Walking over to him, she hugged him. “You know that’s not completely true, but I’m sure it feels that way.” Pulling back, she kissed him on the cheek. “Which bathroom was it?”
“The one next to your mother’s room,” he said wearily. “But it’s over the dining room so that’s going to make a big mess in there. I think Jake and the crew are going to be quite busy for a while.”
That part relieved her because she’d have some time to freshen up, but…she gasped.
“What? What’s the matter?” Pops asked, concern etched into his features.
“Is the water shut off on the entire house?”
Laughing softly, he patted her arm. “No. Half the house is shut off so if you’d like to shower or anything, you can use the bathrooms on the main floor. The one that adjoins the blue bedroom should be just fine for you.” Then he smiled at her, cupped her cheek. “Got big plans for tonight?”
Mallory’s thoughts instantly went to her conversation over lunch. This was her opportunity to tell Pops exactly what was going on. It was just the two of them and while she knew she had nothing to fear – Pops loved Jake like one of his own – she still couldn’t make herself say anything. “Um…I’m not sure yet. But getting everything done out here has made me kind of sweaty so…”
“How about you show me the rooftop deck and then we go back inside together?”
“I’d like that a lot.” Together, they went outside and she guided him up the wooden steps that led to the roof of the boathouse. It had a spectacular view and was now furnished with a large wicker sectional covered in navy blue cushions, a matching coffee table, and a bar area with stools.
“I would have loved to add a pergola up here or something to offer a little covering, but for now, I think this is perfect. Can you imagine how nice it will be to sit up here on the Fourth and watch the fireworks?” she asked, feeling at peace as she looked out at the Sound.
Standing beside her, he took in the view as well. “Always loved sitting up here with your great-grandmother. We’d hold hands, enjoy some sweet tea, and watch the sunsets.” Gently grasping Mallory’s hand in his, he gave it a squeeze. “Those are the moments that matter most in life. Remember that.”
And before she could respond, he released her hand and was slowly making his way back down the steps. Mallory hung back for a moment, feeling oddly emotional. It had been a long time since she’d thought about her great-grandmother. Mallory was only five when she passed away. It struck her how – even fifteen years later – her death still affected Pops so deeply. It made her heart ache for him.
Quietly, she made her way down the steps and caught up with him as he was walking up the pier. Linking her arm with his, they walked back up to the house together – commenting on the magnolia trees and how there used to be a swing on one of them before moving on to talk about the garden and how it needed a little work.
It was the kind of conversation that was both comfortable and comforting. It was the kind of conversation she knew that someday she would miss and it made her cling to him and listen to his words just a little bit more – hold his hand just a little bit tighter.
“Someday I won’t be here to oversee all of this. Someone else will have to take care of the weeds and make sure the flowers bloom.” As he spoke, Pops reached over and pulled a couple of those weeds. “I always wanted to put a little sitting area in here. Some benches where you could sit and enjoy it all.” He sighed. “Never got around to it. Maybe this summer we can.”
Mallory nodded, already planning on making that her next project.
She was supposed to find a job in town for the summer – that had been her plan – but somehow she kept finding things to do around here. It was something she loved and knew how much it all meant to Pops, but her bank account would certainly love having money in it to get her through the fall semester too.
But now wasn’t the time to bring that up. She was used to living frugally and she was far from broke. The extra padding, though, would have been great.
Off in the distance, they could hear the sounds of hammers and saws and they both looked up at the house and sighed.
They were always in sync like that.
“Might as well get back in there,” he said, brushing the dirt from his hands. “Lord knows if they’re making things better or worse.”
Unable to help herself, she laughed. “Pops, you trained most of those guys yourself. You know they’re doing a good job. Just remember that you have to make a big mess before you see the results.” She grinned when he looked at her with wide eyes. “What? You taught me that!”
Then he grinned and hugged her close. “Yes, I did,” he said gruffly. They walked up the deck stairs to the sliding doors that led into the house and almost ran right into Jake.
“Hey,” he said easily, smiling at them both. “I was just looking for you.”
“Me or Mallory?” Pops asked with a sly wink and Mallory had to suppress a groan. Maybe he knew more than she thought he did.
Jake looked only mildly uncomfortable. “You,” he said with a slight grin. “The drywall’s all been stripped and we’re letting things dry out. The plumber’s got another hour or so here and I’ll be back early tomorrow with a crew to make sure everything’s dry before we start putting everything back together.”
Pops nodded. “Sounds good, sounds good.” He paused. “So you’re calling it a day then?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Another nod. “Got any plans tonight?”
Mallory held her breath and waited to hear how he responded.
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Jake said, his smile now easy and relaxed. His dimples showing.
“That right?” Zeke asked. “I hope it involves a pretty girl.”
If she wasn’t mistaken, Jake blushed. “It does,” he said confidently.
“Good for you!” And after giving Mallory a hug and shaking Jake’s hand, Pops made his way into the house, leaving the two of them alone on the deck.
