Jake was stunned into silence again, pleasing Kate no end as she faced him fully now, giving him an eyeful of what he’d been missing since they’d broken up. A hand eased down her side and rested on her thigh in a teasing gesture. She cocked her head to the side and licked her lips, reveling in the power she had over him. She was playing with fire but it felt so good to have him at her mercy. To let him suffer for a bit.
The moment her tongue came out and slowly moved across her lower lip Jake’s expression changed from a look of shock to dwindling restraint. His eyes morphed from wide saucers to hooded and half closed in an instant. His lips parted and he stepped forward. Kate took a step back. It was enough to make Jake stop, his rigid posture straining to remain in the one spot.
“You’re alive!” Somehow he had managed to find his voice again, although it was somewhat shaky and unsure. “I thought you had died!” His fingers were clenching and unclenching.
Kate turned back to look at the tree while she fingered the carved initials to try and distract herself from Jake’s piercing stare as she thought about his words. So, he thought he’d lost her, did he? Well good! Now he might understand what she had gone through.
Was this the payback she’d been seeking? To hear the hurt in his voice? To feel it inside her?
“What if I am dead?” She couldn’t resist, squeezing the vise that little bit tighter.
Jake grimaced and closed his eyes to shield his emotions from her, but even as he tried to hide the river of grief, Kate could feel it. He took a step back and staggered as if the weight of her words was too much to bear.
Kate looked around at the sound of Jake nearly falling over, realizing it was too late to take the words back.
His eyes opened and burned into hers with so much regret that Kate felt the makings of guilt start to build. His face was an open book of pain, his roar hitting her in the chest, causing her to jump.
She could feel his soul breaking through the eternal link they shared and it should have pleased her no end but instead, she found herself feeling sorry for him and sorry for herself for letting him believe she was dead. Revenge wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Not when the person you were trying to hurt was the other half of you. Jake’s pain was Kate’s pain.
“You’re dead!” His hand reached out for her in one last attempt to hold onto her before she vanished for good. “You really are dead!”
Gone was the strong, heroic, optimistic Jake. Kate saw a small, frightened boy who didn’t know how to go on. Someone who looked lost and afraid.
She couldn’t keep up the charade any longer. It was hurting them both too much. She couldn’t hurt him without hurting herself.
“Jake.” Kate moved a step closer, offering a sympathetic tone. “I’m not dead. Not yet. I disappeared, probably from the shock of discovering that I’m out of my body.”
“But—”
“I’m sorry if you believed I was gone for good. I wanted you to feel something close to what I felt when you left me.” Kate waited for Jake’s anger as she bit her bottom lip.
It never came. Instead she was met with a stark expression of understanding as Jake nodded. Realization dawning on him. His hand rubbed the back of his neck as if trying to remove some of the obvious tension. Kate could see that he suddenly got it.
“I deserved that.” Jake looked to the ground and kicked a small stone with his boot. “I know I can never expect your forgiveness. If you want to stay angry with me, that’s fine. I’m just so happy that you’re still here.” He put both hands in his pockets, watching the stone roll away.
Kate wanted to stay angry with Jake until her own pain subsided, but having him this close, feeling his remorse, it was hard to keep holding a grudge. He looked defeated.
She wasn’t a hurtful person by nature, even though in the past she had imagined stringing Jake up by his testicles from the very tree she was now standing in front of. It had been a way to deal with the abandonment.
“Jake, I’ve grieved for so long. When I knew you were back, I wanted to make you pay for hurting me the way you did. I was trying to think of a million different ways to do it. That’s not me. I’ve never been that person. You leaving changed me. It made me think horrible thoughts.” She crossed her arms in front of her, frowning at the thought.
Jake looked up, an expression of helplessness crossing over his face.
