Love's Sweet Discovery (3 page)

Chapter 7

They made love several more times that night. Claire had never been more tired or more satisfied in all her life. In between bouts of hot, steamy sex, they would talk. She told him why she stopped painting.

“It was hard after Thomas’s father left us. I was heartbroken and disappointed. My dreams kind of died along with my relationship. I had to be a mother and a father to Thomas, so I focused on raising my son.”

“You did a great job. Tom got his strength and confidence from you.”

“I always worried that what happened between his father and me would mess up his life.”

“Tom told me once that he thought his dad was an asshole for what he did to you and that he was glad that he wasn’t in his life.”

“He knew what happened?”

“Tom overheard his great-grandparents talking when he was about twelve years old. They were talking about how his father had cheated on you with his secretary.”

“He never said a word to me about it.” She was lying on her side and leaned up on her elbow. She frowned.

“Tom didn’t want to hurt you by bringing it up.” Jacob caressed her face, easing her frown away.

“Honestly, it did hurt for a long time. My self-esteem was almost nonexistent after that. My ex really did a number on me.”

“How did you move past it?”

“It took a long time. It helped to have a purpose to focus on, raising Thomas. Slowly, I put my life back together.”

They moved on to talk about Jacob and Thomas’s business in Japan. She thought it would be a lighter conversation.

“I’m so proud of you both for working hard these past few years. Now you’re starting your own company. What does your family think?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to them since I left for college.”

“What? Surely they’re proud of what you’ve accomplished.”

“My father was abusive and my mother was a drunk. I was one of six mouths to feed. My father worked in a garage and expected me to work there with him after I graduated high school. College was never in their plans for me. When I earned a football scholarship and was accepted into the university, they were furious with me. They told me if I left for college to pack up all my shit because I wasn’t welcome back.”

Claire nearly cried. She scooted closer so that she could wrap her arms around him. “I’m so sorry about that. My father was similar when I divorced Thomas’s dad. He withdrew his financial support. I wouldn’t have been able to take care of Thomas if not for my grandparents and for my friend Lydia, who hired me to help her with her first gallery. I am so grateful to have had them in my life. Was there anyone like that for you?”

“Tom. He’s been more like a brother than a friend to me at times. He’s always encouraged me and pushed me to go further. I owe him everything.”

An awkward silence arose at the mention of Thomas’s name. She had to address the elephant in the room. “What are we going to do about this?”

“I don’t know. I just want to see where this leads. Whether it is only for a few days or a few weeks, I can’t walk away from you right now.” He leaned over and nuzzled her neck.

“I feel the same.” She moved her arms up around his neck, keeping him close to her. The thought of never seeing Jacob again left an ache inside her. She had to push those thoughts aside and appreciate every moment she had with him. Life was too unpredictable, and no one knew what would come tomorrow.

“So what do you have planned for tomorrow, then?” she asked, trying to keep things light.

“I thought we could hang out at the beach. I could surf and you could paint me.” He winked.

“Sounds like a great plan.”

Chapter 8

It was getting really hot. They had been out on the beach for a couple of hours. She had set up a large umbrella and brought a lightweight chair and her painting supplies. Her painting was coming along. Jacob looked so at home on the surfboard. Watching him out on the water relaxed her and loosened up her artistic abilities. She had several sketches already that she planned to paint.

She had packed them a lunch, so around noon Jacob came in and sat next to her. They talked and laughed. Claire and Jacob made out a little—as much as they could with a beach full of other people. They applied sunblock on one another, which led to more caressing and kissing, then lay out in the sun together, side-by-side.

She watched him take a little nap and was amazed at how peaceful she felt just looking at him. There was something about him that not only excited and aroused her, but he also made her feel at ease with herself. She knew how special and rare that was to find.

Claire couldn’t let the moment get away from her. She sat up and grabbed a fresh canvas and sketched Jacob at rest. She would be ready to add paint once she got back to the beach house.

“You’ve got a fan.” Jacob’s voice interrupted her deep concentration.

She looked over at him. “What?”

He nodded to her other side. Claire turned to look and found a cute little six-year-old girl sitting on the sand next to her with a sketchpad and coloring pencils in her hand. She was trying to copy Claire’s painting of Jacob.

