Stealing His Heart (14 page)

This was a war of sorts.

One he had every intention of winning.

Chapter Seventeen

Two freaking days.

That’s how long Jake had been showing up on her doorstep. She’d rejected him each and every time, but it was getting harder and harder to do so. Whenever she heard his voice through her door, her resolve to resist him died a bit more.

So did her anger.

Tara shut down the shower, dried off, and pulled a yellow sundress over her head. Crossing the room barefoot, she turned and flopped back on the bed. How long would it be until her doorbell rang again? Or would he call her and whisper naughty things in her ear, telling her with vivid detail how much he wanted to strip her naked and lick every single inch of her?

Twice
.

She shouldn’t want to give him another chance. Shouldn’t want him at all. If she bent for him, if she became his in every way, she’d have to stop thieving. She’d have to go straight. He’d make her. He’d insist on changing her. And she didn’t want to change.

But yet, she did.

For that short time she’d been his, she had wanted something more out of life than the next thrill. She’d seen a future with Jake, one with kids playing in his backyard. One where she wasn’t in danger of going to jail every time she reported for work.

And she’d wanted it so badly.

The doorbell rang. It would be him. She didn’t move off the bed. Eventually, he would go away. He always did. But this time…he didn’t. He kept ringing the bell. After five minutes, her phone dinged. She picked it up with bated breath.

It was a text from Jake.
Open the door. I left a present. Don’t leave it in the heat.

A present that couldn’t be left in heat. What the heck could it be?

Holding her phone to her chest, she went downstairs and peeked out the peephole. He was gone, but the package he’d texted her about sat on her doorstep. She drummed her fingers on the wall. It could be a trap. Maybe he planned to force his way in as soon as she unlocked the door. But she couldn’t
not
open the door.

Not without knowing what was in the package.

He knew that about her, too. Sneaky bastard.

Slowly, she undid the lock and crept onto the porch. Bending down, she studied the box. It was about the size of a case of beer, and it had holes poked in the top. Heart racing with excitement, she grabbed the package and backed into the house, her attention darting all around her yard. Looking for him.

If he was still there, he’d hidden well. After she closed the door behind her, she set the box down, sat down beside it, and tore it open. It was…

A
kitten
. He’d gotten her a kitten. A little fluffy orange fur ball of a kitten. It had bright blue eyes, and it meowed as soon as she lifted the cardboard.

“Hello, kitty.” She smiled at the creature. “You’re so
cute
.”

He snuggled in her lap, looking all too content to do so. Tara petted him and hugged him close, her mind racing. Of all the things she had suspected might be on her porch, a kitten was
not
one of them. The cat was the live version of the stuffed animal he’d won her at the carnival last week. He even had a blue collar on his neck, just like the fake one, and a name tag.

Tara caught the little fishy tag and squinted at it.
I belong to Tara and Jake
.

He’d put his address under the line, and then a heart. He’d actually bought the cat for the two of them to share. Of all the sneaky, backhanded…adorable things to do, this was pretty high up there. “What game is he playing, huh?” she asked the cat.

The cat blinked at her and meowed.

Her phone rang, and she scrambled to juggle the squirming creature while answering without checking the caller ID. She knew who it would be, after all. “Hello?”

“I see you got your delivery,” Jake said, his voice soft and tender.

“I did.” Tara smiled down at the cat and petted his soft back. “Why did you buy me a cat?”

“You’re a cat burglar. What better gift?”

She choked on a laugh. “You hate cats.”

“I know.” He laughed lightly. “But you love them.”

Despite herself, Tara grinned and shook her head. She toyed with the tag. “Is this supposed to make me forgive you? A cute pet?”

“Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Well, that and the speech I have ready.”

“You have a speech?”

“Yep. I wrote it down and everything.” He paused. “Right before I left for war, we went to the mall and walked around the pet store. Do you remember?”

Tara closed her eyes, picturing the shop with perfect clarity. He’d been so skinny and young then, in his black jeans and gray T-shirt. He’d been watching her in the store that night with a tender expression on his face. He’d been different that night. Something about the way he’d touched her, smoothing her hair behind her ear like he’d done a million times before, had caused her heart to skip.