Before he could say anything, Kate continued. “I don’t know when or if I can ever forgive you, Jake, but I’m not going to waste any more time trying to think of ways to hurt you, either. Seeing that look in your eyes moments ago when you thought I was dead and feeling your emotion is enough for me. To know you understand what the grief feels like. The ruin. Maybe that will be enough.”
“I’ll take whatever you dish out to me, Kate. Nothing will hurt me as much as never seeing you again. Never experiencing this feeling that is coursing through me this very second.” His eyes flitted over her from head to toe, leaving a burnt path in their wake. A low masculine noise escaped from his mouth in approval at her slick attire. Oh how the air could change from tense to tantalizing so quickly. It was like Jake could manipulate it at will.
Kate put weight on one foot and then the other, not knowing what to say to that. When he sounded like a dark, dangerous predator it did certain things to her.
“You’re changing the subject.” It was all she could come up with in response.
“I’d much rather talk about something else.” Topaz eyes had turned dark. An animal on the hunt, ready to pounce.
“Such as…” Her voice came out a little too high as Jake cut her off. A switch had been flicked. She could see it written all over his face.
“What are you wearing, Kate?” The beast within growled out as he moved forward, his lean hips swaying with just enough swag to have her tense up slightly.
Kate’s eyes had found his ripped chest and arms that moved provocatively under his tight tee.
“This little old thing?” A girly giggle escaped as Jake’s approach had her in nervous anticipation. Her body buzzed with desire. It was hard to hold back and play innocent when he had that look in his eyes that melted her like hot chocolate. And just like chocolate, Jake was her addiction. One she thought she had broken. Maybe it was like being a recovering alcoholic. One may be off the bandwagon but when temptation arose there was always the risk of a relapse. His lithe body inched forward, silently like a sleek jaguar hungry for a feed. Need written all over him. Oh, he needed her. Yes, that she was sure of. He needed her more than she’d ever known before. His eyes were glazed, like he’d lost himself to some dark force the moment he’d found out she was still alive.
Maybe she’d overdone it with the leather. She’d known it would affect him but not the way it had in that instant. She shuddered as he came closer. He never took his eyes off her and she found it hard to hold such a commanding gaze.
As Jake moved to within two feet of her, she realized it was going to take more than will-power to stay focused. The heat between them was like standing too close to the sun. One more inch and they’d both burn to a crisp. Kate moved back and placed a hand firmly on the tree to keep her upright.
Jake’s fiery eyes finally left hers for a second journey over her body.
“Baby…” For the second time that night, he appeared speechless. She literally took his breath away as they now stood facing each other. His lips were plump and moist. Kate stood transfixed, unable to move, waiting for whatever it was that was going to transpire in the next second.
Very gingerly Jake drew his fingers to Kate’s face. They both gasped in unison at the little sparks of electricity that shot off their skin at the point of contact.
Kate flinched and pulled away slightly.
“Kate, don’t,” Jake begged not letting her pull away again, his hand at her jaw.
“What?”
“I. Crave. You.”
Kate could see him actually shaking with restraint as he slowly drew the words out, jaw
twitching.
She was torn between wanting to do the right thing by Carlos and needing Jake more and more with each passing second. Her earlier plan of hurting him was now in tatters. Shredded to pieces. This was playing right into Jake’s hand. How could she be so weak as to resist? God! She was putty in his hands. She always had been. The ridiculously hot man in front of her was giving off some serious sexual energy and now her body was betraying her again by the craving that drowned her rational thoughts. She only had to look into his eyes and she was gone. This thing between them was more powerful than she.
Jake didn’t hold back any longer. Before she knew what had happened his mouth was crushing hers, open and on fire, tongue searching. That was the only invitation she needed as the remainder of her restraint crumbled away. She surrendered. Weak and desperate.
Her hands forcefully grabbed his neck, pulling him closer, as if that were even possible. Jake groaned into her mouth as he worked her lips like there was no tomorrow. One of his hands found her butt, lifting her so that her legs were wrapped around him as if she weighed but a mere ounce. He moved them against the tree for support, the bark digging into Kate’s skin. She didn’t even care. His hands were doing far more damage, and as for his lips, well, she was sure they were bruising hers.
