Zaria gave her a brief rundown and her mother’s wide eyed expression proved that even she hadn’t thought of something quite so awful. “So you see Mama, you were right it was something big, but the problem is that he didn’t have to leave without a goodbye or an explanation. That tells me all I need to know about where I ranked in his life.” Dead last.
“You know damn well that’s not true,” Jake’s voice thundered over the music. Annabelle stood, patted him softly and stepped off the porch. “Is that really what you think?”
“It’s what I know.” She frowned briefly at the calm voice she identified as hers. She no longer felt nervous around Jake, she wasn’t the scared heartbroken puppy she once was. Now she was just a woman talking to an ex that she was still sexually attracted to.
“If that’s what you think you know Zaria, then you don’t know a damn thing.”
She watched him tunnel his fingers through his thick black hair, sharp jaws clenched in anger and blue eyes like the tip of a flame. He was magnificently beautiful in his anger. He oozed sex appeal when he went all alpha and she could admit she was seriously affected right now. But that was just her body, not her heart. “It doesn’t matter Jake, that was the past and this is now.”
“I thought you understood the choice I was forced to make.” She couldn’t be that selfish, could she?
“Oh I understand the choice perfectly.” She didn’t need him to offer some insincere excuse for why he didn’t get in touch with her so she didn’t tell him.
“Then what’s the problem? I thought you were ready to move forward, to figure out if there’s a future for us.”
The laugh was bitter, cynical. “I’m always moving forward Jake, don’t have much of a choice. Kids keep going whether you want to or not.” She stood and stepped to the end of the porch. “Jake the only future we have is as parents to Zach. I don’t, can’t trust you. And I never said I understood anything, I just said thank you for telling me. Finally.” She stepped off the porch and joined the party.
Chapter Four
The week before the wedding found Zaria unable to escape Jake or his not so secret plans to wine her back. To woo her. She couldn’t take a step in the kitchen without being assaulted by the sweet perfume of exotic flowers. She couldn’t take a simple lunch in the back of her truck without him showing up with her favorite fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits and potato salad. Hell she couldn’t even sit on the porch without him bringing her a glass of lemonade and Mama’s sweet sticky pecan buns.
He was not playing fair. What was worse is that it was working. Zaria’s stupid libido was on the verge of begging him to throw her down in the grass and make love to her until the only stars she saw were behind her eyes. She could deal with her body humming with desire for him, what she could not deal with was how her heart was starting to respond and open up to him. He was worming his way back in and she couldn’t deal with that. She didn’t know when he was leaving to return to his life in Bozeman but she knew that he would. Could she trust that his leave would be temporary or that he’d remember the people he left in Beloved?
She knew the answer. No, she couldn’t.
But she could satisfy one half of her craving for him.
The rehearsal dinner was last night and tonight was just a low key night with the family. Zach was full of excited chatter as he asked Ryleigh how she was going to marry him when she was about to marry Uncle Zeke. “That’s simple,” she smiled, “Uncle Zeke will be old and gross by the time you’re a big handsome man. We can get married then.”
Zach’s face scrounged up while he thought it over. “But Uncle Zeke will be too old to find another wife. I think you should stay with him. I’m young enough to find another wife.” They all laughed and Zeke pulled Ryleigh in for a kiss that had Zaria fanning herself and Zach pretend puking.
Ryleigh tucked Zach into her side and kissed his head. “You’re a good nephew kid. Maybe you can teach this one how to do it,” she rubbed her belly.
“There’s a baby in there?” She nodded and Zach put his ear to her tummy, “I can’t hear anything, are you sure?”
“I’m sure, honey. In a few months you’ll hear it all.”
Zaria looked at the love shining between her brother and her new sister and she tried not to be jealous. Not of them, she was over the moon for them, but jealous of what they had. The love and affection that sparked between them for the world to see. It was beautiful. It was something she would never have.
