Keeper

by Robyn Roze

  As she hovered over the table to place her next shot, Jake fixed one hand on her hip and the other at the back of her outstretched planted leg slowly outlining it all the way up to her ass where he then possessively slapped both of his hands in place to reaffirm their perfect fit around her delicious form.

  “You’re going to make me miss this shot, Jake,” she said laughing, as he pulled her up against him.

  Then his hands moved around to her belly and skimmed underneath her long-sleeved lavender t-shirt. He met with the barrier of her bra that she had been wearing this weekend. He knew she was exercising modesty around his family, but damn he missed finding her bare breasted under her clothing. He reached between the cups and undid the clasp, freeing her of the bra and t-shirt, pulling them both off at the same time, against Olivia’s protestations.

  “We’re going to play a different table game,” he hinted dangerously.

  She closed her eyes and swallowed. “Jake, someone could come down here,” she breathed out nervously.

  He was rounding her nipples between his fingers and thumbs while pressing his growing hardness against her bottom.

  He whispered huskily in her ear, “They’re all in bed, Liv. And we are going to christen this pool table.” He heard her whimper a little and swallow hard. He smiled against her cheek.

  He breathed heatedly into her ear, “Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are?” He brushed his five-o-clock shadow against her. “I’ve been hard the entire night watching you bend over this table sinking ball after ball…” he trailed off nipping at her ear lobe and neck.

  Olivia could feel her knees weaken at his words and his hands reaching down to strip her of her torn worn jeans. He began slowly pushing her forward onto the green felt-covered top until she was resting on her forearms.

  “Don’t move, Olivia. I want you just like this,” he rumbled in her ear. He could feel and hear her breathing pick up as she placed her forehead down onto her interlaced hands.

  He undid her jeans hooking his hands at the waistband and unhitching them down to her knees. Then he pulled off her shoes, socks and her jeans the rest of the way. He leisurely glided his hands from her delicately sculpted ankles to her shapely calves, stopped and gently grazed his stubble at the backs of her knees, continuing the merciless bristly assault to the back of her thighs. Then he took a cheek in each hand and squeezed, softly biting each side. He rose and stood behind her.

  Olivia heard his zipper and the sound of his jeans dropping to the floor. She was so aroused she thought she might spontaneously ignite. Then she felt his hand hook at one side of her lacy, next-to-nothing thong and rip it off her in one swift pull. She gasped and felt him lean over her with the heavy heat from his erection dropping against her. He rubbed his hardness back and forth across her backside while grazing her back and shoulders with his glorious stubble. Soft moans escaped her as his hand slid between her legs. She tried to close her legs against his hand but he moved himself between her legs so that she was at his mercy. He began circling her needy clit while he held her against the table. He increased his erotic torment further by inserting one and then two fingers into her fiery core, finding her tender spot and beginning his dual assault on her hot center.

  “Christ, Olivia, you’re already so wet,” he murmured softly, scraping his bristled chin against her shoulder.

  Olivia was spinning and losing her mind. She was pinned and could do nothing but accept her thundering climax as she fisted her hands against the green felt, gritting her teeth and trying to keep her volume to a low scream. Jake gradually removed his hand trailing it to her backside as he stood. Then he began circling her anus with his very moist thumb before gently inserting it up to the first joint and moving it slowly around inside the hot opening. Olivia tightened around him and released a stuttered moan.

  “Are you okay?” he asked hoarsely.

  “Mmmm-huh. It feels good,” she whispered. The sensation was different from any of the others. It was new and sweet and she wanted more of it.

  As she reveled in his tenderness and the fresh tingling, he slammed his hardness into her center, burying himself as deep as he could go into her snug, hot, clenching core. Olivia’s back arched and she could not control the sound that tore out of her as he pounded relentlessly against her with his thick hardness and his thumb continuing to frenzy her. She wasn’t going to be able to control it this time. She could only hope that everyone was sound asleep or at least watching TV with the volume on high.

  Suddenly, Jake caught sight of movement in his periphery. Turning his head to face it, he quickly realized it was their reflections in the windows of the dimly-lit room. He became improbably harder at the sight of them together like this. Following their joined images in the window and hearing Olivia coming undone was more than Jake could handle. He exploded; pouring everything he had into her, and thought he might shatter into a pile of rubble on the floor when the fire surged out of him. He collapsed against her back and shoulders feeling her ragged breathing matching his. He slowly pulled out of her, rolling her onto her back, hearing some stripes and solids knock against each other and drop into nearby pockets. He saw the drunken look in her liquid, emerald green eyes and kissed her feverishly. She moaned into his mouth. He pulled away and gazed down at her. She smiled up at him clearly quenched and serene.

  “You okay?” he asked, stroking her hair.

  She grasped his square jaw in her hands, looked deeply into his stunning blue eyes, and said with absolute sincerity, “I’ve never been better.”

  ****

  His marshmallow was on fire and he was trying to blow out the flames. She giggled and leaned in to help him when she saw him having difficulty. Once the flames were out, she pretended to reach for it and he covered it quickly with his hand, squealing, “Mine!” Then he ran off toward the woods.

