Never Too Late (17 page)

“Money?” 

He stood up, suddenly intimidating at his full height, and she had to stop herself from stepping back as he approached. 

Mere inches from her, he stopped, his eyes holding hers. “I care about a lot more than money, and I’m not one to give people second chances when they mess up big.”

“But what if you’re wrong?” she faltered, gazing up into his mesmerizing amber eyes.

“I’m never wrong.”

She sucked in a breath at his arrogance. “With an attitude like that…” She shook her head. “You can’t go around shutting people up and treating them like dirt clods under your feet. It isn’t what decent human beings do.”

Frowning, he grasped her upper arms. She gasped and shut up quick as his eyes searched hers.

“Ah, I see,” he said with a nod. “You’re upset that I didn’t let you speak in front of Francine yesterday.”

She shook her head vehemently. “No… I wasn’t even thinking about that.” 

“You were going to jump to Martin’s defence, weren’t you? Well, he was the last person Francine needed to hear about then.”

“Oh.”

He gently circled his thumbs over the thin material of her suit jacket. “Why are you always in a rush to think the worst of me, Molly?”

His closeness unnerved her. The door, her way out, was right behind her. She should step back now, before this shot out of her control, but her feet were rooted to the floor and she could only stare up at him wide-eyed. “I… I don’t think of you. I mean…”

He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “You don’t think of me? I’ll have to put that right, won’t I?” And gripping her arms tighter, he pulled her to him. 

“Jake…”

He lowered his head until his lips were hovering over hers. “Don’t be scared of me, Molly,” he murmured before sealing his lips over hers.

The kiss scorched. 

He released his grip to clasp her around the waist and pull her into him, and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back with an abandon that left them both gasping when they parted.

Catching her breath, she stared up into his eyes. She wanted him. She wanted him more than her next breath, and she didn’t want to deny herself any longer. But was it really her he kissed with such passion? A part of her didn’t want to know the answer, but… 

“Jake, is it me you want?” He frowned, but she pressed forward, needing to know. “I… I just don’t want to be a stand-in for someone else.”

His arms tightened around her. “How can you even think that?” And raising a hand, he ran his fingers through her curls then tilted her face up to meet his intent gaze. “Don’t you feel this heat between us? You may have been lied to before, Molly, but I won’t lie to you. I want you, and I’ve wanted you since the day I first set eyes on you.”

Joy burst through her, and with a small laugh of relief she bounced up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. For a second, he stiffened in surprise, then with a grunt of need, took control, crushing her to him and deepening the kiss. He scooped her up in his arms without breaking their kiss and carried her out of the room. She closed her eyes, losing herself in him, only opening them again when he set her on her feet.

They were in his bedroom, and the evening sun cast golden beams of light across the Aegean-blue carpet, pale blue walls, and ornate mahogany furniture. The centrepiece was a king-size four-poster bed, complete with lightly patterned blue drapes. The room’s decor wasn’t new, but somehow the cool colours suited Jake. They exuded an aura of solid dependability, just like him.

With a quick kiss on her lips, he slipped off her suit jacket and threw it on to the blue upholstered ottoman at the foot of the bed. The rest of her clothes followed one by one, with his lips worshipping each new spot of bare skin he exposed until she was standing before him in just her white lace bra and panties.

Blood rushed to her cheeks as his heated gaze roamed over her. “God, Molly,” he breathed almost reverentially. “You’re beautiful.”

His mouth captured hers and he moved her backwards until the back of her legs bumped against the bed. He broke the kiss, and she sat down on the thin blue summer duvet. 

Suddenly feeling bold, she smiled and reached for his belt buckle as he stood before her. “Your turn.” 

But he caught her hands with a grin. “Not yet, sweetheart. I’m way too on edge for you. Touch me now, and this whole thing will be over in a second.” Taking a step back, he pulled off his t-shirt and threw it with her clothes on top of the ottoman. 

