by Lana Baker
“Oh shit,” I gasp, bending down to help her up. “Are you okay?”
She nods slowly, clutching her head. “Yeah. I think. Least I wasn’t holding the coffee.”
“Rose?” I rub her head gently, looking for cuts or signs of bruising. “Does your head feel okay? You know what day it is?”
Her eyes flicker open. And widen.
“Rose. You’re freaking me out.”
She rolls her eyes. “How the hell do you want me to concentrate when you’re… that…” she gestures frantically and I glance down. My towel has gaped, giving her a bird’s eye view of my raging hard-on.
“Sorry,” I grin, standing up and tightening the towel. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She bursts out laughing. “Scare me? What the hell, Jake? You think you’re packing an anaconda?”
I can’t help but smirk. “No. I just… your modesty?”
“Thanks for that, Mr. Darcy.” She takes my hand and lets me pull her back to standing. “Very noble.”
“Who’s Mr. Darcy?”
She looks shocked. “You kidding me? Everyone’s heard of Mr. Darcy.”
I shrug. “I haven’t. So? I’m not Wikipedia.”
“But you studied English Lit. I don’t believe this. Okay. We’ll remedy this later.” She stops and blushes. “Do you have plans later?”
“No.”
“Movie night then.” She grins.
I rush out to grab the tape and hurry back to the guesthouse. I’m past caring about being fined now. They can just add it on to whatever I already owe. No big deal.
Rose is sitting on the couch typing on her ancient laptop when I walk past.
“You should get a new one now that you’ve got a pile of cash.”
She looks up at me like I’m speaking in a foreign language. “Huh?”
I point to the laptop. It looks heavy. Slow. “That. Looks ancient.”
She shrugs. “It still works.”
“But…”
Her eyes grow serious. “Look, I know I’m weird, okay. It’s just…” she closes her laptop. “I’m not used to having money. I’m afraid to spend it in case we wind up with nothing.”
I shake my head in disbelief as I head for the door. This woman is like the polar opposite of any woman I’ve ever met. “I could have done with you in my life years ago,” I say as I leave the house. And I mean that.
ROSE
I rearrange the cushions on the couch for the tenth time. This is stupid. What was I thinking? Why would Jake want to watch Pride and Prejudice? I go to the kitchen and pull out a bag of microwave popcorn. Sam is with my mother. It’s crazy. I called her up and asked oh-so-innocently if she’d like to take him for the night. So much for honesty. My life is all kinds of gray at the moment.
I hear his key in the lock. I pop my head around the door. His hair is still wet from the showers. He’s grinning. Both hands are hidden behind his back.
“What are you up to?” I smile.
He looks just like a naughty kid. I catch the smell of his shower gel. It’s manly. Clean. I could breathe it in all day.
“I’ve got something for you.”
My mind goes straight there. How could it not? After coming face-to-face with that juggernaut earlier, it’s all I’ve been able to think of. Pride and Prejudice is just a distraction. Though the thought of Jake wearing a wet shirt… wow.
“Don’t you want to know what it is?”
My breath escapes in a wheeze. This man. Standing there in his t-shirt, his hair still damp and mussed up. He’s breathtaking.
I quirk my eyebrow and put my hands on my hips. “Do I want to, Jake?”
He laughs gleefully. “It’s not that. But it can be if you want it to be.”
I’m just about to fire something back at him when he pulls his hands around and holds out a white box.
“Aren’t you going to open it? I’ll give you your other gift later.”
I grin and walk forward, searching his eyes. “What is it, Jake?”
“Open it.”
I pull off the lid. Inside there’s a smaller box, also white. I recognize it immediately. “Oh my gosh.”
It’s the tiniest, slimmest laptop I’ve ever seen.
“Do you like it?”
I lift it carefully from the box. It’s almost as light as my phone. “Jake, you shouldn’t have. You didn’t need to do this. I—”
He shakes his head. “I wanted to, Rose. I want you to have nice things. And it’s not just a toy. If you’re going back to college, then you’re going to need something reliable for assignments and stuff.”
