by Anna Scott
Jake’s kiss at my temple pulled me back to the present, and I realized we’d arrived at our table, he had very sweetly pulled the chair out for me and helped me to settle. The hostess presented our menus, the wine list and gave a quick overview of the specials, then she was gone.
I forced a smile for Jake’s sake. He didn’t need to see the melancholy that had settled over me at the memories of my past. He’d done a sweet thing, bringing me to a nice romantic place for dinner. I didn’t want to spoil it with thoughts of a life I could never change.
We ordered, I got my favorite, a truffle and mushroom ravioli in a light cream sauce. They always put fresh tomatoes on top and crumbled bacon with freshly grated Asiago over it all. It was decadent.
The calorie count, which I thankfully didn’t know, was probably higher than what I should have in a week, but running each morning with Jake had been great. He didn’t want me to run alone, and he needed to run too, so we’d started to go out together. I knew he could go faster and probably further, but he was a good sport about it.
I had been surprised when Jake ordered sparkling water instead of wine or beer with his meal. I’d noticed in the past weeks, since the night we were all at Luke and Aurora’s he hadn’t had much to drink. I wondered about that. Did he have a problem with alcohol? I didn’t know. I did know that sometimes people could spiral down a path that wasn’t usual in their day-to-day life when extenuating circumstances arose, they’d make choices that weren’t the norm for them.
We talked about nothing, neither of us could talk in detail about our jobs, so we kept the conversation light and easy. We joked about the antics some of the guys had gotten up to over the past few months and laughed quite a bit. It was a nice change for us. We spent so much time together, but we didn’t just talk all that often.
Jake touched me a lot, he’d touch the back of my hand or he’d brush the hair back from my face, he even swiped at some cream sauce that was on my lip, then brought his thumb back to taste it once. That was very sexy. The smoldering look in his eyes when he put his thumb into his mouth probably could have set the place on fire. That look awoke a fire in me, in my core. I felt the desire sweep over me, my own breath stuttered and my nipples tightened. Thankfully, I was wearing a lined bra so, at least my nipples were kept a secret, for now.
I’d enjoyed two glasses of Merlot with my dinner, so by the time we made it back to Jake’s house, my body felt warm and relaxed. As soon as he’d shut and locked the front door, he lifted me around the waist, crushed me to him, chest to heaving chest and kissed me fiercely. His tongue swept in, tasting every part of my eager mouth. My arms flew around his shoulders, holding on and my legs swung up, ankles locked around his back. At only five-five, I was almost a full foot shorter than Jake, but our bodies fit together amazingly well.
I didn’t feel him moving, his kiss was so intense that nothing else in the world existed. As he sat and then laid back, I moved my legs to either side of him, but held on and never broke the kiss. We had somehow made it to his bed, the soft black comforter moved under our bodies as Jake realigned us so the protruding erection trapped in his jeans pressed beautifully against the seam of my own. I wiggled and writhed on top of him, enjoying the friction.
Jake’s hands untucked and pulled my shirt up and over, taking his lips away from mine, only long enough to remove it completely. Before I knew it, my bra was unclasped and his strong, rough hands roamed freely over the naked skin of my back. He rolled us to our sides, facing each other, giving me the space to pull his shirt up. My fingers traced the lines of his muscular stomach and chest.
Moving his lips from mine, he kissed across my jaw, to my ear and down my neck, rolling me to my back, he tossed my bra to the side and licked down from my collar bone to my right nipple. Using his tongue, he circled and teased the tight bud then finally latched on and sucked. I was so caught up in the moment, I didn’t realize what his hands were doing until I felt my now undone jeans moving swiftly down my legs.
Totally lost in the moment, I didn’t protest, I couldn’t. I wanted him desperately.
Chapter 8
Jake
Hope’s delicate fingers moved to the waistband of my pants, I felt her open them. She tried to push them down and only got as far as my ass when she obviously couldn’t reach any farther. Pulling up off of her was the last thing I wanted to do, but I had to, I had to get those damn pants off. Standing at the side of the bed, I looked down at her, lying on my bed, her long black hair fanned out around her sweet face. There had never been a more beautiful sight.
