THIS WAS her worst nightmare.
With a horrified cry, Kate sank to her knees, arms over her head as glass rained down. Jake pulled her against his chest, tucking her beneath him. She gripped his soaked T-shirt, burying her face in his neck, thankful none of the glass seemed to reach them.
The powerful wind rushed through the basement, bringing with it twigs and dirt. Pain seared as her ears popped and lungs begged for more air. The house rocked, groaning under the onslaught as a terrifying whistling resonated like a freight train.
This can’t be happening!
Kate trembled, too afraid to do anything but whimper.
“Shh, sweetheart,” Jake whispered. “I promise we’ll be okay.”
His words soothed enough for her to hold on until the wind calmed. The roaring subsided.
Silence. Just like when Dorothy landed in Oz.
No birds. No barking dogs or children at play. The only sound was their haggard breathing.
Jake relaxed his hold on her and rose to his feet.
She followed, still clutching his shirt. “Is it gone?”
“Yes.” He must’ve seen the doubt on her face as he gently tugged her hands from his T-shirt and offered a reassuring smile. “But I’ll double-check.”
She watched his every move as he walked over to the far window. Even though she was terrified, she knew she’d be alright.
Jake was with her.
The last few days had been awful. His attitude had changed from a fun, hands-on boss to a distant doctor who only wanted to talk about his patients.
At first, she’d been relieved by the change, not having to worry about any attempt on his part for a more intimate conversation. But now, as she watched him peer through her windows, she wanted the closeness back.
What had she done? Were her problems too intense for someone so young to handle? Had she made him feel awkward? She didn’t get that impression Saturday night, especially after he’d shared his grief with her.
Regardless of their strained relationship, the man had braved a storm and put himself in danger, just to make sure she was okay.
Her heart pounded, not from fright, but because he was, once again, her knight in shining armor.
Turning from the window, the corner of his mouth lifted in a one-sided grin. “You can come out now,” he said with a chuckle and held his hand out to her.
Sliding around the couch, her eyes focused on that sexy mouth as she glided across the concrete floor toward him. Jake’s smile faded, and he lowered his hand. Alarm flickered in his eyes. “Kate?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she grabbed his wrist, yanked him toward her, and slammed her lips onto his.
Jake’s body jerked then backed up to the wall. She moved with him, cupping his face as her mouth toyed with his.
He lifted his head, his chest heaving as he gasped for air, his palms pressed against the cinderblock. “Kate, what the hell—why...”
Oh, God. What had she done? How could she do something so stupid! Throwing herself at her boss. What had she turned into?
She gazed up at Jake, her hands still cupping his face, and prayed for an excuse to come to her.
His eyes bored into hers then shifted lower as she moistened her dry lips.
“Ah, the hell with it,” he groaned.
Kate gasped as he buried his hand in her hair and claimed her lips. Flames of desire erupted across her skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck, sneaking her tongue inside for a taste. Cherry lollipops, warm and sweet. Just as she suspected.
Her hands traveled along his strong back and pulled the hem of his purple Zelda T-shirt from the waistband of his shorts, desperately wanting to touch his hard chest. “Oh God, what am I doing?” she asked against his lips.
“Shh, it’s quiet time,” he muttered, sucking in a breath when her fingers brushed his nipples. His skin was smooth, in contrast to the hardened planes of muscle and coarse masculine hair.
His lips settled on hers again, more intense, more demanding than before, never once giving her permission to pull away.
Cool air touched her back as Jake lifted her shirt. Goosebumpssprang up on her flesh, a savage response to his palm’s sensual journey from her stomach over her ribcage. His fingers sought the front clasp of her bra and snapped it open. Her breasts sprang free.
Jake’s lips moved over hers in a slow erotic rhythm. His thumbs and forefingers massaged and tweaked her nipples to hardened peaks. An ache throbbed between her legs, begging to be touched, explored.
She wanted his tongue—on her breasts, her neck, at her core. The need to taste, touch, and suck every inch of him overwhelmed her.
A distant banging pierced through her sensual haze.
Kate yanked away, tunneling shaky fingers through her hair. She glanced at Jake. His chest heaved as he rubbed hands over his face. The wind had picked up again. Thunder rumbled. Another storm approached. And still the banging at her front door continued.
“You’d better answer that. Someone might be worried about you,” he said.
Yes, okay, that sounded like a good idea. She nodded, adjusting her bra as she headed for the stairs, but stopped and turned to him just as her foot touched the first step. “Are you coming?”
“I need a minute.”
Don’t look at his zipper. Don’t look at his zipper.
But her eyes ignored the chant, and they lowered to his crotch. She knew what laid behind the bulge in the khaki fabric, had seen its silhouette, and she wanted it inside her.
With pink rising on his face, Jake turned away.
She’d embarrassed him.