It had been the night they almost slept together. The night she’d given herself to him completely, and he’d left her. “Yeah. I remember.”

“You saw an orange kitten, and you wanted to buy him. I offered to get him for you”—Jake gave a little laugh—“even though I was broke. But you said—”

She closed her eyes. “Grandma would kill me.”

“Yeah. You sounded so sad, and you held your hand out to him and sighed. He pawed at your fingers through the cage, and you bit down hard on your lip. You seemed so determined not to want him, but you obviously did. Then you straightened your spine and walked away without looking back.”

Tara swallowed hard. “How do you remember all of that?”

“Because when you walked away from that cat, he watched you with big, sad eyes. I couldn’t help thinking that one day…I’d be that cat.” He sighed. “That I’d be the one watching you walk away without looking back. So I walked away first.”

Tara stared down at the kitten. “Yeah, you did. You left and you never came back.”

“I know. That’s one of the reasons I left that night. I had to be the one to do it. But I also knew I was too depraved for you. Too dark.” He drew in a ragged breath. “You needed a prince, not a pauper.”

“I didn’t care about any of that,” she whispered. “And you know it.”

“I know. I was scared.”

She nodded. “I know.”

“And after that, when I finally got to be with you again, I had to lie to you and play you. I know you’re mad. I know you hate me right now, but I think we could love each other so damn much if you gave me another chance. No more lies. No more tricks.”

Her heart twisted. “Jake…”

“I was wrong when I said I couldn’t be the old Jake around you anymore. The truth was, I thought he was dead. I thought I lost him in Afghanistan. But then you came back into my life, and—” He broke off and was quiet for a moment. “You did it. You saved me. I can be that guy again, with you. I can be happy. I can laugh. I can
live
.”

She tried to blink back the tears blurring her vision, but she failed. His words were way too meaningful. “You deserve to be happy.”

He continued, “I’m on your doorstep, asking you to let me back in so I can fall irrevocably in love with you, because sweetheart? I’m already there. Please. Forgive me. Love me.
Let me in
.”

Tara tightened her grip on the phone and bit her lower lip. God, she wanted to let him in. Wanted to trust him and give him a chance. But what if she did, and he broke her heart? Or lied to her again? But…what if he didn’t?

She shakily rose to her feet and set the cat down. As if stuck in slow motion, she reached out and undid the lock. When she opened the door, Jake stood there with a phone to his ear, holding a bouquet of roses. He quickly dropped the former in his pocket, and his fist tightened on the flowers.

Positioning herself in the doorway, she kept the cat from escaping, but also blocked him from entry. He swallowed hard and shifted on his feet. “I want to love you, Tara. So fucking bad. And I’m sorry. Sorry I lied. Sorry I—”

She took a small step toward him, followed by another. He broke off and took a stumbling stride forward. When she launched herself into his arms, he caught her easily, hugging her so close she could barely breathe. The flowers hit the patio, and he buried his face in her neck. She held on to him, tears slipping down her cheeks.

This was it. This was the real thing.

She couldn’t let him slip out of her fingers because she was scared.

He took a breath. “Does this mean you forgive me?”

Tara cupped his cheeks, like he always did to her. “Yes. And it means…I love you so bad, too.”

Next thing she knew, his mouth was on hers. He backed them toward the door, kicking it shut behind them. “Wrap your legs around me. Now.”

Tara did as he demanded, meeting his hungry kiss with an open mouth. She couldn’t get enough of him. His lips on hers. His tongue. His taste. The way his stubble brushed against her as he worked his magic.

All of it added up into one perfectly wrapped package that was Jake.

And he was all hers.

He lowered her onto the couch, his lips never leaving hers and his hands moving over her body. Grabbing his hair, she tugged him back down and kissed him. He groaned and deepened the kiss, his erection pressing against her core.

“I missed you so fucking much,” he moaned, kissing a path down her neck. He squeezed her breasts. “I promise not to lie to you again. Not to trick you. Not to hurt you. Do you promise not to leave me again? To be mine?”

