HAPTER ONE
It wasn’t like Jake Hunter to be late to work, or to anything for that matter. This week marked five years since he had retired from the Navy SEALS. He hadn’t expected to leave the team that early, but it had been forced on him. The reason behind his early departure was what was making him late this very morning. He’d had trouble sleeping the night before, but when he had finally closed his eyes, he was plagued with the terrible memories that had chased him since the day he’d left.
In his dream, he’d seen Sylvia’s beautiful face contort to reveal a sinister side he’d never dreamed of seeing in her. Hurt, betrayal, lies -- it had all unraveled so quickly after that. He was running for his life with nowhere to hide. He was going to be exposed; they were at his heels waiting to drag him in.
No matter how right he was, it didn’t matter. What mattered was his secret.
In the end, they would decide his fate. They, who deceived everyone they met for their own personal gain. He was being pursued and was quickly heading toward a trap. The dreams all ended differently, but they shared a common theme. There was always a wall he couldn’t scale, a room he couldn’t escape, a trick that was yet to be played. They all ended with Caster and his men, laughing at his gullibility.
He had believed Sylvia when she’d told him she loved him and that they would run far away together. They would start a new life apart from everyone who knew his secret. She made him feel like she would follow him to the ends of the Earth. He was so naive, he thought to himself bitterly.
Sure, she’d played the role well, but in hindsight, he should have suspected when she kept disappearing. He’d had a niggling suspicion in the back of his mind that he’d chalked up to his nervousness with regards to Caster and his loyal followers. But, that was then. He was a different man today. He was loyal to a select few people who knew him back then and no one else.
***
Aside from his memories coming back to taunt him, it had been a long month of doubling up on duties to make up for no assistant that was finally catching up with him. He preferred to be at work well ahead of his crew, but since that was clearly not happening that day, he figured he could at least stop and pick up some donuts and coffee for them. Besides him, everyone was pulling longer shifts, and he knew they had to deal with the brunt of his surly attitude on the worst days.
He raced through his morning routine to make up for lost time. He flipped on his coffee maker, showered, dressed, made eggs and toast, and sat down to eat. He took one bite and cursed. He’d forgotten he had to wear a suit today. He strode back to his closet to change. He would have been on top of all of this had he still had an assistant.
Lucy, his old assistant, was virtually irreplaceable. She’d had her own way of doing things that weren’t as updated as he might have liked, but she had made up for it with a surly attitude that never failed to make him smile. She was well into her seventies but still as sharp as anyone half her age. She’d retired reluctantly at the behest of her daughter who wanted her to come live with her. Jake was happy she had family close enough to her who wanted to care for her. It said a lot about her, and her family, of course.
He arrived on site, nodding to a few of the crew members who watched him pull up. He held up the boxes in invitation and inclined his head toward the trailer where he was headed. Bill, his foreman, was scowling behind the desk when he walked in.
Bill had been tasked with hiring a new assistant for Jake that week. Jake had done multiple interviews when he could, but he was unable to find anyone capable or willing to take on the daunting task of taking care of all the desk work and anything else he threw their way. He did offer a generous amount, but the work load and odd hours made it a difficult job to sell.
“You’re never going to get anyone to accept a job with that look on your face,” he joked.
“You should be doing these interviews,” Bill didn’t mince words. “And by the way, how did Lucy get out of doing these before she left? She could have at least trained a new gal.”
“Are all the applicants female?” Jake asked, idly flipping through some of the correspondence that needed replies.
“Far as I can see.” Bill shuffled the resumes in front of him. “If we can find ourselves another Lucy, we’ll be golden.”
Jake snorted. “If there was another Lucy, she’d be too good for this job, and she’d never apply in the first place. Lucy only worked here because she felt pity on me when I started this place up, remember? She was already past retirement.”
“Well, she sure as hell aged well,” Bill grumbled with a note of admiration in his tone. Jake knew he missed his daily banter with Lucy or he never would have complimented her, even in her absence.
“I’ll be sure to tell her that when she calls later. You know, she’s dying to know what’s going on over here. She’s been calling nearly every evening when she knows I’m about to walk out the door, to hear the scoop. She asks about you every night, too,” Jake teased.