I grin like a big kid. I can’t remember the last time somebody got me a just-because gift and it feels good. I rush back to the kitchen to charge it. He’s right: if my college application is accepted, it’s going to be so much easier to do college work on a new machine like this than on my ancient laptop. And it’s small and sleek enough to take with me.
“Thank you, Jake,” I say, reaching my arms out to hug him. “This is so sweet of you.”
He wraps his arms around me and I melt into them, reluctant to ever leave them again. He’s so big. So strong.
“Come on,” he whispers, breathing into my hair. “Let’s watch that movie.”
I push against him, surprised at the disappointment that courses through me. “Um. We don’t have to. It’s just a dumb movie.”
He grins—like he’s read my mind. “But what else are we gonna do?”
I don’t know what comes over me. I stare up into his eyes, mesmerized by the light that’s dancing in them. “I can think of a thing or two.”
His pupils dilate. That’s all the warning I get before he reaches for me and pulls me to him again.
“Rose.” His expression is serious now. He’s not kidding around anymore.
I moan involuntarily as his fingertips trail the length of my arms. It’s softer than I would have expected his touch to be and it throws me. I don’t know how I’ve held back for so long. My arms shoot around his neck and pull him to me. I can’t wait any longer. I need this.
Jake laughs. “Is there somewhere you need to be?”
He strokes my lip gently and I swear it’s got a direct line straight to my core. I’m melting for him. How can he maintain control over himself when I’m barely able to keep from jumping on him?
But I’m up for the challenge. I force my eyes open from their heavy-lidded trance and face him down. “Nope.”
“Good.”
I pretend it doesn’t drive me crazy as his hand skims across my navel, instead of hitching up my skirt and giving me the relief I so desperately crave. Instead of screaming at him to hurry, I reach for the zip of his Grizzlies training hoodie. My fingers brush against the hard muscle underneath his thermal tee. I can’t help but linger there, rubbing his skin. He’s so sculpted. Beautiful.
I realize that we’ve been living together all this time and I haven’t seen him with his shirt off. Well, I have. But that was earlier today when he was wearing nothing except for a tiny towel that wouldn’t have looked out of place at a shady sauna. Let’s just say I wasn’t focusing on his chest then.
I shiver, remembering. It was damn hard to pretend that the sight of that giant cock didn’t make my eyes bug. He’s all I’ve been able to think about for weeks. And now he’s torturing me by making me wait.
I look into his hazel eyes. He’s brought out my competitive side. I won’t be the one who begs for this. I won’t.
I pull the zip down the whole way and slowly ease his hoodie off, taking the opportunity to touch his chest again while I do so. Taut muscle rises and falls under my fingertips. Now that the outer layer is off, his compression tee is like a second skin. I grin.
“What’s funny?” he growls.
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
“Tell me.” He grips my upper arms and I stare up into his eyes. Holy shit. The sheer strength of him is like an aphrodisiac. I’m even more turned on than before. My body buzze
s with need.
“You’re out of breath,” I whisper, daring him to lift me up and carry me to his bedroom. “Is someone a little over-excited?” I try to keep my expression as innocent as possible but I can’t help but smirk. This is so unlike me. I’m not the seductress or the vixen. I’m not even good at flirting. But it’s different with Jake. I know him. We have this fiery competitiveness between us that somehow lets me know how to push his buttons.
Just as I expected, he grips my arms tight and pulls me closer to him.
“And you’re not?” We’re so close that the vibrations of his deep voice reverberate through my own body.
I shake my head. “Nope. I’m aaaaall good.”
He quirks an eyebrow. “Really?”
Oh shit. I know that look. I was trying to push him into tearing off my clothes and taking me right here and now. But I haven’t done that. I never wanted this to be a contest to see who could abstain for the longest. I don’t think I can do that for much longer.
