Fever Pitch (6 page)

I plopped down and took my boots off, tossing them one by one over to a corner. “I’m not really tired. I’m hungry, and I’m too excited to be here and...” I smiled sweetly as I blabbed. “And I hope you don’t mind me making myself at home.”

              He chuckled. “I wouldn’t expect anything else.” His lips curled warmly at me, but a pensive air remained.
              I took a gulp of my wine and smacked my lips together. “Okay,” I said, placing my glass down on the table next to me. I moved onto to my knees and gently pushed Jake by the shoulders back into the sofa, straddling him.

Amusement sprung onto his face. “Whoa, watch it, Alycat, I gotta full glass here,” he said, holding the glass higher, steadying its sloshing red liquid. I grabbed the glass out of his hand and leaned back, placing it on the coffee table. Both of his hands wrapped around my hips, and my thighs instantly began to throb.

“You need to spit it out. I see those wheels turning.” I tapped the side of his head. “You’re not acting normal. I know something’s up.” I gently poked my finger at his chest. “What is it?”

His eyes twinkled and he looked at me dreamy. He moaned softly, “There’s nothing wrong.” He brought his face to mine and kissed me passionately. I went up into flames in an instant. The firmness of him pressed against me made me instantly wet, and kissing him made me want to rip his clothes off. His hands went up into my blouse, cupping my boobs, and my desire for him peaked.

“I want you,” I whispered, nearly whimpering. I was crushed by my hunger for him and I could barely breathe.

“You have no idea,” he said, as breathless. “Ok, I have something for you.” He moved me to the side and stood, tugging and adjusting himself.

“What? You have to give it to me now?” I laughed at him like he’d lost his mind. I knew I was losing mine.

He disappeared behind a wall of thick black fabric that hung from the vaulted ceiling, coming back as quickly as he vanished. He held something clutched in his hand. “It’s your birthday present and…” He paused, looking at it. “And a something a little more.”

He looked completely disheveled and delicious; he made me crazy, and now even crazier as my heart raced staring at his hand and back at his sparkling blue eyes. It was little box.
Jewelry.
“Oh Jake.” I covered my mouth with my hand. I seriously never expected in my wildest dreams that he could ever be
this
romantic. I sat up straight on the sofa and he crouched down beside me. He took in a deep breath and flipped open the lid of the little black box and I gasped.

It was a ring.
A Ring!
It wasn’t an engagement ring, but it was still a ring.
Oh. My. God.

My hand remained shielding my gaping mouth, as if to keep my heart from jumping out of my throat. “Oh my god, it’s beautiful, Jake,” I managed to squeak out. I stared at the gold band with slivers of different colored stones embedded all around it. The largest stone was a ruby, and they all looked like broken glass, completely unique and exquisite, unlike anything I’d ever seen.

“Happy Birthday.” He took in a deep breath. “And I want you to know I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.” His eyes penetrated mine. “Marry me?”

All the air sucked out of my lungs.

8

              “What?” I asked, stunned, and searched his eyes as if I was hearing things. “Jake.” I didn’t know what else to say.
Was he serious? Shit.
He was totally serious by the look on his face.

              He took the ring out of the box and stared at it, rolling it between his fingers. “I know you’re only eighteen. I know that we’re young, but I can’t imagine my life without you.”

              He finally looked up and his eyes met my tears. “I want nothing more than to be with you. I want this to last forever.” I was so overcome with emotion and elation and so many other feelings.

              He smiled, a bit sadly, staring back at the ring. “But you’re not saying yes.”  He searched my eyes. “Look, Aly, I don’t expect you to marry me today, but if you wanted to, I would. I would take you right now and marry you.”

              “That’s not what I came here for, Jake…”

              “Hey,” he cut in. “I know. This is all me, Aly.” He placed the palm of his hand to his chest.

              “I would marry you, Jake, I want to marry you. I dream about having the perfect life with you.”
Why wasn’t I saying yes?
I wanted to say yes, but I was afraid. All I thought about were my parents; obviously I wasn’t grown up enough if I kept thinking about my parents.

              We sat silent for a few long seconds, both staring at the ring. “It’s beautiful, Jake.” I lifted his chin. “I love you, so much, beyond words.”

