Chapter Sixteen

 

Emma was snuggled beneath her comforter, enjoying a rather lusty dream, when cannon fire erupted outside. “What the…” As she sat bolt upright in bed, it became clear it was not a cannon. Instead, someone was pounding on her door

“Emma!” Jake knocked. “Emma, you awake?”

“I am now.” She grumbled, tossed back the covers, then grudgingly marched to the door. “What?”

Her mouth dropped open when she came face to face with a mouth-watering, bare-chested Jake.

Mercy me. Did she actually lick her lips?

Clamping her mouth shut before she started to drool, she cataloged his impressive attributes: broad shoulders, muscular arms, and a stomach flat enough for a game of chess, which considerably improved her mood. Almost naked, he was an awe-inspiring sight. She pictured her hands skimming his flat belly—minus the chess pieces—moving to the expanse of his powerful, hair-roughened chest, rubbing against him like a… No. Don’t even think about it. Big mistake, Emma.

“Did you hear what I said?” He tipped her chin toward him. “Faith and Charlie have gone to an antique show. The inn is closed, and we’ve got the whole place to ourselves until after dinner. So I told Charlie we’d walk his foster dog a couple of times and give him his lunch and dinner.”

“Great,” she stuttered, trying not to show the effect Jake’s almost naked body caused in her.

“You haven’t met Cody yet. At two, he’s still all puppy and thinks he’s the size of a Yorkie. He has no concept of how big he really is.”

As a child, she’d wished for a dog every birthday and Christmas. Her mother always held firm. An apartment was no place for a dog. If the opportunity ever arose to spend time with a canine, especially one with as much personality as this black Lab, Emma was usually all in. At this moment, a dog was the very last thing on her mind.

“Okay. I’ll look forward to meeting him…later.” Before she could stop herself, her arms slid up to his shoulders until she snatched them back. Don’t do this, Emma. You are only going to cloud your judgment.

His eyes narrowed, and he gave her an assessing look. Then, stepping closer, he returned her hands to his shoulders. “I have the day off and am devoting myself to your pleasure and happiness. What would you like to do first?”

Even though the thick flannel of her reindeer PJs, his chest hair caused delicious friction against her breasts, stirring her nipples to rapt attention. His hands slid under her pajama top and found her breasts.

She closed her eyes, shamelessly melting against him, letting him roam wherever he pleased. Again, he took her mouth—not as gently this time—licking along the seam, then pushing inside to dance with her tongue. His lips never leaving her mouth, he massaged her breasts, hefting each one in his palms.

Nimble fingers—after­­ all, he was a surgeon—unbuttoned her top and tossed it to the floor. Jake walked them backwards to the bed and eased her down. All rational thought escaped her as Jake dragged kisses and tender nips across her throat, down to the peaks and valleys of her breasts. He’d always worshipped her generous breasts, and now…he was lavishing attention on her tender nipples, one at a time. Mercy. Did it sting a little, or what it simply intense pleasure? She only knew she didn’t want him to stop.

“Oh, baby, I’ve missed these.” He licked across her heavy breasts. As if he was showing her how much, he drew a nipple into his mouth with enough force to bring her off the bed.

With her hand twisting in his hair, she pushed him away from her breasts, sending him lower to her belly. His mouth and tongue were pure magic. Jake must have committed all of her favorite spots and ways to please her to memory because he was reacquainting himself with every blessed one. She was on fire on the inside and her skin burned on the outside in every blessed place he touched.

“Jake.” She readied herself for more and pushed her hips upward against him, but he disappeared. “Wait,” she cried out when he backed away. The air chilled her bare breasts. “Where are you going?”

“Back in a minute. Do not move an inch,” he growled.

Quickly she shed her PJs and slid beneath the covers. A moment later, when he returned, her mouth dropped open at the size of the large box of condoms. “Really?”

“We have nine years to make up for,” he said, stripping off his pajama pants.

Oh my. Jake certainly filled out in all the right places. Judging from his generous erection, they could go through the entire contents of the big box today. He had the whole broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped, and muscular thighs going on. The man must work out between surgeries.

Her own body was…soft…his was sculpted and firm. So starting tomorrow, she was going on the no cookie, pie, hot chocolate, torte, cake, tart, chocolate mousse, ice cream, petite four, and fudge diet.

