“How can you expect me to trust you when you’ve made it clear all along you intend to take a mistress whenever you want?”
He shook his head. “I never said that. You accused me of it.”
“You didn’t deny it!”
“I’m denying it now. There will be no one else, for either of us.”
It felt like her mind was caught in the spin cycle. She’d spent the last month struggling to come to terms with this, and he was saying it wasn’t an issue. “What about Dee?”
“Dee is my friend. I’ve known her since middle school, and I financed her boutiques, but that’s all.”
“But the papers said—”
“And they will again. I can’t control that. That’s why it’s important you believe me now.”
She knit her brow, wanting more than anything for this to be the truth. “Dee said—”
“I can’t control that, either. I don’t know what she implied, but she did it in hopes of protecting me. She thinks you’re after my bank account.”
Lily sat up straighter. “I don’t want your money.”
“I know. But Dee can’t understand what your other motivation could be.” His sardonic grin caught her off-guard.
“You really haven’t slept with her?”
He shook his head. “I’m not saying I’ve always lived like a monk, but since I met you, there’s been no one else.”
She stared up at him. “Why would you let me believe otherwise?”
He shrugged. “You wanted to. We had so many battles to fight, I didn’t think starting there would be productive.”
“You had Dee to the house.”
He rolled his eyes. “You invited her.”
“I thought—” She rubbed her face. “I don’t know what I thought.”
“You were jealous, and while we’re confessing things, I baited you into it. Jealousy was the only encouragement you gave me, and so I took it.”
“Why not just tell me the truth?” She watched as his face clouded with apprehension.
“I told you, but you didn’t believe me. Even now, after all we’ve shared, you’re still struggling.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do. Without trust, you can’t believe anything. My parents had their issues, but trust was the big one. He always thought there were other men. It didn’t matter what she said or what she did. He didn’t trust her, so he couldn’t believe her. If you don’t trust me, there’s nowhere for us to go.”
She closed her eyes and smiled, her nerves finally calming. When she opened her eyes and looked up at him, everything fell into place.
“So you’ll trust me?” The morning light glimmered over his handsome face like beams of pure happiness.
“At home. I’ve seen you get creative with the truth in business.” She pulled him close and down for a quick kiss.
“Angel, are you sure? I don’t want to be something you regret.”
She looked up at him, her eyes glistening. “I regret that we haven’t been together already.”
He had to trust her, here and now. He took her hand and led her across the room to bed. He kissed her again, smiling when she went back to the buttons on his shirt.
He covered her slim hands with his own. “Anticipation is one of the best parts of making love.”
“I don’t believe you.” She grinned, and a shiver of delight raced through him. “I think I want you to work at proving yourself wrong. We’ve had too much anticipation.”
“There can never be enough. Don’t you want me more now than you did before we came upstairs?” He undid the buttons of the white eyelet blouse she wore with deliberate slowness.
“Yes, but—”
“And now?” He pushed the shirt off her shoulders and ran his fingers beneath the straps of her satin bra. He undid the front clasp, opening her up like a present.
She shook her head, her eyes gleaming with a brazenness he’d never seen. Her fingers made quick work of his buttons and pushed his shirt away. She took a step closer so that the hardened tips of her nipples brushed against his chest. She closed her eyes, tilted her head to one side and began to sway, each subtle movement grazing against him.
“Now I want you more.” Her lips quirked in a seductive grin. She opened her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. “If you lose the pants, I’ll let you have your way with me.” She leaned closer until he could feel her breath against his ear. “If you take much longer, I might even beg.”
He groaned and dragged her down onto the bed. She kicked off her sandals along the way, making it easy for him to remove her white capri pants. She wiggled away from him and got up on her knees.
“Do you need some help?” She reached for his jeans, and he tried to let her undo the buttons, clenching his jaw as her fingers brushed against him. Finally, it was too much, and he stood up to finish the job himself. Mischief gleamed in her gaze as she watched his every move.
