Page 61 of Don't Game Me
Lots of laughing. Jake waited for it to die down.
“Okay, truth be told Noah had every right to be cocky. The guy’s a damned genius when his fingers touch a keyboard. In the last five minutes, he killed it in that competition, once I got his mind off the drink disaster. We won straight to the international level. He carried my ass all the way.”
Jake smiled. Everyone laughed.
“Then we took a risk. A huge risk. Dropped out of MIT. Your parents blame me, Noah, I know. Sorry, Carol and Connell. I know we caused more than one or two gray hairs in those early years. But it paid off. Really, really well.” Jake chuckled with the audience. “I’m so happy to be here. Tori, you look gorgeous. You look gorgeous all the time, but you’re stunning tonight. And, Noah, you look…like the same geek I see all the time.”
Noah waved to encourage laughter to die down. “If any of you know me, then you know I’ve had a revolving door of women over the years that Noah, and more recently Tori, have been witness to. Most of those women didn’t get the stamp of approval. Actually, none did. I’ve been exposed to one of the most devoted and beautiful relationships by seeing these two together. All I’ve been doing is trying to find something that can fulfill me the way that I see in you two. So, I raise my glass to you two. To a long lifetime together.”
Jake hopped up to unhook his phone and darted a quick glance at Becca.
“That was the most wonderful speech ever.” She dabbed at tears as she rose and pulled him into a hug. “Noah is so lucky to have you.” Then she laughed and stepped back. Her back hit the wall behind her. “He didn’t tell me about the Gatorade incident. Did you make that up?”
“No.”
“He must’ve been a wreck. Noah hates when his clothes are messed up by something like that. What was the other story you were going to tell?”
He grinned. “Noah begged me not to tell about this incident in undergrad that involved daring him to ask out the MIT head cheerleader. He crashed and burned dramatically, particularly because he didn’t know his fly was open when he went to ask her out.”
She nodded. “Yeah, good call skipping that story.”
His heart beat the crap out of his ribs as he traced her jaw with a finger. He was worried about her, but more than that he wanted last night again with her. “Everything took me off-guard this morning…last night. I…”
She chewed on her lower lip. Her hands found his chest, but she didn’t push him away. “Jake?” She exhaled a shaky breath and then leaned in, against him. “Once more? You and me.”
“I don’t know, Becca.” What the hell was he saying?You should be screaming, “YES!”
“It’s what we both want.”
“You’re right. I want you. But I want you to tell me what’s going on with your job first.” Her floral fragrance and the heat of her breaths against his skin pushed him over the edge of reason.
She slid her fingers down the planes of his chest. So slowly. He wished the shirt gone to feel her skin on his. “One more night. This time I have rules. Maybe we’ll do coffee tomorrow morning, but I’m taking a cab to the hotel and taking myself to the airport. No weird goodbye as I check in for the plane. This will be it. No acting like a jackass in the morning. No regrets. It’s just tonight.”
His mind lost focus on anything other than her touch as he muttered, “One more night.”
18
One more night. Way to go on distracting him away from that conversation.
All right, it was far more than a distraction. She wanted him, and the want drove her to craziness, like suggesting they have another night. Unlike him, though, she couldn’t do sex without emotions. Last night proved it. He’d already carved a place in her heart. One more night would ensure he stayed etched in there forever. The expected pain tomorrow, knowing he’d give up on them without a fight unrelated to what she’d done to his business, might be permanent. She was willing to sacrifice to experience that intensity once more.
Because no regrets. Not with the threat of being deemed a “loyalty conflict” when she returned, and not only by Symphis. She’d lose her brothers and Jake’s trust as well.
“Becca, are you sure?” He slid his thumbs down her neck to the junction of her collarbones. “One more night might not be a good idea.” Quietly, he added, “I’m not sure it’ll be enough.”
Her pulse beat madly. His touch burned a path that went bone deep, bruising her soul and awakening complicated emotions.
No more thinking. She let her body supersede her heart, choosing to give into sensation, even if it all she got with him was right now.
“Yes. I want this,” she said.
His lips landed against hers, hard and urgent. She opened her mouth with a whimper. He swept his tongue inside to tangle with hers. On a moan, he brought his large body flush with hers against the wall, pressing until all she felt was the heat of him everywhere her clothes were too tight.
She unbuttoned his dress shirt, pushed it off to see the inked geometric symbol over his shoulder, and kissed it. His eyes were now so dilated that his light-colored irises had almost disappeared. He claimed her mouth again and slid his hand up her ribcage, closing his fingers over the thin fabric covering one of her breasts and rubbing the nipple. She groaned, wishing the clothes were gone.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.
She smiled as she kissed her way down his neck.
