He had never made love before.
Whatever shame or anger that had festered within him had come to the surface, now cinders that no longer fueled the flame. Grabbing her by the arms, he gently brought her under him, her eyes like prisms in the moonlight.
The release he felt was like no other. Whatever poison he held exploded from him with crippling force. His body rocked and seized, and as he filled her she freed him. He had been exorcised. The demon was gone, banished forever by the angel in his arms.
He rolled over on to his back, pulling her head on his chest. Her body molded against him and her long, wild hair stuck to his dampened chest.
“Jake, what if I’m pregnant?”
His eyes flew open. He looked up at her, her green eyes wide over him. “What?”
“I’m not on birth control.”
If the question hadn’t knocked him on his ass, the excitement in her voice when she asked it would have. Jake was many things but daddy was not one of them. “You’re not pregnant.” He finally said, not knowing he was disappointed until he heard the words.
“But the timing of it is pretty accurate.”
“Summer, sweetheart. I can’t have kids.”
She looked at him like he had three heads. “Why? What do you mean?”
He had never had this conversation before. It felt strange and pointless and inexplicably sad. He rubbed where he felt a sudden ache in his chest. “After I had the accident, I was on a lot of medication to prevent infections. They made me sterile and I can’t have children. It’s no big deal.”
“No big deal?” she replied. “I can’t wait to have kids.”
“Hard to play tennis at the same time.”
“Yeah but it would be worth it.” She lay down on her back, splaying her hand across her flat stomach. “A baby loves you no matter what. Totally unconditional. That’s got to be the best feeling in the world.”
He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her. In a way he had never looked at another woman. “You’d make a hell of a mother.”
“You think so?”
“Wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.” He pulled her into a kiss, running his fingers down the length of her body. When she stiffened, he pulled away confused by the pain on her face.
“What’s the matter?”
He looked down and saw blood dotting the white sheets. Rough sex wasn’t uncommon for him. He bruised and scraped himself before. But as he looked down at Summer with panic in her eyes, he suddenly realized what it meant. “Summer, why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
She rolled away, pushing herself to the edge of the bed before he gently pulled her back to him. “Summer, why the hell didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?”
“Does it matter?”
“Of course it fucking matters.” He was angry and not sure why. She lay there under him, her eyes closed as if willing him to lower his voice. Sucking in a deep breath, he rubbed the side of her hip.
“So this is a big night for you,” he said. “You had some wine, you made some love.”
“Don’t make fun of me.”
“I wasn’t making fun of you.” He lifted her chin to find her eyes. “I was thanking you. I’ve never been someone’s first time.”
“Gee, I hope I didn’t bore you.”
“Bore me?” he chuckled. “Does this look like the face of a bored man?” He sat up, leaning over her so she could see his smiling face.
She smiled back. “I guess not.”
“Can I ask you question?”
She cocked her head. “Sure.”
“Not that I would know, but you certainly didn’t strike me as someone who hadn’t done it before.”
She bit her lip, but Jake could detect the smile pulling at her lips. “When I was fourteen, a kid at Vitalie had a huge porn collection he’d stolen from his older brother. What can I say? My dorm was the only one with a VCR.”
Jake laughed. Again he was amazed by the woman he should have despised. He kissed her hard then pushed her away, just before the point of no return. “I don’t want to start something you can’t finish. Why don’t I run you a bath and you can soak in there a while.” He moved to get up but, she pushed him back down.
“I can do it myself.”
“Hey, I’m trying to be a gentleman here. Don’t ruin the moment.”
“Consider it ruined.” She kissed him, them jumped off the bed. “I told you I can do it myself.”
Grabbing a shirt from her bag, she went into the bathroom. He was pulling his boxers back on when he heard Summer scream.
He grabbed his gun from the nightstand then burst through the door. He threw Summer behind him and drew his weapon at the empty shower stall.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded.
“Look!”
She pointed at the mirror. In bold red letters the words “WATCH OUT SUMMER” were written in lipstick across it. He swallowed hard then cursed, dropping the gun back to his side.
***
Summer sat on the edge of the couch watching the people move around her. The hotel manager, security, and the same plainclothes cops she had seen the night at the bar all huddled in the hall. They spoke in hushed tones, but Summer suspected she could understand them if she strained hard enough. But she didn’t have to. The hardened scowl on Jake face said it all. They didn’t have a clue.
“Summer,” Jake addressed her “You remember Earl Diggs?”
Summer extended a hand to the dark-skinned man towering in front of her. “Good to see you again, Sir.”
“It’s a shame it’s under these circumstances,” he replied. “Jake says you’re holding up okay.”
She glanced at Jake. He was still bare-chested with his hands on his hips, his gun resting in the waistband of his dress pants.
“I’d be better if you told me you found who did this.”
“We have a few leads.”
“Well what are you doing talking with me? Why don’t you follow up on them?”
“That’s what we are doing, Miss Riley.”
