By chance, a training session for her job came up on Wednesday a week before Christmas. Her plan was to make her appearance and hightail it out of there while Jake waited in the parking lot. Knowing she’d have a day all alone with him, had her humming and singing. They barely had time to themselves since they came upon each other at the restaurant. When Jake pulled up in his truck, she rushed out the front door, nodded toward her car. She grabbed a bag with her jeans and hiking boots from the front seat and got in his truck. “Hi, handsome.”
“Hey,” he said and winked. He pulled her closer and gave her a kiss.
Once they got on the highway, Beth tugged her jeans from inside the bag, unsnapped her dress pants, and slipped them off.
Jake ran onto the shoulder of the road. “Damn, you need to warn me before you strip, woman.”
Beth chuckled and sat there a moment in her skimpy, red bikini panties. “You didn’t have to gawk.”
“What if I hadn’t?” He gave another glance, making sure to take in every bit of her he could.
“Humph! I’m glad you did.” Proudly admitting she liked him gaping at her, she pulled her jeans on, giving him a show she hadn’t expected to give, surprised, and almost hoping his fingers would reach over to touch her. Sweat beaded on his face. Wanting to continue with the fun, she removed his hat to fan him with it. “Down boy.”
Jake cracked up as he reached for his hat. “You don’t really want me down. Are you going to strip again when we go back? Nice and slow like?” He wiggled his eyebrows and growled.
“Oh, I hadn’t…maybe,” she said sweetly with fluttering eyelashes. “Hmm. I suppose I’ll have to, or get caught playing hooky.”
“Darlin’, you probably already got caught. You never could get away with being naughty.” Jake squeezed her hand. “Trust me, baby, we’ll be back long after those other cars are gone. Yours will be sitting all alone in the parking lot. They’ll probably call you a missing person, and Sheriff Thompson will be after us again.”
Lord, she hoped not. “It’s been so long since I’ve been to the South Mountain Park and Preserve. Ages. I bet it’s changed.”
“Not too much. A taller cactus or two. Did you bring your camera?”
“Uh uh,” she said flirting with him. “Just my phone. I plan on ogling you all day.”
“Well, I bet if I search around this truck, I’ll find an old pair of jeans bunched up somewhere. I might have to change, too.” Jake shoved her shoulder with his palm. “Think about it. I bet you couldn’t keep your hands off me. The both of us might be out of our pants at the same time.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time.” Beth snickered but then she pictured it…a nice picture to envision, and her body heated. “What color is your underwear, cowboy? Palomino? Hmm?”
Jake drummed his fingers on the gear shift. “Kind of a personal question, don’t you think?”
“Since you know what color mine is, I believe it’s a legitimate question.”
“Black. Sexy black. Think about it the rest of the day because I’ll be thinking of those red bikinis pulled up between your legs until I die.” When he peered over at her with a long stare, he ran off the road again.
“Keep it up, and it won’t be long, mister. We’ll both be dead.”
Jake straightened his back and glanced out of the corner of his eye to the opening at the top of her shirt. Oh, she caught his grin. Beth nonchalantly pulled her blouse together, but she wouldn’t button it. “What are you trying to see before you wreck your truck, dude?”
“Tell me one thing, and I’ll keep my eyes on the road. What color is your bra? Does it match those sexy bottoms you’re wearing?”
“What bra?”
Jake almost lost control of his truck when he ran off the road again. He laughed so hard he choked and then coughed until his eyes watered. “That’s the Beth I remember. Let it all loose, sweetheart.”
Beth slid her arm across his shoulder and tickled the back of his neck. “What if I let loose later? I mean really let loose.” Tingles bounced up and down her spine now since she opened up the door to, well, to making the first move.
He cleared his throat. “What are you talking about?”
“What we’ve both been waiting for, for a long, long time. You think about your answer the rest of the day.”
“Now I do have to change my jeans.”
Beth gave a hardy laugh and leaned over to run her hand over his thigh. “Mmm, exciting to hear. Do you want to turn around?”
“What? Wait, what?” He pulled off the side of the road on purpose this time. “Excuse me? You say stuff like that and expect me to drive? You’re being a damn tease today. I suggest you stop because it isn’t funny. You know how I feel about us, so tease me, and you might see a part of me you don’t like.”
