Sunlight streamed across my face, warming my cheek. Yawning, I started to stretch when I realized I was imprisoned by two muscular, tattooed arms. When I tried squirming away, Jake tightened his hold on me. “Where do you think you’re going, Angel?” he murmured drowsily.
“Nowhere,” I replied. Glancing over my shoulder at him, I grinned. “I’m not used to waking up naked with a guy.”
Jake’s closed eyes popped open. “Hmm, that’s right. Since I’ve got you naked and in my arms, I think I should make the most of the moment. Don’t you?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Showing you just how much I love you,” he replied as he pushed me onto my back. He then began nibbling a moist trail over my shoulder, up my neck, and then finally after what felt like an eternity, his lips met mine.
Realizing I hadn’t brushed my teeth, I jerked back and covered my mouth. “Oh God, do I have morning breath?”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Angel, me and my morning wood couldn’t give a shit about whether or not you have morning breath.”
I giggled. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure, but maybe I should put my mouth somewhere else.”
I inhaled sharply as his lips closed over my nipple. I arched my back, allowing him to take more of my breast into his mouth. Swirling his tongue over the hardened peak, he then gently nibbled it, causing me to gasp. “You like that?”
“Mmm, hmm,” I murmured.
He chuckled as he kissed a trail over to my other breast to give it the same attention. “Let’s see how wet you are for me,” he said as he brought a hand between my legs. He stroked and caressed me until my hips were arching off the bed. “You like that too, huh?”
“Yes, Jake!”
But when he thrust two fingers inside me, I cried out from pain, rather than pleasure. He grimaced before withdrawing his fingers and tenderly kissed my cheek. “I’m sorry, Angel. I should’ve realized you would’ve been too sore this morning.”
“Ugh, this sucks!” My breaths came in harsh, frustrated pants. “I really wish it didn’t hurt because I do want you again. Very much.” I cupped his face in my hands. “I can’t tell you enough how last night was the most beautiful experience of my life, and I can’t wait to make love to you again.”
His genuine smile made my heartbeat accelerate. “We will. But I think we better give you a little while to recuperate.”
I grinned coyly at him. “If you just didn’t have such a big penis, I would be fine.”
Jake threw back his head and laughed. “Yeah, right. You wouldn’t know big from small.”
Sliding my hand between us, I cupped his erection in my hand. “I dunno. Seems pretty gigantic to me.”
“Hmm, now you’re just being a smartass and getting me riled up even more with no hope of getting off.”
When he tried to push my hand away, I shook my head. “Just because we can’t do it, do it, doesn’t mean I have to leave you unsatisfied.”
“And just what did you have in mind?”
I gave him a flirty wink as I sat up in the bed. “Taking care of my man.” I then rose up to straddle him. Ignoring the ache of both pain and pleasure at the position, I began kissing and licking my way down Jake’s tattooed chest. I boldly flicked my tongue out and circled both of his nipples, causing him to moan. Then I worked my way down his well-defined abs to that delicious V. Just before I got to his erection, I stopped. He whimpered in disappointed. “Patience, baby.”
“Don’t ‘baby’ me when you’re torturing me!” he argued.
With a laugh, my hand feathered across his abdomen and between his legs. I took his length in my hand and stroked it like he had taught me before. Gripping him tighter, I bent over to teasingly lick my tongue over the tip. I met Jake’s gaze, which burned into me with desire, before I slipped the head into my mouth.
“Oh fuck me,” Jake muttered as his head fell back against the pillow.
I grinned as I tried taking him further into my mouth. Fighting my gag reflex, I worked him in and out, stroking him with my hand as well. “Angel…Abby. Oh yeah, keep doing that. Damn, it feels so good,” he groaned, his hips bucking off the mattress.
Although I’d been mortified to get sex advice from Lily, I remembered she’d said to give a guy’s balls lots of attention. With my free hand, I cupped them gently, working them between my fingers. Jake grunted in pleasure, so I kept up my ministrations. One hand twisted into my hair while the other fisted the sheet. “Oh Angel, I’m gonna come.”
When he tried moving me off of him, I murmured, “No,” against his penis. I wanted to do everything I could for him, and that included letting him come in my mouth. My acknowledgement caused a low groan from deep in Jake’s throat before he began shuddering. When he came, it took me off guard for a minute, and I jumped, but I kept him in my mouth until he was done.
After swallowing hard, I let him fall from my mouth. I glanced up at him to gage how well my first blow job had gone. A lazy grin etched across his face. “Angel, do you even have to ask?”
I giggled as I snuggled against his side. “Yeah,” I replied.
“Fanfuckingtastic.” He kissed the crown of my head. “You’re good at everything you do, so I don’t know why you would doubt your sex abilities.”
I shrugged. “Because it’s all new for me, and you’re so experienced. I don’t want to be a disappointment.”
He brought his fingers to my chin and tipped my head up to meet his intense gaze. “The past is the past, remember? All that matters is you and me and the future. And I have no fucking complaints about anything, got it?”
“Okay, Mr. Bossy, I got it.”
He grinned. “Good, I’m glad to hear it.” He had just begun to kiss me again when I heard Susan’s voice from inside the barn. Jake jerked his lips away from mine.
“Jacob?”
“Yeah?” he called breathlessly.
“I’m cooking breakfast, so make sure you and Abby pry yourselves away from each other for some fortification, okay? I’ll expect you down in fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, Mama,” Jake replied.
