“Is everything okay?” Jake asks. He looks concerned.
I nod. “I think it’s just going to take a while for me to believe that we’re together. Like dating. Or whatever. I don’t even know what to call it.”
He pulls me close and I can feel his erection pressing against me. “We’re doing more than dating.” His voice is hard and possessive. I’ve never heard that tone before. It both excites me and scares me a little.
He cups my face with his hands. “I’m yours, Harley. I hope you realize what that means. You have me. All of me. All yours. Now and always.”
This time when he kisses me, the fire between us is so intense it’s almost too much to bear. We’re a mash of lips and teeth and tongues. It doesn’t take long for our hands to join the party and we’re all over each other.
Jake and I have been together more times than I can count, but this is so different in some many ways, it feels like a first time all over again.
“We’re going to be late,” I say breathlessly between kisses.
“Tucker and Gracie can handle it until we get there.”
“Are you sure?” I can imagine the angry glare Tucker will give us if we show up late again.
“Very,” he says as he begins to unbutton my blouse. “You need to be mine again. I want you to have me inside of you before we go to work. Every time you see me today I want you to think about us being together. And I want you to be yearning for tonight when we can be together again. I need to make sure I ruin you for every other man.”
“Ruin away.” I give him a sexy little grin.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me, Harley?” He continues to remove my blouse. “There’s not a woman on the planet who is as beautiful and sexy as you are.”
His kisses move from my mouth down my neck and then to my shoulder blades. “I want to kiss every inch of your body. I want to stake my claim on it.”
And I let him do just that. After he carefully removes my bra he kisses around my breasts and then takes my nipple into his mouth and licks and sucks it until I feel it harden. My other nipple gets just as much attention and I let out a low moan in response.
“I’m just getting started,” he whispers into my ear.
As he runs his finger along the line of my jeans then stops to play with my bellybutton he’s rewarded with a shiver that runs down my body. He knows how sensitive my bellybutton is so he spends a few extra seconds there until I’m a quivering mess.
After he unbuttons my jeans he bends down to put kisses all over my belly. He pulls my jeans down just far enough that he can kiss each of my hips and makes a small pit stop to tickle my bellybutton with his tongue.
“Bed?” I suggest, almost breathlessly, because my knees have gone a little weak and I’m not sure how much longer I can stand up.
We both stare at my bed for a moment. No one but me has ever been in that bed. It seems like a great place for us to have our first time together as an actual couple.
When he looks into my eyes I feel like he’s thinking the same thing. “You’ve still got your pants half on.”
“And you’ve still got all of your clothes on.”
“Let’s remedy that situation.”
He helps me out of my very tight jeans and then just looks at me for a few moments. Naked except for my thong.
“What?” I ask coyly.
He shakes his head. “I still can’t believe you’re mine. All mine.”
“I’ve always been yours,” I remind him.
He nods. “I was just too stupid to realize it.”
I look him up and down. “You’re still fully clothed.”
“Not for long,” he says as he unbuttons his shirt.
It only takes him a few seconds to get undressed and I’m rewarded with a hard-on that looks like it could cut glass.
“Wow.” I can’t seem to keep my eyes off his erection. I can feel myself growing wet with anticipation. It’s been over a week since we were together and for us that’s a really long time.
Besides this feels completely different. I’m actually a little nervous. Butterflies have taken over my stomach.
He closes the small distance between us and pushes my thong down so he can have full access to the rest of my body.
As he kisses me he moves his fingers inside of me. “You’re already so wet,” he whispers.
“And you’re already so hard,” I tease.
“I’m glad you can see how badly I want you. How much I need to be inside of you right now.”
I gasp when he lifts me into his arms and places me on the bed. He looks at me again for a long moment before he gets into bed with me.
I’m a little surprised that he hasn’t reached for a condom. It’s usually like a reflex for him. He always grabs one out of his pocket before his jeans come down.
“Are you forgetting something?” I hint.
When he shakes his head I swallow…hard. Then I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing I’m thinking. “I’m not on the pill.”
“It’s okay,” he whispers into my ear. “I want us to be together without any barrier between us. I want to feel you. I want you to feel me.” Then with a seductive grin he adds, “And I want you to carry a part of me with you all day.”
“But I’m not on birth control,” I say again just to be sure he completely understands what I’m saying.
He narrows his eyes at me. “I heard you the first time you said it.”
“What if I get pregnant?” I know it’s kind of a mood breaker, but the question is important.
“Is it wrong of me to hope you do? That we can make a baby together.”
I look into his eyes just to make sure he’s serious. “Kind of. This is all happening so fast.”
“In some ways it feels like it hasn’t happened fast enough.”
He has a point. We’ve known each other our whole lives and we’ve been sleeping together for well over a year.
He places his hand on my cheek. “I’ll get a condom right now if you want me to. Just say the word. I’ll do whatever you want me to do. I just want you to know I’m in this for the long haul. I hope you realize what that means. You’re stuck with me for good.”
