Chapter Six

Lydia used the garage remote that Jake had given her that morning along with the house key and alarm code. Within moments, she was parked and walking into her temporary home. She hadn’t been sure what Jake had in mind for their dinner plans, so she’d stopped on the way home and picked up the ingredients for spaghetti—didn’t everyone love pasta? Geez, she hoped he wasn’t on some low-carb eating plan. He certainly had a body that would attest to a careful diet and exercise. Her own curvy figure gave testament to the fact she enjoyed her food and didn’t deprive herself of indulgences as often as she probably should.

She had changed into a pair of soft yoga pants and a tank top before returning to the kitchen to boil the noodles and make the sauce—which was out of a jar tonight. She did add some extra spices to liven it up a bit.

Jake walked in the door just as she was plating her food. She noted he looked a bit tired, but otherwise just as delectable as he had that morning. He gave her a smile before removing his suit jacket and draping it over a bar stool. “How was your day?” he asked as he sniffed the air appreciatively. “Wow, that smells amazing. Better than my usual fare.”

“My day was good,” she replied as she filled another plate for him. She figured since it was just the two of them, they could eat at the bar. “I hope you like spaghetti. It’s nothing fancy, but it sounded good.”

“Sweetheart, it’s wonderful.” He touched her shoulder as he walked by. “I’ll grab a bottle of wine from the rack. Would you like a glass?”

Nodding, she said, “Yes, please.” They worked around each other as if they’d been doing it for years, and soon, they’d settled side by side twirling pasta onto their forks. When Jake moaned his approval after his first bite, Lydia felt her body spark to life. What she wouldn’t give to hear him make that sound while they were between the sheets together. Heck, she had heard it before; she’d just been too drunk to appreciate how sexy it sounded.

Between mouthfuls, he joked, “I’d marry you if we weren’t already hitched. It’s nice to come home to a meal that I didn’t have to cook or place an order for. Thank you for doing this,” he added sincerely.

“So how was your day?” she asked as she sipped her wine.

“It sucked,” he deadpanned.

She blinked rapidly at him, unsure if she’d heard correctly. “Really?” she finally asked when he didn’t elaborate. “Did something happen or was it just one of those days?”

He took a few more bites of pasta and wiped his mouth with his napkin before turning his chair toward hers. “I had lunch with Chris today and told her the happy news. Let me just say we’re probably not getting a congratulations card in the mail anytime soon. She’d be more likely to egg our house or paper our trees.”

Lydia choked back the thrill she got at him using the word “our” to focus on what he’d said. “Wow, I’m sorry,” she said simply. “I mean, you didn’t think she’d be happy about it, so why are you surprised?”

Rubbing his chin, he chuckled dryly. “She went about fifty levels above how I thought she would react, especially in a public place. The country club is probably going to cancel my membership after the show we put on for them. Chris was tossing out profanities faster than a speeding bullet. She involved everyone from the Holy Father to my mother.”

“Why in the world would you go somewhere like that to talk to her?” Lydia asked in confusion. That was like sitting on a church pew with your cell phone volume turned to high. Was he that naïve to think she wouldn’t show her ugly side in public? Men—they always underestimate a woman scorned.

“I thought she was less likely to freak out if she was around other social climbers. She’s usually paranoid about her image and trying to be one of the society crowd. I had no idea she’d start frothing at the mouth at the word ‘married.’ Of course, I expected her to be upset, but damn, it was almost like some kind of breakdown. She might not be pleasant most of the time, but this was in a whole new zip code from her usual neighborhood of irritated behavior.” Wincing, he added, “At one point, she told me she’d like to ‘shove my balls up my ass and choke me with them in reverse,’ or something along those lines.”

Lydia couldn’t help it when she burst out laughing. She could picture Jake sitting there surrounded by people enjoying their lunches while Chris spewed profane and creative insults his way. She would bet he wouldn’t make the mistake of having a public meeting about a touchy subject with her again. Chris must have completely lost it when she’d discovered that she wasn’t going to get her way with him, no matter how much she threatened him with his daughter. Looking at Jake sitting just inches away, so damn handsome it should be a sin, she could almost sympathize with the other woman. His thick, dark hair was standing on end in several places as if he’d run his hands through it more than once during the day. His eyes—which reminded her of a vivid blue sky on a summer’s day—were smiling at her, not in the least upset that she’d just been laughing at his painful experience with Chris. And those lips. God, they drove her crazy. They seemed unusually full for a man and so utterly kissable. Heck, she’d thought multiple times about sucking the bottom one into her mouth and—

“I swear, baby, you need to stop whatever you’re thinking because you’re killing me,” Jake said roughly.

