She shoved the controller at him. “Find me the power bracelet.”
“It’s in the forest.”
“I searched the forest.”
“Did you chop down any trees?”
“About a zillion.” She wiggled the joystick. “Please?”
He rolled his eyes and grabbed it. “God, does your cheating know no boundaries?” He plopped down next to her and maneuvered the knight in the right direction.
If only he could do the same with his own life.
“You’re so cute.” Kate pinched his cheek, then rose to her feet before running her hand over his head. “Since you’re being so nice, I’ll scrounge up some dessert.”
Triumphant bells rang, announcing he’d succeeded in his quest. Then the light bulb in his head went on.
Wait. Did she just pinch my cheek and muss my hair?
“Jake?” she called from the kitchen, “I see cookies. Would you like milk with them?”
Milk and cookies? Is she fucking kidding me?
Jake jumped to his feet as something akin to a grunt erupted from his gut. So this was how the cavemen felt. Slamming the controller to the couch, he stormed into the kitchen.
Time to step outside the box.
Kate peered around the cabinet door as he approached. “Where do you hide--”
Grabbing her wrist, he yanked her toward him and threw her over his shoulder.
“What the hell?”
He didn’t answer as he moved her through the house.
“Jake, my knight is probably getting pummeled by evil zigboars right now.” Her tone had turned from shock to annoyance.
A left at the doorway toward the stairs.
“Okay, seriously, this isn’t funny.”
He took the steps two at a time.
“Jake.” Now her voice was a nervous whisper. “What are you doing?”
Into his bedroom, he didn’t answer until he tossed her onto his king-size bed. She flopped back on her elbows, her chest moving in rapid motion. Her eyes went wide and glazed over.
“I’ve tried to be patient.” Grabbing the back of his shirt, he yanked it over his head and then slammed it to the floor.
She let out a startled breath, her eyes trailing over him. “Jake—”
“I’ve tried to be reasonable.” Next he had his socks and sneakers off in record time.
Resting his hands on either side of her hips, he loomed over her, bringing his face to within a breath of hers. “Now it’s time to get physical.”
Before she could say another word, Jake buried his face in her neck, sucking hard on the tender flesh. She gasped, but he didn’t give her time to adjust to his unexpected assault as his lips traveled across her cheek to her mouth. He maneuvered his tongue between her lips and tasted wine.
The knotted strings at the back of her neck beckoned him. With one tug, the halter gave way and slid past her heaving breasts. He took in the sight that had been denied him the other day. Her nipples were already tight and puckered. He cupped the mounds, massaging as he brushed his thumbs over them in a slow circle.
That drew a gasp from her, but she hadn’t budged since he threw her onto the bed, still leaning back on her elbows. Her eyes blazed, her breath coming in short huffs, and she kissed him back with as much passion as he showed her. He laid her flat, pushing the shirt farther down and dragged his tongue over one of the hardened peaks. Kate moaned when he blew on the damp area then gently nipped the overly sensitive skin.
Inch by inch, he kissed down her body, while slowly easing her shirt, shorts, and panties out of the way. She didn’t stop him. She didn’t encourage him either.
That was going to change.
Without warning, Jake parted her thighs and buried his face between them. Kate’s body trembled, and she cried out as his tongue sought its target. He knew the second he found it by the way her body jerked. He peered up from his nesting place, watching her arch her back, her arms outstretched, balling the bedspread in her fists.
Jake resisted another instinctual grunt as her body trembled with her impending release, but he stopped just short of pushing her over the edge. Twisting and squirming, she finally gripped his hair at the roots. “Please!”
God, he always knew he could make her beg, but hearing her words had him out of his shorts and briefs so fast he swore he ripped them. Her fingers still held his hair, but her eyes were closed. He moved into place, rubbing his cock against her heated center.
She moaned, bucking against him, but he kept fulfillment just out of reach. Her hands traveled down his spine to his backside, digging in her nails and urging him closer. He denied her.
“Whose are you, Kate?” he said in a gruff whisper.
She squeezed her lids tight, jerking her head from side to side. “I need you inside me.”
He rocked his hips again, stroking his rock-hard erection against her, but still he stopped when she was just at the edge of release.
“Jake, please! You’re killing me!”
He needed to hear it, needed her to look him in the eye, so there was no mistaking who was making her plead. “Tell me! Just for this moment, who do you belong to?”
Kate gazed at him under heavy lids, her eyes drenched with desire. “You, Jake! I belong to you.”
With her confession, he captured her lips and thrust into her silken heat. He let out a shocked grunt. God, she felt good. So damn good. By focusing on her need for him, he’d forgotten his own desperate need for her. He prayed for the strength to fulfill the unspoken promise his body made to hers. The last thing he wanted was to roar to the finish line within seconds like a teenage kid.
Kate matched his hard, fast thrusts. Her fingers explored him, making his task to hold on that much harder.
Her body quaked. She pulled her knees up and leaned her head back, spasming around him as she cried out her pleasure. She writhed and panted as her orgasm continued. Jake drove in deep, following her over the border into ecstasy.
