| |
Jake tugged me out of the store by the wrist. I planted my feet when we hit the sidewalk.
“Jake! What the hell are you doing?”
His voice was eerily calm.
“You’ve got two choices. Come with me voluntarily, or I throw you over my shoulder and cuff you to my car.”
“Handcuffs? I had no idea you were so kinky, Chief.” I replied saucily.
If Jake were a cartoon, there would have been smoke coming out of his ears. He moved closer and I could see the intent in his eyes.
“Fine, fine, I’ll come with you,” I said petulantly. “But for the record, it’s under duress.”
He handed me into his car – the front seat at least, not the prisoner section – and drove to his house without saying a single word. I glanced over at him, noting the muscle that was twitching over his jaw. I’d never seen him this mad before.
“Jake...”
He held up a finger.
“Not a word Evie. I’m hanging onto my temper here by the thinnest of threads.”
I sighed and crossed my arms, getting up my own head of steam the farther we got away from the store. I was proud of the way my girls and I were able to catch Brian tonight, and I could already tell that I was in for a lecture from Mr. “I’m the Law Here”. I didn’t like it.
Jake pulled into his driveway, then opened my door, pulling me out. His touch was gentle, but firm. He tugged me into the kitchen, pointing to a chair. I sat down without a word and watched as he grabbed a bottle of whiskey off the top of the refrigerator. He poured two healthy shots and slid one to me. I ignored it as he downed his shot, then poured himself a second one and drank that one too.
Taking a deep breath, Jake leaned forward, his hands flat on the table.
“What. The. Fuck. Were you thinking?”
I raised an eyebrow at the deceptively calm tone, completely at odds with his words.
“I was thinking someone was fucking with my store, with my livelihood, and I wasn’t going to sit on my hands waiting for your guys to figure it out. Also, I was thinking I was an adult, on my own property, and could do what the hell I wanted.”
“Brian is a criminal who’s had law enforcement training. He could have easily overpowered you three and hurt you. He could have stabbed you or shot you.”
“But he didn’t,” I pointed out. “We got the drop on him and solved the case. So again...you’re welcome for doing your job for you.”
I watched in fascination as a red flush climbed up Jake’s face. I wondered if he had high blood pressure. I hoped not, because he looked like he was about to stroke out. He looked up at the ceiling, as if seeking inspiration from the heavens.
After several deep breaths, he met my gaze. His voice was ragged but serious.
“I love you, Evie. Don’t you get it? If something had happened to you tonight, I don’t know what I would’ve done. It would have killed me.”
I ignored the warm flush in my chest and instead said, “You can’t love me. We’ve known each other for two weeks.”
“When you know, you know.”
“Look Jake, I’m sure you’re a nice guy. And I admit I’m attracted to you and the sex, well, we both know that was off the charts. But I’m not looking for anything serious, and I’m definitely not interested in dating a cop.”
I looked down at my hands and added in a soft voice. “I’m sorry. Truly I am.”
“You don’t want to date me because of what happened with your father? Is that it?”
My head snapped up so fast I think I sprained a muscle. “How...?”
My mind raced. Only two people knew my history: Dawn and Emma. I connected the dots between Emma to Wyatt to Jake and felt a rush of irritation.
“Damn that Emma.”
“It’s not her fault. Wyatt overheard her and Dawn talking about it. She didn’t intentionally betray your confidence.”
When I didn’t respond, Jake reached across the battered wooden table and took my hand. It was warm and calloused and I didn’t want to think too hard about why everything in me once again calmed with his touch.
“Not every cop is dirty,” Jake said softly.
“Tell that to the guy I hit with a paint gun tonight.”
“About that. Who taught you to shoot?”
I rolled my eyes. “My father, of course. It might have been the only decent thing he ever did.”
“Evie, I know you’re scared. I know you need time. All I’m asking is that you look past your father and see me for who I really am. Get to know me better. I’ve never felt like this before, this, this, whatever this is between us. And I think it’s the same for you. Please, just give me a chance. Give us a chance.”
Damned if I didn’t want to do exactly what he asked. Maybe it would be okay to meet him halfway. I’d talked about this at length with Emma and Dawn, and they’d made the point that I couldn’t assume that all cops were like my father. Jake had done nothing to give me any indication that he was violent. And the fact was, I was totally crazy about him. As much as he annoyed me, I couldn’t deny that I also liked him. A lot.
“I guess we could try dating, and see how that goes,” I responded.
Jake looked as surprised as I felt.
I rushed to add, “But I make no guarantees.”
Jake studied my face for a long moment, then nodded.
“Okay. That’s good enough for now. We can talk more later. It’s been a big night, let’s go to bed.”
“Is there an invitation in there somewhere? Because I believe I’ve been crystal clear about how I feel about being ordered around.”
He took a deep breath.
“Evie Fontenot. Would you please sleep over with me?”
“Since you asked nicely, I guess I will,” I said primly.
He stood up and once again grabbed my wrist, leading me towards the bedroom.
“You don’t need to drag me everywhere, you know,” I told him.
He turned around and before I knew what he was doing, he somehow tossed me over his shoulder. I huffed out a deep breath as my abdomen pressed against his hard shoulder. He gave me a sharp tap on the ass, and I squealed.
“You’re going to be the death of me Evie. I just know it.”
Jake strode into the bedroom and dumped me on the bed. I watched while he took off everything but his boxers, then slid into bed next to me. I rolled over to look at him in confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“Going to sleep. It’s late.”
I ran my fingers down the salt and pepper hair that covered his chest. I could tell he was still angry about us taking the law into our own hands, but I knew he’d get over it. I was actually pretty proud of myself and my girls.
“I’m a little keyed up from my adventure. I think I need to do something to calm down.”
Before he could answer I moved to straddle his waist and pulled off my shirt and bra. I realized he’d never actually seen the top of me naked before, and hoped he wasn’t too disappointed that my large breasts were a bit saggy, and my stomach was soft. I exhaled as I saw his eyes darken with appreciation.
His hands went right to my breasts, teasing the nipples between his fingers. I braced my hands against his hips and arched my back, giving him access. I could feel his cock lengthening next to my ass. Jake jackknifed to sitting and took one nipple into his mouth, teasing the other with his fingers.
Suddenly he pulled back and looked at me with an expression that I couldn’t interpret.
“One day Evie, we’re going to do this slow and take our time getting to know each other’s bodies. However, today is not that day.”
He rolled me over to my back and practically ripped my pants and underwear off. His fingers dipped between my lower lips, smirking as he found me dripping wet.
“Is this for me?” he growled.
“Well, it’s certainly not for Brian Peterson.”
Jake took my hands in his and pinned them to the bed on either side of my head, then shoved his hips between my thighs. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he entered me in one long thrust.
We both groaned in pleasure.
Jake started pumping in and out of me roughly, and I held on tight, lifting my hips to meet him with every stroke. It had never been like this with anyone else, so all-consuming. I was suddenly glad that I’d made the decision to give him a chance. And as my orgasm thundered through my body, I only hoped this would last.