“Hi, there. I’m Claire.”

“I’m Sophie. I like your painting.”

“Thank you. I like your picture, too.” Claire looked over and waved at the couple sitting a few feet away. They were clearly Sophie’s parents, and she wanted to reassure them that everything was fine. “Do you know how to draw a bird?”

Little Sophie smiled wide. “I do!” She proceeded to draw a birdlike image.

Jacob kissed Claire’s cheek and whispered in her ear. “I’m going to surf a little while longer. I’d like to take you out to dinner, if that’s okay.”

Claire looked up at him and nodded. She watched him lift his surfboard out of the sand and tuck it under his arm as he jogged toward the water.

“Is that your boyfriend?” Sophie asked shyly.

Wow, she was stunned into silence. She never really thought about them being in a relationship at all. Faced with the question, it made her consider the possibilities. “He’s my date. I like him a lot.”

“You should ask him to be your boyfriend before another girl does. If you don’t, you’ll have to wait until they break up before you can ask him again.”

Claire smiled as she realized she was receiving relationship advice from a kindergartner. That was what her life had been reduced to. “I’ll think about it, Sophie. Having a boyfriend is a big responsibility.”

“I know. That’s why I am waiting until I get to third grade before I think about a boyfriend.”

“Good decision, Sophie.”

Sophie sketched next to her for maybe another thirty minutes before she got sleepy and headed back to her parents. Claire continued with her painting, taking moments to drink her bottled water. Sometimes she would walk to the water with a bottle for Jacob and he would laugh when she tried not to get wet.

Jacob came back to shore as the sun was setting. He stood with her in his arms and they watched the sunset together. It was one of the most romantic moments of her life.

“Are you ready to head in?” Jacob asked.

“Yes, let me take everything down.”

Jacob got the chairs and umbrella while Claire loaded up her paint supplies and canvas. They walked back to the beach house together. She was excited about tonight. This was the first date that she had in a long time. She hoped she had packed a good dress and shoes.

*****

Jacob watched Claire as they walked toward the beach house. She was an amazing woman. She had been so patient and kind to the little girl. Some wouldn’t have taken the time to spend with a child like that.

Everything about Claire was special. It was more than that. He liked how she made him feel and how he was when he was with her. He wasn’t sure where this was going, but he knew he wasn’t ready for it to end. The thought of him leaving soon made him feel sad. How was he going to walk away when he had finally found someone worth staying for?

Tom had called earlier that morning and said that he had to go to a last minute dinner with one of their investors. He wasn’t sure when he would be down. Jacob was actually relieved. He would have more time alone with Claire. He was looking forward to it.

Chapter 9

Claire stared at the box of hair dye. Should she or shouldn’t she? She hadn’t bothered to try to dye her silver/gray-streaked hair in years, always thinking she was comfortable just the way she was. When Claire looked in the mirror, she didn’t see the way she felt on the inside. There was so much more inside her to give.

Decision made, she opened the box and followed the directions. While her hair was processing, she went to her closet and sorted through her clothes. Most of what she’d brought with her was very casual plus a few dresses that she wore for gallery openings. Claire didn’t have time to go shopping for something new.

“Ugh!” She was about to grab a pair of dress pants and a tunic, but something red caught her eye. She shoved clothes out of the way and pulled a red halter dress down. She hadn’t worn this dress in a long time.

Claire held it up against her body as she looked at herself in the mirror. It still looked like it was in good shape. She had worn it once or twice and forgotten all about it. She laid it on the bed and went back to the bathroom to rinse out the hair color.

Thirty minutes later, she had dried and straightened her hair, applied a heavier application of makeup than normal, and was wearing a matching black bra and panty set. She slipped her dress on and then had one final touch to make, which was red lipstick. Claire was a little surprised at seeing herself in the mirror. It was like twenty years had faded away.

What would Jacob think? Well, she was about to find out. She grabbed her silver purse and opened the door to the bedroom. She walked down the hallway looking for him. He wasn’t in his bedroom, the kitchen or the living room. The balcony doors were open and she could see him leaning against the railing with his back to her.

