Her Maine Attraction: A Small Town Romance (Pine Cove Book 1)

by Rebecca Gannon

Digging my nails into the nape of his neck, Jake presses his thumb against my clit, and I throw my head back with a scream, dragging my nails across the back of his neck as he lets out a guttural groan.

  Holding me tight against him, my body is racked with wave after wave of pleasure as my inner muscles squeeze him, taking everything he’s giving me.

  I try and suck in air, my chest tight with emotions so powerful that I don’t even know how to put it all into words. The only word that could remotely cover it, is love. An all-consuming, life altering, stomach clenching kind of love.

  Tears gather in my eyes as I’m struck with the intensity of how much I love this man. Slipping from my eyes, they roll down my cheeks, but Jake catches each of them with his lips.

  “Don’t cry, baby. Please,” he pleads.

  “I’m not sad, I promise. I just…” Pausing, I trace my fingers across his jaw. “I’m scared,” I whisper, hoping he’ll know what I mean.

  “Don’t be. This is real. We’re real,” he says, kissing me slow and deep. “I love you, darlin’.”

  Letting the tears fall freely now, my heart swells to the point where I think it might burst. “I love you, Jake.”

  Wiping my tears away, he smiles, his dimple on full display. “I’m really going to have to thank Dottie for arranging this.”

  Laughing, I lean my forehead against his and kiss him soft and sweet. But that’s when the pain of the scrapes on my back comes to the forefront of my mind and I cringe, trying to move away from the tree.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice going into savior mode.

  “My back,” I tell him, my voice strained.

  “Shit, I’m sorry, baby.” Pulling out of me, I groan at the sudden loss. I wasn’t ready to let go of him yet.

  Setting me on my feet, he turns me around and sweeps my hair over my shoulder.

  “Fuck. You should have told me I was hurting you.”

  “You weren’t hurting me, trust me. It’s only starting to hurt now. I didn’t mind it before,” I say, feeling my cheeks heat. “I liked it.”

  Kissing the nape of my neck, his fingers gently move over the sensitive skin, removing any bark that was left behind.

  “It doesn’t look too bad, just red.”

  Kissing his way across my shoulder and up my neck, Jake sweeps my hair back over my shoulder so it falls down my back again, hiding the evidence of our tree shaking forest tryst.

  “There, no one will know,” he whispers, kissing me behind my ear.

  Taking my hand, he starts to lead us back towards the party when I hear the moans of a woman, followed by manly grunts.

  “Uh…” I giggle, covering my mouth. I don’t think they’re too far away, but it’s too dark now to see anything.

  “I guess I wasn’t the only one who thought the fireworks were a good cover for sex.” He laughs, stealing a quick kiss.

  Navigating our way through the trees, we finally emerge near the water. “Just walk with me along the edge and no one will know I just fucked you into oblivion against a tree.”

  Laughing, I lean into his side and smile up at him. “I’m too happy to care if they all know.”

  Smiling, Jake leans down and kisses me, and I feel it all the way down to my toes. “You look so beautiful right now, darlin’. Your hair is wild and sexy, your skin flushed, your eyes bright, and your smile so carefree.”

  Feeling my cheeks heat further, I tuck my head against his chest and smile.

  Chapter 25

  3 months later…

  Taking the pie out of the oven, I place it on the stove to cool. Jake has been holed up in his workshop for the past week, and I plan on using his favorite blueberry pie to lure him away from his boats to spend some extra time with me.

  Over the past few months, I’ve spent almost every night at Jake’s, and it’s really starting to feel like home to me. Mostly because wherever Jake is, is my home. But it’s also because he’s made sure I have my own space here.

  One day after work, he surprised me with my own painting room, and I’ve steadily filled it over the summer with too many paintings to count.

  Jake and I have spent so many days driving along the coast to find the perfect spots for me to paint, and if it was a secluded enough spot, those painting sessions may have ended up as a little roll around in the sand.