The doorbell rang this time. Without another word, she hurried up the stairs, reaching the top just as Susan burst in the door. She was breathing heavy, her mouth slightly pinched.
Kate rushed over. “Hey, you okay?”
“I can ask the same of you. I’ve been banging on the door for hours.”
She rolled her eyes. Dear Susan. So dramatic. “I’m fine. I was down in the basement. What are you doing here?”
They moved into the dining room, watching as another storm came through. Thank God this one wasn’t nearly as intense as the last one, but the damage had been done. Large branches and leaves littered the road. Furniture was strewn across her front yard, and she was pretty sure that was her patio umbrella on Dianna’s lawn.
“I had just dropped the boys off with Rita, on my way to the doctor’s office, when I heard a tornado had touched down.”
“So you came over to check it out?”
“No, dummy, I came to check on you. I had no idea the funnel cloud went through here. It’s so weird. The neighborhood was fine until I turned onto your street. Then, bam! Lines down, branches everywhere, a few trees—” Her eyes shifted over Kate’s shoulder. “Hey, Jake. Fun day, huh?”
Her stomach flipped. She glanced at him standing in the entrance, hoping for a reassuring grin or wink. Instead, he focused on Susan. “Yeah, it’s been great.”
What a great lust-quencher humiliation was. Kate wanted to crawl into bed and pull the covers over her head. “I’m going to check the rest of the house.”
She explored the rooms, thankful for the few minutes to settle her swirling thoughts. When she returned, Jake and Susan were in the living room.
Susan gripped the back of the chair sitting by the window. “It’s still pretty nasty.” She grimaced.
“Susan, are you okay?” Jake asked.
She let out a laugh that bordered on maniacal. “Want to hear something funny?”
“Always.”
“I was on my way to the doctor because I’ve been having contractions all day.”
Kate glanced at Jake then back to her sister. “Braxton Hicks?”
“I don’t know,” Susan huffed. “If this is false labor, it’s pretty intense.”
Jake let out a nervous laugh. “It wouldn’t be funny if you had the baby here.”
Her sister’s chuckle turned into a moan as she plopped herself down.
Sitting on the arm of the chair, Kate took her hand. “Well, don’t worry. You still have a month to go. It’s probably all the excitement.”
“Maybe we should time the contractions,” he suggested.
“She’s fine,” Kate insisted. “It’s just false labor.”
“She doesn’t look fine.”
Men. You’d think a doctor wouldn’t alarm so easily.
“No, Kate’s right,” Susan said. “It’s just—Oh! Oh, God.”
“What’s wrong?”
“My water broke.”
“In my new chair?” Kate shrieked.
Susan glared. “I’ll buy you a new damn chair.”
“I’m going to time them.” Jake checked his watch. “Tell me when to start.”
Her sister breathed deep, her hands making small circles on her abdomen. Classic Lamaze techniques. She released a cleansing breath. “Now.”
Jake stared at the watch as Susan waited to signal him at the start of the next contraction. Kate focused on her sister’s face. She knew the second it began.
“How long was that?” Susan asked Jake.
“Two and a half minutes.”
Kate’s breath caught. “Are you sure? Maybe you timed wrong.”
He shot her an exasperated glare. “I think I know how to time a contraction.”
“Okay.” Susan pulled in another cleansing breath. “We need to see what’s going on. Jake, would you check me?”
Some of the color left his face, but he stood and offered a reassuring smile. “Absolutely. Kate, can we use the guest room?”
“Yeah, give me a sec to prepare it.” She rushed out.
Jake watched her go, trying to stamp down the dread that grew like a peach pit in his gut. Although rare, so much could go wrong during a delivery. And here he was, far from any hospital or emergency care with no electricity.
But Susan was a midwife. She delivered her patients at home all the time. He’d be fine.
He held out his hand to her, much like he did with Kate downstairs. He was fairly certain he wouldn’t get the same reaction from this sister. “Let’s get you settled.”
Susan rose but immediately grabbed onto him, hissing air between her teeth as her other arm cradled her swollen belly. Jake gulped. Well, that didn’t look reassuring.
He scooped her into his arms, carrying her to the sparse, yet comfortable room alongside the kitchen.
Once Kate returned, bearing clean sheets and what appeared to be a new shower curtain liner, Jake took the opportunity to rush home to grab his bag. His cursory glance around the house revealed no immediate problems, but he didn’t give himself time to think about the tornado.
Or what happened afterwards.
When he returned, he washed up in Kate’s powder room, then joined the ladies.
Susan lay in bed, panting and sweating. A crisp white sheet covered her lower half. Kate sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her sister’s hair. “I’m sure once Jake confirms you’re not in labor, you can tease him about sneaking a peek at your goodies.”
After he pulled on gloves, Jake lifted the sheet and examined her. A lump formed in his throat. “Well, Susan, you’re at seven centimeters.” Lowering the sheet, he pulled in a deep breath. “I guess I’m delivering your baby.”