“I said I don’t deserve you. You are just the most wonderful man on the planet,” Anna said, giving him a tight hug, her cheek pressed against his firm jaw.
“Well, I’m glad you think so. And I’m glad you like our room. Are you surprised?” Jake asked.
“Completely and thoroughly,” Anna said on a laugh, rubbing her hand up and down Jake’s arm, creating trails of sensation in him that was quickly gathering steam. “It’s so warm and inviting and altogether romantic.”
Anna slowly twirled around, holding onto Jake’s hand, taking in all the details of the room. When she stopped, Jake turned her back to him and slowly began unbuttoning her gown. When Anna turned to look at him over her shoulder, she felt herself drowning in the blue pools of liquid heat staring back at her.
When Jake was done, the dress would have fallen to the floor, except that Anna had her hands pressed tightly to her chest, holding it up, trying to gather her nerve. Jake took the opportunity to unclasp the pearl necklace she wore and place a soft kiss on the nape of her neck. He sensed her fidgeting, but continued on by removing her barrette, pulling the pins from her hair and shaking the mass of curls loose. He turned her to face him and removed her glasses, kissing first one eyelid and then the next.
Still holding her dress with one hand, Anna reached up and removed her hearing aid, setting it on the ottoman where Jake had placed her jewelry and hair pins.
Finally, Jake pulled her hands down and sighed in rapture when the dress fell to her feet, revealing a set of lacy white undergarments that highlighted her lush curves, and the thigh high stockings, now adorned by one blue garter. Jake had ceremoniously tossed the other at the reception.
“Oh, Anna,” Jake groaned. “You are magnificent.” Jake was completely captivated by the sight of his bride caught in the warm glow of the combined candle and fire light as she stepped out of the dress pooled around her feet. He stood and stared at her for a moment, taking in the splendid sight of her.
Stepping close, he buried his hands in her luxurious hair, breathed in her familiar scent. His lips settled on hers in the kind of kiss that generally left Anna unable to think, let alone stand. It was a good thing Jake had his arms wrapped firmly around her. As she leaned against him, his fingers slid down her leg and gave a teasing tug to one of the stockings.
“These are a pleasant surprise, Sugar,” he said in a voice filled with yearning as his pulse began to gallop wildly. “I dreamed about what I’d find beneath your dress, but you are so much more beautiful than anything I imagined.”
“Lisa said you could tell her thank you later,” Anna whispered. Smiling at Jake’s quick laugh, she tried to ignore her fear, instead focusing on the tingling sensations Jake was creating everywhere his fingers touched her skin.
Raising her hands to the front of his shirt, she began to undo the buttons, top to bottom. As promised, she placed a kiss to his skin at the exact spot each button revealed when it was undone. Six buttons, six tempting kisses.
Each touch of her lips on his skin felt like a brand of fire. Jake was trembling by the time she finished. He thought his own knees would go weak when she slowly ran her hands inside his shirt, over his chest to his shoulders where she pushed at the sleeves until his shirt slid to the floor.
He was trying to keep his passion on a tight rein, to take things slowly, but it was nearly impossible when Anna was making him feel things he’d never felt before. He wanted her so badly his entire body ached, wanted her in ways that went beyond a physical union.
She had captured him completely - heart, mind, body and soul. He lowered his lips to hers and was soon consumed by their kiss, desperate to be closer, anxious to blend not only their bodies, but their hearts and lives as one.
Stroking her fingertips over the hard muscles of his chest, Anna let herself get lost in the heated storm of sensations Jake continued stirring inside her with his kisses and touch. Running her hands up his shoulders, she clung to him as his lips trailed down her neck, warm breath whispering against her silken skin. When a quiet gasp of pleasure escaped her lips, Jake lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed.
Much later they watched the firelight throw shadows across the room while Anna’s back was snuggled close against Jake’s chest, his arms wrapped lovingly around her.
“Jake?” Anna asked quietly, reveling in the wonder of being Jake’s wife.
“Hmm?” he rumbled in response, his breath warm by her ear.
“I’m so glad I’m not your type of girl.”
Jake chuckled and pulled her closer, “Me, too, Sugar. Me, too.”
###
ANNA’S BERRY CRISP
3 cups of raspberries (you can use any type of berry or fruit)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter – softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix corn starch and granulated sugar with berries. Let rest for about 10 minutes. I mix this right in the baking dish, using a square 8-inch pan.
While the berries are doing their thing, mix the remaining ingredients together with a pastry blender, food processor or a fork. You want the mixture to have a crumbly texture. Sprinkle on the berries and bake until fruit bubbles and topping is a golden brown.
Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping.
Enjoy!
Thank you for reading Jake and Anna’s story.
Read all the books in the Women of Tenacity Series, starting with the Prelude…
The Women of Tenacity - A Prelude
Welcome to Tenacity! Meet the stubborn, independent women who live here and the wild, rugged men who love them in this short story. Callan Matthews lives a hectic life balancing a demanding job and starting her own business. Her husband Clay, the consummate prankster, decides it is up to him to get Callan to lighten up and have a little fun. Jenna Carver is a confirmed city girl even if her husband Josh conveniently forgets that fact as he drags her from one farm adventure to another.
Heart of Clay - The Women of Tenacity Book 1
Callan Matthews has become a master at burying pain and emotions. Her husband Clay mistakenly thinks he knows everything there is to know about this woman he loves. Callan’s secret, once revealed, could create a chasm too deep for either of them to cross.
Country Boy vs. City Girl - The Women of Tenacity Book 2
Jenna Keaton is perfectly content with her life as a city girl and has no plans to change it until she falls in love with dashing urbanite Josh Carver. He is everything she’s ever dreamed of in a man – refined, charming, and handsome with a lucrative career. When he unexpectedly reveals his lifelong aspiration is to be a farmer, she decides he’s gone off the deep end. It’s a headlong battle of stubborn will, outrageous adventures and unexpected heartbreak as the country boy takes on this city girl.
Not His Type - The Women of Tenacity Book 3
Anna Zimmerman is a self-declared old maid. A spinster. Washed up and doomed at the ripe old age of 24 to live alone in a tiny apartment full of cats. And she really isn’t all that fond of cats. Then a chance encounter with a handsome cowboy thrusts her down a different path. Jake Chandler likes his women blond, petite and vivacious. At least he thinks he does until he bumps into the painfully shy librarian who works across the street. She is everything he never knew he wanted in a woman. Now he just has to convince Anna that she’s perfect for him.
SHANNA HATFIELD spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist before moving into the field of marketing and public relations. She has a lifelong love of writing, reading and creativity. She and her husband reside in the Pacific Northwest with their neurotic cat along with a menagerie of wandering wildlife and neighborhood pets.
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Blog: shannahatfield.com
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Email: [email protected]
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY
Not His Type Page 25