Jane's Gift (14 page)

“You missed some of it. Right…there.” He leaned in, his lips touching just the corner of her mouth, and when she felt the sweep of his tongue there, she almost melted into the bed. “Got it,” he said as he pulled away from her, smacking his lips.

Okay, this was too much, too heady for her tired, still-a-little-buzzed mind to take. She watched him, caught the devilish glint in his eyes, took in all of that exposed, tanned skin, and she held out her hand, an idea forming in her mind.

“How about I feed you?”

He sat up straighter, handing over the container and fork. “I’m ready when you are.”

She bet he was. Carefully, she cut off a small bite, forked it up, and then brought it close to his face. His lips parted, his gaze never leaving hers and she flicked the fork, the cheesecake falling off and landing right on his pec.

“Whoops. I dropped it.” She could barely keep the smile back and wanted to laugh when she saw him glance down at the mess on his chest. She set the fork into the container. “Guess I’ll have to clean it up.”

Jane bent over him, swiping her tongue at his chest as she licked up the dessert. The ragged groan that escaped him urged her on and she licked again, loving the taste of the sweet bit of cheesecake and the salty, earthy taste of man just beneath.

He clasped his big, warm hand to the back of her head, threading his fingers through her hair. With his other hand he took the container from her, setting it on the bedside table. He held her, but not so tightly she couldn’t glance up at him. The devilish look was long gone. The expression on his face was now one of stark, raw need, and her breath caught at the sight.

“You surprise me, Jane. Each and every day we’re together you surprise me.”

“That’s a good thing, right?”

“Oh, yeah.” He stroked her hair, his fingers tugging on the ends, and she closed her eyes in bliss. “It’s a very good thing.”

…

Something had shifted between them tonight, sending them straight into un-chartered and completely welcome territory. Chris had known ahead of time she was off shopping with Chloe Dawson and he’d told himself he would leave her alone. Let her get that one-on-one time with her friend she’d told him she needed.

He’d spent the evening alone, eating delivered pizza, watching crappy TV, and nursing a lone beer. Curious what she might be doing, what she wore, what she smelled like. But then he remembered her mentioning her parents were keeping the kids overnight.

So he’d called and invited her over. Decided to make a sexy game of it and waited for her in his bedroom. He loved the way she quietly appeared in his doorway, her dark jeans making her legs look endless, the cream-colored sweater she wore emphasizing the soft curve of her breasts.

It had been fun, teasing her with the cheesecake. And then she’d taken it to the next level, licking at his heated flesh, her wet, slick little tongue raising havoc within him. Stripping her naked, admiring her pretty body before he made love to her. He’d imagined this moment more than once. Jane, in his house. In his bed. Smiling, laughing, moaning, calling out his name…

“That was amazing.” She lifted her chin, the little smile curving her lush lips beautiful, dreamy.

“Definitely.” He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, exhaling slowly when she snuggled close, her tousled hair in his face, her cheek resting against his chest. It felt so good, having her here with him. Since he’d spent so many nights at her place, he was eager to show her where he lived. At first, he didn’t understand that need.

He got it now. He wanted to reveal a piece of himself, a piece he didn’t often share with others. Wanted her to know all of him and was ready to lay himself bare at the altar of Jane.

She’d grown so comfortable with him that she hadn’t covered her skin with the blankets, despite the cool air. He barely even noticed the scars anymore, didn’t really care. They were a mark, a part of her, a memory of what she’d suffered, what she’d gone through before she came to him.

And he was so very, very thankful that she’d come to him.

He let his gaze wander over her pale skin, knew that she’d gained a few pounds since that first night they’d spent together. The accident, the months of being in a coma, the burns she’d suffered and the recovery time she’d been through, all of it had made her bone thin. He liked to believe her happiness helped with her weight gain, and that he’d brought her some of that happiness.

“What are you thinking?”

Ah, the question more than one woman in his past had asked him, usually at the worst moment. A question that usually struck panic within his soul, because he knew she wouldn’t want to know how he was plotting to get away before things got too deep.

“I’m thinking how beautiful you are,” he answered truthfully.

