Chapter 6 #2
Mia writhes beneath me, her hips moving in time with each pull of my lips. "Jake," she pants, threading her fingers through my hair. "Don't stop. I won't forgive you if you do."
I can't deny her anything right now—not when we're like this, our bodies consumed by desire and need. I slide down her body, hooking my fingers into the waistband of her panties and pulling them off in one fluid motion.
She's bare to me now, completely at my mercy. And fuck if that isn't the most erotic sight I've ever seen.
I dip a finger inside her, finding her already wet and ready for me. She cries out, her hips bucking against my hand as I add another finger, scissoring them to stretch her tight channel.
"Jake," she moans, "I can't stop thinking about how much I want you inside me right now."
"Not so soon," I tell her, smiling wickedly down at her flushed face. "Not until you come on my fingers first."
She lets out a frustrated whimper, but she does as I say, her body responding to my command like it was made for this very purpose. I add another finger, curling them up to hit that spot inside her that drives her wild. She whimpers and sobs.
It doesn't take long before she's crying out my name again, her entire body tensing and then convulsing around me as waves of pleasure wash over her. And only then do I give in to what we both want—removing my fingers from her wet heat and replacing them with something much more substantial.
Just as I'm about to push deeper inside Mia, her body still quivering from her orgasm, we both freeze at the sound of knocking downstairs.
"Shit," I hiss, looking towards the door and then back down at Mia's naked body beneath me. "What do we do?"
She bites her lip, her eyes wide with panic. "I don't know," she whispers. "Maybe they'll go away if we're quiet."
But the knocking persists, growing louder now as whoever it is calls out, "Hello? Anyone home?"
Mia sits up suddenly, with me grabbing my abandoned shirt from earlier and pulling it on quickly. I stand up, running a hand through my disheveled hair and adjusting my pants.
"We should go down there," Mia says, already moving towards the door. "It might be one of our neighbors, checking in since they know we're here."
I follow her reluctantly. I don't want to do it, but we have to.
By the time we make it downstairs, the knocking has stopped, but we can still hear the neighbor's muffled voice calling out from behind the closed front door.
"Hello? Anyone home?" he asks again.
Mia looks at me, taking a deep breath before opening the door slowly. I stand off to the side, trying to look as casual and innocent as possible despite the fact that we were literally seconds away from fucking each other's brains out.
As soon as the door swings open, an elderly man with white hair and twinkling blue eyes smiles warmly at Mia. "Ah, there you are!" he exclaims. "I thought I heard some commotion coming from inside. Everything alright?"
Mia blushes slightly, looking down at her bare feet before answering. "Oh, hi Mr. Patel. Yeah, everything's fine. We were just... uh, watching a movie upstairs."
"Ah," he says, nodding knowingly. "Well, I didn't mean to disturb you then." He looks past Mia to where I'm standing awkwardly behind her. "And who might this be?"
Mia turns to me, hesitation in her eyes. But before she can introduce me, I step forward with a friendly smile.
"Hi there," I say, extending my hand towards him. "I'm Jake Morrison. A friend of the family."
He shakes my hand firmly, his grip surprisingly strong for someone his age.
"Pleasure to meet you, Jake. I'm Cesar, your neighbor across the street.
" He pauses, then adds with a playful wink, "You two weren't watching any.
.. explicit movies, were you? That's not why I heard all those 'odd noises', is it? "
Mia blushes again, her cheeks turning even darker this time. But I just laugh, shaking my head. "No, sir," I tell him. "Just a suspense film with some loud action sequences."
He chuckles, looking back and forth between the two of us. "Well, I suppose that makes sense then." He hesitates for a moment before continuing, "I was actually just here to check in on the house while your parents are away. Make sure everything's alright, you know."
"Of course," Mia says quickly. "We really appreciate it, Mr. Patel. And please, don't feel like you need to keep coming by all the time. We're more than capable of taking care of things here."
He looks taken aback for a second, then smiles softly at her. "Very well," he says. "But if you do need anything while they're gone, just holler across the street. I'm always happy to help out." He tips his imaginary hat towards us before turning and walking back down the driveway.
As soon as the door is closed behind him, Mia lets out a sigh of relief. "That was close," she murmurs, leaning back against the door.
I nod in agreement, still feeling the remnants of desire coursing through my veins. "Too close," I say, moving towards her and caging her in with my arms on either side of her head. "But now that he's gone…"
She looks up at me, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. "Now what?"
I lean down, pressing my lips softly to hers. "Now we finish what we started," I whisper against them.
And this time, no one knocks.
◆◆◆
A few days after our close call with Mr. Patel, I'm sitting in the living room, engrossed in a book about business strategy, when Mia walks in, her face pale and eyes wide. Something's happened and I don't like it.
"Mia," I say, immediately concerned as I put my book down on the couch beside me. "What's wrong?"
She takes a deep breath before speaking, her voice barely above a whisper. "Tom's here."
I blink at her, taken aback. Tom—her ex-boyfriend? The one who cheated on her and broke her heart? The same one who confronted us at the wedding?
"What do you mean, he's here?" I ask, standing up and moving closer to her.
"He's outside," she says, nodding towards the front window. "He just showed up at the doorstep."
I feel my hackles rise immediately, my protective instincts kicking into high gear. Mia must sense the change in me because she puts a hand on my arm, giving it a squeeze.
"Jake," she says, her voice pleading. "Please don't do anything crazy. I can handle this."
But even as she says it, I can see the doubt in her eyes. Mia isn't very good at lying. She may think she's strong enough to face him alone, but I know better. Mia deserves someone who will stand up for her, who won't let anyone hurt her again, and that person is me.
"I'm coming with you," I say firmly, pulling away from her touch and striding towards the front door. Mia follows me, her footsteps echoing behind me as we make our way outside together.
