A few moments later he dragged out a chair, sat on it and pulled her onto his lap. That way, they could kiss and he could caress her more easily. When his hands slipped under the silky fabric, she’d never before felt sensations so exquisite. His thumb tantalized her nipple, and she moved against his arousal, his shudder telling her that he felt the pleasure, too.
Suddenly he stopped, held her close and laid his forehead against hers. “I don’t want our first time to happen like this, grabbed between other things we have to do. I don’t want to have to be somewhere else in fifteen minutes. I don’t want you worrying about Andy waking up. I want to take it slow and easy and make it last.”
His simple words seemed erotically sensual as pictures danced in her mind—pictures of the two of them in a bed, kissing and touching, joining in an experience she knew she’d never forget. It was like Jake not to want to hurry, to want to squeeze every moment of pleasure out of whatever they did.
Rubbing her cheek against his, telling him she understood, she nodded. “Okay. But I can’t leave Andy until I’m sure he’s recovered. You understand that, don’t you?” She looked up at him, hoping she wouldn’t see impatience or frustration because she was putting her baby first. What she saw was a look so tender it made her want to cry.
“Somehow, I knew you’d say that. We’ll play it by ear,” he assured her.
She loved resting against him like this, feeling the beat of his heart, the warmth of his body, the sensual gentleness of him.
She heard a door slam next door, a car start up. Reality snuck in. “Was that Nina who called? To ask about Andy?”
She felt Jake’s body tense a bit. “No. It was Peter Emerson.”
Straightening on Jake’s lap, she balanced on his legs. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I am telling you.”
“No. I mean why didn’t you come and get me?”
“Because you were sleeping and you needed to sleep.”
“Peter is one of my artists, Jake. He knows he can call me at home. You had no right to tamper in my…business dealings.”
Hopping from his lap, she belted her robe, now embarrassed by the intimacy they’d shared.
Jake rose, looking annoyed. “I was looking out for you. An hour isn’t going to make a difference for you to return his call.”
“You don’t know that. Just because we…” She wasn’t sure what to call what had happened between them. “Just because we’re getting closer doesn’t mean you have any say in what I do.”
As Jake studied her, she felt herself blush. She could see he was thinking about how he’d touched her, how he’d kissed her, and the effect those kisses and touches had had on them both.
“Maybe it’s a good thing I have to go to work,” he said abruptly, turning to head for the living room.
Feeling thoroughly unsettled, she didn’t want him to leave like this. But she didn’t know what else to say, either. Finally she decided that being polite was best. “Thank you again for staying last night.”
He took his keys from his jeans pocket. “No problem.”
He didn’t even say goodbye as he left her house, and Tori wondered when she would see him again.
Had she overreacted?
Tori asked herself that question all day and part of the next. Needing to get out of the house, after supper she drove with Andy to Jake’s. But he wasn’t home. Frustrated, she took a notepad from her purse and wrote:
Jake,
I shouldn’t have gotten so ruffled yesterday. I’d like to talk about it. I’d love to cook you dinner to thank you for everything you did. If you can make it, come over tomorrow evening about seven. If not, I’ll just have leftovers all week.
Tori
She’d tried to keep the tone of her note light, as if mending fences would be easy, as if his acceptance or refusal of dinner didn’t matter. But it did. She was feeling things for Jake that scared her. Fear hadn’t stopped her after her accident, and fear hadn’t stopped her after her divorce. She wasn’t going to let fear stop her now.
The following morning, Tori took Andy for his checkup at the doctor’s, wondering if Jake would accept her invitation. After she returned home, she fed her baby, and he slept while she prepared tortilla wraps, made a guacamole dip and baked cream puffs for dessert. The pudding would have just enough time to cool.
Andy awoke while she waited for Jake. Her son seemed happier now, more content. She sent up a prayer of thanks again that his surgery had gone well and that he was recovering quickly.
