern and the words he called out to her. In the hall, she looked right, then left. She couldn’t leave by the front door and she had no car in which to escape. Could she call a cab? Foolishly, she’d left her cell phone at Shelley’s.

  The bathroom.

  She could escape in the bathroom. He wouldn’t follow her there.

  “Merri, wait!”

  She jerked open the door, rushed inside and closed it, and tried to hold back the tears. The situation was impossible. Jake deserved to know the truth, but she couldn’t tell him and watch the hurt well in his eyes.

  “Merri, what’s wrong? Please open the door.” His deep voice rumbled through the wood panel at her back. In her mind she imagined his face pressed close to the door, one wide palm flattened against it.

  “Did I do or say something wrong?” he asked softly. Pushing away from the sound, she opened her eyes to get her bearings. Blackness greeted her. She fumbled near the door frame for the switch. When the overhead light came on she blinked, stunned. Meredith swiped her eyes and almost laughed out loud. This was no bathroom. In her hurry, she’d hidden in the walk-in coat closet.

  “I don’t know why you’re hiding in that closet, but I’m coming in.”

  Meredith swung around to face Jake. She avoided his eyes, staring at one broad shoulder. “I’d like you to take me home now,” she told him in as firm a voice as she could muster. The khaki button-up shirt contrasted nicely with the vee of tanned skin at his throat. The snug-fitting jeans he wore, she knew without lowering her gaze, showed off his long, lean legs. From the moment she’d opened Shelley’s door and found him standing there, she had a difficult time catching her breath.

  But he deserved better than this... this deception.

  “Something’s wrong.” He eased closer, crowding her. “I’m not moving from this spot until you tell me what the problem is.”

  Meredith stumbled back until the bare wall between racks of coats stopped her. “I have a headache. I need to go home.” As in all the way back to New York, so she could forget all about him.

  He chucked her under the ch
in. “Look at me.” It was a command, not a request.

  Barely restraining the urge to dive into his arms, she lifted her gaze to his. The worry she saw there tugged at her already heavy heart.

  “Have I done something wrong?”

  The soft plea only made her heart ache more. “No.”

  His other hand moved to rest gently at her waist. “Then tell me how to make you smile again.”

  “It’s not you, Jake, it’s me,” she admitted. Unable to bear looking at him a moment longer, she pulled away and stared at the fake leopard fur coat to her right. God, did anyone buy those things anymore?

  He moved in closer, his body against hers now. His lips brushing her cheek. His warm breath fanned her sensitive skin, making her shiver, making her want to cry all over again.

  “Just tell me what to do, Merri. I’ll do anything you ask.”

  He meant what he said. She saw the fierce desire in his eyes and a need that matched the intensity of her own.

  “You don’t know me, Jake Brandon,” she heard herself say, her voice small but uncertain, but she was sure she could not keep that dark secret a moment longer.

  “I know all I need to know.” He nibbled her lowered lip, then murmured, “You’re sweet.” Using his tongue, he traced that same place he’d nibbled with his teeth. “You’re charming and intelligent.” He sucked on her bottom lip. Her breath caught. “And you’re beautiful.”

  “But—”

  His mouth closed fully over hers then. His fingers closed tenderly around her face, holding her so that she couldn’t escape. Then his tongue thrust inside her mouth and Meredith groaned. Her hand moved to his chest, and slid up around his neck to thread her fingers into his thick, silky hair. Pressing his body firmly against hers, he made the next sound of pleasure that echoed in the tiny room. His full arousal made her long to feel that part of him inside her. She gasped when his mouth moved lower, along the line of her jaw, then down the length of her throat. One flimsy spaghetti strap slipped from her shoulder and he tugged it lower still, until he bared one of her breasts. Meredith arched her back, presenting herself for his touch. He toyed with her nipple, sending a wave of sweet sensation right through her. She urged him with her body to latch on, to suck, to end this exquisite ache. Slowly, he obeyed the unspoken command. The feel of his hot mouth covering the ultra-sensitive flesh made her whimper with need.

  He sucked hard and Meredith writhed uncontrollably. The second strap slid down at his insistence and he moved to her other breast, tasting, licking, sucking, until she could only beg helplessly for his mercy. But Jake would not relent. His hand moved beneath the hem of her too-short dress, then inside the skimpy panties she wore. Meredith gasped when he dragged the damp, silky panties down her legs. His mouth never left her breast, the sucking only more urgent. Instinctively, she lifted first one foot, then the other for him to free her from the scrap of silk.

  “Spread your legs for me, baby,” he ordered, his lips moving against her skin as he spoke, arousing her beyond belief. “Let me show you how much I want you.”

  She couldn’t think, she couldn’t analyze, she could only obey. Her feet, still in high heels, moved apart as he knelt between them. His hands, sure and strong, he pushed her dress above her hips. Gasping for breath, Meredith forced her eyes open to watch him. She had surrendered at last. Whatever he wanted, she would allow him to take. And she would take whatever she wanted... she wanted all of him.

  He set back on his heels and simply looked at her. Finally, when Meredith was certain she could no longer bear the heat of his intent gaze, he kissed her there, then lower still. Her eyes closed, and his name drifted past her lips. The erotic sensation was so exquisite it took all her energy to remain standing. She could not move, she could do nothing but tremble at his skilled touch.