“No,” I mutter. I want this more than I want to score points against him.
He laughs. “Good answer, Rose. You’re under my skin too. Big time.”
He lifts me up and I wrap my legs around him, feeling the hardness of him brush against me before he lifts me higher. That brief contact sets my body humming like never before.
“I’ve wanted to shower with you since the first time I saw you,” he growls as we mount the stairs.
“Oh yeah?” I whisper.
“Yeah.” He nods. “I told you. Remember? I told you I was going to have you.”
I swallow. Just thinking about that now makes it hard for me to breathe. He was so sure I wanted him.
“Rose?”
“Yeah?” My voice is high and strained as if I’ve just run a marathon.
“I’m gonna fuck you so hard they’ll hear you moaning five blocks away.”
The muscles in my core start to spasm. I want him now. I don’t want to wait. I bury my hands in his hair and pull his face to me, burying it between my breasts. I don’t know what he does to me, but I’ve never reacted like this to anyone. It’s like I’m an animal. All I can think of is his hands on my body.
He nips at my bare skin, sending shockwaves through my body. A second later, he’s shifted his grip and unclasped my bra with a deftness I’ve never seen before.
“That’s pretty impressive,” I murmur, as he casts it behind us on the stairs.
He shrugs. “What can I say? I’m good with my hands.”
As if to prove his point, he yanks my dress down off my shoulder until the fabric rips and one of my nipples peeks out. It’s hard as a bullet. I’m not surprised—the tingling in my nipples is almost painful. I don’t just want his touch—I need it.
I wriggle in his grip as his fingers make contact with the swollen bullets. It’s not enough but it’s also more than I can stand. I’m ready for him now. I buck against him. I can’t stop myself.
He grins. “Dirty girl.” He dips his head to nuzzle my neck.
I gasp. Every nerve ending in my body is super-sensitized. “It’s your fault.”
“Oh I know,” he laughs. He’s got such a filthy laugh. I don’t know how I never noticed that before.
We reach the top of the stairs and he drops me. As soon as my feet touch the ground, he’s in my space, forcing me backward into the bathroom. I swallow.
He grins as he reaches behind me to unzip my dress.
I scoot forward and pull at the hem of his tight tee. I pull it over his head and stare in awe. He’s got one hell of a body. Everything about him is perfect. His defined pectorals are covered with a smattering of dark hair. His abs are a perfect a ripped eight-pack. I lean over and dart my tongue over his nipple. He shivers.
“You like that?”
He nods. The light glints in his eyes. “Yeah. But I’d prefer to play with yours.”
He rips off my dress in one movement and throws it in a heap in the corner.
I’m naked now except for my ridiculous lacy panties. I changed my underwear four or five times before he came back, unable to decide between fake nonchalance and preparedness. He whistles.
“Nice.”
“You think?” I jut my hip out and pose. Seriously it’s like some uber-confident nymph has possessed my body. But I know that’s not the reason. It’s him. He may be drop-dead gorgeous with a body straight out of Greek mythology, but I feel totally at ease with him.
“Come here,” he growls, reaching for me. “They’re nice but I prefer you in nothing at all.”
“Stop,” I squeal. “They’re the most expensive item of clothing I own.”
He lets go of them for a moment. “I’ll give you a choice then. Take them off now or I’ll have no choice but to tear them off you.”
I stare up into his eyes. My body is thrumming with lust now, so much so that I can barely think straight.
“EHHH-ERRR,” he says, mimicking a gameshow buzzer. “What, you think I have the patience to stand around and let you tease me?”
He reaches forward and tears the lace away from my body in one swift movement.
I lean down to take off his track pants but he’s too fast for me. He picks me up and barrels me into the shower, pausing only to turn on the water.
“Your pants. You—”
He dips his head and takes one of my nipples in his mouth, teasing it mercilessly with his tongue and rendering me speechless. When he does the same with the other one, I throw my head back and scream. Already I feel the sweet pressure and tension rise within me.
