In the Market for Love

by Blake, Nina

  He paused. “I don’t think she’s even going to stay in the country for long. She’s been talking about a long holiday in Italy. She’s sunk as low as she can go and good riddance to her.”

  It was too much for Rachel to comprehend. Bianca was leaving. Jake didn’t want any part of her.

  If he was finished with her, he might be free but free for what? For a bit of fun? Or a commitment?

  “I thought long and hard about it,” he said. “I’d worked so hard to try and give Connor a family. But I decided there was something more important than that. You’ve been through so much. I know you might not want me. But either way, Connor will learn to cope.”

  She didn’t dare look up. “I-I thought you were coming here to finish it between us.”

  He slipped his fingers down her arms so they once again covered her trembling hands and enveloped her hands in his. He locked her eyes into his powerful, intense gaze and slowly slipped off the sofa.

  Down on one knee.

  It could only mean one thing but she was too scared even to think it. She took in the length of his kneeling form and tried to take it all in. He was on his knees before her, holding both her hands in his.

  Maybe it wasn’t the end. Maybe it was the beginning.

  * * *

  Jake looked at Rachel’s delicate figure before him. How amazing that she could be so petite, so fragile, yet so strong at the same time. He couldn’t believe she thought he was planning to break it off with her. Nothing could have been further from the truth.

  He should just come out with it. After all, how many permutations could a wedding proposal take? He didn’t want to leave her waiting any longer.

  “Rachel, will you marry me?”

  Her mouth fell open but no sound came out. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks pale. Time to put some colour back in them.

  He clasped both her hands firmly in one of his as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, faded green velvet box.

  He opened it deftly with one hand. “This is my grandmother’s engagement ring. She and Pop were married for 50 years.”

  Decorated with two small sparkling diamonds and a slightly larger oval shaped ruby, the ring could have been considered old fashioned. But when he looked at it, he saw his grandmother and her integrity and as he looked up at Rachel, he saw his future.

  There was only one person in the world who could ever wear this ring.

  Suddenly he realised the words Rachel hadn’t heard and he almost stumbled over them in his rush to get them out.

  “I love you. I can’t bear to think what life would be like without you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  Tears flowed down her cheeks and she shook with excitement. “Yes, yes.”

  The words he’d been aching to hear. He slipped the ring onto her finger. Nothing had ever felt so right.

  He slid his fingers across her cheeks and brushed away the tears. Still on his knees, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight, his head nestling against the soft fullness of her breasts.

  “I love you too.” Her hoarse whisper was weak but the words were clear and the emotion even clearer. Then he felt her chest constricting as she flinched slightly.

  “What about Connor?” she asked.

  “He’ll love you as much as I do. I know it. And if he doesn’t, we’ll find a way. That is, as long as you’ll be willing to accept us both into your life.”

  “He’s such a beautiful boy. Of course I want you both.”

  Jake paused. “There’s something I want you to know. I’ve always wanted Connor to have a family and now he’ll have a new one. But you’re not just a caretaker for my son. I want you. I’ve wanted you since the first day I saw you. You deserve the best and I might not be perfect but I’ll always love you and take care of you. You deserve to be happy more than anyone else in the world.”

  * * *

  For the first time, Rachel truly believed she deserved such happiness. Only a few months ago she wouldn’t have imagined a man like Jake could enter her life and sweep her into such a state. It was beyond her wildest dreams.

  Finally, she believed it possible to soar to great heights. She could feel herself rising above the Earth, above the constraints of her modest upbringing and her proper life, preparing to let herself go and sail into the heights of passion.

  Lifting himself from his knees, Jake rose until his masculine form loomed above her, hovering over her. She leaned back into the sofa, his body moving in unison with hers. His gaze wandered along her curves and he drank her in with his eyes. At least that was how if felt from her end.

  Her eyelids lowered, her lips already parted, she enjoyed the tense sultry moments as he slowly skimmed his body against hers. She felt the fine cotton of his shirt graze her chest as he leaned over her. Then he slid his chest against hers, still keeping his full weight on his muscular arms.

  And as she felt his erection pressing against her she knew he wanted her completely.

  He wound one arm around her waist and she responded, twisting her arms behind his neck. She curled her fingers through the thick dark hair at the base of his neck and tried to pull him closer but Jake he seemed to be taking his time, savouring every delicious moment.

  With his free hand, he pushed the stray tendrils of hair from her face, his lips curling into an admiring smile as he took in her features.

  “I love you,” he whispered. He teased her waiting mouth as he hovered over it. “And I want you.”

  His lips brushed hers in a kiss so gentle it almost wasn’t there. She let out a muffled murmur of anxious excitement at this exquisite promise.