“I’m so happy for you guys,” she stood and held her glass up high. “I never thought I’d see the day big, gruff Zeke fell hard for a girl but man am I glad I was around to see it. Ryleigh you’re beautiful both inside and out and I don’t know why you love this guy, but I’m glad you did because I get a sister. I always wanted a sister. So here’s to you guys, may you have a life filled with love, happiness, health and wealth. May you make love as often as possible and fight every blue moon. May you dance naked under the stars and make plenty of babies. To Zeke and Ryleigh.”
“To Zeke and Ryleigh,” everyone repeated and toasted them.
****
“That was a great toast,” Jake whispered in her ear when he found her later lying in the grass, looking up at the stars.
She turned to him and said, “Thanks,” and then fixed her lips on his for a kiss that quickly went from tentative to scorching. He tried to pull back but she wouldn’t let him. There would be no talking tonight, just this. Tonight she would take what she wanted from Jake and worry about the consequences tomorrow. Because she couldn’t deny what had become obvious to her over the past few weeks. It wasn’t just her body that craved Jake, her heart wanted a piece of him too. She still loved the bastard and she probably always would.
The kiss consumed her, consumed him until they were both so mad with passion they did they only thing they could do. They succumbed. Jake ripped off his shirt and tossed it to the ground, covering Zaria’s body with his. Within seconds they were both naked under the Montana sky, limbs and mouths tangled, any and everywhere, frantic for a taste. “Zaria,” he groaned as he kissed his way from her mouth, down her neck and making a brief pit stop at her breasts. She writhed beneath him, moaning and panting while his hands and mouth worked their magic on her body. “I have to get a taste of you sweetheart.”
She screamed his name when his tongue swiped against the moisture gathering between her legs. He licked and sucked, laved and bit at her until she was a quivering mass of nerves waiting for the next sensation that would send her over the edge. “Jake,” she moaned in that soft tortured voice that always drove him wild.
“I got you,” he told her and sucked her clit into his mouth until she shook violently under him and cried her orgasm. Wave after wave rushed over her and before she came down he was lined up at her entrance and sliding inside her. Sliding home. He grunted his approval at her tight wet sheath and began his unique brand of slow torture. He pulled out slow and thrust in deep, over and over until her orgasm was building with the speed of a runaway fire.
“Harder Jake,” she commanded on a breathy whisper and he followed her orders to the letter. Stiff as a rod he pulled all the way out and slammed in, out and slammed in until her nails scored his back and she clenched him hard enough to make him growl. She lost it when he lifted her legs over his arms and changed the angle, pounding into her until he was flooded with a rush of liquid from between her legs.
“Fuck, Zaria! Zaria,” he roared her name, using the liquid to ease his way through her tight passage as the orgasm washed over her body. “You look fucking beautiful when you come, Zaria.”
She ignored his words and let her body revel in what he was doing to her. That had never happened to her during sex and if her body wasn’t still on fire she might have been embarrassed. “Oh my god that was, oh!” She squealed when he rolled his hips along her sensitive walls and spilled deep inside her. “Jake,” she called softly unwilling to ruin his orgasm after her glorious two. She called his name again
. “Jake. We didn’t use any protection.” She felt him stiffen and pushed at his chest, standing quickly as if that might help.
“Shit I’m sorry Zaria.”
“Don’t worry about it Jake, I’ll take care of it after the wedding.” She threw her clothes on and waited for him.
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means I’ll go to Dr. Macy tomorrow and take care of it.”
“No you won’t.”
“Good night Jake. Thanks for…that,” she waved at the crumpled blanket on the ground.
****
Pulling on the pink party dress Ryleigh had chosen as the maid of honor gown, Zaria did a little twirl. She imagined this is what she would have felt like at her senior prom, if she hadn’t been dumped and pregnant when it happened. She didn’t want to think about that now. Her brother was getting married today and she was gaining a sister. The sun was shining bright, the blue sky was the perfect backdrop for today’s events.
Ryleigh sat in the chair getting her makeup done, “Zaria you look stunning. Jake won’t know what hit him.” She smiled a sly smile.
