Kidnapped Hearts (22 page)

“Wow, she’s exhausting,” Pamela murmured
as her eyes landed on a glass figurine in the shape of a ship, “but very
sweet.”

“Here we are.” Sylvia held up a tray,
carrying the room keys and coffees. “Breakfast will be ready in the morning.”

“That’s a beautiful figurine.” Pamela
pointed to the delicate glass piece in the center of a small table in the
foyer.

“Yes, it’s a replica of the ship we have
filling the third floor of the main house.” Sylvia pointed at Jake and Pamela,
ignoring their confused expression. “You two will be upstairs in the room on
the right. It has a private bath, so no one can bother you two lovebirds.”

Pamela’s eyes popped. She would be
sharing a bed with Jake. The surge of warmth that spread through her body sent
mixed signals. She grasped the finials on the banister and rubbed the ball. To
the north, her brain told her to take it slow. To the south, her body urged to
bring it on. A shudder ran through her.

“You okay, Betty?” Jake kissed her cheek,
his eyes twinkling.

“Now, you two get upstairs and get in
that shower. You’re a mess, and you smell. I’m so glad you weren’t in the house
when it went up in flames. Do you know what happened?”

“No,” Jake answered while each of them
shook their heads.

Sylvia patted her throat. “For the life
of me, I think a bomb went off in it. I’m going to have to call the owners. You
know, they live in
Key West
.
They won’t be happy.” She sighed. “Oh, my. I hope they don’t hold me
accountable.”

Pamela coughed. “I don’t mean to
interrupt, but I need to use—”

“You have to pee. I get it.” Sylvia
grasped Jake and Pamela’s hands and leaned forward. “You were having a little
rendezvous, weren’t you? That’s why you weren’t in the house.”

“Um…” Pamela stared.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m keeping you.” She
waved, shooing them. “Go. And here you go, young man.” She gave Steve his key.
He raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time. “Your room is to the left,
and your bathroom is down the hall,” Sylvia yelled after him. “Oh, me.”

Jake unlocked their bedroom. The faint
aroma of vanilla drifted from within. Blue Iris wallpaper adorned the walls
like her Grand Ann’s bedroom. Pamela’s mouth dropped open.

“Everything okay?” Jake closed the door
and removed his boots.

“Yes, I love the wallpaper.” Pamela
perused the room. A fireplace was situated in the middle of one wall with a
rocker and a loveseat in front of it. A washstand and a wardrobe were on the
opposite side. A high queen size bed nestled in an alcove. She’d have to jump
to get on it. A homemade quilt covered the sheets, making it more inviting.

The tub turned on.

She inched toward the hearth and peeked
around the corner.

She caught a glimpse of skin as Jake
passed the open door. She moistened her lips, turned away, and sat in the
rocker. Maybe the motion of the rocker would calm her nerves. She didn’t want a
repeat of Jake’s dismissal—the
be patient
comment—or a pity kiss. She thought about his reaction after he freed her from
that man. He didn’t seem to have any reservations about kissing her then.
Maybe, he wouldn’t now.

She sucked in a deep breath, and the
image of fire in the sky came to mind. That beautiful house was gone.
Exhausted, her head fell backwards, clunking on the wooden chair.

The top of the chair tipped back. “Don’t
beat yourself up.”

She gasped and covered her face. “Jake,
don’t do that.”

He rubbed her arms, then drifted lower.
“I didn’t mean to scare you, Betty.” A kiss followed by, “Boop.”

She swung out of the chair and playfully
hit his bare chest. His hand covered hers, stilling her. Slowly, her fingers
came to life and started caressing the small patch of curly hair. This was the
second time within twenty-four hours she’d seen him half dressed. She pinched
her lips together, attempting to control her body’s reaction.

“Ready for a bath?”

Hell,
yeah
. Her lips curled into a slow smile.

“Good, but I think you have too many
clothes on.” His voice was laden with sex as the corners of his mouth lifted.
With hooded eyes, he lifted
his
shirt
from her body. His hands shook as they moved to her stomach, then slowly
traveled higher. The tips of his fingers brushed the underside of her breasts
and over their buds, sending waves of want through her body. She popped the
button on her shorts and pushed them along with her underwear down, then
snagged his towel. The boldness she experienced earlier in the evening had
returned. Her breath paused as her eyes landed on his body’s glorious part. The
one she’d been dying to meet.

He chuckled. “I love a woman who knows
what she wants.”

Pamela slowed her rash movements. Did he
mean what he said?
Love?
She closed
her eyes and pulled her lips inward.
Stop
it
. Her eyes opened. “Jake.”

She saw the naked emotion in his eyes. He
threaded his arms beneath her shoulders, pulling her tight against his body.

“Jake, I have to say this.” Her hands
dropped to her side and eased back, putting space between them. “Whatever
you’re doing, don’t you dare do it out of pity.”

It was as if her words deflated him. The
expression that crossed his face looked stricken, yet his dark pools gave
nothing away as he met her eyes. “I’m not,” he admitted, then lowered his head
and nuzzled into her neck. His hands went to her waist, where they squeezed
lightly before traveling to her buttocks, closing the gap between them.

With him stroking her, she couldn’t
think, and she needed to. She needed to be certain of his intentions. If she
offered herself to him as she had tried to before, and he pushed her away, what
then?

He tugged on her arms, flattening her
breasts against his chest. His manhood pressed against her stomach, and his
eyes bored into hers. “I lied.”

The comment made her dizzy. Millions of
thoughts twirled around in her mind as to what he was referring to until it
finally sunk in. He lied about why he had kissed her in the hospital.

Instead of his admission calming her,
annoyance bit at her consciousness. A mangled noise leaked. “What bullshit!”