She sat and stared at his broad athletic body, captured by the smooth way the defined muscles of his solid chest and arms flowed with his graceful movements. Short curls of golden hair covered his chest and trailed across his toned stomach to the waistband of his jeans. He was simply the most magnificent man she’d ever seen, and at least for now, he was all hers. The thought had her skin heating and wetness pooling down there, ruining her panties.

His hands moved to his belt buckle and her entranced gaze locked there as he slowly unbuckled the brown leather belt and unbuttoned his jeans before pulling them down and kicking free from them. 

His big erection pushed against his boxers, tenting the material, and heat flooded to her cheeks. She glanced up at him. He was watching her intently, his amber eyes narrowed. Hooking his thumbs in the waistband of his boxers, he pulled the material down and his rigid shaft sprang free. The size of him made her gulp. 

He ran a big hand slowly up and down his length as he approached her, and then placing a knee on the edge of the bed, bent over her and captured her mouth in a hungry kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and still kissing her, he half carried her further up the bed with him until she was lying back in the centre with his big body covering her. His erection pressed against her and she squirmed with need beneath him. 

Sliding a hand up behind her, he unclasped her bra and peeled it off, revealing her full pert breasts. He broke their kiss and cupped one mound, softly stroking its firm roundness before wrapping his lips around the hard tip and laving it with his tongue. 

Gasping, she dug her fingers into his hair and clasped his head. He flicked the sensitized nipple with his tongue and kneaded her other breast rhythmically before moving to anoint it too with his lips and tongue. And on a ragged groan, she arched against him.

He released her breast and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I have to taste more of you.” And he moved down her body, kissing a soft trail over her stomach all the way to the waistband of her panties. Sudden shyness grabbed her. Was he going to… Oh god, she’d never.

She levered up and placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Jake…”

But he shot her a crooked smile and ran his fingers down the dampness of her panties before pulling the material aside to find the wetness within. He slipped one finger inside her, then another, coating them with her juices. 

She dropped back on a moan, opening her legs for him as the rhythmic thrust of his thick fingers sent hot sparks racing through her. 

He took the opening and shouldering in between her legs, pressed his nose against her sodden underwear and inhaled. “Beautiful,” he growled. He pulled his fingers out of her and brought them to his mouth. “Sweet. I definitely need more.” 

Kneeling up, he pulled off her panties and threw them to the side, but when she tried to press her legs together, he stopped her, a hand on each thigh holding them apart. “Let me see you, Molly.” 

She held her breath, burning with embarrassment.

“You’re damn perfect, you know that?” And laying down between her legs again, he placed them over his shoulders and ran his tongue over the length of her sex. 

She gasped, but then her gasp turned into moans of pleasure when he ran his tongue in circles around her clit before wrapping his lips around the sensitive bud and sucking. 

Sensation built in her, the dull throb of her climax begging for release. “Jake… Please…”

He kept up the pressure on her clit, licking and sucking, his hands on her thighs holding her steady as she thrashed against him, until with a juddering cry she came undone and shattered into a million pieces against his mouth. 

He gently lapped her juices as she slowly re-pieced herself. “Once more, Molly. That was delicious.”

“I–I can’t.” No way could she survive another fall like that so soon.

But he didn’t stop, his tongue increasing its pressure against her sex, licking her inner folds before thrusting into her tight channel. She moaned as he thrust in and out of her, bringing her to an impossible peak once again. Slowly the wave of pleasure built and clamoured for release, and then he shifted and circled her clit with his tongue before nipping it lightly, she cried out and tumbled off the edge of another climax so powerful it left her shaking. 

As she lay there like boneless mush, he quickly moved up over her and covered her mouth with his, letting her taste herself on him. It was the most sensual thing she’d ever experienced and she buried her hands in his hair, pulling him closer. 

He shifted slightly, and without warning thrust deep into her wet channel, swallowing her moan with his mouth. He filled her completely, stretching her as he pulled out and plunged back in, going so deep, she ached. Grasping her hips, he angled her so that his thrusts hit her clit just right and she wrenched her mouth from his on a gasp. He built up speed, pounding into her in a merciless rhythm that sent electric sensation shooting through her as another climax unfurled.

