by Thayer King
“It sounds…wonderful.” She felt tears sting her eyes and blinked quickly to dispel them. She reminded herself that it was early days in her marriage. Only day three. That had been her mantra. But looking at Mika and Declan put lie to those words. Clearly, the number of days didn’t matter.
Mika squeezed her shoulder. “Sienna, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “I’m being silly. And melodramatic. Every marriage can’t start the same. So Jakob and I are moving at a slower pace. There’s nothing wrong with that.” She thought of the space between them during the movie and the way she’d slept with him every night and he’d never once attempted to cross the line. Hell, he didn’t even try to kiss her or hold her hand. Was he still hung up on Ella? What a stupid question! Of course, he was. She was the rebound. She needed to give him space and be more patient. Love was supposed to be patient. She’d heard that somewhere, right? Well, she could be patient. She’d been waiting since she was eighteen to be matched by Bioexpa. What difference did a few more weeks make?
“No, there’s nothing wrong with it as long as you’re happy. I don’t mean to pressure you, but I just thought…I don’t want Ella returning with a mind to get her foot back in the door. And really, why would you want to wait? You’ve known Jakob for years.”
“Wait. You think I want to wait?” She shook her head. “No, Mika. He’s not over her yet. He hasn’t even so much as tried to link pinkies!”
“I’m sure that’s not it.”
“Then what is it? Either he’s not over her or he doesn’t want me. Either way, the results are the same.” She held up her hand and pointed at the still pink stripe on her wedding band.
Chapter Seven
After dinner, they returned to the den. Jakob could only assume that it was an excellent dinner based on the comments of the other guests. It had certainly been beautifully presented, but he’d been unable to enjoy a single forkful. Liam, the showy red-headed ass, had commandeered Sienna’s attention throughout the entire meal. Though he’d sat next to his wife, Liam, who was seat opposite them at the table, had disrupted any opportunity he might have had to talk to Sienna. And as soon as they’d returned to the den, he’d cornered her by the fireplace.
He found himself irrationally angry with Sienna. Couldn’t she see that the man was flirting with her? True, she wasn’t flirting back but she could be more discouraging.
The feelings of anger and jealousy were completely foreign to him. He’d never been jealous over a woman before. Not even Ella. But this was different. Sienna was his wife.
Mika nudged his shoulder with hers hard enough to make him stumble forward a step. “Now I recall why I was so disappointed when we got you instead of a puppy.”
“As if you would know what to do with yourself without me.”
He grunted. “I don’t know. I managed in college and I did okay on the road on my own.”
“You brought that woman home with the intention of marrying her,” she reminded him.
“And you would have prevented that, how?”
“I would have found a way,” she said with a mischievous smile and he didn’t doubt her.
Jakob shook his head and chuckled. He threw an arm around Mika’s shoulder. “In case I forgot to say it earlier, congratulations, Sis.”
“Thank you.”
“He seems like a good guy.”
Mika’s eyes met Declan’s. He paused in the middle of speaking to his father. The look that they shared was full of heat and affection. “Yeah,” Mika agreed on a sigh. “I mean, I know it’s only been a day, but we stayed up all night-”
“Brother here,” he interrupted. “Spare me the details.”
She slapped him on the arm. For a girl, she’d always been surprisingly strong. “I wasn’t going to tell you about that. I was going to say, we stayed up all night talking.” A goofy grin spread over her face and she tilted her head to the side. “Well, intermittingly, we talked. It kind of went in cycles.”
“I’m going to cover my ears in a second,” he warned.
“Well, at least one of us is getting some.”
“I swear you should have been born a boy.” He ran a hand over his hair. “And not that it’s any of your business, but I’m giving Sienna time to get used to the idea of me being her husband. She’s probably always viewed me as in a brotherly light.” Though he’d never been blind to Sienna’s beauty, he’d considered her as off limits as his sister’s best friend. That changed the second the Bioexpa bands were on their fingers. “I don’t want to rush her.”
Judging from how far she slept from him at night so as to prevent even accidentally touching him, he knew she wasn’t ready to be intimate with him. And last night when they’d watched the movie together, she’d been mindful to keep distance between them. She seemed to stiffen if he even got too close.
Mika released a loud sigh. “Left to your own devices, the two of you are going to screw this up. Trust me, she’s ready. She thinks you’re still hung up on Ella or that you’re not really into her.”
How could she possibly believe that? He’d told her that he wanted her. As for Ella, on a subconscious level, he’d known that it wouldn’t work out when she’d forced him to register with Bioexpa instead of simply accepting his proposal. Before Jakob could respond to that revelation, Declan came up and curled an arm around Mika’s waist. He whispered something in her ear that had her cheeks turning fiery red.
He cleared his throat. “Still not used to this.” He’d never seen Mika so into a guy. She hadn’t dated anyone seriously until after he’d gone off to college.
“Well, you’d better,” she said, her hand covering the one Declan had left at her hip. “Because this isn’t going to end.”
“You know, I didn’t get the chance to say it earlier, but I’m a big fan of yours,” Declan said. “I even bought the same rackets that you use. Didn’t help my game much. Maybe we could hit the courts sometime? You could give me some pointers.”
