Twice in a Lifetime (Love Found)

by Henrick, Ruthie

  She pulled back again, studying his features. “I want to wake up with you in the morning.” Her deft fingers freed his shirt button; her gaze turned hot before it lowered to follow her hands, baring a fine sprinkling of chest hairs that tapered to trail down his abdomen.

  His heart thundered at the novelty of her gentle hands on his bare skin. “Mmm. Tomorrow morning.”

  Spreading the separated halves of his shirt, sliding it off his shoulders and down his arms, scattered kisses followed her fingers. “Mmm hmm. Every day.” Hooded hazel eyes finally lifted, glittering with hunger.

  He stopped her hands as they reached for his zipper. “Sounds like a hell of an idea.” And as he reached down to scoop her into his arms, shifted her with a bounce and carried her down the hallway, his heart soared in his chest.

  Waited. He’d waited a lifetime for tonight, and could do without the anxiety twisting a knot in his gut. What did he have to be afraid of? This was Allie in his arms, he knew her. Knew her humor, her laughter, had witnessed her tears of both compassion and grief. Recognized the floral scent she wore. And now he knew her taste. “I’ve waited for you.” His words were murmured as she slid his glasses from his face and laid them on the nightstand.

  A grin stretched across her face as she pushed to her toes and linked her wrists behind his neck. “Waited? I seem to remember several women over the years.” She rubbed her breasts over his bare chest.

  Oh, he wouldn’t mind if she did that all night long, but he wanted his hands on her skin. He unbuttoned her pleated blouse, removed it to skim his lips across one freckled shoulder and breathe in her scent before meeting her eyes. “Yes, well, there was also the small matter of a husband.”

  Her head fell back when his lips lowered to her satiny collarbone. “Mmm, the husband. That feels good, don’t stop.”

  His hands forged a path down her rib cage, her abdomen tightening with a quick intake of breath as his thumbs grazed the sides of lace-covered breasts. The mewl of satisfaction that escaped on her gasp had his erection throbbing. His breaths came in harsh gasps. He dropped to his knees. His work-roughened palms rasped against the satiny skin of her hips as he tugged open the snap of her jeans and lowered the zipper. “Jesus, Allie, did you paint these on? Help me out here.” With a laugh she wriggled until he had the curve-hugging denim down and off.

  Lust threatened to consume him as he uncovered her silky limbs and left her standing in nothing but mind-altering scraps of pink silk. She palmed his head, her fingers tickling through his hair and across his scalp as his hands explored the firmness of her toned runner’s thighs, roamed her trim hips and kneaded the lush globes of her ass. Jesus, she was… perfect. Better than anything good and soft he could ever imagine. He dragged open– mouth kisses over the front of her panties and was rewarded when she drew in a ragged shudder. His heart raced in his chest.

  More. He needed more and he needed it now. Needed to bury himself –. Ah, fuck! Abruptly, he tightened his arms around her thighs and dropped his forehead to her belly. “Shit.”

  Her hands held him close. “Not the reaction I was looking for, Jake.”

  He raised his eyes, met hers, dark with passion yet suddenly amused. “Tell me you have condoms, Allie. He rose, floundering, desperate. “I’m not… prepared… for this.” His imagination hadn’t dare stretch this far.

  Her amusement fled and her hands lifted to cup his jaw. “No I don’t, but I’ve already started my change.” She released his face and his pecs tightened as her hands raked across his shoulders then flicked his nipples.

  Allie. Her babies. “I’m sorry, baby.” he murmured while he still could and caught the quick flash of regret that clouded her eyes.

  Then he couldn’t think. Could only feel as those hands coasted lower and—, “Ah, fuck, Allie. What are you—?” His knees buckled. He couldn’t breathe. She was going to kill him. “Jesus. Baby. Do that again.”

  The soft morning light sneaked through the slats of the window blinds and warmed her face. She’d been warm since Jake first held her last night, hot since she uncovered his bare skin and caused his heart to sprint with just her hands. Her blood scorched her veins when he laid her on the bed and nibbled every inch of her body, inflaming her sensitive skin with his hot, lashing tongue. Describing in exacting detail what he wanted to do to her.

