Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
GIA
Under the night sky, Gia blossomed like a moonflower unfurling its petals for the first time.
Between the dazzling lights, the excited shrieks of amusement, and the sweet perfume of the powdered sugar on the apple cider donuts, her senses were buzzing.
Infectious joy resonated in her chest, amplified by the thumping music and the electric hum of the ecstatic crowd.
From the second Jake greeted her at the restaurant to their short but tense walk to the fair, her heart had hammered inside her chest. Every gesture and innuendo crackled with a palpable tension of anticipation.
Each crooked smile or wink Jake tossed her way nearly had her melting into a puddle of arousal.
Every touch or caress sent lightning bolts dancing beneath her skin.
Despite her cheeks aching from smiling all night, she couldn’t help but wish they were alone. She squeezed the oversized stuffed panda bear Jake had won from a carnival booth tightly to her chest, burrowing her face into its soft fur. Willing her libido to calm down.
She’d spotted his hard-on before he turned away, betraying his composure. A giddy anticipation bubbled up inside her, making her feel like a teenager again.
Jake pinched her chin between his fingers, tilting her chin up. “You okay, Kitten?”
Instead of answering, she leaned into his body and wrapped her arms around his back. His embrace, filled with warmth, sandalwood, and spice, enveloped her.
She smiled into his chest when he kissed the top of her head.
He’d been sneaking kisses all night. Beneath the entrance of the fair, then at the ticket booth in front of an old woman who gasped as if she’d never seen Jake kiss a woman before.
He’d kissed her when he announced he would win her the biggest prize in the whole fair, and dragged her around until he found the bear now tucked under one arm.
Each kiss had been as toe-curling as the last, and she was so turned on, she was about ready to combust.
So was her bladder.
Jake wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they navigated to the restrooms. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and murmured he’d see her soon. Watching Jake walk away made her heart skip with a familiar feeling—anxiety.
Shaking her head, telling herself she was being silly, she made her way into the restroom to take care of business. The line was thankfully short, but by the time she emerged, Jake was nowhere to be seen. She looked around at the moving crowd, unable to spot his blond head anywhere.
“Gia? Is that you?” a male voice said from behind her. She whirled around, surprised to see the vet from this morning standing before her.
“Oh, hi… uh…” Gia flushed with embarrassment. What had been his name again?
“It’s Luke. Luke Hawthorne.” He flashed her a bright smile, making his eyes dance with mischief.
If she had been any other woman, she would have found Luke’s obvious interest in her flattering, but as it was, it made her uncomfortable.
Where is Jake?
“Oh, right. Luke. Of course. How could I forget?” She chittered nervously. “How are you?” She tucked her arms around her chest.
“Great, now that you’re here.” Luke winked at her. All professionalism from their earlier encounter was gone. “How’s the cat doing?”
“Oh, Tuna? She’s doing fine. Settling in with Marley.”
“Tuna? Cute name, and that’s great to hear.
” Luke took a small step closer to her. Though there was ample space between their bodies, she fought the urge to take a step back.
It wasn’t because she felt unsafe with Luke.
He seemed like a nice guy who was attracted to her, but she wanted to avoid any misunderstandings.
It was difficult to tell whether anyone in the crowd was watching them.
The last thing she needed was to be part of another scandal.
Luke ran a hand through his hair, a self-deprecating smile on his face. “Listen, if you ever need any help with anything, I’m just a phone call away.”
“Help with what?” a thunderous voice sounded close behind her.
A shiver raced up her spine, and as goosebumps erupted across her skin, she knew it had nothing to do with the cool temperature.
The heat of Jake’s body met her back as his arms wrapped around her middle, pulling her tightly into his chest. Her arms reached down to grip Jake’s, the soft hairs tickling her sweaty palms. A tempest of sensations coursed through her body, making her stomach clench.
The timing was terrible, but she couldn’t help but notice the wetness soaking into her panties.
Gia cleared her throat, which was suddenly dry. “Oh, Jake. This is Luke… uh, Dr. Hawthorne, from the animal clinic.”
With a wave, she addressed the man in front of her, trying to calm the man whose body was rigid behind her. His arm gripped her middle so tightly she could hardly breathe.