He peeled back the covers, apparently liking what he saw from the heat blazing in his eyes. “I have missed you, Emmie girl. If you only knew how much I’ve dreamed of being with you again, being inside you with those long, beautiful legs of yours wrapped around me.”

“Shh.” The time for words was over. She circled her arms behind his dark head and pulled him down to her.

He slid on a condom, centered himself, gripped her ass and thrust into her. Hard and fast. Just like she loved it. Jake always took such good care of her—and he did several times.

~ * ~

By the time Emma woke from their nap, it was afternoon. While Jake still slept, she studied his striking face. He was not pretty. In his own rugged way, he was handsome, with a square jaw, a nose broken in a pickup basketball game in college and a scar above one eye—a fishing hook injury if she remembered correctly. A few silver hairs had cropped up along his temples, and laugh lines bracketed his generous, kissable mouth. Life had treated him well.

She tiptoed to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Then, returning to the bedroom, she found him still asleep. The picture of the brawny male sprawled in a profusion of pink-flowered, lace-trimmed sheets made her smile. Who would have thought she would ever allow Jake Cutter back into her bed?

As if he was aware of her scrutiny, he opened his eyes, straightened, and stuffed a pillow behind his head. “I think you missed me, Emmie girl. Come over here, give me a proper kiss.”

Wiggling into her jeans, she pulled on a pale blue turtleneck. “I don’t think so.” If she got close enough to the bed to kiss him, she would find herself in the bed and under him.

“After all of this activity, bubba, you’re going to need some time for comeback.” She shot him a smug smile. “It’s two o’clock in the afternoon. We have to take Cody for a walk.”

She swiped Jake’s PJ bottoms off the floor and threw them onto the bed. “I’ll meet you downstairs. You can have your afternoon kiss in the kitchen.”

“Spoilsport.” He tossed the covers back and stood in his glory. Jake had absolutely no sense of modesty; he never did.

In spite of some tell-tale tenderness, she and Jake would be returning to her bed before the sunset. Their intimacy had never been a problem. This morning was more exciting and fulfilling than sex with any of her past boyfriends—not that there had been many. Just because the sex with Jake was off the charts didn’t mean he was any less controlling. She couldn’t allow mind-blowing sex to influence her judgment, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy it.

When he hit the backstairs five minutes later, she took the keys off the peg marked “CW,” shoved her feet into her boots, then pulled on her red parka. Then, concerned Cody might be overdue for a potty break, she and Jake jogged to the cottage.

Cody rejoiced the moment they opened the door, shooting into the yard like a bullet. Emma grabbed a leather leash off the table, took Jake’s hand and headed outside. After taking care of business, the Lab retrieved his tennis ball twenty times and a few snowballs too.

“Come here, boy.” Jake rubbed the dog’s ears as he trotted back into the house.

“I’m going to feed him lunch,” she said. The dog rammed his nose into the back of her leg, pushing her into the kitchen. “Okay, okay. I said lunch!” She laughed. The dog bowl was on the kitchen counter, already filled with kibble. “Here you go, boy.”

She walked back into the darkened living room. Jake was studying the display of magazine covers on the wall. “Until last week, I didn’t know Charlie was this famous photographer.”

He gave her a strange look. “Seriously?”

“I know. Definitely, me not paying attention.” Shame and embarrassment settled in her chest. Had she always been so immersed in her own life that she hadn’t known or cared about other people who were there for her?

She backtracked to the kitchen to fill Cody’s water bowl and turned on a few lights on her way. Later in the evening, she didn’t want him to be alone in the dark. Then, remembering the photos of her mother, she circled back to Charlie’s workroom and went inside. Jake followed.

“Your mother was hot.” He nodded toward the far wall.

“She was. At least in the days, these photos were taken.” Emma shifted and, for the first time, saw her photos on the opposite wall.

A couple of her birthday parties, her eating cotton candy at the fair, nose to nose with her mother, looking like they were sharing an uproariously funny secret. Then she came to a photo of the three of them—her mother, Charlie, and her—smiling broadly.

“He’s amazing, isn’t he?” Jake came to stand behind her. “It’s more than a photo. In each one, he captures the feeling, the quality of the moment.”

