Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JAKE
A grin spreads across my face as I turn onto my street. I have no clue what she is doing to me. It’s like I’m under some kind of spell with her. She’s invaded every one of my thoughts, and I find myself counting down the minutes until I can see her again. Tonight, though, she’s at my house and will be waiting for me when I get home.
I quickly park in the garage and walk inside, eager to get a glimpse of her. Laughter rings out in the kitchen as I hear two voices talking. Frowning, I spot her and Miles on barstools, their heads close together, watching something on his phone.
Miles lifts his head when he hears me come in. A big grin appears, and he’s got that mischievous look in his eyes that tells me he’s up to no good.
“Hey Jake, you’re finally home. You didn’t tell me we had a new chef. Imagine my surprise when I came home to find a beautiful woman in our kitchen making us dinner.”
I give him a death stare, and he grins wider. “I thought you weren’t coming home until Monday.”
“We decided to cut our trip short so we could come home for a couple of days before our weekend show. Speaking of shows, I was just showing Lyla some of our highlight reels. I think I’ve made her a groupie already. She might have to come with us on our next road trip. Maybe hire her on as our personal band chef,” he winks at her, and a giggle escapes.
“She is not going on a road trip with you. The last thing she would want to do is be stuck on a bus with you crazy asses.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve always thought it would be cool to tour around the world with a band. How much is the pay?”
I blink at her words as they slowly register. She can’t be serious . Miles throws his arm around her shoulder and grins.
“I’m willing to negotiate and work out the terms of our agreement. What other services do you provide?”
“Hmmm. Well, I’ve been told I do amazing back rubs.”
I furrow my brows and fist my hand at my side. What the hell?
“You’re hired,” he says immediately.
“Like fuck you are. What the hell is going on here? And Miles, get your fucking hands off of her.”
“Yep, he’s got it bad for the first time in his life. Took him a little bit longer than I thought, but I got him there,” he laughs and throws a fifty on the counter.
“Thanks,” she grins and pockets the money.
“I’m going to shower and then head out for a bit. Thanks for dinner, Lyla. It was delicious.”
“No problem. I’m glad you liked it. I made extra muffins for breakfast, so make sure to grab one before you head to rehearsal.”
“God, I love you. Hiring you was the best idea I never had but should have,” he laughs. He walks over to me and puts his hand on my shoulder.
“I’m gonna miss my wingman,” he puts on a fake sad face, “but I like this one, and she can cook a damn good meal. We need her in this family, so don’t fuck it up,” he grins and walks to the garage where his apartment stairs are.
“What the hell was that all about?” I ask, walking over to her.
“Miles said he would give me fifty dollars if he could have a little fun with you. I didn’t see the harm in it, so I played along,” she shrugs. “Fifty dollars is fifty dollars. It was easy money.”
“I didn’t like it.” I swallow down my jealousy at the thought of her being interested in my brother.
“It was just a joke. I’m not interested in your brother that way or have any intention of becoming a groupie,” she laughs.
“I still didn’t like it.” I step closer, and she backs up, hitting the counter. “I’ve never been the jealous type before,” I murmur, running my hand through her silky waves. “It’s not a feeling I’m used to having.”
I watch her throat move as she swallows. Her amber eyes burn bright into mine. “You give me a lot of feelings, too, that I’m not used to having,” she whispers. “I actually missed you today, and I wasn’t even apart from you for very long. I’m not used to counting down the minutes until I see someone again.”
“It was exactly five hours and,” I glance at my watch, “thirty-seven minutes to be exact since I last saw you.” A smile creeps up on her face, and my lips quirk. “I missed you, too. Another feeling I’m not used to.” Her eyes get that excited glow to them, and I love that I’m the one who puts it there. “I’m going to kiss you now, little hummingbird,” I say in a low voice.
She nods her head slightly, and I take that as a yes as I dive in and crush my lips to hers. God, she tastes like heaven. Cinnamon hits my taste buds, and I moan at the intoxicating taste of her and spice.
Picking her up, I set her on the counter as I step between her legs. When I press up against her, she moans her approval and wraps those beautiful legs around me. It’s the first time we’ve made contact like this, and damn if I don’t ever want it to end. She was fucking made to mold to me.