She went behind the bar and poured seltzer water. If she had to hear another speech about the dazzling sleuthing abilities of the Bonita Springs PD, she would scream. “Well what am I supposed to do now?” she asked the men. “This guy obviously won’t give up.”
“Maybe you should reconsider playing in the Citrus.” Earl said, looking at Jake and then back at Summer.
She could feel the frustration curdling within her. Her hands fisted at her side as she approached the dark, burly man. “Mr. Diggs, if you think for a minute I am backing down from that maniac, you are stupider than I thought. I’m playing.” She looked back at Jake making sure her eyes met his. “No one is going to stop me, got it?”
Jake ran his hand over his stubbed jaw. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do then. We’ll keep this under wraps. No reason why the press needs to hear about this. You can still play, but if it gets too dangerous, you’re pulling out. In the meantime, you’re staying at my place.”
“Fine,” she blurted. ”But I’m playing regardless of the circumstances. And that’s final.”
If the other men hadn’t been there, she would have surely gotten an earful from Jake. But instead he just groaned and bit his lip. The men all looked at each other before he responded. “Go pack up while I finish with these guys. We’ll head back to the house.”
Jake barely acknowledged her the whole ride back to the beach house. No talking, no touching. Not even a comforting hand on her night-chilled knee. It made her wonder if she was being clingy, but by the time they reached Jake’s front door, she was too exhausted to care. Just when she though she was on the verge of collapse, she felt Jake's arms around her. He scooped her up like a child and cradled her in his arms before carrying her over the threshold.
She was dressed in just shorts and a t-shirt with a light jacket thrown over her shoulders. When he brought her to the bedroom he gently removed them, then slipped her under the covers. “Are
you mad at me?” he asked when he slid in next to her.
Too tired to form words she rolled away, bringing the covers tight around her.
“Baby, I’m sorry about what happened tonight. Not all of it. I mean the message.” He pulled her close, his lips pressed against the back of her neck. “I promise you everything is going to be all right.”
“I’m playing in the Citrus,” she heard herself say. “You can’t take that away from me too.”
“I’m sorry.” She winced when he touched her, running his finger over her bare arm. “You were amazing tonight. You know that?” He slid his hand under the sheet and softly stroked the rise of her hip. “Does it still hurt?”
The truth was it was way more painful than she planned on. She had heard a girl always bled the first time. She probably still was by the way it burned. “A little.”
“I know what will make it feel better.”
Before she could protest he scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the edge of the pool. He pulled a few towels from the wardrobe beside it then descended the stairs in to the waiting water.
It was incredibly warm, but her skin pimpled anyway. She rested her head against his shoulder then nestled the rest of her against him. Locking her legs around his waist, she allowed her eyes to close. He was right. She did feel better.
“Just relax baby, I’m right here.”
His hands moved over her. Down her back, through her hair. She loved how his touch was no longer foreign. It was intimate and deliberate, an intuition she figured only lovers shared. “Jake, I have to tell you something.”
He craned his head around to meet her gaze “What is it, Sweetheart?”
His eyes bore into her, holding a connection that hadn’t been there before they’d made love. One by one she could feel her defenses disengage. Her system was overloaded. She no longer had the strength to keep it inside. “I made an agreement with my father to throw that match.”
She buried her head against him, her body deflating after expelling what had burdened her. His reaction was unimportant. She was still caught up in hers. She handed Jake the truth, and it was now up to him to do what he wanted with it.
“Wait a minute,” he said, with a voice slightly higher than usual. “You’re telling me you agreed to be injured and you accepted money on a bribe?”
“No, it wasn’t like that.”
“Then tell me how it was?”
She felt his grip tighten around her. Swallowing hard, she carefully chose her words. “My father came to my hotel room in Tampa the night after I won my semi-final match in the tournament. I should have known something was up. He never comes to my matches much less to where I’m staying.”
“What did he say to you?”
“He told me he had a great idea and he needed a favor. He had this big business deal in the works and I held the key to a lot of people’s happiness. Of course I wanted to know what he was talking about, so I asked and he told me.”
“And he said?” Jake prompted.
“He asked me to throw the title match against Nila the next day. He’d never involved me in his business dealings before and I thought it was weird he was asking now. He made it sound like he really needed my help.”
She felt the tears pool in her eyes. She blinked, sending a single drop down her cheek. “I was afraid to say no, so I agreed.”
Jake brought her head to his chest, his fingers kneading back of her neck. “Then what happened?” he asked, his voice not as steady as it had been.
“When I woke up the next morning, I realized I couldn’t go through with it, and I called him and told him so. I was afraid because I’ve seen what he’s done to people who’ve crossed him...”
“Wait a minute!” Jake jerked her away from him, holding her face tightly between his hands. “Are you telling me you said no? You didn’t accept money or anything?”
“No! But don’t you see. It can’t be just an incredible coincidence I was attacked the same day I refused to help my father.”
“Why didn’t you go to the police?”
“What would I tell them?” she asked. “I made a deal to take part in a crime and I didn’t like how it worked out? Besides, my father owns about half the cops in this town. It would get back to him if I talked.”
