Greatest Gift (3 page)

Chapter Five

She could only imagine what
Jakob
might say. Holland wasn’t prepared to hear whatever it was. Clearing her throat,
she took a sip from her cup. The tea slid down to coat her throat nicely, and
it gave her a moment to think. The fact he didn’t push made her wonder.
Jakob
Nichols seemed the sort to push. Not that she could
claim to know him, but that was the impression she had.

Another sip, and then she settled the cup to her
thigh. She knew she was running short on time with him. She had to man up, so
to speak, and tell him. Shooting him a look, she found herself being watched.
Again.

Unable to hold his gaze when she said the words,
if
she managed to get them out, Holland focused on the plant sitting next to
her laptop. “Jump you,” she blurted out.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. Could you
repeat it, please?”

Leveling the dirtiest look she could conjure up on
him, she ground her teeth together. “I said jump you.”

“So you either wanted to beat me, or jump me?
Interesting,” he said. Taking a drink from his own cup, he licked his lips
while apparently thinking that over. “Personally, I think you should have given
into the second idea.”

“Right now I’m leaning more to the first.”

“Now, now, there is no need for violence, Ms.
Frost. You are an educated woman who is beyond such baser instincts.”

Holland snorted. “Wouldn’t put money on that, Mr.
Nichols.”

“Damn, don’t put the mister in there. I about
started looking around for the old man when you said that. Bad, bad girl.”

She couldn’t hold in the laugh, didn’t even try.
“Right, I’ll remember that, Mr. Nichols.”

“Not funny, Holland.” Her cup was gone from her
hand the next breath. She probably should have figured out what his plan was,
but she obviously wasn’t thinking too clearly with him pressed up along her
side. Otherwise, she might have possibly had a defense for what came next.

Screeching, she twisted in a seemingly futile
attempt to get away from his agile fingers. Laughter poured out while she tried
to get a hold on his wrists. “No, damn it, stop,” she wheezed.
How the hell
had he known she was ticklish?

“Concede, woman. No more mister crap or I’ll keep
tickling.”

She could barely draw in the breath needed to
concede. But he must have heard her because the torture stopped. Panting, she
quickly realized the sneaky bugger had maneuvered her into his lap during all
her squirming, and wiggling around. Fucker was diabolical.

Holland wet her lips, and peeked at him from under
her lashes. She wondered what his plan was. It was one big ass shocker when he
sat her up on his lap, and hooked an arm around her waist. “Now that that’s
cleared up, I should head out and let you get some sleep. We will be talking
again soon, Holland. About a great many things.”

He stood, and set her on her feet. Taking her hand,
he grabbed his jacket in his other, and tugged her toward the door. “Among
those other items up for discussion in the near future will be you going on a
date with me.”

“Who said I would go on a date with you, Nichols?”

“Well I did, and you will agree. After all, you
want to know about my growling technique. Plus, we need to see if this spark we
have going will fizzle, or burst into something hotter. Because, for the
record, I plan on getting you naked one day soon. And it won’t be my winnings
for our strip poker night.”

Holland shook her head at him, and poked him in his
chest.
He sure was a cocky fucker.
“Who says I’ll be the one naked? I
may never have played poker before, but I have the Net and I’m a quick study. I
could kick your ass.” She would keep the fact she’d paid for college with her
poker winnings a secret. Right up until she had him naked and at her mercy.

His smirk sealed his fate. “Keep those hopes alive,
sweet cheeks.”

A quick pull to her hand had Holland plastered up
against his chest. Damn, but he was built like every wet dream she’d ever had.
Points for her subconscious for getting those details right.

“I plan on kissing you right now, Holland. Will you
let me?” he asked his tone perfectly serious.

Biting her lip, she nearly whimpered when his
attention focused in on her mouth. “Okay,” she managed.

Jakob’s
lips curled slightly into a smile, and then his head descended toward
hers. The first brushing contact had her curling her fingers into his shirt.
When his lips settled fully to hers she nearly came right there.

He kept the kiss light, but it sent charges right
through her. By the time he lifted his head her clit was throbbing hard in time
to her heart beat. She knew all she’d have to do was touch herself and she would
get off. But not until he was gone, and she was damn sure he was gone.

“Goodnight, Holland.”

“Night,
Jakob
.” Loosening
her hold on his shirt, she swallowed hard when he stepped away. He slipped out
her door into the hall, and then stopped. Knowing he was waiting to hear her
throw the deadbolt, she eased the door shut, and turned the lever.

A quick run to the windows in her bedroom allowed
her to keep watch on the parking area. She could barely make out the bumper
from his truck. Two minutes later, the lights went on, and then he reversed out
and pulled away.

Collapsing back onto her bed, Holland undid her
jeans, and slipped her hand in under her soaked panties. Her clit ached with
need, the nub swollen and slippery under her fingers. She closed her eyes, and
stroked the nub hard with
Jakob’s
face held firmly in
her mind’s eye. Then she squeezed the nub and screamed out her release, her
back arching off the bed while her entire body shuddered.

