Time Changes Everything (13 page)

“What are you doing to me?” He reached out and she took a step back, her butt hitting the dining room table.

Shaking her head, she pulled her panties down to pool around her ankles and kicked them off to land on his counter. He swallowed hard as he slid his boxers off, waiting for her to signal for him to approach.

She smiled slowly, spread her legs, and beckoned him with her finger. “Come here.”

With two steps, he had her body in his arms and his lips on her neck, her hair, her ears, because he wanted to taste her everywhere. The blur of frenzied moments blinded him. Her hands tangled around his neck and he grabbed her ass, pulling her closer. When he pushed her back against the table, she wrapped her legs around his middle and arched into him.

He grabbed his laptop and tossed it into a nearby chair. With one swoosh, he had the rest of his folders and papers off his makeshift work area and himself and Amanda on top of the dark wooden table. She fisted her hands in his hair and pulled his mouth to hers as he let his hand grace down her thigh and back up again to the center of her universe.

“Jake,” she cried out as his thumb brushed her in a slow circle.

He hovered above her and their eyes locked. She reached up and touched her breasts, tugging at her nipple. The action made her arch more into him. His pulse hitched and his face roamed downward as he took over with his mouth
-- all the time, circling her inner core.

She called out his name again, arching and squirming, yanking his hair. The thought of bringing her to this delirium made him even hotter. It wasn’t just the sensual pull that wound him up. It was the fact that she hadn’t said a word... only his name.

She had texted him I need you, too.

Damn right, he needed her. In more ways than she could imagine.

When Amanda’s body moved quicker around his fingers, pleasure flared in his heart. He leaned down and kissed her swollen nub, making her moan and grab his head, moving her hips against his tongue. As he circled her over and over, her body shivered beneath his mouth. When she tried to move faster against him, he held her hips to slow her motions.

“Take it easy, baby.” He murmured, as he moved her knees up and pulled her butt to the edge of the table for better access. 

“I need you. Now.” She clutched his shoulders.

He chuckled and lifted his body. “Now you talk?”

He loved knowing that he was the only one who could make her lose control like this. His hands explored the soft lines of her waist, and rubbed gently back and forth. He bent his head down and outlined the tips of her breasts with his tongue.  She arched her body toward him and shuddered.

“Jake.” His name was a plea. She reached down and held the length of him. “Condom. Purse,” she breathed.

A low, uncontrollable moan of pleasure shook his throat. Quickly retrieving her purse and finding a box of condoms, he raced back to the table. “Want to move to the bedroom?”

“Now!” she cried out.

He kissed his way up her body, starting with her nub, which made her squirm beneath him.  Her stomach was next, then her waist, her nipples, her neck and her chin. Feathery kisses made her writher against him. He finally looked into her eyes and entered her in one full thrust.

Amanda met his cry.

Did she even know how weak she made him? Sweet Jesus, he would do anything for her, right here, right now.

Jake grabbed her hands and held them above her head as each thrust willed a longing inside him. A closeness, an intimacy with a woman. He lifted his gaze to her face and what he saw scared him... but excited him at the same time.

She loved him too.

The world spun and careened on its axis.

Amanda was the one. She was all he needed in his life. To hell with his insecurities. He would take her now, tomorrow and forever, in any way he could.

With the realization, he moved faster and Amanda met his pace. With each thrust, his muscles flexed, ready for release. He surged one last time into her melting body and shuttered inside her, as she exploded with him.

Contentment and peace flowed between them, as their breaths evened out. He held her, still buried deep inside and pulled her closer. He wanted this feeling to never end, but as time ticked by, he knew they couldn’t stay on the table forever.

He leaned up and smiled. “Eating at this table will never be the same.”

She laughed and reached up to caress his chin. “It’ll be our little secret.”

“Let’s get to bed.” He stood and pulled her off with him, leading her to his bedroom.

Once in bed, he curled her body into his and nuzzled her neck. “Goodnight, sweet Mandy.”

“Mmmm.” She whimpered and they both let sleep overcome them.

***
*

Jake woke to annoying beeping. It was still dark outside. Way too early. He reached over Amanda and found her phone. “Mandy. Your alarm.” She only wriggled next to him, so he pushed the off button. He pulled Amanda closer to him so that she curved into his body. “Do you really need to get up this early?”

“Just give me a few more minutes.” She curled into his body, eliciting an immediate reaction from a certain part of him.

Jake rubbed her arms and chuckled. “You may not leave at all today, if you don’t stop that.” One hand slid down her taut stomach to the swell of her hips.

She settled back and sighed. “I wish we could do that today, but I can’t.”

His hands moved downward and skimmed her waist to her thighs. “I shouldn’t miss work either, but I’m calling in.”

“No, Jake. I really have to go in.”

He rolled his eyes. “Are we going to go through this again?”  When Amanda started to pull herself out of the bed, Jake grabbed her hand and gathered her on top of him. “Okay. Okay. Just stay and talk for a little bit.”

She squirmed against his lower half and smiled. “I don’t think you have talking on your mind.”

He chuckled and rubbed her ass. “Baby, I definitely would rather bury myself in you.” He caressed her butt with both hands. “But, we do need to talk. Christmas is a week away.”

She leaned into him and sighed. “Yeah.”

“We need to make our flight arrangements to Louisiana.”  They were going home together, whether she liked it or not.

When she frowned, he continued, “I actually made the reservations yesterday. I wanted to check with you if the dates were okay before I bought the tickets.” His hands moved up her back.

She shrugged his hand away. “You should’ve asked me first.”