“You like what you see?”
She shrugged, causing her pert breasts to bounce in invitation. “You’re the first man I’ve gotten to see naked. I’m curious.”
“Are you?” He rid himself of the rest of his clothes and joined her on the bed. He was painfully aroused, but he knew she’d need to go slow. He lay down and propped himself up on one elbow, smiling as Lily faced him and did the same thing.
The intimacy and safety of being with Jake wrapped around Lily like a drug, lulling her into brazen euphoria. “I don’t just read proper literary novels. There are things I’ve read about that have made me wonder.”
“Like what?”
“Like if you can really taste someone’s pulse thrumming in their neck.” She dipped her head, kissing his neck until she could indeed feel his pulse beneath her tongue. When she looked up, he wore an intoxicated smile that encouraged her to indulge. “And whether you’d feel the way I do when I touch your nipples.” She inched down and flicked her tongue against one flat disk, grinning as it peaked when she blew across it.
“Yours are better.” He palmed one breast, rubbing his thumb across the sensitive tip.
“Why? Because bigger is better?”
He laughed, rolling them over so that he was on top, his muscular thigh sliding between her legs. “You’re amazing.”
“I want to feel amazing.” Her body filled with such a charge of excitement, a frantic rush of desire to be with him completely flooded through her. He was here, and alive, and in this moment, he was hers completely.
She indulged her every desire to touch him, to feel the corded and bunched power of his muscles beneath his warm skin. She wanted to learn his body, but thought flew from her mind as his hands began their own exploration.
Skilled expertise won out, and she gave herself over to the heady flash of sensations he rained down on her body. She threaded her fingers through his hair while he worked her nipple until her legs began to twitch. His fingers plucked at the bud while he turned his attentions to her other breast. She twisted and bowed her body, trying to ease the ache that came from not receiving what she really craved.
He must have sensed her frustration, because soon one hand was tugging down her panties. She wriggled her hips to help him, thankful when she could kick them off the side of the bed and be completely bare to him. His hand slipped between her thighs, and she relaxed them open, enjoying the warmth spreading throughout her body.
His fingers played her body like a finely tuned instrument, showing her nuances of pleasure she’d never imagined. While he strummed the bud of her sex, his finger slid inside her, filling her with the most exquisite sensation.
The feel of his skin beneath her hands wasn’t enough, so she reached for him, bringing his face to hers for a kiss deeper than any she’d ever experienced. Another finger stretched her, and she opened for it the way she did for his kiss. She moaned into his mouth as her hips began to follow the rhythm he set. He moved within her, the pleasure reaching a crest that broke all around her, releasing tension throughout
her body and filling her mind with pure bliss.
His hands roamed up her body, leaving quivering trails of desire in their wake. From beneath her lust-induced fog, she tangled her legs with his, trying to pull him as close as possible.
“Please, Jake.” Already, her body was throbbing for more, throbbing for him. She’d never imagined it would be this way, that she could feel so safe and out of control at the same time. Running her hands down the smooth muscles of his back, she found the rise of his bottom and pulled him against her.
“Are you ready?” his voice rasped in her ear.
“Yes, please, yes,” she whispered on a moan.
He moved over her, his body pressing hers into the soft mattress until she felt the weight of him solidly above her. His erection pushed against her, rubbing along her swollen sex. She tilted her hips, watching his eyelids lower at the movement.
It gave her a rush that he wanted her, too. She wanted him completely, needed to know he was fully hers, if only for a moment. His dark gaze locked with hers as he shifted and began the slow slide into her.
Knowing he was filling her made her heart swell. Surely he could see how she felt now. He’d never again have to doubt her devotion. He pumped his hips against her, the friction building her pleasure once again.
“You’re mine, Lily.”
“Yes.” She lifted one leg and wrapped it around his hips. Now, every move he made pressed right there, pushing her toward climax.
“No one else will ever have you but me.”