  She melted when he crowded into her body, inch by unhurried inch and then burned when passion built and he powered into her in a series of hard, grinding thrusts. He drowned her in a sea of endless kisses that left her chest heaving for breath and her body slick with sweat. And when his fingers found her and set her blazing, his body was fused to hers as they came apart together.

  Sated, energized, she stretched out her arms, and then her legs. Oh, a little achy. Her heart bumped, then smoothed, settled. “Jake.” The word slipped out on a satisfied sigh.

  He was awake. She lay cradled, wrapped in the warm cocoon of his arms, with the proof pressed urgently against her hip. She turned her head back and he dropped a lusty kiss on her lips.

  “Good morning, babe. Sleep well?”

  “Eventually.” She rolled and landed facing him, letting her palm ride the firm ridges of his abdomen. “How about you? That smile looks satisfied.”

  He smoothed her hair back, a grin spread across his face. “I was. Several times, in fact.”

  She let her grin match his. “And points to you for that.”

  Lying on his side with an arm resting heavy across her waist, his lips lowered to tease hers again before continuing across her jaw and down the column of her throat. “We have hours before Trey’s due home. Care to up the score?”

  Her breath quickened in her chest. His hand roamed along her hip, dragging her closer until she was beneath him, kicking at the tangle of sheets. She wrestled him, rolled until she lay across his chest, propped on her elbows. “This game could be addicting, you know.”

  Quick as a cobra, he raised his head and stole another kiss. “Oh God, I hope so.”

  Rumpled and exhausted but hungry for food Allie climbed out of bed, then straightened the bedroom and changed the sheets. Jake belted out an upbeat tune from the shower, and she smiled. Gathering the linens, she headed down the hallway as the shower spray ceased. She was still smiling as she turned the corner.

  And ran smack into Trey.

  “You guys should consider putting a sock on the door.” He had the nerve to chortle as she bounced off him.

  Oh, God! She stumbled to a full stop, enveloped in the heat of a full body blush, and tugged at the sash of her robe.

  Trey’s laugh subsided gradually, landed in an amused smirk. “I think I may be traumatized.”

  “Trey!” The working corner of her brain recognized that her son was here. Home. Early. And he was speaking. “What, what are you talking about?” She glanced down at her armful of rumpled sheets, gave them a quick toss into the laundry room.

  “You and Jake, of course.” His eyes gleamed with mirth. “Isn’t that his new car in the driveway? You two were making so much noise you didn’t even hear me.”

  “Babe, is the coffee—?”

  Jake’s words trailed off as he edged around the corner, buttoning his jeans as he entered. His hair was wet and tousled from his shower. He came up short when he saw Trey.

  Jake’s eyes pinned Trey and his voice sounded strangled. “You were here last night?”

  Trey laughed again, mischief dancing in his eyes. “Well I drove all that way. I thought I may as well stay.”

  Jake’s muttered oh shit got hung up in a groan as his eyes skipped over to Allie, who was fading to an adorable shade of pink. Gingerly wading into the waters of Trey’s acceptance, he ignored the jackhammer pounding in his chest and listened in while he started a pot of coffee.

  “My last class got cancelled.” Trey was still grinning with unholy glee. “I thought it would be a nice surprise—I just didn’t realize the surprise would be on me.”

  Jake was capable of guarding th
e coffee pot, but Allie was a kindergarten teacher for two decades now—she was a master at sticky situations. He could have dropped to kiss her feet when she grinned widely and spread her arms for an openhearted hug.

  “Welcome home, Trey. What a nice surprise!”

  Her grin grew, turning into a chuckle as Trey wrapped his arms around her and lifted her before setting her bare feet back on the kitchen floor. Stepping out of her son’s embrace, she held out her open palm.

  “Now give me your key.”

  Trey’s grin faded to amusement mixed with incredulity. “Ah, c’mon, Mom. Really?” He rolled his eyes. “You’re gonna take my key? How am I supposed to get in the house?”

  Allie reached into the refrigerator for juice and milk, setting them on the counter. “You can use the code on the garage door. Come in through the laundry room.” She dove back into the fridge. “I think that makes perfect sense.”