Busted. From Jake’s pained expression, she figured what she’d been feeling had been written all over her face. Talk about awkward. Did she laugh it off and pretend it had nothing to do with him, even though she might have moaned his name at some point without knowing it? No, surely, she hadn’t been that out of it. A denial was on the tip of her tongue when she remembered her conversation with Mia. Even though she hadn’t planned it, this gave her an opening if she wanted to pursue more of a physical relationship with Jake. And if his reaction was any indication, he wasn’t averse to it. You can do this. The worst that can happen is he says no. Pulling up the proverbial big girl panties, she met his gaze head-on and said, “What if I don’t want to stop?”

He was shocked; that much was readily apparent by his sharp intake of breath. But there was more. He wanted her. His eyes were like twin sapphires of fire. And the hand that had been lying relaxed on the bar was now clenched tightly. “Make sure you mean it, Lydia. Don’t start something you won’t see through.”

Taking a huge leap of faith, she got to her feet and eased between his spread legs until they were almost chest to chest. “I want you, Jake,” she whispered.

Please let him take over now before my bravado deserts me.

With a muttered oath, his arms encircled her and his hands came to rest on the cheeks of her ass. Pulling her even closer, he lowered his head and took her lips. It soon became apparent that he wasn’t a man to play around. His tongue didn’t ask permission—it staked a claim as it entered her mouth. She’d never been this turned on from a kiss, but as he licked, nipped, and sucked, her clit fluttered madly to life. As caught up in the moment as she was, a part of her mind was still waiting for him to move the show into the bedroom. But Jake, it seemed, had other plans. With agility that would put a circus performer to shame, he moved his hands to her waist and hoisted her onto the granite countertop—all without releasing her lips. In fact, he kept possession of those until he put a hand behind her head and began easing her backward, laying her across the cool surface. He took a step back and just stared down at her. “You are so fucking beautiful,” he said huskily as he trailed a finger between her breasts and down her stomach. He eased the fabric of her blouse from her slacks and began opening the buttons with a skill that was impressive. This isn’t his first rodeo; he knows his way around a woman’s clothing.

As he parted the fabric and revealed her lacy pink bra, she lay in breathless anticipation of his next move. He raised his hands and cupped her breasts, teasing the hardening nipples through the thin material. “Oh God,” she hissed as desire flooded her core. I’m going to come before he even touches me down there, she thought but couldn’t bring herself to care. It had been too long since she’d felt a man’s hands on her body, and she hadn’t realized how much it would affect her. The first time they’d been together, she’d been intoxicated. Tonight, she was high on nothing but him and the way he made her feel. When he abruptly tugged the cups of her bra down and released her swollen peaks, she moaned her approval. Then he sucked one into his mouth, biting it hard enough to leave a stinging sensation. “Jake! Sooo good,” she cried as her orgasm ripped through her body.

Instead of continuing to lavish attention upon her hardened peaks, he surprised her by shifting down her body and pulling her slacks and underwear off in one impressive move. She’d removed her shoes earlier, so nothing stopped them from pooling to the floor. Then he was circling her slick cleft before burying one thick digit inside her. “Ride my hand, baby, take what you need,” he ordered roughly—and she did. Out of her mind with desire, she gripped the edge of the counter and moved her body downward, while he thrust upward and into her wet heat. “That’s it, sweetheart,” he rasped out. She was right there, just seconds away from coming again, until he laid an arm across her hips and stilled her movements. “I own this one, sweetheart, let me finish you.” He took her feet and swung them over his shoulders before lowering his mouth to devour her dripping sex. He continued to move his finger in and out of her while he took her throbbing clit into his mouth and sucked.