“Oh God,” I gasped as mortification rocketed through me. Even though Susan had practically pushed me out the door to be with Jake, I was still horrified that she knew exactly what we had done and what we were still potentially doing.
Jake snickered at me. “Quit worrying, Angel. Mama isn’t going to be mad or shun us for what we did. Hell, she’s even cooked breakfast for us.”
“If you say so,” I murmured.
He then tugged me up from the bed and led me into the bathroom.
After a quick shower and one mind-blowing orgasm later from Jake’s magic mouth, I slipped into my robe and hurried across the yard to the house. I threw my partially wet hair into a ponytail before I slipped on a pair of jeans and shirt. I then padded down the hall to the kitchen. Susan was taking out a pan of homemade biscuits from the oven while Angel played on the floor. At the sight of me, Angel yapped happily and ran to my waiting arms.
“How’s my baby girl?” I asked as Angel licked my face.
“She’s better this morning, but last night, someone abandoned the poor thing, and she came scratching at my door,” Susan replied as she took a plate of bacon and sausage to the table.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry.”
She winked. “Don’t worry honey. You had bigger things on your mind last night.” When my cheeks flushed, she laughed. “Besides, I enjoyed having her with me. She makes a wonderful bed buddy.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Jake arrived then, and we sat down to eat. I would be lying if I said my exertions the night before along with this morning hadn’t made me starved. I ate until I felt like my stomach would explode. When we were finished, Susan stared intently at me before turning to Jake. “Jacob, why don’t you do the breakfast dishes and give Abigail and me some time alone for a few minutes?”
“Sure. I might as well do something for you since you cooked it,” he replied good-naturedly.
I followed Susan down the hall to her bedroom. When she closed the door behind us, she smiled at what must’ve been my apprehensive expression. “You’re not in trouble, Abigail. The reason I brought you in here is that I wanted to give you something.”
I followed her over to the dresser. She raised the lid on a glass jewelry box that had a ballerina etched into the top. The theme to Swan Lake began to play. Her fingers delved inside, and she took out a strand of expensive looking pearls. “My parents gave me these to me for my high school graduation along with this jewelry box. I’ve worn them through so many major events in my life.” She held them out to me. “I want you to have them.”
My eyes widened as I shook my head furiously back and forth. “No, I couldn’t. You should leave them to Sally or your nieces.”
She patted my cheek. “But I don’t want to leave them to anyone but you. There are some other things I want you to have as well, but these, along with the jewelry box, are the most special to me.”
Realizing how serious she was, I finally relented. “Susan, you can’t imagine how touched I am that you want me to have them.” Although I tried fighting them, tears burned and blurred my eyes. “They’re beautiful, and I’ll treasure them always.”
“Good. Maybe someday you can pass them on to my granddaughter.”
At my gasp, she laughed. “Don’t think that I can’t see you for exactly who and what you are. I’m thrilled that Jake has found a girl he can marry and raise a family with.”
“I would love nothing more,” I answered honestly.
“Then let me say this as well. I know Jake is hardheaded and stubborn, and I know he’s going to make some mistakes in the future like he has before. But promise me that you’ll give him a chance and try to forgive him?”
Even though it was hard, I bobbed my head. “I will.”
“Good. Because when it comes down to the end like it has for me, you don’t want to live with the regret of not forgiving the man you loved with all your heart and soul.”
I furrowed my brows. “But I thought you had forgiven Jake’s father?”
A flush entered Susan’s pale cheeks. “This is a secret just between you and me, but Mark wasn’t the love of my life.”
“He wasn’t?”
“Although he gave me the greatest gift of my life, Jacob, I could never feel for Mark what I did for Yuri. He was a dancer in one of the traveling companies I was in. We dated for years, and when I refused to marry him because I thought we were too young, he went out and slept with another dancer to hurt me. Although he apologized for weeks and months, I was stubborn, and I wouldn’t forgive him. He finally gave up and moved on, and I’ve regretted it all this time. A couple of years after Yuri is when Mark came into my life.” She gave me a wry smile. “Jake’s never been able to understand how I could forgive Mark for leaving me, but the truth was I just didn’t love him like I should, so it didn’t hurt as much.”
Speechless, I could only murmur, “Wow.”
She smiled. “So in the future when there are times you want to strangle Jacob or he’s tested your love, just remember that forgiveness is so much easier than regret.”
“I will. You have my word.”
She pulled me into a tight embrace. Both her words and her emaciated frame caused tears to prick my eyes. She rubbed wide circles over my back. “Sweet Abby, you’re an answer to a prayer. My Jacob is very, very lucky to have you. Don’t doubt for one second that I won’t constantly remind him that for as long as I have left.”
With tears streaking down my cheeks, I couldn’t reply at first. Finally, I choked off a, “Thank you.”
As she pulled away, she cupped my chin. “Do you know there’s an old saying that for every tear you shed for someone else’s grief, it takes one off of their suffering?”
“Really?” I hiccupped.
She nodded while swiping the tears off my cheeks. “So you’ve just managed to take a few off of Jacob.”
“I’m glad. I’d do anything for him,” I replied.
Susan smiled. “But no more tears, honey. Let’s just enjoy the time we have left together. Okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed.
“And speaking of time, I’m pretty sure it’s time to go check on how many little ‘presents’ Angel might’ve deposited in the house.”
I laughed. “Let’s give that job to Jake since it was his idea to give me a puppy.”
Susan’s eyes widened. “Oh honey, I do like your thinking!”
***