Her tongue seeks mine quickly, and I love that she’s getting more brave with me as her legs press me tighter against her pussy. My hands dive into her hair as I angle her head back, breaking the kiss. With her throat exposed, my lips explore her neck. My tongue comes out to taste before I suck deeply.
She plunges her fingers into my hair as she grabs fistfuls. Her moan makes my dick swell as I press harder into her. “God, I want you so bad right now. I want to lose myself in you and never come up for air,” I breathe against her neck. “Tell me you feel the same way.”
“I do,” she whispers seconds before my lips find hers again.
A door slamming has us breaking apart. She’s breathing hard against me and makes a move to get down.
My hands firmly grip her waist, keeping her right where I want her. “Stay right there, beautiful. I’m not done with you yet.”
“But your brother will see us together,” she says, panicking.
“Good. He needs to know I’m not sharing you. Serves him right for messing with me.”
Miles walks in seconds later and stops in his tracks. “What do we have here?” He grins at me, and Lyla buries herself into my chest. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I just forgot my keys.” He swipes them off the counter and winks at me.
“Just to be clear, you’re a dick for getting me jealous. And to be even clearer, just in case there is any doubt in your mind, I’m not sharing her.” We’ve been known to share the same girl in the past when they’ve been more than willing to bounce between us.
His eyes sparkle with amusement, causing me to cave and bite back a smile. As brothers, we all love to push each other’s buttons. Hell, I was right there with him when Travis and Ryder found their girls, having fun getting them riled up. We all know when boundaries have been made, though, and would never think to cross them, which is why I know Miles was messing with me when he was flirting with Lyla.
“Ah, you love me, and you know it. It ended with you being wrapped up in Lyla’s beautiful body so you can thank me later.” I feel Lyla shake with laughter in my arms.
“Just go,” I say, my lips twitching.
“Bye, Lyla,” Miles calls out as he heads to the front door. “If it doesn’t work out, I’m only a flight of stairs away.”
“Bye, Miles,” I yell back before she can answer, causing him to chuckle. When we are alone again, she finally lifts her head. I smile and shake my head. “He’s such a child half the time.”
“He’s definitely a handful, but I can’t help but like him. You can tell how close you and your brothers are. I noticed it right away at the wedding.”
“Yeah, we’re all real close. We like to mess around with each other, but in the end, I know they would do anything for me just like I would them.”
“Are you hungry? I made lasagna. A big slice is missing because of Miles, but I waited to eat with you.”
“You did?” I smile at her, happy she waited to eat with me.
“Of course. I also made you muffins for in the morning. I made extra when I got my order ready for tomorrow.”
“What flavor? No, wait…let me guess. Cinnamon and…” I lean down and breathe in her scent, burying my face in her neck again. “Apples.”
“How did you guess that from smelling me?” She giggles.
“Am I right?” She nods her head, and I grin. “I know my sweets…that, and I tasted the delicious cinnamon when I kissed you. The half-empty bag of apples on the counter gave away the rest.”
“You cheated,” she laughs, pushing me away playfully .
“And you just became my favorite person of all time because apple and cinnamon muffins are one of my favorites.”
She hops down from the counter, and I help her get the plates from the cabinet. “What is your favorite dessert? I don’t think I’ve asked you that yet,” she scrunches up her adorable nose in concentration.
“That’s an easy one. You.”
A blush creeps up on her cheeks, and I grin.
“Besides me, Romeo.”
“Well, that’s a hard one,” I say, scratching my head. “Nothing tastes as good as you.” I chuckle when she swats me playfully with the wooden spoon. “Okay…brownies. I could eat a whole pan if I didn’t have to share with anyone.”
“I’m pretty sure I could do the same,” she laughs, “especially if you start while they are warm from the oven.”
“God, yes,” I moan.
We take our plates to the table and eat while we tell each other about our day. It’s nice to have someone to come home to. I didn’t realize how much I was missing until I met her.
“Do you want a drink?” I ask her a few minutes later while drying off the last dish. I insisted on helping her do the dishes. I know technically it’s her job, but I’m not about to sit on my ass while she cleans up around me. My mom raised me better than that.
“Um…sure,” she says, glancing behind at me as she puts the plates away.