Or a part I do like. Beth flipped hair over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes. “What part wouldn’t I like? Hmm? What are you saying?”
“I’m not seventeen, and I won’t take your teasing. You want to see what Jake the man is made of, keep it up.”
“Humph. I did not tease you when I was fifteen. Shame on you.” Beth continued to stare at his profile as he drove back onto the road. He shrugged a few times.
Jake checked his mirror and spun around to head back home.
“No, I’m kidding. Go back.”
“See if I care if you’re teasing, joking, or telling me the truth.” He did turn around, though. “Home. South Mountain Park. Makes no difference to me.” He gave her a nod. “That’s right. Get over it. Bet you’ve never been laid in the dirt, darlin’.”
What have I done? Beth smiled to herself and gave Jake a sideways glance. He tried to appear upset, but he wasn’t. Instead, she’d call it what it was—sexually aroused by her. Today he was sexy, which made her aroused. Today, he wore no flannel shirt, but a royal blue t-shirt hugging his chest. It’d be hard to wait before running her fingers over his bare muscles. The shirt was tucked into dark blue jeans at his narrow waist, where she’d open the button on those Wranglers…later. The sleeves on his t-shirt fit tight against his strong arms. Arms she needed to have around her right now. She gulped, unsure of the need creeping over her. Wow. He had grown into a knock-your-socks off hunk, and she wanted every single inch of him. “Hey?”
Lifting both hands off the steering wheel, he huffed. “Are you chickening out?”
“No. I can’t wait to finally be yours, only yours from now on.”
“Huh?” He jerked his head toward her, blinking twice in succession, and he rubbed a palm against the steering wheel. “What do you mean exactly?”
“It means I can’t wait to make love to you, and I may or may not be a virgin.”
“You’re serious? I figured you were being a teaser. We had a name for girls like you in school. Are you pranking me? I’m putting you on a horse when we get there. Then I’ll smack it on the ass so it runs you off into the desert. Give you time to think about razzing me. You think I won’t know a virgin when I have one?”
Touchy, touchy. Damn, girl, you waited sixteen years of your life for him. It’s time. “You know I had a sexless marriage.”
“Why, Beth? Why the hell did you give up on a fulfilled life—marry someone out of convenience? Become a mother?” Jake brought his fist down atop the steering wheel. “Why’d you cheat yourself?”
She clenched her head with both hands and closed her eyes, for she wasn’t going through this with him again. “Maybe Mr. Right never made it to my door. Subject. Closed.”
“I have to pull over up here.” He pulled into a restaurant parking lot and got out, walked out a couple yards in the front of his truck, and stood with his hands at his waist.
A disagreement wasn’t what she had expected. She wanted to make love to him, not have her former marriage loom overhead. He put his hands behind his neck and stared off at whatever was in front of him. She had better sit here and let him think. Jake turned his head back and stared at her through the windshield while she sa
t expressionless. His face was unreadable, but so damn attractive when he got mad. Well, when his brows weren’t pinched together.
He came toward the truck to open her door and took her arm to escort her out. Jake held her shoulders and leaned forward. “You’re lying to me either way. You are or you aren’t?”
Beth shrugged, unable to hold eye contact. What made it so difficult to tell him?
He lifted her chin with one finger, gave a lopsided smile while his kindly gaze bore into hers, and he chuckled. “So, I could, or could not, be about to have my dream come true?”
“Mine’s about to come true, too.”
“Yeah, either way, but for the record, Ms. Marconi, I should know these things.”
Beth placed her arms around his neck. “Jake, I love you. I’ve loved you nearly all my life, yet all kinds of emotions are tumbling around inside of me now. Like you said… The feelings are stronger. More profound. You labeled what I’ve always known. I can’t not love you.”
Jake tilted his head and moved in closer. “We’ve waited so long for each other. I love you, too. Having you in my life again…well, something had always been missing in the love department.” He pulled her into an embrace. “Now which way do I point my truck so my dream will or will not come true tonight?”
“South Mountain Park for now. Can you get someone to watch Trace tonight?”
