Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
Rise and Shine
Noelle
Ifell asleep elated, content, and wrapped up in big, brawny arms. I woke up in a bed that wasn’t mine. It was Jack Timber’s. The only man I thought I’d never get close to and hated more than anyone else on the entire planet.
Jack. Jack. Jack.
Goddamn, Jack. He was the first person on my mind, and somehow, he got stuck in my brain. His refusal to leave me alone or perhaps my stubbornness had... Fuck. I don’t know, but the pitter-patter of my chest beating a hundred miles per minute when I noticed he wasn’t beside me left me confused.
I missed Jack’s arms around me, spooning me all throughout the night after hours of sex, but his cuddles were the best part.
He held me close, twirling my hair in his fingers, caressing my skin and placing gentle kisses every once in a while.
He was extremely tender and affectionate underneath his harsh exterior.
A pleasant surprise that almost didn’t shock me because I guess I knew he could be lovable all along.
Whether through acts of kindness, the love he had shown my daughter, or the simplest gestures I hadn’t noticed through my hatred.
My hate had got in the way of me experiencing who Jack Timber truly was.
A good, respectful man who’d do anything for me, and I had been the stubborn asshole who didn’t see him.
I cared for my neighbor. For how long my affection had grown for him, I wasn’t sure, but this wasn’t an attraction bound to quit after having sex.
Jack had grown on me, and I hated the idea of having feelings for him.
Having anything for him scared me, but I couldn’t deny the truth, and I couldn’t leave the next morning with no reason to go home, to cross over our property line, which appeared to vanish as the minutes went by.
The grumpy man, who wasn’t as grouchy as he had pretended to be, was a breath of fresh air on a bitter winter’s day. The chill of him wore off as the temperature became tolerable—he wasn’t so frigid after all.
I yawned and checked the time on the bedside alarm clock. Shit. The clock had struck noon. I had slept in, but only after the most amazing sex of my life. My body needed plenty of rest to recharge.
I searched Jack’s bedroom for my clothes and came up empty.
Not a single piece of a woman’s dainty fabric was in sight, but I found a long-sleeve flannel shirt.
His favorite shirt. The one Jack always wore, but I discovered he had purchased several.
I’d checked his closet the moment I got in here and teased him about it.
I’d joked he’d stink and leave an awful stench for miles, but that wasn’t true. Jack smelled amazing. Exactly like his goddamn long-sleeved shirt I had popped over my head. Woodsy, earthy, and delightful. Not to mention as warm and cozy as him.
I loved him.
Wait...
I loved Jack? No, there was no way my feelings for him were this big.
Okay. No reason to panic. I wasn’t in love... but what if I was?
I paced the room back and forth while I bit my fingernail. I overreacted while I left a trail of footprints on Jack’s carpet.
Sure, I had affection for the man and cared about him. I would feel devastated if something bad happened to him. My heart ached at the idea of Jack in a horrible accident. I’d be beside myself if he suffered a damn heart attack because of his age.
I snapped my fingers.
Ah-ha! That was right. Jack was too old for me. There was no way we’d work out, and love was completely off the table.
Right?
I sat down on the edge of the bed and placed my head in my hands.
Oh, God. What was wrong with me? Why did I have to sleep with the man I was supposed to despise until the day I died? How could I have been so stupid?
Screw this. I shouldn’t be in Jack’s home, wearing his damn clothes, and wondering where he was. I needed to return home.
I stood up and grabbed my cell phone off the bedside table.
I was mad at myself for getting wrapped up in this disastrous situation.
Furiously, I hurried down the hallway and prepared to flee out the door, when I caught a hint of the most delicious smell.
Food. Glorious, delightful, scrumptious breakfast.
My stomach growled. As starved as I was, I contemplated my departure.
I’d take a risk by staying and chance seeing Jack and falling harder for him than I already had.
My feet reacted as I ambled closer to the aroma of greasy bacon with a hint of cinnamon. My mind reeled at the possibilities while my body took charge and steered me toward Jack’s enormous kitchen, where he flipped something in a frying pan. He was shirtless, and he wore gray sweatpants.
Good God. Anything but gray sweats on a man as built as Jack.
His well-hung dick practically waved at me beneath the material and dared me to shake it.
I thought about jerking him off and getting naughty with the guy next door when I should be hightailing it outta there instead, but I couldn’t stop staring.
Jack’s cock was like a huge ornament shining brightly on a Christmas tree. He had the biggest cock I had ever fucked at eight inches long, and I was sore—but wanting more.
“Hey, neighbor,” Jack announced.
I jumped.
“Jack,” I squeaked and cleared my throat while playing with the buttons of his shirt. “What are you doing?”
Dumb question. I knew what the fuck Jack was up to. He was being kind and sweet, preparing breakfast while I considered leaving.
I was an asshole.
“Making breakfast, silly little Elle,” Jack answered in a chipper mood.
Jack better be cheerful after we had sex not once, and we certainly didn’t stop at twice.
We had sex five times yesterday. Not including after midnight.
We couldn’t keep our hands off each other, and Jack had pleasured my body in many delicious ways, which still had me tingling from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.
Jack Timber was a skilled lover. He knew how a woman’s body worked and what he could hurt.
His pain had brought me pleasure and left me deliriously screaming.
At one point, I begged him down on my knees because I wanted to take his cock in my mouth, but he wouldn’t let me.
He was only out to pleasure me with his lips on my pussy and screw me senseless.
The thought of Jack with his dick in my mouth made me drool, and I was no longer hungry for food. I wanted Jack to place his cock where he previously wouldn’t. I yearned for a taste of the forbidden and to break the rules even more.
I desperately desired to give Jack Timber, my dad’s best friend, a blow job. It was time to turn up the heat and fine-tune my charm. The vixen in me was ready to come out to play.
“Rather cheery today, aren’t you, Timber?” I ran my index finger seductively along the kitchen island.
“Sex with a beautiful woman who I’m not supposed to touch can do that to a man.” Jack took a bite of bacon while he watched me. “Especially when she wakes up the next fucking day wearing my shirt after we made love multiple times.”
“Five, to be exact, but I lost count after midnight.” I popped a button open on his shirt. “Oopsie.”
I stopped in front of Jack, and he clenched the spatula.
His knuckles were white while he refrained from touching me, but I wanted his hands all over me.
His heated hazelnut eyes roamed over me while they came to life with desire, and he popped a stiffy in his gray sweatpants.
He wanted me, but fucking him wasn’t on my mind.
Jack flicked another button open. “Daisy.”
My cleavage spilled out of his shirt, and he groaned while I got down on my knees. The kitchen tile was cool against my feverish skin, and I stared up at him. I ran my hands up his sweats, taking in the texture of his muscular thighs and loving how thick he was. Powerful, healthy and dominating.
While being a lumberjack and a brilliant architect, Jack embodied toughness as intensely as any man could possess.
His creativity mixed with his strength had allowed him to make it into a billionaire profession.
He was the ideal package any woman dreamed of.
I fought the attraction. Sometimes. But down on my knees, I was done battling the temptation and ready to surrender with my mouth wide open.
“You pleasured me, Jack.” I touched his erection. “Let me do the same for you.”