I nod. “Okay.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Okay?”
I take in a deep breath. “You don’t have to use a condom.”
He smiles. I don’t ever think I’ve seen him look happier. “I want you to know that I’ve never been with anyone else without a condom. You’re my one and only.”
“Let’s keep it that way,” I tease.
“You have me, Harley. All of me. Now and always.”
I look deep into his beautiful eyes and I know he’s telling the truth. “I need you, Jake.”
I don’t have to say the words twice. He pulls me close and kisses me, a needy and voracious kiss. Soon our hands are all over each other’s bodies again and we quickly become a tangle of heated body parts.
“I need to be inside of you,” Jake practically growls.
“Yes, please,” I reply just as hungrily.
I take in a sharp breath as he pushes inside of me. I’m a little surprised by how different it feels, how good it feels, without a condom.
I assume Jake feels the same when he moans my name. Then he starts to push, harder and deeper, filling me with every inch of him.
I can’t control my cries of pleasure and I realize I don’t have to. We’re not at his place with Wilde brothers in the next room. We’re in my bedroom alone. My parents are gone for the weekend.
“Oh, God, Jake,” I practically scream as he thrusts even harder and deeper than I ever imagined he could. It’s like he’s on a quest to completely and totally possess me.
Small beads of sweat drip down his face as he continues to pump with everything he has. I feel like I could scream, but no sound actually comes out of my throat. I’m too enraptured, too overwhelmed with the sensations, to even utter a word.
“Come with me, Harley,” he commands.
I’m already gone as Jake gives one final hard thrust. I feel like I’ve burst into thousands of shooting stars, but he pulls me tight so I won’t completely fall to pieces.
“I love you, Harley,” he whispers in my ear.
“I love you too,” I whisper back.
We both lie perfectly still for a few moments while we come back down to planet Earth.
Jake places a quick kiss on my nose. “I wish we could stay in bed together all day.”
“Tucker would kill us both. And then still make our corpses work.”
He runs his thumb down my cheek. He’s got a bit of mischief in his eyes. Then he gives me a small smile. It’s not one I’ve ever seen before. His smiles are always big and charismatic. This one isn’t large, but it seems more genuine. “I want to take you on a real date. Dinner, a movie, maybe even making out in my truck.”
“Why the sudden desire to go on a date? Not that I’m complaining. I’d love to go on an actual date with you.”
“I saw how happy you looked when you were on a date with that beach boy.”
I laugh. “Beach boy? Seriously? His name is Max.”
He frowns. “I want you to look that happy but I want it to be with me.”
I place my hand on his face. “You make me very happy, Jake. Just by telling me you want to be with me. Us being together. Actually dating. It’s all I ever wanted.”
When he swallows I can tell he wants to say more. I brace myself for what’s about to come next. With Jake Wilde you never know…
“I want more.”
I raise an eyebrow. “More?”
He nods. “We haven’t worked out any of the details yet, but it looks like I’m going to be moving into an apartment. With Tucker and Gracie starting a family Cooper and I decided it was best for them to take the house. I want you to consider moving into the apartment with me.”
When I shake my head he looks crestfallen. Like I just punched him. So I quickly add, “This is going to be my house. I’ll be living here.”
Now he looks confused. “What do you mean?”
“We haven’t really had a chance to talk about it, but my parents sold the dealership. They’re going to be traveling around Europe for a few years so they’re giving me the house.”
“Europe? Your parents don’t even like to drive into New York City.”
I shake my head. “I know. It’s weird. It must be some kind of midlife crisis. I think when your mom and dad died they took it hard. My point is that this house is big enough for more than just me.”
He gives me that small smile again. “Harley Davis, are you asking me to move in with you?”
I smile. “I guess maybe I am.”
“Isn’t that a little premature?” he teases. “We haven’t even had our first date yet.”
“Well we did just have sex before our first date too.”
He laughs. It’s good to see him laugh again. “We never did do anything the conventional way, did we?”
I shake my head. “Nothing about our relationship is conventional.”
“I’m not sure I can be your boss anymore.” He bites the side of his cheek nervously.
Now I’m nervous too. I never considered the idea of not working at Haymakers just because we’re together. I love everything about my job.
“Maybe I should talk to my brothers about you being a co-manager with me. Maybe you could take over the books, everything on the computer. I never got the hang of all the accounting software Cooper installed. You were always good in math.”
“I was good in every subject,” I remind him. “And I have a feeling your brothers would love for me to take over the bookkeeping. Cooper would probably breathe a sigh of relief.”
“Am I really that bad?”
We both laugh. Then he looks into my eyes. “I think we’ll make a great team.”
“I know we will,” I assure him. Then I slap his naked butt. “Now get your ass into the shower and get dressed for work. If I’m now co-manager I’m not going to let you get away with any shenanigans, Mister.”
He gives me a big grin as he gets out of the bed. “Give some people a little bit of power and it goes right to their heads.”
“You know it,” I fire back.
