Forever's Embrace (Forever In Luck Series Book 2) (7 page)

It
was official, Jake wanted to watch every Bear’s game with her, and when they
played the Pack, watch out, they were going to have a hell of a lot of fun.
When it was finally over, he turned off the TV. Looking at her, he said, “Let
me take you out for dinner.”

She
immediately perked up with a smile, and it was like the sun had just come out
from behind the clouds. “Really? I’d love that! Where to?”

“Go
get ready. I’ll think of something.”

She
hopped off the couch. “I’ll be back in a flash,” she answered excitedly, and
then she was gone.

Thirty
minutes later, they were entering the town of St. Croix Falls. “Well, you
basically have two choices,” he said, “American or Chinese. Make that three,
there’s a pizza place in town too.”

Her
eyes took on a glimmer. “Chinese, definitely!”

“You
got it,” he responded, then had a thought. She may have grown up shy and
sheltered, but she was tremendously diverse. How does that happen, he wondered.
He decided to ask her. “You know, I just had a thought. For being so shy,
you’re mighty diverse. How is that?”

She
smiled at him, then waved him off. “That’s easy smeasy, it began with the
trivium and quadrivium.”

Huh?
What the hell was that? “Ahhh, I’m not sure what that is, but it sounds like
I’m about to get an education. So, let’s order first, and then you can tell me
all about it.”

After
placing their order and taking their seats, Jules set something in front of
him.

“What’s
this?” he asked, picking it up and looking at it.

“Chopsticks.”

He
looked at her skeptically. “You expect me to eat with these?”

She
gave him the cutest smile and nodded her head rapidly, mischief dancing in her
eyes.

“Great,
I’m going to starve.”

She
reached over and patted his hand, then said softly, “Shhhh, it’s okay, I’ve got
you. No worries. I know you’ve never used chopsticks before, and it’s okay.”

He
burst out laughing. That’s what he’d said to her when she panicked over driving
the snowmobile. The little stinker. Grabbing her hand and refusing to let go,
he pulled on her arm till she was over the table some, then he kissed her. “I’m
a lucky man. Now what’s this about trivium, quadrivium?”

“The
all-girls school I attended subscribed to a classical curriculum made popular
during the Middle Ages. Trivium pertains to the mind, and includes the study of
grammar, logic, and rhetoric. It’s the first area taught because it helps you
answer the who, what, when, where, and why of things. Quadrivium pertains to
matter and quantity, and is considered higher level thinking. It consists of
arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. All total, the seven areas make up
the liberal arts, and its goal is to produce students who can function across
the board in varied environments.”

Interesting,
he thought. “So how’s that different from the education I received?”

“Probably
in the way it was rolled out,” she answered. “You learned a little of those
things simultaneously as you went along, whereas I had to demonstrate mastery
of the trivium, before I was allowed to advance to the quadrivium. Not to
mention, I was required to learn much of it in Latin. Then throw in the modern
aspects of education today, and you get the addition of science, history, and
philosophy classes. I personally chose to study the fine arts as part of my
electives.”

Their
food arrived, and he reluctantly pulled out the chopsticks. After she showed
him how to hold them, he pecked at his food, having to readjust them often. He
wanted to know more. “Fine arts being what, exactly?”

“Fine
arts being the study of imagination and taste. In my mind, it’s the study of
all that’s beautiful. I learned how to draw, paint, cook, stuff like that.”

God,
she was interesting. He watched as she reached over and began nimbly picking up
his food with her chopsticks and feeding it to him. Now this, he liked, because
he was hopeless with the chopsticks and had reverted to stabbing his food in an
attempt to eat it. Is there a place for me in this world of hers, he wondered.
“Linnie said you’re so smart, you were able to finish high school early.”

She
smiled a little, then looked down. “Yeah, I suppose you could say that.”

Hmmm,
her words seemed off. “What do you mean?”

Taking
a few more bites of her food, she asked. “Did Linnie tell you I was raised by
my grandmother?”

