Big Girls Don't Cry (14 page)

Lexie felt her cheeks heat. Her legs were trembling. She was sure he could hear her heart hammering. Forcing a light response, she gave him a pert shrug.

“You may not want to hop up on that bar and wiggle your ass, Jake, but I can tell you at least 90 percent of the women glaring at me sure wish you’d give it a try.”

Grinning at her impertinence, he tugged her toward the dance floor.

~~~

Their light banter came to a crashing halt when he pulled her into his arms tight up against his hard body. Lexie closed her eyes and gave an involuntary moan, startled at the flurry of sensation flooding her.

Jake growled. “Oh, yeah, sugar, that’s a sound I like to hear.”

Lexie shuddered at the clamoring sensations bombarding her. Jake leaned down and nuzzled her ear, his beard shadow tantalizingly abrasive against the soft curve of her neck. With unerring certainty, he sought out the pounding pulse in her throat and ran his tongue over it. Unsuccessfully trying to stifle her passionate moans, Lexie fought the urge to press up against him, harder. As if he knew, his hands skated down over her curvy hips and rested on her butt. With expert fingers, he massaged her tingling skin inching her up closer to him until she was resting against the hard bulge in his pants. She gasped, stunned at her agonizing need.

Breathing in her enticing fragrance, Jake’s heart squeezed. The smell of spicy perfume mingling with her feminine musk made his prick throb. There was no use trying to hide his arousal. Hell, no doubt every man in the room and probably some of the women were fighting the same physical reaction. Christ, she was sexy. He would never forget the sight of her prancing across that bar. How at the end she danced for him, and him alone. A possessive rush roared through him. At that moment, he knew that he’d kill any man who touched her. He chided himself. Territorial much? Damn straight, he answered his unspoken question.

She was clinging to him, her breasts plastered against his chest. The words of
When you Kiss Me like That
threatened what little restraint he had. Her soft whispery moans confirmed that she was as aroused as he was.

Pulling her up closer, his voice was a husky growl.

“Not here, sugar. Hell, in about one minute they’re gonna have to arrest us for indecent exposure.”

Jake ignored the inquisitive looks of the other dancers and the disappointed scowls of the young soldiers leaning against the bar. He unwound her arms from around his neck. Sheltering her with a strong arm, he ushered her past the curious onlookers.

Brady met him at the door. He quirked a brow at Jake’s conspicuous arousal and muttered, “Guess she won’t need a babysitter tonight.”

Chapter 14

Jake half carried her over to his gleaming motorcycle. When she looked at him askance, he shrugged.

“Let’s face it, sugar. You’ve had way too much to drink to drive. Don’t know what you had in addition to the shots of tequila that I saw -- and those rather tantalizing gulps of some guy’s beer that I saw you drink. Brady will bring your car back.” He gave her a crooked grin and pulled her up close to him. “Besides, darlin’, I don’t want to be more than four inches away from you tonight.”

When she blushed and looked down, he took out his leather jacket and helped her put it on. He strapped the helmet on her head, then lifted her up on to the back of the bike. She trembled and slid across the seat grasping the handles for balance.

Jake frowned and then gave her a wicked wink. Reaching in the side pouch, he took out the handcuffs and twirled them. “Hmm, seems like you are a little unsteady, Lexie. Looks like we’re gonna need these. Sure as hell wouldn’t want you to fall off before I get you home.” He laughed out loud when she gasped and flushed.

He mounted the bike in one strong leap. When he reached out to grab her hand, Lexie held it out to him. He raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised at her acquiescence. When she put her other arm around him holding it out for the other cuff, she heard him grunt in appreciation. Looking over his shoulder he pinned her with a look that was pure lust. He murmured, his voice low, husky, “That’s a good girl, Lexie. You hang onto me as tight as you need to. I’m not letting you go.”

Lexie settled behind him, startled that she submitted so easily to his demands. Ever since the night he cuffed her to him, she struggled to understand why she let him restrain her. It had taken her years to retrain her reaction to being restrained from one of blinding fury to a more measured response. Her sparring partners knew better than to get on top of her on the floor. Her reaction was too unpredictable. But here she was, offering her hands to Jake. She knew part of it was that she was afraid of the bike. But it was more than that, she thought with a groan. Not able to smother the wave of heat that washed over her body, she silently admitted it. There was something about Jake’s overwhelming presence, his powerful male body that intoxicated her, made her want to submit to him. The cuffs ensured that she would.

By the time they got to her place, she was torn with conflicting emotions. Not able to ignore the intimate throb of the engine between her thighs, she was hot with need. Since she was sixteen years old and could protect herself, she’d never let a man near her. Now she was clinging to Jake as if she would never let him go. She knew the alcohol played a role. It lowered her defenses, made her susceptible to his powerful pull. She didn’t know what would happen when they got inside. But she wanted to know, needed to know.