“I have wine, beer, bourbon, tequila…what’s your poison?” I ask, walking over to the bar against the wall.
“I’ll have whatever you’re having. I’m not picky.”
“You want bourbon?” I grin, knowing she’s going to change her mind.
“Sure. That sounds good. ”
“You like bourbon?” I ask, surprised. I’ve never met a girl who likes bourbon. Usually, they like wine or something fruity.
“I do love a good bourbon every once in a while. Why does that surprise you?”
“Besides my mom having one with my dad occasionally, I’ve never met another girl who drinks bourbon.”
“Well, now you know two,” she grins.
“I guess I do. I’m also oddly turned on by the fact that you love my favorite drink,” I chuckle, walking over to get the balls of ice from the freezer. I plop two into the tumblers before pouring the amber liquid over them.
“Thanks,” she says, taking the drink from my hand.
“You’re welcome.” I watch, fascinated, as she takes a sip and softly moans when the flavor hits her taste buds.
“Of course, you buy the best. This is delicious.” She licks her lips, and I feel my dick respond. If I didn’t already know I was falling, I would now.
It’s like I wrote a handwritten note to God, giving him a checklist of everything I wanted in a girl, and He said, Here, Jake, I created her just for you .
I suddenly have an idea and walk over to the hall closet to grab a blanket.
“Let’s take our drinks down to the beach. It’s a beautiful night, and knowing you, you haven’t taken the time to put your feet in the sand yet.”
“I haven’t,” she laughs. “It sounds perfect.”
I lead us down the stairs, and we find a spot close enough to the water to enjoy the sounds of the waves as they crash against the shoreline before being sucked back out to sea.
“I love the beach,” she breathes deeply, lifting her head to look at the stars.
“Just another thing we have in common.” I raise my glass, and she clinks it to mine. “To your first day in Blue Haven. ”
“To my first day,” she smiles before we take a sip. The liquid slides down, warming my insides. I try to enjoy the stars with her, but I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes off of her.
“When’s your birthday?” I ask suddenly.
She turns her head and looks at me. “June first. And you?”
“That’s only in a couple of weeks,” I say, ignoring her question.
“I know. I don’t celebrate my birthday anymore. It’s just a reminder of the worst day of my life, so I treat it just like any other day.”
“Maybe you need to change that. It sounds like your dad was an amazing guy and father,” I say softly. “I’m sure he wouldn’t want his daughter not celebrating what was probably his favorite day of the year. Something very tragic happened on that day, but something very beautiful happened on that day, too, when you came into this world. He would want you to still celebrate that for him and not be the reason you don’t.”
“I never thought of it that way.” She turns and looks back up at the stars. “Maybe it’s time I started looking at that day differently,” she says a few minutes later.
“I think that’s a great idea.” I smile and watch the sky with her while we finish our drinks. The moonlight shines across the water, casting a warm glow on the glassy surface.
“Jake,” she whispers, breaking the silence.
I turn to look at her, and my heart beats fast in my chest. I can feel her eyes pierce me right in the soul. I could easily stay lost in those gold embers for the rest of my life and die a happy man.
“Yes?” I say, afraid to breathe in this moment and break the spell.
“Will you show me more of what I’m capable of feeling?”
I close my eyes briefly at those sweet words, knowing this is huge for her to ask me. “I would love nothing more than to give that to you.” I take her hand and pull her up with me. “Let’s go back inside where sand won’t be an issue,” I smile and soak in the giggle that escapes her.
Grabbing the blanket and our empty drinks, I keep her hand in mine as we walk back to the house. I drop the blanket on the deck and set the tumblers down as we brush off our feet.
I swoop her up easily in my arms when the last of the sand is gone. Her eyes widen slightly before she throws her arms around me and snuggles against my neck. I hear her inhale deeply, and it does something to my heart that she feels the need to breathe me in like I do her.
“Where to?” I ask quietly, wanting her to choose where she will be more comfortable.
“My place, okay?” Her voice is muffled against my skin.
“Your place it is, then.” I walk us over, and once inside, I head straight for her bedroom. I lie her down on the bed with every intention of taking the next step with her. I need my mouth on her pussy like I need my next breath of air.