Chapter Nine
“Hey, boss, catch!”
Jake glanced up from his desk, catching the bag of burritos Faith threw his way with one hand, while hitting send on an email to the head of the fire board with the other, the grin on his face never slipping for a second.
“Thank you, ma’am.” Jake shut down his computer and bounced out of his chair, humming beneath his breath as he reached for his jacket and started to shrug it on, then glanced out the window at the picture-perfect Saturday afternoon and thought better of it.
It was almost sixty-five degrees out and the temp was still climbing. Summerville was enjoying a freakishly warm winter afternoon—maybe the last one of its kind until spring rolled around in a few months. It would be a sin not to get out and take advantage of the gorgeous weather, and Jake didn’t intend to do any sinning today.
“I’m out, Faith,” Jake said, throwing his jacket over his arm. “Tell Jamison to page me if any more urgent email comes in. If not, I’ll see you Tuesday.”
“Got it,” Faith said, then muttered beneath her breath. “The fundraisers are fun and all, but I’m going to be glad when work hours go back to normal.”
“I hear ya,” Jake said, heading for the door. “Thanks for the burritos.”
“You’re welcome, but you’re not eating both of those yourself, are you? Do I smell a lunch date?” Faith asked, watching him cross the room as she unloaded chips and salsa near the coffee station, getting them ready for the rest of the staff when they were dismissed from the arson detection course currently in progress in the cramped classroom at the rear of the station.
“Maybe, maybe not.” Jake didn’t try to hide his smile, but he didn’t offer any further information, either.
This thing with Naomi was too new. Even if he were the kind to kiss and tell, he didn’t feel ready to talk about the fact that he was dating his high school sweetheart. He didn’t want to talk about it; he just wanted to enjoy it, to enjoy her—her laugh, her smile, the way she stuttered when she was nervous, the way she sighed his name when he kissed her.
As he stepped out the front door into the unusually warm day, Jake pushed the last thought gently from his mind. He couldn’t think too much about kissing Naomi. It had taken him half an hour to talk his cock down his pant leg after their encounter in the janitor’s closet last night. It was safer to imagine other things, like the way she would smile when he announced he was kidnapping her for a surprise picnic. She had changed from the girl he’d known in many ways—good ways that had him falling for her even faster than he had the first time—but he had a feeling that an impromptu picnic would still be right up Naomi’s alley.
He paused on the sidewalk, waiting for a break in the line of passing vehicles so he could cross over to Icing, but when the last pickup truck eased past, he saw Naomi, already on her way across the street toward him.
She was wearing a long, peach-colored dress made of something filmy that billowed around her legs as she moved and a ring of daisies in her hair. She looked so damned cute it was all Jake could do to keep from swooping her into his arms and kissing her senseless right there on the sidewalk, in full view of the station and Faith, who was no doubt spying from the second-story window.
“I was just coming to see you,” Jake said, smiling as Naomi stopped beside him, unable to resist the urge to reach out and tuck a stray curl behind her ear. “You look like summertime.”
“Oh, this?” Naomi laughed and gestured nervously to the flowers in her hair. “Maddie made us all put them on this morning after the sink broke for the third time. It’s something she and her friends used to do on the island. She says flowers in your hair bring good fortune.”
“Well, they certainly brought a beautiful day, and I think we should go enjoy it.” Jake held up the white bag. “I’ve got burritos for two and picnic blankets in the car.”
“You do?” Naomi glanced uncertainly down at the bag, temptation and regret warring on her features. “That sounds amazing, but I-I probably shouldn’t. Everything’s falling apart in there, and I think Maddie is close to a nervous breakdown, which is ridiculous considering she’s the one who refuses to let me hire a crew to help with the renovation.” Naomi flapped one arm in the general direction of the bakery as she rolled her eyes. “I mean, even Aria is on board with letting me foot the bill at this point, and she’s not even my sister, so I don’t—”
“You’re nervous,” Jake said, cutting her off mid-rant, capturing her hand in his and giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. “Why?”