Holding her to him, so she couldn’t flee,
he said, “I tried to stay away.”

She blinked, keeping her tears at bay.
“You tried to stay away from what?”

He feather-touched the back of her neck,
ducked his head, then breathed, “From this.” His lips met hers.

A bolt of electricity rocketed through
her bloodstream, rendering her motionless. Not knowing what to do, she stared
at his face. His eyes were closed as his lips motivated hers to respond. When
she didn’t, he opened his eyes. The pull from his gaze enticed at her insides.
She felt a light squeeze around her waist, and he nibbled her lower lip. Her
body stirred. The rush of want overtook her, and her fingers traveled up his
body.

He groaned. The sound of it was so
sensually intriguing that her body hummed. She slanted into him, and when
another sound low in his throat escaped him, it reverberated to her chest.
Suddenly, touching him everywhere at once seemed urgent. Frantically, she
continued her exploration.

 
He
raised her feet off the floor. Warm, firm lips found the hollow of her neck
until he hit a door, stopping him. Vibrant blues stared down at her as her feet
met the floor. “You’re gorgeous.”

She blushed. They were moving too fast.
Yesterday, he dismissed her. How could he change up so quickly?

“Pamela.”

“Jake, I didn’t think you—” She closed
her eyes and let out a deep breath. “—wanted to be near me.”

He cradled her to him and rested his chin
against her hair. “You have to understand. It isn’t wise for me to get involved
with you, not during a case.” He swallowed. “When it comes to you, I can’t
shake the hold you have on me. My body and soul want to be with you.”

Her eyes met his, and her body did an
internal happy dance.

Pamela grinned, slipping her leg between
his. His rock hard erection pressed against her. She licked his bottom lip,
then bit it gently. A second later, she glided away, enjoying the surprise on
his face. She strolled into the bathroom to the half-full tub of water.

He followed her there and slid into the
water ahead of her. “Ready?”

She sat in front of him, and his legs
straddled her. Grasping her shoulder, he eased her back against his chest and
his hard body. The tips of her breasts bobbed above the water.

A gentle breeze touched her neck. She
tucked her chin and studied him out of the corner of her eye. He blew again.

“You’re cold,” he teased. His forefinger
and thumb tweaked her nipple.

She picked up his other hand and
positioned it over her other breast. “I’m not cold.”

“Hmm.” Jake kissed her temple as his
fingers skimmed down the slope of her breast, down her stomach to the patch of
hair between her legs.

She nudged his arm aside. If he made
contact there, she’d come unglued. She wanted that, craved it, but not yet.

“Let’s go into the bedroom.” He squeezed
her mound then stroked to the underside of her breast. “After I wash you.”

Unable to speak, she moaned.

Pooling shampoo into his palm, he
massaged it into her hair.

Her eyes fluttered closed, as she enjoyed
his touch.
 

A wet strand of hair covered her face. He
replaced it with a kiss.

She wanted him lower. He lathered soap
into his hand, then used it as a washcloth along her body. Slowly, he moved to
her breast, taking great care to clean every centimeter. “You feel wonderful.”
The erotic touched traveled lower. “I can’t get enough of you,” he whispered in
her ear as he nipped her earlobe.

 
“My turn.”
She
reached for the shampoo.

“
Sweetie,
I don’t think I could handle you washing me without exploding.” He snatched a
nearby washcloth and quickly washed his body. With that done, he grasped her
around the waist and skidded a hand under her legs. Water splashed over the
sides of the tub as he rose, cradling her to his chest.
 

“Wow,” she exhaled as his biceps flexed.
Strong didn’t come close to describing the lack of effort required for him to
pick her up.
 

With her in his arms, he shut off the
water, then moved onto the bathmat. Slowly, he released her, letting every inch
of her body slide down him until her feet hit the floor.

“Do you have protection?”

He gazed down at her, his eyes twinkling.
“I do.”

He stole a towel from a pile on a shelf
and pressed it against her. The roughness of the material combined with the
pressure of his fingers raised goose bumps on her skin. Within seconds, her
breathing was heavy and her body begged for more.

“I want you,” she breathed, “in me.”

A smile tugged the corners of his lips.
“That’s where I want to be.” Bending, he sucked her rosy nipple into his mouth.
Her body arched, and her fingers threaded through his hair, holding him to her.
His touch felt like pure ecstasy.

He slid his hands behind her back and
lifted her feet off the floor. His lips disappeared from her breast, leaving
the nipple moist and cool to the air.

The few paces to the bed took an
eternity.

As if she were a
China
doll, he
gently laid her across the quilt. Starting with her toes, he caressed and
massaged every nook and cranny.

Her head shifted side to side, the
yearning to explode becoming more intense with each stroke. “Jake,” she gasped.

Condom on, he braced his elbows on the
bed on either side of her. His body blanketed hers. He gazed into her eyes. His
pupils darkened, and the gentleness on his face had her fighting back tears.
This was the real thing.
The thought
made her body rise, craving to have the last touch before erupting.

He bent forward, kissed her mouth, and
glided inside her. Never had something felt so good. Desire pulsed through her
veins. Instinctively, her hips reacted, keeping pace with him, then moved
faster.

“I
won’t last if you keep this up.” Jake grinned.

“I
can’t stop, Jake. Oh!”

He
thrust one last time, holding her firm against him. A moan escaped his lips.
“My God, Pamela.” He rested on top of her, his body sweaty and spent.

Pamela
wrapped her body around him. Right then, she knew.
This was more than physical attraction
.

****

A knock on the door and Pamela opened an
eye. She glanced over her shoulder. Her dream was a reality. Jake spooned her,
his early morning erection pressing into her back. Another knock and both eyes
opened. She nudged Jake.