“Luke?” Jake’s tone grew impossibly colder. “You’re a Hawthorne?”
A cool look replaced Luke’s affable one, transforming him into a different person.
“Yep, unfortunately.”
What is going on here?
Diem craned her neck to meet Jake’s questioning glance, his eyes softening as he shook his head firmly. She understood this to mean he would tell her later. She relaxed her body into his, and he rewarded her with another soft kiss on her hair. Her breath fogged in a contented sigh.
“What brings you down to these parts? Aren’t we a little too common for the Hawthornes?”
Ah, so Luke must be from Willowbrook Heights.
Everything clicked into place. Willowbrook Heights was the most affluent neighborhood in town, which boasted old money and obscenely large mansions. It was no secret there was hostility between the townsfolk of Willowbrook and their neighbors.
“Actually, I’ve been running the animal shelter in town since Doc Stevens retired.” Luke tucked his hands into his coat pockets and rocked back on his heels.
Jake’s grip on her loosened, as if the unseen threat was gone. “That seems… nice of you.”
“Yeah, well, not all of us Hawthornes are assholes.” Luke flashed a smile that was all teeth.
“Anyway, as I was telling Gia, if she needs help or has questions about helping Tuna give birth to her litter, she can call me.” Luke winced as if realizing what he’d said.
“At the clinic. She can call me at the clinic.”
Gia offered a grateful smile and wave as Luke backed away and disappeared into the throng of people.
She shivered as a cool breeze blew through the area. Instinctively, she burrowed closer to Jake’s warmth, feeling the unmistakable evidence of his arousal prodding her backside.
Unable to resist teasing him, she turned around in his arms, slowly bringing her hands up until they wrapped around the back of his neck. Her fingers played with the hair at the base of his neck. “Were you jealous?” She cocked an eyebrow, a taunting smile on her lips.
Jake scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Me? Jealous?”
“Yes, you.” Her hand moved to cup the back of his head, tangling her fingers in his hair and pulling at the strands.
She watched, fascinated, as his gaze darkened, the blue of his eyes nearly obliterated. It wasn’t fear making her shiver this time. She licked her lips, breathless with anticipation as she waited for his next move.
His brows slammed down. A curtain fell over his face, making him almost unrecognizable from the sweet Jake she knew. She could have turned away, knowing he’d chase after her—instead, she rose on her tiptoes and bit his lower lip softly.
The next thing she knew, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her away from the crowd.
She gasped, trying to keep up with his pace. “Jake, where are we going?”
He didn’t answer her as he led her farther away from the lights, until they were in the back corner of the fair. It was far less crowded here. She nearly tripped over her own feet trying to keep up with the relentless pace Jake had set. A man on a mission.
She had never felt such intense arousal as she did at this very moment.
Every nerve was alight with sensation. The fabric of her leggings scraped against her skin.
Her breasts were achy, and her nipples hardened into sensitive peaks that had nothing to do with the temperature and everything to do with the man leading her somewhere secluded.
Jake glanced around, as if finally noticing his surroundings, before pulling Gia behind a red shed that appeared to be already closed up for the night.
He pushed Gia against the building. Jake’s mouth came crashing down, a demanding force swallowing her surprised gasp and taking her breath away. She answered his demand with hers.
Finally.
His control snapped, and she was helplessly at the center of his tempest. Fire coursed through her veins. Her fists clenched his shirt tightly. His hips pinned her to the shed, anchoring her in place so she had no hope of escaping.
It suddenly dawned on her—the last thing she wanted to do was escape.
She should feel caged or threatened with his hard body pressed against hers.
If it had been anybody but Jake, she would have been frozen to the spot with fear as the past threatened to override her senses.
Gia breathed in his warm sandalwood scent, which was uniquely Jake.
Her heart raced for an entirely different reason.
She knew, without a doubt, if she were to pull away, Jake would respect her wishes and not push for anything further.
Jake would never intentionally hurt her.
More importantly, she wanted this.
God, she wanted it so badly her entire body ached.
Am I ready for this? Is this too soon?
It hadn’t been so long ago when she’d been covered in bruises, but this was different. Her mind and body knew it was different.
Jake would never hurt me.
With one hand buried in her hair, angling her the way he wanted her, his other gripped her waist. His wicked tongue tangled with hers in an erotic dance.