Naomi’s breath rushed out. “I don’t know,” she said, gaze falling to the concrete. “I felt like I should come talk to you. About some…stuff. But this morning has been awful—everything is breaking, Maddie and Mick are fighting, and Aria is freaked out that we’re not going to be open by Christmas Eve Day the way we planned and now you have burritos and I just…I don’t want to talk.”
“Then don’t,” Jake said. “We talked last night. I feel good about what we decided. Don’t you?”
Naomi nodded and her fingers curled around his hand, even that simple caress enough to make his heart do funny things in his chest. Things that made him so damned happy and hopeful he wasn’t about to let Naomi’s nerves get in the way of what they’d started.
“Then we’re good,” he said. “Just relax. You always did think too much.”
“I know,” Naomi said, her blue eyes still vaguely troubled. “I just don’t want to do anything to mess this up.”
“Then you won’t,” Jake said, stepping closer.
He leaned down to press a soft kiss to the top of her head, catching a whiff of that smell that would always remind him of Naomi—a mix of her perfume and coconut shampoo and the sweet smell of her skin that was enough to get him hard all over again. Waiting to be together was going to be torture, but it was the right thing to do. He didn’t want to sleep with Naomi until they were both sure this was going to last because once he had her in his bed, Jake had a feeling he would never let her go.
“Come on,” he said, starting for his truck, Naomi’s hand still held tight in his. “Let me kidnap you for an hour.”
Naomi hesitated, casting a glance across the street.
A moment later, her sister—wearing a matching flower chain in her hair that made Jake smile—stuck her head out the front door.
“Go wherever he wants you to go,” Maddie called out. “We’ll see you whenever you get back.”
“Are you sure?” Naomi asked. “I don’t want to leave if you need me.”
“Mick got the water shut off. Aria is mopping up the mess, and I’m making three dozen cookies to make everyone feel better.” Maddie made a shooing gesture. “Go, have fun, and come back ready to sign checks because I’m hiring a plumber and an electrician.”
Naomi’s shoulders relaxed. “Hallelujah!” She turned back to Jake with a smile brighter than the sun reflecting off the gold streaks in her hair. “Let’s go. Hurry, before something else falls apart.”
She skipped past him toward his truck, tugging him along by the hand before Jake laughed and broke into a jog with her, deciding instantly that running away with Naomi was so much better than running away from her.
So much damned better.
***
“I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” Naomi moaned as she fell onto her back on the thick, Mexican blanket Jake had spread down for their picnic.
“I’m proud of you. A lesser woman would have quit halfway through,” Jake said, smiling as Naomi laughed.
“I wish I had. I think I’m going into a food coma.”
“All part of the fun.” He glanced down at her pretty face, so content he was sure he could stay here on this blanket with Naomi for the rest of his life and be perfectly happy.
With the last of the winter wheat waving gently around them, it felt like they were in their own little world, adrift on a golden sea in a ship made for two. The sun was giving off enough heat that Jake had stripped down to his undershirt and Naomi had lifted her gauzy dress to sun her legs as they ate.
And now, with her lying beside him, her arms up over her head and her eyes closed to soak in the warm rays, she looked good enough to eat. All he wanted was to cover her body with his own, let his lips play down her throat to the top of her sleeveless dress and use his teeth to tug away the thin fabric, baring those gorgeous breasts he hadn’t seen in far too long…
He could almost feel the way her nipple would tighten beneath his lips before her drew the tip into his mouth and trapped it there, teasing her with his tongue until her breath came faster and her fingers fisted in his hair. He could imagine the way she’d moan and spread her legs, inviting him to slide his hand beneath her skirt, up her bare thigh to where she would be as hot and wet as she was last night.