~~~

Jake vowed to himself on the ride home that he wouldn’t touch her when they got there. Hell, she was drunk. He could just imagine the recriminations she’d have in the morning if he gave in to his raging desire. He knew some of her history from the things Anthony intimated. The haunted look in her eyes and her skittishness around him confirmed the rest. But even riding sixty five miles an hour down the dark road, he could feel her heat, smell her desire. He groaned. No, dammit, he was going to have to be the one who said no. He needed to be the White Knight, even if his dick exploded in protest.

~~~

Jake wrestled with the key. He couldn’t believe his hands were shaking. Holding this beautiful desirable woman in his arms and knowing that he couldn’t have her was killing him. Her body was soft, malleable. She melted against him, her breath coming in soft puffs of air. Closing the door behind him, he made the mistake of looking at her. A heated flush covered her chest and cheeks. Her hair was tousled, blown from the wind and her lips were full, swollen. When she looked up at him, wide-eyed, the lust that was storming his body echoed in her eyes. She closed her eyes as if to block out the sight of his passion. A soft whimper escaped her lips. The sound did it.

Before he could stop himself, he grabbed her and pressed her up against the wall. A raging torrent of desire flooded him. For the moment, he was powerless to stop it. Remembering her acquiescence when he cuffed her, his dick jerked to full staff. Oh, yeah. The dominant streak that colored his actions in lust and war flared. He captured her hands in one of his and held them against the wall high above her head. Holding them tight, he wound his other hand in her hair and lifted her face to his. His voice was low, a guttural rasp. “You like that, Lexie? You like me to hold you like this? ” Her soft moan was his answer.

With his free hand, he tipped her chin back baring her neck to his mouth. He started at her ear, nipping the tender sensitive skin, then buried his tongue against the throbbing pulse in her throat. Her gasp and shiver drove him forward. From the first time he saw her, he lusted over her breasts. They were high, firm, and full--just the way he liked. He longed to touch them. Explore them. Taste her nipples, watch them harden, suckle her. He contented himself for the moment with slipping his hand inside her halter and cupping one full globe, stunned that it filled his big hand. He groaned, knowing that he was reaching the limit of his restraint. Grasping her nipple between his fingers and thumb, her passionate shriek was an electric shock to his prick. Murmuring in her ear he whispered, “Yes, darlin’? You like that? Oh, God, baby. What I could do with these. How I could make you feel! Jesus, Lexie, you are beautiful.” Before he could stop himself, he’d wedged his strong thigh between her legs, kicking her feet apart with one of his. With an agonized thrust, he lifted her fragile body up on his thigh, shoving his burgeoning cock against her crotch. Her passionate wail was his response.

Lexie was stunned. From the moment he pressed her against the wall, she was helpless against the sensations rioting through her. His beard rasping against her sensitive skin, his erotic words in her ear, opened floodgates of passion she’d spent a lifetime denying. His lips traced a track of flaming heat across her throat down to her breasts. When he grasped her nipple and rolled it in his fingers, she nearly doubled over with desire. But it was his strong thigh opening her, lifting her, pressing his hard erection up against her soft folds that did her in. She was shocked at the sounds coming from her, the moans, whimpers, and pleas. When he ground his hard body against her, intoxicating pleasure inflamed her tender flesh. She rose up and cried out wanting, needing more.

To her shock, with a hard groan, he put her down, pulled away. He still held her, but at a distance, as if he couldn’t, wouldn’t touch her. She was bewildered. What had she done? Why was he pushing her away? NO! She…she wanted more. She wanted him to hold her tight. And not stop.

She whispered, fighting back a sob. “What’s…what’s wrong? Did I…did I do something wrong?”

Jake thought his heart might break. Jesus, this was worse than he’d thought it could be. He was shocked at his rampant desire. Christ, he was minutes away from stripping off her clothes and taking her on the fucking floor. Only her response, so passionate, so needy, stopped him. He reluctantly pulled back, lowered her hands to her sides.

He murmured an agonized plea, “Oh, God, Lexie, I can’t…Baby, I can’t do this.” She was shaking, trembling like a reed in the wind. He longed to hold her, never let her go. He bracketed her face between his hands, trying to ignore the confusion in her eyes.

“No, darlin’. You didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, you are so ‘right’ that it’s killing me to stop. But, honey, I can’t do this. Take you like this.”

His voice was husky with emotion. “The first time that I make love to you, Lexie, you are going to be stone cold sober. You’re going to be delirious, crazy with desire. You’re going to remember every goddamned thing that I do to you for the rest of your life. Do you understand, darlin’? Do you understand how much I want you?”

When she shook her head and didn’t answer, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the living room. Sinking down in the armchair in front of the fireplace, he held her on his lap. He felt her heart racing. It was only right, given that his threatened to hammer a hole in his chest and burst through.

He held her until she stopped panting, gasping for air. When her breathing settled to a more normal rate and he thought his legs were steady enough to hold him, he stood up and put her down in the big armchair. It dwarfed her slender body. She was shaking, trembling. He grabbed an afghan from the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her. No doubt the alcohol she’d drunk combined with his virtual attack was taking its toll. She looked fragile, vulnerable. He grimaced at the enormity of the mistake that he’d almost made.

Looking to the fireplace, he grasped for a distraction.

“How about a fire, darlin’? You look like you are freezing. But first I am going to put on some coffee and then I’ll make a quick fire. Okay, sugar?”

When he came back from starting the coffee, she was staring straight ahead and wouldn’t meet his gaze. His heart thumped. Damn, what he would give to pick her up and hold her in his arms. He resisted the impulse. He knew all it would take was one whiff of her intoxicating fragrance to undo all his good intentions.

She stammered. “He…he touched them, Jake, I couldn’t bear to wear them, put them next to my skin.” She hesitated, then continued. “He…he laid them out in piles, in color coded piles. All the bras together, panties sorted from the thongs. Very neat, methodical, and frightening.”

He stared at her for a long moment. As the reality crashed over him, Jake clenched his teeth, biting back the words he wanted to shout, fighting to stay silent. She was too pale, too vulnerable. As carefully as he could, he spoke. Even he heard the silky danger in his voice.

“Lexie, why didn’t you tell me about this?”

She shrugged and looked away. After a moment of silence, she looked up at him and lifted her chin in the defiant gesture he’d come to know well.

“Because… because I knew you would be angry. Angry at me.” Her chin lifted higher. “And because you couldn’t do anything about it.”