If the man could do that with only a kiss she would
never survive anything more. Her lips curved into a grin. But she’d damn well
enjoy the ride. A giggle broke free. Oh hell yeah, she would.

****

A sound woke her from a dead sleep. Groggy, Holland
threw out a hand trying to find the lamp. The next sound had her grabbing for
her phone instead, and up off the bed into the bathroom seconds later. Locking
the door behind her, she dialed for help.

When it was answered she didn’t pause for breath
while explaining the situation. Assuring the operator she was in a secured
room, Holland sat listening while the man updated her on the cops’ progress to
her apartment. She chewed on her thumbnail and waited.

When the police arrived, she hung up with the
operator after thanking him profusely. Stepping out from the bathroom, she eyed
the cops up and down. The woman officer held out Holland’s robe, and then waved
her toward the living room. Following after them, she cursed at the damage.

“Can you see anything missing?” the male officer
asked.

She shook her head, and looked around. “No, my TV’s
still here, same with the laptop. My purse was back in the bedroom on the side
table. Whoever it was must have bolted when they heard me talking on the
phone.”

A knock on the door had them all turning to look.
It was another patrol officer. “Sorry to interrupt. This wasn’t the only place
hit tonight. We have three other doors busted open that we’ve found to this
point. We called in the detectives, there was no one home in the other
apartments.”

The woman officer nodded, and turned to look at
Holland. “They’ll want to talk to you, but you shouldn’t stay here tonight. Do
you have anyone you can call?”

Holland didn’t know anyone in town except a few
acquaintances. There was only one person she
wanted
to call. Only
problem was she didn’t have his number. She knew someone who might have it.
“Yeah, I need my purse. Can I grab that, and maybe put on some pants?”

The officers conferred, and then nodded. “Yeah,
there doesn’t seem to have been anyone in the bedroom, go ahead. Try not to
touch anything but the closet, and your purse.”

She gave them a thumbs-up, and made a beeline for
the bedroom. A look to the clock showed her the time. Holland felt mildly bad
about waking up her new friend, but there was no other choice.

Chapter Six

Pulling up outside Holland’s apartment,
Jakob’s
heart was in his throat. There were five cop cars
with their lights going, and several dozen people standing outside either
trying to see what was happening or talking to officers. Slamming the truck
into park, he jumped out, and began to look for Holland.

His name being called had him jerking around in
time to catch her when she dove his direction. “I’ve got you, sweet cheeks.”
Jakob
said against her cheek. Holding her tight, he leaned
his back to the truck bad and released a shaky breath. He’d been fucking crazy
with worry.

She tightened her hold around his neck. Lifting her
higher,
Jakob
rubbed her back. “Talk to me, are you
okay?”

“I’m fine, but my door is wrecked. And don’t you
dare say I told you so. I would likely have to give into the urge to smack you,
especially right now.”

He hadn’t even been thinking it. “Wasn’t even a
thought, I swear. All I was worried about was you, Holland.” Taking another
look around, he turned his face into her neck, and breathed deep. “Can you
leave now, or do they need you for something more?”

“No, I’m done. They’ll process my apartment, and
then the super will have to replace the door tomorrow. They said they would
have an officer stay by any broken doors to ensure only the tenant gets in
before the doors are changed out. I’ll need to pick up keys before my shift or
I’ll be bunking on someone’s sofa tomorrow night too.”

Jakob
was fine with her bunking with him for however long she wanted. Not on
his couch though, he planned to get her into his bed. Tonight to sleep, the nights
to come, for something a lot more pleasant. “One night at a time. Let’s get you
into a bed. Don’t need you being off your game tomorrow for your shift.”

She gave a snort. “It’s not like I’m a doctor, no
lives are at risk if I’m sleepy. But I also don’t want to be fucking up
anyone’s order either. The regulars tip better when they don’t have to correct
me. Believe me, it makes a huge difference.”

He didn’t have anything to say to that, nothing
that wouldn’t get him in trouble anyway. “Right, then let’s get you to bed.”

Twenty minutes later, he let her into his house. It
wasn’t a huge place, but it had a couple bedrooms, a couple bath, a good sized
kitchen and living room, and some decent yard space. It suited him fine, which
was all that mattered. Or had until he suddenly had the woman haunting his
every dream walking into the place.

Jakob
ran a quick check list through his head. Dishes were done, laundry day
had been put away yesterday, which meant no socks or underwear laying around,
and the cleaning service had been in early that day for their bi-monthly run at
the place. Wasn’t going to get any better.

Holland was looking around curiously, he noticed.
“I like it,” she commented. “Not exactly what I was expecting I have to admit.”

“Sorry, the den of iniquity is currently closed for
renovations. We should have it back up and running later this month if you want
to come around to be truly horrified.”