“Yeah.”

“Well,
Nana was sixty six when I was born, and as I got a little older, we both knew
she could be gone at any moment. I needed to hurry, I needed to get my high
school diploma and be done. I was on an academic scholarship at the all-girls
school, so I took as many classes as I could right from the start. I went to
summer school, and took college level courses in the evening, as time and
requirements would allow. I did it all so I’d have enough credits to finish
early, and so I could be there to help Nana as her health failed. I had no
choice, I had to study and get good grades.”

She
stopped and took a drink of her tea, before continuing, “I worked at the bakery
in the early morning hours to help us get by. When I was sixteen, and weeks
away from getting my diploma, Nana encouraged me to petition the courts for
emancipation as a minor, so I wouldn’t become a ward of the state and have to
go into foster care. I did and prevailed. Not long after, I received notice
that I’d been accepted into the pharmacy program, also via scholarship. Nana,
now in her early eighties, died in her sleep soon after. She stayed alive only
for me, and when she knew I’d be alright, she was able to go.”

Holy
shit. He was dumbfounded. Sure she was shy, but he had thought of her as having
had it relatively easy all her life. Was it because she’d been sheltered, or
because of the all-girls bit, or maybe because she had a good job? Hell, he
didn’t know if he should congratulate her, or offer her his sympathy. So he
said nothing. Instead, he took the chopsticks from her hand, picked up his
fork, and started feeding her.

They
sat and talked until the restaurant closed, and he hated that his time with her
was coming to an end. She was intriguing and fascinating to him, and he was
enthralled by her. He decided early on, she could be talking about something as
mundane as lint balls, and he’d be engrossed, that’s how into her he was.

Pulling
in the yard, he helped her into the house, and then took her coat. “You head on
down. I’ll give you some time before I come down and get ready for bed. I’ll
set my alarm. We’ll need about an hour and a half to get to the airport.”

She
went down, while he went up. Giving it about ten minutes, he headed down to the
basement, and as he came to the bottom of the stairs, Jules opened the bathroom
door, and they stared at one another.

Dropping
her gaze to his shoulder, she said, “Thank you, Jake. It’s been a lovely
holiday, and I can’t remember ever having had a nicer time. I appreciate all
you’ve done for me, and for being so kind. I don’t know what else to say or do,
so please accept my heartfelt gratitude.”

He
didn’t have to think about it, he responded quickly, “I accept, and I loved
every minute of it myself, so it certainly was no hardship. However, there are
a few things you can do for me, if you want.”

Startled,
she looked up with wide eyes. “What?”

“First,
tell me what scent you wear. I can’t figure it out and it’s making me crazy.”

She
averted her gaze, then moistened her lips. “It’s cloves. I love cloves. I use
clove oil, and chew clove flavored gum, and ah, my shampoo is scented with
cloves too.” Then she quickly glanced at him, before looking away.

Cloves,
imagine that, he thought. He guessed he loved cloves too. “Really? Do they use
cloves when cooking?” he asked, not sure.

She
nodded. “In apple pie, pumpkin pie, on ham.”

Pumpkin
pie, who knew? He really could taste her the other night. “The second thing you
could do if you want, is to take down your hair for me. You always wear it up,
and I’d like to see it down for once.”

She
quickly looked up at him, and after blinking several times, she slowly began
removing hairpins as she looked away, all the while nibbling on her bottom lip.
Gradually, she unwound a beautiful length of golden tresses. Once done, she ran
her fingers through its thickness, loosening it and spreading it out. It fell
to just above her waist, and he was stunned breathless.

Reminding
himself to breathe, and then swallowing hard, he said in astonishment, “I
didn’t think it possible, but you’re even more beautiful. More beautiful than
I’d ever imagined.” She blushed profusely, and he smiled at her modest
innocence.

