Pierce My Heart (Women of Willowbrook Book 1) (31 page)

“I need to taste you, baby,” he muttered against my chest.

Still not focusing, I just moaned and nodded my head as I felt his tongue flick my nipple.

He dropped his head, lavishing more attention on my breasts, and I was so lost in the feeling of his tongue and mouth that it took a few seconds for my brain to catch up. When I opened my eyes, Jake was on his knees sliding my panties down my legs. The second they cleared my feet, he moved his hands to my thighs and spread them wide, opening myself to him.

“Fuck, Annie. Beautiful,” he rasped, his voice coming out thick and rough, the hungry look in his eyes flowing straight through me.

I had about two point four seconds to feel embarrassed before his mouth was there.

And boy, was it
there
.

I threw my head back on a strangled moan, my fingers tightening further in his hair as I felt his tongue do a long swipe up my center, ending with a swirl.

“Sweet as I thought you’d be,” he whispered against my core.

Any attempt at a response was cut off by his tongue doing another swirl followed by
deep
licks. My legs spread further of their own accord, freeing his hands from keeping them open. One hand went under my ass, pulling me deeper into his mouth, while the other slipped a finger in, immediately curling it up.

“
God
,” I whimpered as I moved my hands to fist the sheets, rocking my hips up to meet his mouth and finger.

“That’s it, sweetheart.”

It took another couple tongue swirls, a few thrusts of his finger and I was there.

“
Jake
,” I moaned out, my thighs clenching around his head as the pleasure rolled through me.

When I was finally able to come down and rejoin my body, I realized Jake had pried my thighs apart—again. He was kneeling between them with a smirk on his face that matched the accomplished look in his eyes (among other emotions rolling through), and his hand moving slowly over the bulge in his boxers.

I felt my body spark and I attacked.

Crunching up, I shoved his hand aside, yanked the front of his boxers down and started stroking him. His head fell back and a low moan left his throat before he righted his head.

“Christ, you’re gonna unman me. Easy, I’m not going anywhere,” he muttered, still moaning.

As my movements slowed, I watched my hands a beat before I looked back up at him and licked my lips. “Come closer, baby.”

His eyes flared, but he didn’t come closer. Instead, he dropped to his hip (sadly dislodging my hands) and rolled to his back, hands behind his head, his eyes on me, daring.

I might’ve been the quiet one growing up, but I’d had a hard time resisting a dare.

And Jake was one I
never
wanted to resist.

Moving between his thighs, I grabbed hold of his boxers and dragged them down his legs before climbing between them again. I tilted my head to look at him and paused at the look on his face.

Tender, hot, full of want, and possessive.

I couldn’t help but do a little happy dance on the inside that I was the one that all of it was for. I gave him my own version of the look and moved my eyes to the prize.

Grasping him, I mimicked his earlier move, making one long path from root to tip with my tongue, even adding the swirl at the end. Which, judging from the moan that left his throat, I’d say he very much enjoyed. I took a second to smile and then got to work.

I moved my mouth, tongue, and hands in sync, determined to rock his world. Tightening here, an extra swirl there, I played off his sounds. Every moan and groan slithering through me. His hand slid into my hair, loosely grabbing hold while the other clenched in the sheets, his neck arching back on a deep stroke. His body tightened even further as I doubled my efforts, trying to make him lose control.

“Anna,” he groaned in warning with a flex of his hips.

When his hand started to pull me back, my own tightened in response as I picked up speed. His hips flexed more, pushing ever so slightly as he moved with me. Both of us working to push him over the edge. A moan of my own worked its way through my body, knowing I was about to make him lose it.

“Fuck
, Annie
,” he growled, his hand tightening as he came.

After he came down he moved, grabbing me under the arms and yanking me to lay flush against him.

“I’m guessing you liked that,” I said with a smile into his chest as I snuggled up to him.

His body started shaking. “Yeah, sweetheart. You could say that.”

He laid a kiss to my forehead as we settled into sleep, and I couldn’t even find it in me to pull up an ounce of worry over the fact I was naked as a jaybird.

I ended up waking before him (so even if I had worried, it wouldn’t have mattered), noticing that we’d shifted in the night to our sides. When I felt something hard poking me, a devious smile had crossed my face as an even more devious thought of how to wake him up crossed my mind. By the time I’d finished waking him, he’d decided he needed to wake me up.

Repeatedly.

Hence why I’m running late.

Again.

I wasn’t even supposed to work since it was Saturday, but with the guys working today, I decided to go in and try to get as much done in the office as I could so I’m not way behind when everyone went back after the time off.

Though, I couldn’t really be too upset about it.

Before I get even more lost in the memories of last night and this morning, I hightail it out of the room.

Juliet and Romeo are playing tug-of-war with one of the ropes I’d picked up at the pet store with Jake and Grace, and a smile crosses my face as I watch them play together.

They’d make some cute puppies.

My thoughts of puppies running rampant are interrupted when I feel arms come around me from behind.

“We gotta get moving, babe. Gonna be late.”

I shivered when his breath hit my ear.

“Not my fault,” I mumble, trying to pull out of his arms to head for my bags on the counter.

“Wasn’t me who started things this morning.”

When I'm not able to pull away, I decide to lean against him and soak up his heat, but my back went straight at those words. Looking over my shoulder and up, I narrow my eyes but don't say anything.