“I know, but I’m impatient. Haven’t you figured that out by now?” He fingered her collarbone. “You’re beautiful in the morning, you know that?”

“Hey, stop the sweet talk.” She took a deep breath. “We can go together if you keep it a secret, like we agreed.”

He nodded and lowered his finger to the tops of her breasts. “Of course.”

“And I can only go for five days.” She reached for her phone and lay back on her side of the bed.

He liked that she had a side of his bed. In fact, he was ready to have that side of her bed a permanent fixture in his life. What would she say if he asked her to move in? She’d probably go ballistic again. Making plans for them was not something she favored. He would have to think of a way to ease her into the idea.

She looked at the calendar on her smartphone. “How about we go on Thursday, the twenty-second? That would give us a few days to spend with the family before all the uproar of the dinners. Plus, Carley’s baby is due on that day, she’s usually late, but you never know…” She stopped when he smiled back at her. “What?”

“Do you realize you talk with your hands a lot?” He kissed her fingers. “I love that.”

She smiled back. “Sweet again.” 

“Now can we have a quickie before you run off and leave me again?”

She threw her phone to the bottom of the bed and straddled him. “Only if you really let me take charge this time.”

“Baby, you’re always in charge, whether you know it or not.” He chuckled and allowed his hands to explore the soft lines of her back, her waist and her hips.

Amanda’s head fell back and a smile spread across her face. “I could get used to these kinds of mornings.”

He grabbed her chin and forced eye contact. “Me, too, Mandy.” His thumb traced her lower lip. “Me, too.”

  
JAKE RENTED A CAR
at the airport and drove Amanda toward their childhood town, Lake Cooley. The lake spread across the city with bald cypress trees throughout. Moss hung on every limb and bark floated in all directions. If he looked closely, he could see a gator’s eyes peeking above the water’s surface, while brown pelicans plunged into the lake after their prey. It was a typical Louisiana bayou. It was home.

“I forgot how pretty it is,” Amanda said, her eyes twinkling.  She’d left work behind, at least for a few days, and there was a difference in her already. He wanted to run his fingers in her hair, feel her touch before they reached home and had to be secretive.

Jake brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed her palm. “Are you ready for this?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

He pulled into his parent’s driveway and turned off the car. He leaned on the steering wheel, with his chin on the back of his hand.  The house looked the same, except now it had a huge Christmas wreath where the doorknocker lay.  Next door, Amanda’s childhood home hadn’t changed either. The swing on her front porch reminded him of their first kiss.

Jake leaned back and squeezed Amanda’s hand. “Well, here we go.” He honked the horn to alert their parents of their arrival and opened his door.

Both families raced outside to greet them.

Jake couldn’t take his eyes off Amanda, even with his family surrounding him, and she glared back. Keeping up the façade of just being friends would be difficult and he had no idea how he was going to do it. But, he wouldn’t risk losing her over his carnal instincts.

“You’re finally here.” Jake’s mom embraced him.

“Now, Caroline, don’t get teary-eyed,” said his stepdad, Gil. “Good to see you, son.”

They hugged. Releasing the other man, Jake walked to the back of the car. “It’s good to be home.” He opened the trunk, got out the two suitcases and placed them on the ground. 

Joe Larson walked up to Jake and shook hands. “Thanks for bringing Mandy home with you.”

“Not a problem, sir. It was my pleasure,” replied Jake.

“Isn’t that something – you both living in New York? Libby had a fit when she found out.” Joe nodded to his wife.

“What’s that Joe?” Libby jerked her head in his direction. 

“Nothing. Nothing.” Joe swung his hand in the air, as if there was a mosquito biting at his neck.

“Well, anytime you need me to take care of her, you let me know.” Jake smiled at Amanda.

She clenched her teeth and turned her head. She was pissed, but he loved her all riled up. It reminded him of her flushed and sweaty on top of him.

“Don’t tell her mother that, or you’ll be sorry.” Joe slapped him on the shoulder and trudged off with Amanda’s luggage. “What’s in these jiggers?”

Jake stood with his hands on his hips as he watched Amanda rush away with her parents. His own mom and dad quietly waited for him by his rental.

“Are you coming?” Jake’s mother asked watching him curiously.

“Sure, Mom.” He grabbed the handle on his suitcase.

“Gil, get his luggage for him. He must be tired.”

“No, I got it.” Jake dragged the suitcase behind him.

“How was the flight?” Gil followed behind Jake.

“Not too bad. I had some company this time.” He nodded his head at Amanda who walked across her porch, waving her hands in the air to animate the stories she was undoubtedly telling her parents. He slowly turned back around and meandered toward his front door.

This was going to be tougher than he thought.

He shuffled and Gil smiled. “You better stick your tongue back in your mouth.”

Jake flinched his head back. “What do you – ”

Luckily, Amanda interrupted them, yelling across the yards, “Oh, Jake, thanks for the ride.”

He turned around with his hand in the air. “Not a problem, Squirt.”

The twinkle in her eye told him it was her way of saying goodbye. A falling sensation landed in the bottom of his stomach. This was going to be difficult.
Was she suffering the same way he was?  She didn’t look like his absence would hit her, with her hands waving in the air and the speed-talking close to her mother’s ear.

Shit. He missed her already, and pretending they were only friends numbed his heart.

He walked into the house and placed the suitcase next to the door. “All ready for Christmas?” he asked his mom.

She circled her arm through his and took him to the sofa in the living room. “All presents bought, eggnog is in the fridge and oysters are in the freezer.”

Sitting down, he crossed his leg over his knee and looked around. “The house looks great. Just how I remember it.”