She felt cool air against her belly as he slipped his hand beneath the hem of her top.
He jerked away, breaking their kiss, and a frustrated whine escaped her lips.
His soft laugh infuriated her.
“Jake, I swear to God—” She gasped in surprise.
With a quick tug, he’d pulled down her leggings, exposing her bottom.
“You’ll what?” His voice taunted her, but she didn’t want to stop wherever this train was headed.
“No-nothing.”
“That’s what I thought.” His cool tone would have made her question how affected he was if she hadn’t felt his erection against her stomach a minute ago.
She’d never seen this side of Jake before, and it thrilled her.
He tugged her leggings lower until they were around her knees.
“I need to taste this pussy. You okay with that, Kitten?”
She gulped, lips parting as she nodded. Her stomach clenched when he dropped to his knees, pulling her thighs apart with his hands and peppering kisses against her stomach.
His hot breath against her skin made her toes curl.
She waited with breathless anticipation, but he seemed content to take his time.
“Mmm… You look good enough to eat.” He looked up at her, tongue tracing his lips before offering another of his wicked smiles.
“Can you be quiet for me, Kitten?” His tone was mocking, and it normally would have set her teeth on edge, but right now all she wanted was the climax he dangled in front of her.
She’d barely dipped her chin in a nod before he made her a liar. His hot tongue traced her mound, teasingly close to her clit. He smothered her sharp gasp and low moan of pleasure with a hand over her mouth. Jake plopped a wet kiss on the sensitive bundle of nerves before removing his hand.
“Please, Jake,” she whimpered, hands tugging at his hair urgently.
“Only because you beg so sweetly.” This time, when his mouth returned, it was no longer teasing caresses.
He devoured her like a starving man would, licking at her wetness as it left her.
His fingers spread her open for him as he took his sweet time driving her crazy.
His searching tongue circled her clit but never gave her the pressure she needed.
She’d shoved the borrowed jacket between her lips to stop the moans from escaping, but she almost spit it out to demand Jake stop teasing her and make her come. Her hands tried tugging at his hair to direct him to where she needed him, but he’d stubbornly refused.
Right as she was about to cry in frustration, she felt his finger probing at her entrance. She nearly sobbed in relief as he worked his digit inside of her, making her toes curl in her boots as her head slammed back against the shed with a thud.
Warmth coiled low in her abdomen. Her spine tingled with a foreign sensation. She felt close to the edge, but she needed something more…
“Jake…” Her low whine was loud in the otherwise quiet night.
As if he knew what she was saying, he worked another finger into her.
“Oh, God…”
Jake hummed, and the vibration tickled at her clit right before his tongue flattened over the sensitive bundle and flicked it with expert strokes.
“Oh fu—”
His hand smothered her cursed shout as she came against his mouth. Her back arched as she came apart, eyes closed as fireworks burst across her eyelids. Jake continued until he was satisfied he’d wrung out every ounce of pleasure from her.
His gentle licks continued against her overstimulated clit until she tried to wiggle free. She heard him sigh softly while he drew her clit into his mouth, causing her to gasp. Then he gave her a wet kiss that seemed to say he wasn’t finished with her yet.
Jake pulled her underwear and leggings back up, helping to put her back together before meeting her dazed expression with a contented smile.
“You taste sweeter than pie.”
Her knees felt weak, and if it hadn’t been for the building holding her up, she would have fallen over.
Jake stood up, wincing as he palmed his very obvious erection.
“Do you want me to…?”
“No, Kitten. When you choke on my cock, I don’t want it to be quiet.”
Her lips parted as she felt a flood of arousal at his words.
Holy fuck.
How did she not know how much of a dirty mouth Jake had on him?
His hand tugged her closer to him, tilting her chin up with a finger.
The street lamp glowed behind him, which shrouded his face in darkness.
He should look scary, menacing even, but she’d never felt safer than she did right now.
With his head bent down, she gripped his strong shoulders, meeting his lips with hers.
She tasted herself on his lips, which should have felt wrong or dirty—but she had never been more turned on, knowing what he’d done to get her taste all over himself.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Jake held her hand as he led her away.
She knew in her heart, with absolute certainty, she would follow him, wherever he went.