Once the door slid shut behind them, Jake smiled at her. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.”
Taking one of her hands in his, he caressed it. “So, what were you thinking of for tonight? Want to go grab some dinner?”
Smiling shyly, Mallory stepped in a little closer. “I thought maybe a sunset picnic down in the boathouse. It’s all finished.”
“Oh yeah?” he asked, grinning.
Nodding, she responded with, “Yeah.”
“So…I’m gonna head home and shower and change. What time should I be back?”
Mmm…he was definitely dirty and sweaty but somehow it looked really good on him. So good that she was almost tempted to say neither of them needed to shower and should just go down to the boathouse and…
There was a shower there…
No! She yelled at herself. You planned this all week! Do it right!
“I need to do the same so how about…two hours?”
Now he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her the way she’d been hoping for all day, the kind that always left her wanting more. When he raised his head, he smiled. “I needed that to help get me through. Two hours is a long time.” He paused as his gaze scanned her face. “Anything I can bring?”
She nibbled on her bottom lip as several sexy suggestions sprang to mind, but she was too embarrassed to say them out loud. “I’ve got it all covered, unless there’s something you want to bring for dessert. Meet me down there at seven and…”
He silenced her with another kiss. “I’m going to want you for dessert.”
Damn. It was like he could read her mind. She blushed furiously and tried to look away but his hand caressing her cheek stopped her.
“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” he said softly. “But I thought I should be honest with you.”
“I…I want that too,” she said and couldn’t believe she’d actually done it. “I’ve been thinking about that for a long time.”
“That m
akes two of us,” he said, kissing her soundly one last time before releasing her. “Two hours, Mal.” With a wink, he turned and headed down the deck stairs and across the yard to his house.
Leaving Mallory breathless and more turned on than she’d ever been in her entire life.
8
He was nervous.
And Jake was never nervous where women were concerned. Hadn’t been since the age of twelve. But right now?
Yeah. He was nervous.
Everything about his relationship with Mallory was different. And it wasn’t just because they’d known each other for so long – it was more. He enjoyed talking with her and just hanging out with her. She was a friend and…before the night was through…she would be his lover.
Damn. He was losing it. He’d never thought of a woman like that before.
And we’re back to nervous.
The truth was that Jake never felt the need to get into a serious relationship before. He enjoyed dating, really enjoyed sex, but never found anyone who made him want more.
Mallory changed that.
It still boggled his mind.
Even now as he walked across the lush Coleman yard and down to the pier, he still couldn’t wrap his mind around how they had gotten to this point.
Mallory had never mentioned having a crush on him before this summer. Every time they’d ever seen each other, they hung out in a group – Mallory, Sam, Jake, Mason, Parker and Peyton primarily. And not once did he notice that she felt anything for him other than friendship.
Unfortunately, until this summer, that’s all he’d felt for her. She was younger and not really on his radar because she lived six hundred miles away and only came around for a month or two during summer vacation. Still, when she did finally tell him how she felt, he’d been more than a little shocked at how he could have missed the signs. He was usually pretty aware of the girls who crushed on him. Most of them had been fairly obvious about their feelings, unlike Mallory. But now that he knew? He was still a little shocked but mostly in awe of it because she was an amazing woman.
Stepping onto the pier he noticed the lights on in the boathouse and smiled. In his hand he carried a bouquet of wildflowers. Last week when they were working on Zeke’s study, she mentioned how much she loved the ones that grew in the family garden. Luckily, his mother planted a similar garden and he managed to charm her so he could go out and cut them fresh for Mallory.
He couldn’t wait to see the surprise on her face.
The closer he got to the boathouse, the better he could see what was going on inside. The sun was still shining fairly brightly in the sky, but the lights were on inside the small structure. There were boats out on the Sound, but Jake could also make out the music that Mallory was listening to – could see her dancing around the room as the flirty white dress twirled around her thighs.
Damn.
Maybe he picked up his pace.
Maybe his palms started to sweat.
And maybe – just maybe – he wasn’t quite so sure they’d even get to dinner.
At the door, he took several breaths to calm himself. No need to pounce as soon as she opened it, no matter how badly he wanted to. Knocking lightly, he smiled when he spotted Mallory through the glass. She motioned for him to come in.
Her soft gasp greeted him first. “Oh my goodness! Are those for me?”
“I remember you mentioning how much you liked them,” he said, suddenly feeling a little awkward.
She took the flowers from him and kissed him softly on the cheek. “Thank you. They’re absolutely lovely and perfect for the vase I bought yesterday.” Turning her back to him, Mallory arranged the flowers and then placed them on the small corner table. With a smile, she asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”
Nodding, he watched her move around the space and marveled at how relaxed she seemed when he felt like one ridiculous nervous twitch. It was insanity, really. Nothing ever made him nervous – and certainly never a woman. So, he took a minute to really look around at what she did with the space. He’d been in here almost every day while she was working but somehow tonight she managed to transform it. Maybe it was intentional, maybe it wasn’t, but either way this room no longer looked like a casual-but-forgotten space in an old boathouse. Now it looked like something you’d see in a coastal living magazine on tiny spaces.