“Okay, but what if you’re wrong? What if your father has nothing to do with it?”
“If that was the case, why have the cops been dragging their feet? If there was someone else responsible, they should have found them by now.” A chill from nowhere grazed her body. She shivered and Jake held her tighter, bringing her lower into the warm water.
“You’re going to tell my father I told you this, aren’t you?”
“Hey, I promised you I would protect you and I meant it.” It sounded more like a demand than a statement. He looked at her and smiled, gently stroking her cheek. “Even if your dad is behind this, it doesn’t mean I am. You believe me, right?”
She nodded and wished she did. Closing her eyes she rested her head back on his shoulder. “So now that I told you all this, what should I do?”
“That’s up to you,” he replied. “If you want to go to the authorities...”
“No!” Terror raced through her. It was enough she told Jake. Confiding in someone else was out of the question. It was like throwing a stone in a pond. The ripples were far reaching. Sooner or later it would get to her father. He would find out she betrayed him.
She lifted her head, locking his gaze with hers. “Please tell me I won’t regret telling you this.”
He stared back at her, his eyes going straight to her heart. Lifting his hand from the water, he ran his finger down the swell of her breast. “You have incredible instincts, Summer. You feel me against you. Do you think I would ever hurt you?”
She answered with a kiss, letting her mouth linger on his before pulling away. It wasn’t a yes or a no, more like a request to suspend her judgment.
The tightness of his lips, made her ease off him. When she did, his eyes were pressed shut, his cheeks taut into rosy swells. “You’re getting a headache, aren’t you?”
He brought his forehead to hers and smiled. “How did you know?”
“You just have that look. Is the water helping?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing. You still hurt?”
She smiled. “I’m okay.”
Again she kissed him, and he responded with more fervor than she had anticipated. His lips trailed over her, awakening the urge to again hold this man inside her.
“I don’t want to hurt you again.” he breathed, his voice strained against her neck.
“I want to.” And she did. So badly it frightened her. The fear she had for her father was something she had never shared with anyone. Giving him her body was nothing like bearing her soul.
He kissed her slow and gentle as he moved her through the water. When they got to the stairs she felt him release her and ease her back against the top step. He rose over her, his dark shadow a ghost in the moonlight. Her eyes traveled over him until her gaze locked on his. “You’re incredible, you know that?” he whispered. “So damn beautiful.”
It seemed he was talking to himself rather than to her. After a moment, he brought his mouth on hers and settled himself on top of her.
Summer was floored by the tenderness. How he trailed kisses down her breasts, over her stomach, inside her thigh. What had been a frenzied act the first time now had a quiet intensity. Each sense more heightened than before. She closed her eyes, loving how he gently moved over her. Teasing and taunting until he brought his mouth right where she felt him the most.
The sensation was powerful and foreign, and she writhed and moaned as she lifted herself to him. It felt blissful, erotic, sinful and her body quivered in response.
“You like that?” He asked, his breath tickling her thigh.
She reached out to touch his face. He caught her hand and kissed the palm before resting it on his heart, then eased himself ins
ide of her. Slowly he rocked back and forth, building a gentle rhythm. “Oh, Jake,” she whimpered. “Oh, God.”
“Slow down baby.” He cautioned. “Just relax.”
But she couldn’t, the heat building within her was too much to contain. As her arms tightened around him and her fingers dug into his dampened skin she was her own woman. If only for a fleeting moment, she didn’t belong to anyone. He belonged to her.
She moaned as she came, feeling him pulse and jerk inside her. When the wave receded, he collapsed on top of her then swept her back with him in the water. “Baby,” he said, bringing a finger to her chin. “I told you tonight I would never hurt you and I’m a man of my word.”
“To a fault.” The words slipped out and she couldn’t help it. It had all clicked into perfect focus. If he understood her so well, maybe it was because he could relate. The accident, her father, it all seemed to be strung together. He was a victim, not a villain.
Just like her.
“Jake, your accident.”
“What about it?”
She inhaled sharply, the feral scent of sex lingering with chlorine. “My father,” she blurted. “He asked you to throw that race, didn’t he?”
His reaction to the question wasn’t important. It was the truth in the answer she was curious about. But at that moment there was no answer at all, just an eerie quiet stealing the glow from his marine blue eyes.
“That’s it, isn’t it? It happened the same way it happened with me.”
“Summer” he stammered. “I can’t. I can’t talk about this with you.”
“Why, because it’s the truth?”
“Because I can’t.” He dropped her in the water, then ascended the stairs. Grabbing a towel from the deck, he wrapped it around his waist. “Look, it’s late and my head is pounding. Maybe we should get to bed..”
“He’s got a hold over you too, doesn’t he? You wouldn’t be here if he didn’t.” She could tell by heave of his chest she had struck a cord. He ran a hand through his damp hair then sat down on the bed. “Okay, so maybe I do have a personal interest in your situation.”
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