by Becca Monroe
“This is the most beautiful place. I could stay here forever,” I confessed.
He whispered in my ear, his breath sending chills across my skin. “I wish you would. It’s getting chilly. Want to head inside? I have a surprise for you.”
We walked into the main house, and he escorted me to the master bedroom.
“This is beautiful,” I said, walking through the room. The tall windows gave a perfect view of the mountain ranges in the distance, new snow dusted along the tops of them, and I saw the rose petals on the bed, the bottle of wine chilling on the nightstand. I smiled when I walked to the table and saw the chocolate-covered strawberries and fruit all laid out.
He pointed to the two beautiful glass, French doors leading to the master bath. I walked in and found the claw-foot tub full of warm water, bubbles, and rose petals, and my eyes teared up again.
Jake wasn’t like any man I’d ever known. The romantic streak he had in him, no doubt because of his amazing mother, was a wonderful thing, but the kindness in his heart for those he loved was breathtaking. My fingers skimmed the bubbles in the tub, losing myself for a moment.
Flashes of red on the bathroom tiles and cries filled my mind. I blinked and shook my head, clearing the terrible memory as tears fell down my cheeks. “You did all this for me?”
His voice was quiet behind me. “I want to show you what someone loving you should look like. You deserve happiness and love. I hope you realize that.”
I nodded and turned to face him. Concern etched across his features as he took in the tears on my face, a contradiction to the slight smile I was trying to portray. “What is it?” He walked toward me and pulled me into his arms.
“Will you get in with me? I want your arms around me.”
“Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
“Whatever I want?” I asked.
Jake’s hands ran up and down mine, trying to comfort me. “Yes, anything you want.”
I moved my hands to his shirt and undid the buttons, my hands shaking as I went. He smiled at me as I pulled it over his shoulders and down his arms, leaving his chest and torso bare. My eyes roamed over his skin, and he stared at me, taking him in. My fingers followed his jawline, down his neck to his chest, traced over his nipples and down his torso, to the belt holding his jeans in place. His breaths were coming quicker, his eyes closing with pleasure under my touch. “Delaney…” his voice raspy in a way that made me want him more.
“You said I could have whatever I wanted. I want you to love me right now. Please, Jake.”
His arms lifted me up and he carried me into the bedroom, kissing me along the way.
Jake
I pulled her shirt over her head, unhooked her bra, and took one of her nipples in my mouth, my hands moving to her panties. Naked. I needed Delaney naked and writhing beneath me.
It had been months for both of us, wanting something we didn’t think we could have, yet here she was in my arms. This was our time. After tonight, she wouldn’t be leaving. She was in my life forever. The thought gave me a moment of concern. She needed to understand that. I lifted my mouth off her nipple, blowing against it, watching it harden under my breath.
My fingers played between her thighs and she bucked when I inserted two fingers inside her. She cried out as I turned my fingers up, found her sweet spot, and I smiled when her eyes became heavy with pleasure. “Come for me, baby. You feel so good.”
I kissed her until she pushed against me, needing air. The walls inside of her tightened around my fingers and my teeth nipped at her taut nipples, her nails digging into my arms.
“Damn, look at you, look how beautiful you are,” I whispered as my fingers continued to work inside of her. She gasped and arched her back, as I felt her explode in my hand, and then she laid back on the bed, her breathing heavy, her head moving from side to side, as she fought to recover from the pleasure she’d experienced. I withdrew my fingers and brought them up between our mouths, cleaning them with my tongue and tangling mine with hers. Her eyes widened with desire, and she pawed at my shoulders, trying to bring me closer.
“I want to touch you,” she whispered.
“Touch all you want, baby, but I need to be inside you.”
“Please,” she whimpered.
I moved over her, and nudged her legs further apart, her hands on my skin made my cock twitch with need and all I could think about was burying myself deep inside her. My hand reached for the nightstand, but she stopped me. “No. Can we, I mean, I want you with nothing between us. Can we do that?”
My eyes found hers, and I saw the beautiful honesty in her question. “Are you sure? I’m clean, I’ve never gone without protection, but we don’t have to do that if you aren’t comfortable. I just want to be with you.”
She nodded. “I’ve been with one man in my life and never unprotected. I just want this night with you to be real.”
“Consuming,” I reiterated her word from last night. “That’s what you made me promise you.”
“Yes,” she said.
“Anything you want, it’s yours,” I admitted. There was nothing in this world that I wanted more than to give her everything.
There were a lot of unknowns between us, but I knew she was changing my life from the inside out, and the thought of giving her the things she desired made me happy beyond anything I had ever experienced.
She opened her legs wider, and I positioned myself between them.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
As our mouths met, I slid gently inside of her, every inch more perfect than the last. She whimpered and moaned underneath me, as buried myself to the hilt. Every single piece of her was absolute perfection.
“God, Delaney.” Our eyes stayed locked on one another’s as I moved in and out of her, her legs wrapping around my waist, driving me deeper. She was so wet, so tight. Everything I fantasized about didn’t come close to the reality of being with her. Her fingers clawed at my chest as I leaned back to watch myself move in and out of her. Her wetness coating my cock as we moved together.
