Page 71 of Score to Settle
He gives a half smile. “Because you wanted to keep things professional. I knew you’d put all your walls up and go into journalist mode. If promising not to kiss you was the only way to spend time with the amazing woman I was getting to know, then I was going to make it.” He drops a kiss to the top of my head, his hand moving through my hair. “Why did you become a journalist?” Jake asks.
I take a sip of champagne before I reply. “Because it’s what my dad did and I’ve always loved writing.”
“But you prefer writing your novel?”
“Yes, but it’s not that simple. Only the best can earn a living writing novels. I don’t know if I’ll even write another one.”
“How do you become the best at writing novels?” he asks.
“By writing novels, I guess,” I reply. “Except harder. It’s like me throwing a ball around for a few weeks and then trying out to join the Stormhawks.”
“True,” he says. “But do you know something? I was terrible at football when I was younger.”
I shove his arm. “You were not.”
He makes a face.
“Really? I’m adding that to the feature.”
He chuckles. “Go ahead. It’s true. Every practice Mama took us to was the same. I could throw the ball, but I couldn’t catch the damn thing. I kept trying to quit because I knew I was terrible, but Mama wouldn’t let me. She said, ‘You love football, right?’ and I did. And so she said, ‘We don’t give up on what we love.’
“I kept going back to practice. Week after week. Month after month. Dylan would spend hours in the evening with me, just throwing the ball back and forth. Eventually, I got good at it. Then I kept practicing and practicing and then I got really good at it. What I’m saying is, I wasn’t born a great football player. I wasn’t destined to play in the NFL. I worked at it. I worked real hard and I still do, because it’s what I love. So if writing novels is what you love, you need to keep working at it, right?”
I stare at the night sky and let Jake’s words settle into me. Less than six months ago, I was packing my bags from a New York apartment I couldn’t afford and coming back to Denver half destroyed. For a long time, the thought of doing anything more than sleeping on Mia’s couch, hitting the gym, and then showing up at a job I didn’t feel I deserved seemed impossible. I started my novel as a way to escape, knowing even as the pages filled that I was too scared of what people would think to ever try to publish it.
I know I’m stronger now. Part of that is Mia’s unwavering support. She’s the one person in my life who gets me, who has always had my back, no matter what. And now there’s Jake too. He believes in me when I barely believe in myself. Am I prepared to put myself and my writing out into the world and see what happens? I draw in a long breath, uncertain but excited too, for a future doing what I love. A future with Jake in it.
THIRTY-FIVE
JAKE
The string lights twinkle above us as I draw Harper toward me and into a slow, tantalizing kiss. My dick starts to press against my jeans as heat builds between us. I’m always so damn ready for her…
I trail a line of kisses down her neck. “I know it’s cold out here, but…”
“It is pretty cold,” she replies as my hand moves over the curves of her body through her clothes. “But it’s warm under these blankets.”
“And we can make our own heat,” I murmur.
She laughs softly, but it turns into a small gasp as my lips find the sensitive spot just below her ear. I pull her closer, our bodies pressed tight beneath the blankets. My hands slide under her sweater, meeting the smooth, warm skin of her back. I take my time exploring her body, feeling her shiver at my touch as our kiss deepens, the electricity between us sparking brighter with every passing second.
“Jake,” she breathes, arching into me. The way she says my name—that need—makes my dick stir. I tug her sweater over her head and unhook her bra, freeing her perfect breasts. Her nipples are already taut in the cool air, and I lower my head,taking one in my mouth and swirling my tongue around the sensitive peak. Harper moans and tangles her fingers in my hair, tugging.
I lavish attention on her other breast before kissing a path down her body. Unbuttoning her jeans, I peel them down her legs, along with her panties. Harper shivers slightly and I grab another blanket, draping it over us, creating a private cocoon of warmth.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous.”
I settle between her thighs, kissing a slow path down her stomach. Her skin quivers beneath my lips, and when I reach her center, I take a moment to admire how ready she is for me too.
“Let me warm you up,” I murmur against her skin before running my tongue along her slit in a long, deliberate stroke.
“Fuck,” Harper whimpers, her hips lifting off the cushions.
I stroke her clit with the tip of my tongue. She’s so wet, so responsive. Every sound she makes telling me she wants me to give her more. I slide a finger inside her tight heat, pumping in and out as I bring her closer to the edge with my tongue.
“Jake!” she moans as her thighs start to tremble. She writhes beneath me as I continue licking and sucking. I slide in another finger, curling them just right to hit that sensitive spot inside. Harper cries out, back arching off the ground.
“So fucking beautiful,” I murmur again before sealing my lips around her clit. I pump my fingers faster, flicking my tongue rapidly. She’s close, so deliciously close. Which is when I draw back, moving away and trailing my lips along the smooth skin of her inner thighs. I take my time, licking and nipping playfully, teasing her sensitive flesh before slowly returning to her center. Slowly at first, letting her pleasure build again until her thighs start to quake and tense around my head. Then I pick up speed, licking and sucking as my fingers slide into her tight, wet pussy once more.
