Page 23 of Finding Jacob
My stomach flipped.
“If I was gay, I’d find it hard to deny him,” Nathan whispered.
My eyes widened in shock at his comment. Nathan just laughed. “He’s quite commanding, for sure,” I replied.
The door was open, and there he was. The scent of him had my thighs wanting to clench, or open! His smile was seductive and his touch when he reached out to take my hand sent shock waves through me. I was stuck for words, my mouth too dry to speak. I was also frozen in place. That was until I felt a nudge in my ribs.
“If you’re not getting out, do you think I could?” Nathan asked.
I chuckled. “Sorry.” I took Jacob’s hand and climbed down the steps. He didn’t let go of my hand, pulling me closer to him.
“It’s good to see you again, Anna,” he said.
“I owe you an apology,” I said, and then smiled. “And it’s more than good to see you again,” I added, forgetting we weren’t alone. There was a small cough behind me.
“I’ll be off then,” Nathan said, winking at me.
“Will you be back later?” I asked. I suddenly needed him close.
“If you need me, yes.” He looked over to Jacob. “Take care of her,” he added, and I thought it an odd comment, not veryNathanat all.
Without speaking, and still holding my hand, Jacob led me away from the helipad. We stood beside the pool and watched it take off and head off to somewhere.
For some reason, or rather, for reasons I totally knew, I was nervous. I shouldn’t have been. Although not really knowing Jacob, I trusted him, but with the knowledge I had and he didn’t, I was starting to feel uncomfortable. However, blurting out such news wasn’t what I planned.
“This way,” Jacob said, crossing the grass.
My heels caught, and I stumbled. He caught me and pulled me to his side. Then, he lifted me up. I laughed, having not been carried for many years, in fact, probably not since childhood.
“Put me down,” I said, not meaning it for one second.
“As much as I’d love for you to fall at my feet, I don’t think your pretty outfit would look as good grass stained,” he replied, also laughing.
My heart swelled at his words. I snuggled into his neck, inhaling his scent. His hair was wet, as was his back. I fisted his shirt in my hands and resisted the strong urge to taste his skin.
“Just showered,” he said, as if answering an unspoken question.
“You smell nice,” I whispered, verbalising something that probably should have stayed in my mind.
He turned his head slightly so his cheek was close to mine. “And you smell edible.”
I didn’t have an answer, well, not one that was appropriate in that moment. But edible sounded very fine indeed.
Annoyingly, Jacob slowly put me down when we reached the edge of the lawn and I stepped onto what could only be described as an Italian marble grand terrace. Stone in colour, it was a complete contrast to the slate and glass walls of the house. I stood for a moment and just looked up.
“Wow,” I said, catching sight of the vast glass atrium and ornate lighting that hung down the middle of a circular staircase.
“I designed this house myself,” Jacob said, and I detected proudness in his voice.
“It’s stunning.”
“Let me show you around.”
He walked towards some stone steps leading to large double doors. He wiped his feet on a mat before taking my hand and leading me inside. It was cool and serene. Warm-coloured, light-taupe walls were adorned with the same style photographs that I’d seen in his New York apartment. Various shots of his childhood home were arranged in a square and in the middle was a shot of the house we now stood in.
It was a ‘then and now’ type collection. I stood to admire it.
“My childhood home,” Jacob said.
