Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Six
It was one thing, kissing Jake Hawkins in the dark, and another to kiss him now, face-to-face, with the soft lamplight dusting his lashes and burnishing his hair like a sunset. She could tell now that kissing him in that crawl space had been like a fantasy, all touch and taste and physical reaction. But the little glimpses of Jake she took between breaths, the deep blue rim of his half-closed eyes, the soft line where his neck sloped into his collar bone, the tickle of a wayward curl against her forehead, all of it was so very deeply Jake .
Jake, who always smelled of the ocean; Jake, who patiently recounted his travel stories while she scribbled down her notes; Jake, who made sure he brought fresh flowers every time he saw his aunt because that’s what her late husband would do; Jake, with his sexy accent and easy smile and super-human patience. This was something more than want, something more than lust, and something that completely terrified Kate. But she couldn’t stop herself from giving into it just then, even if she wanted to. Which she absolutely did not.
Jake took his time with her, his hands staying firmly above her neck, his tongue running along the soft skin of her upper lip, his teeth tugging at her lower lip. She groaned and leaned into him, chasing that tongue, too hungry for decorum. But he only leaned her gently away from him, his thighs pressing against hers, his lips trailing across her cheek to her ear.
“I’ve waited years for this,” he said, his breath warming the inner shell of her ear. “And I’m going to take my time. Every last minute of it, Kate. Until neither of us can stand up again.”
Kate gasped as his teeth sunk into her earlobe, his tongue flicking against the soft tissue there, turning the lower half of her liquid. He slid his hands down to her waist and held her tight against him, kissing her as he slowly turned her and walked her back toward the bed. They had far too many clothes on for Kate’s taste, and she tugged impatiently at the hem of his sweater. He gladly drew it up over his head and tossed it to the side, returning the favor and tossing her sleuthing sweater and her shirt in the overstuffed chair. She was down to her bra and leggings, and suddenly self-conscious about which underwear she’d chosen that morning. When she’d packed for this weekend, sex with Jake Hawkins had genuinely been the furthest thing from her mind.
Not that she was complaining.
“God, you’re so soft.” Jake groaned, burying his mouth where her neck and collarbone met. He ran his tongue along the bone there, swirling it in the hollow at the base. “And you taste so good. Like a ripe, luscious fruit.”
“That might be actual fruit. I dropped a cantaloupe on myself at the breakfast bar.” Kate sighed, pushing him back a little. “No fair. You shouldn’t get to do all the tasting.”
Jake’s gaze was practically feral, but he bowed his head with a small grin. “By all means, ladies first.”
Where to start with Jake Hawkins? How many parts of him had she imagined tasting? All of them. All of the parts. And now here he was, and she didn’t even know where to start. She reached out hesitantly, putting a hand on his stomach, feeling the bands of muscle there. His breath caught as she slid her fingers up, brushing his nipple. She leaned forward and gently ran her tongue around the edge, scraping her teeth gently over the tip.
“Kate,” Jake said, his voice choked.
“You don’t like it?” she said, burying a smile.
“Now I know you’re teasing,” Jake said, his words thick.
“Maybe,” she said, letting her hands slide down his belly toward the button on his jeans.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” he said, catching her hand. “My turn now.”
“I don’t know what you—” she started to say, but her bra was unhooked and on the floor before she could finish the sentence, and the rest of the thought evaporated as Jake lowered his head, fixing his mouth on her nipple. “Oh my god .”
“That’s more like it,” Jake said, his lips stretching in a smile against her skin.
Kate could only put her hands on his shoulders and hold on as he ran his tongue from one tip to the other, bringing up one hand to cup the weight of one breast as he sucked on the other. It was a shock, the erotic intimacy, as he rolled her nipple between his fingers.
“I knew you’d have the most incredible breasts,” he said, running his nose against the sensitive flesh there. “You’re always wearing cardigans and sweaters, but I knew. I could tell they’d have weight.”
Kate sighed, cradling his head and tipping her own back. Her leggings were already feeling too restrictive, too abrasive, chafing against sensitive thighs as he eased her back on the narrow mattress. He hovered over her, arms braced on either side.
“Kate, love, you deserve a four-poster king. Soft pillows and cool silk sheets. You’re absolutely incredible. Smart, funny, sexy as hell.”
She reached up for his shoulders, her voice surprisingly thick. “I’d rather be on a twin bed in a haunted attic with you than on a four-poster bed with anyone else.”
Jake’s only response was a groan as he lowered his head to kiss her, no longer slow and gentle but rough and urgent, the pressure of his body over hers pushing her down into the mattress. Kate gasped as his chest pressed against her, the skin-to-skin contact so intimate she nearly came right then and there. His tongue swept against hers as she ran her hands up his back, teasing every bunch and stretch of his muscles there, her nails scratching over the lines of scars. Jake hissed in a breath and she stopped, frowning.
“Does it hurt?” she asked, curling her fingers into fists to keep from the temptation of touching him again.
“The opposite,” he said, kissing the corner of her mouth and down her jaw. “I’m just not used to it.”
Kate wanted to ask if anyone else had touched them, if other women—of course there had been other women, this was Jake Hawkins , after all—if other women had run their fingernails over them. If they’d held a small piece of their heart for Jake and the pain of his past like she did. No matter how hard she’d tried to cut that piece of her heart out.