“Come for me, sweetheart. Give it to me,” he gritted, stroking deep into her, and with a cry, she shuddered and stiffened and exploded beneath him, her channel milking his erection. One more thrust and he threw his head back on a guttural growl, shooting his warm seed deep into her from his pulsing shaft before collapsing against her, his breathing ragged. 

He lay panting, careful to keep most of his weight off her, and even as her limbs quivered with the aftermath of her orgasm, she rubbed his sweat-slicked back as he came down from his peak and his breathing steadied.

Eventually, he pulled away and she bit back the cry of loss that came to her lips, but he raised his head and took her mouth in a deep kiss before rolling on to his back and pulling her on top of him. Wrapping an arm around her, he kissed her hair and held her close, resting her cheek against his chest.

She closed her eyes and snuggled into his warmth. If this was heaven, she never wanted to leave. Here in the safe circle of his arms, it was even easy to pretend this was what love felt like.

Much later, they were huddled up in Jake’s bed finishing the sandwiches Nan had made. He wore nothing but a pair of grey jogging bottoms he’d pulled on before going to fetch the sandwiches from the other room, and she nestled deeper into the soft folds of the dark blue robe he’d wrapped around her, studiously avoiding staring at the naked expanse of his sculpted chest for fear of unconsciously reaching out to touch. They’d made love again and again, yet in many ways, she still couldn’t make that first move.

“Cold?” He placed their empty plate on the bedside table and reaching out, wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her to him. A quick shift and she found herself between his legs, backed up against his solid body, both his arms around her. “Better?” he murmured in her ear.

“Mmm.” She relaxed back into him, savouring the solid protection of his hold.

He buried his face in her hair. “Why do you hide away in this little village, Molly? You should be out in the world, turning heads.”

“Really?” She glanced back at him with a chuckle. “I’m here because Nan is. But seriously, you don’t have to flatter me, Jake.”

Grinning, he pressed a kiss to her upturned lips. “I’ll flatter you as much as I want.” He settled her against him again. “But I want to know more about you. What happened to your parents, Molly?”

She let out a breath. Her parents had died young, when she was a baby. That was as far as anyone in Appleby knew. Nan didn’t talk beyond that, saying her son Ricky wasn’t gossip fodder. But Jake didn’t feel like just anyone. “They died in a house fire in France.” His arms tightened around her and she tried to shrug off the familiar sense of loss. “It’s strange. I’ve only ever seen photos of them, but It’s like a piece of me was lost. Nan says they loved each other very much, so in some ways, I’m glad they were together in the end.”

“It was a terrible accident.” He kissed her hair again.

She hesitated, but she wanted him to know the truth. “It wasn’t an accident.”

If he was shocked, he gave nothing away, merely continuing to hold her tight. “What happened?”

“My mother’s mother, she wasn’t well… mentally. She never liked my father. Said an Englishman wasn’t good enough for her only daughter. After I was born, she tried to kill herself, but it was just a trick to bring my mother back to France. My father went to bring my mother back, and my grandmother set fire to the house the first night he was there. All three of them died. The police later told Nan and Grandad it had been deliberate. She’d planned it down to the last detail.”

He whistled. “Hell. And I thought I’d drawn the short straw in the family stakes.” He moved her so she was cradled in his lap, her cheek resting against his shoulder.

“Is your story happier than mine?” she asked, running gentle fingers over the short golden hairs on his chest.

“Happier?” A soft laugh rumbled through him. “Rather more ordinary, definitely.”

“Then cheer me up. Tell me.”

“There’s little to say.” He leaned back against the headboard, one arm behind his head, the other holding her. “I’m your typical rich kid who rebelled against god knows what and then had to have a healthy respect for life kicked back into him.”

She stared up at him. “I can’t imagine you as a rebel.”

“That I was, from the age of eleven to sixteen. It started with smuggled booze and plenty of fights, then parties and drugs. No one could have told me to stop.” He laughed. “No, that’s not entirely true. Lilayni did. She’s four years younger, but ever since I’ve known her, she’s trotted after me, lecturing me about everything.”