In seconds, my pants and boxer briefs were gone and I stood, hard and tall, hands on my hips, watching as she ran her hungry eyes over me.
Her arms reached up, inviting me to join her again. I wanted her, obviously, the hard-on I was sporting for her was a clear indication of that, but it was deeper too, somehow I wanted her on an entirely different level. I sprawled over her, positioning myself between her creamy thighs. The head of my dick nudged her panty-covered opening. I could feel the heat and wetness of her tight little pussy.
It had been too long, since the night of Nolan’s funeral, and with her in my bed every night, I was so hard for her, so desperate, I had to get inside. Biting the fleshy skin of her earlobe, she moaned out in pleasure.
“Do I need a condom?” I whispered. Why the fuck did I ask that? I never went without protection. There was something different about this woman though, something different in the way I felt and the need I had only ever felt with her.
Hope shook her head vehemently; she was just as wild as me. I moved so fast, had her panties down and off and thrown over my shoulder before she could protest. I wanted to slam into her, to shove her legs open and thrust inside, but this woman was so small, I couldn’t hurt her like that. I remembered how tight she’d been that first time.
With force, I clamped my hands down onto her thighs, spread them wide and opened her up to me. I pierced her with a look that had her stilling when she tried to wiggle out of my grasp. I watched with rapt fascination as her chest increased on an intake of air, my look was so fierce, but her body reacted to it. Glancing down, I could see the creamy wetness seep down out of her pussy and coat her labia, running down over the crack of her ass.
“Don’t move,” I commanded, my voice rough and hard. The pulse at the side of her neck, picked up and her eyes dilated. Tightening my hold on her legs, I ran my nose up, over her pussy and nudged her tight, distended clit. I felt her quiver as I moved over her and she let out a quiet moan. That certainly wouldn’t do, she needed to be screaming my name.
My mission was set, and I had a clear path. I’d been afraid that she’d baulk at my overbearing ways, but obviously, she relished it. My eyes stayed open as I lowered my mouth, opened my lips and kissed her pussy with long sweeping strokes of my tongue. I kissed her just as I had her mouth earlier. Eyes locked together, my hands holding her down, her body was at my mercy. How much pleasure could I wring from her?
I turned into a feral beast around her, at the smell of her arousal, I became more dominant and animalistic than ever before. My tongue explored all of her, suckled her clit, rimmed her ass and made long sweet love to her pussy. She’d obeyed, she hadn’t moved, but she did lower her hands to hold my head in place. I wasn’t going anywhere, regardless of the tight hold she had on my hair, I loved the feeling of her in my mouth. Her taste was intoxicating. My dick throbbed and begged to get inside her, I ground my hips into the mattress, trying to find some kind of relief, to no avail.
Hope’s fingers tightened, and pulled at my hair, trying to push me closer and pull me away. I held her thighs more firmly and fucked her tight hole with my tongue until I felt the quiver deep inside her.
Trusting that she’d stay still, I moved one hand from her leg, using two fingers, I fucked her pussy hard and clamped down onto her clit and sucked. Keeping my eyes locked on her the entire time, I watched as she threw her head back. She thrashed around, as she climbed higher
and higher to the peak. She was so close, but I could see her struggle, she was fighting it.
My fingers kept up their relentless rhythm, but I moved up over the top of her. I allowed her to feel my weight pressing her into the bed. Her eyes widened, pupils dilated more, and her breaths were coming quickly. When she locked her eyes with mine, the thrashing around stopped, her fighting ceased and with one simple word, she exploded.
“Cum,” I commanded her, quiet yet firm. Hope bit her bottom lip and her eyes rolled back, she moaned out, long and low. There was no mistaking it, she’d moaned my name.
Once her orgasm had settled, I moved my hand away, positioned myself and before she was fully back to consciousness, I entered her on a slow, firm thrust. Once seated entirely inside, I caught her eyes again and held them.
