If I Loved You (Harper Falls Book 1) (19 page)

"So far I like you just fine and I can tell
there’s a certain part of your body that
really
likes me.” She nudged his growing erection
with her pelvis. “That is for me, isn’t it?”

The moment had passed and he didn’t want to
push Rose where she didn’t want to go. It was early days. He knew
his feelings were farther along than hers and that he couldn’t rush
her. But that didn’t stop him from wishing she wouldn’t shut down
that part of herself whenever he got too close. He shifted,
tangling his legs with hers. He had no complaints about getting to
know each other physically; he was all for it. The rest would come,
he just had to be patient.

“All yours. But this time
I’m
going to take charge.” Making her gasp with how
quickly he moved, Jack rolled her under him. He braced his arms so
they bracketed her head then leaned down and whispered, “This time?
Your pussy.”

“Again, good choice.” Her breezy quip was
quickly cut off by Jack's blistering kiss. She suddenly had no
desire to talk. Kissing was so much more fun.

“This is it, Rose.” He gave her another hard
kiss, one that told her playtime was over. “Remember, when you
wanted me to take you home and screw your brains out? Three weeks
has felt like an eternity, but there’s no turning back now.” He
moved his hand between her legs, testing her readiness. “Unless you
want me to?”

Rose growled in frustration. She pulled his
mouth back to hers and wrapped her legs around his hips. After
three weeks of foreplay, she was more than ready. Their kiss was
wild and out of control. Lips were bitten; tongues dueled; finesse
had been replaced by raw need. Jack entered her with one firm
stroke, filling her and making her gasp. They stayed that way for
several moments, unmoving—savoring the connection.

Jack raised his head. He wanted to watch the
play of emotions on Rose’s face. What they shared wasn’t some
random fuck, and he needed to know she felt the same. If she
couldn’t say it with words, let her say it like this.

He pulled out slowly. Her eyes had turned a
hazy amber. Just as he was threatening to leave her warm depths he
paused, tormenting them both. One second passed, then two, wanting
her to be just as desperate as he was.

Rose tightened her legs around his hips,
trying to pull him back. Already she felt empty, and it was an
emptiness only he could fill. But no matter how hard she tried to
bring him back he wouldn’t budge and she wasn’t strong enough to
make him. She rubbed her breasts against him hoping for some relief
but it only added to her frustration. Everything felt so good, but
she needed more. At the end of her rope, she reared up bit him,
hard, on the neck. Hard enough to leave her mark on him. She wanted
to send a message. Move, now.

Finally, Jack thought with satisfaction. He
entered her again, reveling in the way her body welcomed him. Her
tight grip was like nothing he’d ever known. Home, he was home.
Rose was the answer to every question. Their bodies knew it and so
did he.

How could this be happening so fast? Rose
wondered. Sex, even at its best, had always been a gentle journey
towards a pleasant destination. But this felt like she was about to
burst out of her skin. Scorching heat blazed through her veins.
Could you survive if your blood boiled? At that moment she didn’t
care. Jack was taking her someplace she’d never been, and the ride
was wild and terrifying and she loved every moment of it. His
strokes were hard and sure. She was there, so close. And then she
was spiraling over, bliss suffusing every inch of her body. She
knew the instant he joined her, his shout of release giving her
another blast of pleasure.

Jack collapsed on top of Rose. He hoped he
wasn’t crushing her but at the moment he was unable to move. He
found just enough energy to lift his head and graze her cheek with
an awkward kiss. He could feel her breath against his cheek and see
the rise and fall of her breasts. Her eyes were closed, but there
was a slight smile curving her lips.

“How are you doing?”

“Shh.” Her smile deepened. “This moment
needs to be savored.”

That sounded good to Jack. He untangled
their bodies and settled back against the pillows, pulling her into
his arms.

“You go right ahead and savor.” He smoothed
her tangled hair back from her face. Such a lovely face. “When
you're finished let me know. By then I should be ready for the next
round.”

Rose had just enough energy for one good
chuckle. “Don't start making promises you can't keep.”

