She was. His sweetness and more.
Liquid dripped onto her skin. With reverence, he licked every inch of afflicted flesh, reveling in her tight grip on his hair. All their earlier sex should have quenched his thirst for her, but it only made him want more. Her throaty moans soothed the part of him still damaged, and as she came on his tongue, sighing his name, it shook him more than if he’d had his own orgasm.
After her last tremble subsided, he pulled the pillows from under her hips and crawled up beside her. He should leave. He knew that. But she turned on her side to wrap an arm around him and her head burrowed into his chest as if it were made to. Unwilling to disturb her, he buried his nose in the sweet smell of her recently shampooed hair.
Just a few more minutes.
He just needed to be near her for a few more minutes.
26
Jacob’s gaze warmed Sara, even before she opened her eyes. Considering she probably had crazy bedhead, she wished he would stop staring. And move slightly away. Morning breath was not the impression she wanted to leave after their night together.
She blocked her mouth with her arm.
“Good morning?” he asked. While his gaze held the same world of uncertainty as his voice, his knuckles grazed the marks on her breasts left by his own hands.
Was he still questioning what had happened between them?
Somehow, she’d have to figure out a way to get them through that, but first things first.
Sara had been so desperate to sleep with him that she’d given little thought to afterwards. As in immediately afterwards. Tousled didn’t look sexy on her. Usually men waited at least three dates before they earned the honor of seeing her in such a state.
But she'd let him stay. And he hadn’t run, even after he’d woken terrified.
That meant something. It meant a lot.
Her bladder screamed it didn’t care; her stomach echoed the sentiment. Ugh. As much as Jacob and her had shared last night, there were things she needed to do alone. Like go to the bathroom—in ways that would ruin any view he had of her as a sexy woman. And, if her bedside clock was accurate, she needed to be fast about it too if she wanted to be on time to take Tessa to her doctor’s appointment for Maddie. Fuck. “How did I forget to set my alarm?” Sara scrambled to untangle herself from the covers.
“Don’t rush. I’ll clear it with Harrison.”
Jacob’s bear hug was completely unexpected and took her breath away, nearly emptying her bladder in the process when he rolled her underneath him. “I wish I could,” she said. “But I have to get to Tessa, not work. If it was only about disappointing Harrison, I’d stay in a heartbeat.”
Jacob’s laughter rumbled against her chest, making her want to pull him closer right when he disentangled their limbs. If not for her need to pee, she would have stayed, if just for a few more minutes. “I won’t be long. Can you wait?” At his nod, she gathered a few personal items and hurried to the bathroom, doing her best to make herself presentable with the few minutes she had. Because nothing short of a shower would tame her hair, she settled for pulling it back into a ponytail, then went out to meet him. “Here’s a spare toothbrush if you want it.”
He reached for it and gave her an awkward peck on the cheek as he passed, already dressed in last night’s clothes.
At least he seemed as much of an emotional mess as she was.
“Toothpaste’s in the medicine cabinet,” she called after him.
She shouldn’t want him again after how many times he’d taken her last night, but yet she couldn’t stop watching his jeans hug his ass as he disappeared down the hall. She moved into the kitchen and filled the coffeepot with water to give herself something to do instead of chasing after him.
Pathetic.
Even more so was the quickening of her pulse when the bathroom door opened.
Sara groaned. She’d needed more time to fortify herself against his charm. His trip hadn’t taken half as long as hers. In what seemed like seconds, he was in her face in the kitchen—before the coffee dripped—crowding her against the counter. Her groan turned into a sigh. Of course she wanted him again. Confronted with his masculinity, she had no defenses.
“If you don’t stop staring at me like that,” he growled at her neckline. “We’ll both be late.”
“Staring at you like what?”
“Like you want to eat me.”
Well, he did look mighty tasty.
Sara licked her lips then grinned at his own groan.
“You have an evil streak, Ms. Morrow.”
Yes. Yes, she did. “And you enjoy it.” She’d enjoyed it herself many times over during their night together. Today, though, each step closer to her front door brought on fresh anxiety. “So now we…?” Sara half-feared he’d say they needed to agree to never see each other again.
He looked as lost as she felt, for a second, then he said, “I don’t know. I guess now we make plans for Thursday?”
“Thursday evenings aren’t good for me, but I don’t have time to figure out when is.” Sara glanced at the clock on her wall and prayed that Jacob wouldn’t take her inability to set a definitive plan as a sign to give up on her. She quickly asked, “Why don’t you call me later and we’ll figure something out then?”
Jacob gazed at her as if that was exactly what he thought. His absentminded nod confirmed it further before he turned and left.
He’s not coming back, not this week, and maybe not ever.
He wanted to. Sara had seen the truth of that in his eyes, but something else had been there too. Right before he’d disappeared into her bathroom, the shadows that had been making a steady disappearance over the past several weeks had returned with a vengeance, taking over his face completely.
Sara leaned against her apartment door, fighting off the urge to run after him. The absence of Christopher’s whispered, “Coward,” told her everything she needed to know. All her running would be in vain if Jacob wasn’t ready to come back on his own.
