“It's your choice though,” she said. “I've made my feelings perfectly clear.”
“You have.”
She nodded her head toward the open bedroom door. “I'm going to go in there now, pull this bloody shirt off me and leave you to think about what it is you really want.”
For a lingering moment, their gazes locked. More was said in those few seconds than had been said the entire time they'd been together. With great strength, he held himself back from touching her. There was more than just lust flowing between them. Even he could see that. What they had was total explosive emotion that was rare.
Jake stood still in the center of the room, watching as Cassie walked to the bedroom. She didn’t pause at the door this time, as she had last night. She just lifted her chin and gracefully moved away from him, never looking back.
Filling his lungs deeply with the stale air in the room, he ran his hand over his face, smelled the lingering scent of the ointment still clinging to his fingertips. He rolled the pad of his thumb and index finger together and closed his eyes, searching for an answer. Anything that would bring some sense to the insanity they’d been living these past few days.
He wanted Cassie. She'd made it more than clear she wanted him, too. He genuinely cared for her. He'd gone to bed with women for less than that before. But he wouldn't do that to Cassie.
She was special. More than special even. There was a rarity about Cassie that reached out and grabbed something deep inside, pulling him to her right from the start. She wasn't the kind of woman he could just have a simple fling with, then walk away. The truth was, he’d reached a point of no return where Cassie was concerned. He didn't know if he could walk away from her.
He'd been right about one thing from the start. Cassie Alvarez was lethal. But only to his heart. Her innocence and sass wrapped around him, making it hard to think about anything else but her. The very thought of waking up and not hearing her musical laughter broke him in two.
No one had a crystal ball to look into the future and see what tomorrow held, least of all him. He didn’t know how this threat with Angel Fagnelio and the FBI would ultimately play out. And if he didn't have the answers to that, how could he think about moving forward toward any kind of future with Cassie beyond this case?
Except for one very real thing. Angel Fagnelio wasn't here. And more importantly, no one knew they were here. Of this much Jake could be certain. No one had followed them on the road leaving the cabin. He hadn’t been distracted by conversation as they drove because Cassie was virtually silent throughout the drive.
Fagnelio isn't here, Jake thought as he moved his feet toward the bedroom door. There was no threat that could destroy them. It was only him and Cassie. And right now, he wanted her.
Jake's pulse thrummed as he pushed off his boots. He was through debating about what he should and shouldn't do. Cassie wanted to make love with him, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to give her exactly what they both admitted to wanting. What he now knew without a doubt he needed. To hell with his code of ethics or self-imposed celibacy.
The bedroom door was open. From the shadows playing on the wall, Jake knew Cassie was standing beside the twin bed. He paused at the threshold of the doorway, certain she hadn't heard him approach in his stocking feet.
Her back was to him. The fading daylight poked through the outdated brocade curtains and radiated around her in the dimming room. Although he couldn't see, with her head bent and by her movement Jake was sure she was unbuttoning her stained shirt.
“Do you want the door closed?” he asked, his voice rough and low, echoing an unanswered need he’d held back far too long.
Startled, she peered over her shoulder. Hesitating, she said, “That depends on which side of the door you want to be on.”
With one long stride into the bedroom, he kicked the door shut, closing them both inside the tiny room. He heard her soft sigh of defeat, saw the slight sag of her shoulders, before she continued her task.
“Let me do that,” he whispered.
Cassie swung around quickly, the flash of surprise in her eyes quickly changing to something different, something potent. A seductive smile tipped the corners of her full lips, hinting just a bit of her uncertainty.
“Okay.”
As she dropped her hands to her side, her shirt fell open, revealing the soft, creamy flesh of her stomach and a hint of her dark nipples beneath her white lace bra.
Their gazes meshed and held for a quiet moment, saying so much more than words ever could.
He was standing in front of her before he could even fathom how his feet got him from point A to point B. His fingers grazed her silky soft skin, shooting a trail the likes of hot molten lava through his veins. As he fumbled with the buttons of her shirt, he trembled. Good God, he was pathetic. When was the last time he'd trembled undressing a woman? Had it really been that long?
No, it was all Cassie. Being this close to her, touching her velvety skin was enough to make him come undone.
He reached the last button and pushed her shirt open fully, sliding the fabric off her shoulders and allowing his fingers to linger on the smoothness of her skin.
She dipped her head, averting her gaze, hiding from him everything he wanted.
“Look at me,” he rasped, tilting her chin up with the tips of his fingers.
Those sultry dark eyes, fringed with black lashes, had haunted him endlessly these past few nights. Now they were brimming with the burning desire she had just for him. He brushed his fingers across the silky smoothness of her cheeks and noticed they were the exotic color of rose petals.
Jake chuckled softly. “We're about to make love, and you're blushing?”
“Does that bother you?”
He shook his head. “I just don't want you to be embarrassed by anything we do.”
Cassie quickly shook her head. “I'm not. I'm…it's been a long time for me.”
Jake wanted to laugh, but decided Cassie wouldn’t understand. How could she? “I haven't been with a woman in over three years, Cassie,” he answered, realizing for the first time how infinitely long that seemed. “So I guess that makes us even.”