Jake took a deep breath, stifling the groan seconds away from escaping his throat. If he didn’t stop thinking about the way Naomi’s body had gripped his fingers, the way she’d clutched his shoulders and cried out as her head fell back, he was going to roll over and take her right here, within sight of County Road Fifty-Six, where a dozen people they both knew could drive by at any moment.
“Let’s go for a walk,” he said, coming to his feet, ignoring the tight feeling in his jeans. “It will help work through the food coma.”
Not to mention his raging case of mid-afternoon lust.
“Don’t you need to get back to work soon?” Naomi asked, shielding her eyes from the sun as she reached a hand up toward him.
Jake helped her up, waiting as she slid her bare feet back into her silver flats, even that innocent flash of skin making him want to pull her back down to the blanket and kiss every one of her toes.
“Probably not. I usually get off at noon on Saturdays,” he said, clearing his throat, willing himself to get a grip. “I’ve been sticking around later the past two weeks because our schedules are messed up to accommodate the fundraisers, but unless some unexpected emails come in, I shouldn’t have to go back. The rest of the crew can handle the emergencies, the chief is only vital for dealing with the fire board and the city council.”
Naomi smiled at him as she took his hand again, letting him lead the way across the field. “That’s pretty impressive. I’m proud of you.”
“For wrangling email?” Jake asked with a wink.
“For making chief so young,” she said. “Aren’t there a lot of older guys still with the department?”
Jake shrugged. “There are a couple, but once my dad retired, a lot of the guys he worked with followed not long after. Kevin and Harry are the only ones left from the old guard, and they didn’t have much interest in the promotion. They preferred to go on volunteer status and let someone else step up to chief.”
“I get it,” Naomi said, nodding. “Some people would rather follow. I’m like that.”
Jake laughed and shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No, I’m not kidding,” she said, grinning. “I know I can be bossy, but only when I have to be. I honestly prefer to be told what to do, as long as the person in charge knows what they’re doing. By the third year of my show, my assistant, Li, was managing almost everything. All I had to do was come up with menus, give her an ingredient list a week before, and show up on set.” She sighed as she turned to stare out at the gently waving wheat. “It was nice.”
Jake squeezed her hand, hesitating to ask the question hovering on his lips. But then he remembered the promises they’d made last night. They weren’t keeping secrets, and for him that promise included asking questions he might not like the answers to.
“Do you ever think you’ll go back?” he asked. “Start doing the show again?”
Naomi shook her head. “I usually never say never, but…it feels like that part of my life is over. It was great fun and I loved it, but I don’t miss it.” She looked up at him, the peaceful expression on her face making him believe her as much as her words. “I’m ready for something new, a fresh start with the focus on my family and hopefully a new baby sometime soon.”
“Have you ever thought of having a child of your own? Instead of adopting?” Jake asked in an even tone, careful not to let on that he knew about the baby she’d lost. Naomi wouldn’t like it that her brother had revealed her private business, no matter how innocently.
Naomi shrugged and turned to look out across the field again. “I’m already thirty-three. I think I’m too old for that kind of motherhood.”
“You’re not too old,” Jake said. “You still look like you’re eighteen.”
Naomi laughed. “I do not, but thank you.” She stopped, lifting a finger to point to the edge of the field, obviously ready to put an end to talk of babies. “Is that your dad’s place?”
“It is,” Jake said, ignoring the disappointment that flashed through his chest.
Naomi would tell him about her loss when she was ready. She wasn’t breaking the promise she’d made; she was managing her grief the way that seemed best to her. If anyone could understand not wanting to talk about the person you’ve lost, it was Jake, so he didn’t push her. He just simply held her hand a little tighter and aimed them toward his father’s back yard.
“I thought we could swing by and check up on the place while we were out here,” he said. “Dad’s spending a year in Alaska hunting with an old Navy buddy, so Jamison and I take turns making sure the house is holding up.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t realize where we were,” Naomi said, twisting to get a look at the entire field. “But this used to be fenced in for horses, right?”
