Playing With Trouble (Desire Bay)

by Joya Ryan

  He leaned back to look her in the eyes with seriousness. “Really?”

  “Yes, this is important to me. I don’t want to mess up orders like today, and I need to know what you boys do out there all day so I can make smart, well-informed decisions.”

  Jacob thought for a moment. “So you want to shadow me? Looking but no touching?”

  “I suppose I could get my hands a little dirty,” she said.

  “Oh, baby, you keep talking like that and I may have to take you home with me.”

  Laura laughed when he twirled her again, and she couldn’t help but hope that his offer was a serious one.

  “Thank you for a lovely evening,” Jake said, trying for sweet date material and coming off goofy. But it was making Laura smile, so he’d keep acting like a damn fool if it meant he got that pretty grin aimed his direction.

  “Thank you for the ride,” she said, swaying a little in front of the camper door. “And thank you for walking me to my door.”

  “Anytime,” he said.

  “Would you like to come in?” she asked.

  Jake paused, and his first thought was hell, yeah, he did. He couldn’t handle walking away from her tonight. It had been so good. And so heavy. There was more to Laura Baughman than he’d ever realized. He just wasn’t sure how to go about tapping into that.

  Because it was clear she was trying. It was also clear there was strain between her and whatever she was outrunning from her past. And Jake wanted to know. Wanted to know her. Wanted to know about her.

  “I would,” he said, “but I probably shouldn’t, since I’m not so great with look-but-don’t-touch rules.”

  Laura opened the door and walked in. She looked at him over her shoulder and smiled. “Who said that you couldn’t touch?”

  That was all it took and Jake was on her heels in a split second. He got into the camper and shut the door behind him. It was small but cozy and he was happy to be inside. To get a glimpse of her world. Be a part of it. Feel the warmth.

  She sat on her small bed; the thing looked comfy but not overly large.

  Laura seemed to get what he was staring at, and she shifted to look straight up at him, her face eye level with his belt.

  “You look about as big as my bed,” she said. And yep, she could read minds, because Jake was thinking the same thing. “But I feel like I need to really see the whole package to be sure . . .” She lifted her chin at him. “Strip, please.”

  He frowned down at her. “What?”

  “You heard me. Unless you’d rather go home? Otherwise, get naked, because I’m in the mood to see all of you.”

  Jake couldn’t really say no to that. “Be warned, I expect an equal trade.”

  “Fair enough,” she agreed.

  He couldn’t help but grin. Even gearing up for foreplay with her was a challenge and fun. He reached behind his head and tugged off his shirt, pulling it down his arms and off.

  Her eyes went wide as she stared at his chest and trailed those topaz gems down to his stomach and back up again.

  “Whoa, I knew you were strong, but this . . .” She looked him over again. “You’re so . . .” She ran a hand from his nipple down his torso to his belt and back up again. She seemed transfixed by all the ridges of his stomach, and Jake couldn’t help but want her eyes to stay on him.

  He wanted her to want him.

  Loved how her mere gaze made him feel stronger.

  “Your skin is soft,” she said, running her hand along the V of his hips then up his side. “But you’re hard muscle beneath.”

  The woman was staring at him like he was a damn Greek god or something—like she was impressed with him, wanted him—and holy shit, he liked it.

  “You know the taffy stretcher down at Gaffe’s shop?” she asked.

  Jake frowned at her question.

  “It’s a rotating wheel that pulls and stretches saltwater taffy. Hard and soft. Smooth and dense. I used to watch it at the candy shop by the wharf when I was a kid, and every time I wished so much I could just taste it. It looked so damn good.”

  She leaned in, and her breath hit his belly button. With her palms flat on his upper torso, she pressed her lush mouth against his skin. Her lips on him made him groan, and when her tongue darted out to taste him, he gritted his teeth. His cock shot impossibly hard in his pants, and never once had a woman gotten him so turned on while his pants were still on.

