Chapter 23
23
With her glass of water in hand, Molly followed a half-naked Jake up the stairs to his bedroom, a secluded space overlooking the square lawn that extended beyond the lower deck.
It had been a long day, but right at that moment, it didn’t matter. She’d completed another trip around the sun, and Molly couldn’t care less if they stayed up all night. She just wanted to be close to him. To revel in the warmth of his skin against hers and lay in his arms as he cradled her. Because, gruff exterior aside, after the way he’d kissed her, Molly had no doubt that Jake was a gentle man—one who, by default, would be protective and respectful.
The rain fell steadily now. After living close to the beach for most of her life, Molly loved the sound of the rain that traveled on coastal winds. It reminded her of home.
She glanced around the room, softly illuminated by the amber streetlight below, then back to the man himself. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen him half-naked, but the scenario she’d placed herself in that night was vastly different from the morning they’d met by chance at Petrie Bay.
Tonight, her acceptance of his invitation had been carefully considered, if perhaps with some hesitation, and despite the circumstances, Molly wasn’t here to reconstruct past conversations or foster regret. She longed to feel Jake’s essence, his breath on her neck and hands in her hair, and while she’d initially tried to fight this attraction, her primal need for him was stronger than anything she’d experienced in years.
Jake took her glass of water and set it on a nightstand, one of a matching pair that was the only furniture in the room apart from a leather armchair in the corner and an oversized bed topped with four pillows and a duvet folded back on one side.
Molly stilled and closed her eyes as he came to stand behind her. He moved his hand to her neck and released the five pearl buttons lined up in single file between her shoulder blades. With each one, he kissed her nape, the pressure building in her core with every caress of his lips.
There was no conversation, but again, it didn’t matter. Molly thought words were often redundant, especially when heightened sensations came into play: the touch of his fingertips as he released each pearl, the musky scent of him, and the way his mouth on her neck held her spellbound as the rain moved across the sky in sheets.
Jake turned her to face him and for a second, she thought they would kiss, but instead, he held her gaze and lifted her sweater over her head. Molly cupped her breasts with both hands, a reaction she hadn’t quite learned to control since her surgery.
However, as he unzipped her skirt and let it drift to the floor, he didn’t seem to notice. Standing before him in nothing but a thong, she shivered, even though the room was almost too warm.
He stepped closer, one hand on her hip. “You’re still nervous?”
His words were but a murmur, and she loved that. In her opinion, sexual pleasure and whispers in the low light were the perfect combination—set the perfect mood. “Kind of.”
“Me too.” He checked her doubtful expression and grinned. “What? Even guys can get a little edgy when we’re with someone new.”
Molly smiled back. She hadn’t seen that one coming. “But you seem so…”
“What? Arrogant?”
“Well, yes, but more… self-assured.”
“It’s been a while.”
Molly reached up to touch his face and felt the rasp of his stubble as she traced the back of her hand along his jawline. “For me too.”
He pulled her close, and she dropped her other hand from her breast. With nothing between them now, her nipples betrayed her desire, and as Jake lowered her onto his bed, their kiss intensified that desire to the point where she had no doubt that he’d be the kind of lover she’d dreamed of for many years.
“You’re self-conscious about your body?”
His question hung in the air between them. “A bit.”
“Don’t be. You’re beautiful, so…” He traced the curve of both breasts with his hand. “Fuck, I have no words.”
Quietly pleased with herself, Molly snuggled into his shoulder and inhaled softly. Even though she didn’t know him well, having Jake Sinclair admit he was lost for words captivated her.
They remained on their sides, Jake’s right arm under her pillow, the other firm on her buttock as he inched her closer. She didn’t dare peek but, due to their proximity, could tell that he was fully erect.
As heat pooled in her core, goose bumps tightened her breasts, a delicious contradiction she hadn’t experienced in a long time and one she’d missed terribly. “Are you sure you want this?” Molly’s voice faltered as she asked the question.
“Isn’t that my line?”
“Consent works both ways, don’t you think?”
Jake twisted a lock of her hair around his fingers as he gazed at her. “You’re right. And yes, I want this… very much. I know it’s your birthday, but I feel like I’m the one unwrapping a gift.”
“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I’m already unwrapped.”
He slipped his fingers through the side of her thong and tugged gently. “Not quite, but I’ll save this scrap of lace for later. Any instructions?”
Molly giggled. “What? You’re asking me for instructions? I’m sure you know perfectly well what’s required.”
