Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
JAKE
Icould die right here, right now, and be a happy man.
He certainly would never forget, for as long as he lived, how Gia looked when she’d unraveled for him beneath the moonlight. She was exquisite. No, that wasn’t the right word. No words in his vocabulary could adequately describe the sight of her and what she did to him.
She was a goddess reclaiming her power while he knelt, awestruck and helpless, at her feet.
With her head thrown back, the smooth column of her throat exposed, her cheeks flushed with pleasure, she’d reveled in her climax.
Had he not been so focused on his task of making her come, Jake would have loved to sit back and watch, but as it was, her muffled moans and gasps beneath his palm had nearly been his undoing.
With the hint of a self-satisfied smirk on his face, the taste of her sweet cunt still lingering on his lips, Jake steered a dazed Gia through the dissipating crowd to the neon glow of the Exit sign.
He returned greetings to the gawking crowd with a hand resting securely on Gia’s lower back as they went.
It wouldn’t take a genius to guess something had happened between them.
Once the noises of the fair had faded to a dull roar, he tucked Gia into his side, his heart skipping when she leaned into his touch with her arms snaking around his waist. They walked side by side with her face buried in his chest, her trusting him to lead the way home.
Except he kept walking past The Lotus. And then past the street where her parents lived. She’d glanced up briefly to take a peek at her surroundings, but only offered him a tight squeeze with her arms.
Good girl.
Tonight would change everything.
The certainty settled deep in his bones. There would be no turning back for them after this.
At the end of Main Street, they veered to the left, taking the side street that led to his lake house. Though it was much cooler than it had been when he’d left earlier, the shiver racing down his spine had more to do with anticipation than the weather.
They walked past his neighbors’ houses until they neared his at the end of the strip. Marley had left the porch light on. There were no other lights inside that he could see from the street. Jake guessed Marley was fast asleep by now. He wondered how the feral cat was doing.
The screen door squawked as he gently pulled it open, then he turned to Gia with a finger to his lips to be quiet. He didn’t want to wake Marley up or scare her.
He felt silly, sneaking into his own house like a teenager trying to sneak a crush into his bedroom.
Except this was something he’d never done before.
The one time Gia had been at his house was the last time he’d seen her.
Having Gia in his bedroom again filled him with a strange giddiness, because this time, his home was free from depressing memories.
If he had it his way, he’d never let her leave his house without first splashing every single wall with her laughter. Or, better yet, her moans.
But tonight he’d have to settle for having her in his room.
The front door clicked shut behind him. He toed off his shoes and grabbed Gia’s hand as he led her down the darkened hallway. On his right, he noticed the soft glow of a light in the living room.
Gia peeked around his body to see what had stopped him. “Is that Marley?”
“Must be,” he murmured. The lump sleeping on the couch was none other than Marley.
She’d passed out with a book on her chest, one arm over her head, the light glow of the television the only light in the otherwise darkened living room.
A swift scan of the room didn’t show a single fluffy hairball.
Warmth filled his chest. “She must have been waiting for me.”
Gia moved past him on silent feet. He saw her reach for the soft flannel blanket he’d bought, remembering the way it had made Marley’s eyes light up when he’d taken her shopping, and then she covered Marley with it. His heart threatened to leap right out of his chest.
He swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat as Gia gently tucked the blanket around Marley’s sleeping form. The loving gesture cemented his feelings, as if he’d ever doubted them before.
There was definitely no turning back now.
His fingers thrummed against his thighs as he waited for Gia to work her way back to him.
When she was within arm’s reach, he lunged forward, grabbed her around the waist, and tossed her over his shoulder.
Gia’s startled yelp sent a rush of excitement surging to his cock, which had once again begun its frantic demand for attention.
“Jake!” Gia’s hushed shout held no fear or trepidation—only surprise—and made him pick up the pace. “What are you doing?”
He pinched the tender flesh at the curve of her perky bottom, chuckling at her gasp. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
He bounded up the stairs two at a time, Gia bouncing softly against his shoulder. Her hands were gently braced against his back.
But then a hard slap against his butt redirected his thoughts back to the woman he was about to stuff full of his cock.