“Don’t you dare!” Bill thundered. “I’ll quit on you, too; see how you’ll do without me. You keep your thoughts to yourself. Just keep your nose out of my affairs,” he warned. Then he sighed. “You sure you can’t do some of these?” He stared at one glumly, clearly unimpressed by the credentials listed. “There’s one decent looking one, but I’m calling to verify the information once more offices open up, which may be in another hour or more.”
“I wish I could,” Jake lied. He didn’t envy the job at all. It was tedious to ask the appropriate questions and then be faced with paying attention to the equally dull responses.
“Liar,” Bill glared at him.
“Donut?” Jake pushed an open box in front of Bill’s face. Some frown lines disappeared from his forehead as he reached in the box to select one.
“You think this is enough? I’m going to need more than a bear claw to make up for this.” He tore into it while Jake poured him a cup of strong black coffee.
“Well, I can’t thank you enough for covering. I didn’t realize the Gundersons would be in town so soon. They were barely cleared from the zoning department for the build last week. I would have put it off if it weren’t such a huge project. I need to be available to answer any of their questions. By the way, I need you to pull out the file with architects and look for one who might be right for the job.”
Bill nodded reluctantly. “I know. You wouldn’t want them to pull out. They’ve done it before, I heard. Real jittery when it’s in the planning stages. Alright, let me look over what they have in mind before I find one for you.”
“I’ll tell you what -- if I finish up early, I’ll come in and take over. I wouldn’t want to chase you out of this place, too.”
“You need me,” Bill agreed with a warning look in his eye. “And you can’t chase me away, I need to stick around and make sure you repay me for all these favors I been doin’ ya.”
Jake chuckled. “Sure, I’m happy to.” He patted the older man on his shoulder and grabbed a donut as the crewmen began to filter in. “Grab some coffee too, fellas,” he called on his way out. “You’ll all need at least a couple cups.” He heard a chorus of groans and threw them a grin on his way out.
It was a long day of meetings and tours of sites before Jake returned to the trailer in the early afternoon. He was tired enough to go home, but he knew he had several more hours before he could even consider that. He always stayed until the last man left, and he knew they were more loyal to him because of this.
Bill looked relieved to see him. For once, Jake saw a hint of a smile on the old man’s face. “You’re back, thank God. There’s one more lady coming through, but dammit, I can’t do another one. None of these women have enough grit to last a day in here. But her credentials check out, so there’s that. Glowing recommendations on this one, whatever it’s worth these days.”
Jake looked at his watch. “Why don’t you head home early today? I can take care of this last one and take a look at some of the paperwork that’s been piling up.” He looked pointedly at the growing tower of papers that sat at the corner of the large oak desk.
Bill hesitated. “You want me to go check on the men? I can stay a little longer, just so long as I don’t have to stay cooped up in here anymore.”
“You can stay, but you’re free to leave when you want. I need you fresh for some more meetings later this week. The Gundersons want a clearer picture of what their project will look like completed.”
“I reached out to some of the firms from the file when I had a few minutes to spare,” Bill said, opening the file. “Some of them aren’t able to take on any projects for another couple of weeks, and the one that I thought would be better suited for the job said they’ve worked with the Gundersons before and they had a difficult time making sure they were satisfied.” He closed the file and looked at Jake for direction. “What do you think we should do?”
“The most I can do is refer them to that new architecture firm that sent us their rates a while back. I don’t mind footing the bill, but they need some direction and have to see something concrete so they can make an informed decision. Also, it might make them more invested in this once we supply a rough idea.” Jake talked as he rifled through the papers to locate the resume for the next interviewee. “If they don’t like them, maybe they can bring in their own. It’s really not our job to worry about it.”
“Here,” Bill slapped a folder into his chest as he rose from the chair. “Josephine Elizabeth Lancaster. She’s due here in thirty minutes.”
Just as the words left his mouth, the door flew open and in walked the woman who had tortured Jake’s nights since the day he’d met her. He’d met her at a friend’s wedding and recognized her beautiful, silky brown locks even though they were pulled back in a strict ponytail.
He remembered them vividly spread out on the pillow underneath her. Her light brown eyes had darkened when his lips had brushed her lush mouth. He felt himself stiffen and then heard her small intake of breath. Bill might have missed it, but he saw her mouth part in surprise as well.
“Well, you’re a timely gal,” Bill said approvingly. “The boss likes that,” he jerked his thumb toward Jake. “I’m Bill, and this is Edward, but you can call him Jake.”