  Trey, clearly not. His smile faded further. “Seriously? Even late at night? It’s loud.”

  She pulled out of the refrigerator, hands full of bacon and eggs. Her eyes met his. “Exactly!”

  Jake had to laugh. A full snort that had fresh coffee shooting through his nose. Hell yeah, he could get used to this.

  Jake poured coffee for Allie. She took it and stepped up against him. With her free arm wrapped around his waist, she lightly stretched up to brush his lips with hers.

  “Mmm, good.” She smiled sweetly. “I think your shirt’s still by the sofa, somewhere. You want breakfast?”

  He paused in the doorway. “I could go for seconds.”

  She tossed a kitchen towel at him, causing him to laugh, and began laying bacon strips on the sizzling griddle.

  Pancake batter was mixed. Trey poured juice and refilled coffee mugs. “Hey Jake.” Trey grinned at him as he reentered the room. “That’s a nice ride you’ve got.”

  “Yeah, thanks. You should see it on the open road. She’s a racehorse.” He barely had time to wonder at Allie’s glare before the gleam in Trey’s eyes registered.

  “Sweet! Think I can take it for a spin?”

  Ah, shit. That’s why Allie was pissed. “That would be a hell, no.” He shot Allie a helpless shrug before shaking his head and laughing as he took a seat at the breakfast table. This was what breakfast was all about.

  Jake filled the stainless steel sink with hot, sudsy water while Trey attacked the countertops with a wet sponge. A feeling of contentment infused him in an easy breath. If everything went the way he wanted this would be his family. Family. Did he dare to believe?

  “Hey Trey?” With the dishwasher loaded, up to his forearms in soapy dishwater he concentrated on scouring the griddle.

  “Yeah?”

  The heat of Trey’s curious glance warmed his back. “I imagine it was something of a surprise, finding me here this morning.”

  Trey answered with a chuckle. “And commando, no less. Now that was a surprise.”

  That easy breath was probably only one wrong word away, but as long as the kid was joking around he wasn’t pissed. He let his hands still in the suds long enough to catch a confirming glimpse from over his shoulder, then focused his scrubbing on an imaginary speck. “We can talk, you know.”

  The sponge squeaked against the granite countertop. “You mean like, what are your intentions for my mom?”

  Gripping the sponge, scouring the griddle thankfully kept his hands from shaking. “I don’t know. I guess so, if that’s what you want to know.”

  The sponge flew over Jake’s shoulder to land in the sink with a plop. “Okay, so yeah, I suppose so. What are your intentions? I didn’t realize you guys were hooking up.”

  Jake gave up any pretense of cleaning the griddle, rinsed the soap and dropped it in the drainer. It gave him a moment to dispel that quick flash of irritation. He leaned a jean-clad hip against the counter and crossed his ankles. “Not hooking up, Trey. I love her. She loves me too.”

  A small smile hovered around his mouth, but his voice was earnest, his gaze direct. “This is kind of new for me, for us. I don’t know what happens next.” He allowed his expression to turn solemn. “I would never do anything to hurt her, you know that, right?”

  Trey continued to face him, and finally he smiled again. “Yeah, I know that.”

  “If I asked her to marry me, would you be good with that?” A small hopeful smile tugged at his lips; it would mean disaster if he got the wrong answer.

  But Trey lit up. “Uncle Jake, dude. That would be awesome. I would be totally good with that. Will you ask her soon?”

  Jake’s smile widened. “Yeah, very soon.” This was the second part of his plan. He meant to ask her last night, and then again this morning, but they were… distracted.

  “But dude, what if she says no?”

  Trey’s look of horror had Jake’s pulse pounding in his temples. Oh crap, he didn’t think of that. What if she did? The eggs he had for breakfast were now sloshing around in his stomach.

  “Jake, you should see your face… priceless.” He hooted, then became earnest. “But seriously, why would she say no?”

  “Yeah, why would she say no?” Okay. Good. Got that figured out. Easy. His heart rate tumbled back to something resembling normal.

  “One thing, though.”

  There went the hammer again, but his pulse relaxed when Trey merely smirked. “Yeah, what’s that?”