“Uncle Bill had his horses here,” Jake confirmed as they reached the edge of his dad’s property. “But he sold them about four years back. Since then, Aunt Clare’s been planting winter wheat here.”
Naomi hummed beneath her breath. “Aunt Clare is the one with the glass eye and the shotgun collection, right?”
“Yep.” Jake held the gate open, waiting while Naomi passed beneath his arm.
“Is she going to take a switch to us when she finds out we picnicked on her crop?” Naomi asked, making Jake laugh.
“No, seriously,” she continued, eyebrows drawing together. “There are people I wouldn’t mind crossing, people I wouldn’t cross with a gun to my back, and then there’s Aunt Clare.”
Jake chuckled as he recaptured Naomi’s hand, grateful that he didn’t have to resist the urge to touch her. “We didn’t hurt anything, and Jamison and I run the combine for her come harvest. Aunt Clare will have no idea we were ever here.”
“Oh, good,” Naomi said with a relieved sigh.
“Want to come inside?” Jake asked, jabbing a thumb toward the house. “You’re welcome to, but I’ll warn you that Dad’s housekeeping has gotten even worse since me and Jamison moved out.”
Naomi wrinkled her nose. “I’ll wait here. No offense, but your dad’s housekeeping was bad enough back in the day. Remember that time we found an onion tree in his pantry?”
“I do. He made me and Jamison eat the damned thing in a nasty soup he cooked up a few days later.” He leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to Naomi’s cheek. “I’ll be back in ten.”
“I’ll be here,” Naomi said, her voice breathy, making Jake think he wasn’t the only one affected by the chemistry between them. Even kissing her cheek was enough to make his blood pump faster and his chest tighten.
He completed his walkthrough of the house in record time—bumping up the thermostat to make sure the pipes wouldn’t freeze as the nights grew colder, and checking to make sure Jamison had taken out the trash after his friend from Atlanta used the house last weekend—and was back outside in five minutes, but Naomi was nowhere to be seen.
Jake paused, spinning in a slow circle to survey the backyard. He was about to call her name when her voice sounded from up in the trees—
“I’m up here,” she said. “In the tree house. It looks almost exactly the same!”
Jake tilted his head back to see Naomi hanging out the window they’d installed together, back when they’d spent the summer between their junior and senior year of high school transforming the tree house into their own private hideaway. They’d added a room, run electric from the house, and made a bed out of foam and an old feather mattress that they’d covered with plastic sheeting when it wasn’t in use. It had eventually gotten moldy and had to be thrown out, but not before they’d made some memories on the thing.
As Jake climbed up the wooden ladder, those memories flashed on his mental screen. Memories of Naomi in nothing but a bikini top and cut off shorts, swaying back and forth in the hammock while she read their summer reading assignment aloud and Jake puttered with his carving knife, whittling a piece in the chess set he was making her for her birthday. Memories of picnics and evenings spent telling ghost stories and nights spent in the bed they’d made, making love until eleven minutes to midnight, leaving themselves two minutes to get dressed, one to get down the tree to Jake’s truck, and seven to scoot across town to the Whitehouse’s place by Naomi’s curfew.
They were some of his best memories, he realized, and some of the most wonderful moments in his life. For the first time in years, it felt okay to admit that and—when he reached the top of the ladder, meeting Naomi’s gaze across the refuge from the world they had made when they were kids—he knew she felt the same way.
Years had passed, and they had both suffered and celebrated and changed from the people they’d once been, but in each other’s arms they would always be home.
They crossed the room and came together without a word, mouths meeting with enough heat to melt something inside of Jake. As their tongues danced and Naomi’s hands gripped his shoulders as he eased her to the leaf-strewn floorboards, Jake felt all his good intentions fading away.
It might be smarter to wait to be with Naomi, but right now he didn’t care about smart, he only cared that the woman he was falling in love with all over again was in his arms, hooking her leg around his waist as he fisted her skirt in his hand, slowly drawing the silky fabric up to bare her even softer thigh.