Page 10 of Jacob

“Jake. How?—”

He kissed her.

It came out of nowhere, like a desert storm, overwhelming and unstoppable. He’d spent the entire day rehearsing what he was going to say to her. How to explain his absence, how to show her he hadn’t stopped thinking of her for eighteen long years. And most importantly, how whatever problem she had was now his. He’d gone over the words in his head, gamed his body language, thought through possible scenarios.

He’d been prepared for everything. For anger, bewilderment, distrust. Indifference, even. But nothing had prepared him for his reaction to being an inch from her, holding her, his heart thudding in his chest at her nearness. He couldn’t have known that the world would disappear, with only Alex left in it.

She was so freaking beautiful she nearly burned his eyes.

There was nothing in him that could resist her. He couldn’t speak. He had no words for her, only a flash of heat so intense it burned him up as he held her head and kissed her.

A hot wind was in his head and it caught fire when his lips touched hers. He held her head in his hands, cradling it. Her skin was cold to the touch but her mouth was hot and her taste was rich. Not a girl anymore. A woman. She tasted like hot spice and sex and he was going to stay here, kissing her, forever.

He dove straight into the deep kiss, fusing his mouth with hers, tongue tasting hers, so close he was breathing through her. He lifted just enough to take in a deep breath for both of them, then slanted his head to kiss her from another angle, tongue stroking deeply.

He couldn’t get close enough, fast enough.

All that soft, pale skin. He wanted to touch every inch of it, every inch ofher.Something in the way…

The buttons of her blouse opened like magic under his fingers. The buttons were small and his hands were large, but there was no force on earth that could stop him from touching her. The blouse gaped open and he smoothed his hand over her breasts, the skin as silky as the bra. He cupped her breast and she was just as perfect as he’d imagined she’d be. More.

He slid his fingers under the silk bra and ran his thumb over her nipple. They both shivered and Alex cried out, his mouth muffling the noise.

“Alex,” he whispered and she jolted.

Jake lifted his head, surprised. It felt like she’d received an electric shock and not in a good way. Wrenching her shoulders from his grasp, she sat up straight on the couch, ramming her fingers into her hair as if trying to keep her head from exploding.

“Alex,” Jake said again, voice low. He could see her pulse pounding along her throat.

She shoved him, hard, and scrambled up, awkward, as if her limbs wouldn’t obey her. For a moment, her legs were tangled in the blanket he’d used to cover her and he reached out a hand to steady her.

She stiffened. “Don’t touch me!” she cried, voice unsteady.

He withdrew his hand and waited, still on one knee, looking up at her. Alex was standing, staring down at him in horror.

Jake understood body language very well, particularly the language of dominance. It was a language he’d spoken forever. He’d always been tall and muscular. Strong. He could overwhelm almost all civilians by height and body stance alone. No question he could intimidate a slender woman.

But he didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want to dominate Alex, so he stayed down on one knee. It was the position a gunman took when setting up a shot, but she wouldn’t know that. All she’d know was that he was kneeling before her, almost like a subject.

He stayed down and met her eyes.

Electricity crackled between them. He had to remind himself to breathe.

“It’s okay, Alex,” he murmured.

“Okay?Okay?” Her voice rose, shaky and breathless. “How can you say it’s okay? Do you—do you know where we are?”

Yes, he knew where they were. He remained silent. She was really smart. She’d figure it out once the clouds cleared in her head.

“We’re in Jacob Black’s office! I don’t know how you got here—I don’t even know howIgot here, but you…” her voice trailed off as she took a couple of steps back.

He watched her as she put it together.

“Oh my God.” She covered her mouth with a hand and reached out with another to grab a chair for balance. Jake rose slowly, staying a couple of feet away. He was much taller than she was and he didn’t want to intimidate her. “You,” she breathed.

He dipped his head once. “Yes. Me.”

Her eyes went round and she stared without blinking for a minute, two.

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