  “Hey! Get back here!” she yelled chasing after him. She could hear him giggling and looking back at her as he ran. He loved it when she chased him.

  “That’s sharp, don’t run with it! It’s dangerous!” He was already deep in the trees but the moonlight was like a spotlight on his white blond hair. The undergrowth was getting thicker and it was becoming more difficult to see him, but she could still hear him up ahead somewhere.

  “Stop running! I can’t see you! Stop hiding!” Then she saw a dark figure slide out from behind a tree and stand still. She stopped, filled with apprehension, and frantically scanned for her little boy.

  “He’s gone,” a disconnected voice whispered.

  “No, he’s not! I just saw him!” She could feel the panic rising in her. All at once, the moonlight cascaded over a handsome blond man with crystal blue eyes standing in the distance. He was grinning at her with a familiar crooked smile…Sammy? She squinted and tried to walk to him but couldn’t move. It was. It was…Sam…all grown up. She had missed everything and her heart sank.

  “Sam!” He started slowly backing away. “No! Sam, come back! I’ve missed you so much! Don’t leave me again, Sam! I’ll come with you this time! I promise!” He kept backing further and further away taking that crooked smile with him into the darkness.

  Olivia’s panic heightened and the dark figure was now standing in front of her with grime and blood smeared on his face. It was Nick. She felt her stomach clench.

  “You have to stay with me now. We’re all that’s left.” His tormented eyes beseeched her as his hands reached for her.

  “No! Don’t touch me! I can find him!” She tried moving but remained planted in concrete as he continued to advance toward her.

  “I’m the only that can save you now,” Nick whispered grimly.

  Olivia felt the bile rising in her throat. Shaking her head vigorously she yelled, “I don’t want you to save me!” He continued approaching. “Don’t fucking touch me!” Then she heard a familiar voice calling out to her and Nick evaporated.

  “Olivia, wake up!” Jake was shaking her.

  Olivia bolted upright, breathi
ng as if she had just completed a hard sprint. She looked around desperately trying to figure out where she was.

  “Liv, look at me. Look at me,” Jake insisted, trying to calm her and turning her to face him, her eyes wild and disoriented. Gradually, the recognition of her surroundings settled.

  She pulled his hand from her face. Tearing the covers off and jumping out of bed, she crossed quickly to the bathroom shutting and locking the door behind her. Olivia shuffled to the vanity feeling dazed. She looked into the mirror and didn’t recognize the shattered image staring back at her. Just as she reached out to touch the cracked reflection, Jake lightly tapped on the door.

  “Liv? You okay?” he asked gently.

  She squeezed her eyes shut and bent down, turning on the faucet to splash cold water on her face. Grabbing a towel, she pressed it against her soaked cheeks and when she opened her eyes and looked back into the mirror, the fissures were gone…or were they? She strained to look closer, but couldn’t be sure.

  Another light tap on the door pulled her back and she placed the hand towel on the vanity and turned toward the tapping sound. When she flung open the door, she threw her arms around Jake and hugged him as if her life depended on it. Maybe it did. He was a wonderful, huge mistake and she was being selfish, but she wanted him. She had forgotten what it felt like to be happy until him, and she needed happy — even if it was only for a little while longer.

  “I’m sorry I woke you up,” she whispered, snuggling closer to his bare chest and greedily inhaling his scent.

  “It’s okay,” he answered, rubbing her back and nestling against her sweet smelling hair.

  Olivia reached up and pulled his mouth down to hers, kissing him hungrily. He wrapped his arms tight around her back and waist, pulling her up and walking them back over to the bed.

  Jake had not understood everything she mumbled while thrashing around in his bed moments ago, but he had heard enough to know one thing. When the time was right, he wanted to know who the hell Sam was.

  CHAPTER 25

  After breakfast, Jake took Olivia on a tour of his hometown. She saw his high school and all of the places that he and his friends use to hang out when he was growing up in Sterling. The top was down as he drove them around, and she loved the way the wind swept through his dark, tousled waves as he smiled and pointed things out to her. Damn, he looked sexy as hell in his Oakley’s, wearing an untucked, white, button-down shirt and faded jeans. He made her tingle in all the right places without even touching her, and she inhaled, squeezing her thighs snuggly.

  Jason’s words from the other night about Jake not liking games filled her head. If nothing else, she did feel that Jake was honest with her. She knew his history, but she also believed what Jason had told her. If she was someone different, she could imagine being with Jake for a long time. Yet, she knew that after she was gone, Jake would easily move on with someone else. A guy like him wouldn’t be alone for long. The melancholy began creeping in and she looked away to clear her thoughts.

  Sterling was an ideal location for an idyllic life, Olivia thought. What would she be doing right now if her life hadn’t been ripped apart almost ten years ago? Would she be a completely different person? She would never know, because her story had ended abruptly without warning or reason, and she had been in purgatory ever since.

  Without him realizing it, Jake had given her a brief respite from her curse. He had the ability to pull her out of the chilling darkness and warm her in his light. She would miss that, now having felt it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she inhaled deeply and pushed all of her thoughts away as she exhaled.