“There’s no reason for Jake to have an opinion on my dress.” He would probably pop a vein at her in this dress but that didn’t matter, after today he would head back to Bozeman and she would start the process of getting over him.
“That’s not what I heard…last night.”
Zaria blushed. “You didn’t!” Ryleigh nodded tightly and tried not to smile while her lipstick was being applied. “No,” she whispered.
“Oh I most certainly did and sister it was H-O-T, hot! So hot I helped myself to some pre-wedding nookie.”
Zaria covered her ears, “Whoa, slow down, that’s my brother you’re talking about Ry.”
“Oops. Sorry.” She didn’t sound even a little sorry.
“Yeah, right. Come here so we can slide you into this gorgeous dress.” Ryleigh stood in front of a long tri-fold mirror as Zaria pulled the white strapless gown up her long sexy body. She zipped her up and tucked the zipper away. “You look absolutely gorgeous Ryleigh. My brother is going to choke on his tongue when you walk down that aisle.” She swiped a tear away.
Ryleigh discreetly wiped away her own tears. “Let’s hope not, I’ve grown quite fond of that tongue.”
“Great now my ears are going to bleed all over this beautiful dress. Thanks Ryleigh.” They both laughed and hugged. “Are you ready to walk down the aisle?”
“More ready than I’ve ever been,” she sighed and they walked out side by side.
After the ceremony the party kicked into high gear. Practically all of Beloved was at Triple Z lining up for Texas style barbecue, line dancing and wedding cake. Zaria danced with Zach who couldn’t stop talking about how she looked like candy and how he was regretting telling her to stay with Jake. She laughed at his words and kissed his hair. “I’m the luckiest mom in all the world Zach, you know that?”
He nodded. “Mom are you going to marry Dad?”
Her gaze searched until it landed on Jake, looking like every dream she ever had of her wedding day as a young girl. Jake in a tuxedo was a sight to behold and she eagerly ate him up, memorizing every line, every muscle knowing he would be out of her life again very soon. “I don’t think so kiddo.”
“But you like each other! Grandma said you’re always making cow eyes at each other.”
“Sweetheart grandma is old and doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Your dad is good looking, that’s why I look at him. You look just like him,” she pinched his cheek.
“So I’m gonna be good looking too?”
“You already are son, it’s those Olson genes,” Jake placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Do you mind if I have this dance son?”
“I’m gonna go dance with Ryleigh!”
“Zaria you look like a fucking wet dream in that dress. I don’t know if I want to walk you down the aisle or bend you over and fuck you senseless but I know I can’t think straight looking at you.”
“Well we can fix that,” she turned and walked away but she didn’t get far before he spun her in his arms and held on tight for a dance.
“This fixes it just fine. Your sexy body is pressed so tight I can’t see a thing. Only feel,” he flexed his hips so she understood his meaning clearly. “Zaria I hope dancing isn’t the only way I can get you to listen to me. It’ll make the next sixty years very trying.” When she looked up at in surprise, he kissed her nose and kept talking. “You see last night I came to find you to tell you that I’m still so in love with you and I fell in love you all over again during my time here in Beloved. I’ve fallen for you, for our son, hell I even fell in love with this town all over again.” He dipped her and kissed her neck. “In fact I love it so much that I’ve bought out Clint Macy’s practice so he can go play golf in Florida while I help the folks of Beloved with their many legal issues.”
Zaria took a step back and looked up into his deep blue eyes, searching for truth, for reason. She felt the tears welling in her eyes but she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. “You’re moving back to Beloved?”
“Yes I am sweetheart. For you, for Zach. For us.”
“Oh Jake dammit, I’m in love with you. I never stopped loving you and I want nothing more than to try this again. But if you leave again without a word, I’ll hunt you down and do very bad things to you…and not good bad things, either.”
“Don’t worry about me going anywhere honey because someday soon, I’m going to marry you.”
And then…he kissed her.
THE END
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