“Oh, my God, Jake!” she screamed as she fisted his hair and held on for dear life. Even when she tried to pull away, he refused to let her. He kept working her until nothing was left of her orgasm but an occasional shudder. “That was . . . wow,” she whispered in awe. She heard Jake’s muffled laughter and realized she still held him captive between her thighs. Releasing her hold on his hair, she grinned sheepishly at him. “Er, sorry about that.”

He laughed easily as he dropped a kiss on one of her thighs, which still hung over his shoulders. “You’ll never hear me complain about being trapped there, sweetheart. It’s about as close to heaven as I can imagine.”

She was basking in the beauty of his words when he began peeling his clothing off. She swallowed audibly as he locked his eyes on hers. He pulled his shirt from his pants and tossed it on the floor, followed quickly by his undershirt. Come to Mama, she thought heatedly as her mouth watered at the sight of broad shoulders that tapered down into washboard abs. You could easily bounce a quarter off that firm flesh. “Nice,” she squeaked inadequately. What did one say in response to something like that? She was sure a poet somewhere would do it justice, but for now, her one-word mumblings would have to do.

The sound of him unbuckling his belt was like a gunshot in the kitchen. Followed closely by the unmistakable swish of his zipper lowering. They were really doing this. He was going to take her right where they’d had a bowl of spaghetti moments earlier. How smoking hot! A man was so impatient for her, he couldn’t make it to the bedroom. She’d had fantasies about sex like this for years. The craziest place she’d ever done it to date was in the shower and even that had been only a couple of times. Brett believed in making love in the bedroom or occasionally on the sofa. Certainly not in the kitchen. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this,” Jake growled. She watched in amazement as he pulled his wallet out and removed a condom from it. Apparently, every man did walk around with a rubber just in case.

Lydia found herself trying to subtly strain to see his size as he shoved his pants then boxer briefs down. When his cock bounced up toward his stomach, her breath came out in a whistle. Dear mother of all things big and long. Granted, she’d slept with only one man before, so she had limited experience, but she’d been certain that monster cocks like that didn’t really exist. That was why they made vibrators so big, right? Then a girl could have a man with a regular-size dick and enjoy something a little more substantial when she was in the mood for variety. Only now, she knew she’d been wrong—in a big way. She gulped, and then continued with the one-word utterances. “Big.” He cocked a brow at her as he fisted his cock. “Huge,” she added as if that sounded any better. The man was probably starting to believe he was having sex with an idiot incapable of stringing more than two words together to form a coherent thought.

He gave her a wolfish grin as he actually wiggled his massive penis in her direction before sliding on a condom with the other hand. Extra-large size, no doubt. Then he was grabbing her legs in each hand and spreading them wider. And back over his shoulders they went. He seemed to really have a thing for that position. When the fat head of his cock brushed against her slit, she moaned like a porn star on her first audition. She was afraid her starved sex was going to grab his staff and pull him inside before he ever had the chance to thrust. That absurd thought had her on the verge of giggling until he pushed inside her balls deep with no warning. “Fuck!” he hissed as if in pain.

“Ahhh, Jake,” she moaned as her body rushed to accommodate his size. If not for the fact that she was still soaking wet from their foreplay, his sudden entry would have been painful. As it was, her sex burned as it stretched around his massive size. But on the other side of that discomfort was a pleasure the likes of which she’d never experienced before. He pulled out then pushed back in deep once again and held himself there. He leaned closer, grinding his pubic bone against her. My husband is a sex god. I’ve hit the jackpot or maybe that’s jackcock.

“You okay, sweetheart?” he rasped out as he circled his hips against her. She nodded frantically, unable to spit out even the single-word responses she had been managing. He made a series of shallow thrusts before plunging back in once again. Then she felt his finger rubbing her clit and she detonated. And she kept contracting around him as he gave two more fast pumps before finding his own release with a harsh shout of pleasure.

In her post-coital bliss, Lydia was only vaguely aware of being carried through the house. She was surprised, though, when instead of walking to the bedroom that she’d used the previous night, Jake went to his instead. He shifted her in his arms to pull the comforter back on the bed, before laying her body on the cool sheets. “This feels nice,” she murmured as she snuggled into the softness.