  Jake’s fingers splayed over her trembling thighs as his tongue slid along her most sensitive flesh, then dipped inside. A low moan wrenched from her throat as she pressed hard against the wall; her fingers clutched at the coats hanging on either side of her for balance. He discovered and paid special attention to that tiny part of her that throbbed insistently. Her feminine muscles clenched tighter and tighter still. When his tongue thrust inside her, she climaxed within seconds, dissolving into the multitude of raging sensations.

  ~*~

  Jake pressed his cheek against the softness of her flat belly and struggled to regain some semblance of composure. He wanted to be inside her, right now. But not here. He had to pull himself together. Thank God he’d remembered to lock the door behind him when he came in after her. He didn’t want to embarrass Merri again. She meant too much to him.

  He pressed a kiss next to her belly button, then reached for her discarded panties. His fingers closed around one delicate ankle and lifted her foot to pull the panties over one sexy high-heeled shoe.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded, her voice low and lusty. Her gaze slowly focused on him as she pulled her ankle free of his grasp.

  Those blue eyes brought him to his feet. Those full, ripe cherry lips lured him in to her. He had to kiss her... kiss her or die right here in this damned closet. When he captured her mouth, she sucked at him hungrily, greedily. Renewed desire overwhelmed him, making him harder than before. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, then splayed over his bare chest. He groaned savagely, his own hunger bursting from him. She found his right nipple and teased it tenderly with her nail. He growled, his arms going around her and pulling her hard into his erection. She tugged his shirt from his jeans and smoothed her palms over his back. Jake trembled in spite of himself.

  “Merri,” he murmured next to her ear. “We have to stop now or I—”

  “You have a condom, don’t you?” she demanded, her fingers reaching for the fly of his jeans.

  He blinked and tried to make sense of her question. A condom? Did she want to... “Are you sure about this?” He dipped his head to the right, searching her downcast gaze. “We can wait if you’re not.”

  Some of the fire went out of her then. She licked those incredible lips and looked away. “I thought...” A deeper color rose into her already flushed cheeks. “I’m sorry, I thought you wanted...” She didn’t finish.

  He pulled her chin up so she would have to look at him. His heart squeezed at the uncertainty he saw there. “I do.” He shook his head. “How could you think anything else?”

  She shook her head, her eyes suddenly suspiciously bright. Jake fell in love with her all over again, right then and there. His heart would not let him allow her to believe that he didn’t want her, not for one second. “Let me make love to you, Merri.” He kissed her lips. “Right now.” He deepened the kiss, wrenching a moan from her. “And I’ll show you just how much more I want.”

  While she eased his jeans over his hips, Jake fished a condom from his wallet. She took it from him. When she had opened it and slid it over him, he almost climaxed then and there. He pushed her caressing hands away. Her arms went around his neck and she surrendered to him once more. As he lifted her, she wrapped her legs around his waist. Slowly, so very slowly, he guided her down, thrusting into her while he watched the sheer pleasure suffuse her beautiful face.

  The sensation of her slick, hot body closing around him almost sent him over the edge. At last, he was buried deep inside her, and she was so tight that he wasn’t sure he could move without coming. He pressed his forehead to hers and focused on slowing his breathing and delaying his need until he could satisfy her.

  Seeming to sense his loss of control, Merri lifted, then pressed down again. A fierce sound erupted from his throat. Again she lifted and pressed down, then repeated. Jake could wait no longer. He pressed her back against the wall and brought her to a powerful orgasm once more before reaching his own mind-blowing release.

  Her labored breathing matched his own as they struggled for calm, still united, still one.

  “Merri,” he finally murmured when he could talk again.

  She ti
lted her head just enough to look up at him. “Yes?”

  “I think I’m in love with you.”

  Something resembling fear flickered in her blue eyes before she could mask it. Jake’s gut clenched. Were his words that much of a surprise? He’d thought that—

  “I have to go.” Her long legs slid down to the floor. She pushed him away, breaking that intimate contact. “I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have let this happen.” She quickly righted her dress, pulled away from him and dragged her panties back on before he could break out of the shock holding him prisoner. She fumbled with the door lock, then glanced back at him. “I’m sorry, Jake,” she murmured before rushing out the door.

  Swearing under his breath, Jake stamped into the guest bathroom and took care of necessary business. When he stepped back into the hall, Merri was waiting for him.

  “Jake, we have to take Suzy and Dan to the hospital.”

  Still confused and annoyed, he frowned. “What?”

  Merri licked those lips swollen from his kisses, and stared directly into his eyes. “Suzy’s water broke about an hour ago, but she didn’t want to ruin Dan’s party so she didn’t tell anyone.”

  Her throat was reddened by his fierce need to taste her. He should have been gentler. He certainly should have taken her someplace more romantic.

  “Jake, are you listening to me?”

  “What did you say?” he demanded, her words finally penetrating his bleary mind. Suzy? In labor?

  “Her contractions are too close together. We have to go now,” she added pointedly. “Dan and most everyone else has been drinking.”

  Jake nodded, his brain working once more. “That was the plan. I was supposed to be the designated driver tonight since it’s his birthday.”

  “Good.” Merri grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the living room. “Now we just have to get rid of the stragglers so we can get going.” She fixed her gaze on him once more. “We really have to hurry.”