“It’s already been taken care of, lady. Grandma was thrilled. He’ll help wrap Christmas gifts. I told her not to call unless it was an emergency, because I had planned on bringing you back home with me.” Jake laughed. “Ha, he’ll help wrap gifts while I’ll be busy unwrapping one. Maybe? You’re going to make me find out on my own, aren’t you?”
“You always liked surprises, but I’ll tell—”
“Don’t tell me, Beth.”
She smacked his arm and grinned. “We’re at a restaurant. Let’s get some food to go, and we’ll eat at the park.”
Jake took her hand, and they strolled toward the entrance. “For the record, I’m on fire, and I want you right now. How much longer do you think I can wait?” With a shake to his head and a wiggle to her hand, he grinned. “We’ll eat inside. Sweetheart, do I ever have a surprise for you tonight.”
“I have always loved your surprises. I bet this will be the best ever.” She wouldn’t be disappointed no matter what it was, and she whispered though no one was around to hear, “I’m crazy wet for you.”
Jake brought them to an abrupt stop. He removed his keys from his pocket and twirled the ring around his finger. Made eye contact with her. Beth stepped into his personal space. Smiled. He lifted her chin and narrowed his eyes. “You’re getting it good. Come on.” Tugging her along, he dashed back toward the truck.
“No! Let’s let this play out. It’s fun to want you like this.”
He stuck the keys back into his pocket. “Oh, but what a wicked woman you’ve grown into.”
***
After they ate, Jake pulled out of the parking lot toward home. “Why are we going this way?”
“I’m taking you to get your car. The mountains will still be there tomorrow, darlin’. Enjoy the ride and wait.”
She planned on enjoying the ride with Jake, and the anticipation. Heat between her legs made it hard to even sit still. Yearnings inside of her body came to the surface, already reacting in ways unfamiliar to her—with him. “We don’t need to get my car. Let’s go to your house.”
“Yes, we do. Shh… Enjoy the ride, I said, while you wait.” Jake gave an arrogant laugh. “Remember who started this.”
Whatever he was up to, she’d let it ride. After all, she had been the one wanting to savor the lustful musings of her body. Maybe she should pull her dress pants out of the bag to change, to get another, ahem, rise out of him. “Shall I change my clothes, Jake?”
“Not yet. I still have the image of you undressing in my mind. That’ll suffice for a little while longer.”
She tiptoed her fingers around his shoulder. “I’ve never been this hot before.”
“Of course not. Mr. Right never knocked until now.” Jake touched her thigh, easing his hand higher until his fingers rested at the V between her legs. “Maybe you should take off those jeans.”
Beth sat quiet, absorbing the sexy sensations washing over her body as his fingers slowly moved over her thigh and beyond. She observed all the Christmas lights on the way back to town but with her high state of anxiety, they appeared otherworldly—fantastical. Lighted homes, storefronts, and the streetlights had greenery and assorted holiday symbols like bells and wreaths hanging from them. They looked good in daylight, but she preferred the glow at nighttime. Right now, her inner glow was bright enough. She peered at the man she had forever loved. “What are you thinking, Jake?”
He took her hand to his lips. His eyes closed for a second as his lips pressed against her skin. “I’m not sure. I’m still expecting to wake up from a dream I’ve had too many times.”
“I’m sizzling for you right now. I can barely wait. Maybe our souls met in those dreams and we’ve done this before. I mean gone all the way, not like when we played.” She lowered her voice and peered at her lap. “Because I had the same dreams.” She was close to tears, gulping down saliva building in her throat, thinking of those almost-all-the-way times—touching him while he touched her back, even with his tongue a time or two. How his lips and fingers had done magical things to her. “Why did we ever part?”
It took a few minutes before he spoke. “You said it. Everything happens for a reason. I suppose the timing wasn’t right or the planets weren’t lined up. I reckon we could think of any excuse we want.”
“It was right. You know it was, honey. Too soon, we turned our backs and let it slip away. We let us go.” Tonight, she refused to let agony from times past slip into her psyche. This was the night it would happen between them.