  “Jesus, baby,” he said.

  “Finish your task,” she said, keeping her mouth on his abs.

  Jake didn’t want her mouth to leave him, so he gently reached down to unfasten his belt and jeans while she licked along his hips.

  He tugged his pants down, and with her perfect face right there, his cock sprang free.

  She wasn’t retreating. Wasn’t moving away. She just kept taking tastes of him, and when the side of her cheek brushed his cock, he bit back a curse.

  She was so close. So damn close to where he prayed her mouth would end up. But he didn’t want to rush her.

  “You know what?” she said and looked up at him. “I think I want to taste you more than the taffy.”

  Thank God!

  She kept her eyes on him, and he watched her plump lips part and fasten around his cock head.

  He had to take a shuddering breath, because he’d never seen anything sexier than this woman. Running her hands up his abs, she slowly sucked him deep while gently scratching a trail back down to his pelvis. When she came back up, so did her hands. She was working him over in a slow, steady way while keeping her hands and mouth on him at all times.

  And he loved it.

  But when her hands came around to grab his ass, nothing prepared him for her. She gripped him tight and pulled, bringing his hips forward and causing him to fuck her throat.

  She sucked and moaned as she pulled him toward her again and again, and Jake thought he’d died and gone some kind of kinky heaven, because this was amazing.

  She was taking him deep and clawing at him for more.

  He flexed his hips just enough to gauge her comfort, and she went wild. Sucking harder, tugging him closer.

  “Baby, you’re so good. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  But she just kept demanding more, and Jake couldn’t resist. He threaded one hand in the back of her hair and the other gently cupped her throat as he began to thrust into her eager mouth.

  She moaned in approval, so Jake kept up his pace. He’d never been so close to exploding in his entire life. But he held out as long as he could. As amazing as this was, he wanted to come while he was buried inside her.

  He pulled away, and she instantly huffed. “Don’t go,” she said.

  “Oh, I’m going somewhere,” he said and reached down to tug her sweater over her head and off. “And it’s inside you.”

  He unsnapped her jeans, and as she lay back on the bed, he grabbed the pants and yanked them off her.

  Almighty, she was a sight. In nothing but white lace panties and matching bra, her long tan legs looked smooth and soft. He was seeing the affinity for taffy now and just wanted to taste it. Run his tongue along her thigh and up her flat belly. But when she held up her arms, reaching for him, he was a goner.

  He kicked off his pants the rest of the way, stopping only to grab a condom from the pocket and cover himself before nestling between her thighs.

  “Since this bed isn’t big enough for both of us, you’ll have to stay on top of me,” she said with a smile.

  “Or you on top of me,” he said.

  “I am the boss, after all. Me on top does make more sense . . .”

  He pinched her nipple gently, and she gasped, then smiled. “Oh, you don’t like that, huh?” she said. “Want to show the boss lady just how strong you are?”

  He reached between them and moved her panties aside with his cock, then placed it at her opening.

  “We both know how strong I am,” he said with a growl. “You just need to start admitting how bad you want me.”


  He thrust hard inside her and watched her face split with pleasure and shock; her sexy little gasp made him want to hear it again and again. So he withdrew until only the tip was in and pounded back inside.

  “I can’t hear you now, boss,” he said. “Weren’t you going to tell me how much you wanted me?”

  He fucked her again and again. In and out, gasp after gasp.

  “Yes, yes, Jacob. I want you.”

  “You want me hard like this,” he asked, shoving deep and watching her breasts bounce so hard they spilled from the bra she was wearing, which barely covered her to begin with. Something he was really happy about.

  He bent his head to take a sample of a pouty nipple just begging to be sucked. And he was happy to oblige.

  She gripped him closer, wrapping her arms around his back while locking her legs together around his hips. Like she wanted him to stay close. As she hugged him impossibly hard, he could feel all of her strength. He felt not just wanted but, in that moment, needed.