He collapsed on top of her, disbelief at having finally made love to this woman. But along with the gentle caresses and soft whispers that followed such intimacy, a small, smug part of him danced a jig.
No kid could make her scream like that.
Chapter Twenty-Three
KATE’S HEARTBEAT was long in returning to normal. Pulling in deep breaths, she stared at the ceiling as she dragged her fingernails gently over Jake’s back. His body warmed her, his scent excited her, but she could only think about one thing.
God, what have I done?
Sex with her boss was a recipe for disaster. But that wasn’t what had her fighting back tears. No, the true horror simmered just below the surface, bubbling up trying to break through.
She stopped her exploration as panic washed over her. She had to get out of there.
“Jake, please.”
“Sorry.” He rolled off, his hand running down her body as he did. “I didn’t mean to squish you.”
She scooted off the bed, then crawled along the floor, gathering her clothes in a mad rush and hoping Jake would just let her leave.
“Kate? What are you doing?”
So much for hope. “I have to go.”
The mattress creaked. Had he gotten off the bed or simply sat up? She couldn’t look. If she did, she’d fall into his arms again.
“I’ll see you later.” She fled the room, pulling articles of clothing on as she hurried down the stairs.
Please don’t follow me.
He didn’t.
Part of her was relieved. The other part, the girly, romantic part, was disappointed he’d let her go so easily.
Reaching the ground floor, she stopped. If only she had the strength to hop over the back fence like Jake often did. Instead, she had to settle for running out the front door and across to her house for the whole neighborhood to see.
Once she was safely inside her home, the dam burst. She sank to the couch, sobbing into her hands.
“William, my love. Please don’t hate me
.”
Sex between her and William had been loving, tender, often passionate—but never so animalistic. But, oh Lord, the way Jake had dominated her… the way she’d been so crazed herself…
Horrified gasps shook her body as memories of all the liberties she’d allowed Jake nearly suffocated her. She wrapped her arms around her middle, rocking back and forth, trying to picture William’s face. “He wasn’t better than you, sweetheart. I swear he wasn’t better than you.”
Was William watching from Heaven? Would he wonder why she’d never reacted that way with him? Clawing at his back and screaming so hard her throat hurt?
Kate’s sobs subsided as the clock rang ten. She had to get on with her nightly routine, had to force herself to go upstairs and face William smiling from behind glass.
Squaring her shoulders, she headed for the steps to her room. She managed to shower without looking at the picture sitting on her nightstand. Her hair needed tending, but William’s photo beckoned.
Sorrow formed a weight in her chest, but she gave up resisting and turned to the bed. The ringing of the doorbell stopped her. Kate gripped the lapels of her robe. She knew who was on her doorstep.
Jake.
The girly romantic part sat up straight and smoothed down her hair. The sensible part wanted to hide.
Should she just ignore him? Let him figure out on his own she didn’t want to see him right now?
But she couldn’t do that. He’d done nothing wrong.
Maybe this whole sordid romp was a good thing. They’d gotten it out of their systems. The desperate need was satisfied.
That thought lasted as long as it took her to open the door. He stood there, hands braced on either side of the doorjamb, his jaw set in a determined line.
“I need to know if I owe you an apology.”
Kate stood aside and gestured for him to enter. He faced her, but she couldn’t meet his eye.
He wanted an answer.
She took the precious seconds to close and latch the door to concoct a response. In the end, honesty prevailed. “No, you don’t.”
“Good, because you weren’t going to get one.”
She let out a humorless laugh. “Well, that’s blunt.”
“It’s also the truth. To apologize would imply I have regrets, and I don’t. Not one.” Hooking a finger under her chin, he coaxed her to look at him. “I need to know if you have any.”
Did she? If given the chance, would she go back to when they were playing that game and leave before Jake tossed her over his shoulder?
Would she wish it all away?
Guilt demanded she say yes. But her heart refused such a lie.
“No.” Her meek voice made her cringe. She hated being vulnerable in front of anyone.
“Kate, talk to me.”
“I just feel like...”
“You’re being eaten alive with guilt?”
To hear her thoughts spoken for her, that he somehow understood how she felt, was the key to open the floodgates again. “Yes.”
She lowered her face to his shoulder, crying over the turmoil raging inside her. Holding her firmly in his embrace, he led her to the family room and sat her on the sofa. She snatched a tissue from the box sitting on her coffee table.
Jake sat beside her and took her hand. “Shortly, after my family—” He stopped when his voice cracked and cleared his throat. “After the fire, Carol and I went to Hawaii for our honeymoon. As soon as we got there, she headed for the beach. I stayed behind in our hotel room and sat on the bed, staring at the beautiful view from our window, and wept.”
“Why?”
“How could I come to this paradise and have fun while my family lay dead? Why hadn’t I died with them? How could I enjoy myself? I felt like a horrible human being for visiting one of the most beautiful places on earth, knowing they never could.”
“I’m so sorry.” Her fingers squeezed his.
He caught her gaze, his red-rimmed eyes trying to convey something she didn’t understand. “It took me a long time to realize they’d be really pissed at me if I stopped living just because they had. After a while, I learned to cherish all the wonderful things life had to offer. I did it for them.”