The recklessness of the moment had Jake move his lips to Kate’s throat as she threw her head against the tree, giving him greater access. If he were a vampire she would have let him sink his teeth into her smooth succulent flesh, sucking her life force into his own to sate the acute necessity to be a part of each other.
“Fuck, Jake!”
“Mmm. Yes, please! Here and now!” It was a low snarl.
Kate ground herself against Jake’s rigid bulge, causing him to almost pierce her skin with his teeth as a husky sound let go from the back of his throat.
For a long couple of minutes Kate let herself feel again, forgetting all else. Jake was enough in that moment. He felt so good. More than good.
She cried out as he ripped her leather buttons apart to reveal bare breasts.
“Touch me, Jake.”
As if in one fluid motion his mouth made its way from her neck to one of her breasts that was already swollen with desire. When Jake’s sculptured lips hit her nipple she arched her back and pulled on his hair.
“Yeeessss,” she hissed.
He was making suckling noises with his torturous, hungry lips and guttural exhalations.
It was nearly her undoing as he bit her nipple almost to the point of pain. She was tingling between her legs, or was it more of an ache?
His expert hand worked the other breast, which filled his palm perfectly, his thumb and forefinger twisting and pulling the sensitive bud.
He knew exactly what she needed and where she needed it as he moved his hips so that he was positioned perfectly against the responsive spot in Kate’s folds that was screaming for release. If he didn’t stop she knew she was going to plummet into the pleasurable abyss her body was searching for.
And then as if to dampen the moment, a little voice in her head piped up, forcing her abandonment away so that reason could take hold. She hated that little voice that instantly broke the spell.
What were they doing? Was she ready to cheat on Carlos? She wasn’t that type of girl. Jake was taking away all her sane thoughts. It had to stop and not go any further.
“Jake?”
“Mmmm, baby. You feel amazing.”
“Jake. No. Stop!” Her hands pulled his head away from her tingling breast that was telling her to shut the hell up and let Jake get on with it.
If Kate had ever seen what pure desire looked like it would have been when Jake’s eyes met hers in that moment. They were heavy, the black pupil having swallowed any color, still lost to lust. His breathing was rattled, mere gasps. His lips were swollen from their assault and she could barely stop herself from pulling his mouth to hers to savor the delicacy.
“What is it?”
“Put me down!”
Jake looked lost for a second but then he nodded and complied with the request.
As he gently eased her down, losing contact with her, he ran both hands through his hair before stepping back, obviously realizing just how close they had both come to throwing caution to the wind. Shit. They had to pull themselves together. Fight these uncontrollable urges. They’d nearly been at the point of no return.
“Jake. We can’t. This isn’t right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have led you on. ” Kate was agonizing over the words, trying to distance herself from him but it was no use. He wasn’t giving her enough room.
The loss of contact was severed. She felt lonely. Her libido was screaming out at him to pin her against the tree and just take her any way he could but she knew it would not be a wise move. She knew she had almost lost control. She hadn’t meant to. Her head was screaming at her to back off and do the right thing. Be sensible for once.
Jake stood back but still in her personal space, breathing in and out, eyes closed to help ease him back from the brink. “Where were you when you disappeared?”
It was a question that she barely heard as a flash of memory stole her focus.
Absentmindedly Kate went back to retracing the initials on the tree as she remembered. It was almost as if she hadn’t heard his question as she was transported back in time.
“Remember the day we carved these?”
For a moment Jake’s previous question was ignored.
“I’ve never forgotten. I’ve pictured that day so many times in my head wishing I could go back to that time.”
The pizza smelled divine as they gorged on piece after piece, sauce dripping down their chins until they felt like they’d both burst. Lying on their stomachs, propped up on their elbows, spread out on a blanket, they enjoyed the starry, peaceful night. A half empty bottle of costly wine sat close by.