She’d picked the perfect colors, the furniture was all inviting, and after observing her for the last week Jake knew she had a passion for this sort of thing. It kind of bothered him to realize she had such a creative side that she was afraid to let others see. For some reason, Zeke saw it in her and finally gave her an outlet for it. Why was she taking business and tech courses and going for a degree in that when she could be doing something she actually wanted to do?
It was something he made a mental note to talk to her about, but not tonight.
There were other things he wanted to talk to her about – sexy things. The rest of it could wait.
He could smell her perfume. The entire space smelled like her and it was like all of his senses were consumed by her. The sight of her. The smell of her. The feel of her. And right now, he definitely wanted to feel and touch all of her.
And when Mallory turned to hand him a glass of wine, he knew the only way to get over this craziness was to take control and confront what he was feeling.
Placing his glass on the table beside the flowers, Jake reached out, cupped her face and captured her lips with his. She pressed in close just like she always did and then Jake simply poured everything he had into kissing her. He loved the way Mallory kissed – her lips were always so soft and her tongue was always a little tentative but once she settled in? It was heaven.
Capturing her small moan of pleasure had Jake’s hands leaving her face and skimming down over her throat, her shoulders, her arms, before banding around her waist. Her hands raked up into his hair – something else he really loved – and gently grasped. They’d done this dozens of times in the last couple of weeks, but this suddenly seemed different. He knew his words earlier set the stage for what he wanted for them tonight, and now that they were here, he wasn’t sure he could wait.
Pulling away slightly, Mallory kissed his cheek, his jaw, and then tilted her head to study him as she caught her breath. “I made us some seafood salad for dinner,” she said, pausing to lick her lips. “I went to the bakery and got the rolls you like and then got us some brownies for dessert.”
She could talk about food right now? He thought with mild amusement.
Another lick of her lips as she studied his and Jake groaned. She was killing him. His hands moved to settle on her hips and he squeezed. “I believe I already told you what I want for dessert,” he said, his voice low and gruff.
A slow smile played at her lips. “I know,” she said shyly. “I was just trying to be polite and not ask when we were going to get to that.”
This girl…
“And here I was wondering the same thing.”
If anything, she looked relieved at his admission. “Really?”
He nodded then looked around. “I should have taken you somewhere. Our first time shouldn’t be on a couch in the boathouse. We should have…”
Her finger over his lips stopped his words. “No. This is perfect. This is what I wanted. For some reason, I’ve always loved this place.” Looking down, she bit her lip before raising her lashes to look at him again. “The boathouse has always felt like…like mine. That’s why I was so thrilled when Pops let me fix it up. Now it’s even more personal of a space for me. And now with you here…”
Kissing her finger, Jake then leaned in and kissed her again. When he lifted his head, words escaped him. This was going to happen and even if he wished he had taken her somewhere different, her words reminded him how this was better.
Special.
Taking a step away, he turned and lowered the blinds on the two windows over the sofa before moving over and doing the same with the window next to the doo
r. There was a fabric shade over the glass panel of the front door and he slowly lowered that as well. When he turned around, he saw Mallory had lit several candles and suddenly the room seemed cozier and, if possible, she looked even sexier.
Her white dress made her look innocent and pure – so in contrast to the way she kissed. There were tiny straps on her shoulders and as soon as he was standing in front of her, they were the first thing his hands went to – carefully lowering them down her arms. With little more than a gentle tug, the bodice lowered, exposing her breasts.
Which were perfect.
She trembled and before he could reach out and touch her, he asked, “Are you cold?”
“No,” she said quickly, almost too quickly. “I just…I need…I want…”
Then his hands were touching her – cupping her breasts and gently kneading them. She sighed. Her head fell back slightly and he couldn’t believe how much he wanted her. Lowering his head, he rained kisses on her shoulders, her collarbone, and then the swell of her breasts. Her skin was warm and tasted like sunshine and strawberries.
He sighed her name before letting his tongue tease her. She shook in his arms, then reached out and grasped his biceps to steady herself. The smart thing to do would be to move them over to the sofa, but Jake couldn’t make himself do it. The thought of stopping what he was doing – kissing her, licking her, and having her writhe against him – was too much to ask.
Now it was she who was panting his name. Everything she did and everything she said, had him wanting more – needing more. With a muttered curse, he straightened and with his arms around her, turned her and walked her over the sofa. Before he could do anything more, Mallory shimmied out of her dress until she stood before him in nothing but soft pink cotton panties.
He’d been with girls who wore thongs.
He’d been with girls who wore black silk and lace.
But the girl standing before him in pale pink cotton had them all beat.
“Damn, Mallory,” he said quietly, reverently. His hand reached out and skimmed from those perfect breasts, down over her flat stomach, to the edge of her panties.
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