Page 55 of Free to Believe
“The last time you said that, you wound up involved with Michelle.” I cringe knowing she’s right.
“Should I stay locked in the past, or should I try to move forward?” I ask quietly. Dani stiffens under my arm as my aim strikes true.
“I know this is a family thing…” Brendan interrupts.
I glare at him. “You are family.”
“Then I’m going to add in my two cents’ worth. Before tonight, I would have never seen you together with Em. Now”—he shrugs—“I get it.” I begin to smile before his next words wipe that from my face. “It’s just…I know more than I can say. She has this enormous heart she keeps locked behind a barricade for reasons I can’t share, Jake. She’s only here for such a short time. You could be starting something that ultimately hurts both of you.”
“Is that what you thought when you and Dani first got together?” I demand.
He smiles over at my cousin—the woman who I know damn well aligns the stars in his sky. “No. And it wasn’t easy. But every moment of heartache we went through was worth it.”
Leaving my side and crossing over to Brendan, Dani slips her arms around him. “It was. But…”
Laying a finger on his lips, he shushes her before gently brushing his lips across hers. “But nothing, Dani. Jake needs to find his own path. All I will say is be careful, Jake. I know the Freemans. What you see with them isn’t what’s beneath the surface.”
I let that sink in. “It rarely is.”
* * *
Later that night,I’m standing beneath the rain shower trying to find some way to relax before I sleep. Water sluices over the back of my neck as I bow my head. Brendan’s words are echoing through my head, but they’re a distant warning in comparison to the replay of the kiss I stole from Emily in the moonlight.
When Michelle and I ended, I found discreet ways to take care of my needs when Jenna would be with my parents or Dani. I haven’t been a monk, but neither have I formed any kind of an emotional bond with a woman. Hell, half the time I walked away from the experience feeling just as empty as when I walked in.
It’s been two weeks and I already feel twisted up by Emily. Closing my eyes against the dripping water, I conjure up an image of her face. I never thought there’d be such fire buried beneath the ice. In the short time I’ve known her, I know she’s, brilliant, dedicated, warmhearted, fierce, independent, and a ball of flames in my arms.
Christ, I don’t know that there’s anything that could keep me from walking away.
Tipping my head back, my hand drops down my body until it circles my rock-hard cock. Bringing images of the woman consuming my thoughts to the forefront of my mind, I begin slowly stroking. Faster and faster, I can’t help it. The need, the want, the flash of desire she brings out in me. I can’t explain it. All I know is that it’s more. Bracing my legs apart, I throw my arm up against the tile in front of me as the tingle begins at the base of my spine.
When I explode, it’s Emily’s name that falls from my lips hoarsely.
30
Emily
With my leg almost completely healed, I’ve dragged my sewing machine out to the deck to finish the final topstitching on Jenna’s dress. She’ll be by in a little while to try it on, and all I can think is serenity. Now.
After last night, I need to be near the calming influence of the ocean as much as possible. What started out as a quick errand to pick up my sister’s box of goodies ended up as a barely veiled seduction. Lifting my foot from the pedal, I rub my hand over my tired eyes. It does me no good to take out my frustration on the dress. I’ll just end up ripping out stitches. That time-consuming task on the delicate fabric will make me more pissed than I already am.
Almost as irritated with myself as I am for imagining Jake’s face as I came on my own fingers last night.
I was so stimulated between the sound of his voice, the feel of his lips, and his hard body pressed against mine, I was drenched after I made my way back to the apartment. I didn’t even make it to the bed before I had slid my shorts to the floor. Sprawled out on the couch, I imagined how husky his voice would get as his mouth traveled down my body.
I’m still resentful of his effect over me. It lasted well beyond his lips tasting me, my own hands being on me, and well into my dreams where I imagined all the things I’d do to him if he was spread out before me like a buffet.
Unlike some of my family members, the traumas of my past didn’t inhibit my sexual desires. I appreciate a man’s sexuality—especially when it sparks my own.Which I must haveput into severe hibernation while I was with Bryan, I think derisively. That man had absolutely no creativity in the bedroom. I hope his next conquest enjoys the missionary position because dominance to that man involves him being on top. I can’t help but giggle.
“I really hope you’re not laughing about last night. It’d kill my ego,” Jake says from behind me. Spinning around, I see him holding two cups from Sacred Grinds. One’s decorated with “Em” and a bunch of flowers and smiley faces.
Going for a cool facade, I ask, “Did you have to pay extra for the artwork?”
One side of his lips cocks into a smile so hot, I really have to control the urge to cross my legs to stop my clit from throbbing as hard as it is. “Nope. That would be Lynne. She picked up Jenna’s shift this morning since Jenna was up half the night jabbering with Dani.” Stepping closer, I can smell the spice of his aftershave. “Here you go, lady. If you slept half as good as I did, I figured you might need this.”
“I slept fine.” For the three hours I managed to squeeze in right before the sun came up, I slept great. Then the vivid dreams of Jake started up again and I soon found myself rolling around my bed searching for something that wasn’t there.
He shakes his head—silently calling my bluff—even as he steps forward to rest his arms against the balcony. “Before the dress fitting begins, I wanted to talk with you.”