Sara buckled her seat belt, then looked at her phone again, reading the message Jacob had sent a few days ago mere hours after he’d left her apartment. Despite already knowing what it said, her stupid heart fluttered at just the sight of his text.
Jacob: Looks like I have to cancel on our date this week. Sorry. Something came up. I’ll call when I get back in town.
Disappointment replaced the flutters just as it had each time she’d read his text.
She missed Jacob. It surprised her how much.
Was it too foolish, or even selfish, of her to pray that Jacob missed her the same?
He’d texted her, after all. Didn’t that show that he was at the very least conflicted about his decision? Sara turned the key in the ignition and started her car, then backed out of Maddie’s driveway. Just like yesterday and the day before, there’d be no answers for her until he was ready. Since she still had a job to do and responsibilities to attend to, Sara instead focused her attention back elsewhere..
The day before the fundraiser, Maddie had ordered a family meeting, telling them all the extras had to stop since she couldn’t refuse their overnight help, meaning no more homemade frozen meals, no more cleaning her house, and no more rallying around her in their spare time.
None of them had agreed with the decision, but they each honored it. Relying on others had beaten Maddie down, and she needed to find her way out on her own. She wouldn’t be Maddie if she didn’t. Sara still helped out with watching Tessa two nights a week, but Maddie’s insistence had freed up a little of Sara’s time.
She’d put that time to good use working on the fundraiser, and had planned to put it to even better use with Jacob, but since he wasn’t around, she’d funneled her time and her energy into her work at BCF. So far her bonus this month would come close to being double that of what she normally made, in no small part due to her efforts the last few days. She’d opened up ten accounts alone just yesterday.
Sara ignored the voice inside her that said
she’d rather have spent that time with Jacob.
She rolled down the window, letting the warm spring air in. The sounds of passing traffic along with the rhythmic thump of tires somewhat hypnotized her. For a few minutes, she enjoyed the beautiful day and the blessing that came from living in San Diego. White clouds shifted and danced across the canvas of blue sky that stretched on as far as the eye could see outside her windshield, while the green and brown tapestry of land spoke both of the desert and ocean that existed in incongruent harmony together.
Surprisingly, thoughts of Jacob weren’t what brought her reprieve to an end.
It came to a screeching halt when Sara rounded the corner leading to the back entrance of BCF’s parking lot.
Three news vans blocked the way in.
News crews camped out in a bank parking lot in the middle of the day meant the kind of trouble every bank employee feared.
Sara craned her neck for a glimpse of any action as she turned onto the side street that wound around to the 30th Street entrance.
Nothing.
BCF disappeared behind a line of trees and other buildings right when Sand’s bank came into view. Yellow crime scene tape and a lone cop guarding the otherwise deserted place made Sara ease off her car’s brake.
Her pulse quickened. Only a robbery or a natural disaster could cause a bank to close in the middle of a business day.
Pushing on the gas, Sara rounded the next corner, and sped into BCF’s parking lot to the back spots designated for employees. Her own branch would be on edge. It’d been at least a year since they’d had a robbery near them. Without bothering to back up and try again when she parked over the line, she hopped out of the car as soon as she set the emergency brake.
Unfortunately, Mr. Shriver didn’t allow her time to find out what had happened. She heard him yell even from outside the lobby door. “I KNOW YOU GUYS DIDN’T GET ROBBED, but what guarantee do you have that MY money is still safe?”
Couldn’t the old man give it a rest today of all days? He didn't care about anyone other than himself.
Sara pushed through the double doors and started in the direction of the teller line to rescue poor Yolanda, but unexpectedly, Harrison went to handle it. Sara quickly changed course and rushed over to the sales desks, and Bel, while keeping watch on the front. “What happened?”
“Robbery. Rumor is they were armed.” Bel’s voice shook as much as Sara’s knees.
Unlike the movies, the majority of bank robberies consisted of little more fanfare than a note passed over the counter. Sara said a quick prayer for the employees at Sand’s. “Did they catch them?” She hoped so. She really hoped so. Because if she worked at Sand’s, she wouldn’t be able to return until the suspects were off the streets.
“Not even one.”
Sara tried to control the tremor in her hand as she rubbed her temples.
The robbers were still out there.
Would they come to BCF next?
27
“Do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.”
“And do you take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife?”
Jacob watched, without seeing, the wedding of Tzu’s son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law from his spot at the back of the small mid-west church.
He shouldn’t have run away from Sara. She’d asked him to go slow for that very reason, because she’d been afraid he would fuck her and leave her, and here that’s exactly what he’d done.
His conscience had ridden him from the moment he’d sent her the text.
Yet he’d run anyway and ended up at a function he had no business attending.
Elise turned to look back at him, smiling in his direction.
To say he’d learned his lesson was an understatement of epic proportions.
Who the hell did she think she was?
Mierda, who the hell did he think he was, for that matter?
The invitation had come in the morning he’d kicked Elise out of his house and his life. He’d tried to hide it, but she’d zeroed in on the pretty pink envelope like a homing beacon before he’d left to pick up her face cream. His refusal to invite her as his plus one had sparked her third and final meltdown that morning. He’d spent all of one minute explaining that he had no intention of going then had put the whole thing to rest.