“I don’t have to touch them, if it bothers you,” she said, sighing as his lips found her nipple again. Her back arched of its volition, pressing her breast into his mouth. “I know you don’t like talking about it.”
He raised his head slightly before running his tongue along the soft flesh under her breast. “If you’re able to talk, I’m not doing my job well enough.”
“Oh, I think you’re doing… you’re doing… swell,” she said, sighing again as he moved down her stomach. “This is just… what my brain does.”
“Swell,” Jake said, chuckling against her stomach, planting a kiss just above her belly button. “You really are a treasure.”
“Do you ever miss it?” Kate asked, tangling her fingers into his hair.
“Surfing?” He paused over her hips, running his fingers up her sides and back down, making her shiver. “Sometimes, but not often. I’ll always love the ocean, but she’s not the kind and gentle mistress people think she is when they’re watching from the beach.”
“That I believe,” Kate said, remembering the swell and crash of the waves when they arrived. She closed her eyes and tilted her neck back as Jake’s fingers swept just under the waistband of her leggings, raising goose bumps all along her legs. “Still, I always imagined you might take me out one day and show me how. To surf.”
Jake’s hands paused on her hips, just over the stretchy fabric of her leggings, and after a moment she opened her eyes to look at him. Oh great, she’d fucked it up again, talking about a commitment beyond here and now. Jake didn’t do commitments.
“For the books, I mean,” she said hastily. “You know how I like to do my research before I write. Not today, though. Today is for… other things.”
“Right,” Jake said, his gaze shuttering as it moved down her body, growing hot again. “Other things like these leggings being somewhere else.”
“Oh,” she said, words rapidly failing her at the look in his eyes.
“Lift your hips,” Jake said, his voice suddenly gruff.
She pressed up obediently as he hooked his fingers in the waistband, sliding her leggings and her underwear down her thighs, slow and sensual. It had been a good while since she’d made any attempts at personal grooming, but luckily she’d made a trip to her aesthetician before the weekend. That painful waxing was paying off as Jake freed her feet and tossed the leggings aside, swallowing loudly as he gently opened her legs.
“Oh, that’s not… You don’t…”
Jake met her gaze, holding her knees in place, his touch still gentle. “I won’t do anything you don’t want me to, Kate. But I’d like to taste you.”
Oh god, how could she refuse that ? She nodded wordlessly, letting her head fall back. Her legs shook, her breath came in short pants, and her heart hammered away in her chest. No one had been between her legs in years—not even Spencer, not that she could conjure up his particular name at the moment. But she’d never really enjoyed oral sex, had only come twice when Spencer had tried it, and had eventually asked him not to do it. She had assumed it just wasn’t for her, that she worked differently.
But the first lazy, mischievous swipe of Jake’s tongue nearly sent her off the mattress. He flicked the tip of his tongue against her clit and it shot straight up her spinal cord and lit up all the pleasure centers of her brain, making her gasp. He kissed her softly, sucking slightly, and her fingers buried themselves in his curls.
“Did you like that?” he asked, the smile in his tone.
“Like is… an understatement,” Kate panted.
“Good.” Jake laughed, sliding a finger inside her.
His tongue and fingers worked in tandem, her muscles tightening with each assault until she was crying out his name, edging on the precipice of glory. But every time it felt like she might tip over the edge, he slowed his pace, his tongue roving, his free hand caressing the curve of her calf. And when Kate’s heart would slow, the thudding in her flesh subsiding, he slid a second finger in, stretching her, working her until she was nearly screaming.
“That’s… not… fair,” Kate finally managed, when he’d brought her up and let her sink back down a third time.
“Was there something you wanted?” Jake said, his voice so buttery and teasing. “All you have to do is ask. Nicely.”
“Jake, please,” she said, as he curled his fingers and made every muscle in her body clench.
“Please what?” he asked, his tongue swirling just around her clit without touching it.
“Please, Jake—Oh god , please. Please make me come.”
“Only because you asked so kindly,” Jake said, giving her a wicked smile from between her thighs before dipping his head again.
And now she knew he’d only been playing with her this whole time. His tongue pressed against her, rough and hard and quick, and her climax came so fast she swore she could see into another dimension. It rode through her like the coming of the end-times, bowing her back and stealing her breath, her entire body shuddering. Fireworks of every color exploded behind her lids. It was almost a relief when Jake slid his fingers out and sat back on his heels, watching her like he could devour her whole. Which he sort of had done.
“That was…” She lay back, staring up at the ceiling, the lights flickering around her. “I don’t… They haven’t invented a word yet for what that was.”
“Good?” Jake said, holding back a laugh.
“How dare you,” Kate said accusingly. “‘Good’ is an insult. A slap in the face.”
Jake’s body shook with the effort to keep from laughing. “So, great, then?”
Kate smacked him with her knee. “Such impudence.”
The lights flickered, dropping out for a moment before buzzing back to life at a dimmer level, and Kate realized it wasn’t just the aftereffects of her orgasm.
“What’s going on with the—” Kate began to say, but a sharp, abrupt sound sent her upright in a panic. She couldn’t quite make it out, and there was a brief, heavy lull as the sound dissipated. Maybe she’d imagined—
But no, there it was again, somehow louder and more insistent. A blaring, harsh alarm clanging through the house as the lights buzzed dangerously low again.