Chapter 34
Jake
As I press her back against the kitchen counter, my hands find her waist, fingers splaying wide as if I’m staking my claim. Her lips part just slightly, and her breath catches, her pulse racing under my fingertips.
I lean in, close enough that her sweet, fruity scent wraps around me. Her hands come up to my chest, her touch light but electric. She traces her fingertips up my collarbone, and my body reacts instinctively, pressing her harder against the counter.
“You have no idea how much I’ve thought about this.” I brush my lips against her neck, her skin so soft.
She tilts her head back, her eyes meeting mine, filled with heat and that light and fire only she has. Her breathing quickens, and her hands slide around my shoulders, pulling me closer.
“Jake…” she whispers, her voice laced with longing, almost a plea.
We both lean in, her lips finding mine with an urgency that matches my own need. Heat blazes through me, and I don’t hesitate. My hands find the small of her back, pulling her closer, her breasts pressed against my chest.
I’m so hard already. She smells so good, and her skin is silky smooth, everything about her so perfect, so fucking beautiful, I couldn’t hold myself back if I tried. My hand slides up her back, under her clothes, and a shiver rolls over the perfect curve of her body.
She fumbles with the buckle of my belt, and a moment later, she yanks it free, her mouth still on mine. My jeans drop to the floor around my feet. She reaches into my boxers, and it hits me that she wants me as much as I want her, which is crazy because all I’ve thought about is her—her taste, her beautiful face, her body, sheathing myself inside her.
Her fingers wrap around my hard shaft, pumping with a rhythm that has my head spinning. She pulls back, giving me a wicked look, before she drops to her knees, those deep, dark eyes locking onto mine.
“I’m still a little hungry,” she says, licking her lips before yanking my boxers down around my ankles.
“Kelly...” It’s all I manage before her lips wrap around me, her tongue teasing the tip of my dick before she takes me deep inside her mouth.
My fingers spear through her hair and I can’t tear my eyes off her. It’s every fantasy I’ve ever had playing out in real time. She keeps going, moving her perfect lips up and down my shaft, and my hips respond, thrusting inside her mouth until I’m teetering on the edge, every muscle tensed.
“I’m close,” I warn her, my voice a growl, but she doesn’t stop—doesn’t even pause.
When I come, it’s with a force that rips through me, and she swallows like it’s what she’s been waiting for all along. Panting, I look down at her, and those big dark eyes glint with a different kind of hunger.
“Holy shit,” I say, voice thick with desire. “Stand up, you bad girl.”
She stands, submitting to me in a way she’d never do normally, and it’s so hot. It takes no time to peel away her clothes, each layer shed revealing more of her pale, flawless skin. I lift her onto the kitchen bench and push her gently down so she’s lying there. For a long moment, I just stare at her: dark hair cascading down the side of the cupboard, her full lips pursed, desire hooding her dark eyes.
My gaze rakes down her body, memorizing this moment. Full, delicious breasts, nipples peaked, the smooth expanse of her stomach, leading down to her sweet pussy, those toned, perfect legs. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life.
“Don’t move,” I say, turning to open the freezer. I take out an ice cube and her eyes grow wide, but she lies there as I trace the ice cube over her hardened nipples, watching as goosebumps rise on her smooth skin.
She moans, arching her back, pushing her breasts further into my touch, and I lean down, tongue flicking the pebbled peaks. My mouth worships her, tongue tracing circles around her nipples, drawing out more of those soft moans that drive me wild.
“I’m going to make you come with my mouth, with my fingers,” I say, the ice cube melting over her breasts, down her stomach, leaving a trail of water that I follow with my tongue. “And you’re not to move.”
I bring the ice cube to her mouth, letting her suck on it while I trace circles around her clit with my finger. Her eyes are locked on mine, and she groans. “Please, Jake. Fuck me.”
“Not yet.”
I take the last bit of ice cube into my mouth before moving down her body until I reach her pussy. My tongue, cold from the ice, strokes her clit, before sucking on it until her hips are bucking.
Her hands grip the edge of the countertop, knuckles white, as she arches into me, chasing the pleasure only I can give. There’s a power in that, knowing I’m the one who can unravel her so completely.
“Jake,” she gasps. “Oh, my God.”
My fingers slide inside her, searching for that spot, while I suck on the swollen nub of her clit until she screams my name, her orgasm crashing over her.
But I’m not done yet. My cock is hard again, throbbing, aching for release. I slide her feet onto the floor, turning her around so I can take her from behind, before slapping her lightly on her ass. “Shit. I don’t have anything. We need to go to the bedroom.”
“Please,” she says, pressing the perfect curve of her against me and grinding a little. “I need you now. We’re fine. I’m on the pill.”
The need to be inside her is so strong, I don’t even think, just grab her hips, pulling her onto me as I thrust deep inside of her. She’s so tight, so wet, and her muscles clenching around me as I fuck her, slowly at first, then harder and faster.
“You feel so good. Shit!” My own orgasm is building. It’s in every nerve, every muscle. I reach around, rubbing her clit until she comes again, clenching around me, and I’m right behind her. It’s nothing I’ve ever felt before. All the matter in the universe has combusted, then reformed around me, and I empty myself inside her, leaning over her, my head in her hair, breathing hard.
I pull out slowly, kissing the smooth of her back, then grab a clean kitchen towel, wetting it with warm water before turning back to her. She’s leaning against the kitchen bench looking at me with a satisfied expression, and holds out her hand, but I shake my head. “Let me.”