“So you’re saying I should get over the guilt.” Great, yet another person telling her how to feel.
“No.”
Her head jerked up, startled. “You’re not?”
“No one can instruct you on how to grieve, Kate. It’s something you have to do on your own.”
This was why he hadn’t followed her from his room to convince her to stay with him. Because he knew she needed time to herself, time to face the initial impact of what had happened between them. Then he showed up, ready and willing to help her through it.
Her knight.
For the first time in almost four years, she wasn’t a grieving widow, but a woman. A sexy, desirable woman.
Jake made her feel alive, but he also understood.
She needed him. Just for a little while, she’d allow herself to be a woman again.
Kate focused on his eyes and saw the ache there, the wisdom far too painful for someone so young. Cupping the back of his head, she leaned forward and brushed her lips over his. He angled toward her, placing his hands at her waist, and swept his tongue over hers.
Scooting closer, she dropped her palms to his chest, to his pounding heart. Jake wasn’t just some guy she’d picked up at a bar. She cared about him, and he her. With him there, she could think about their lovemaking and not feel anything but the delicious tingling she’d always experienced when she’d lie in her bed with him on her mind.
Her fingers grew bolder, searching for the hem of his T-shirt.
Jake sucked in his breath and yanked back. “I need to go.”
He stood, but she gripped his wrist. “No. Stay with me.”
“Damn it, Kate.” He squatted before her and brushed a stray tendril behind her ear. “Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to resist you?”
One hand tightened on his wrist as the other stroked up and down his arm. “Before what we shared was intense, carnal.” Her eyes captured his. “Incredible.”
His breath hitched, pupils dilating. “Yes,” he whispered.
“Now I want to make love.”
Even after everything they’d shared, his face still turned an adorable shade of pink at her request. But in contrast, he snatched her from the sofa, pulling her against him as he covered her lips with his in a slow sensual kiss that made her toes curl.
Yes, this was what she wanted to feel. Not the grief or the guilt, but the joy of being a lover.
Taking Jake by the hand, she led him up the stairs, knowing he wouldn’t make the decision himself—to take her to the bed she’d shared with William. But she had to, needed to. Even if these were the only moments she and Jake laid together, she wanted a new memory, a happy one, of the last time she shared her bed with a man.
Hesitating for only a second, she walked through the doorway and headed over to her side of the bed. She turned to Jake and lifted her lips toward his, an invitation he eagerly accepted as he tugged at the belt at her waist. The robe puddled to the floor. Jake’s clothes quickly followed.
With his face buried in her neck, he lowered her to the sheets. Heat sprinted though her body. The throbbing ache had been satisfied only a few hours ago, yet it burned as hot as the first time she’d kissed him.
Kate sought his lips. With him captured in a passionate kiss, she walked her fingers over the top of her nightstand until they touched the smooth wood of the picture frame. She laid it face down.
Some things she just wasn’t ready for.
***
The next morning, Jake’s internal alarm went off at six. He smiled at the sleeping woman beside him. A warm feeling filled him. Even in his detailed dreams, he couldn’t have imagined it would be like this.
Pushing aside the sheets, Jake headed for the bathroom. He glanced around, brows raised. A stall shower and Jacuzzi
garden tub with brushed-bronze fixtures decorated with white and pale green marble. Not bad. William sure knew how to design.
He grimaced. Damn, why did he have to think about him?
William the Great. William the Perfect. William the Love of Kate’s Life.
William the Whole Man.
Just what he needed, to be jealous of a ghost.
Pushing his thoughts aside, he stepped into the shower. He wouldn’t think about Kate’s husband. That was then, and this was now.
He’d focus on the good things. The six weeks he and Kate enjoyed getting to know each other. The joy, so long absent from his life, thatshe’d brought back. The sexual tension, strong enough to break someone’s spine, culminating in the best fucking sex he’d ever had.
After he showered, Jake dried himself off and went back to bed. Scooting under the covers, he smoothed the soft blonde silk away from her face and kissed her cheek.
“Wake up, honey. It’s time for work.” God, how many mornings had he longed to say those words to her?
Kate groaned and turned over, peeking at the bedside clock. “Are you out of your mind? I have another forty-five minutes.”
He chuckled. “Okay. I’m going home to change. You can sleep until I get back.”
She grunted something incoherent.
After pulling on last night’s clothes, Jake headed to the back door. The house was way too quiet. Even though he was used to the silence, it seemed out of place here. He missed the boys. Alex and Drew had become as much a part of his life as their mother had.
He hoped this was the beginning of something great. Something they could share for a little while before they both moved on. He just hoped he didn’t do something stupid to screw it up.
Like fall in love with her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
A SOFT HAND against her cheek pulled Kate from her erotic dream. Jake lay next to her, fully dressed, with a beaming smile. “No more sleeping. Time to get up.”
For a moment, she smiled back, but with the sunrise came reality. Something Jake apparently hadn’t caught onto yet.
He kissed the tip of her nose. “Get dressed. I’ll make a quickbreakfast, and then we can carpool to work. Don’t know why we didn’t think of that before—Kate, are you okay?”
Crazy Little Thing Called Matchmaking Page 19