  “Do I still have to call you ‘Uncle’?”

  Jake swooped around the island and grabbed Trey in a bear hug, laughing with him as he lifted him off his feet.

  “I love you, Trey. You know that? You are definitely one great kid.” Content hell, he was overcome.

  “Yeah, Jake. Love you, too. Welcome to the family.”

  Battle cries and boisterous laughter—along with the unmistakable sounds of splashing and sloshing—drew Allie to the kitchen, raising both suspicions and curiosity. Trey, manning a lethal weapon in the form of the sink sprayer, was on the verge of claiming victory. Jake crouched behind the island cabinet, a long-handled skillet serving as his shield. She could only shake her head in mock exasperation. Little boys came in all sizes. Water cascaded over the countertops, creating miniature waterfalls which fell freely to the tile. Scattered puddles and mounds of suds dotted the floor. She let it all go and withdrew to the safety of the living room. Trey was the only man in her life for years now, but, oh yeah, she was ready for a change. And Trey seemed ready, too.

  Woeful cries of surrender came from the kitchen. Perhaps it was safe to reenter now. She stole around the corner, dodging pools of water as she made her way to the mop. Jake, no longer in mortal danger, dried the griddle and put it away. Trey poured them each one more cup of coffee before he rinsed out the pot.

  Allie paused, a questioning eye on her son while leaning on the mop handle. “So tell us about school.”

  “And what keeps you too busy to come home.” Jake shamelessly edged that in, then shrugged when Allie frowned at him. “Your mother worries.”

  Trey tracked the volley of expressions with a grin. “Oh, I manage to stay busy. I found a football team to join. It’s a club league, but there’s pretty good talent. Except the QB sucks. I sure miss Jax.”

  “What about your classes?” The rise of panic pouring from Allie’s eyes had her asking more emphatically than necessary. Jake draped a comforting arm across her shoulders and led her to sit with her coffee.

  “Yes, classes, too, Mom. Biology and math are pretty hard.” Trey rolled his eyes, then laughed. “You’ll be glad to know I’m on a first name basis with everyone who works in the library.”

  Trey joined them at the table. “I know kids who barely go to class.” Disgust was written on his face. “C’s get degrees, that’s their motto. They spend the weekend partying and Monday nursing a hangover. It’s kind of sad, really. One day they’ll come around and wish they put in more effort.”

  Allie’s mother’s eye bored into the kid sitting beside her. Okay, where was her son and who
was this imposter? Trey was only gone two months and already he seemed more mature.

  Trey eased out of his chair. “I didn’t have time to do my laundry this week, so I brought it down. It’s still in my truck; I’ll go get it.”

  The only time she’d ever seen Trey do his own laundry was one day back in August. Imagining him coming home with all his clothes the same dingy gray, she dragged him to the washing machine under squawking protest and showed him how to sort white socks from blue jeans and how much detergent to use. She hoped he was using that lesson at school, but she could also picture him wearing his clothes until they were stiff.

  “Well, I guess I should go now.” Jake stood to pull her into his arms, lowered his cheek to the top of her head. “Mmm, you feel good. And you always smell nice. Like flowers.” He planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “I still have a hard time believing this isn’t a dream.” He lifted his head and smiled down at her. “I love you, have I told you lately?”

  “No, stay. And feel free to tell me anytime the mood strikes.” She paused, searching for the words. “Does this seem unreal to you, too? I feel almost like I’m too happy. Like I don’t deserve this.”

  Jake nuzzled her neck, sending goosebumps down her arms. “You do deserve this… and more.”

  The calm contentment on his face after the possible fiasco with Trey should make her smile. Instead, dread had her shoulders slumping as if she wore a cement shawl. She pulled out of his arms. “There’s something we need to talk about.” But Trey would be back any minute. “Let’s take a walk.”

  She was already pushing her arms into her jacket. She handed Jake’s to him and passed Trey on the front porch. Jake paused to hold the door open for him as he entered the house with what was possibly his entire wardrobe shoved into a large plastic hamper. “Have at it, kid.”

  “Thanks, Jake,” he drolled, and headed for the laundry room.