“You’ll pay for that.” Her answering shiver at his hoarse words made pre-cum leak from the tip of his cock. If he didn’t get himself under control soon, there was no way he’d last more than a couple of minutes.
Did Gia have a kinky side? He’d love to test her boundaries, but for now, he needed her in his bedroom. He hoped he could redeem himself from the bumbling first time they’d been together.
Using his foot, he shoved his bedroom door open, wincing when it struck the wall with a thud.
He hooked his ankle around the door and shut it gently, not daring to tempt fate a second time and risk waking Marley up.
The last thing he needed was for Marley to barge in to investigate when he had Gia exactly where he wanted.
He strode forward, his legs eating up the short distance to his bed, and tossed his prize on the mattress. Her shriek of surprise made his balls tighten.
Before waiting for her to get settled, Jake pounced. Her hands on his chest made him pause on all fours above her. Jake took in the small crease between her brows and the way she was worrying her bottom lip with her pearly white teeth.
Leaning on one forearm, his opposite hand came up, pulling her bottom lip free of her teeth. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, then seemed to think better of lying to him. He thought it was a good sign that her walls had come down so far—she trusted him.
“I—I need to tell you something,” she whispered, eyes scanning his face for a reaction. He kept a neutral expression and leaned back to give her more space.
“What is it?” he asked, though he had a suspicion he knew what she wanted to talk about.
Her teeth made an appearance again as they bit into the soft flesh of her lip, blanching it with how hard she gripped it—a sign that her mind had wandered away from him.
She was nervous about how he would react.
Jake gripped her hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze to bring her back to the present.
Jake leaned back, giving her room as she sat up, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She was protecting herself from something.
“Whatever you need to tell me, it won’t change how I feel about you.” Jake hoped he sounded reassuring, and not worried he was about to lose her to the demons of her past.
She searched his eyes, her dark eyes shadowed. He gave her space and silence, not wanting to rush her until she was ready.
When she released her lip and sat straighter, Jake almost breathed a sigh of relief. With a shaky hand, she curled a dark strand of hair behind her ears.
Clearing her throat, she held his gaze. “A few weeks ago, I was sent to meet with a movie producer…” Her words trailed off, eyes flicking to the distance as if she was being pulled back to the past. Jake squeezed her hand gently, and her eyes cleared.
“It was supposed to be a quick meeting. To discuss the filming schedule and sign the contract, but…”
“But what, Gia?” He kept his voice soft, urging her to continue if she was ready.
Gia squeezed her legs tighter to her chest, trying to disappear from view.
He watched as she practiced her gentle breathing, something he’d seen her do since she came back to town.
“He—the producer—handed me the pen, and while I was looking over the contract, he grabbed me by the throat. It happened so quickly—I didn’t even know what was going on.
The next thing I knew, he was on top of me. ” Her breathing quickened.
“You’re safe, Gia. You’re here with me,” Jake intoned, keeping his voice low and gentle.
“I’m safe,” she whispered, more to himself than to him. It nearly broke his heart to hear how fractured she sounded.
After a moment, she continued. “He tried to—he was pulling off my clothes, but I—I couldn’t even breathe.
” She took in a deep breath, as if to reassure herself she could breathe—taking back control of the memory.
“There was a gold statue on his desk. It must have fallen when he grabbed me. I didn’t even think—I hit him on the head.
There was blood everywhere, but I ran. I didn’t even look back.
” Her eyes met his, clear of shame and radiating strength. “I fought like hell to escape.”
His limbs shook with repressed rage, but pride swelled in his chest. “Yes, you did. I am so proud of you.”
Gia unfurled herself and climbed onto her knees. Jake opened his arms as she launched herself at him, squeezing him hard as her body trembled. Her tears soaked his shirt, but he didn’t mind. If he could take all of her pain, Jake would do so in a heartbeat.
He imagined how terrifying it must have been to relive what had chased her back home. Jake doubted she’d been this open to anyone else before now about what had happened to her.
Jake held her long after her trembling stopped. Her face stayed buried in his neck when her tears dried up, content to be breathing him in.