Heat creeps up my cheeks. "Sorry, it's just..."
"Don't apologize for it,” he says, his breath hot against my ear. “I want to hear you."
Encouraged by his words, my next moan is louder, more unabashed as he lowers his mouth to suckle a nipple through my shirt. His hand dips beneath the waistband of my PJ bottoms. His touch is anything but subtle, so I cry out.
"Good girl. Don't hold back."
I moan again as he slides two fingers inside me, moving them in a rhythm that quickly builds my pleasure. "Jake, oh God..."
"That's it, baby." He kisses along my neck, his stubble rasping my skin. "Let me hear you."
I let every moan out because I can't help it. Not with Jake coaxing sounds from me I didn't know I could make. He's relentless, fingers working magic as they slide through my folds and circle my clit. Then, with a swift yank, my PJ bottoms are gone, leaving me exposed, vulnerable, and aching for him. I remove my top so I'm now standing naked in his kitchen.
Jake's gaze rakes over me, heat and something else in his eyes. Something that makes my chest tighten. "So beautiful," he murmurs. He strips off his tank top in one smooth motion, revealing the hard planes of his chest and abs.
I reach for him, craving the feel of his bare skin against mine. My fingers dance across the expanse of his muscular chest, tracing the contours of his firefighter-sculpted body, each ridge and valley a testament to his strength and heroism.
I'm barely aware of being lifted until my back slams against the cold surface of the fridge. It's a jolt back to reality, but the intensity in Jake's eyes pulls me under once more. With quick movements, he frees himself from his sweats, and my gaze falls to his arousal—imposing, eager, demanding attention. A shiver of anticipation runs down my spine as I think about how it's all for me. And how all of him is possibly going to fit.
My thighs squeeze his waist. "Please, Jake..." I whimper, squirming against him. I need him inside me, now.
"Fuck," he mutters, but I'm not sure what it's for. The anticipation? Is he regretting something? It honestly doesn't matter. He can have regrets in the morning. Right now, I just...
"Jake!" The name bursts from my lips as he enters me in one fluid motion, filling me completely, the sensation almost too much. I dig my nails into his shoulders, clinging to him as he begins to move.
Jake pounds into me, the fridge shaking with each thrust. "Say my name," he grunts. "Scream it."
I oblige, chanting it like a mantra as pleasure coils tighter within me. "Jake... Jake..." The world narrows down to just us, to the feeling of him moving inside me, to the building tension that threatens to break me apart.
His fingers dig into my hips, slamming me down onto him.
"Jake!" I scream as he hits just the right spot. "Jake, oh God..."
The tension is finally too much and my insides break—I'm calling out, my body shaking around him in waves of ecstasy that seem to go on forever.
With a final grunt, Jake follows, his release a hot surge that marks me as his. For a moment, we're suspended in the aftermath, panting, clinging to each other.
Then, with a rough kiss that promises more, he holds me securely in his arms and backs away from the fridge. "Round two in the bedroom?" he asks softly.
I kiss him in response.
Chapter 10
Jake
The first light of dawn sneaks through the curtains, and I blink into Sunday morning with a weight on the other side of the bed. Ellie's body is curled against mine, her soft breaths tickling my chest. For the first time since Sarah, I'm waking up with a woman in my bed. It should feel strange. Wrong, even. But it doesn't. Ellie's steady breath fills my ears, grounding me.
I roll over, taking in her sleeping form—the way her brown hair spills over the pillow, her glasses on the nightstand, her naked shoulder exposed and inviting. She fits here naturally, as if she's always been right beside me. The comfort of her presence soothes the ragged edges of my grief, worn but still capable of slicing open old wounds when I least expect it.
I want to keep this casual. Simple. Uncomplicated. But after yesterday, wrapped up in each other for hours, laughing and talking in between bouts of explosive sex, I can't deny I want more. My chest tightens at the thought of my plans that involve riding horses with her later today, showing her the ranch—my world. Charlotte will be home tomorrow and Ellie will be leaving, so I should savor...
I push the thought away, focusing on the present. I focus on Ellie's smooth skin and the curve of her hip under my hand. On her full breasts that are already puckering for me. I stroke my cock under the sheets, already hard and eager for this amazing woman. She stirs when I kiss her shoulder, a soft sigh escaping her lips, and my resolve to keep things simple blurs.
I move forward, sliding my cock between her thighs. She moans, arching into me, and my body burns. "Time for round fifty?" I whisper.
Her laugh rumbles against my chest. "Insatiable beast."
"Can't get enough of you." The words slip out before I can stop them. Too honest. Too real.