  He’s tried to tell me I should have a show, but I don’t think I’m ready for that. I’m really just enjoying painting again because I love it, and not for any kind of profit. Jake inspires me every day, and everyday I fall a little bit more in love with him.

  Hearing my phone chime on the counter, I’m pulled from my thoughts.

  Come to the workshop, darlin’. I have a surprise for you.

  Smiling, I cover the pie and head outside. The bright summer sun shines in my eyes and I squint, seeing it reflect off of the calm lake.

  Walking down the deck stairs, I make my way around to the open bay door to see Jake standing next to what looks like a boat covered with a sheet.

  “Come stand over here, darlin’,” he says, holding out his hand. When I place mine in his, he pulls me against him, stealing a quick kiss.

  “What’s my surprise?” I ask, a little breathless.

  “You’ll see.” He smiles. “Cover your eyes. I’ll tell you when to open them.” Closing my eyes, I place my hand over them. “I promised you something a few months ago…” he says, and I hear the swoosh of the sheet being pulled away, a little breeze blowing my hair in my face. Coming back in front of me, he places his hand over mine on my eyes. “…and I always keep my promises.”

  Taking his hand away, I let mine fall to my side and open my eyes, blinking to adjust to the light.

  Gasping, tears prick the back of my eyes immediately. “Jake,” I whisper, covering my mouth with a shaky hand, taking a tentative step forward.

  Reaching out, I run my fingers along the smooth wood.

  He made me my boat.

  This is what he’s been working on? A couple months ago, I joked with him, telling him I wanted my own. But I didn’t think he’d really make me one so soon.

  My fingers gently glide along the side of the boat as I make my way towards the bow, feeling every carve he made just for me. Rounding the front, I turn to face the beautiful myth he’s created, smiling through the tears pooling in my eyes.

  He made me a mermaid.

  Her torso extends up and off the bow of the boat as her wavy hair flows down from her head, running along the sides. Her soulful eyes draw me in, and a small smile plays on her lips.

  She looks like me.

  Tears spill down my cheeks as I keep circling around the boat, running my fingers over the intricate carvings of her tail that curls around from the back to rest along this side. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my life.

  “Jake, it’s so beautiful,” I whisper.

  Mesmerized, I look inside, and see that he even took the time to carve shells and starfish across the benches and down along the oars.

  “This is amazing.”

  Jake stands a little distance away, watching me, his body rigid. Holding his gaze, I never let it waiver as I make my way to him and grab his shirt, pulling him down to me to kiss him hard.

  “This is the most special thing you could ever give me,” I tell him, blinking away my tears. “I love it, and I love you. I didn’t know this is what you’ve been working on.”

  Snaking his arms around me, Jake smooths his hands down and over my round ass. “Well, if you remember, I did tell you how you’d be paying for my services if I made you one.” He smiles, squeezing his favorite part of me.

  Laughing, I rest my head on his chest and wrap my arms around him. “Yeah, I remember. And I think you’ve received overpayment.”

  “Nope, not possible.”

  Turning in his arms, I stare at my boat again, not wanting to look away. “It’s perfect.”

  “It was hard to wrap everything you are into a simple design. I went through a
whole notebook of sketches before it suddenly came to me. The mermaid is the legendary myth of the sea. She lures men in with her siren song, and casts a spell over all who come close and look upon her. She’s a creature so beautiful that it hurts to look at her.”

  Sighing, I lean back into him. “Just when I think I can’t love you any more, you prove me wrong.”

  “I love you, darlin’,” he whispers in my ear. I’ll never get tired of hearing that. My heart skips a beat every time. “Check inside the boat, there’s something else for you.”

  “Jake, I don’t need anything else.”

  “Just look, darlin’,” he urges.

  Walking back over, I peek over the side and see an envelope about the size of a postcard sitting on one of the benches that I hadn’t seen there a minute ago. Picking it up, I turn it over and slip my finger under the seal to open it, pulling out a thick piece of stock card and reading the gold script.

  Wait.

  No.

  Oh my god.

  It’s an invitation to an art show. My art show.

