Chapter Eleven

When Jake kissed her, Holly thought for sure she’d drown in the sensations washing over her body. She wrapped her hands around his neck, reveling in his touch, in the nakedness of his body against hers. In a world where she’d had very little comfort and no safe haven, she found both in his arms. Tomorrow, she wouldn’t let herself need him, wouldn’t let herself lean on him, but for tonight, she would give in.

He moved his lips from hers and slid lower on her body until his lips found the top of her breast. With a light press of his lips against her flesh, he kissed and teased first one mound, then the other, until Holly arched her back.

“Jake…”

“Jake, what? You want me? You’re on fire?” She nodded and he said, “We’re just getting started.” He lowered his hands to her thighs, and skimmed his fingers tantalizingly close but didn’t touch where she was wet and ready.

She lowered her hand to grip him, intending to cut out the leisurely route, but Jake murmured a soft, “Oh no, you don’t.” He raised her hand above her head and pinned it to the pillow. His mouth was on her nipple while his other hand slid behind her, then lower to her ass. Nudging her legs wider apart, he slid his fingers along her, and Holly gasped at the angle. If he didn’t stop the onslaught, the fire burning through her veins was going to liquefy her brain.

Finally, Jake covered himself with a condom and slid into her. He moved slowly at first, gently easing his hips forward, until Holly decided it was time to take matters into her own hands. She thrust her hips up, rocking back and forth until Jake’s fingers tightened on her waist. He shifted to hit her sweet spot, and Holly spiraled into an orgasm that washed over her in waves.

The second her body relaxed, Jake picked up speed, moving faster and faster until he groaned her name, and found his own release. Afterward, as they rested, Holly traced the outline of the dragon tattoo on his back.

“What does it mean?”

She tilted her head back to look at his profile. His jaw was clenched, his lips tight.

He rolled over onto his back. “It’s for strength and courage.”

“You have a lot of scars.” She touched one beside his navel that was about four inches long. “Where’d you get them?”

“Years ago in juvie.”

She raised her eyebrows, surprised at the news and the vehemence in his voice.

“What were you in for?” Holly asked.

“Arson.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know all the hows and whys but as far as she was concerned, what he’d done had shaped him into the man he was today. And she believed he was one of the good guys.

“That’s it? You don’t want to know all the dirty details?”

“Not if you don’t want to share.” Talking about her past always cost her emotionally, and she recognized the same reluctance Jake had to talk about his.

“My brother, Adam, died in the juvenile correctional facility that we were locked away in. Mason, Cole, and I were accused of setting a fire. We didn’t do it, but because we had reputations, no one believed us. My grandmother, Martha, did, but no one would listen.” Jake closed his eyes.

“What happened to Adam?”

“There was some trouble. Contraband had been brought in and the guards were furious. Adam didn’t have anything to do with it, but two guards slammed him to the concrete and pressed their knees on his back. A third guard pressed his foot on Adam’s neck. I couldn’t get to him in time. Mason tried and the guards beat him.”

“I’m sorry,” Holly whispered.

“Adam’s voice grew weaker and weaker as he begged for us to help him until it finally stopped, and I watched the light go out of his eyes.”

“Jake.” Holly pulled him into her arms and kissed him.

Jake abruptly rose from the bed and walked naked into the bathroom. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

Him pushing her away didn’t bother her. It was the same defensive mechanism she’d often used herself. “Sounds good.”

He shut the door and a few seconds later, the shower started.

Holly rolled over onto her stomach and rested her chin on the backs of her hands, not surprised by his abrupt decision to leave the bed. What she’d learned made her rethink what she’d once believed about him. That he’d always had a life of ease and wealth. The marks she’d seen on his body showed that Jake had lived a life that wasn’t any easier than hers had been.

When Jake rejoined her, sitting on the edge of the bed to massage her back, she made a sound of contentment, then said, “We should go sledding tomorrow. Can we get a two-person one?” She wasn’t a fan of the cold, but she was a big fan of spending time with Jake. Something she knew was dangerous to her heart. She didn’t need to fall for him. Not that he was the white picket fence kind anymore than she was. Twisting over to face him, she reached up and brushed a lock of hair off of his forehead. “You look so serious.”

“You should stay in Chicago. I’ll hire you at the company and you and your brother won’t have to run anymore.”

She was tempted to tell him she would, but she’d learned how life could quickly turn on a dime. “Let me think about it,” she said, knowing it would never happen.

…

After the weekend in Aspen, Holly had gone to see her former employer to pick up her final paycheck. Later, she’d check a map and decide where she and Liam needed to go next, then buy a couple of train tickets. She’d thought over Jake’s offer to hire her, but she knew she couldn’t take it. She couldn’t take the chance that Burt would come after Jake to get to her or Liam. The only thing left was to tell him about her decision.

She took the elevator to the floor where his office was located. The secretary conferred with Jake, then told Holly to go in. Seeing Jake as he rose from behind the desk, the long-ago believer in happily-ever-after rose within her and for a few seconds, Holly let herself imagine the handsome man walking toward her could one day care for her. Giving herself a mental shake at the absurdity of the thought, she came to a stop in front of him, heart beating fast, trying hard not to dwell on his lips.