Jake heard the teasing note in Bill’s voice. He’d probably never seen Jake lose his speech before and was rubbing it in by talking more than he normally did in weeks.
“Thank you,” Josephine’s voice sounded decidedly husky, which only made Jake want her more. He couldn’t possibly hire the woman. How was he supposed to get any work done?
She sat down on the seat opposite the one where Bill had been moments earlier. He sank down into it, staring at her. She stared back momentarily before blushing and looking away.
“Well, I’m pleased to meet you,” Bill said with a wink in Josephine’s direction. “You let me know if he’s behaving himself.”
Josephine gave him a small smile as she watched him leave.
Jake cleared his throat. He couldn’t get certain images of her out of his head, no matter how hard he tried. He’d wanted to reach out to her after the night they’d spent together, but the number she’d given him hadn’t been working. He’d assumed that perhaps she’d decided against seeing him again.
It wasn’t as if she made a habit of sleeping with men and leaving. He knew this for a fact because the night they spent together was her first. A virgin, of all things. She hadn’t even told him. He’d felt like a complete heel, and it had made him mad at her. Why had she chosen to keep that from him? He should have had some say in the matter, after all. But what was done was done. There was no going back now. And yet here they were, face to face again. Unable to talk about their night of passion.
He scanned her resume. “I’m sorry. I just came in, and so I’ll need a moment to look at the resume. Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself while I look over your work history?” A little bit about herself? His thoughts taunted him while he pretended to be engrossed in her file.
“Well, I... uh, actually have no real work history. I have, however, volunteered for several organizations. I also have my degree in architecture, so that’s what made me interested in this position. I would like to develop some of my skills here along with the other duties that you outlined in the job description.”
She spoke rather breathlessly, and Jake knew why. She recognized him, which was evident. But also, it was clear she still wanted the job. She wasn’t deterred by the fact that he would be her boss. The only one incredibly uncomfortable by the idea was him. He shifted in his seat when he saw one tendril escape her ponytail and brush the side of her cheek. He itched to tuck it back behind her ear, but resisted. Barely.
Architect. She had come at the right time. He winced at the direction of his thoughts as they took him back to their night together. “Everything looks good,” he said, impressed with the work she had done after graduating. “You did a lot of freelance? That’s impressive. Hard gigs to land; no one wants to hire a newbie because they’re afraid of what they’ll get.”
“A lot of people took a chance on me because of my free initial consultation. Not a lot of firms offer something like that. If they do, there are strings attached. Then I lowered my rates considerably to get some jobs under my belt. It helped me get the feedback I needed, and I was able to raise my rates to a respectable level after that.”
Jake knew why she had still been a virgin before they were together now. Her resume was filled with volunteering, free work she did for underprivileged communities, her freelance work, school, and workshops dedicated to her craft. She was determined, driven, and smart. She had the grit that Bill was looking for, that was certain. In fact, everything on her resume demanded that he hire her on the spot.
But he looked at the deep pools of brown that were her eyes and felt a familiar surge of desire. How was he expected to function when he had to walk in and see her every day? He could just refer her to Bill for questions, that’s how. That would limit his exposure to her, problem solved.
“It looks like all we need to train you on is the system that we’re using right now. I know Bill can help with that and with any other questions you might have. Otherwise, everything else looks like it’s in order, and we’d like to offer you the job. We’d need you to start tomorrow, if that’s alright. We already have a need for an in-house architect, so it would be great if you could show us some of your past work so we can get a good idea of your style and start referring you to our customers.”
He saw the briefest flicker of hesitation on her face before she quickly accepted. Her lashes fluttered down as she reached for her handbag that rested next to her on the chair. She rose and smiled politely at him, extending her hand to shake.
He grasped it, feeling her slender fingers squeeze his own large palm. He felt an immediate urge to yank her closer to him to taste those lips again. Her lips had a sweet honeyed flavor that lingered in his memories, and looking at her impersonal smile now, he felt like a predator. If she could forget their night together, so could he. So she’d just used him to rid herself of her innocence. No big deal.
Except it was. She released his hand and slid her hand out of his. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” her voice became husky. “What time should I be here?”
“Well, at eight o’clock is fine. But for tomorrow, if you want to come earlier to familiarize yourself, that would be great. I usually come in earlier myself, and I can make sure Bill is here so that he can help get you acclimated to the office routine.” He spoke brusquely.
