Then his fingers were gone, he was pulling my panties down, and I lifted my hips to help him. He rested his forearms either side of my hips and stilled. I looked down, and his face hovered over the apex of my thighs, but his gaze was locked on mine.
“I can’t tell you how often I’ve dreamed of tasting you,” he said.
Then, while I watched, his mouth dipped. I could barely breathe. As the heat of his tongue touched me, I stopped paying attention to anything else, losing myself in him. He parted my legs, and, with a finger inside me, his tongue made long, slow strokes. I was burning, every cell in my body on fire. I squirmed on the cushions behind me, and Jake used his free hand to hold my hips down for his mouth.
His tongue changed its action, flicking out and circling, taking me to the edge of sanity. My breath was too choppy to get a proper lungful of air, but I didn’t care. As long as he didn’t stop. A second finger pushed inside to join the first, and they began to move in time with his tongue, in and out, around. The tension inside was building until it was almost unbearable.
“Please,” I said, barely recognizing my own voice. “I can’t…Jake…I…”
His tongue pressed flat and down, just as his thumb joined in, and wave after wave of intensity washed over me until the majesty of the stars behind my eyelids eclipsed those above me.
While I lay, still quivering, he moved back up my body, a self-satisfied smile on his face and I reached out to touch him, thrilled in the knowledge that I could. That just for tonight, he was all mine.
“You still have your jeans on, Maxwell.”
He raised a brow. “You want them off?”
“Oh, yeah.” On wobbly knees, I dragged him to standing, then undid his zipper, taking my time, tracing the line of soft hair and smooth muscles down and tugging on the waistband of his boxers. “Black? I was expecting red.”
“A lot of things have changed since I was nineteen.” He grinned.
“I hope your condom habits haven’t, because I don’t have one, and,” I closed my hand around him inside his boxers and open jeans, catching my breath, “I really want you inside me.”
Understatement. I needed that as much as I needed air. Actually, who needed air? With my hand still circling him, I gently stroked down. All I needed was him. This. I stroked up again, feeling his body tense in response. His reaction made me greedy for more, wanting to make him as lost as I’d been only minutes ago. Still stroking him, I kissed his collarbone, nipping lightly, then sucking the skin hard. Jake gasped, and I smiled against his skin and moved lower.
His pecs were so solid under my lips, and I couldn’t resist scraping my teeth to test the feel. This man’s body was everything I’d always thought it would be. Again, I moved lower, tasting and testing over his ribs, then his abs. When I reached the waistband of his boxers, I pushed them and the jeans down his thighs, and my gaze locked on his erection. I glanced up to find Jake’s slightly glazed, dark eyes looking at me. Keeping the connection, I wound my fingers around him again then slipped my mouth over the tip. Air hissed out from between his teeth as his fingers slipped into my hair. I ran my tongue down the side, circling, then back to the top to take him in my mouth again.
“God, Annalise,” he said, then grabbed my shoulders and dragged me back to kiss me. “If you keep going, I won’t last. And there’s nothing I want more tonight than to feel myself inside you.”
When he let me go, he kicked off his boxers and jeans and searched through the pockets. I smoothed the muscle of his thigh, unable to break contact until he found a condom in his wallet. “Thank God,” he muttered.
I took the packet from his fingers and opened it, watching as he rested his hands on my shoulders and followed my actions. Extracting the condom, I placed it on his tip then rolled it down the length of his shaft, enjoying the slight quiver as my fingers caressed him.
“Much as I love this skirt,” he said, moving his hands around to the small of my back to find the zipper, “it just has to go.” In one quick movement, he lowered the zipper and let gravity do its job.
For a moment, as we stood together naked on the gently rocking boat, I thought I knew what heaven was like. Then he laid me down on the cushions and covered me with his body, and I forgot my own name.
He lifted my leg, and I wrapped it around his waist, wanting this with a desperation that was entirely new. I’d had sex before, but never like this.
“Jake, I…” But I didn’t know what I meant.
“I know,” he said on a ragged breath. Then he guided himself until his tip nudged me. I wrapped my other leg around his waist, urging him on. In one smooth motion, he slid inside me, groaning and taking my breath away. My body was a mass of sensations, and all I managed to think was that this was my Jake. He withdrew then thrust again, and I called out his name and heard it echo over the water. His jaw clenched tight as he moved inside me a third time. Every nerve cell in my body was alive and wanting more, every inch of my skin burning for him.
I arched my hips, moving with him, and together we moved hungrily, creating a rhythm that kept me shimmering on the edge of something so powerful, I didn’t know if I’d be able to handle it when it came. His hand snaked down to the point our bodies joined, and he stroked me the way his tongue had done, making the need inside me coil even tighter.
I watched his face in the moonlight, his concentration broken as I laid a hand on his cheek, and the raw need in his eyes sent me over the edge, my body imploding in a pleasure-storm of sensation. A few thrusts later, I felt the tension in his body, his muscles freeze, and I pulled him closer as he followed me.
Minutes—maybe hours—later, I lay still shuddering, looking at Jake beside me, his skin glistening in the dim light, and I felt like crying. I should be happy. Pleased that I’d been given what I’d asked for. More—it had been the most explosive experience of my life.
