Chapter Forty

Calla

I took one last look around my childhood bedroom and burst into laughter.

Jake came to stand behind me. “What’s so funny?”

I shook my head. “I remember laying in this bed back when I was probably fifteen. I used to dream about my first kiss and wondered what it would be like to have a boy’s tongue in my mouth. If these walls could talk after the last couple of days, my parents would burn down the house. I’m so glad I’m not going to be here when they get back. I would never be able to look them in the eye. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to visit without thinking about what we did.”

“Where?”

“Huh?”

“Which area gives you the most cause for concern? Was it when I took you on the kitchen counter or when I had you up against the wall in the hallway? Oh, I bet you it was the table. That one will certainly give me some wet dreams for a long time to come,” he said, with that dirty little smile that always made me want to jump him.

“Great, now I won’t even be able to have Thanksgiving dinner here.”

He laughed, low in his throat. “You and the turkey will have a lot in common.”

My mouth dropped open and I playfully slapped at his chest. “You are so nasty!”

“I wasn’t the one with my legs spread wide and my ass up in the air on that table.”

“Jake!” I said in mock horror, blushing at the memory.

He walked towards the door, laughing the whole way, pulling my suitcase behind him.

“Come on, Evie,” I called the dog.

She pranced out the door and out to Jake’s truck. I put her little bed in the back of the extended cab and lifted her inside.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yep.”

We drove back to his place, chatting about our pasts, our future and everything in between. It was weird to think we had barely been able to exchange two words in the past and now we couldn’t stop talking. It was like the cork had been popped and our lives were freely flowing together.

“This is Gabe’s house, huh?” I asked, as he brought the truck to a stop in front of a cabin similar to his own.

“Yep.”

He got out and went inside, returning a couple minutes later with a very happy Casper. Gabe waved at me from the doorway. I waved back before calling Evie up front to sit in my lap. I wasn’t sure how Casper would react to her and wanted to wait until we were at Jake’s cabin before we made the introductions.

Once there, I got out of the truck and let Evie down. Casper ran around the side and eagerly sniffed Evie who had gone stock still at the sight of the huge dog. It wasn’t long before Casper headed off into the trees and Evie trotted along behind him.

“Told you they’d be fine together,” Jake said, wrapping his arm around me.

“Well, I wasn’t sure. Evie can be a bit of a snob. I wasn’t sure she would be nice to him, not the other way around.”

He walked up the front porch and waited. “You coming in?”

“I was waiting for Evie.”

“Casper will look out for her.”

I walked into the cabin and took a deep breath. I had only been gone a week, but seeing it brought back a flood of memories. So much had changed in a matter of eight days. When I had walked through that door that fateful evening, I had been in a horrible mood and assumed I was stuck with the worst man on the planet.

Now, here I was, walking in because I wanted to be in this place that had changed my life. I wanted to be with the man who had shown me what it was like to really live.

“Look different?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Nope, just the same. Perfect.”

“Come sit down,” he said, grabbing my hand and leading me to the couch. This time, we sat close to one another. I had a feeling we would be sitting like that for a long time to come. I never wanted to be apart from him again.

“This feels good,” I sighed, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Even at my parents’ house in a quiet suburb, it had never been truly silent. You could still hear dogs barking in the distance, car engines and civilization in general. Everything was so much quieter and far more peaceful here on the mountain.

I closed my eyes and thought about Jake buying this place. I knew he had been in Iraq and I had a feeling that had been a very loud, chaotic environment. I understood why he sought solace on the mountain.

“Sit tight,” he said, getting up. “I’ll be right back.”

He disappeared into his bedroom. I looked around the cabin and imagined myself living there. It was a strange thought and a little scary, but I had a feeling it would be really good for my writing. I wouldn’t have all the distractions I had when I worked at home or at whatever coffee shop I popped into.

Having Jake around doing things to my body that were quite possibly illegal in many countries would also give me plenty of fodder for my stories.

He came out of the room carrying a small bag.

“What’s that?” I asked.

He looked like he was going to pass out.

“Jake?” I asked, with real concern. “Are you okay?”

He nodded and dropped to his knees in front of me. I was really concerned then. I reached out and put my hand against his bearded jaw, comforting him anyway I could.

He pulled a ring from the bag, grabbed the hand I had against his face and slid the ring on my finger.

I stared at it, then him. I couldn’t speak.