Fourteen
Jake
I take a swipe at the beads of sweat dripping down my forehead. I can’t remember the last time I was so nervous. It’s possible that I’ve never been this nervous. Not even when we were vying for the State Championship and the entire football team was counting on me to work my magic on the field.
I take one more look at myself in the foyer mirror. Without my old jeans and cowboy boots on I barely recognize myself. I’m wearing the only pair of khaki pants and dress shoes that I own. If my hair was curlier and darker I’d look more like Cooper than I do myself.
When I showed Riley, Cooper, Gracie and Tucker the engagement ring I bought for Harley they were more than happy to let us have the night off from work for our date.
“This is it,” I say to myself in the mirror. My stomach knots when I think about the possibility of Harley not accepting my proposal. “There’s only one solution to that problem. Don’t give her the option to say no.”
I take in a deep breath and head out the door.
“Jake Wilde,” Harley’s dad says when he opens the front door. He looks me up and down and then harrumphs before he lets me inside his house.
Harley’s mom reacts to me a little more positively, but just a little. At least she has a fake smile plastered on her face. Harley’s dad is just glaring at me.
I breath a small sigh of relief when Harley comes dashing down the stairs. She looks absolutely stunning in a beautiful flowered sundress and heels. The outfit makes her look like a classic beauty. It’s such a departure from the normal sexy outfits she wears on a daily basis at the bar.
We both stare at each other for a long minute before she says, “You clean up nicely.”
I smile. “So do you.”
She grabs the hem of the dress and does a quick spin. “I wasn’t sure about this outfit.”
“You look absolutely amazing.”
That brings a smile to her face. “Thanks.”
Harley’s dad clears his throat and it breaks the moment be-tween me and the love of my life.
“Have her home before midnight,” Mr. Davis says.
“Dad!” Harley protests. “You’ve known Jake since he was born.”
“I know Jake alright. And that’s exactly why I’m enforcing a curfew.”
“It’s not a problem,” I say. “I’ll have her home early.”
Mr. Davis nods and I grab Harley’s hand and pull her out the door with me.
I want our date to be perfect in every way. I don’t want her ever to think about Max and that date they had again. When I open the passenger side of the truck she actually lets out a small gasp. I have a huge bouquet of sunflowers waiting for her in the passenger seat.
“Flowers? For me?”
“Of course.”
She turns back and gives me a huge grin which completely undoes me. She actually looks happy again. Truly happy. And it’s because of me.
I don’t think either of us pays much attention to the movie. It’s some kind of chick flick that neither of us has much interest in. We’re both fans of action movies. Plus we’re too busy holding hands and kissing.
For the first time it makes sense to me why people go to see movies on dates. A lot of foreplay can take place in a theater seat. Much more than you’d think.
As we walk out of the theater hand in hand Old Man Russell gives us a dirty look as he walks by.
“We weren’t that loud, were we?” I whisper to Harley.
“He’s just jealous,” she whispers back and we both laugh.
We don’t even bother to get back into my truck. The Thai restaurant is just a short walk away down Main Street.
I have to admit that the closer we get to the restaurant the more nervous I feel. My li
fe is about to change forever.
I hope.
We just about make it inside before the place closes. They don’t exactly post hours of operation on the front door. They usually just close whenever customers stop coming in.
I’m not a huge fan of Thai food, but it’s the nicest restaurant in Old Town. Our other choices are a pizza place, a coffee and sandwich shop, or a diner.
Harley’s says her favorite thing on the menu is Pad Thai so I order it for both of us. My stomach is so knotted I can hardly eat so I just play with the food on my plate and kind of pretend I’m eating it.
“Don’t you like it?” she asks.
I take in a deep breath. “I’m not really that hungry.”
She frowns.
“There’s a reason,” I add. I reach into the pocket of my pants and pull out a small velvet box.
Harley’s eyes are as wide as saucers. “Oh, my God,” she whispers.
I slide off of my chair and get down on one knee in front of her. Then I open the ring box.
She gasps when she sees the diamond.
“Marry me, Harley.”
Tears are streaming down her face when I take the ring out of the box and place it on her ring finger.
“It’s too much. That ring must have cost you a fortune.”
I grin. “Those jewelry store commercials on television say you’re supposed to spend three months’ salary on an engagement ring.”
“I think we may be paying you too much if you can afford a rock like this,” she jokes.
“You’re worth every penny.”
Epilogue
Four Wilde Weddings
Harley
“Are you sure I look okay?” Gracie and I stare into the temporary full length mirror that I’ve set up in the back room just for the weekend. Most people have heard of the Hugh Grant romantic comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral. Well we’ve got Four Weddings and a Rural Bar to deal with.
“You look amazing,” Gracie assures me.
She places one more tiny piece of baby’s breath in my hair. I’m wearing an updo with accents of baby’s breath. It’s the perfect complement for the ivory embroidered dress I’m wearing. It’s the same gown my mom wore for her wedding. She saved it for my big day.
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