  He caressed her arched neck, slipping his fingertips under the bateau neckline of her silk jersey top. Then as his hand slid over the curve of her bosom and down across the small of her back, she was completely enveloped in his arms.

  “All of you,” he said, his voice no longer a whisper.

  He pressed his mouth against hers. Their tongues slid and rolled, searching for the silken softness of the other and they were blown deeper into the storm of their passion.

  Immersed in the subterranean depths of desire, Jake was pitiless, refusing to allow her breath or respite despite her moans as she gasped for air.

  Finally he abandoned her mouth and trailed soft kisses along her throat. She arched her neck, exposing the bare skin she longed for him to ravish. His breath hot and moist on her neck, he ravished the soft flesh.

  Her whole body was alive, surging with sensation. She let out a muffled cry of excitement as she felt a current of electricity twisting down to her hidden centre.

  She was all woman and her yearning, her need, was every bit as powerful as his.

  “All of you,” he repeated, his lips tickling her ear lobe.

  Jake’s strong hand with its lithe fingers slid along the curve of her bottom. His hand travelled down her leg and back up along the sensitive skin of her trembling inner thigh.

  Her skirt had ridden up to rest at the top of her legs. He lifted it higher. Now there was only the sheer black fabric of her panties between his hand and her most intimate secret.

  He ran his fingers across the lace top of her underwear. His touch was so light and her yearning so strong that a deep guttural sound escaped her mouth. His hand slipped further down between her legs, her thighs parting instinctively. With almost painful slowness, he slid his fingers inside her panties.

  She let out a moan of unrestrained intoxicated pleasure, then pushed him away.

  “The bedroom,” she said.

  He let her escape his hold. She stood by the sofa, reached for his hand and beckoned him towards her.

  “This way,” she said.

  She led him down the short corridor to her bedroom. As she flicked on the switch inside the door, two bedside lamps let out a soft diffuse light.

  She turned to face him, her lips parted in readiness. He swept her into his arms and lifted her off the floor with ease. She wrapped her legs aro
und his hips as he carried her to the edge of the bed. He let her feet drop onto the floorboards, her body still glued to his.

  Cupping her face in his hands, he tilted her chin upwards and brought her lips to his for yet another kiss.

  Her hands flurried across his body as her hunger for him exploded into a physical search. She travelled the expanse of his broad shoulders, then across the terrain of his masculine chest down the hard ridges of his stomach and over his hips. She cupped his buttocks in her hands as he pressed himself against her.

  Abandoning his mouth, she trailed her lips along his throat. She slid the first button on his shirt undone, all the while devouring his neck with her mouth. Lifting her head back up, she held his gaze.

  She tore his shirt open and slid it off his shoulders, then dropped onto the bed into a sitting position, her knees apart. She reached up, undid the button on his jeans and slid the zip down.

  He kicked off his shoes, shucked off the rest of his clothing and stood before her, wonderfully, magnificently naked. The he took her hands and lifted her up to face him.

  His lips curled to a sly smile. “Not so fast.”

  With one swift movement he slid the soft jersey of her top over her head. He kissed her neck and the tips of her shoulders. She didn’t even feel the zipper of her skirt slide undone, only the fine fabric of her skirt as it brushed her legs and fell into a pool on the floor.

  Unwilling to wait for him, she pushed him away slightly. In a slow strip tease, she slid the fine strap of her bra off one shoulder, then the other. Gliding her hands behind her back, she undid the hooks of her bra and the black lace dropped silently onto the carpet.

  Her eyes were glued to his as she skimmed her fingers over the curves of her breasts, taunting him.

  His gaze dropped. His mouth fell open.

  She savoured the blatant yearning in his eyes and the hunger in his parted lips. She felt her breasts swelling, her nipples reaching out to him, beckoning him.

  He wrapped one powerful arm around her, lifted her up and slid her on top of the bed so she reclined beside him. His hands tore across her body, over her breasts, her aching nipples, her waist, and lower.

  She, too, explored the planes of his naked torso as they savaged their bodies relentlessly.

  He cupped one of her breasts and tugged at her other nipple with his mouth. An electric current surged within her. His other hand slipped over the top of her panties and he hooked a thumb inside. She lifted her bottom as he slid her knickers off and tossed them aside.

  “I want all of you,” he mumbled.

  He trailed hot kisses down her stomach, past her belly button.

  Then lower.

  Yet another current of electricity shot through her. He nuzzled his mouth between her legs. Electricity turned to fire.

  She was burning up, from the inside out. There was nothing else. Only the fire burning within her. She gasped for air, unsure if this was pleasure or pain until a frenzied wave of molten relief radiated through her body.

