Chances Are(37)

Breathlessly, she raised her head to look at Jake. His eyes, a darker blue than she’d ever seen them, glittered with satisfaction. “Do you know how beautiful you are when you come?”

Angela, who never blushed, could feel her face heating. “Um…no.”

He grinned and came over her, settling between her legs. Poised at her entrance, he said softly, “You will.” And with that promise, he buried himself inside her.

Forgetting his astonishing statement, she wrapped her legs around his lean hips and gave herself over to Jake’s delicious lovemaking. Where he had been tender and gentle before, this time it was hard, fast and exactly what she needed.

“Need more,” Jake muttered.

“What?”

In an abrupt move, he pulled out of her and went to his knees. Before she could ask what was wrong, Jake hooked his arms under her knees, pushed her legs up and then spread them wider. Then he was in her again, going deeper than he ever had before. Pistoning back and forth, his erection rubbed frantically against her clit creating an erotic friction, sparking a fire that burned within her entire body. Urging him on with pleas that she barely comprehended, Angela found herself on a peak she’d never reached. Without thought of the consequences, only knowing she wanted Jake with her, she wrapped both hands around his hard length and pushed him even harder inside her.

A sound like the growl of a rabid animal emerged from Jake’s chest and he slammed into her. Biting her lip to hold on to the ecstasy as long as possible, she closed her eyes. How she loved this rougher, out of control side of Jake.

“Open your eyes.”

Her eyelids flickered opened and she gasped. She had seen Jake aroused before but the heated intensity of his gaze was nothing compared to this. He was a man teetering on the edge.

He ground out between clenched teeth, “We do this together. Eyes wide open.”

She nodded.

Their gazes locked, Jake plunged again and then again, once more pistoning inside. Her clit so aroused it was exquisitely painful, she looked deep into his eyes and when they exploded together, she gasped out the words she had been longing to say for so long, “I love you, Jake Mallory.”

And then the world disappeared.



Rolling to his side, Jake propped himself on his elbow and took in the panting, sweat- slick, slender body beside him. Dammit, he’d meant to be easy with her, wanting to show her how much she meant to him. Angela had been through hell and he’d just pounded into her with all the finesse of a horny gorilla.

“Are you all right?” she asked breathlessly.

He jerked at the question. “Hell, I’m the one who should be asking you that. I’m sorry I was so rough. I—”

Her fingers on his lips stopped him from finishing. “Oh no you don’t. If you apologize for the best, most sexually intense moment of my life, I’ll—”

Feeling only slightly better, Jake’s mouth curved slightly. “You’ll what?”

“I’ll cook for you.”

He barked out a laugh. “Is that supposed to be a threat?”

“You’ve never tasted my cooking.”

Gathering her close, he buried his face against her neck and breathed in the delicious fragrance that was Angela. “I am sorry I wasn’t more gentle. When you, uh, grabbed me, I kind of lost it.” He winced. Blaming her for his loss of control was particularly assholish. “Not that that’s an excuse.”

He felt her head shake. “Lose it with me any time you like. Okay?”

A giant breath huffed from his chest and he raised his head to face her, needing to say something before they went any further. “What you said…about loving me. Was that in the heat of the moment or did you—”

“I meant it. I’ve loved you forever.”

He cleared his throat. “I haven’t said those words to a woman since I lost Teresa.”

Instead of asking for them, she shook her head. “I don’t need them.”

Hell, he wanted to be able to say them but she deserved more than token words. He tried to explain, “I swore when I lost Teresa, I’d never let myself be vulnerable like that again. Loving someone means opening yourself. I closed down after she died. I don’t know that I can ever go that far again. But I do want a future with you…that is, if you’re not too pissed.”

“Jake, you don’t have to say them. And yes, I want a future with you, too.”

Relieved that she understood and wasn’t expecting more than he could give, he pulled her back into his arms and began to make love to her again, determined that this time, he would show her the gentleness he had intended before. As he kissed and caressed her, lingering tenderly over the areas where she had been cut or bruised, he shut down a voice inside his head. The one that mockingly told him it was too late to worry about falling in love. That the feeling was already there, whether he was ready to deal with it or not.





Chapter Twenty-one

Two weeks later and Angela was still experiencing bliss. Jake might not be able to say the words ‘I love you’ yet but not a day went by that he didn’t show her how much he cared. Romantic gifts like flowers, candy, takeout from a favorite restaurant, a book she had mentioned wanting to read were all wonderful and much appreciated. The practical things were just as special, like repairing a stopped-up shower drain or adding a brighter bulb in her reading lamp. He’d also helped pack up some of her family’s things for storage, then held her while she cried once again for them.

He spoiled and cosseted her, treating her as if she were the most important person in the world to him. Angela didn’t need the words. Jake’s actions told her more than enough.

Not a night went by that they didn't make love. She loved his tender, gentle lovemaking. He would kiss her all over, taking his time with her, until she was so aroused she was almost screaming with need. When she was to the point where she barely knew her own name, he would slide into her and they’d fall into oblivion together.

She also adored his wilder side—watching him lose that famous control was an incredible turn-on. He went after his pleasure like he was starving for her. It wasn’t until she performed an erotic striptease for him that she saw that side of him again. After they had recovered, he had fulfilled his promise and had her stand in front of a full-length mirror while he stood behind her and made her come with his fingers. They’d both watched as she climaxed. Even though she had blushed the entire time, she had almost passed out from the pleasure.

Once she was able to get around without her crutches, Jake returned to work but came home to her each night. She knew there were longer, out-of-town jobs he could have taken and didn’t because of her.

She should have realized the idyllic time wouldn't last. What they’d experienced wasn’t the real world. It had been almost honeymoonish—too good to be true. But when gritty reality raised its ugly head and ensnared them in its nasty claw, Angela never saw it coming.

The day began as perfect as all the others. She had a consultation appointment with a plastic surgeon to have the rose tattoo removed. She hadn’t even realized it was there until Dr. Bittner mentioned it when she was examining her. Apparently Delacourte had applied the tat during one of the many times she’d been unconscious. When she had seen what the fiend had done, she had been determined to rid herself of the ugly reminder of her experience.

Dr. Goldstein, the plastic surgeon, inadvertently changed her mind.

After examining the tat and assuring her it could be removed with minimal scarring, he’d asked how she’d gotten it. Angela had given him a condensed version of events. Dr. Goldstein had nodded his head approvingly. “You’re a survivor.”

She had walked out of the doctor’s office with a new perspective. The instant she was in the car, she had instructed Jake to take her to a talented tattoo artist she knew. Marcel had been horrified at the ugly tat and promised to turn it into a work of art. He succeeded beyond her expectations. Two hours later, she had walked out of the building with a beautiful rose in full bloom and in the middle of the flower was the word: Survivor.

Even Jake, who’d been shocked to learn what she was going to do, said it was beautiful.

After that, the day had only gotten better. They’d eaten a late lunch at one of her favorite restaurants. Jake ordered a bottle of wine and they had laughed and talked like they didn’t have a care in the world.

When they returned home, they’d fallen into each other’s arms, ravishing each other as if it had been days and not hours since they’d made love. The perfect ending to a perfect day.

It was late that evening when everything blew up in her face. They were sitting in front of the fire, drinking wine and relaxing when Angela made the announcement that changed her world once again. “I'm going back to work next week.”

Jake had been playing with her hair, smoothing it behind her ear. His mouth turned up in a small smile. “That’s good to hear. I figured you’d want to get back soon. As busy as you like to be, you've probably been bored stiff these last few weeks.”