Page 16 of And They Had a Great Fall

“Jake, this could be bad. You should’ve told me right away. You have to get back on that set and show them what you can do. You’re better than this.” Roger continued, his voice getting louder. Jake often remarked that he lectured him more than Jake’s own father. Today would be no different.

“I get it,” he said, not hiding the irritation in his voice. “I screwed up. Reminding me of it isn’t helping.” All the worst-case scenarios only made him spiral further into his own self-loathing. This was the exact opposite of getting out of his head.

He paced the room, feeling a quiet panic building. He tried to calm the shake in his voice when he felt both of Kat’s hands on his shoulders, forcing him to stop pacing. She faced him, concern evident on her face. He tried to turn away, shrug off her hands, but she held him with a firm grip. She leaned up, and he felt a soft, slow kiss on his neck. She was silent as she gently licked the ear that wasn’t pressed up against the phone and brought her hands up the back of his shirt.

His head rolled back, he took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. He let his anxiety dissipate and flow through his breath. As Kat had counseled him earlier in the morning, he just breathed into it. This was more than desire. He understood it now. She was bringing him back to his body and away from the pressures he was creating in his mind. He wanted to hang up the phone, but Roger was working through schedules to do follow-up calls, including one to their PR team. He kept the phone on, but he was barely listening.

Kat didn’t stop at his neck. She slipped her hands past his waistband and took him in her hand, slowly moving up and downwith a gentle promise of what was to come. Jake bit his bottom lip to stop from groaning. He closed his eyes and let her make him feel good. He opened his eyes with the intention of putting his forehead on hers, but instead, she kneeled, slid his pants down, and took him in her mouth. There was no hesitation, only a light touch in every spot that sent electricity right through him.

“Goddammit,” slipped out of his mouth. She was killing him. He had to get off this call.

“What?” Roger said, confused.

Jake pulled the phone away from his ear and shouted, “Roger, text me the times. I’m hanging up now.” He hit end on the call and threw his phone on the chair.

Jake let out a groan that was nearly a growl. Feeling Kat’s mouth on him almost made him come undone the instant she’d touched him. She took full control, allowing him to turn off his mind and just be in the moment. So many women he’d slept with needed constant assurances and wanted him to initiate every move. He never knew if they were in it for him or because he was good for their own career or social following. He quickly learned that his rising star status also meant more people wanted to use him for their own good. But not Kat. Never her.

He ran his fingers through her hair and caressed her neck. He pulled her back and sank down to his knees so he could devour her lips. He went in for a deep, strong kiss, feverish and breathless as their hands became reacquainted with each other’s bodies. His movements were frantic as he tore at her clothes, pulling his own T-shirt over his head. Once they were rid of their clothes, he slowed down and took his time kissing her soft breasts. He knew every move, had explored every spot, and knew every way to touch her to make her whimper. They lay down on the floor, and Jake settled his body on top of hers. He loved the feel of her body under his.

The last woman he had been with flashed in his mind. She’d been some sort of model—Victoria’s Secret, maybe? He honestlycouldn’t remember. He had been able to see every rib and hip bone, just like himself. When they laid together, it had felt like bone on bone. He’d been so weirded out by the feeling that he never saw her again.

He felt Kat’s fingers brush his back and run all the way up to his neck. She playfully pulled his hair and crushed his lips with a hungry kiss.Oh, she wants it a little rough?He gave her a devilish smile before he nipped her shoulder. She let out a small giggle, and he felt her breath quicken. He moved back to her mouth and pushed his body even closer to hers. He was so lost in their kisses that he barely heard her say his name.

“Jake? Jake?” she breathed.

“What? What?” he asked. It came out almost as a moan. His mind was hazy with desire, his brain synapses were slow to fire.

“Condom? We need a condom,” she said as she bit his earlobe.

“Yes. Shit. Yes,” he said. God, he’d almost forgotten. She’d made him crazy and foggy. They were very close. He had never gotten this close without a condom. He got up and grabbed his pants a few feet away on the floor. He’d stashed one in the side pocket.

Kat raised her eyebrows. “You had a condom in your pocket? The whole day?”

“Well, rule number six had not been established yet,” he said shrugging his shoulders as he flashed her a smile. She let out a loud laugh.

He moved to the couch, sat down, and carefully rolled on the condom. He was planning to join her back on the floor, but as soon as he was done, Kat climbed in his lap. He almost came as she straddled him, her aggressiveness affecting him down to his core. Her lips kissed just under his ear. “Did you know you have a freckle right here?” she breathed. “It’s one of my favorite spots to do this …” she said, and Jake felt shivers up his spine as her tongue tickled his neck.

It was all he could do to hold back, but his body was entranced by her control. Once she lowered herself onto him, he felt her let out a long, low breath.

“Jake, why does this feel so good?” she whispered in his ear. She pressed her lips to his, and his mouth parted as their tongues met.

“Are you really asking me to answer that?” Jake breathed. He couldn’t believe she was talking. He was barely able to form a complete sentence. He put his hands on her hips, and she began to move, her eyes locked with his. She found a steady rhythm, her movements building momentum. He threw his head back and gazed at the ceiling. “Fuuuuck,” he said with a grimace as he tried not to end the moment too early.

She was right: this felt amazing, even perfect. It was the high of sex, but also the high of being with someone where it felt effortless. He loved how their bodies came together: he was all hard angles, cut, nearly sharp, whereas she was curvy and soft. She was his shelter, softness and release in a world that felt too hard.

Jake buried his face in her shoulder. “Oh God, I’m sorry,” he said. “That was fast. This is what happens when you tease me all damn day.”

She pushed his head off her shoulder and planted a kiss on his lips. “That was amazing. I needed that. I think we both needed that,” she said, sliding off him onto the couch. She lounged back and stretched her legs, laughing out loud.

Jake walked across the room to clean up. “Why are you laughing?!” he asked, the mild panic clear in his voice. He didn’t think what they had just done was worthy of laughter, no matter how brief it was.

“Look at the time,” she said. “We didn’t even make it twenty-four hours. After a year, I thought it might be at least a week or so, or never.”

“Never?” he asked. “I can’t imagine never.” He walked back over and joined her again on the couch. They weren’t done.

chapter eight

As Kat rested on top of the bed, she thanked the universe for the gift of Jake. She worked to catch her breath from the many times they had brought their bodies together. Earlier, they had found each other again, right there on the couch. It had been slow, deliberate, as if nothing else mattered other than bringing each other to the brink and then watching each other come apart.

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