After she bathed him, she cooed to him, played with his little fingers and toes, told him stories about the characters on his revolving mobile, then fed him again and watched him fall asleep. It was almost seven-thirty by then, and she reconciled herself to the fact that she’d be eating dinner alone, trying to tell herself that it was okay if she didn’t see Jake anytime soon. But she knew better. He’d settled himself in her heart just as Andy had, and he wasn’t budging.
The baby monitor in the kitchen told Tori that Andy was sleeping as she set the oven temperature and slid the tortilla wraps inside. She’d be eating them all week.
When her doorbell rang, her heart beat double-time. She’d dressed in an emerald silk lounging outfit with an oversize shirt and wide-legged trousers. Crossing to the door, she smoothed her hair and took a deep breath.
Jake was wearing a black-and-white Western-cut shirt. The cotton was crisp, as if it was new. His black jeans and boots made him look even taller than his six-two. His thick hair looked damp, as though he’d stepped out of the shower not too long before. In his hand he held a bottle of wine.
With a crooked grin, his gaze slowly passed over her emerald-green outfit. “Expecting guests?”
“I wasn’t sure. I didn’t ask for an RSVP.”
His grin slipped away as his expression became serious. “It didn’t matter?”
“It mattered too much,” she admitted.
The air between them became charged from the remnants of their argument, the remembered images of their kisses.
Never looking away, he stepped inside.
She took the bottle of wine. “I’ll get glasses.”
After Jake peeked in on Andy, he came back to the kitchen. “I wish I could sleep that soundly.”
“I know what you mean. I’m wondering if I’ll ever sleep soundly again. I wake up every once in a while listening for him.” She remembered Jake’s hand on her shoulder, telling her to go back to sleep, and the secure feeling that she wasn’t alone, that she could trust him with her son.
“Mothers are like that.”
“I’d bet some fathers are, too.”
Mothers and fathers. Partnerships. Parenting together. She was letting herself dream, though she knew that could be dangerous. She turned away from Jake, went to the utility drawer and opened it, looking for a corkscrew.
Before she could find it, she felt him come up behind her. “Tori.” Her name on his lips was so seductive her breath caught.
Everything inside of her stilled…waiting. When his arms came around her, she leaned back against him.
“I’m sorry I overreacted.”
“I’m sorry I stormed out. I was late tonight because I wasn’t sure I should come.”
“I’m glad you did,” she whispered.
He rubbed his jaw against her hair, and then he kissed her neck. Hot shivers rushed through her limbs. She knew they had to talk. She knew she had to find out if she was dreaming alone. But at that moment, Andy was asleep, Jake’s arms were around her, and all she wanted to feel was him.
“Why don’t you turn off the oven?” he murmured in her ear.
His warm breath, the scent of his aftershave, the feel of his lips brushing her skin made coherent thought, let alone action, an impossibility.
“You don’t want supper?”
“Food is the furthest thing from my mind.” His hands came to rest on her breasts. “What about you?”
“I’m not hungry, either,” s
he whispered, reaching to the back of the stove and switching off the oven. Then she added, “At least not for tortilla wraps.”
He turned her into his arms. When she was facing him, he asked, “What are you hungry for?”
“You.”
“You’re so damn honest.”
“That’s what you like about me,” she guessed, managing a smile.
“Only one of the many things.” Then his lips were on hers, and like the wind sweeping the desert, pleasure brushed through her, and over her, and was in her.
Each moment seemed suspended in time. She memorized each stroke of his tongue, each surge of his body, each caress that took her somewhere she’d never been.
Breaking the kiss, he stood only far enough away to be able to reach her buttons. Then one by one he unfastened them.
“There are a hell of a lot of these.” His tone was a bit ragged.
“You don’t have to undo them all. I can just let it drop to the floor.”
That bit of boldness startled him for a moment. Then he gave her a wide grin. “Good idea.”