Her doe-like eyes lifted to his with surprise.
“Really?”
He nodded.
“I don't want to disappoint you.” Closing her eyes, Cassie chuckled lightly, concealing her face with her hand. “I don't know why I'm telling you this,” she whispered.
“Have you changed your mind?” he asked, swallowing hard.
She shook her head. His heart pounded against his ribs.
Jake gently tugged her hand away from her face and kissed her lightly on the lips. Those lips, silky soft and moist. She tasted sweet, like the sugar she had with her coffee that morning. He wanted to drink her in, devour her as if he’d never had a meal, but he held himself back. After so long of going without he was now in danger of overload. Cupping her face between both hands, he gazed into her dark eyes, knowing he could easily drown there with no regrets.
He recalled what she’d said last night when they’d kissed at the cabin. How much he’d so brutally wanted her. How unsure she’d been, afraid he’d pulled away because she’d somehow done something wrong. He suddenly understood her hesitation.
“Someone, somewhere along the line fed you a great load of bull that you weren't any good as a lover, that you weren't desirable. The horrible crime is that you believed him.”
Reaching up, she pulled his hand away and shrugged uncomfortably, averting her gaze. “What else could I believe when I…couldn't feel anything?”
“Look at me,” Jake said, tilting her chin up with his fingers. “Haven't you seen the effect you have on me? I can't even be in the same room with you without losing my mind wanting you.”
She swallowed visibly. “You didn't have any trouble resisting me last night. And I practically threw myself at your feet.”
Closing his eyes, he laughed, his voice deep and rough with an aching need so s
trong he thought he’d self-combust.
“My God, Cassie, you're the most incredible woman I've ever met. I damn near died last night wanting you. I spent an hour on the front porch in the freezing cold trying to fan down the flames inside me after you closed that bedroom door.”
Her eyes widened as she peered up at him. “I didn’t know that.”
He smiled and was rewarded in turn when the lips that had teased him for the past week tilted up to form a deliciously wide grin.
Brushing her dark hair away from her face, he rested his hand at the nape of her neck. He kissed her forehead, digging his fingers into her dark curls until he felt the spot where her hair had been cut. His body stiffened as the images of her being held back at the cabin assaulted him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“His hands. I can’t get the image of him touching you, what he could have done to you, out of my mind. It’s driving me crazy, Cassie.”
“Ssh.”
Cassie placed her index finger against his lips. His tongue darted out to taste her skin. With her other hand, she took his hand and placed it against the bare skin of her chest.
“This will help you wipe away those images.”
His mouth came down crushingly hard upon hers. He was hungry for her in a way he didn’t think would ever be satisfied. The images faded as he made a trail of kisses down the side of her cheek to the hollow of her neck where he’d bandaged the long scrape and cut marks from the knife. Even though they were now covered, the image of them, angry and raw, sprang up at him, a chilling reminder of what they'd gone through to get to this moment.
He fingered the gauzy area lightly.
“Does this hurt?”
“Not as much as it did.”
“What about when I do this?” Bending his head, he dug his fingers in her wild hair and kissed her neck, giving the area around the bandage gentle, loving attention. He lingered there, greedily taking pleasure in the scent of her and the sweet and salty taste of her skin.
Cassie said nothing, but he could swear he'd heard her heart slam against the walls of her chest, giving answer to his question. Running her hands up his arms, to his shoulders, she let out a small whimper. As she laced her fingers behind his neck, her exposed skin pressed firmly against his shirt, and he was instantly annoyed by the barrier.
He wanted more. So much more. The fusion of hot flesh against hot flesh would only heighten his awareness of her, of what they were about to share.
Stretching up on her toes, she pressed her lips against his and grazed her tongue across the opening of his mouth to gain entrance. Jake quickly obliged and she seared him with a kiss so provocative, it set his whole body on fire, turning his mind into a complete nuclear meltdown.
She gasped for air as she pulled away from him, her fingers urgently digging into his shoulders. Running his hand down the side of her, he cupped her bottom, pressing her hard against him, taking pleasure as she squirmed against his arousal.
Cassie had never felt passion with anyone like she did now with Jake. She’d known right from the first time they'd met that he was different from any man she'd ever known. His magnetism drew her to him from the start. He was rugged and impossibly strong in body and will. At the same time, he was surprisingly gentle, stealing her breath away with the slightest thing he did.
And he gave her a feeling of empowerment she'd never known before in her life. She felt brave beyond her wildest dreams, strong against the powers holding her captive.
In one fell swoop, Jake lifted her in his arms as if she were light as air. Kissing her soundly, he gently placed her in the center of the absurdly tiny bed. He crushed her body with his own, making her sink deeply into the soft mattress.
When he pulled away from their kiss, Jake leaned back slightly and gazed down at her. “Tell me what you feel, Cassie,” he commanded in a shaky whisper.
What could she say? That her body was on fire each time he touched her? Each time he looked at her the way he was right this second? That she ached to feel him moving inside her, feel his warm mouth on her naked body, and if he denied her that, she'd go insane with need?
