Page 39 of Jacob

He followed, chewing on rebuttals, trying to choose them wisely when she pulled keys from her pocket. He realized the sedan they’d reached was hers and his window to refute her arguments was closing.

As her hand reached for the handle, his arm shot out and his palm slammed against it, effectively keeping it closed. Startled, she turned, her back to the side of the car. He stepped to her and caged her in when his other hand planted against the side of the sedan. He locked his gaze on hers, searching her as though he could somehow read her mind this way.

Time to go all in.

“You showed up at the rally singing on a damn picnic table and have been living in my brain ever fucking since. I can’t shake you and I don’t fucking want to.” He paused and licked his bottom lip as he cupped her face with both hands, studying her eyes. The low light didn’t do justice to the green he’d seen as a teen. He lowered and pressed his forehead against hers. “You asked me to write letters. I wrote god damn letters. I kept coming to Ohio for you. You like lollipops, I got you lollipops. You sang Metallica, I learned to play guitar and I sang Metallica.” He pulled away and looked her in the eye again, and saw she’d welled with tears and bit her bottom lip. His chest pinched, but he had to say it. He had one more thing to say. Using the pad of his thumb, he swiped the lone tear that dripped down her cheek. “Nothing else matters.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and more tears fell. He fought the urge to wipe them from her cheeks. When she wedged her hands between the two of them and placed her palms on his chest, he wasn’t prepared. The pressure forced him back a few paces as she pushed.

Allowing a few feet between them, Jacob stood slack-jawed, stunned as she wiped at her face, sniffling. Turning away from him, she stared at the fence that lined the parking lot behind her car while biting her lips together.

For the first time since he’d started talking to her, admitting his feelings for her, his heart raced. Telling her the truth, telling her everything felt so natural he’d actually only expected her to reciprocate. Any other option hadn’t occurred to him. This response hadn’t even occurred to him.

When she faced him again with a glare, to say he was unprepared was an understatement. As her fingers curled into fists at her sides and the guttural growl rumbled deep in the back of her throat, he started to plan an escape route. He’d done everything right—he’d gotten her a gift, he’d made the romantic gesture, what thefuckelse did shewant?

“What am I supposed todowith that?” she demanded.

What was shesupposed to do with that? Oh, he’d show her what she could do with that. Two short strides had his chest against hers. He gripped her hips and pulled her harder against him, his eyes met hers, giving her one—two—three—four—five to stop him.

Lowering his head, he pressed his lips over hers and closed his eyes. This wasn’t a gentle brush. This wasn’t soft and tender. Digging his fingers into her hips, he pressed harder against her mouth as he kissed her with every ounce of attraction that’d been building since the start of their teenage crush. He let it surge through him and poured it all into that kiss.

Chapter 22

Sparrow

Without warning, Jacob’s mouth crashed down on Sparrow’s. And it was gone. Her self-control, her decency, her head. Gone.

Nine years of heated tension between them culminated and, perhaps the booze she’d consumed, aided her in giving in. As her heart threatened to burst through her chest, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck as she returned his fiery passion.

The intoxicating smell of leather and cigarettes combined with the feel of his beard and mustache tickling her face as he unleashed an unfettered need for her, had her head swimming.

The delicious pang of pain when his fingers dug into her hips, yanking her against his hard body had her squeezing her thighs together as her body heated, greedy and aching to know more of him.

She’d lost her mind.

Groaning, memories of the one and only other time they’d ever kissed flooded her mind and her body, sending shooting tingles from head to toe. The sensations pooled in her core, convincing her she’d must have passed out somewhere along the way, and this had to be another one of her fantasy dreams starring Jacob because there was no way this was real.

Tilting his head, deepening their kiss further, she felt claimed. He commanded her submission in the kiss. He stoked her fires with each swipe and nip at her lips and, God help her, she wanted more.

Gone were the inexperienced kisses of their youth. Jacob had grown into a powerful man, and this kiss proved it. This was no longer an innocent romantic moment. He greedily devoured her mouth using his tongue to dominate hers. If a kiss could be punishing, her lips were taking it. Years of raw uninhibited longing were embodied in that kiss. She’d hungered for it as much as he did. And now they were both taking their fill.

When he broke the kiss, panting wildly, she saw the feralness in his eyes. If it weren’t for the car behind her and his hands, she’d be a puddle on the ground. One of his hands released her hip, leaving a chill in its place as he raked his fingers through his hair. He seemed to survey the area.

Slowly, she glanced around as well.Shit. Someone could have seen her.Fuck. Someone with a patch. Even worse, someone with a property patch.Jesus fucking Christ, what the hell was she thinking?

With a tug of her wrist by his paw-like rough hand, she felt as though she were pulled from reality once again and back into her dream. Dreams didn’t have consequences. This was a dream, just a dream. She followed him to the back of her car, out of the view of the main lot and into the yellow cone of light from the lamppost.

As he twisted her, the situation felt surreal. The chill of her bumper contrasted with the heat radiating off him. Shivers rippled through her body, tightening her nipples against the lace of her bra, which only made her that much more aware of their peaking into hardened pebbles.

The corner of his mouth turned up in a half-smile as he crouched down and claimed her again. Another soul-crushing kiss elicited a moan from deep within her as he possessed her. She melted against him.

White-hot fire roved over her hips, cupped her ass cheeks, and lifted her up onto the trunk of her car. Her stomach fluttered, her center ached in need for him. Her own hands slid down his chest and found the hem of his shirt. Trailing along the edge, she couldn’t help herself and slipped them under.

As her hands grazed the stubble of his stomach, she gasped at the feel of his sinking into the back of her jeans and gripping two handfuls of the globes of her ass. Breaking the kiss again, he pulled his head back. “Fuck,” he growled, then ducked his head and nipped at her neck. “I want you out of these shorts.”

She wanted out of these shorts.

His hands moved over her hips and she didn’t stop him as she undid the button and then dragged down her zipper. Then he met her eye. Those gorgeous icy blue eyes reflected the animalistic desire and she’d never seen anything like it before—fucking hot.

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