I kneel in front of her, cleaning her gently, before getting to my feet again and kissing her, tasting her sweetness, my chest swollen with the knowledge that she’s mine.
Here, now, nothing else matters. All that exists is Kelly and me. It’s raw, it’s real, and I’ll be damned if I let it slip through my fingers again.
I pull back from the kiss and scoop Kelly up, the back of her knees in my hands, and she locks her arms around my neck. We’re laughing, breathless as I stumble to the sofa. I fall onto it, pulling a blanket over us.
“God, I’ve missed this,” I murmur against her hair, which smells of wildflowers and something sweetly familiar that I never want to forget.
“Me too,” she whispers, her body pressed so close to mine there’s no beginning or end to us. We’re two pieces of a puzzle that got lost under the couch for years—dusty, a bit worn, but still a perfect fit.
A silence falls between us, comfortable and easy, the kind you only get with someone who knows all your demons but loves you, anyway. I kiss the top of her head, feeling like more than just a dad or a guy who owns a construction company. I’m alive, flesh and blood, with a heart that beats for this woman.
Kelly’s head rests on my shoulder, and it’s as though the years apart never happened, the space between us dissolving the moment we decided to give us another chance. As though none of the hurt or pain or missing her ever happened.
I tilt her chin up gently and press my lips to hers, slow and soft. She kisses me back, her fingers threading through my hair. It’s just her and me, the way it used to be, but also completely different. Better.
When we pull back, she leans into me, resting her head on my chest. “I can’t believe we’re here again,” she says, her breath against my skin. “It’s strange, but good. Really good.”
“Yeah,” I murmur, my hand tracing lazy circles on her back. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
We fall into a comfortable silence. After a moment, she shifts slightly, her fingers absentmindedly playing with the edge of the blanket.
“It’s so strange being back here. I honestly never even imagined you and I would get back together. In fact, I made Nora promise that she wouldn’t let me be alone with you at the wedding.”
“I’m glad she’s bad at keeping promises. I’ve been meaning to ask you, why did you come back? I’m beyond glad that you did… but someone like you must have had a hundred job offers to choose from.”
There’s a long silence, but I wait patiently. “It’s hard to explain, but since Mom died, I’ve felt a real pull to be back here. I miss her.” Kelly’s voice drops, almost too quiet to hear. “I don’t know. Sometimes I’m still waiting for her to walk through the door, to call me and ask how my day was.”
I press a kiss to the top of her head, holding her a little tighter. “I’m sorry. I wish she was still here.”
She sighs, her shoulders rising and falling under my arm. “I’m trying to be strong, you know? Trying to be the person she’d want me to be, but some days, it’s hard. Like I’m just pretending.”
“You don’t have to pretend with me. You never have to pretend.”
She looks up at me and stays quiet. The best thing I can do is be there for her right now, so I just hold her, don’t press her to say more.
Tiger walks over and glares at us before settling on the edge of the couch, and Kelly reaches out and strokes him, before glancing at me. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have gone on and on. We’ve just had the best day.” She sighs. “You always seem as though you have everything together. You’ve always been that way. Nothing ever bothers you.”
I shake my head, reaching out to stroke Tiger, too. “I only look like I’ve got it together because I have to. People rely on me. Adele relies on me. I promised myself a long time ago that she’d never want for anything.”
Kelly watches me, her eyes searching mine. “What do you mean?”
I lean back against the cushions, pulling her with me. “Well, you know things weren’t easy when I was a kid. My dad lost his job, and we almost lost the house. There were days when everything was falling apart, and my parents… well.” I shrug. It’s hard to articulate how cold our house always felt, even in the middle of summer. It’s not something I’ve ever spoken to anyone else about.
Kelly lifts her gaze to mine, silent encouragement etched in the lines of her face. She waits. Always patient, even when I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to find words for emotions I’ve bolted down.
“Mom and Dad, they were just two strangers sharing a house, not a home,” I say, before blowing out a breath, clamming up. I don’t want to talk about this. Not really. Not when we’ve had one of the best afternoons of my life.
Her fingers trace circles on my chest, soothing the rawness that’s there, just beneath the surface. It’s funny, how talking about something as dull as my parents’ marriage exposes a nerve, raw and tender.
I shrug, taking her hand in mine, wanting to change the subject. “I promised myself back then that I’d make sure Adele would never have to go through that. I’d make sure she was taken care of, that she’d feel secure, that she never had to worry about any material things, no matter what.”
“You’ve done that,” Kelly says softly. “She’s lucky to have you. And Jenny.”
“I want to look after you, too, Kel. Forever.”
She doesn’t say anything, but her eyes soften, and instead of words, she leans in and kisses me—slow and deep. She’s answering with every ounce of emotion she can’t put into words. When we pull back, I look at her, really look at her, and for a second, I can’t believe this is real.
“Same town, same old Jake, but I’m finally waking up from some long-ass dream and realizing what I’ve been missing all along.”
“Me too,” she says, her voice carrying the weight of years lost and found. “It’s scary as hell, isn’t it?”
“Terrifying,” I admit, our foreheads touching, breath mingling.
I shift on the sofa, the weight of her head on my chest. The rise and fall of our breaths sync, while my hand trails up and down her arm, slow and deliberate.
And in that moment, with her in my arms, I can be just a man, flawed and yearning, who’s allowed to need someone too.