“The
third thing you can do is tell me what you’re thinking when you look at my
shoulder.” Oh boy, there was something to this, because she turned bright red
and quickly dropped her head. He needed to know. “Jules, you can tell me.
Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

She
inhaled deeply, while looking worriedly off to the side, then she began
wringing her hands. “I…I…umm, I…” She let out the breath she was holding, and
turned away from him. “I…,” she rubbed her face, “I wonder what it’d be like
to…ahhh…rest my head there.” Then she put her hand over her face, covering it.

Holy
hell, she wanted to snuggle up with him. Screw that, what she was really
telling him was that she wanted him to hold her.

“Jules?”

“What?”
she whispered, without turning around.

“Look
at me.”

She
shook her head. So he walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.
It was an intimacy, but he felt the time was right, “Precious, look at me.”
That got her attention. Slowly, she turned around, lifting her gaze little by
little, and what she saw, was him standing there with his arms open to her.
“Come here,” he said softly, taking her in his arms and holding her tight,
while kissing her head, and breathing in the deep scent of cloves. “I’ve wanted
this from the moment I saw you at the airport.”

Pulling
back, she looked up at him with wide eyes. “You have?”

“Mmmhmm,”
he answered, nodding his head, while gently putting her head back on his
shoulder. After a few minutes, he asked, “Well, you wondered what it’d be like,
so how is it?”

She
let out a long sigh, then cuddled in tighter, while nuzzling his neck.
“It’s…it’s…divine, Jake.”

Awww
hell, that did it. His goose was cooked. He was so enamored with her, and he never
wanted to let her go, ever. She thought it was divine, and he thought it was
heavenly, so weren’t they a pair. “You have your choice, you can come upstairs
and let me hold you on the couch, or we can go to my bedroom. But one way or
another, I’m going to hold you for the rest of the night. So what’ll it be?”

Looking
up at him with that beautiful angelic face, and those stunning blue eyes, her
hair everywhere, she shocked the hell out of him when she said, “The bedroom.”

Jake
nearly fell to his knees. He thought for sure it’d be the couch, but no, it was
the bedroom. Holy hell, he could do this. God help him. He could do this.

Getting
her settled, he turned out the light and removed his shirt, leaving the rest of
his clothes on. Walking over to the bed, he crawled in next to her, taking her
in his arms. They settled in next to each other, he mostly on his back, she on
her side with her head on his shoulder and one hand on his chest. Taking his
time with her, he soothed her, rubbed her back, and held her.

“Jake?”
she whispered after some time.

“What?”

Putting
her head back, she looked up at him, “Kiss me, please.”

Hell,
she didn’t have to ask twice. Bending his head, he put his lips to hers,
starting slow. Soon, she moved to her back, pulling him with her. Once he was
over her, she ran her hands up his arms, over his shoulders, and into his hair,
kissing him with all she had, putting him through his paces, working him out,
and making his head spin while stealing every ounce of his breath.

Chest
heaving and breathless, he put his forehead to hers. The fact that she was a
novice wasn’t proving to be a hindrance here. It’d been the most passionate
kiss he’d ever had, and she’d just claimed his heart. She was, without a doubt,
the one for him, and hell if he knew what to do about it.

“Was
that okay?” she whispered. “Did I do okay?”

If
it wouldn’t have been the most inopportune time, he would’ve fallen over
laughing. She was worried about being a bad kisser. She was, indeed, precious. With
complete sincerity, he answered her, “You’re a phenomenal kisser, Juliet Rose.”

She
smiled, he could hear it in her voice. “Really? You’re not just saying that are
you?”

He
placed a kiss on her cheek. “I’d never lie about it. It was by far, the best kiss
I’ve ever had. You sure do know how to pack a wallop. You made my head spin,
and I’m breathless, in case you haven’t noticed.”

She
wrapped her arms around his neck, and he rolled to his side, holding her close
as he did. They kissed again, long and slow, and damned if it wasn’t better
than the first time. Rubbing her back and running his fingers through her hair,
he said with and ache in his heart, “Go to sleep, Precious. We need to leave in
a couple hours, and you need to work in the morning.”