“Yes.” It was the truth. Her heart belonged to him, now and always. His dark passion drove her deeper into pleasure until it seemed too much to bear. She thought she might not be able to take any more, but at that moment, all the tension in her body released. She gasped, clutching at the sheets as her vision narrowed, stars dancing behind her eyes.
She heard Jake cry out as his hips jerked against her. Lily wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on with all the strength she had left.
…
Terror gripped her throat as the dream swirled around her. Lily opened her eyes, praying for reality. Her heartbeat steadied as she stared at Jake’s bare chest, the intoxicating scent of him filling her lungs. The nightmare was over, completely.
Birds twittered outside, the early morning light beginning to rouse them. She traced the smooth lines of his chest, knowing she needed to get back to the house, to share the good news with Thalia so the older woman wouldn’t be shocked by seeing her grandson alive.
But she couldn’t let him wake up alone, not after last night. She nuzzled into his neck, kissing the saltiness from his skin. She wished she had half his skill. Maybe in time she’d learn how to wake him up so that he’d open his eyes wanting her.
“Careful, angel.” Jake’s voice was rough with morning. “As much as I’d love to stay here all day, we do have to go to the house.”
“A few more minutes, then I’ll go. I’ll tell her and then you can come in, that way she won’t get a shock.” She grinned up at him and then rested her head on his chest so she could hear his heart beating. Today it was the most reassuring sound in the world.
“You are more amazing than I thought you would be.”
She giggled. “Glad I could exceed your expectations.”
His hand swatted her butt beneath the sheet. “That, too, but I meant who you are. I’m still sorry for how scared you both must have been yesterday, but I’m glad you were here for Thalia.”
“Me, too.” Lily lifted her head, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. “You know, if you’re still free on New Year’s Eve, we could stay here.”
“Why Lily Harris, are you proposing to me?” His gaze clung to hers, studying her reaction.
“Only if you’re planning on accepting.”
“Where’s my ring?” He grinned, running his fingers through her hair.
“Would you wear one?”
His brows knit together. “Of course. We can pick one out today. I’m glad you’re willing to get married so soon. A few months ago, I’d have thought you’d want to put on a show of a wedding, but now I know something here would suit you more.”
“And you. Besides, we’ll come back here often, so we can relive the memory over and over. At some reception hall things can be torn down as quickly as they go up.”
“That’s very romantic of you, but you don’t have to convince me. Thalia might slap me on the back of the head if we wait too long.”
Lily laughed at the image. “We won’t wait at all then. ”
He kissed her softly. “You’ll never regret it, Lily, I promise.”
“I know. I once made a deal with the devil and wound up in heaven instead.”
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Acknowledgments
There is safety in reserve, but no attraction. One cannot love a reserved person. Not till the reserve ceases towards oneself; and then the attraction may be the greater. – Jane Austen
Thank you, Jane, for your wisdom, inspiration, and showing me that people rarely speak a truth that can be used as a weapon against them. You are my inspiration, my teacher, my friend.
“It was gratitude; gratitude, not merely for having once loved her, but for loving her still well enough to forgive all the petulance and acrimony of her manner in rejecting him.” – Jane Austen
About the Author
Jenna Bayley-Burke is known for her fun, sexy romance novels, baking banana bread, and over-volunteering. She thinks she has the best jobs in the world—mother, wife, and author. When she’s not lost in her latest story, she can be found pursuing whatever hobby her characters are enamored with—photography, yoga, shoes, gardening, crafts, and cooking up a storm. Keep up with Jenna online at:
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Discover the Invested in Love series…
The Billionaire’s Runaway Fiancee
The Billionaire’s Private Scandal
The Billionaire’s Holiday Engagement
Also by Jenna-Bayley Burke…
Compromising Positions
Lust in Translation
For Kicks
Not My First Rodeo
Not My First Rodeo 2
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The Billionaire's Reluctant Fiancee (Invested in Love) Page 16