My hands held her hips firmly, commandingly, holding her still as I reveled in the feel of her body. I felt possessive of her, I had such primitive thoughts. I thought about keeping her here, tied to my bed, so only I could meet her every need. Feeding her, fucking her, kissing her, taking care of her completely - forever. What was it about this woman that inspired such feelings in me?
I leaned in and kissed her, still planted deep, taking my time with it, and began to move. My thrusts were slow and measured, I needed to feel her, but didn’t want to hurt her. Her pussy was so damn tight.
Hope’s hands came up and around me, running up and down my back and her legs moved to tangle with mine. Ending our kiss, I kissed the tip of her sweet nose, I loved doing that, and stared into her eyes once more.
I made long, slow, sweet love to her, every thrust and glide brought us both closer together. With our eyes locked, our joining was a much more intimate experience than I’d ever experienced. I wanted to repeat this often, daily, maybe hourly.
My pace increased, but my gaze didn’t move. I was so connected with her, that I noticed every detail, every movement she made, so when her pussy tightened down, I definitely noticed that and forced control over my own body, not allowing myself to cum until she had again.
I was holding my chest over her, resting on my forearms which were planted in the bed. Our faces were close together and her tight nipples brushed against me every time I moved in and out of her body.
“Are you going to cum for me again?” I asked, voice rough with desire. She didn’t answer, but her slight nod was enough.
Her nails dug into the flesh on my back and her head started to tilt back. “Look at me,” I commanded, not wanting to lose that connection. It felt almost more intimate than anything else.
Her eyes snapped right back to me and stayed there, even when they narrowed to slits with her orgasm, her eyes stayed on mine. Her gasp was audible, and when she tipped over the edge, her nails pushed harder into my back and the legs, she had tangled with mine tensed, holding me inside her. Finally giving up, I came just after she did.
The feeling of my cum shooting into her was so primitive, I came harder than I ever had before. Her quick intake of air was released on a sigh of my name.
We lay entwined, catching our breath for a long time. I was still planted inside her, and we fell asleep. It wasn’t until hours later that I felt the bed move. I woke immediately thinking that Hope was in the midst of another nightmare. Opening my eyes, I was prepared to hold her and soothe her as I had several times now, what I didn’t expect to see was her standing at the side of the bed, tugging on my T-shirt.
What the fuck was she doing? Was she leaving the bed? The sex we’d had earlier had been amazing, for me at least, I knew with certainty that it had been good for her. Had she seen my darker side and not liked it?
“Baby, what are you doing?” Hope jumped, startled by the sound of my voice, still rough from sleep. She whirled around and looked at me, even in the low light I could see shyness on her face, she was blushing. What the hell was there to be embarrassed about?
She looked down and spoke in a quiet, hesitant voice; “I woke up, I needed to,” she was pointing toward the door, I got it. She needed to go to the bathroom and didn’t want to tell me. God, this woman was sweet. Who got shy about going to the bathroom?
“All right, baby, I’ll be waiting for you right here when you get back.” She’d started walking, but the smile she gave me when she looked back over her shoulder gutted me. She was an absolute knockout. Her small frame and delicate features woke the beast inside me. I wanted to stand at the gates and protect her from any evil that would come her way.
I felt the bed move when Hope returned. She’d left the tee on. Finding the barrier of clothing between us completely unnecessary, I grabbed the hem and yanked it up and off her, wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her into me. Fitting her back to my front, I spooned behind her.
She wiggled and repositioned to get comfortable and as her ass moved, she brushed against my dick. Feeling her naked skin against me had my cock already in a semi-aroused state, but now it was fully ready to go.
I moved my head, lining my lips up with her ear and spoke softly. “Baby, you keep moving like that, you’re going to get a hell of a lot more than a good night’s sleep.”
Hope giggled and moved against me again. “Baby?” Her softly spoken question made me pause for a moment and consider what she’d asked. I did, I called her baby. That was new for me, I couldn’t remember doing that before.