  With the tour completed, they headed back to his parents’. They needed to pack and eat lunch before driving back to school. Evelyn was going to make panini’s for everyone before they all left. Jason was planning to leave after lunch when Jake and she did. This would be the last time she would see all of them together. She would remember them all, but would do her very best not to think about them.

  With full bellies and packed bags, they waved goodbye to Connor and Evelyn. Jason had left a few minutes earlier giving Olivia a big hug on his way out. He had whispered in her ear, I hope we’ll see you again, and winked before slapping Jake on the shoulder and driving away. Jake’s parents made similar statements to her as they each hugged her before letting her get in the car. The affection made her uncomfortable and she didn’t know quite how to respond. She didn’t like dishonesty and felt dirty knowing things that none of them did.

  As they settled in for their three-hour journey, Olivia breathed it all in for one last time knowing that she would feel better the farther away she got from this place.

  ****

  As they approached campus, Jake slowed for a red light. Taking Olivia’s hand and squeezing he said, “Stay with me one more night, Liv.” Pulling her hand to his mouth, he gently brushed his stubble against the back of it and looked at her through his dark lashes. Seeing the doubtful expression on her face, he added, “We’re both going to have crazy weeks. I can take you by the dorm tonight to get whatever you need and then drive you to class in the morning. We can even make time to study tonight…I promise.” He kissed her small warm hand, staring at her hungrily.

  He was becoming more and more difficult to refuse. She sighed, shaking her head and knowing the right response but answering instead, “Okay.” He leaned over and kissed her as the light changed green.

  As Jake accelerated through the intersection, he announced, “My family really liked you, Liv. They liked that you’re so down to earth and especially that you don’t take any crap from me.” He glimpsed over and winked. “And let’s just say that I’m glad I met you first, because I know that my brother approves,” he said, laughing and glancing at the foot traffic along the shops and eateries.

  “Oh, please!” Olivia responded shaking her head.

  Jake looked over at her as he turned the corner. “I’m pretty sure he’s hoping I screw this up.” He winked in jest.

  “No, he’s not, Jake. He’s not like that and neither are you,” she quipped, rolling her eyes.

  “Yeah, I know Jason’s a good guy, but he’s also a guy. I saw the way he looked at you when he didn’t think I’d notice.” Jake smirked.

  “Jake McCloud! He was not!” She was perturbed that he would even think that about his brother. “I’m sure he was just trying to figure out why I’m the only girl you’ve brought home since you’ve been at EHU.” Olivia crossed her arms, shaking her head. “You’re reading way too much into it.”

  “Ah, so he told you that, did he?” Jake snorted.

  With narrowed eyes, she gave Jake a sideways glance. “I’m sure he was just looking at me trying to figure out why me instead of any number of girls from your extensive line up over the years.”

  As he slowed for the next light, Jake responded with edginess in his voice, “There’s no fucking line up, Olivia. I asked you to go home with me this weekend because you’re different. You’re special.” He placed his hand under her chin and made her look at him. “None of the others were.” They held each other’s gaze until the light turned green and Jake shifted to begin creeping through it. “My dad even thinks you’re a keeper and my mom agreed with him.”

  “A keeper?” Olivia mused aloud.

  “Yeah, that’s what he said before we left today. He thinks I found a keeper and Mom agreed. I already knew that, but now they all know, too.”

  Olivia swallowed hard and looked away at the grove of trees in the park. Her heart hurt. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could do this. The upcoming Thanksgiving break would be good for both of them. They needed some time apart. Rather, she needed time away from Jake. He was beginning to make her think that a different outcome was possible from the one she was planning. However, that was her heart talking and she needed to get back in touch with her head.

  “I hope you’ll come home with me again, Liv.” When she didn’t respond, Jake smoothed the back of his fingers softly against her cheek
. “Liv?” She stared into the trees and didn’t seem to be present.

  Blinking a couple of times, she inhaled before turning to him. “I’m sorry. What’d you say?”

  There was a somber look in her emerald green eyes.

  “I said I hope that you’ll come home with me again.” She smiled faintly but her eyes didn’t. “I’d like to go home with you sometime, too, Liv,” Jake said more as a question than a statement. “I can only imagine what your dad thinks of me.” Olivia’s lack of response was deafening. The doubts were pushing their way back into Jake’s head along with the name, Sam.

  She stared forward into the advancing emptiness. “I really liked your family Jake. You’re very lucky. I hope you know that,” she said impassively.

  A troublesome shift had occurred and Jake didn’t know what to make of it. He sensed her pulling away from him the last three hours, distancing herself from him just when he thought they had made some progress over the weekend. He had already decided to do whatever it was going to take to keep her with him and not let her push him away.

  If she was trying to get over a bad break up with Sam from back home, then fine, he could be patient and wait to meet her family, but he wasn’t cutting her loose. He believed he was the remedy for whatever was tormenting her.

  One way or another, he would make her believe it, too.

  ****

  Can Olivia Marshall keep her worlds and the men in them apart? Can she face her past and the man it? Or will she move forward with her plan, leaving both behind, to start over?

  Find out as their stories unfold in the Keeper Trilogy,