A Matter of Trust (23 page)

“
That would be my
pleasure, Trish. I’m going to love you all over. And then, I’m
going to do it all over again. How does that sound?”

“
Perfect, just – ah –
perfect.” Jake laved her nipples, already tightly beaded just from
thinking of what lay ahead. He suckled her until she moaned and
writhed beneath him. He continued to move slowly, thoroughly, until
Trish thought she’d lose her mind. After enjoying the feelings he
invoked, she decided to take her turn to be on top, and pushed at
his shoulder until he rolled to his back, and she moved to straddle
him.

Jake placed his hands on her thighs,
rubbing up and down. Her skin felt so incredibly soft, he didn’t
think he’d ever get tired of touching her. Trish braced both of her
hands on either side of his head and peered down at him, her hair
putting her face in shadow.

“
On second thought, I
think
I’ll
make
love to
you
.” She
rubbed against him, and he moaned. She never took her eyes off of
him as she leaned down to take his lips with hers, searing him with
a lust that left him breathless. He ran his hands up and down her
back, pausing at her hips to press her against him more fully. Both
moaned loudly.

Trish reached down between them and
ran her thumb across the tip of him, coating him with the bead of
moisture that had accumulated there. Jake hissed in a breath and
closed his eyes. She lifted her hips and placed him at the wet
entrance of her body, taking only the tip inside her, then lifted
back up, teasing, torturing.

“
Trish, you’re killing me.
I have to have you right now. Put me inside, honey. Have
mercy.”

Again, she teased just the tip of his
length, making him groan. She attempted another pass, but he
grabbed her hips and slammed inside her. Trish’s sultry laugh sent
shivers through him. She began to pull up again saying, “Patience
is a virtue, Jake.”

“
And not one of mine,
Trish the dish, at least not where you’re concerned.” He looked
into her sparkling blue eyes and arched deeper into her. This time,
Trish moaned and closed her eyes.

“
God, I love how you fill
me so full. It feels so good.” She caught her breath as he ground
his hips against hers and rubbed her just right for maximum
pleasure.

Jake reached up and cupped her breasts
in his hands, rolling her nipples between his fingers and thumbs.
She sighed his name, and he began to move, setting a leisurely pace
that she mimicked and followed. Soon, she began to take control
again, moving faster, taking him deeper.

Jake could feel the tension building
in Trish, as she began to move more quickly and her breaths came
faster. She’d closed her eyes to concentrate on the sensations Jake
caused her to feel. She began to quicken even more, her breathing
ragged as she approached her goal. Jake strained so hard to bring
her to climax, the chords in his neck stood out. He watched the
intensity of the expressions crossing her face and thought her
magnificent, lost in passion. He grabbed her rear and pulled her
down to meet him over and again until she shouted her release
aloud, and he allowed himself to join her seconds later. She fell
across his chest gasping for air, and he enveloped her in his
embrace. They were both slick with sweat and continued to run their
hands over each other, memorizing the moment along with the feel of
each other’s bodies.

As their breathing slowed down and
their bodies began to unwind, they held each other as the shudders
passed, kissing, touching, stroking until they lay quietly in each
other’s arms.

“
I love making love with
you, Jake. I love you.”

“
You can’t possibly know
how much it means to me to hear you say that. You had me worried
there for awhile. I didn’t know if I would ever win you over. I
wanted to be with you for months before I ever asked you out. You
were so adamant about never marrying again and vowing never to be
in another serious relationship, I didn’t know if I’d ever get a
shot. I decided to play it safe and offer my friendship first, and
you were okay with that, unless I offered to help you with
something. Then you’d just get mean.”

“
I would not! I’ve never
been mean to you. Stand offish, maybe, reticent to get involved,
certainly, but never mean. You said something to me once about
wanting me to choose to need you. I’ve thought a lot about it, and
you’re right. Choosing to need someone is different from being
reliant on them. I choose to need you, Jake. I can make it on my
own, but I choose to be with you, Jake. I love you, and that makes
me happy.”