“More Jake, I need more,” she cried out to me, pulling at my body, bringing me down close to her. My lips found hers and I slammed into her again, feeling her juices building around me. “Mmm…” she whined, closing her eyes.
She was beautiful, right here at this moment. Passion taking over her senses, her desire to feel all of me moving inside her drove me mad.
“Open your eyes, Delaney, look at me,” I commanded. “I want to see you come undone.”
Her eyes met mine, and I slammed into her again and again until I felt her release flowing over my shaft. “Jake,” she cried, digging her nails into my back, “God, yes!”
I buried myself as deep as I could inside her and pumped my release. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and gripped my body to hers. “Please don’t move for a second,” her words a plea.
“There’s nowhere else I want to be,” I said, kissing her lips.
Delaney
Jake inside me was unlike anything I could have imagined. There was a wild streak in him, yet he was disciplined. Strong, yet gentle. Every fantasy I had over the past few months did nothing to prepare me for the way he made love to me. All my senses stayed in tune with his and the way he touched my body was as though he understood what I needed before I did. It was heaven, and I was his.
He moved and went into the bathroom, returning with a warm washcloth. “I’m refilling the tub with warm water so I can take care of you properly, but this will help for now.”
My eyes watched him intently, as his hands gently cleaned between my thighs and cared for my body. “Jake, you don’t have to do this,” I whispered.
He crawled up to me and took my mouth with a passion I’d never experienced before him.
“Yes, I do. I love you and you’re mine. Loving you, looking after you, giving you a bath, it’s all part of taking care of you. Please let me,” he said, kissing the top of my head.
“I love when you kis
s me like that,” I said.
“Like what?” He asked.
“When you kiss my forehead, my cheek, or the top of my head. I know it probably sounds strange, but it makes me feel you really care about me, different from when we kiss on the lips. It’s nice.”
He smiled and cuddled me against his body. “I love you and I know we have a lot to talk about, but your mine now baby just like I’m yours. No matter what comes our way, we handle it together, okay?”
“I love you too, but I fear so many things.”
“It’s okay to be afraid sometimes, but don’t run from me because of it. I love you and I’m here. Do you understand I want everything with you? Marriage, a family, holidays in our home. I want the forever and I pray you want that too.”
Tears of happiness streamed down my face, and I hugged him close, afraid if I let go, everything would slip through my fingers. “I want all that too, Jake, with you. Maybe we can still have those things.”
“We can, baby, I promise. Just trust me.”
The rest of the weekend was perfect. We made love more times than I can remember, ate wonderful food, and laughed with our friends. I knew everything had changed, yet some things hadn’t. We still needed to discuss the truth of who I was, where I came from, and why I ran. A couple of days in paradise changed nothing except I fell more in love with him. I needed to speak with Kelly and figure out the best way to put my past behind me once and for all.
One Week Later
Jake
The past few weeks with Delaney made me wonder why I ever tried to stay away. She brought a light into my life that I never believed I deserved and never thought I would have, after everything with Callie. I knew I loved her and we could build a life together. But part of me feared everything she kept bottled inside.
I was grateful for the things she’d shared and obviously, the last man in her life wasn’t a good one, but other than that, she kept things close to her, and the past couple of days, she’d grown increasingly anxious. We would fall asleep after making love and she would wake to nightmares and be restless most of the night, sometimes waking up and unable to fall back to sleep.
The first days at the cabin, I would tuck her tightly in my arms and she would drift back to sleep, but the past few, nothing could console her. Josh said his old buddy still hadn’t gotten back with him, and David was waiting to hear additional information from his FBI pal. Until then, or she talked to me about everything. We were living with an invisible wall between us, and I hated it.
Mike stayed with us, while Josh stayed with Josie. Josh hated to go back to work, but Mike promised to look after her while he was working and she was home. Josh and Josie were close, had been for years, but the way he looked at her the past month had led me to believe his feelings for her were developing into something deeper than friendship. I would need to ask him about that at some point, but for now, I had more than enough to occupy my mind.
Delaney asked me to train her in some self-defense techniques at the gym, but knowing there was no way I could concentrate on her safety in yoga pants and a sports bra, I’d had Mike take over the lessons. He was the best at self-defense, and I knew he would give her some tools she could use if she ever needed them. I prayed she never would.
By Friday evening, I found myself where I always did. At the restaurant pining after my woman, hanging out until she got off shift. Then I could take her home and make love to her for hours until we collapsed from exhaustion. She was going to be my wife and the mother of my children one day. Now I just needed to get her to share her dark past with me.
Mike snickered at the way I was staring at her as she walked away from our table. “You two are something else. I’m happy for you, brother.”
I couldn’t help the smile that crossed over my face, even if I wanted to. “She means everything to me.”
He eyed me, and a seriousness fell over him. “I know she does, and from everything I see, you mean the same to her. You know, I’m worried though. Has she shared anything else with you about her past? Who she’s hiding from and why?”