Jack pulled her in for another smoldering
kiss. "Never."

DOGS WERE FORGIVING souls. Floodlights
illuminated the yard making it easy for Rose to watch as Edgar
chased his ball with never diminishing enthusiasm. There were no
hard feelings for being kicked out of the bedroom. Though it wasn’t
they'd completely forgotten him. Jack had dutifully checked on him
every few hours, filling food and water bowls and letting him out
to do his business.

It was well after dark when they finally
took a prolonged break. With three amazing orgasms and plenty of
pillow talk under her belt, Rose was ready for a shower, clean
sheets, and food. Jack told her that it was a nice, roomy shower
and insisted they should conserve water by sharing. Rose soon found
out that Jack’s definition of roomy meant spacious enough for
twelve very friendly adults. As for saving water? By the time they
had finished, she figured those twelve adults could have showered
alone, twice.

Jack threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt
before going down to start dinner. He had offered to help her make
up the bed but as soon as he showed her where he kept the clean
linen she shooed him out of the room. She was learning fast that
Jack’s super power was outrageously fast recovery time. She didn’t
think the bed would ever get made if he were
helping
her. Not that Rose was complaining, she
wasn't an idiot. But she needed sustenance. She had plans for later
and that required keeping her strength up.

An hour later, having refueled with bacon,
eggs and toast, they were keeping their promise to play with the
dog. Edgar trotted over and dropped his slimy ball at her feet. He
looked so proud that she was careful not to grimace when she picked
it up. He’d welcomed her without reservation and had no problem
sharing Jack. She didn’t want him to think she found anything about
him objectionable, not even his spit.

“Nice arm.” Jack watched her throw sail into
the trees. He had six sisters and a mother who would hit him upside
the head if he ever accused anyone, man or woman, of throwing like
a girl. But there were degrees of competence and Rose obviously
knew what she was doing.

“Which one of your friends is responsible
for that?”

Rose laughed. Jack had figured out that
where one friend went the others followed, not always
enthusiastically, but never wavering in support. Baseball had been
Dani’s thing.

“Never tell Dani she can’t do something.”
Rose shook her head as she remembered the third summer she’d spent
in Harper Falls. “When she heard some of the boys saying girls
couldn’t play baseball she got her father to coach us in secret.
Dani had a wicked spitter. And yes,” she held up a hand when Jack
would have protested, “I know it’s an illegal pitch. But she struck
out Billy Paul, the most obnoxious of the bunch, and then never
played again. She proved girls could play, and I learned how to
throw a rocket from third to first.”

“I wish I’d known you then.”

“I was five inches shorter and skinny as a
rail.” She knelt down to praise Edgar for all his hard work then
grinned at Jack over the dogs head. “You wouldn’t have given me the
time of day.”

Jack thought about his twelve-year-old self
and had to agree. Not because of how Rose had looked. But because
at that age he had considered all girls to be weird, even his
sisters. They giggled a lot and didn’t like to get dirty. And what
could you do with a girl? Boys were much more fun. It would be a
whole two years before he figured out that not only could girls be
a lot of fun but they also smelled considerably better than
boys.

“You’re right.” Jack pulled her into his
arms. “But only because all girls have cooties.”

“
Boys
are the
one with cooties, fella.”

“I’ll show you my cooties if you show me
yours.”

Rose gave him a considering look then shook
her head. “You can keep your cooties to yourself. Besides, I’ve
already seen everything you’ve got.”

“Is that right.” Jack grabbed her, throwing
her over his shoulder and heading for the house. Figuring this was
a new game Edgar trotted happily behind. Locking the door behind
them and setting the alarm, Jack told the disappointed dog to stay.
“I think I still have a few things to show you.”

“Jack,” Rose yelped. “Put me down.” She
started to struggle which earned her a hard swat on the butt.

Jack took the stairs two at a time. “Stay
still or you’ll make me drop you.”

“That hurt.” Rose was about to return the
favor when suddenly she was flying through the air landing on the
bed with a bounce. Jack was on top of her before she could regain
her breath.