“Sure thing.”
Mika shook her head. “He’ll wipe the floor with you,” she informed her husband.
“Oh, no doubt, but it’ll be an honor.”
Just then, Liam’s laughter reached them. They glanced over to see Sienna smiling up at him. Jakob’s eyes narrowed as the other man slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Sorry about my brother,” Declan said. “He’s a huge flirt. He’s harmless—for the most part.”
“He does know we’re married, right?”
“Well…Liam is an attorney. To him, your marriage is an unsigned contract until it’s consummated. I can tell he’s attracted to your wife, but he won’t-”
“He sure as hell won’t,” Jakob growled. “Excuse me.”
***
“We’re going home.”
Sienna blinked as a hand wrapped around her wrist. She barely recognized the demanding and angry voice as her husband’s. Jakob was never angry. He was famous for not losing his cool no matter what the situation. Situations that would cause other tennis players to lapse into a litany of profanity, such as a bad line call, only made him tighten his lips and work harder.
So stunned was she, that she didn’t object as he gave hasty goodbyes to everyone and guided her out of the house with a hand to the base of her spine. “My car,” she objected, when he led her to his car.
He hesitated then said, “Fine, but I want to talk to you at home.”
She nodded. As she drove home, her confusion only grew. What had come over him? When she entered the apartment, he met her at the door. Taking her hand, he drew her into the kitchen and pulled out a chair for her. They still didn’t have a couch. The only seating was in the kitchen.
He began to pace in front of her. Running a hand over his hair, he said, “We’ve talked a lot about the past, my tennis career, and even Ella, but we’ve haven’t discussed what either of us expects from marriage. So tell me, what
do you want from me as a husband?”
Sienna blinked at the sudden inquiry. She sensed insecurity beneath his question. But that was ridiculous. As far as she was concerned he was the perfect man. He was kind and considerate. He was confident without being an aggressive jerk. His strength was of the quiet variety. He didn’t say much, but he was the most dependable person she had ever known.
She’d never completely gotten over her crush on him in high school. In fact, when filling out her questionnaire at Bioexpa, she’d found herself describing him when asked to list some traits of her perfect mate.
“Jakob, you’re everything I want in a husband,” she said, recalling him giving her similar words.
“You’re sure? Because tonight it was as if I didn’t exist.”
She inhaled. He was jealous. Of Liam. “Jakob, I’m not interested in Liam. I was just being polite. He’s handsome, but being around him for any length of time would be exhausting.”
A slow smile curled his lips. He crouched down in front of her and took her hands. Sienna realized that he’d touched her more tonight than he had the entire time they’d been living together. “I thought the same thing, but you seemed so entranced by him.”
“More like I couldn’t get away from him. He never shuts up,” she added with feeling.
Jakob laughed. So quickly that she didn’t have time to tense up or anticipate it, he cupped her face and kissed her. She’d barely had a moment to appreciate the fullness of his lips before he pulled back. Still her breath faltered and her heart began to gallop in excitement. From the surprised expression on his face, she could tell that the kiss had been a spontaneous move on his part. But then his eyes darkened until they were practically onyx.
Lowering his lips to hers once more, he moved slowly, giving her plenty of opportunity to deny him. Sienna lifted her mouth to his eagerly. She curled her fingers around his neck. His bottom lip fell below hers. Her clit pulsed as he sank his teeth into her lip before pulling it into his mouth for a gentle suck. She couldn’t contain the moan that escaped her throat.
Jakob’s tongue swept into her mouth. The kiss quickly grew hot and demanding. The strength of it forced her back into the chair as Jakob stood over her plundering the depths of her mouth over and over. His curls wrapped around her fingers as she clenched her hands in his hair.
When she sucked on his tongue he groaned and straightened away from her with an abrupt jerk. His lips were red and slightly puffy. His breathing was rough as he stared down at her. Standing before her, she was at eye level with a very impressive erection. Sienna bit her lip to hold in a moan.
“Sienna…” His voice was deeper than usual and full of gravel. He stopped and cleared his throat. “Sienna, I don’t want to rush you, but would you like to…I mean, I’d understand if you wanted to wait and I wouldn’t presume to think that just because we’re married that you would-”
She smiled as she perceived that in his rambling way he was asking her if she wanted to make love with him. “Yes,” she said, interrupting him when he would have continued.
He sighed. “Thank God.” He held out his hand to her.
She placed her palm in his and followed him to the bedroom. Before she could grow nervous about becoming intimate with him, he kissed her again. Her thoughts scattered as she responded to him. He gripped her waist and tugged her close. But not close enough. She cuddled closer until his erection was rubbing against her belly. He moaned into her mouth and his hands tightened on her before circling around to her back. Once there his fingers toyed with the zipper to her dress.
He’d moved the zipper only an inch before he stopped. “Are you sure about this?”
She nodded eagerly and attacked the buttons of his shirt. Once his chest was revealed to her, she took a moment simply to enjoy the view. She pushed the shirt from his shoulders and onto the floor. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. The breadth of his shoulders and the narrowness of his waist were truly breathtaking. “You’re beautiful,” she whispered.