She shot him a look, and rolled her eyes. It always
amazed him how a woman could say so much without ever opening her mouth.
Fucking freaky thing that. “I meant it doesn’t exactly scream bachelor pad.”
Holland bit her lip. “You aren’t married are you?”

“Didn’t think to ask that earlier, did you?” he
teased. When she fisted a hand, he held up his own in peace. “Sorry, I’m
messing with you and I shouldn’t. My bad. No, I am not married, not engaged,
and not involved in a relationship. Haven’t been in a long time.” These days,
Jakob
preferred to find a woman to bang for a couple hours,
and then come home to his own space without all the fucking drama. He’d dealt
with that years ago, now he was looking for something more fulfilling
relationship wise.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “Figured it was best to
check now rather than worry about ducking some other woman’s wrath for poaching
on her turf.”

“Poach away, sweet cheeks.” Putting a hand on her
lower back,
Jakob
walked her through the kitchen to
the hall and down to the bedroom in the back. His room. He might break it to
her later, or let her figure it out all on her own. She was one smart cookie
after all. “Bath is through there. I’m going to lock up and shut things down.
I’ll be back in a couple to check on you.”

“Thank you.” Turning, she put her hands to his
chest, and pushed up onto her toes. Her lips pressed softly to his jaw and had
his entire body sitting up ready for action. “Mainly for taking my call.”

Unsure what to say, he shrugged, and waited until
she was tucked into the bathroom. Blowing out a breath, he adjusted his dick in
the vain hope he wouldn’t end up with a zipper impression down the length.
Fucking thing kept popping to attention every damn time
Jakob
came across her. He hadn’t had this many erections since he first hit puberty
and jacked off nearly every hour on the hour.

He gave her a solid fifteen minutes to get cleaned
up before he returned to the bedroom. Walking in, he found her sitting cross
legged dead center on his bed.

“It took me a couple seconds to figure it out, but
I realized this happens to be your bedroom, and your bed. Sneaky, Nichols.” She
shook her finger at him. “Shame on you.”

Chuckling, he shrugged. “If you’re uncomfortable I
have a guest bedroom you can use. The bed’s quite comfortable.”
Jakob
sat on the only chair in the room to tug his boots
off, and dropped them underneath. “Completely up to you, sweet cheeks. But if
you do decide to stay we’re only sleeping tonight. You’ve had a rotten night
thus far, and we’re both exhausted given the hour. Sleep is all I have energy
for currently.” Not completely true, but he didn’t feel like scaring her off.

Holland leaned her elbow to her knee, and propped
her chin on the fist she made. He couldn’t read the expression but he had a
feeling his words were being weighed and judged. “I still say you’re one sneaky
bastard, Nichols. But I’m too fucking tired to argue, and this bed is damn
comfy. I’ll need an extra pillow though. If I don’t prop my arm up on it I end
up with a sore shoulder come morning, and then I’m pretty much useless for my
shift.”

“We can handle that.” Up on his feet,
Jakob
went to the closet, and pulled a spare down. After
grabbing some old sweat pants to wear to bed, he tossed her the pillow and
headed for the bathroom. “Get comfortable, I’ll be out in a minute or two.”

He was pretty sure she blew a raspberry his way,
but being pleased with her decision to remain where he’d put her, he let it
pass. No need to start stirring shit up when they were both running on fumes.
He could set her straight on her sass later.

Quickly changing into the loose pants, he tossed
the clothes back into the hamper where he’d scrounged them from when she’d
called him. Splashing some water to his cheeks,
Jakob
stared into the mirror. Grey orbs stared back. Fuck, he’d been worried when
she’d called him. He’d been ready to tear some fucker a new asshole for calling
him at that hour. To hear her shaky voice had thrown his world off its axis.
Only Holland could do that.

Hanging the towel back up, he hit the lights, and
went to join her. He paused a moment to take in the view. Her sunny blonde hair
was braided down her back with a few strands pulled free to curl around her
ears and neck. Slipping into the bed behind her, he turned off the lights, and
then wiggled in closer.

When she didn’t throw the arm he wrapped around her
waist off,
Jakob
relaxed. “Goodnight, sweet cheeks,”
he said pressing a kiss to her honey skinned shoulder.

“I really hate that sweet cheeks shit, Nichols,”
she muttered. She sounded adorably sleepy. “I’m letting it slide because I
don’t have the energy to set you straight.”

A smile pulled at his lips. “Shelf it for tonight,
tomorrow’s a new day to attempt this straightening out shit, Holland. Sleep now.”

“
G’night
,
Jakob
.”

“Night.” He laid awake for a time listening to her
breathing, and enjoying the heat her body gave off where it pressed to his.
Burying his nose in her neck, he breathed her scent in deep. Hell yeah, he
could get used to having her in his bed. Maybe she’d let him talk her into it
if he appeared contrite enough. It would need to be a Grammy award winning
performance, but he knew he could pull it off. She was worth it.