His grin curled her toes. “First of all,” he said, “I needed to earn my keep. And second of all...” He crossed the room and scooped her up on her toes for a fast, breath-stealing kiss. “I wanted you to be free for whatever comes next.”
“And what would that be?”
“Lady’s choice.”
She nuzzled her cheek against his broad, hard chest, listening to the steady ka-thump of his heart. “What if we start by drinking cheap wine in the dark and enjoying the Christmas tree?”
“Cheap wine?”
“You tell me.” She threw open the cabinet where she kept a single bottle of red and then opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles of chardonnay. “Your pick.”
He winced. “I could have brought some.”
“I suppose a man who visits fancy vineyards in France and Italy is above five-dollar vino?”
Jake’s expression was droll. “If you paid five dollars for these, you were robbed.”
His disgust made her giggle, though she was breathless with wanting him. “How about coffee? I have some beans in the freezer. And a grinder. Though it’s probably dusty,” she admitted.
He cupped her face in his big hands and kissed her eyelids one at a time, his expression searing and intense. “How about a glass of water, and then we go make out on your couch?”
“I’m fine without the water,” she gasped. They were pressed together so closely she could feel the hard length of him against her abdomen. “And we could go straight to the bedroom.”
Jake was suddenly the one with patience. “Tree first, woman. We worked hard on that masterpiece.”
He took her by the hand and drew her down the hall to the living room. Nikki had opened the drapes before she put Emma to bed. Now, streetlights illuminated the heavily falling snow. The tree cast a warm glow over the room.
“You couldn’t have driven home, anyway,” Nikki muttered. “Look at it out there. Did you bring an overnight bag? You should grab your stuff from the car before it gets any worse.”
Jake sat down and pulled her onto his lap. “You agreed to make out with me. Don’t change the subject. And yes. I packed a few things. Just in case.”
Nikki shivered. How many times over the years had the two of them fooled around like this? When she was in high school and Jake was in college, she had lived for the weekends when he came home to Falling Brook. He’d told his mother he needed to wash clothes. He’d told Nikki he needed her.
Now, Jake’s hands were everywhere...caressing, arousing. When he stroked the center seam of her leggings, the one that lined up with her aching sex, she arched into him and whimpered. “Yes, Jake. Yes.”
They kissed ravenously, straining to get closer and closer still. His lips bruised hers. His hands tangled in her hair. “I want you, Nik. I haven’t been able to think about anything else but making love to you since I brought you home Saturday night. Please tell me I’m not the only one with this obsession.”
“You’re not,” she panted, her tongue soothing the small hickey she had left on his neck. “Where are the condoms? Don’t say they’re in the car.”
He shoved her aside and jumped to his feet, reaching for his billfold. “Two,” he croaked. “Right here.”
“Good.” She stood also, then stripped her sweater over her head. The house was warm, but her nipples furled tightly when Jake reached for her, his gaze hot.
“Let me help you with that bra,” he said. Seconds later, the bra was in the air and Jake was sitting on the sofa again with her on his lap so he could play with her breasts. He plumped them between his hands and buried his face between them, inhaling her scent. “You still wear the same perfume,” he said softly.
“Yes.”
“I caught a whiff in a department store one time and got a hard-on. I love the way it smells on your warm skin. I could eat you up, Nik.” Then he caught one nipple between his teeth and tugged. That simple contact sparked fireworks all over her body.
When she cried out, he glanced up at her, his cheeks flushed. “Too much?”
She smoothed his hair with a shaky hand. “No, Jake. Never too much.”
He rewarded that confession by giving the neglected nipple equal time. In moments, Nikki’s knees were weak and the thrum of arousal low in her belly was impossible to ignore. “Take off my pants,” she begged, standing up clumsily.
The stretchy fabric cooperated easily when Jake slid his hands inside and dragged her pants down her legs. He took her ballet flats, too, leaving her in nothing but a pair of lacy black undies.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed, his expression reverent.