She had almost drifted off to sleep when he reappeared at her side, nudging her legs apart. She felt a warm cloth wiping her there, and as much as she wanted to be embarrassed about the intimacy of it, she figured that reaction was silly since his dick had just been inside her not five minutes ago. It didn’t get much more personal than that. “Slide over, baby,” he instructed as he laid a hand on her hip. She shifted to make room for his large frame in the bed. She was both surprised and blissfully happy when he turned her onto her side and spooned against her back. “What time is it?” she asked drowsily, thinking it couldn’t be terribly late.

“It’s just after nine.” He chuckled. “I haven’t turned in for the night this early in years.”

“Oh no, we just left all of our dishes sitting in the kitchen,” she mumbled. “I need to clean up before we go to sleep.”

“Relax, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her firmly against him. “I put everything in the dishwasher before I locked up.”

Those were the last words she heard before she fell into an exhausted slumber.

*   *   *

Jake lay awake long after Lydia had drifted off to sleep. He certainly hadn’t planned on what had happened between them earlier, but by God, it had been so incredibly hot. Her response to his touch had been perfect. He’d been strangely moved when he’d come home from work to find her in his kitchen making dinner. Such a domestic situation should have scared the hell out of him. Instead, he’d found himself grateful to her for being there after his lunch altercation with Chris. Just talking and laughing about it all had felt so damn good. He’d never had any desire for something like that, but for the first time, he wondered what else he’d been missing out on by avoiding relationships.

Then she had given him that look. One that quite plainly said she wanted him. He’d even warned her to stop if she didn’t mean it, but she hadn’t backed down. He’d been so eager, he’d almost lost control a few times—which never happened to him. He’d had to recite a lot of baseball statistics in his head and thankfully it had worked.

Afterward, without even thinking, he’d brought her to his room instead of hers. Another oddity—he didn’t spend the night with women and he damn sure didn’t spoon them as he was doing now. But she’d been different from anyone else he’d been with from the beginning in a way that he didn’t fully comprehend. And truthfully after the mind-blowing sex and the need to be close to her, he was a little lost.

He didn’t have a clue as to what to do next, and as the hours ticked away, he got increasingly nervous about facing what was sure to be some morning-after awkwardness. So, an hour earlier than usual he slid quietly from the bed and took a quick shower before dressing in the closet with the door closed. He hadn’t even bothered to shave.

He felt like an asshole as he crept through the still dark bedroom and out the door. But the only thing he felt sure of was that he needed the day to regroup. If there was any chance that he and Lydia might have something between them other than a marriage in name only, then he needed to find a way to stop freaking out at the first sign of intimacy.

*   *   *

When Lydia woke up the next morning, Jake was already gone. She looked around thinking maybe he’d left her a note. But no, the only indication that anything had happened last night was the tenderness between her legs and the fact that she was in his bed.

Then it hit her that possibly he was just in another part of the house, maybe making some coffee. So, not seeing any clothing on the floor, she quickly pulled the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around herself before going to investigate. A few moments and a quick peek into the garage later she had her answer—he’d left without a word to her. What did you expect? A letter with hearts written by your name? This is Jacob Hay, he doesn’t do romance.

Hitching the bedding up tighter under her arms, she released a disappointed sigh before moving to the coffeepot and turning it on. She walked back to the bedroom and into the bathroom to take a shower while the coffee was brewing. As the hot water cascaded over her, she let her mind drift to the previous evening. Jake had set her body afire in a way that she’d never dreamed was possible. As mind blowing as the sex had been, though, it had been the surprisingly tender gesture of him holding her close in his bed afterward that had really touched her. Maybe that’s why waking up alone this morning had shocked her. Obviously, she’d expected a bit more from him today. If nothing else, some kind of acknowledgment of their night together would have been nice.

Was that expecting too much from a man who had openly admitted to never having had a serious relationship? The current situation was something new for them both. They were attracted to each other and had acted on it. Did it have to be more than that at this point? She’d married Jake in a drunken Las Vegas moment. There was nothing traditional about it. So instead of the hurt that she had originally felt at his absence, she did something she wouldn’t normally do. She decided to live in the moment for as long as possible. She had to believe that Jake had come into her life for a reason and she could either embrace their time together or make herself miserable by overanalyzing everything that occurred.

God, hadn’t she spent enough time being unhappy?

Turning off the shower, Lydia stepped out and squared her shoulders. She’d had kick-ass sex last night. For today, that’s all she needed to focus on.