He pulls away for a moment to pull off his pants and I ease back under the torrent of water, watching him. He looks up at me as he steps out of his pants.
“Want to help?”
I nod. He’s wearing black boxer briefs and they do absolutely nothing to hide the mammoth hard-on underneath them. I realize just how mammoth it is as I follow the line of his legs to his navel and see that the head of his shaft peeks out from under the elastic.
He follows my gaze. “Yeah. It’s big.”
I snort. Usually I’d tease him for being cocky. But now’s not the time. Plus he is. Cocky. He’s packing about eight inches. I shrug, trying to hide the fact that I’m seriously impressed. And kind of intimidated. “It’s not the size of the prick. It’s what you can do with it.”
He takes a step closer. “I’m damn good at that too, Rose. Let me show you.”
I have no doubt that he is. He strides into the shower, forcing my legs apart with his and kissing me gently. It’s as if he knows that the strange combination of gentleness and brute force is the most arousing thing in the world to me.
I gasp as his cock brushes against my navel. I push myself against him as he grips my neck with both hands and kisses me gently.
Then he’s pushing me back and pinning me to the tiled wall of the walk-in shower.
“Damn, this is one sweet view,” he mutters, stepping back to roam my body with his eyes.
I blink back at him as water cascades down my body. He’s looking pretty fine himself. His rock-hard body glistens with water. I can’t tear my eyes away from his cock. Every time I look at it, my body spasms. I want him. Now.
I step forward and stand on tiptoes, so my clit brushes against his shaft. It’s enough to send me slackjawed. Jake grins at the sight and reaches between my legs.
“Shit, you’re soaking.”
“I am standing in the shower,” I wisecrack.
He growls. “You know what I meant.” As if to prove his point, his fingers travel deeper between my folds, exploring my entrance.
I gasp and pull him closer to me, backing up against the wall of the shower. Every morning since I moved here, I’ve imagined what it would be like to shower with him. I can’t believe we’re actually here.
He stops and pulls away. I look up to see what’s wrong.
He clears his throat. “Uh, Rose.” His eyes widen.
I don’t realize what he’s talking about for a moment and t
hen it dawns on me. “I’ve got some here,” I mutter.
I want to run, but I take my time walking across the bathroom floor because there’s no way I want to wind up in the ER naked with my legs wrapped around my neck. I open the top drawer and pull out the foil package I stashed there earlier.
Jake wolf whistles. “Nice view. Now get back here. You’re killing me.”
I turn back to him and tear open the packet. He leans his head back against the tiles as I ease the latex over his length. It’s not like I’ve had a hell of a lot of practice lately.
“Good thing you had some. I didn’t realize we’d…”
I put my fingers over his lips. He nips at them, pretending like he’s going to bite me.
I wrap my fingers around his shaft. I still can’t believe the size of him. If I wasn’t delirious with need I’d be backing away slowly. The thing is huge.
“Stop staring, Rose.”
Ripples of pleasure rush through me as he lifts me up and pins me against the wall. I’m trapped. Unable to move. I guide the tip of him to my entrance and suck in a breath as he enters me. Even then I feel all filled up.
He grabs a handful of my hair and pulls my head back. I cry out. He kisses my neck as he inches into me with unbearable slowness. I try to push against him but he won’t let me.
“Not this time, sugar. It’s better if we take this slow.”
But—”
He grabs my bottom lip between his teeth and bites down gently. My body shudders with the same impact as if I’d been hit by a freight train. My core clenches but this time it’s like a domino effect. With him inside me, there’s no relief. Every spasm makes the pleasure more intense until I’m sobbing with the need for release.
Jake strokes my soaking wet hair out of my eyes. “Okay?”
I nod deliriously. “Yeah. So good.”
He kisses me. I taste the salt of sweat on his lips even though the water is still running full blast. I grip him to me, digging my nails into his muscular back.