Josephine nodded in agreement. “I’d like that. Bill did seem overwhelmed when we spoke on the phone last week. I assume there’s a lot of backlogged work?”
“That’s an understatement,” Jake said more gruffly than he’d intended to. Josephine’s eyes seemed to darken at his change in tone, and he suddenly felt acutely aware of how close they were standing. He cleared his throat again. He felt a familiar bristling of his chest hair and resisted the urge to scratch. “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he said in a forced voice.
“Yes,” she said, her tone low, “tomorrow.” She adjusted the strap of her handbag over her shoulder and walked to the door, giving him a shy smile on her way out.
Jesus. Jake sank down on the office chair. Even though she’d left, her scent still lingered. He inhaled sharply. It was a light floral scent; he remembered it from the night they were together. It had been lighter that night, though. That night it had been mixed with a little bit of her sweat, making it headier on his senses. He groaned and rubbed his face roughly with his hands. It was going to be another long night tonight.
*
Josephine drew in a deep breath as soon as she got into her car. She had barely breathed during the entire interview, and now she was hyperventilating. She’d gotten the job. She’d gotten the job. She’d gotten the job. She couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t supposed to be that easy, was it? And now she was going to be working for him. The man she had come looking for to protect her from her father and his men was the same man who had gotten her pregnant.
She rested a hand on her still flat belly and closed her eyes. She could never forget their night together, even if she tried. She started her car and pulled away slowly, getting several glances from the construction crew. She avoided their gaze and focused on what she needed to do before tomorrow morning.
She had already changed her phone and gotten a different number as well. She had an old friend sign a lease on an apartment with her until she could earn her own money. She could never thank her enough for doing that. She tried not to think about how furious her father was with her at the moment. He’d always been fairly strict with her, but in recent years, he’d become somewhat lenient, much to her relief. But since he’d found out she was refusing to marry David, she’d become a virtual prisoner in her own home.
Until two weeks ago, when she’d left in the middle of the night, calling the only friend she’d ever had since childhood, and she hadn’t looked back. She simply couldn’t. That life wasn’t the one for her; she’d always known that. Her mother had died when she was young, but whenever she saw the friendly eyes staring back at her in the one photograph she had of her mother, she knew she would never have approved of how her father had brought her up.
At any given time, Josephine was surrounded by several of the men who worked for her father. She still didn’t quite grasp what it was they did, but not for lack of trying. Her father had caught her trying to sneak into his office a few times when she was younger and reprimanded her, first lightly, then harshly as she got older. She knew her father had been in the military for several years, but beyond that, she wasn’t privy to any of the information he deemed classified.
The men who worked for him hadn’t all been in the military, and something told her they boasted less than reputable backgrounds. Like Walter who was her father’s main…friend? Assistant? She wasn’t quite sure. Perhaps ‘shadow’ was better word for what his job entailed. Walter was fairly quiet most of the time; she’d only ever heard him speak once or twice.
One time in particular had been a few years after she’d turned sixteen. He’d seen her with David’s son, Sam, trying to sneak into her father’s office to snoop. He’d yelled at Sam, who’d fled without a second glance, but he’d gripped her arm and told her he wouldn’t tell her father if she accepted his punishment for her crime. She’d shuddered and let him tell her father. At least she knew what that entailed. She’d never told her father because she knew her father would somehow find a way to blame her for Walter’s threat. It was a lost cause.
Instead, she’d focused on her school work, much to her father’s relief. Without any friends, she lacked the social life her peers had enjoyed. She’d written letters to Gabby, the only friend she’d ever had besides Sam. Gabby had grown up with her until they turned ten, then she’d had to move, but the two girls stayed in touch even today.
It was Gabby who had suggested that she run away. She’d told Josephine that her father would only get more upset. Josephine heard a note of hesitation in her voice when she asked how she knew. Gabby wouldn’t say, but she insisted that she would help her, no matter what the cost.
“You can always pay me back, Josie,” she said. “You’re brilliant. I know you’ll have no problem paying me back in no time with the salary you’ll make. But I want you to know that you never have to pay me back. Just knowing that you’re safe and happy is payment enough for me.”