Reaching up, she dug her fingers into his hair at the back of his head and pulled him down. She wanted his passion, wanted for him to lose control in it with her. He kissed her with a power that unearthed her, dipping well into the depths of her soul and turning her completely inside out. And when she couldn't take anymore, he gave her more.
Before she could comprehend how he'd managed to remove her bra, his mouth covered one of her nipples, sucking gently, while his thumb teased the other. His tongue was like exquisite torture, flicking her nipple to an aching erection, making her arch her back to be closer to his warm moist mouth. His hand cupped her breast with urgency and she heard herself moan. He switched sides, bathing her with attention until she bucked beneath him, unable to stand the pressure building inside her body. Liquid heat pooled inside her and flowed to her sensitive center.
“Too many clothes,” she said breathlessly.
Jake made a trail of kisses down the center of her stomach, leaving a moist line that chilled her skin against the cool draft from the window. She grasped the button of her jeans to unclasp them, and he stilled her hand.
“Let me,” he rasped. “I've waited a long time for this.”
“So have I.”
Cassie closed her eyes and allowed herself to be taken. She didn't need to be in control. Not here. She wanted to go wherever Jake wanted to take her and back again. She wanted to get as close to heaven as she could, and she knew without a doubt Jake would take her there.
He slipped his hands beneath the fabric of her jeans and pulled the denim down, leaving her with only her underwear. Vanity immediately invaded her mind for just a nanosecond, making her wish she'd worn some of the sexy lace panties she owned and hardly ever used. Instead, she wore her normal plain white cotton briefs that were comfortable and practical.
Opening her eyes, she peered up at Jake just as she heard the soft thud that was her blue jeans hitting the floor next to the bed. He leaned back on his knees, straddling her legs. The rise and fall of his chest grew more labored as his gaze roamed the length of her body, worshipping her as if she were a Greek Goddess.
He wanted her, plain white cotton briefs and all. And the very fact Jake was so completely turned on by her made Cassie toss away every ounce of uncertainty left inside her.
“Are you finished?” she teased, loving the way he made her feel so cherished.
A deep dimple appeared on Jake's left cheek as his lips stretched into a wide grin. Her heart melted.
“Not by a long shot.”
“Good, because neither am I.” Cassie sat up in bed and reached for his belt buckle, but he quickly stilled her hand.
“If it's all the same to you,” he said, his voice tight. “I'm going to take care of these on my own. In the current state I'm in, getting these pants off may be more difficult a task to perform than taking off yours. This show will be over before anything happens.”
Cassie giggled, but stopped when Jake's expression grew serious as he took off his pants and shirt.
They climbed beneath the blankets and were in each other arms, flesh melting against flesh, tongues dancing like fire-licked flames of the sun. It was more perfect than anything Cassie could have dreamed.
“Tell me what you feel, Cassie,” she heard Jake rasp against her ear.
“I…” She couldn't breathe enough to say a word. He was torturing her with his fingers, delving deep inside her, bringing her higher and higher toward the threshold of release, until she thought she'd split in two.
“Tell me,” he commanded, his breath hot and moist against her ear.
This was it, Cassie realized. A trust she'd never known. It was the very thing that had kept her heart in chains all these years. The reason all her relationships ended in failure. Never before had she been able to relinquish her sense of control to let anyone close enough to touch wha
t mattered deep inside. Or to allow herself the freedom to succumb completely to love.
Love. Yes, this was the very real and wonderful difference. What she felt for Jake was an implicit trust that could only mean one thing. She was in love with Jake Santos. And that was something she'd never felt before, never allowed herself to experience.
He could lead her anywhere and she would go willingly, give herself up to the power of that love, to that trust she'd bestowed him, body and soul.
“I…I want you inside me.”
She lay beneath him, unable to think beyond the pleasure and tension building in her with each passing second. With Jake's hard thighs cradled against her softness, Cassie tightly gripped his hips and moved against him in an urgent plea.
And he answered her, entering her slowly, deliberately, until she fell into the rhythm he set. She wrapped her legs around his waist, locking him to her as they rode the white-hot wave of fire threatening to disintegrate her senses, until she tumbled over the edge to the other side. Seconds later, when the world around her finally came back into view, she felt Jake's body harden, and his whole body shuddered in her arms.
He lay on top of her for a few moments while his labored breathing eased. Rolling to his side, he pulled her against him. His skin was hot and slick with sweat from their lovemaking. They lay quietly for a long while with nothing but the steady rhythm of their breathing breaking the silence. Jake stroked her hair as she buried her face against his warm chest, listening to his powerful heartbeat.
“Tell me, Cassie,” Jake said softly, a hint of mischief in his voice. “Did you feel anything or are we going to have to keep at this until we get it right?”
She couldn't help it. Cassie tossed her head back and laughed hard. She felt so good, so alive for the first time in days.
“You know what they say, practice makes perfect.”
They made love again as the light died in the room. Wrapping a blanket around himself, Jake tiptoed into the other room only long enough to grab a block of cheese and crackers to satisfy the grumbling of their bellies. And then they made love again, slow and languorous in the darkness of the night as if the world outside their door didn’t exist.
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