“Show me,” he grinned as he began to
unbutton her jeans. “I’ll kiss it and make it better.”

Laughing, Rose let him strip off her pants.
Jack knew how to have fun in bed, something new for her. The
playful lover, the thoughtful lover, the intense lover. She'd found
them all in him. And as his lips soothed her, quickly igniting her
passion once again, Rose wondered what other things she would find
out about Jack. And what unexpected things she would find out about
herself.

TWO DAYS OF sexual bliss, a man who could
make her laugh and a dog. Rose hated for it to end, but the real
world was calling them back.

She closed her suitcase and sat it on the
floor. Smoothing the comforter, she grinned when she thought about
all the action the bed had gotten in the last forty-eight hours.
Not that they’d confined their activities to the bedroom. Jack was
very inventive, and if she were the type to blush easily she’d be
beet red in almost every room in the house.

“Let me get that.” Jack came in and picked
up her bag. “Are you sure you have to leave?”

“Are
you
?”

About an hour ago Jack had gotten a call
from Drew reminding him of a conference call they’d had scheduled
for weeks. Besides, she needed to get back to work. Sam Laughton
was expecting a progress report and she wanted to be able to tell
him she would have the songs done by the end of June. He wanted her
to deliver them in person to his Paris studio. A month ago she
would have been tempted. Sam was attractive and very interested.
Not her usual type, but tempting. Now she had every reason to stay
in Harper Falls because of a different man who was not her usual
type. Rose refused to think of the implications or of the knot in
her stomach that formed when she thought too far ahead. She was
enjoying the now and a knot free stomach.

“I should have turned off my phone.” Jack
took her hand as they descended the stairs. “Unfortunately, Drew
lives just down the road. No getting away from work when your
partner can be at your house in less than five minutes.”

Edgar woke with a start as they came out of
the house. He had been dozing in his favorite spot, but the moment
he saw them he was wide awake and wiggling, easily beating them to
the SUV. Jack opened the back passenger door and let him jump
in.

“He gets so excited about going with me and
then sleeps for most of the trip.” He laughed, giving the puppy a
scratch before closing the door. He turned to find Rose
staring.

“What?”

“Your hair is growing.” Rose knew she was
stating the obvious, but it had just hit her how much longer it had
gotten since the Lilac Ball. She sighed. She hadn’t thought a man
could be any more gorgeous than Jack had been that night. Yet there
he was, unshaven, hair at what should have been an awkward stubbly
stage, and wearing jeans and a flannel shirt that had seen better
days. And if anything, he was sexier. Rumpled suited Jack
Winston.

Jack ran a hand over his head, grimacing
slightly. “It couldn’t have gotten any shorter. Don’t worry, my
hair grows very fast. In a few more weeks it will be back to a
reasonable length.”

“I liked it,” she mumbled hoping her voice
was too low for him to hear.

“Yah?” Jack helped her into the truck then
jogged around and hopped in behind the wheel. “I didn’t think the
look worked for me.”

She knew Jack wasn’t searching for a
compliment. Most guys would have expected her to elaborate on her
comment, to stroke their egos. Jack didn’t need any affirmations.
She’d never met a man who was so comfortable in his own skin. He
was who he was and he didn't need to be complimented every five
minutes to feel good about himself.

They shared a companionable silence during
the fifteen-minute drive to her house. Rose expected Jack to drop
her off and head straight to work so she was surprised when he
followed her inside. He sat her suitcase by the stairs. Something
was bothering him. He had a habit of rubbing the back of his neck
when he was troubled.

“Can we sit?” Jack waited for her to take a
seat before he joined her on the sofa.

“What's wrong?” Rose couldn’t imagine what
could suddenly be bothering him. Before they'd left his place, he
had seemed completely carefree.

“I would have told you this before but I
didn't want anything to ruin our time together.” He took a deep
breath. There was nothing to do but just say it. “Rose, your aunt
came to see me last Wednesday.”