Tara blinked back tears and tilted her face to his. “I won’t leave you again. I’m all yours.”

“But do you want to be mine, in every sense of the word? Can you accept me the way I am—flaws, needs, and all?” He took a shaky breath. “I know you had fun with me before, but can you live like this? Can you
really
be mine?”

“Yes. So much yes.” She kissed him, then backed off before it got too hot and heavy. “When we were separated, I missed everything about you. From the way you worried too much, to the way you bossed me around in bed. The idea of not being under your control in bed is…empty. It makes me feel empty. I want to be yours. And I definitely want all of you, too.”

“Then it’s all yours, and so am I.” He froze with his lips a breath away from hers. “But first? Beg me.”

“
Please
kiss me before I die,
sir
.”

He let out a harsh sound and captured her mouth again. He pulled the skirt of her dress high, exposing her white satin thong. When he pressed his thumb to her clit and sucked on her nipple through the flimsy dress, she arched her back. Tried to get closer. To get his mouth on her, without the darn clothes in the way.

He better not be planning on “punishing” her today.

He sat down and pulled her on his lap, yanking the dress over her head in one smooth movement. After taking her bra off with startling ease, his mouth was on her, sucking hard. She cried out and scraped her nails down his back. He scraped his teeth against her hard nipple, making her shiver. Killing her with every move.

He knew how to drive her insane with a single touch.

To make her need with a quick motion or bite.

And she loved relinquishing control to him.

He moaned and released her nipple, unzipping his pants as he kissed his way to the other one. Before he took it in his mouth, he murmured, “You’re so ready for me, sweetheart. You want me to come inside of you right now, don’t you? Hard and fast until you scream my name.”

“God, yes.” She nodded and yanked at his hair, wanting to demand he follow through right now, but knowing it would only backfire in the end. She knew the game they played, and she loved every second of it. “
Please
.”

He let out a low laugh. “No. Not yet.”

“Jake.” She pulled harder, frustration coursing through her. “Now.”

“That wasn’t a pretty request.” He flicked his tongue over her racing pulse. “Now you’ll have to wait longer.”

Excitement, and desire, crashed through her at his soft warning. “
Argh
,” she managed to get out through gritted teeth. “I mean, yes. Of course, you’re right. I’ll wait, sir.”

Laughing under his breath, he threaded his hands through her hair and kissed her. She clung to him, refusing to let him go. When he broke off the kiss, he gripped her spread thighs tight and stared up at her with heated eyes. “Ask me nicely.”

She looked at him, not daring to look away. “Make love to me,
please
.”

Nodding slightly, he freed his erection from his shorts. “Condom?”

“I’m clean. Are you?”

He flexed his jaw. “Fuck yeah.”

“Then
please
make me scream your name, boyfriend.”

He kissed her. Soft. Gentle. So sweetly she teared up, and her heart expanded with happiness. “Anything you want,” he whispered against her lips. “Girlfriend.”

He kissed her again, but this time it was hard and demanding. And when he shoved her panties aside and thrust inside her, she tightened her thighs on him and lost herself in his touch. She rode him hard, faster and faster until she knew she was close.

So freaking close.

“
Jake
. May I?” she asked, her voice breathy from holding back her impending orgasm. “Please?”

“Come for me,” he commanded in her ear, his touch rough. “
Now
.”

And then…

She did.

He stiffened beneath her before driving inside her one last time. He collapsed against the back of the couch, drawing in a deep gulp of air. “Holy shit,” he muttered, still holding on to her thighs.

Tara grinned and traced a tattoo on his chest. “I like these, by the way. Very hot.”

“Thank you,” he managed to say. “You told Gordon that first, though.”

She flinched. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he said, meeting her gaze. “You can make it up to me later, sweetheart.”

Her cheeks heated at the promise. “Deal.”

He hugged her close, inhaling deeply. She snuggled in, so at peace she couldn’t believe it was possible. “This feels really good. I could lie here forever, letting you play with my hair.”

Tara smiled bigger. Seriously. It was getting ridiculous, this happiness she was feeling. “Good.”