“I guess we’re going to have to get married because I apparently can’t live without you,” he said, in a husky voice.

I blinked back the tears that welled in my eyes. “Jake,” I whispered his name.

“Calla, I love you. I never thought I could find love or that I was worthy of being loved. You showed me I could. I have to have you in my life. I need you. I want you by my side.”

I nodded, unable to talk around the giant lump of emotion in my throat. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t keep the tears from falling down my face. He leaned forward and kissed one cheek and then the other before using the pads of his thumbs to wipe away my tears.

“Okay,” I croaked out.

He hadn’t exactly asked me a question, but I knew what he meant. It was better than any marriage proposal I had ever seen. He got up off the floor and walked to the door to let our dogs in.

By the time he came back to the couch to cuddle next to me, I had managed to get control of my tears. I held up my hand, looking at the ring. It wasn’t an ordinary ring and it certainly hadn’t come from a jewelry store. There was no box. It had been tucked away in a tiny drawstring bag, which told me there was a story behind the ring.

“It’s gorgeous,” I said, looking at the intricate details on each side of the stones. The center stone was a diamond which was surrounded by what I assumed were red rubies. I knew very little about precious stones, but I had a feeling this ring was one-of-a-kind.

He nodded his head. “I found it,” he said, on a sigh.

I dropped my hand. “You what?” I asked, suddenly not quite so thrilled with the ring.

He chuckled. “Not like that. I found it in the desert in Iraq. It was one of those really bad days. We had settled in for the night and I happened to feel it under my hand. I dug it out of the sand and was immediately struck by its beauty.”

I felt much better about the ring and held it up to inspect it again. “It is really stunning.”

“I picked up the thing and kept looking at it, wondered why I was drawn to it. I wondered how many other men had walked over that ring without even knowing it was there. I decided to keep it, thinking maybe it was supposed to be my good luck charm or something. When my tour ended, I thought about giving it to one of the guys coming in, but held on to it. After that, I just couldn’t seem to let it go. I never quite knew what or why I couldn’t get rid of it—until now.”

“Oh Jake,” I sighed, the tears flowing again.

He kissed me and then grabbed my hand. “When you left last week, all I could think about was that ring I had stashed in my drawer. Right next to your panties,” he said, on a laugh.

That made me giggle as well. “Good place I suppose.”

“Anyway, I pulled out the ring and knew then it was supposed to be yours. The red rubies reminded me of your red hair. It’s bold, just like you. And exquisite, just like you.”

I shook my head, trying to match the man beside me with the man I had met all those years ago. I would have never dreamed we would ever find ourselves together in a cabin, high in the mountains. It was surreal.

“You know,” I said, in a low husky voice. “If you wanted to get laid, all you had to do was say so.”

He busted into laughter. “I don’t think I have to say anything. One look at you and you cream your pants.”

My mouth fell open. “That’s not true!” I argued.

He raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it? Are you wet right now, Calla? Do you want me to check and find out?”

I blushed. Of course I was wet. I was an eternal fountain when the man was around. “That doesn’t count. You just gave me a ring.”

“Can we celebrate?” he asked, leaning forward to kiss me gently on the lips before moving over my jaw.

“I would love to celebrate, but Jake?”

“Hmm,” he murmured against my ear.

“I need to get Evie’s bed out of the truck. She likes to be comfortable when she naps.”

He pulled away from my face and gave me a look that told me he was not pleased with my request.

“I’ll get the bed. You get naked.”

I grinned. “I can do that. I wore a little something special for our first night together.”

“This isn’t our first night together,” he pointed out.

I stood up and pulled my shirt over my head, revealing the dark purple body suit of sheer lace I had on.

“It’s our first night together as a couple in your cabin,” I said, shimmying out of the slacks I was wearing.

“Good God, I’m going to fuck you all night long. Don’t take that off!” he ordered, racing for the door. “I’ll be right back. Get in the bedroom. I don’t want the dogs witnessing what I’m going to do to your body.”

Shivering in anticipation, I grabbed my suitcase to take in the bedroom with me. I had a couple more surprises tucked away, sure to make him a very happy man. I couldn’t wait to experiment with some of the toys various adult toy dealers had sent me in the hopes they would find their way into my books. I had never been interested before, but with Jake, the sky was the limit and I was willing to try anything.

***The End***

Wanna read the story after this?

Well, turn the page for some super steamy surprises between Jake and Calle, and an exclusive story about Holly and Gabe.

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