He grins, leans down and lays a soft kiss on me before giving my ass a quick swat to get moving.

I huff out a breath, but move to grab my things.

“We’ll take separate cars since I’m working late again, but leave the dogs here. When you get home, pack some shit for you and Juliet and I’ll swing by to pick you up after I’m done,” he says from a squat while he gives the dogs some love, not even caring he’s rendered me immobile.

When I don't respond, he turns his attention to me, only to see me standing there staring at him.

“What?”

“What?” I ask bewildered—among the shit-ton of other emotions assaulting me, one of them
definitely
being fear.  

He stands up and crosses his arms, looking like he's settling in for something he doesn't want to settle in for. “Yeah, Anna, what? You got that look on your face.”

My hands move to my hips (a feat since I manage not to drop my purse or computer bag with the jerky movements). “What look?” I demand, though I'm well aware what look I have on my face.

“The look on your face that says you’re gearing up for an argument,” he says before blowing out a breath and running a hand through his hair. “Why you’re gearing up, I don’t know, but I know it’s gonna happen so get it over with so we can get a move on.”

Well!

“I don’t have that look and I’m not gearing up for a fight.” I argue, barely resisting the urge to stomp my foot.

“So you don’t have that look and we’re not fighting about you
not
gearing up for a fight, am I right?”

“We are not fighting and I don’t have a look that says I’m gearing up for one,” I affirm.

“Then what's that look on your face?” he asks, his tone clearly indicating his tolerance with his subject has reached optimal levels.

I throw my hands up. “Well,
baby
, it was a look of surprise mixed with annoyance that you demanded without asking, but, nevertheless, happy that I was
finally
going to be in your space. Now I’m thinking I’m not so sure I want to,” I say with not a small amount of bitch in my voice, unaware of the mood that’s come over Jake.

“Don’t,” he bites out, his exasperation long gone.

My body stills at his tone and the look on his face.

“Don’t, what?” I ask cautiously.

“Don’t start shit when there’s nothing to start. Don’t use one of your ‘baby’s’ and twist them with your attitude against me,” he says, voice low, but strong as he steps up to me.

I hold my hands out, trying to ward him off, but he ignores them as he gets close.

With his hands framing my face, his eyes on mine, he drives it home.

“And
don’t
fucking push me away so you can retreat, Anna. Don’t fucking do it.”

I suck in a sharp breath and try to jerk away, but his hands hold strong.

He lays his forehead against mine and starts whispering. “I told you I’d catch you anywhere. When you fall and even when you try to run, I’m gonna catch you, Annie.
Always
.”

My purse and bag slide to the crook of elbows as I fist his shirt, trying with all my might to reign in the tears I feel coming as I deep breathe. Only one escapes, but it barely makes it past the apple of my cheek before Jake’s thumb is wiping it away.

With a shuddering breath, I pull my head back to look at him. The look on his face kicks my already racing heart up a few notches, but I'm too lost by what I'm seeing in his eyes to really notice it.

It's
that
emotion.

That one emotion I keep catching, but only in fleeting moments.

That one emotion that has my knees weakening and my body trembling as it sits front and center, shining bright.

And as I stare into his eyes, watching it burn brighter with everything else he feels for me, something clicks into place.

Something I didn’t even know was
out
of place.

Seeing what I'm seeing and feeling what I'm feeling, I decide to put my big girl panties on and give Jake the words he needs.

Words that are so simple, but that mean so much.

Words that mean he’s kept his promise.

Before I even had the chance to run or fall, he caught me.

He caught me.

“Okay, Jay. I’ll pack a bag for your place when I get home.”

His eyes close, his body relaxes and I know I made the right choice.

When his eyes open, I can't stop the pang of disappointment at seeing
that
emotion shoved into the background, barely able to be seen, but no way am I calling him out on it.

Not until I'm sure.

I’d made that mistake once; no way I was going to make it again.

Not with Jake.

While I thought I’d given everything to Xavier only to have him turn all that into hate and shame—destroying any love I had for him (and some of what I had for myself) in the process—I was beginning to realize I was wrong.

Xavier only got pieces of me. The pieces that worked for and suited him.

Oh, he’d destroyed what I’d given him, but there was
so
much more I had in me to give.

I just wasn’t sure it all belonged to me anymore.

*              *              *

I was shoving the last of my bathroom shit into my bag, trying not to trip over the dogs as I walked back and forth from bathroom to bedroom, when the sound of an engine cutting and doors slamming catch my attention.

The dogs shoot like a rocket out of the room towards the front door, but the fact that I heard doors (plural) slam, has me pausing.

Zipping my bag closed, I pull my phone out of my pocket to check the time, confirming there's no way it could be Jake.

He told me before I left work that he was going to be there longer that night and wouldn’t be around to grab us until at least 6:30; it was barely 5:45.

My question is answered as soon as I hear the front door swing open.

“Anna, you ho-bag. Get your ass out here now,” is the lovely greeting from my best friend.

“Evan,” Payton warns, though even I can tell the warning is pretty lackluster.

“
Two
of you! Oh you pretty babies, come here! Aren’t you so cute.”

“Maddy, careful. Romeo’s pretty good about not jumping on people, but Juliet’s still pretty young,” Grace says, her warning definitely not lackluster.