His fingers were at her midriff when she stilled his hands, shrugged out of the sleeves and let the silky blouse fall to the tile. When she stepped out of it, she straightened and met his gaze courageously. All of this was so new to her. Dave’s ideas about sex had been very traditional. She’d never even thought about letting him undress her in the kitchen. But with Jake, it all seemed natural somehow.
When his fingers traced the lacy straps of her bra, circled the filmy cups, she felt so breathless she didn’t know if her pulse would ever be steady again.
Deftly, he reached around her and unfastened her bra. When it dropped away, he took both breasts into his callused hands.
She closed her eyes, loving the feel of his touch. “Jake,” she murmured, not knowing how to express what she was feeling.
“I know.” He rubbed his thumb over her nipple, making every nerve ending in her body tingle. “I wanted to take this slow, but I don’t know if I can.”
“I don’t need slow, Jake. I need you.”
With a groan, he stripped off her loose-fitting trousers and panties. She kicked off her sandals. Then she was in his arms. As he kissed her again, he only made it as far as the sofa. After he laid her there, he stripped off his clothes.
She couldn’t get enough of looking at him—as his shoulders and chest became bare, as he unbuckled his belt, took off his boots and dropped his jeans. Black hair arrowed down his chest, whorled around his navel and disappeared under the waistband of his briefs. His legs were long, powerfully muscular, hair-roughened, too. He was so virile and so sexy she couldn’t wait to feel his naked body against hers.
After he stripped off his briefs, he just stood there, looking at her.
Her heart racing, she asked, “What?”
“I want you, Tori. But I want you to be sure about this.”
“I’m sure,” she whispered, and held her arms out to him.
After he stretched out on top of her, he held himself up on his forearms, letting their lower bodies become intimately close. Trailing kisses down her cheeks, he then targeted her mouth and throat. Finally his lips were on a breast, his tongue whirling around the nipple.
The heat blooming in her body demanded an outlet. She became restless under him, needing the satisfaction he could bring her. But still he tantalized and teased, not only with his kisses, but with his body, as he rubbed his thighs against hers…probing her most intimate place but not entering…let his hair tease her skin. Her body responded to absolutely everything he was doing. More important, she felt her heart responding, as well. It seemed to overflow with her newfound love for Jake, and with her hopes and dreams and longings. Ever since her accident she’d felt inadequate and less of a woman. But as Jake stroked and petted, taking their passion to a whole new level, she’d never felt more fully a woman.
When his hands slipped between her thighs, she sucked in a breath. “I want to make sure you’re ready.” His voice was thick with his own need.
“I’m ready.” She’d been ready for him for years. Long ago, her heart had chosen him. She realized that now. A master plan had brought them back together, and she felt as if being with Jake now was the most right thing she’d ever done.
Just as he’d reached down to see if she was ready, she took him in her hands. “I want to make you feel good, too.”
His deep chuckle was self-deprecating. “If I felt any better, we’d be in real trouble.”
Still, she held him, stroked him and felt the pulsing beat. He was so alive. So emphatically male. So hungry.
“Now, Tori.” His voice was a growl.
Sliding her arms around his back, she stroked the sleek muscles and dug her fingers into his backside. “Yes. Now.”
She called Jake’s name in a ragged moan as he entered her. Her body was tight and he took his time, giving them both excruciating pleasure. Their bodies seemed to melt into each other as their breaths mingled. Jake’s kiss was as thoroughly claiming as his presence inside her. Passion coiled between them…radiated out…wrapped them in heat, and abandon, and a joining that rocked her existence. Their rhythm took on a primitive drumbeat cadence, the same cadence she sensed when she ventured into the mountains she loved so much. Suddenly she could hear the chant of all the women who had come before her, and in a rush of self-awareness, she knew who she was, what her place was, where she belonged. She belonged with Jake.
His thrusts became more potent, went deeper. She wrapped her legs around him, reveling in the desire that had always pulsed between them. She wanted their union to go on forever. Waves of inexorable pleasure rippled and roared around her. She withstood them, reaching for more.