Jakob grinned. “Thank you…I think.” And then he was unzipping her dress. It slid to the floor. His eyes were hot as they moved over her. “God, Sienna…you’re more gorgeous than I imagined.”
“You imagined me naked?” she asked with some surprise.
“Every damned night,” he replied so gruffly that she couldn’t help but believe him. “But you’re not really naked.” He traced the black strap of her bra.
Glad that her skin tone would hide her blush, she reached behind herself and undid the clasp. The lingerie slid down arms as if in slow motion. So sensitive was she in the moment that she shivered.
Jakob seemed to have difficulty dragging his gaze from her breasts. When he did, the look in his eyes was hot enough that she had to resist the urge to fan herself. “Cold?” he asked.
“N-no.”
He nodded. “Let’s get more comfortable.” He whipped back the covers on the bed and sat down. He kicked off his shoes before drawing her forward so that she stood between his widespread knees.
Sienna gasped as he sucked her nipple into his mouth. Not neglecting her other breast, he cupped it in one large palm and worried the tip with his thumb. Heat gathered in her lower abdomen and liquid pooled between her thighs. She held onto his shoulders and moaned.
Suddenly, she felt like she was flying. Jakob had lay back on the bed and pulled her over him without ever releasing her breast. In this position, his erection nestled at the apex of her thighs. Sienna couldn’t resist an experimental wiggle. He felt so good that she did it again.
Groaning, Jakob said, “I’m trying to go slow. If you keep doing that, I’m going to lose my mind.”
Flexing her hips again, she moaned. His erection was very hard and thick and hitting just the right spot.
Jakob rolled them over so that she was on her back. He stood and shoved down his pants and underwear. The sight of his cock was no less impressive than the feel of it. Sienna licked her lips involuntarily. Jakob crawled over her. He gave her a deep, thought-scattering kiss. When he trailed kisses down her neck, she averted her face to give him room. She gasped as he found a particularly sensitive spot behind her ear.
Filling his hands with her breasts and tugging on the tight tips, he whispered, “These are so beautiful. I could feast on them all night.” Despite his words, he only nibbled at each of the crests briefly before continuing his downward trajectory. He drew her panties down her legs as he went. She lifted her hips to assist him.
He sat beside her, his eyes hooded with desire. Cupping her mound, he asked, “What do you like?” A finger parted her folds and traced a teasing circle around her clit.
She gasped and arched into his touch. “I-I don’t know what you mean.”
He smiled and nudged her thighs apart. “For example, if I kiss you here,” he flicked her clit, “will you be offended?”
Struck mute with embarrassment, she shook her head. She bit her lip as he gave her a longer lick. The stubble of his emerging beard poked at her sensitive flesh.
“How do you like it? Soft?” He spread her pussy lips and gently suckled her clit. “Or rough?” He bent to her again and began to devour the stiff nubbin. Her hips bucked involuntarily. Sienna cried out and her hands flew to his head. “Hard,” he growled as if in answer to his own question.
His groans of pleasure as much as what he was doing to her quickly pushed her over the edge. When her breathing had leveled out and the world came back into focus, she realized that he had mounted her. Licking his lips clean of her juices with a grin, he slid the head of his cock through her folds until it was slick. Once he was notched at her opening, he pushed forward slowly. He used a series of short thrusts to stretch her for his invasion. Sienna dug her nails into his shoulders as her tender tissues adjusted to his size.
He paused when their bodies were flush. “Okay?”
She nodded. “Better than okay.” She ran her hands dow
n his sides and he shivered. “Ticklish?”
“More like sensitive.” He kissed her along her jawline before burying his face in her neck. He curled his arms beneath her back so that he gripped her shoulders. Withdrawing from her body until only the head of his cock remained inside, he slammed home again.
Sienna grunted in surprise.
“Too hard?” he whispered in her ear.
Yes, her brain said. But her body was clamoring for more. Lust won out. “No.” She folded her legs around his waist.
Each thrust was harder and deeper than the last. His pace was steady.
“God, your pussy feels so damn good.”
An ecstatic thrill shot through her body at the sound of his voice so racked with pleasure. But Sienna couldn’t respond. Unbelievably, she was close to another orgasm. She couldn’t recall a time when sex was this good. If it had been, she would have made more of an effort to date in the last few years.
She dug nails into his spine. She heard his shocked inhale. And then he groaned and fucked her faster. Releasing a strangled cry, Sienna arched into his thrusts. His cock hit just the right spot and her cunt clamped down over his plunging member.
Jakob rose to his elbows. “Can I cum inside you?”
“Yes,” she gasped through the powerful spasms still seizing her pussy.
He finally fell out of rhythm, his hips jerking erratically before he plunged his deepest and stilled. Watching the ecstasy roll over his face was almost enough to make her come again. He whispered her name before pressing his forehead to hers.
They lay intertwined that way for several minutes before he withdrew and rolled them over. He held her in his arms and stroked her back. He cleared his throat. “We should have had a discussion about babies before we did this.”
“I’m on birth control.”