Page 79 of The Love Rematch
“Not like that, you idiot. Have you never held a woman before? Around her hips.”
He grits his teeth, fighting the way his body responds as his arms slide around the small of her back. Involuntarily, he digs his fingers into her skin, itching to lay claim.
Perfect.
That’s how this feels.
Fucking perfect.
Jake rests his chin on her head, relishing the moment, and without prompting, Emily nuzzles into his chest. Her hair falls like silk across his skin. Her cheek is hot where it touches his pec. She sighs, softening just enough to make him wonder if the same thoughts are running through her head.
He doesn’t ever want to move, to leave. It’s everything he’s been missing.
And for the next thirty seconds, it’s his.
The instructor steps back. The cameras zoom in. A countdown begins, matching the thud of his heart. He’s never wanted time to stop so badly in his life—not because he’s scared of the drop, but because he knows once it’s over, he’ll never be here with her again.
“Ten,” the crew shouts. “Nine.”
He tightens his hold, squeezing her to him as if to never let go.
“Six. Five.”
“I’m sorry about this,” he whispers into her hair in one last desperate attempt to fool himself into believing the lines between them still exist.
“Don’t be,” she whispers back, burying her face deeper into his chest. Her heart pounds so hard he can feel it against his skin.Thud. Thud. Thud.She digs her fingers into his back and shifts ever so slightly. Her lips brush hotly over his flesh as she confesses, “It was my idea.”
“One!”
The world tilts on its axis and they fall.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
emily
They were only touchingfor five minutes, but three days later Emily still can’t scrub the feel of Jake from her skin. She’s trying. Oh, she’s trying. With a loofah. With other men’s kisses. With a very sassy internal dialogue. Nothing’s working. Every time she closes her eyes, he’s there, with his chest hard against her breasts, his hands firm around her waist, his breath hot on her neck, and his heart loud in her ear. They’d been in that position a hundred times before—hell, in more intimate positions—and yet, it had felt different after so many years apart. More significant. More tense. More deliciously sensual. Something about the crowd around them, the secret history between them, the cool air on their skin, and the rising heat within all merged to create a new experience, one that was dangerously exciting.
Then they fell.
All the lines between them disappeared in an instant. Emily screamed into his chest. He hollered into her hair. Their arms tightened. Their legs squeezed. Every ounce of space between them disappeared as they clung to each other for dear life, the trust between them as strong as it had been all those years before.
As suddenly as it came, it was over.
The adrenaline faded.
The walls resurrected.
He barely looked at her as the boat retrieved them. He didn’t say a word—maybe because they were mic’d, but Emily suspected that was an excuse. He wanted to keep her at arm’s length.
Why?
Seven years ago, she thought she understood. He wanted to go to LA. He had dreams, a future to seize. He didn’t want to be stuck in their small town, clinging to the past with his high school girlfriend. When the opening came, he ran. It hurt like hell, but she understood. She had New York. She had dreams, too. They’d known from the start they were on diverging paths. Maybe they could have made it work if he had wanted to, but he didn’t, and that was okay. Sort of. Maybe. Not really, but she got it.
Now, Emily is just confused.
He wants her, physically if not emotionally. That much is obvious. So why is he still determined to push her away? They’re older. They’re more established. No one will have to give up their dreams. Her job is flexible. She can move to LA. Heck, she’ll be a pseudo-celebrity in a matter of months. Maybe sheshouldbe in LA. Maybe it’ll be better for her business. Or maybe—
Stop, she silently commands.Just stop.