Instead, I felt hollow. Because I wanted him again. And again. And again.
Blinking back emotion, I sat up and reached for my clothes. I’d known it’d been a risk. That making love with Jake would put me further under his spell.
“Annalise—”
I didn’t turn to him, just kept buttoning my blouse. “Remember the rules we agreed to.” I wriggled into my skirt, still not looking at him. “No regrets. We never mention this again. We act like nothing’s happened afterwards and forever.”
There were no sounds of movement behind me. Why wouldn’t he just get dressed?
“Actually, I didn’t agree to those—”
“Jake.” The pleading tone in my voice worked. He stopped. I slipped my arms into my blouse but kept my back to him, knowing his glorious body would still be on display and would make me forget everything I’d decided. “Promise me.”
“Okay, I promise.” But his voice sounded reluctant.
“Thank you. Please take me back to my car.”
…
At the next dinner at my parents’, I was picking at the pumpkin and pine nut salad, trying to be as inconspicuous as an only child can be on a visit to her parents’ house. I’d thought about canceling—right now was the worst time ever to be grilled about my love life—but that would only be delaying the inevitable.
Besides, I’d been thinking about what Dad had said in our phone call, that their arrangement worked for them, and I was curious. So, I’d spent the time so far watching them, especially their interactions with each other, and I’d seen something that I’d never noticed before. Their marriage really did suit them.
There was an elegance to the way they related to each other. My mother passed the cracked pepper to my father before he asked for it. My father refilled my mother’s wine glass after she’d had the last sip. It was all so smooth and graceful that I’d never noticed before.
“This relationship really does work for you two, doesn’t it?” I said before I could think better of it.
My parents froze and glanced at each other.
“I’m sorry,” I said, wincing. I’d ruine
d things again. They had their subtle dance worked out, and I’d blundered in and shone an unwelcome light on it. “Forget I said anything. You know, I really like this dressing. What did you say you put in it?”
My dad patted Mum’s hand, and she took a breath and turned to me. “Annalise, your father told me about your phone call.”
I choked on a pine nut, and Dad jumped up to pat me on the back.
“Okay?” he asked when I stopped coughing.
I nodded and reached for my water glass. He might have averted my death by salad, but I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be okay enough to face this conversation with my mother.
“I want you to be happy. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.” Her face looked pained, and Dad took her hand in both of his. She nodded at him before smiling tentatively at me. “It’s entirely possible I may have pushed you toward goals that I believed would make you happy but weren’t the things that truly suited you.”
She took a sip of her wine, and I realized something for the first time. If it had been hard having parents so different from me, it must have been equally difficult for them to raise a child that seemed alien to them on some levels.
I got up, stood behind her chair, and hugged her. As Dad wiped at his eyes, Mum gripped my arms around her shoulders.
“I love you, Mum,” I whispered.
“I love you, too, Annalise,” she said, her voice thick. “More than anything.”
I left soon after because the intensity had become a bit much, but I was smiling as I drove away from their house.
…
I looked in the window and braced myself. I’d never been in one of Jake’s stores before. It was an old defense mechanism—as a teenager, to hide my crush, I’d been extra cautious about any “stalker” behavior. He’d had plenty of groupies to fill that role, and I’d had no intention of joining their ranks.
Of course, it was different now. I was an adult and had something of a relationship with him—had even slept with him.
Well, actually, that was probably more of a reason to avoid stalker-like behavior than the crush…
Although, to be logical, loitering in front of his store wouldn’t be the best tactic in avoiding the stalker label. “Oh, to hell with it,” I muttered and walked in the door.
I saw my designs immediately. They were part of a major display just inside the doors. Several mannequins were wearing the different colors, and piles of each design were stacked on tables according to color and size.
Picking up a blue dress, I held it against myself, marveling at seeing so many dresses of my design. It was my dream. I’d only ever seen one or two of the same design made up before, and this…this looked professional.
“May I help you?”
I turned to the sales assistant, hoping my grin didn’t look too goofy. “No, thanks. I’m just looking.”
The woman smiled and picked up another blue dress. “You’re looking at a great item. These dresses feel wonderful on—I’ve bought two for myself. They’re great over swimsuits on the beach or by the pool, and they don’t crush, so you can throw them down on your towel while you’re swimming and they’ll be ready when you’re dry. Why don’t you try one on?”
A jumbo-sized internal buzz had launched throughout my body during the sales pitch. It felt fabulous to hear someone else singing the praises of my design. “Thanks, but I—”
“Annalise, is that you?” I turned to see Tracey weaving through clothes racks towards me, her black waves bouncing around her shoulders.
“Tracey, I didn’t expect to see you here.” I flashed her a big buzzy-smile.
“Oh, I drop in and see how things are fairly often. I see you found your designs.”
“Your designs?” The sales assistant looked surprised but eager. “Did you really design this dress? Because I honestly do love it; that wasn’t just sales talk.”
“And this shorts and top set.” Tracey pointed to another pile of clothes.
“Really? They’ve both been selling so well.”