Josie thought about calling her now to tell her but decided to wait when she realized that Gabby wouldn’t be off work yet. Gabby was always incredibly sweet toward her, and Josie was thankful that even though she only had one girlfriend, she was an absolute gem. Without her, she would still be trapped in her house, waiting to marry David. Her father hadn’t set a date, but she knew it was in less than a year. Josie shuddered, thinking about David.
He was over twenty years her senior, and he looked more like her grandfather from all the heavy smoking he did. She couldn’t understand why her father wanted her to marry David; it made no sense. Her whole life, she’d toed the line with her father in her own way. He’d home-schooled her, hired nannies and tutors to teach her. He hadn’t had much of an opinion on what she had learned in high school, but once she had finished, he’d wanted her to study things he thought were more feminine and appropriate, while she’d had her mind set on architecture.
He wasn’t entirely convinced of her potential and often made comments about how it was pointless. He was adamant that she would study what he decided was best for her or not study at all. She chose not to study and busied herself at home with reading about architecture and picked up numerous hobbies, namely trying to spy on him. It had taken three years, but he had finally relented when he saw that it would keep her out of his hair. In fact, he had lost interest in what she was studying and spent more time behind closed doors with his employees, which suited her just fine.
It was lonely at times, but Josie hardly had time to think about her loneliness when she was studying. But after she was done with school, the full impact of her relatively solitary existence had hit her. She had a wonderful degree and longed to pursue a career. She had taken online classes, and, with the exception of a handful of campus trips to see advisors and professors, she’d had next to no contact with her peers.
It was another reason to thank Gabby, really. Gabby filled her in on all the pop culture and current topics that people their age were discussing. She soaked it all up, but an opportunity to discuss it with someone else never presented itself.
Gabby even told her about her first time. Josie had listened with rapt attention and later peppered her with countless questions. They had been eighteen at the time. She was in awe of her mature friend and envious of her freedom. Josie had often asked if she could go live with Gabby, but her father had always refused. He hadn’t seemed to like the fact that the two girls communicated, but seeing as how it was her only friend, he had never explicitly said anything to Josie about it.
Josie occasionally spent time with Sam, but less and less as they grew older. He was busy with his father, and then he seemed to disappear as soon as Josie was ready for college. She hadn’t wanted to ask David about him because she was afraid of getting too close to the man after the one time he’d caught the two of them in her father’s office.
Josie pulled into the complex of her new home, still in disbelief over her new job. A new home and a new job. Pregnant. On the run. She wanted to cry and celebrate at the same time, but she didn’t know where to begin processing her feelings. Gabby would know, she thought. At times, she regretted not moving closer to her, but she couldn’t, not yet anyway. She knew her father’s men would be looking for her. That’s why she had chosen this particular city. New York held no significance to her, except for the fact that it was where Jake lived.
Jake. Josie dropped her keys onto the kitchen table and plopped down. She had furnished the apartment with the basic necessities, a table, and a small bed she’d found on a local resale site. Her living room was still bare, but she loved every corner of her new home. It was hers, and she was free to come and go as she pleased.
She was finally living a life that she’d always dreamed of. It wasn’t fancy like her father’s mansion, with maids, butlers, drivers, and of course, guards. But here, she was free to do whatever she wanted. It was as blissful as Gabby had promised.
Gabby didn’t know about the baby yet, though. Josie knew she would be happy for her, but she hated to worry her friend more than she already had. Every conversation she had with Gabby began with her panicked voice on the other end. While Josie appreciated her concern for her welfare, she also didn’t want to be the source of Gabby’s constant worrying.
That’s why she was so excited to tell her about her new job. She would wait until Gabby had had time to process that before she revealed her pregnancy news. Josie rose to get a glass of water and swayed, gripping the counter as she walked to the sink.
She needed time to adjust to this herself, she thought grimly. As soon as she could, she had to find a doctor and make a visit. It was only because she’d memorized Gabby’s symptoms from when she was pregnant last year that it had even occurred to Josie that she might be pregnant. She didn’t regret it, though. Not for a moment.
In fact, the thought of having a baby thrilled her beyond belief. She longed to hold and comfort it, rock it to sleep, and do all of the things that she had been deprived of. She longed to love and be loved in so many ways. She knew it might have been a struggle if she hadn’t found a job, but she had. And knowing that her boss was the father of the baby, well, she hoped he would understand when she began to show. She wanted nothing from him, except maybe acknowledgement. Josie also wanted him to have a relationship with the baby, but she would cross that bridge when she got to it.