Or at least he’d thought he had until she showed up as if she belonged.
Jacob had no idea how she even knew he’d be there. He hadn’t known himself until he’d lost his shit at Sara’s place and needed an excuse to disappear. When Evan had called to invite him personally, saying having Jacob there would be the next closest thing to having his dad by his side, Jacob hadn’t thought twice. He’d asked Vanessa to take care of scheduling his flight, called Marc to let him know he wouldn’t be around for a few days, then he’d hopped on a plane and ran as if his life had depended on it.
But he wasn’t the kid’s father, and he sure as hell wasn’t the next closest thing to having the man there. Jacob didn’t deserve to be partaking in experiences his actions had denied Tzu.
The minister concluded the ceremony, saying, “I now pronounce you man and wife.”
Jacob forced a smile at the pronouncement. He didn’t attend military functions as a rule, and steered clear of more than perfunctory meetings with his men’s families. His dress whites felt foreign now and a betrayal to the very celebration he attended.
Jacob had met Evan for the first time six years ago, when he’d gone to Tzu’s widow. Jacob hadn’t told her, or any of the other spouses and significant others, that he’d set up a trust fund for all the kids that would mature when each turned thirty. He’d only mentioned that he’d meet whatever requests they sent his way. Evan may not have been Tzu’s biological child, but that man had loved the sixteen-year-old every bit as much as he did his own two-year-old boy. All Jacob had meant to do was pay for the kid’s wedding.
Yet here he was, disgracing his former friend.
And here Elise was, disgracing herself.
Hell, maybe Jacob’s father had been right. Maybe he and Elise were suited for each other.
Jacob shuddered at the thought.
Nothing about Elise had felt right. He’d thought at the time that the sex had been good between them, but now that he’d had Sara? The two women didn’t even compare.
The wedding procession filed out into the small lobby area and Jacob kept his smile in place even when Elise stepped up to his side. He’d escaped her as soon as he’d seen her by excusing himself to the bathroom right before the ceremony had started. Had he not promised Evan he’d stay, he would’ve left immediately. Instead, he’d waited until the bride walked down the aisle then slipped back into the auditorium and taken a seat by the door.
Jacob planned on ditching her just as quickly now.
“Thanks for coming, Mr. Ramírez.”
Jacob awkwardly accepted the kid’s hug, whispering in Evan’s ear the only truth he knew, “Your father would be proud.” Jacob was hardly qualified to speak on any of his men’s behalf, but he didn’t doubt what he’d said for a minute. Tzu and Moorhouse had been family men through and through.
Jacob tried to pull away as soon as hero worship filled Evan’s eyes, but the kid asked, “Would you mind taking a picture with us?”
“Oh, we’d love that, Evan.” Elise’s voice turned sugary sweet. “It will look perfect up on our mantelpiece.”
Jacob forced another smile only until the photographer finished and he could wish the happy couple his best. Then he gripped Elise’s elbow in a tight grasp. He led them both out of the church, but kept walking until they made it to the far side of the parking lot, away from the prying eyes of the rest of the guests. “What the ever-loving fuck, Elise?”
“Stop pretending like you don’t want me here. I belong here.”
Like hell she did.
He didn’t even belong there.
He belonged with Sara.
Jacob let go of El
ise and headed to his rental, leaving her standing there alone without having given her an explanation. He didn’t owe her one; he owed Sara one. And in less than an hour, he could be checked out of his hotel, and on his way to the airport and back to San Diego to deliver it.
.
Jacob stopped packing his things and gripped his cell phone tighter. “WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL ME YESTERDAY?” Marc should’ve known better. He should’ve known better.
“Because you said not to disturb you, and I quote, ‘for anything’. And because there was no reason to. The robbery happened at Sand’s—”
“WHICH IS RIGHT NEXT TO WHERE SARA WORKS!” Jacob hadn’t meant to yell, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. His mind raced with all the possibilities of what could have happened.
“And what would you have done about it if I’d told you? Left whatever super secretive thing you’re doing to return home?”
“YES!” Except Jacob wouldn’t have. He wouldn’t have been able to. DAMMIT! “Well I would’ve at least hired a damn personal body guard for her.”
“And I’m sure that would’ve gone over real well.”
True. Knowing Sara, she would’ve sent the man packing in minutes.
“If it makes you feel better, I did hire a temporary security guard for the branch. He started yesterday afternoon.”
“He did…? You did…?” Of course, Marc had. He would’ve known how protective Jacob felt about Sara. Not talking about his past didn’t mean his friends didn’t understand him. “Ah, man, I’m sorry. Th-thank you.” Jacob sunk to the edge of the bed. If he’d only had Sara with him, she would’ve been assured safety.
Ha! Are you forgetting the other night at her place?
No, how could he? He’d let his selfishness come in front of her safety. Just because she hadn’t paid a price that night, didn’t mean she wouldn’t in the future. He’d proven he couldn’t trust himself to do right by her.
Jacob ran his hand through his hair, tugging at the ends that met his collar in frustration.
Morrow's Horizon (The Morrow Women Series Book 1) Page 22