Well, seeing herself in all those pictures made her uneasy. Not in a creepy way, but unsettling. “Mrs.… Faith told me my mother was Charlie’s one true love. But why does he have those pictures of me?”

Jake put his big, warm hands on her shoulders. “It could be as simple as he wished things were different, and he’d gotten to be your dad.” He steered her back to the living room to the front door. Cody looked at her with his big brown “please don’t leave me” eyes.

She caved. “Okay. You can come.”

“You’re a pushover.” Jake snorted. Laughing, she, Jake, and Cody raced back to the inn. As soon as they reached the warmth of the inn’s kitchen, Cody planted himself in front of Emma.

As Jake pulled his gloves off and stuffed them into his pocket, he chuckled at the dog’s obvious affection for her. “This guy is totally besotted.” He pulled her against him. “He’s not the only one, you know. I’m going to have to tell old Cody the line forms behind me.”

“Why?” She narrowed her eyes, trying to determine what he was playing at.

“I love you, Emmie girl. I never stopped.”

Caught completely off guard, she took a step backward. Heavens, they had been apart for nine years. How could he really know how he felt? And yet, he was a man who always listened to his gut.

In their past, his love and fidelity were never in doubt. It was his efforts to control her that were the problem.

“You’re not saying this because we slept together, are you?” It was a flippant, smart-mouth comment, and Emma wished she’d kept her mouth shut.

He crossed his arms over his chest. Shaking his head, he forced a short, dry laugh, then lasered his clouded silver eyes on her. She met his gaze, wondering what other feelings her thoughtless question provoked.

Finally, he broke the silence. “Nine years ago, I was selfish and assumed if I wanted something to happen for us, you should want it too. When you wouldn’t come to grad school in LA, I was angry you weren’t going along with my plan for us. The truth is, I didn’t deserve you back then.”

Jake leaned forward, putting a big hand under her chin, tipping her face to his. “Today, I can promise you I will value your happiness above mine. I know we’re a way off from talking about a future together. You are the one I’ve always dreamed of as my wife. You need to know my intentions.” Taking her hands in his, his silver eyes were fixed on hers. “I want to be in your future, sharing everything with you. If this camp thing is what you really want to do, I’d like to be involved in it, make things easier for you financially.”

Whoa! His abrupt switch to the subject of the camp almost gave her whiplash, plus her low threshold for interference and control spiked too high on her caution meter. What exactly did he mean?

Oblivious to her sudden misgivings, he continued, “There are a few things I’d like to suggest. First, speak with an attorney to discuss the need to incorporate or establish some kind of partnership to protect yourself. And liability insurance, which could be a hefty expense. Also, if you purchase a property with cash and no lender is involved.”

In ten seconds flat, she was jerked out of sexual euphoria and drop-kicked to total disillusionment. The real Jake Cutter just showed up—again. She’d almost bought into the whole “I’ve changed” defense.

She glared at him. “I’m not sure if you think I’m irrational, unable to reason for myself, not as intelligent as you, or totally lacking in judgment. You’re dead wrong.”

“Emma…what?” He gaped at her. His arms dropped to his sides. “You’re blowing this out of proportion. I only want to help, to do what’s best for you.”

“Yes, well, that’s one of my father’s favorite statements too. As a matter of fact, it’s his ‘go-to’ closing remark at the tail end of any argument with me.” She folded her arms in front of her. “In your case, it might be true.” Emma had to restrain herself from poking him in the chest. “You might have changed from being a manipulator like when you tried to get me to go to grad school in LA and move in with you. You might genuinely want the best for me.” Her eyes bored into his, and she registered the fleeting hurt she saw there. “But it cuts me to the quick that you don’t believe I’m capable of figuring things out on my own.”

Jake’s gray eyes darkened to pewter, becoming as cold and opaque as ice. “If you’re comparing me to your father who ruled you with cruelty and intimidation, you really don’t know me at all.” His guttural tone gave the impression each word he spoke was painful. “I love you, Emma. Loving someone means you share each other’s lives; share in their dreams…that’s what I was asking,” he said. “Not to control you or your plans.”

She blanched at the sight of Jake’s strong face, wiped clean of even a shred of emotion. It was as if he had taken himself back and left her with a cool, unyielding stranger. Then, turning his back on her, he strode out of the kitchen, taking the sunlight and warmth with him.