***
Again, her mind took her back to the night that had brought her to her current condition. She had been at Gabby’s wedding. Her father had let her attend, by some miracle. She’d assumed it was because he was expecting guests in the house anyway and wanted to be rid of her while they were there.
Usually when that happened, he packed her off to stay with his aunt in Silverton. His aunt was sweet, but she was severely out of touch with reality. Her world revolved around her garden and her three cats. Although the cats proved to be less than companionable for Josie, she never complained when she had to go there. She was always afraid of the alternative, like maybe Walter having to watch her.
When Jake had walked into the reception, things were already in full swing. She knew she hadn’t seen him at the ceremony because she would have noticed him right away, she was sure of it. Nor had he been present at the rehearsal dinner. In fact, she had no idea who he was, and Gabby assumed he was from Caleb’s side. Josie hadn’t wanted to pry too much lest Gabby find out what had happened between the two. There would be plenty of time to investigate him now, she sighed to herself. Now that she was in the lion’s den, so to speak.
She’d felt his gaze on her, and when she’d looked up, she was met with his piercing stare. It was intense and utterly primal. She had felt incredibly self-conscious in her plain, pale pink cocktail dress that she’d borrowed from Gabby. All of her own dresses had seemed over the top, so she’d been relieved when Gabby offered her own. Until she’d caught him staring. Then she’d felt plain and very aware of her slight figure that appeared to look curvier than she’d expected.
Josie reached up to push her glasses up her nose and realized belatedly that her contacts were in. She pushed her hair back behind her ears instead and tried to look way. It was impossible when it seemed like his eyes were boring holes into her. Was this a technique used in flirting? Josie had no idea, but it seemed strange. It was nothing like in the movies. No pick-up lines, no compliments. But darned if it wasn’t working, she thought. She felt herself heat up in a very short amount of time.
She excused herself from the woman who had cornered her for the past five minutes, talking to her about, what was it? Organic fruit? She couldn’t say. She just had to clear her head. Josie patted her face with cool water, careful not to wipe the eye makeup Gabby had insisted she wear.
“Just a little!” Gabby had laughed at Josie who fumbled with the eyeliner.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Josie had fretted as she got ready next to Gabby. “I never had to wear any before!” Gabby was already dressed, waiting for someone to come do her makeup and hair. Josie thought she looked breathtaking already.
“Oh, Josie!” Gabby’s eyes had welled with tears, “You’re going to get out of there one day, and you’ll live such a beautiful life that you’ll forget all about that miserable place.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say miserable.” Josie had protested. She pondered this for a moment; maybe she should? It certainly wasn’t happy. Melancholy, maybe.
“What would you call it?” Gabby cocked an eyebrow and gave her a knowing look. “Don’t make me dig up all your letters as proof of how happy you were. Maids and butlers don’t bring happiness. There’s something to be said about doing your work with your own two hands.” She raised her hands into the air as she spoke, her large diamond engagement ring glinting in the sunlight streaming in.
Josie spied Gabby now. She was on the dance floor, in a rare moment alone. She was dancing to the music with Caleb before he was pulled away by his mother. Gabby laughed and spied Josie, waving her over. “Come dance with me!”
Soon, they were moving together on the dance floor to the upbeat music. She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “You’ve waited so long for this, and now it’s finally here! I can’t believe you’re married,” Josie said in awe.
“I know why I’m crying,” Gabby sniffed. “But why are you crying? You’re supposed to be keeping me together, you know.”
“I’m crying because you’re crying.” Josie giggled at the absurdity of their conversation. They cleaned each other up and Gabby had helped Josie apply the eye makeup minimally. She still felt like it was a lot, but she was pleased with the result.
***
Josie stared into the mirror, several hours later. Her makeup was still relatively intact. She smoothed her hair and stared at herself. What did he see? A man that she’d found incredibly attractive had asked to dance with her, and she’d agreed but had excused herself to use the restroom before they danced. She turned around and examined herself from every angle. In the back of her mind, she’d had a plan to meet someone at Gabby’s wedding, and this was her chance to get to know him. She didn’t know why he was staring or what attracted him to her, but this was her chance to be normal for once in her life.