Jane glanced up, offering him a sweet smile. He’d never been with a woman who looked at him as if he hung the moon, who depended on him, who took care of him as Jane did.

“You’re staring,” she whispered, and he remembered when she’d said that to him before, the night in the movie theater right before he’d kissed her.

“I love to look at you,” he admitted, threading his fingers through her tangled hair.

Her eyes slid closed as she nuzzled his chest with her cheek. He stroked her back, curved around to tease her front, resting his hand on her chest. The pounding of her heart beat against his palm, a steady
ba-boom
that reminded him she was a flesh-and-blood real woman, a woman with faults and strengths and loves and hates. A woman much like him, yet different.

So different. She was good for him. He’d let her in despite his old habits of never revealing himself, and he’d shared everything with her. And she had stayed, exposed herself right back, and he’d be damned if he could turn her away now.

Not when he loved her so much.

Overwhelmed, he gathered her closer, his heartbeat matching the rhythm of hers, her legs tangled with his. She was a soft, warm bundle, slim arms holding him close, damp lips pressed against his skin. She felt so good, so right in his arms. And he was consumed with the need to tell her how he felt, how much she meant to him.

“It wasn’t so bad, was it? Letting go?” he said instead.

“What do you mean?” She wouldn’t look at him, her words muffled against his chest.

“You know, shedding inhibitions, letting loose. You let go for me tonight, Jane. And you enjoyed it.” It was a major step for her, he knew. After all, this was a woman trying to regain control of her life.

Lifting her head, her intense gaze met his. “I loved it when you lost control, too.”

“I love you,” he admitted, the words just spilling out. He immediately stilled.

Her eyes went wide, unblinking for several long beats, her body frozen. He couldn’t believe he’d said that. Too soon, way too soon. But then she smiled. A smile so sweet, so full of love and affection and hope, that his heart threatened to crack open and spill all over the place at the sight of it.

“I love you, too.” Her voice was soft, a mere whisper, and he swallowed her words, kissing her and himself stupid, drunk with his love for her.

They moved as one, eager for each other as he pressed her into the mattress. He took her hands, entwining his fingers with hers and brought her arms up and over her head. Holding her captive, both with his hands and his gaze, as he made love to her again, possessing her. Making her his and loving her with a fierceness, an intensity he didn’t know he had.

All of it brought forth by the love of this one woman.

Jane.

Chapter Fifteen

It figured a ringing phone would disturb his time with Jane, Chris thought, reluctant to crawl out of bed to answer it. She lay next to him sound asleep, her body curved around his, and he held her close, pressed yet another kiss to her forehead.

It was almost five in the morning and he needed to answer that damn phone. No one called at this time unless it was about work.

He knew it was about work.

Shifting, he pulled away from her and rolled out of bed, the cold air hitting him, making him inhale sharply. It had rained earlier, the air turning bitterly cold, threatening snow, and he wondered what could be so urgent in the middle of December.

Of course things got busier the closer it was to Christmas, and that was in only a few days. People were foolish, negligent this time of year. Too-dry trees with lights that shorted out. Candles left lit for hours and burning where they shouldn’t be. The possibilities were endless and people, unfortunately, weren’t too bright.

A phone started ringing again, this time his cell, and he grabbed it from his dresser, answering it quietly so as not to disturb Jane.

“Chris, I need your help.” Eric sounded breathless, a little frantic, and the noise going on in the background indicated something major was going down.

“What’s up?” He rubbed a hand over his face, took in his naked state. He needed to get dressed.

“There’s a structure fire downtown.” Eric paused. “It’s Saint Elizabeth’s.”

“Oh, no.” Eric was referring to the oldest church in Lone Pine Lake, the oldest building in town, period. A historical monument, it had become a tourist attraction where many flocked to get married. “How bad?”

“Pretty bad. I have two other engines coming in and the volunteers just showed up. Josh will be here soon.” Josh, the county arson investigator. “I need you, man. Can you get over here?”

“Absolutely. I’ll be right there.” Chris hung up and went into the bathroom before he started to get dressed. He was methodical in his movements, his mind racing a million miles a minute.