I wanted to jump up and down and shout they’re mine but managed to curb the impulse and reply, “I’m glad to hear it.”
“Yes,” Tracey said, “I’ve had to re-order most of the colors for all the shops already, and sales aren’t slowing down.”
“I think they’re increasing from word of mouth.” The sales assistant turned to Tracey. “Will we be stocking more of her designs?”
“Well,” Tracey said, “I’ve mentioned it to Jake, and he said he was going to talk to you about it, Annalise. Has he?”
“Um, no, but—”
“I think he’s up in his office—I’ll just go and get him. Don’t go anywhere.” Tracey took off out the door before I could stop her.
The internal buzz morphed into jumbo-sized butterflies. Even after all these years and everything that had happened, I still felt like an awkward teenager, waiting at his work to get his attention. This was really the crush that ate my life.
The sales assistant chatted away about the merits of the shorts set until customers needed her attention, then I wandered around the shop, stopping to touch the fabric of clothes that caught my eye, holding others up to see how the cut fell. And all the time I faced the door, allowing myself a few seconds forewarning of Tracey’s return. With Jake.
I saw him a moment before he walked through the door, and I could have sworn he was looking for me even though he appeared to be in conversation with Tracey.
I tried to appear absorbed in the bikini I was holding, looking up at them only as they stopped beside me.
“Hello, Annalise.” I felt his voice travel through my body. “That bikini would look great on you. Try it on. If you like it, consider it a present to keep on the good side of our new star designer.”
“No, thank you, I don’t need a new one.”
“Not to keep in your car for impromptu swims?” His voice was light and teasing.
Was that the relationship we had now? We hadn’t had a conversation since the mind-blowing sex on his boat, so this encounter was laden with the purpose of establishing new ground rules.
“By the way,” he said. “Did you find the flower information for your father?”
“Um, no.”
“I did a little investigating, and I’d recommend a combination of begonia and pine. Begonia means ‘beware’ and pine means ‘boldness’. That was the intent of the message wasn’t it? Although, as it was targeted at me, you might want to throw in a scarlet geranium for ‘stupidity’.”
I could feel my mouth was open but couldn’t think of a single thing for it to say. The butterflies were getting annoyed. In fact, I was getting annoyed. I was sick and tired of these stupid games we’d been playing.
Though I knew we’d never recapture the friendship we’d once had. Strange how quickly his friendship had become important in my life. And how thoroughly I’d destroyed it by wanting more.
And now I felt the loss of that friendship as keenly as anything else in this situation.
Tracey’s vivid green eyes had been swaying back and forth, as if trying to comprehend the undertones of the conversation. Then, shrugging, she said, “Annalise, Jake and I were just talking about commissioning designs from you for next year’s seasons. I usually have our collections planned in advance, so we could talk about several seasons at once. What do you think?”
“That’d be fabulous.” I looked back at Jake, my annoyance now tempered by gratitude. “Thank you again for taking a chance on me.”
He gave a half smile. “I think it’s you who takes chances, not me. Anyway, I’ll leave you and Tracey to talk about details. I need to go out.” He turned abruptly and left, leaving my annoyed butterflies to morph once again, this time into jumbo-sized angry bees.
One bee for fate for putting me in this crush-love-Jake drama. One for Jake, for not fixing the whole mess when he’d had the chance. One for me, for letting the mess get this big. One for—
I looked up as Tracey called out an unwelcome name.
“Hi Tracey,” Scarlett called back as she weaved towards us. “And Annalise! How lovely.”
Oh, yes. And one great big jumbo-sized angry bee for blond Scarlett.
Chapter Sixteen
Annalise
“You two know each other?” Tracey asked, looking from me to Scarlett.
Scarlett smiled at me. “Annalise dated my brother for a couple of years.”
I bared my teeth in a smile back.
“That’s great,” Tracey said. “Would you mind then if I leave you for a couple of minutes while I take a call I’m expecting? Annalise, maybe you could come up to my office when you’re finished?”
“Sure,” I answered and watched Tracey’s departing back to the soundtrack of a hundred buzzing bees. Fate was finally working for me, providing a deserving target for my anger, and who was I to ignore fate?
“So, Scarlett, did you tell Thomas I said hello?”
“Not yet, he’s—”
I narrowed my eyes. “I just bet you didn’t. Did you even tell him you saw me?”
“No, as I was—”
“Of course not.”
Scarlett cocked her head to one side. “Annalise, are you annoyed at me about something?”
“Oh, I don’t think annoyed is the right word.” The bees backed me up with buzzing in double time.
She crossed her arms and looked me in the eye. “Look, if you have something to say, just come out and say it.”
“Okay, I will.” I straightened a little. “You told Thomas, my boyfriend, he could do better than me. Don’t you think that would annoy someone just a little?”
Scarlett frowned and shook her head. “I wouldn’t say something like… Ahhh.” She took an almost imperceptible step backwards.
“Ahhh? What’s ahhh supposed to mean?” The bees collected in formation, stingers at the ready.
She grimaced, looking meeker than I’d ever seen her. “I can see why you’d take offense, but—”
The Summer of Jake Page 20