  He slid his arms under her and pulled down on the top of her shoulders as he thrust. Because he wanted her closer, too. Deeper. More.

  There was no space between them. His chest pressed heavy on her breasts and her hard nipples poked his chest in the best way, giving him jolts of joy as they teased his skin.

  Her sweet lips parted and she breathed shallowly and quickly. Every time he surged home, she gasped a little, and he wanted to catch that sexy sound with his own mouth.

  He flicked her top teeth with his tongue, and she opened wider. He took advantage and slid his tongue in, drinking her down in one long, hot kiss.

  He could have sworn she’d said his name around that kiss. But she couldn’t have, because he was consuming her. Taking deep draws from her addicting lips and refusing to let her get away.

  He rocked harder, picking up the pace but staying deep until she was panting with him. Breathing for him. Her little claws dug into his back, and her sheath squeezed his cock hard. She was close. He was learning her body already, responding to it. Knew right where she was. He also knew that if he slid deep, then flexed his hips up like this—

  “Jake!” She cried his name and came apart around him.

  “That’s it, baby,” he whispered against her mouth. “Let me feel you.”

  And he did feel her. Everywhere. From her tight sex milking his cock to her nails scratching his back to her laugh still ringing in his ears and her entire presence taking up space in his chest. He felt her.

  He was right there with her and couldn’t hold back. He buried himself deep and stilled just enough. He came hard, felt every lash of his release leave him, and twitched against the inside of her. She caught him. Held him. Arched and kissed him as if silently begging for more.

  His skin pricked with goose bumps as he followed her over the edge of the abyss. He was pretty sure there was no going back.

  Laura’s whole body moved as if she was experiencing an earthquake. She peeked one eye open just as she felt the warm blanket she’d been wrapped in untangle and leave her chilled.

  But it wasn’t a blanket or an earthquake. It was Jacob unwinding his big body from hers. The camper swayed a bit as he put on his jeans, then his shirt.

  “You’re leaving?” she asked, trying to clear the sleep from her voice. How long had she been out? She remembered melting into a puddle for Jacob and then feeling so safe in his big arms she just got lost in him.

  “Go back to sleep, baby,” he said in a soft whisper. “I’m going to make coffee and I’ll come check on you here in a bit.”

  She frowned, but she was exhausted. And her mind was already trying to churn out what last night had meant. Probably nothing—it was just sex, after all. First time they were lying down and more intimate, but that didn’t mean they were friends or more or . . . anything.

  She needed to get her mind focused on something other than Jacob Lock. Otherwise silly questions, like Does he like me? and Do I like him? would start to creep in. And she already knew the answer to the latter, which was why his leaving was probably best.

  “Rest up, you have a big day tomorrow.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

  “Big day tomorrow?” she asked.

  “Yeah, Monday. We get the lumber order in and you wanted to be my shadow, right?”

  She nodded.

  He bent and kissed her again, only this time on the mouth. And she couldn’t help but kiss him back.

  “Then be prepared for some heavy lifting, baby.”

  With a smile and a last playful smack on the lips, he walked out and into the dawn.

  She had twenty-four hours to figure out what the hell she was doing before taking on yet another aspect she didn’t quite understand: the warehouse.

  Before she could groan, her phone rang.

  She reached for it on the bedside table and answered.

  “This is Laura Baughman.”

  “Hello, this is Jill with LA Marketing. I’m calling to schedule an HR appointment to go over the paperwork for your new job.”

  Laura frowned. “I’m sorry, new job?”

  “Yes, we sent you an e-mail with the acceptance letter and the hiring package last week. I wanted to call to follow up with you.”

  Laura’s eyes shot wide. She’d applied for a few jobs in California last month, but after several interviews, she hadn’t thought she’d gotten any of them. LA Marketing was a huge firm near Los Angeles, and they were offering her a job!

  She glanced toward the door, where Jake had just left.

  “I’m sorry, I’ve been away . . .” She thought of the computer at the shop and had a sneaking suspicion that spam was the issue.

