Jake didn’t hesitate a moment longer, the look on her face said everything he needed to act. She was
wide-eyed and distraught, heartbroken and almost begging him to come to her. Who was he to refuse
when all he had ever wanted was for her to want him this way?
His feet had him marching her way, fast long strides to get to his end goal as soon as humanly
possible. He didn’t stop when he got to her, just intent on his purpose, aching to do what he had
planned when he found her.
His hands automatically cupping her face and pulling her to him, cupping her jaw, and meeting her
mouth with unleashed force and passion that completely sent his head spiraling and heart soaring.
Finally, complete. He kissed her as though his life depended on it, reveling in the way she sagged into
him and kissed him back with matched fever. Jake was flying, his heart erratic, and he knew this was
all he would ever need, just her and him and the ability to be this way with her. She was his soul.
She clung to him as much as he held her, matching his passion and movement and neither breaking
away from the intensity of the meeting for long minutes.
They were breathing hard, oblivious to the room around them and only focused on each other. He
couldn’t stop himself from kissing her, but he knew he had to do more, he had to tell her how he felt. He
had to let her talk and confirm that this was something more than sex or lust. He needed her to know
that he was serious about her, that for him, she was his forever. He needed to say the words he had
been holding back for months. Jake needed to tell her that he was hopelessly in love with her.
Breaking away finally, only enough to rest his forehead against hers and breathe her in, he just stared
into the depths of those cool blue eyes that seemed to see right down into his very soul. Neither
seemed to have words, just matched shallow breathing, oblivious to the room and people around them.
He didn’t care if reporters were taking pictures, or if people were staring right now, all he cared about
was her and what she was thinking.
“Come with me?” Jake finally managed a whisper, tearing himself physically away from being so close
to her and aching to get her alone. Despite the noise of the orchestra and the hustle and bustle around
them, she seemed to hear him loud and clear, never tearing her eyes from his and nodding. Jake
couldn’t help the surge of happiness running through him, couldn’t resist brushing his mouth against
hers once more. Emma always tasted sweet, like cakes and candy and her; a heady combination that
was addictive to him, he didn’t even care if her lipstick was all over him right now.
He let go of her and slid her small dainty hand in his, interlocking fingers possessively and leading the
way toward the main entrance fast. He couldn’t stop the dizzying euphoria coursing through him or the
sense of urgency in getting her alone. He just felt like this was all surreal after what felt like a lifetime of
not being able to have her. He was walking on the clouds.
Winding through the crowded room, Jake’s impatience was rising with every person who got in his way.
Familiar faces stopped them and even though he tried to deflect the attention, he had to stop when
flanked by a client who was a little more forceful in getting his attention. The stocky man seemed
oblivious to the young, beautiful girl he was so obviously trying to usher out of the room with him. Jake
could feel himself almost growling with frustration as he launched into a speech about some funding
nonsense for a new venture. Jake glanced down at Emma to check she was okay, to check she was
real and this wasn’t some weird hallucination. That face looking trustingly up at him only tore at him
more and made him more determined to get her alone.
God, I love you so fucking much, bambino.
Jake’s attention was pulled back by the gray-haired suit extending a hand, some feeble attempt at
agreeing to a lunch date for a business chat. Jake hadn’t even been listening, so overly aware of the
warm, soft hand in his and the way Emma was curling gently around his side. He wanted to have more
contact with her than this. He wanted to wrap himself up in her. Pulling her in closer, Jake tucked her
slender arm under his and grasped her hand a little firmer, closer but still not close enough to be able to
deal with these idiots holding them up. Right now, he would agree to pitch a million at any stupid idea
as long as they shut the fuck up and got out of his way.
Finally, suit moved and Jake made a move to get them going once more, they didn’t get far before
another one slid in front, blocking their passage. Jake almost yelled at him in sheer frustration.
For fuck’s sake.
Impatience and complete frustration had him nodding eagerly, trying to slide past and pulling Emma
into him a little forcefully. He was trying to palm the suit off with a hand wave, but he was having none
of it.
“So, Mr. Carrero, we could meet up …” Jake zoned out, focusing only on her, sliding her hand free and
instead put an arm around her waist and bodily molded them side by side, she rested her head against
his chest impulsively, and he almost melted into a mushy puddle on the floor. She had no idea what
she could do to him with minimal effort. Jake kissed her temple, he just wanted to be done here and to
be able to get this all out. To look her in the eye and ask her straight out if she wanted to be with him
from now until eternity. That’s all he could think about.
“Yeah sure, just call my office to make a lunch appointment. Anytime.” Jake almost waved the guy out
of his face, missing his handshake a little prematurely and just moving to get past quickly, oblivious to
the awkwardness he had just caused in the man left flailing hands in mid-air.
Jake pulled Emma with him fast, seeing an opening within the standing people and aiming for it before
anyone else snagged him to a standstill. Emma stumbled on her shoes, and he almost cursed at the
fact he knew he was practically dragging her, guilt hitting him hard and knocking him for six.
“I’m sorry … I just need to get you out of here quickly … I need us to be alone—to talk.” He sounded
nervous as hell and maybe he was, all he knew was this place was starting to piss him off and looking
for escape was proving to be more difficult than he planned. Getting them finally to the main hall, he
looked around for privacy, spying a little door marked staff that was sat ajar and showed a dark unused
hall.
Perfect.
Leading the way once more, he slowed down as Emma lifted her dress and seriously thought about
scooping her up to carry her for a moment. Looking around at the volume of milling guests he thought
better of it and slowed his pace to let her keep up. Looking at her in that dress, her sexy-as-hell shoes
peeking out in all their tall stiletto beauty, his body went into immediate hunger overdrive. God, he
wanted more than just to kiss her, he wanted her naked and under him. Her shoe choices had always
made him horny, she had perfect legs, and he loved nothing more than seeing them slid into shoes like
this. If he got her home in this dress, or even out of that dress, those shoes would be staying on.
Checking around he opened the door further into a dim abandoned hall and pulled her inside with him,
turning her so he could push her back against the wall behind the cover of the door and unleashing
every urge he had been fighting out there to kiss her again. This time the force of all the pent-up lust hit
out harder, flooring her with a kiss that sent him into lust overdrive. He could barely control the way she
made him feel, the way he wanted her and as she crumbled into him he had to crush her further into
the wall to hold her up. His hands slid around her curves, fingers smoothing over sweet warmth.
Sense seemed to catch up with him with the unleashing of pent-up passion and doubts started to creep
in. He hadn’t let her talk even once since he kissed her, he hadn’t let her confirm that she even wanted
this.
Isn’t this always what I do to her? Push myself onto her with force, so that she can’t do anything but
play along.
Jake tilted his head back, unable to let her go even though insecurity and doubt were now flooding
through his over-wired brain, he was a jumbled mess of emotions and had no way to deal with the flood
of self-doubt that had just hit him square in the stomach. He frowned, swallowing down his fear and
realizing she still hadn’t said anything, just staring at him helplessly and ripping his heart to shreds with
silence. It was starting to feel all too familiar and every single instance just like this came flooding to
mind. A million rejections that had started with promise.
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