“Yeah, baby.” She seemed to like my low grumble, because she sighed in obvious pleasure and melted into me as my hands and lips began to move. Her knees were bent forward, so I was able to align myself easily and entered her slowly from behind.
Hope gasped as I penetrated her body. The night before had been controlled and dominating, slow but urgent. This was lazy and sleepy. Trailing one hand down from her breast, I discovered her hand resting against her abdomen. I grabbed her hand with a squeeze and pulled it down with mine.
She gasped with surprise as soon as she realized what I was planning, but I tightened my hold on her and moved our joined hands between her thighs. I moved our fingers in tandem, forming a V around her clit and closed her fingers with mine to pinch the tight little bud. Her breath hitched and she moaned; “Jake.” I got the feeling that she’d never been adventurous in bed. I’d certainly change that.
I felt the tremors overtaking her body and rode that wave until we were both exhausted and replete.
It had been another five days since our dinner out, since the night I’d found the hand prints on the glass at Hope’s. She’d made an appointment to meet with the lawn service that Aurora used for Nolan’s house, but had an emergency pop up at work. One of her clients was having trouble with a soon-to-be ex-husband.
Due to the nature of her job, I, of course, didn’t know the details. I volunteered to meet the gardeners on my own, I’d been planning to be at the meeting anyway, since there was no fucking way I’d let her be alone.
“Are you sure? I feel really bad asking you to take time out of the middle of your day.” Hope had asked me this same question at least four times now. Why she was so worried about the whole gardener thing, I would never understand. We were on the phone, I’d called to check in with her and to remind her that I’d meet her back at my house when she was done with work today.
“Baby, stop.” I needed to reassure her and to ease her worry all at the same time. Most of the time, she was such a self-assured woman, strong and confident, but on occasion I caught sight of this side of her. She could be skittish almost to the point of being terrified. I wondered if her ex had caused this in her. Whoever it had been, or whatever the cause, I didn’t like it.
Of course, I was happy to comfort her and to encourage her, but I wanted to kill the motherfucker who’d broken her. I listened closely and heard the deep breaths on the other end. She’d been working herself up into a frenzy of worry, for nothing. “You okay, baby?”
“Yeah, thanks Jake. How do you always know?” I didn’t know how, but I could sense her unease.
“Don’t know, call me when you’re on
your way, okay?” Since the handprint on her window, I’d gotten more protective. I worried that I’d suffocate her with my constant need to know she was safe, but so far she was putting up with me.
“I will, promise.”
The lawn service was scheduled to be at Hope’s house in forty-five minutes. I closed up the file I’d been working on and walked to my truck. I wanted to be there early, to have a look around before it was disturbed by more people. The additional cameras had been installed and I hadn’t seen any interesting activity.
Opening the front door to greet the men, the older man introduced himself as Sam McDonald then pointed to the other guys with him, Jimmy, Tom and Scott. Sam was about fifty years old, had salt and pepper hair, tanned skin belaying his long hours worked in the hot Texas sun. His face was open and reasonably friendly. He was considerably shorter than me, but sturdy, thanks to years of manual labor.
Tom and Scott were his sons, they shared his dark hair and open demeanor. Jimmy, however, was another story. He was taller than the other three, but his face was carefully blank. I took immediate notice of him. From that moment on, I watched his every move. Carefully, of course, I was trained after all, I’d been on some heavy undercover assignments, I could certainly watch this guy without him noticing.
He seemed to pay special attention to the new cameras, taking extra steps to stay out of their view. I knew his attempts were in vain, since the camera angles were wide and should catch everything.
Sam and I discussed the yard, the bushes and flowers. We talked about his schedule and agreed that his crew would come on Thursday mornings. The gate leading into Hope’s backyard was secure, so I gave him the combination for the padlock. I didn’t like it, but didn’t see another way.
I couldn’t be there each week to open the gate for him. I did, however, write the combination down for him and in a moment when the other men were farther away, expressed my concerns for Hope’s safety and told him that he should be the only one with access to the code. The older man showed concern in his weathered face and assured me that he would do as I’d asked.