Jake huffed, then kissed her again. “I do, but I was trying to be polite.”
“You? Polite?”
He pulled her closer and whispered against her neck, “You have no idea how polite I can be if the right situation arises.”
She smiled at his play on words. The situation had already arisen, and magnificently so.
Running his fingertips up and down her lower spine, he kissed her again—long and slow and sultry—and it occurred to her that she could easily lose herself in this man. Become his for that moment in time when the outside world ceased to exist except for the sound of the rain striking the deck below.
They grew frantic for one another—hands and lips exploring where their inadequate imaginations had once gone before them.
Molly’s hips surged forward of their own accord, and she reached for him before his hands had even left her breasts. Warm and thick, his penis twitched as her hand closed around it, and as he slowly pumped into her fist, his fingers found her sweet spot—their gentle rhythm threatening to tip her over the unexpected edge. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, a soft moan escaping her lips in the process. “You’re very good at this.”
“Yeah? And polite.”
“Really? I haven’t heard one please yet.”
He caressed her torso from navel to neck, his lips warm and featherlike on her skin until he nipped her earlobe with a playful bite. “I’ve wanted you for a long time, do you know that?”
“That’s not true.”
“It is. You infatuate me.”
Molly understood. She adored infatuation, that lustful intensity that comes with a strong mutual attraction and amazing, mind-blowing sex. And to her, there was nothing better than the sensation of a man’s lips claiming hers, his masculine hands on her face, and his weight pinning her down.
Shit!
“So, please,” Jake continued, “may I fuck you now?”
Molly moved onto her back and spread her legs like the wings of a butterfly about to take flight. “What about protection?”
He reached under his pillow and pulled out a foil packet. “Do you want to do the honors?”
“No, but I’d like to watch.”
When Jake woke around five to an empty bed, for a moment, he wondered if Molly had left without saying goodbye. The sex had been both tender and intense—meaningful beyond his wildest imagination—but there was no denying that her past tie to Jesse would make any relationship with Molly complicated.
He slipped his hand underneath the covers, where she’d lain naked and panting just hours before, to find the sheets still warm. She couldn’t be far away.
Out of bed, Jake strolled into the office nook off his bedroom and opened the shutters to the floor below. He leaned against the rail of the mezzanine, and there she was. With one hand wrapped around a steaming mug and a single lamp illuminating her with its muted glow, Molly looked up and smiled. “Morning.”
“You couldn’t sleep?” Jake returned her gesture, casting all doubts aside.
She shrugged. “I did for a while, but my mind likes to keep busy, even when my body doesn’t.”
“Yeah, mine too. Comes with the job.” Struggling to keep his erection in check, Jake reveled in the sight before him—Molly wrapped in his bathrobe, her hair tousled from sleep. “Come back to bed.”
“Actually, I should head home. I have an early meeting.”
An immediate sense of disappointment surfaced, something he seldom experienced the morning after with a new lover. He didn’t want Molly to leave, not before he had the chance to hold her again, to rake his hands through her hair and kiss her good morning. “How early?”
“Seven thirty.” Molly checked the time on the clock above the coffee machine. “Anyway, don’t you have to leave for work soon?”
“Not today.”
“How come?”
“Because I have a guest. And besides, I’m the boss.”
Molly rose from the chair and placed her mug in the kitchen sink before heading for the stairs. And as she entered the bedroom, he offered his hand, and she took it.
“There’s something I’d like to tell you,” she murmured.
Jake sat on the bed and faced her, feeling slightly uneasy. “Okay.”
“You know last night, when you asked if I was self-conscious about my body?”
He nodded.
“Well…” Molly slipped the robe off her shoulder and exposed the underside of one breast. “I had a reduction, three years ago now, but the scars are still visible. I wanted to explain before you noticed because, in a world where implants seem to be the norm, some people just don’t get it.”
“Thank you for trusting me enough to share. And I do get it, so there’s no judgment from me.”
“To tell you the truth, it was more of an adjustment than I anticipated, and I’m still coming to terms with it emotionally.”
Jake nodded slowly. “And are you happy with your decision?”
“Definitely. I used to get teased a lot—even by guys who were old enough to know better.” Molly paused. “It’s a bit of a buzzkill, I know, but…”
“It’s not a buzzkill at all.” Jake slipped his hands around her waist. “Now, come back to bed and tell me your plans for the day.”