  “Okay, well, if you’re interested, we’d like to invite you to come tour, go over paperwork, and get you started. Are you free next week?”

  Laura couldn’t kill a bird in the bush or in her hand at this point. Her father was supposed to make a decision soon about the fate of the shop and Laura’s place around here. Since she didn’t technically have job security here, keeping her options open was smart.

  “Yes, next week is great,” she said. It didn’t mean she’d take it. It meant she was keeping her opportunities close. Because she wanted to build a life here, and she was, but she was currently in the red. And if she failed and her father let Jake be the head honcho, and he cut off the warehouse money, she couldn’t keep the store afloat on its own. She either had to get some business, turn a profit, and land the big contract with Cal, or she might have no better option than going back to California and taking this job. A safety net was always wise.

  Chapter Eleven

  He’d thought leaving Laura in bed twenty-four hours ago was tough. But watching her walk into his warehouse today, ready to work, was hot.

  She looked hot as hell, and if those were her getting-dirty clothes, Jake didn’t want to know what dressing up for her was. He loved her sexy skirts and crisp tops. She always looked big-city business in those. And jeans were a fine look for her, too. Maybe a prom dress at this point was fancy for her, because he had yet to find something the woman didn’t look amazing in.

  She was in sleek black jeans and tight white shirt, which hugged all her curves in the right spots, and he couldn’t help but stare. She wore red lipstick and her hair fastened back, and he looked down to find . . .

  “No red heels today, huh?”

  Instead, there was a pair of black Converses on her feet, and they looked about the cutest thing he’d ever seen.

  “You said work clothes. So I couldn’t very well wear heels,” she said.

  “Indeed,” he agreed. After a quick intro to the crew once again, he went into what he did best—running the warehouse. If Laura really wanted to see how all this worked, he had to stay true to the routine.

  “Okay, so the lumber order is coming in today and we have to unload it when it gets here. First, we have to move this gravel onto the truck, and then Mannie will take it to a customer.” Jake showed Laura the paperwork, the schedule,
and how the warehouse kept track of what supplies came in and what went out.

  “Okay,” Laura agreed and looked at the heap of gravel. “So all this”—she motioned to the mountain—“goes on a dump truck?”

  Jake nodded. “Yep.”

  She blew out a breath and looked around. Her eyes fastened on a tin bucket Jake had used to catch a leak in the roof last year. She picked it up and walked over to the gravel pile. With her chin held high, she scooped the bucket full of gravel, then went to the dump truck and hoisted it inside.

  Jake chuckled a little, and she turned to glare.

  “Unless you have a better way or a bigger bucket, I suggest you stop laughing at me.”

  “Fair enough,” he said. “You want to see a bigger bucket?” He went to the loader machine, hopped in, and started it up. Rolling toward the gravel, he got a large scoop and took it to the truck. It would only take four more scoops and it’d all be loaded.

  Laura glanced at the bucket in her hand and then tossed it and nodded.

  “Quit showing off,” she yelled at him and then smiled. She wasn’t totally immune to his charms, and honestly, he wasn’t immune to hers, either.

  He finished loading the gravel, trying to concentrate on the task and not on the other night with Laura. How being with her had felt different. She was also trying. She’d showed up ready to work. Was looking around and watching Jake. She talked to the crew and looked through supplies.

  Between getting the gravel out and the lumber in, the day was flying by pretty quickly, and Laura didn’t complain once. But things were about to get trickier as Jake walked her through the different wood sizes and how they organized and stacked them all based on orders they had prepared for.

  She just listened, asked questions, and was genuine in trying to learn.

  “Here’s the manual labor part,” he said, standing by a wall of newly delivered lumber. “Machines help with some of this, because we need to move the larger pieces with some smaller pieces depending on the delivery we have coming up. No sense organizing and reorganizing it, so we try to plan what is going out and to whom and have that order ready to go.”