Jake gave her more.
Finally she knew she couldn’t prolong the pleasure. She had to give in to it. Jake swept her with him, from desert to snowy mountaintop. They were suspended there for a timeless second until the world burst around them. She felt tears fall down her cheeks as Jake called her name.
Moments later, Jake eased to the back of the sofa, still joined to her, holding her tight.
When their breathing had become more normal, she teased, “We could move to the bed. Then you wouldn’t have to protect me from falling off the sofa.”
He chuckled. “The bed? If we head there, we might never have dinner.”
“I don’t care,” she said honestly.
He looked down on her. “Yes, you do. You care a lot, about everything. That’s what worries me about this.”
This. Jake thought of them as “this.” The hopes and dreams that had floated like clouds around a mountaintop evaporated and she was faced with reality. Jake had told her many times how he felt about a serious relationship and marriage. He wanted no part of them.
“Where do we go from here?” she asked quietly.
“That depends on you. And what you want for Andy.”
She made a sudden decision that she knew was going to cause her nothing but heartache. But heartache was part of life, and she loved Jake too much to send him away. “I want to be with you now. You don’t know where you’re headed. I don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring. Let’s just take this day by day.”
“That sounds like a fine idea to me.”
“My mom and her friend will be arriving next week. While they’re here…”
He tipped her chin up. “I’ll understand if you’re busy. As you said, we’ll take everything day by day.”
Tori knew Jake was satisfied with now. But she wanted forever. Deep down she realized that that difference would tear them apart. But at the moment Jake was holding her and she was holding him.
It was enough. For now.
“This is Sean.” Sylvia Phillips introduced the man who had traveled with her to Santa Fe.
Tori had offered to pick up her mother and Sean Brady at the Albuquerque International Sunport. But her mom had claimed the airport was easy to navigate, and they wanted to rent a car to see a few sights
and to travel freely while they were here. They’d checked in at the bed-and-breakfast a few blocks away. When they’d called to tell Tori they’d arrived, Tori had insisted they come over for dinner.
As her mother stood in Tori’s living room now, she looked more glowing than Tori had ever seen her. Her ash-brown hair, wavy and cut to frame her face, looked highlighted. That was new. She was wearing makeup, too—lipstick, eye shadow, a bit of mascara. Her mother had never bothered before with anything but lipstick. Her slim figure was as trim as ever in denim slacks and a denim jacket embroidered with abstract cats. She looked much younger than her fifty-five years, and Tori supposed the new youthfulness was thanks to the man beside her—Sean Brady.
The tall, husky Irishman extended his hand to Tori. “It’s good to meet you. I feel like I know you. Your mom has talked so much about you.”
The man’s grip was as sturdy as he was. “It’s good to meet you, too, Mr. Brady,” Tori said politely, withdrawing her hand from his.
Apparently Sean didn’t want to let formality stand between them. “It’s Sean. I know you and your mom want to spend time together while she’s here. If I get in the way, just tell me to take a hike. I’ve got a map and plenty of bottled water. Before we came, I surfed the Net for everything I want to see.
“On the other hand,” he maintained, his green eyes twinkling, “I’ll be glad to be included whenever you want me around. I especially want to see this baby boy you and your mom jabber about on the phone. It’s a shame he’s had such a rough time of it.”
In spite of her misgivings, Tori felt herself warming toward her mother’s friend. She couldn’t seem to grasp the fact that her mother had a lover. “Andy’s sleeping right now, but we can take a peek if you’d like.”
Smiling, Sylvia looped her arm through Sean’s. “We’d like. I can’t wait to see my grandson.”
As Tori led the way, she felt such joy and such pride to be introducing her son to her mother. The three of them stood at the crib silently for a few minutes. Finally Sylvia rested her fingers on the baby’s leg. “He’s so precious.”
Their Baby Bond Page 14