Jane stirred, and he watched as she rolled over. He sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his work boots, lacing them with quiet efficiency. He ran a hand over his head, figured he’d have to take a shower later, since he’d end up dirty anyway.

He was ready. He didn’t want to leave her.

But he had to.

“Christian.” She sat up, held the sheet in front of her bare chest and rubbed her eyes with her free hand as he stood. “What are you doing?”

“Gotta go to work. There’s a fire.”

She blinked her eyes wider. “Where?”

“Saint Elizabeth’s. Eric said it’s bad.”

“Oh, no.” She shook her head, a deep sigh moving through her. “That’s awful.”

“I know.” His mouth was grim, his mood dark. He was mentally preparing, focusing on what needed to be done, but it was hard. He just wasn’t there yet.

He needed to get there. Now.

Bending over Jane, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, then moved to drop a kiss to her pursed lips. She wrapped a hand around his neck and held him there, deepening the kiss, leaving him dizzy, his head reeling when he stood back up.

“Be careful,” she whispered, her heart in her eyes, her fear on her face. “I love you.”

“Baby, I’m always careful.” He smiled, trying to make light of it, hating the sight of all that fear. “I love you, too.”

She smiled, tremulous at best, and he swore her eyes glistened. “Do you really?”

“Oh, yeah.” Unable to resist, he kissed her one last time, wishing he didn’t have to go. “Really.”

And then he walked away from the woman he loved, walked out of his house and into the still dark, still cold night. An oppressive eeriness settled around him, making him uneasy, and he stopped in the driveway, glancing both ways before he got into his truck.

There was nothing out there, despite the heaviness that washed over him like a bad omen. He was overreacting. Shaking his head, he started the truck, let it warm up for a few minutes before he pulled out of his driveway and headed toward the scene.

…

Jane left Chris’s house unlocked, since he hadn’t mentioned what to do. But she reassured herself that they lived in a small town. Who would rob him?

Descending from the front porch, she hurried down the walk, grateful Mindy had shown up so quickly after Jane had called her. She climbed into her sister’s car, ignored the smug expression on Mindy’s face.

“What happened to Hot Stuff?”

“He got called to a fire two hours ago at the old Catholic church.”

Mindy’s eyes went wide. “No way, you’re kidding.”

“No.” Jane shook her head.

“Want to go and check on Christian?” Mindy hit the gas, speeding down the road.

“We’d get in the way, don’t you think?” Jane shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Mindy shrugged, turned the car onto the main road. “We could at least see what’s happening. Not like a lot of people will be out this morning. It’s still pretty early.”

“I don’t know…” She didn’t want to be in the way, to be one of those girlfriends who chased her boyfriend everywhere, even hung around while he worked.

But he’d told her he loved her. The words had spilled from him so quietly, his voice sincere, the look in his eyes intense. She’d been surprised, thrilled, and, of course, she’d told him she loved him in return.

She did. She loved Christian. She already couldn’t imagine her life without him.

His job scared her, though. He put himself at such risk, each and every day. After everything that had happened to her, she longed to feel safe. And though she loved how much Chris made her feel protected,
he
wasn’t protected. No, there were no guarantees on his job. And she hated that.

“Okay, let’s go,” she finally said, her voice low, her worry high.

Mindy drove toward the tiny town center, practically flying down the road, since it was pretty much empty. Jane clutched the handle on the inside of the door, nervousness making her feet use an imaginary chicken brake on the floorboard. Mindy started to laugh when she caught a glimpse of Jane’s panicked expression.

“Please. I’m going ten miles over the speed limit. Calm down.”

“You’re speeding, Mindy. And freaking me out. We’ll get there when we get there. There’s no hurry.”

“Sorry. I guess I’m too eager to watch big macho firemen work those long hoses in their sexy yellow coats.” Mindy laughed and Jane rolled her eyes. “Come on, not much excitement happens for me anymore. I have to get my thrills where I can.”