As soon as we step onto the porch, Tom turns around to face us.
He's dressed in his typical preppy attire—khaki pants, a polo shirt with some stupid logo on it, and boat shoes without socks.
His hair is perfectly coiffed, but there are dark circles under his eyes that suggest he hasn't been sleeping well.
I wonder why, though whatever the reason, it wouldn't make me feel any pity for him.
"Mia," he says, flashing her a smile that I'm sure once melted her heart, but now just makes my blood boil. "I've been trying to get ahold of you."
Does he mean since meeting him at the wedding? Did seeing her again awaken something in him? Whatever it may be, it doesn't change anything.
She crosses her arms over her chest, looking at him with an expression I can't quite read. It's not quite anger or sadness, but more like resignation mixed with disbelief. She's changed.
"I don't have anything else to say to you, Tom," she says calmly. "We're done. You made that very clear when you decided to sleep with someone else."
His smile fades, replaced by a look of sheepishness as he rubs the back of his neck. "Look, I know I messed up," he says. Is he for real? "But I want to make it up to you. I can't stop thinking about you." What?
I scoff at that, earning me a glare from Tom. But I don't care. I'm not about to stand here and let him spew his bullshit. Mia doesn't deserve to hear it.
"Make it up to her?" I repeat, taking a step closer to him. "You think you can just waltz back into her life after what you did? After breaking her heart? After what you did at the wedding?"
Tom holds his ground, but I can see the tension in his shoulders as he looks at me. He knows he's outmatched. I'm taller, broader, and clearly ready to throw down if necessary. We almost had a fight that day, after all.
"I know I can't," Tom says, turning his attention back to Mia. "But I want to try."
He's really unbelievable. He must be on drugs or something.
Mia shakes her head sadly. "It's too late for that, Tom. You had your chance, and you threw it away."
I think she's being way too nice to him. Maybe she's remembering the good things between them. Whatever the case, it doesn't matter. It won't change how I treat him.
He looks desperate now, pleading with her. "Please, Mia. Just give me a second chance. I'll do anything—"
I still can't fucking believe it. The goddamn audacity, saying some shit like that after everything he's done.
I interrupt him, my voice like thunder. "Anything? Then leave. Right now. And don't come back unless she asks you to."
Tom's gaze flickers to me for a moment before settling on Mia again. She looks at him, her expression unreadable, and then turns to me.
"Jake," she says softly. "Can I have a minute alone with Tom?"
I hesitate, not wanting to leave her alone with this piece of shit but knowing that I have to respect her decision. After all, it's her ex—her heartbreak—and ultimately, her choice.
However, I'm still baffled. I'm really the one angrier at him here? Not her? She doesn't feel the same way I feel about him?
"Fine," I say gruffly. "But I'll be right here if you need me." With that, I turn and walk back inside, leaving the two of them alone on the porch together.
I stand by the window, watching as they talk. Mia's body language is tense at first, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, but gradually she seems to relax, her hands unclasping and falling to her sides. Tom reaches out for one of them, and she lets him hold it briefly before pulling away again.
I don't even blink. I feel like this is a nightmare.
I clench my fists, fighting the urge to storm back out there and tear his hand off if he tries anything else. But Mia looks strong—capable—and I remind myself that she doesn't need me to fight her battles for her.
As I watch Mia talking to Tom, it's clear he's not giving up without a fight. He gestures animatedly, trying to make his case, but Mia remains stoic, her expression unchanging.
I think, once again, that there's no reason she should even hear him out. The damage is done, and there's no reversing it.
Suddenly, Tom points towards the house—towards me—and says something that makes Mia tense up again.
Whatever it is, she shakes her head vigorously in response, her mouth set in a firm line.
Then, Tom leans in close, too close for my liking, and whispers something in her ear. I want to hear what it is.
That's it—I'm done with this fuckery. I storm outside, ready to intervene if necessary, but Mia beats me to the punch.
"Don't you dare threaten Jake," she says, her voice like ice as she takes a step back from Tom. "Whatever twisted idea you have to hurt him, it's not going to work."
So he wants to hurt me, does he? I welcome the challenge. I just need an excuse to put him back in his place. He'd never so much as think about approaching Mia again.
Tom looks taken aback, stammering out a response. "I-I wasn't threatening him—"
"You said you would tell Ryan about us," Mia interrupts, her eyes blazing with anger now. "And that is a threat."
I move to stand beside her, my presence solid and steady. I can feel the tension rolling off her in waves, but she's handling this like a pro.
Tom looks at me, then back to Mia, his expression shifting from pleading to defiant. "Fine," he says. "Maybe I was threatening him. But you deserve better than Jake Morrison, Mia. He's just going to hurt you like everyone else."
I would never even consider lifting a hand against her.
"Enough," I growl, stepping forward. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about." I turn to Mia, taking her hand in mine and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Ignore him, Mia. He's grasping at straws because he knows he lost you for good."
Mia looks up at me, gratitude shining in her eyes. She feels better knowing there's someone to protect her from dangers like Tom.
"Tom, I want you to leave," she says. "Right now. And don't come back, not unless you can do it without trying to threaten or manipulate me." She pauses, then adds softly, "And that means leaving Jake out of this too."
Tom looks like he wants to argue further, but ultimately, he knows he's lost this battle. He hangs his head, muttering something about 'being sorry' before turning and walking away.
It's baffling that he thought he could change her mind just by talking to her. He's lonely, isn't he? Despite having someone else, he still feels that way. What he did at the wedding was just for show. He doesn't actually love his new woman.
As soon as he's gone, Mia lets out a long sigh, leaning into me for support. "Thank you," she whispers. "For not interfering."
I smile softly at her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her back inside the house. "You had it handled," I tell her. "But I was ready to step in if necessary."