  She lay in a spent heap on the bed but that didn’t last long.

  Her eyes followed the contours of his powerful shoulders and chest, the ridges of his abdominals and his slender, manly hips. And, of course, he was completely exposed.

  She ran her fingers along his masculine length. Hearing him moan with delight, she kissed his chest and nipples but Jake pushed her back on the bed.

  “I want to be inside you,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be inside you.”

  She was still caressing him as she guided him gently into her hot interior. It had been a long time for Rachel.

  He went very quickly from slow and gentle to hard and fast. And she was ready. She’d never been more ready in her life. It wasn’t long until her body was flooded with waves of ecstatic pleasure.

  His breath quickened. He groaned. Let out something resembling a roar.

  They lay side by side for a while not saying anything. Her eyelids heavy, Rachel felt them closing.

  He caressed her cheeks. “You’re tired.”

  She gazed at him through lowered lashes. “You’ve worn me out.”

  “I’ll let you have a little rest,” he said. “Then I plan to wear you out some more. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, you know.”

  Epilogue

  “I’m exhausted!” Rachel flopped back onto the king size bed in their luxurious suite at the Hotel Rouge. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

  Jake’s eyes rested on the pale band of flesh below her waist. “All day you’ve been taunting me.”

  She’d been constantly pulling down the hem of her top. Now, as she lay back on the enormous bed with her midriff exposed, she didn’t have the energy to cover herself.

  He lay down beside her and tickled her bare stomach. “This is just the beginning.”

  The soft flesh of her belly went taut as she shrieked with laughter and rolled away from him before he could grab her. Taking what she thought was a fighting stance, she stood by the side of the bed with her hands raised.

  Her eyes narrowed. “Watch out or I’ll karate you.”

  Jake burst into laughter and grabbed her around the waist. He drew her back onto the bed beside him so they lay together side by side.

  He propped his head on one hand. “I hate to disappoint you but karate doesn’t suit you. You’ll have to stick with running multi award winning campaigns.”

  “Only one of the awards is mine. The other is yours, Mr Advertising Executive.” She pinched him playfully on the arm.

  “Well, Mrs Advertising Executive, was the wedding everything you hoped for? Or did you want something bigger and more glamorous?”

  Rachel looked into the deep mahogany of his eyes. “It was perfect. Small and intimate. Everything I ever wanted.”

  “You didn’t mind that Marcus used our wedding to announce his engagement to Samantha?”

  “You know I didn’t. It was a wonderful surprise.”

  “I think he might have surprised himself with that one. He’s really grown up.”

  She closed her eyes. The life she was living now was a dream she hadn’t dared to have. She hadn’t believed she could have it all. Only one thing could make her happier.

  Jake prodded her shoulder. “So you reckon you know karate? Think you’re ready for one of my judo tackles?”

  She sighed. “I’m too tired to go into battle now.”

  “Good, I don’t want you to resist.”

  His lips brushed hers gently. Then he pressed his mouth against hers. His arms were already around her waist. She ran her fingers along the hard contours of his biceps until both hands were twisted around the back of his neck.

  “I wasn’t kidding when I said I was too tired to fight you,” she said. “I don’t know where you get all your energy from.”

  “But this is only the beginning of our honeymoon.”

  A honeymoon with a difference. They’d brought Connor along as well as the nanny to help take care of him.

  “Did I mention Connor and the nanny are going to spend a couple days at EuroDisney?” Jake asked.

  “We’re going to EuroDisney?”

  “No, you and I are staying right here. It’s only fair. Connor’s got EuroDisney. I’ve got you. Then all the males in the family should be happy.”

  “And we’ve got Paris! Boulevards. Cafes. Galleries. Patisseries…”

  Jake held her gaze. “You know, the best thing about this hotel is the room service. It’s excellent. Internationally renowned. You won’t find better anywhere else in the world. We need never leave the room. So what are going to choose, Paris or me?”

  Rachel smiled. “Are you really happy? Are you as happy as me?”

  “Of course.” His hands wandered along the curve of her waist onto the small of her back. “But there is one more thing. I want us to have a child together. We talked about it before. That’s the one thing that would make our lives complete.”

  “Yes.”

 
; She pressed her trembling mouth against his and he held her against the wall of his torso. He made her feel secure and safe.

  Still kissing him, she slid her fingers inside his collar and began undoing the buttons on his shirt. Something stirred deep inside her. She still found it astounding he had the power to evoke so many emotions in her.

  She tried to make her voice sound tough. “So you want a baby? We’d better get a move on. No time like the present.”

  “I thought you were tired,” he said.

  “Not that tired.”

  She rolled him over and looked into his eyes.

  Nothing had ever felt so right.