Anxiety coursed through Jane’s veins, making her weak, nervous. Scared. They were getting closer to the church and she could already smell the smoke, see it billowing in a thick plume toward the sky. It was dark, almost black, and she even spotted orange, flickering flames. She knew it had to be bad. The call had come two hours ago and it had been bad then. How much longer would this building burn?

Panic swept through her, its icy fingers lingering in her mind. Memories—ones she’d never uncovered before now—came of her house burning. She was trapped, blinded by the smoke, unable to breathe. She’d somehow snuck out the back of the house and dropped to the ground.

Jane jerked in her seat, brought back to reality by Mindy slowing the car to a complete stop. Two sheriff patrol cars blocked them from going any farther. Jane averted her eyes, unable to look at the fire while Mindy talked to the deputies. One of them was Mike Vargas, yet another local boy who never left.

It was hard to leave this town, Jane realized. And now she had even more of a reason to stay.

She hoped her reason was safe. She wished he would call her and reassure her overreacting heart.

…

“We ready to clean up?” Chris called as he helped put away the fire hose.

“Yeah, I think so.” Eric came to stand next to him, both of them gazing at the now completely demolished church. “This is heartbreaking, man.”

“I know.” Even though Chris had no real connection to the church—he wasn’t what one would consider a spiritual man and he wasn’t a local, so he couldn’t quite wrap his head around just how tragic this loss was to the town—but he could appreciate a beautifully built, incredibly old and monumental building. And that’s exactly what Saint Elizabeth’s Catholic Church had been.

Joshua Powers, the arson specialist, approached, a grim look on his face as he greeted them. “One of you want to walk through this with me?”

“I’ll go,” Chris volunteered. He was tired and he needed to check in with Jane, but he was the captain and thought it best he go with Josh before he called her. The both of them headed toward the still smoldering building, walking up to where the arching double doors had once been. “You think it’s arson?”

“No, I heard a special service was held last night, and they lit lots of candles. I’m thinking a few of them didn’t get put out and that started the blaze. Once I get a look around, though, I’ll know for sure.”

He felt terrible, so sad that the building had burned to the ground. But he’d known from the moment he arrived on scene that the structure had been beyond hopeless. Beyond saving.

Residents had come to watch, many of them parishioners of the church, and he’d noticed more than one openly weeping. He’d hated that, the sadness, the open loss expressed. It didn’t help that he wasn’t at his best, exhausted from the previous night with Jane. His mind not as focused as normal on the task before him. Too distracted by the amazing woman in his life, reliving the things they’d revealed to each other just hours before.

Like the fact they were in love with each other. He couldn’t believe it, but he was even more seriously considering buying her that engagement ring…

Would she accept it? Would she agree to be his wife? Hell, he hoped so. One minute he didn’t doubt it for a second and the next he was plagued with worry, wondering what the hell he was thinking. Why would he move so quickly? Why would he tie himself down so quickly?

It was because he was in love with a woman who accepted him, flaws and all. Who took care of him when he needed it and backed off when he didn’t. A woman who had a loving family he wanted for his own. A family who, for the most part, also accepted him as is.

He wanted that all. And he wanted it forever.

“Chris, watch out,” Josh called and Chris dodged a large burning ember that fell from what was left of the roof. He sidestepped it, watched as it fell to the ground and broke into tiny red and black smoldering pieces. “That would’ve burned you real good.”

“Thanks, man.” Chris shook his head, disgusted at himself. He needed to pay attention, focus on his job and not get all googly-eyed over a woman. A very important woman, but still, he needed to prioritize. Work came first at the moment.

Concentrate.

“Chris! Goddamn it, move!” Josh screamed.

Chris glanced up, his movements slowing, his mind hazy. A large, still smoking beam was barreling down upon him, so fast he didn’t have time to move. Wouldn’t have been able to get out of its way in time, it was so large.

Josh yelled, sounding panicked just as the beam struck Chris on the back, knocking him down to the ground. Clouds of ash puffed around him, filling his lungs, and he coughed. His hands pressed into the broken and melted glass that littered the ground, making him wince. The smoky, still burning chips of wood singed his palms.

Fleeting images of Jane flashed through his mind before his head hit the ground.