“Jacob, I’m ready.”

*****

Jacob turned around smiling and froze. The vision in front of him was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. “Claire?”

He stared open-mouthed at her sleek dark hair that fell to her elbows since it had been straightened, down to her breasts showcased in the red halter dress, and to her exposed legs and heels that made her legs seem much longer than they were. He wanted those legs wrapped around his waist, with her naked under him—all except the heels. He wanted those left on while he made love to her.

“Is something wrong?” Claire asked nervously. She fiddled with her hair and the dress.

He stepped forward to take her in his arms. “I’m just stunned at how gorgeous you are. For a moment there, all I wanted was to take you on the deck under the stars.”

She rubbed her body against his, making his heart speed up. “I would like that,” she whispered against his ear.

He pulled away with great effort. “Oh, no. I called and made reservations at that fancy Italian restaurant, Louie III. I want to show you off.”

“Louie III is really expensive and usually you have to make reservations at least twenty-four hours in advance.” She glanced at him and smiled. “You made reservations yesterday, didn’t you?”

He shrugged. “I thought you might like to get out for the evening.”

Claire kissed his cheek as he opened the door to leave the house. “Thank you, Jacob. That was very sweet of you.”

“It was nothing.” She deserved to be taken out and so much more. Watching her with the little girl today made him realize how lucky Tom was to have her as a mother. His own mother didn’t really want anything to do with him. He could appreciate how special that was.

Jacob opened the car door for her and jogged over to the driver’s side. The ride to the restaurant was short and they were shown to a table with some privacy. He had looked it up online and found out that next door to the restaurant was a dance club. He planned to take her there next.

They ordered their food and talked. He had never enjoyed the time he had spent with women his own age or younger. They could do physical activities fine, but when it came to holding a decent conversation, the other women usually got bored and just wanted to have sex.

Claire was different. She appealed to him on every level, not just the physical. Yet, the sex was incredible. He loved everything about her: her caring nature, sense of humor, sophistication, and confidence in her own abilities.

He suddenly realized he wasn’t falling in love with her, he had fallen. There was no going back for him.

Chapter 10

“Where are we going?” Claire asked as Jacob took her hand and led her down the walkway from the restaurant.

It was the best meal she had shared with anyone, ever. It wasn’t only the food that made it great, it was the company. Jacob was easy to be around. For someone his age, he was very sure of himself and knowledgeable about many subjects. When she was with him, she forgot all about age differences. All that mattered was that they connected and communicated well. Not to mention the hot sex. Jacob was the whole package. A package that she wanted to keep, but knew that she couldn’t.

“I thought we would go dancing.” He pointed to the club ahead of them.

She hoped they had some kind of slow dancing because she was not up on hip-hop. They entered the club and there was fast-paced music playing.
Please don’t have him drag me out there for that.

Jacob leaned over to speak directly into her ear.

“Let’s have a drink at the bar and wait for something a little slower.” She nodded her agreement.

They sat on the stools and Jacob asked what she would like to have. He ordered for both of them. She liked that about him. She liked everything about Jacob. She felt more than “like” for Jacob and that was scary as hell. She took several sips of her wine when the bartender placed it down in front of her. Jacob took a sip of his beer and sat it down on the bar. A slow beating music began to play.

“Would you like to dance?” Jacob asked, standing up. It was kind of hard to refuse him when he stood there with his hand outstretched toward her.

“I’d love to.” She placed her glass on the bar, took his hand and felt the now familiar spark between them.

Jacob pulled her to him. They were chest to chest. He placed his hands on her hips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They fit perfectly together as they swayed to the music. The heat of his body cocooned her. The rest of the world faded away and all she knew was she was in Jacob’s arms. It felt right. Several more songs played, but she didn’t know what they were. Finally, Jacob looked down into her eyes.

“Are you ready to leave?”

“Yes.” She knew they would make love as soon as they got back to the beach house, and she couldn’t wait.

They got into the car, but before Jacob could start the ignition, he leaned over to give her a kiss which exploded into more. Claire was half pulled and half climbed over the gearshift into his lap. She felt his arousal through his slacks and ground herself against him in need. “Jacob.”