  I spin around, the card shaking in my hand. “Jake, what is this?” I ask nervously.

  “It’s an invitation. Did you read it?”

  “I did. I just don’t understand.”

  “I put together an art show for you.”

  “But…” I start to say, but can’t find any other words.

  Stepping towards me, Jake takes my shaking hands in his. “You deserve this. You’ve been working hard for months, and loving every second of it. Your paintings are amazing, darlin’. People should see how talented you are.”

  “But…”

  “It’s tonight at seven. Courtney helped me organize it, and everything is already set up.”

  “But…”

  “You just have to show up, baby. Go back to the cottage and pick out one of those sexy dresses you have, and I’ll pick you up at 6:30.”

  “But…”

  Searching my eyes, he asks, “Do you want me to cancel it? I will if you really don’t want this, but I think you do.”

  “I do,” I say quietly, studying the invitation again.

  He organized an art show for me and sent out invitations. I can’t wrap my mind around this.

  Looking back up at him, I see his love for me shining out from his eyes.

  I fucking love him so much.

  A smile breaks out on my face and I throw myself at him, jumping into his arms. I catch him off guard, but he quickly recovers and wraps his arms around me as I kiss him with all the love I have inside of me.

  “Thank you,” I whisper against his lips.

  “Anything for you,” he whispers back.

  “No,” I say back, shaking my head. “Thank you for knowing what I want even when I don’t.”

  I trace his dimple with my finger, then lean in and kiss it softly, swirling my tongue around the little indent.

  “Is this why you shaved this morning?”

  “Yes.” He laughs lightly.

  “I was wondering why you did. I know you only do it when there’s a reason.” I smile, feeling his smooth skin beneath my palm.

  Setting me back down on my feet, I push my hair out of my face and look at my boat again.

  It’s amazing. He had to have been working on it for months.

  “What time is it?” I ask.

  “Two.”

  “Oh, I have to go then if I’m going to be ready in time. I’ll see you at 6:30?”

  “Yes.” He nods, his arms tightening around me.

  “See you then, handsome,” I say, giving him a kiss goodbye.

  * * * *

  With my hair swept up into a low bun, I curl the pieces that don’t reach all the way back so they hang softly around my face. My blue eyes shine back at me in the mirror, framed by thick eyelashes that I made sure to add an extra layer of mascara to. I even went a little bolder and added winged eyeliner over my gold shimmery eyeshadow to make my eyes seem more exotic and enticing.

  Walking into my room, I take my robe off and slip my dress over my head, making sure to avoid ruining my hair. The red silk floats down and around my body, highlighting my curves.

  A conservative rounded neckline is held up by thin spaghetti straps, while the back of the dress is the showstopper. A deep scoop cuts down almost the entirety of my back, and is held together with a crisscrossing of thin, red satin strings.

  The dress has a looser fit to it, but with every step I take, the silk clings to my body and showcases every curve I have.

  Jake is going to love it.

  I’ll be surprised if he even lets me leave the house before tearing it off of me.

  Smiling at that thought, I do a little twirl in the mirror, and make sure I have smooth lines everywhere. It’s hard to wear a bra with this, so the stickies I have on better hold up. I don’t need the girls in full headlight mode when everyone is going to be there for me and there’s nowhere to hide.

  Swiping a bold red lipstick across my lips that matches my dress perfectly, I slip into my heels just in time to hear a knock at the door. I throw the lipstick into my gold clutch, and take one last look in the mirror, smiling through my nerves.

  Taking a few deep breaths before opening the door, I almost faint when I see the Jake that’s standing in front of me.

  Damn.

  I rake my eyes up and down every inch of the man I barely recognize in a sleek black suit that looks to have been perfectly tailored to his Viking size. His normally wild hair that I love is combed back and tamed to show off his freshly shaved face.

  I barely notice the bouquet of lavender roses he’s holding because he looks so damn good.

  Smiling, I meet his heated eyes.