“Nothing. But her anxiety right now is at the highest I’ve seen it and she’s not sleeping. The past two nights, she’s been up at all hours after waking from nightmares. I don’t know how to reach her, to let her know she can tell me about everything. Nothing she says will change how I feel.”
Mike nodded in that way he had, letting you know he understood and was on your side, whatever you needed.
“I meant to ask you, why did you step in with Brittney at the house? She was a mess and I know you two don’t get along, never have. It surprised me.”
A sense of unease fell over him at my question and he shook his head as though unsure of what to say. Uncertainty wasn’t something that Mike displayed too often. “Brittney’s struggling with some things, emotionally, mentally. Her grandmother just passed away unexpectedly, and you know how close they were. Her father reached out to me, told me he is afraid she’s on the cusp of a breakdown herself.”
“Shit, I’ve been so selfish, I didn’t realize she was going through things too.”
He shrugged. “You two were only friends with benefits for what, the past year? I mean, you didn’t exactly share your deep dark secrets with one another. Her dad knows that she and I were close friends a long time ago and he knows I won’t tolerate her lashing out behavior, so that is why he reached out to me. The problem is, she’s drinking a lot, depressed, it’s a poor combination, as we know. I’m just trying to be a decent human being and help her out. We all need help sometimes.”
Mike helped me when I needed it, and I returned the favor. War was hell on both of us, and we both bared the physical and mental scars. But we did it together and talked a lot when we needed to. “You let me know if I can help. I know she’s angry with me and blames me, but if there is anything I can do, let me know.”
“She knows what you had wasn’t anything more than convenient, she’s just hurting. And you know how destructive internal pain can be.”
“That I do,” I confessed. “I hope she gets to feeling better soon.”
“Me too, I wouldn’t mind seeing the old Brittney again. All spitfire and laughter. She deserves happiness like everyone else.”
“I agree with you.”
My eyes caught Delaney’s, and I smiled at her. “I want her to be my wife.”
Mike laughed. “Duh, saw that coming.”
“I want to ask her on New Year’s Eve, but I know it’s too soon. We need to work through everything she’s trying to handle on her own, whatever that is.”
The look on Mike’s face wasn’t one of approval. “You’ll wait and slow it down, right?”
Heeding his concern, I smirked and nodded, even though I didn’t want to. I wanted my ring on her finger, her body in my bed, and her heart to trust in us.
“Sure thing, boss,” I joked.
Delaney
“You realize I gave you today off, so you could have more than a week to recover a little better?” Mary said.
“I know, but Jake had to go into the gym for a few sessions earlier and I couldn’t just sit in the house watching television, so here I am. Please let me stay for a couple of hours,” I jokingly begged.
“You’re different,” Mary said.
Josie came in with Josh, who veered off toward Mike and Jake while she sat at the counter. “Please give me some coffee, like an entire pot of coffee,” she groaned.
I looked at her, curious. “You never drink over one cup. What’s wrong?”
“After I left work last night, I didn’t sleep a wink. Too many things running through my brain,” she said, not even lifting her head off the counter.
I leaned down and whispered to her. “Too many things or too much of Josh?”
“Shhh,” she said, scolding me. “Mary, please ignore her.”
Mary chuckled loudly. “Sweetie, you have been in love with my younger son for over a decade. That man doesn’t deserve your loyalty. While he go
es through women, appreciating your friendship. You haven’t been with a man since when? Junior year of college?”
“Mary!” Josie said, her hands covering her face. “Ugh, you know this. Which means he knows this.” She took a big gulp of coffee.
“My life is over,” she said, waving her hands around the restaurant.
There was nothing I could do, but laugh a little at my beautiful mess of a friend.
“Relax, Josie,” Mary exclaimed. “Josh is a man. Yes, he is my son and I love him, but they aren’t the most attentive individuals all the time.”
“I beg to differ. Jake is very attentive,” I admitted.
Mary and Josie both turned and stared at me, as understanding dawned between the two of them. “That is why you seem different,” Mary said.
The blush rose in my cheeks. “Oh my God, I’m not discussing this with the two of you.”
They started laughing, and I could do nothing but stand there, mortified.
“You raised a wonderful and attentive son, Mary,” I said as serious as I could and walked into the kitchen.
“Yes!” Mary said, high-fiving Josie, and they erupted in laughter once more.
People packed the restaurant after lunch, and I loved that so many in town came here to relax and hang out with friends they didn’t get to see during the holiday the week before. I glanced at the clock on the wall, knowing I needed to be home by eight so I wouldn’t miss Kelly’s normally scheduled call. I really hoped I would hear from her tonight. She never called on Black Friday and not a word since her last message. Talking to her and ensuring things were okay for me to stay in Kodiak was at the forefront of my mind.
The energy in the restaurant was contagious, and I was having a ball, even though I didn’t need to work today. Jake, Mike, Josh, and David had taken up the table closest to the television so they could watch some college game on and I was helping the staff with taking orders. When I stepped into the kitchen to grab a new order book, Jake was standing in the corner with a huge grin on his face. “Hello, I was wondering if you could take my order?”