“Did you decide to stay?”

“Only until I finish going over any possible security flaws for your company. After that, I can’t stay.”

His half smile disappeared, and he shifted his feet, moving to touch the side of her arm. It may have only been a light touch, but the longing it caused sank all the way into her bones. “Don’t say no yet. Take it day by day. No promises, no commitments. I won’t hold you to anything. But if you leave now, you’re broke. You won’t have enough for everything you’ll need to settle somewhere new.”

He was right about that. First and last month’s rent plus a deposit on a new place would be more than she currently had.

“I can take the job but then leave without warning if I need to?” she asked, thinking about how earning a couple more paychecks would help her and Liam resettle somewhere.

“Yes, and don’t forget that there are perks with the position.”

“Like sleeping with the boss?” She touched a button on his shirt, letting her hand linger. The laughter they’d shared sipping hot cocoa while sitting in front of the fire at the ski chalet had caused a shift in their relationship. They were on their way to becoming friends, and the thought made Holly happy. Even if it would rip her heart out when she left.

“Sleeping with the boss…I’d like that to be one of the perks,” he said, brushing the side of his jaw against her hair. “But if you’re not interested, say the word, and I won’t ever mention it again.”

Trying to think standing this close to him was like trying to get water to pool in a sieve. “I’d like that, too.” She tilted her face upward and felt the usual jolt when his gaze locked with hers.

“Good.” He brushed his lips against hers. “My secretary will line up a car and phone for you.”

Holly pulled back. “Is that a perk for all the employees?”

“Cell phones are. The car lease will be for you because I realized you were at my mercy—”

“And you didn’t like that?” she whispered.

“I’m talking about transportation,” he said, pulling her closer to him again. “I didn’t want you to feel stuck.”

Holly spread her fingers against his abdomen, and his muscles contracted. He sucked in a breath. “Play nice,” he said.

“Day by day. No commitment, no promises. That extends to whatever this is between us as well.”

“Are you asking me or making a statement?”

“Making a statement. I don’t make promises. That way, I never have to break them.” She touched his chin, then eased her hand along the side of his jaw.

His office door opened, and Cole poked his head in. “Hey, man—” He scowled. “Sorry. Your bodyguard wasn’t at her desk and I didn’t realize you had…company.”

“My secretary went to pick up a car for Holly.”

“What?” Holly asked. “You knew I’d take the job?”

“I gambled and won.”

Holly saw him shoot a get-lost look at Cole, but the other man didn’t budge. Probably thought he had to protect his friend from her clutches.

“I should go,” she said.

“The car will have GPS so you can find the way to my house, but if you want to wait for me, you can follow me in.”

Shaking her head, Holly headed toward the door still blocked by Cole. “I can figure it out.”

“I’ll be there around six thirty. I’ll take you to an Irish pub I know in the Streeterville neighborhood.”

“If they have cold beer and a pool table, you’re on. Otherwise, it’s an early night and Netflix for me,” she warned.

“The pub has pool tables. See you at home.”

Cole finally stepped aside, giving her a cold stare.

…

“Don’t tell me you’re sleeping with her again.”

“It’s none of your business, Cole.” Jake turned his back and started to walk around the desk when his friend grabbed his arm.

“Your brother was my friend.”

“What does Adam have to do with Holly?”

“I can’t shake the fact that she lived in Butler Field.”

Jake rubbed his forehead. “A lot of people live there.”

Cole sat down in one of the leather chairs and propped his feet up on the desk. “Yeah, but come on, Jake. She’s from the same place you’re from. Years later, she happens to run into you at a Christmas party. She steals a drive that could have ruined us and now you offer her a job because you’re sleeping with her.”

“Holly didn’t steal the drive. Her brother did, and my relationship with Holly isn’t your concern.”

“So it’s a relationship now?” Cole lowered his legs and stood. “I was there as Adam died. His last words to me were to watch over you, and that’s what I’m trying to do. You’re getting in too deep, too fast,” Cole warned. “This isn’t like you.”

Jake stared his friend down. Since Aspen, he’d felt differently about Holly. He wanted to be her shield. He wanted to give her everything she’d never had, and he wanted to make sure no one ever hurt her again. “You don’t need to worry,” he said finally when Cole didn’t take the hint.

Cole studied him for a second. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing. You’re in love with her.”

Jake scoffed. “In all the years you’ve known me, do you think I’m the falling-in-love kind of guy? I know how to draw a line and not cross it.”

“Didn’t Mason swear something similar?”

Irritated, Jake said, “I have everything under control.”

“Famous last words,” Cole muttered as he headed toward the door.

Jake made a sound of dismissal. He didn’t need Cole’s dire warnings.

Cole was worried he’d fall in love with Holly, but that was laughable. His heart had shattered watching his brother die and had never healed. He had no heart to give any woman.