“
It makes me happy too,
honey. You make me happy. So … how about making it permanent? We
can wait as long as you want to, but just so you know, I have every
intention of marrying you. I think we should call a family meeting
and run it by the kids. I think they should be part of this
decision. What do you say?”

“
I say I love you, yes I
want to marry you, and yes, let’s talk it over with the kids. Of
course, you know you’ve got it made. They already want you for
their father.”

“
I knew if I played my
cards right and won over the kids, you would see the light and fall
into my trap.”

“
If this is a trap, color
me caught. Your sister wants to know how much you paid them to ask
me if you could be their father.”

“
Although it turned out
not to be necessary, I’m not above bribery to accomplish my goals.
You, Trish the dish, were my goal from the start.”

Epilogue

Six months
later

“
Are you sure Dad’s
wearing one of these?”

“
Yes, I am, Trevor, now be
still so I can attach the bow tie. Lexie, please get off the floor
in your pretty dress.”

Trevor wore a grey tux with tails with
a light pink shirt, a miniature of the one Jake wore inside the
church. Lexie had on a beautiful pink dress with a full skirt that
went down to nearly her ankles. It matched her mother’s dress
exactly.

Callie popped her head in. “Are y’all
ready?”

“
Yes, Auntie Callie, we’re
ready. Momma is just fixing Trevor’s tie. Is Daddy out there
already?”

“
Yes, ma’am, he is waiting
for y’all at the end of the aisle. I think he’s scared you might
change your mind and kick him to the curb.”

Lexie shook her head, sending her
curls all over the place. “Uh uh, Auntie. He’s mine and Trevor’s
and Momma’s forever. We’re marrying him today.”

“
Well then, you better
come on out here. How about you, Momma? Are you ready?”

Trish smiled radiantly. “Speaking of
Momma’s, you’re getting pretty rounded. It’s going to be quite a
contest seeing who gets the biggest, you or Eva, not to mention who
comes into the world first. Still no news about whether you two are
having boys or girls?”

“
Nope. We’ve all decided
to be surprised. But secretly, we’re hoping for one of each, and we
don’t care who gets what.”

“
Why one of
each?”

“
So they can marry each
one of your two. We’ve got to keep this in the family, you know.
Nobody else will be good enough for the dads.”

Trish laughed with Callie and took
hold of both her children’s hands and walked through the door after
Callie had a chance to take her seat again. Happiness nearly
overwhelmed her as Trevor and Lexie escorted her down the aisle to
Jake and took their places between the two of them.

As they repeated their vows and
exchanged rings, the new, happy family stood together embracing
each other and the new life they would share. The children had
talked things over in the family meeting and figured they were
getting a real good deal here. Not only would they gain a new dad,
they would also gain two aunts and two uncles, a granddad, and
pretty soon, some cousins. What a bargain.

After Jake placed a ring on Trish’s
finger, he hunkered down and placed a gold necklace around Lexie’s
neck with a heart pendant and told her it declared that she was his
girl, too, just like her Momma. He gave Trevor a gold medallion of
Saint Joseph, the patron saint of families, and told him it
symbolized his role as the other man in the family, and that it was
both their jobs to watch out for and protect the women
together.

By the time the ceremony ended, there
wasn’t a dry eye in the house. The priest introduced them as Mr.
and Mrs. Jacob Dubeck and family. Jake had already started the
procedure for legally adopting the kids to make it official. As
they all walked down the aisle together, everyone stopped and
commented on what a beautiful family they made.

About the Author

Elaine Dyer was born and
raised in El Paso, Texas. She is or has been a model, beauty
contestant, teacher, Literacy Coach, supervisor, professor, mother,
wife, sister, daughter, Auntie, friend, and most recently, author.
She enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with family and
friends over good food, wine, and margaritas. She continues to live
in El Paso with her husband, son, and daughter, and thoroughly
enjoys living vicariously through her many heroines.