“Claire…”

They were interrupted when a car pulling out next to them beeped its horn at them.

She jerked back. “I guess this isn’t the best location to do this.” She pulled away and returned to her own seat, her heart beating rapidly.

Jacob got back to the beach house in record time. They tumbled through the door, ripping their clothes off and leaving a trail from the front door to the bedroom. Jacob kicked the door closed behind him and reached for Claire, pulling her around and pushing until her back hit the door.

“I’m going to fuck you until neither of us can stand then I’ll fuck you some more,” he growled out against her lips.

“Yes. Fuck me, baby.”

She watched Jacob quickly open the condom package he pulled out of his pants and toss the wrapper to the floor. He lifted her easily, as if she weighed nothing at all, and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He took her lips in a heated kiss as he centered his cock at her entrance. Her juices coated his tip. Then he entered her in one swift motion.

They moved together as he found a deep, steady rhythm, up and in. Claire couldn’t believe he was holding her like this. He was really, really strong. All other thoughts left her when Jacob quickened his pace.

She reached down and grabbed his hips, encouraging him to enter her harder and faster. She was so close to coming, she just needed a little more. He bit her collarbone gently but firmly, and it was the pain mixed with pleasure that she needed. She screamed out his name as she came hard.

Jacob didn’t come yet. He carried her to the bed and flipped her onto her stomach. It surprised her.

“Jacob, you didn’t come.”

“Have you ever had your ass taken?”

He did not just ask that.
She knew her face had turned bright red. Once her ex-husband had tried to force her to try it but she refused.

“I haven’t…”

“It’s okay. We don’t have to if you’re not comfortable.”

Sex for her had always been about trust. She needed to feel like she could trust the man, and with Jacob, she trusted him with everything. “Yes, I want to try it.”

He smiled at her as he jumped off the bed. “I’ll be right back.” He ran out of the bedroom and down the hallway. When he came back he didn’t bother to close the door all the way. He had a tube of something in his hands. 

“What’s that?”

“It will help make it easier for me to enter you, but first we’ll prepare you.”

“Prepare me how?”

Jacob crawled up the bed, slowly licking her legs and placing kisses on her hips. He took a slight nip of her ass then rubbed it with his large hands, soothing her.

“I’ve got to make sure you are ready to take me.” He dipped his fingers into her still-wet pussy and stroked her. He got her juices all over his fingers then he brought them to her back entrance.

Claire couldn’t help tightening up when he rubbed the juices on her puckered hole. She gasped when he gently smacked her ass. “Hey! What was that for?”

“You’re thinking too much about this and tightening up. I need you to stop thinking. Just relax and feel.”

“I’ll try.” She let out a deep breath and tried to make her whole body relax. She felt something cool at first poured down her ass crack and on the puckered peak. Jacob massaged the gel on her then gently, using his pinky, he slowly entered.

The tight little ring loosened and he pumped in and out with the pinky. It was a strange sensation, but it felt dark and sexy. All his attention was on her and she loved that. She growled when he removed his pinky.

He inserted his index finger, moving in and out. Then Jacob added a second finger. She felt like the spark he created in her was turning into an inferno, and she was ready to burn.

“I think you’re ready,” Jacob whispered next to her head.

She felt empty when he removed his fingers, but soon felt the tip of his penis at her tight opening. He slowly pushed in past the ring then, he worked his way further and further with slow, gentle rocking motions.

Claire felt a sheen of sweat break over her skin. She was getting used to the feeling, but she wanted him to move faster. She started to push back against him and was rewarded with pulses of that fire racing up her spine.

“Oh God, yes,” she moaned.

“You feel so damn good. I’m not going to last long, baby.”

“I’m…coming!” Claire felt the most intense, incredible orgasm of her life.

“Yes!” Jacob’s cock pulsed inside her as he spilled his seed.

He turned a little as he pulled out of her and lay against her back. He removed the condom and tossed it in the trash bin by the bed. “That was—”

“What the hell is going on?”

Jacob covered Claire with his body as he turned to face an enraged Tom standing at the doorway.

“Oh God.” Claire tried to reach for a blanket, but they were trapped underneath their bodies.