Jake lifted Kate’s face around so he could sensuously lick the pizza sauce off her chin before moving to her mouth, nibbling her bottom lip.
“I didn’t want to waste any of that tasty sauce,” he whispered against her lips.
Kate smiled, knowing full well that the sauce didn’t play a part in it as she let Jake savor her. She was blissfully happy in that moment. Her heart was full. She needed nothing more. Jake satisfied every ounce of her being, and when he rolled onto his back, bringing her on top of him, his hands almost painfully kneading her buttocks as he tried to get more of her, a firestorm exploded inside her as she cried out with need and arched her body into his so they were pressed together from chest to toes.
“I need more,” he growled. “I can’t get you close enough. It’s like touching you, kissing you and making love to you still doesn’t satisfy me.”
Kate knew exactly what he meant. She felt the same. The more they gave to each other, like some addictive drug, the more she craved.
As she savagely pulled on his wild mane of tangled hair, Jake’s pained cry heightened her desire. It was as if pain and pleasure were one and the same. He moved his mouth from Kate’s engorged lips and sucked on her neck just below the ear, marking her as his with a love bite that would turn into a bruise the next morning.
“Jake, let go of me!”
“What?”
As Kate’s senses brought her back to the present moment, standing beside the olive tree she found that he’d grabbed her and was digging his fingers into her arms, as if remembering his own version of events. Kate hadn’t felt him move an inch. His eyes were a mixture of obsessive thirst and confusion.
“Jake! Let me go! What’s wrong with you?” She tried to shrug him off.
He faltered for a second and then dropped his hands to his side. “I’m sorry. I…” He took a step back and shook his head.
“Save it, Jake. Just get away! Give me some room, for God’s sake!” There still wasn’t enough space between them. Kate pushed on Jake’s chest, needing more room. She’d barely been able to suppress herself when she’d looked at his face moments ago. His
eyes, even though they’d looked right through her, had been filled with a manic need that nearly brought her to her knees. If his grip on her hadn’t been so strong she would have fallen.
Jake’s jawline sharpened as his eyes bored into hers. “Fine. If that’s what you need.”
“It is. Besides, I could use your help.” She turned and walked over to the concrete ledge and sat down.
Jake followed, standing near Kate but not sitting down beside her. “Kate. Do you know what’s happened to you?”
Sadness washed over Kate’s features as she pushed some hair out of her face and then fiddled with her fingers after placing them on her thigh. “I fell.” Her eyes stared at the ground.
“What? Where?” Jake asked a little too loudly as he kneeled in front of Kate.
She pointed towards the cliff where her lifeless body lay. Her fingers trembled.
“I need you to show me, Kate. Can you do that?”
Her eyes met Jake’s and for a second she couldn’t get the words out.
“Kate?”
“I’m dying.”
He brought his hand up to cup her jaw. “Shhh. Baby, I need you to show me where your body is. We need to go, urgently. Please. I want to help you. Everyone is out looking for you. Your father—”
“What? Wait. You’ve seen my father?” It was like a slap in the face.
“Yes. He’s here. He’s looking for you. He’s beside himself with worry. We all are.”
Kate stood up at the mention of her father. She knew he was here but didn’t have a clue as to where exactly. “Where is he? Take me to him!” She walked a few steps away then turned back to Jake to await his answer.
“Kate you need to take me to your body first.”
“No!” She grabbed her head. “I need to see my father.”
“We don’t have much time.”
“Jake! I. Need. To. See. Him. Now!” She wasn’t taking no for an answer. If Jake wouldn’t take her to him she would go searching herself. She watched him deliberate for a minute, hand clasping the back of his neck, muscles bulging with the strength of his grip. Kate thought he was going to deny her the request but at the last minute Jake mumbled a curse.
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