  “Darlin’,” he rasps, slowly taking me in. “You’re beautiful. More than beautiful.”

  Reaching up, I smooth my hand up his chest, feeling the soft fabric of the suit beneath my fingers. “You’re so handsome, Jake. You know I love your rugged mountain man look. But damn, baby, you’re smoking hot in a suit.”

  Smiling wickedly, he wraps his arm around my waist and kisses my cheek, not daring to ruin my lipstick.

  “There’s no back to your dress, darlin’,” he states, his voice strained as his hand caresses my bare skin.

  Smiling seductively, I reach for the roses. “They’re beautiful. I love the color.” Holding them close, I inhale their sweet scent. “What do these mean?” I ask, knowing he loves picking flowers for me based on their meaning.

  “Enchantment and love at first sight.”

  Smiling wide, I lean up on my toes and kiss his cheek, leaving behind a perfect set of red lips. Good. Now every woman will know he’s mine.

  “Let me put these in water and then we can go.”

  I turn to walk to the kitchen, but I only make it a few steps before I hear Jake growl behind me. “Darlin’, you’re killing me in that dress. I’m waiting outside. Otherwise, I’m going to rip it off of you and we’re never leaving.”

  I smile over my shoulder. “I knew you’d like it.”

  “I fucking love it,” he groans. “Tonight’s going to be torture.”

  “Yes, it will be. Especially when all I’ll be thinking about is peeling that suit off and kissing every inch of you, leaving my red lip prints all over your body.”

  “I’ll be outside,” he says, his voice hard as he abruptly turns and walks back out to his truck to wait for me.

  Laughing lightly, I go into the kitchen and put my roses in a vase. I love torturing him with my outfits. It’s always fun to see how long he’ll last before giving up and just taking me wherever we are.

  There have been many nights when he’s had to pull over on the shoulder of some back road because my dress was too much for him and he couldn’t concentrate with so much of my legs showing. He always said that wherever we were going could wait, even if we were on our way to meet his family.

  Smiling, I leave my roses on the kitchen table and lock up the house. When I join Jake outside, he’s
already behind the wheel, so I decide to saunter my way over to the passenger side to torture him some more.

  It’s a silent ride into town as Jake grips the steering wheel tight, keeping his eyes trained on the road and not once straying over towards me.

  When we park in front of the café, he gets out and opens my door, holding his hand out for me to take. I have to maneuver my way out of his truck in a way that doesn’t rip my dress or flash anyone the goods, but it’s not easy.

  As soon as my feet are safely on the pavement, I look up at Jake and smile, seeing my lipstick still on his cheek. Licking my thumb, I reach up and rub it off. “Sorry. I may have left a mark.”

  “You did it on purpose.”

  “I know.” I smirk, and he loops my arm through his.

  “Are you ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.” I nod. “Thank you, Jake. This means so much to me.”

  “Making you happy is all I care about, darlin’,” he says, kissing me by my ear. “And for the next two hours,” he whispers, sending chills down my spine, “I want you to think about all the ways I’m going to make you pay for not being able to touch you when you’re dressed like this.”

  Squeezing his arm, my core clenches, and my skin tingles.

  But the second I walk inside, tears pool in my eyes, and I take in what Jake and Courtney have done for me. I’m speechless.

  The tables and chairs have been moved out and replaced with easels that are displaying my paintings, while the larger pieces hang along the walls.

  This is surreal.

  “Ally!” Courtney exclaims from behind the counter as she pours glasses of wine with Dara.

  Smiling, I leave Jake for a second to go and hug them. “Thank you so much, Courtney.”

  “It was all Jake. Don’t let him try and say I did more than offer the café and help set up.”

  “I can’t believe this,” I say, looking around again.

  “You’re so talented, Ally. People should have the opportunity to see that.”

  “Thank you.” I smile, feeling my cheeks heat.

  “And you look hot as hell. Damn, girl. I’m surprised Jake hasn’t dragged you into a corner yet.”

  “He wanted to.” I laugh. “But he decided to show some self-control for once.”