Josie decided then and there that she was going to sleep with him. She had been waiting to lose her virginity since the day she’d heard of Gabby’s experience doing so. She knew it was going to be uncomfortable. Okay, painful, in Gabby’s words. But she was prepared. She’d had several years to adjust to the idea, after all. The longer she waited, the more nervous she became. This way, she would do it, no one would know, and she could go back to being same old Josie, but on her own terms. It was just that no one would find out.
From the moment she made up her mind until they reached his hotel room, she was on a high. Was it the champagne? She’d barely had three sips, so it couldn’t have been that. She made it very clear that she wanted to sleep with him. He seemed amused by her straight-forward strategy. What she lacked in experience, she more than made up for in enthusiasm. She’d seen on-screen kissing often enough to know what it entailed. Doing it was another story. When his lips touched hers, she felt a shock ripple through her body and she froze, absorbing it before her own lips began to move, opening for his gently probing tongue.
After his mouth had thoroughly plundered hers, she felt breathless, but she wanted more. There was an unfamiliar heat unfurling between her thighs. She took deep breaths to slow her pulse, but he wasn’t done. And neither was she. She reached up to pull his head down for another kiss when he surprised her by grasping her hips on either side and picking her up to set her on the bed. She pulled him down on top of her and relished in his weight crushing her.
Before she could fully grasp what was about to happen, she was down to a pair of sheer underwear, and he was straining against his fitted boxers. She felt emboldened enough to stroke the outline of his member and jerked her hand away when she heard him suck in his breath.
“Don’t,” he gritted out, squeezing his eyes shut.
Josie thought she’d done something wrong until he continued, “I won’t last much longer if you keep that up.”
She bit her lip and fought to control her own blatant curiosity of his body. His chest hair was dark, and against her own chest, it felt deliciously good. She couldn’t get enough of it. She lowered her hands to rest near his backside, and he let out a low growl. It reverberated inside her chest.
She shimmied out of the scrap of lace and felt the cool breeze hit her. This was it. Josie looked at him questioningly. “Okay,” he said in a low voice. “Take mine off, too.”
No problem. She hooked her thumbs under the waistband of the boxers and lowered them, not breaking their eye contact. His nostrils flared, and she felt the evidence of his desire find her entrance almost immediately. Suddenly, Josie felt shy. How was she supposed to react? She wanted to close her eyes, but at the same time, she couldn’t look away.
She didn’t want to miss a second of it. She lifted her hips in invitation, and his member fitted itself more snugly against her opening. He nodded. It was as if their bodies were communicating in a secret language that they were struggling to keep up with themselves.
Then she felt a searing pain; her body split in two. They both froze. No! Tears welled up in her eyes and began to spill out.
“You’re a virgin,” he said flatly.
“Yes,” her voice sounded thin to her own ears.
“You should have said something,” he said accusingly. “I would have been a lot gentler.”
“It’s okay,” she lied. Her toes began to curl at the strange sensation that was beginning to slowly build. The heat was returning, and her body began to adjust to the fullness. “It feels better now,” she said more confidently this time.
He eased out, and she panicked. “No, don’t do that!”
He didn’t say anything, but she saw a flash of tenderness in his eyes. He began a slow rhythm of strokes that her body seemed to accept willingly. She closed her eyes briefly as her own hips began to move in time to his dance.
“Open them,” he ordered.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she found his dark eyes staring intently into hers. “Keep them open,” he said again. She nodded, her hands moving to his broad shoulders, and her pale fingers digging into his golden skin. Josie saw his jaw clench and sweat beading his forehead as he fought for control. The stroking began to pick up pace, their eyes still locked on each other. Josie began to lose focus, her eyes rolling back from the incredible waves of pleasure that were washing over her.
“Stay with me,” he reminded her.
“Jake,” she pleaded. Her voice sounded so husky, she didn’t recognize it.
He was easily sliding in and out of her now, and she couldn’t hold back her cries.
“Now.” Jake gritted out. She felt an immediate surge of pleasure grip her body and a warmth spread through her when he reached his peak seconds later. He collapsed on top of her, and her limbs encircled him involuntarily. Jake later shifted to her side, his muscular arm around her waist and her legs entwined with his. If she never had a chance to be intimate again, she would be blissful with this one experience, she thought as she drifted to sleep.