Jake squeezed her hand and left their entwined fingers to rest on her thigh. “Each day got easier not to come after you. Or at least, the alcohol made it seem easier. By time I sobered up, you were still in my head. I gave up on us because it was too late, and I was committed to Paige by then.”
“It wasn’t too late on my side,” she whispered.
“When you’d come to visit your mom, I almost had to leave town to keep from coming over. Every single time you arrived, I swear everyone I knew from school told me.” Jake flicked his hand into the air. “Beth is in town or Beth is here with her husband.” Jake gave her a quick peek. “I was married, and I owed that to Paige. But I wanted you. If I had come over, I know what would’ve happened. I would’ve turned into a cheating husband. Except this last time, no one told me you were here when I was almost single. We could’ve lost out again.”
“I don’t think anyone knew I was here. To see my dad as bad as he was, was devastating and I stayed inside to spend every minute I could for the first week.” Beth sighed. “As far as you becoming a cheating husband, uh uh, for I wouldn’t have let you.”
“You wouldn’t have been able to stop me.” Jake peered at her when he pulled to a stop at the traffic light near where her car was parked. Their gaze held until the traffic light changed to green. He turned left and pulled up next to her car, released the clutch, leaned over with a wanton smile on his face, and slipped his arm around her. Jake brought her close and gave her a long, long, hot kiss—enough to curl her toes. When it ended, he said in a commanding voice, “Follow me.”
Beth clenched his hand and didn’t want to let him go, or for the dream to come to an end, if indeed, this is what it was. She finally stepped out. With a heartfelt smile, she whispered, “I love you.”
Jake nodded, and a sincere smile met her gaze. “Love you, baby.”
His words kicked the beat of her heart into overdrive. Beth got in her car, pulling out behind him, but when they got to the turn for his ranch, he kept going. She called him. “Where are we going?”
“Taking your car to your house. I’ll take you home to get it i
n the morning.” He paused. “Should I have asked you first?”
Beth trembled inside. “No. I have chills now thinking about cuddling up next to you—having you, loving you, and waking up beside you in bed.”
“Naked?”
“Completely.”
Jake peered into the rear view mirror and held a thumbs up so she saw it through the window. “Those chills made it over here,” he said with confidence.
When they got to her house, he slowed for her to go around him. He pulled in behind her and turned around so his door was next to hers. “Come on, get in before someone tries to stop us.” Jake teased as he got out and went to open her door.
Beth exited and ringed her arms around his neck. “They tried once, sweetheart. Tonight, Jake and Beth win.”
Jake embraced her. His hands slid from her waist higher and to the sides of her breasts. With no bra in the way, he flicked his thumbs across her nipples, moaning as they hardened. His lips found hers in a heated rush of passion. “I’m about to take you right here.” He escorted her around to the passenger side and opened the door. “It’s all about us from now on.”
Beth checked her watch. “Starting right now—let’s synchronize the time—today at 3:54 p.m., Jake Lawton and Beth Marconi officially started over. Shall we put it in the Canyon Junction Gazette?” she teased.
“It’s safer to say we started over instead of, Jake and Beth finally had a freaking hot night of passion in the sack!” He laughed so hard he plastered his body against the hood of his truck. When Beth smacked him on the ass, he stood up. “Nah, let’s let these people spread it around. It’ll be more fun to see how it gets stretched out of shape. The gossipers don’t have enough to talk about. After this, they’ll have us married by Christmas.” Jake touched the tip of his hat and nodded. With a sexy glint shining in his eyes, he winked and walked around to the driver’s side. When he got in, he clasped her hand. “We’re synced, Macaroni.”
“No one else ever called me that but you.”
“Good.” He turned around and pulled out onto the road.
He had been such a tease those first days of knowing him. One day in high school, he had come up to her locker in the freshman hallway. The girls around her swooned at the fact a junior had stopped to talk to her. He wanted her to explain her last name because he was sure he hadn’t heard it right. ‘After all,’ he had said, ‘no one can be named macaroni.’ When he had called her that for the first time, she rolled her eyes, hoping if she ignored it, he’d never say it again, yet it grew on her.
Whispers of Forever: Mending Christmas (Canyon Junction: Hearts In Love #1) Page 17