              He bit his bottom lip, searching my face and cleared his throat. “This is my promise to you, Alyssa. When you’re ready, we’ll get married.”

              “I love you.” I cupped his face in my hands and kissed his perfectly formed lips softly.

              He backed away. “Let’s put it on this finger, then.” He picked up my right hand. “Unless you want to put it on your left.”

              I smiled, apprehensively. “I don’t know. I mean, my parents would shit themselves if I came home engaged, Jake.” I gripped his hand. “I do want this…But I’m not even graduated high school yet. I have college. I don’t want to disappoint my parents more than I already have,” I blurted out miserably, because I so badly wanted to just disappear with him and not worry about what my parents thought.

              “I know. I thought about all those things.” He hung his head.

              Was it disappointment I heard in his voice? Or relief? I was torn with wanting to jump up and scream
yes; yes I’ll marry you,
and with remaining steadfast with my future plans.

              “Jake, I’m coming to New York after I graduate. Just like we talked. I want to have a life with you. That’s why I’m here. I want all of you, all the time.” I laughed nervously. “And I just think maybe you need to talk to my dad, first, if you’re gonna marry me.”

              He smiled and held his head high. “I’ll do that then. The old-fashioned way.”

I leaned in closer to his face and lingered at his cheek. “I love you.”

Jake slid the gold sparkling band onto my right index finger and it fit perfectly. I held out my hand and stared at it. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s spectacular.” Jake smiled proudly, and kissed the ring on my finger.

“I designed it.” He tugged at his black cardigan sleeve to slip off his sweater, and I looked back at the ring.

This made me tingle.
Really?
“Is there anything you can’t do?” I moved over to him as he sat back down, tucking my arm through his, and we both stared at the ring as it sparkled in the light. “You’re seriously the most artistic, magnificently creative person I’ve ever known.”

He chuckled. “You’re gonna think I’m fulla’shit, but I think I’m gonna take a stab at designing jewelry.”

“For reals?” I pushed away and looked at him skeptically.

He stared off in the distance. I could see his jaw tighten and he nodded, blinking, thinking. “Why not?” He looked back at me and pecked my cheek. “This is how you inspire me. You’re like the Milky Way, a billion-trillion stars of blinding inspiration.” He twisted the ring around my finger. “I was thinking about your birthday present and how I wanted it to be something really meaningful…” He trailed off and his lips squeezed together.

“Hey.” I nudged him. “What is it?”

He leaned over, taking his glass of wine into his hand and took a sip, then reached for mine, handing it to me. “When you told me you were coming here…it kinda scared me.” He didn’t look at me when he said this, and my stomach turned over.

“Wow. I’m sorry,” I said faintly. I released my hold on him and took a big gulp of wine, finishing it. I didn’t know what to make of his statement. He’d obviously gotten over it if he was asking me to marry him. I got up and walked to the kitchen and grabbed the wine bottle off the black granite counter top.

“I’m still afraid, Aly. I’m afraid of letting you down.” I stood in front of him with my glass and the wine bottle dangling from my arms, not knowing what to say to him. He took my hips in his hands, pressing his thumbs against my hipbones. I could feel the warmth of them penetrate my denim leggings and a serious ache shot through me. Every time he touched me, my desire for him was instantaneous. His handsome face lit up, and his yummy lips curled into a smile. “I knew that if I allowed you to come here that I needed to make a decision. That’s when I realized I wanted to
really
spend the rest of my life with you. There was never any doubt; fear, yes, but doubt, no.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off of his. The black flecks sprinkled throughout the blue of his eyes sucked me in like a black hole. He pulled me close, resting his cheek against my stomach, and wrapped his arms around me. As his t-shirt rose around his left bicep, I noticed the black markings of thin wavy lines and little song notes woven throughout them. He had a tattoo.

I lifted his shirtsleeve. “When did you get this?” My fingers rubbed over the permanent ink. “What is it?”

He leaned back and lifted the sleeve up further, inspecting it. “It’s not done yet. It’s a work in progress.”

“What is it?” I asked again, this time bouncing up and down.

He gave me a lopsided grin. “They’re strands of hair.” I wanted to ask whose hair, but I knew whose hair, and my stomach got all nervous and then he said it. “Your hair.”

I inhaled, embarrassed. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe because the entire day so far was beyond anything in my wildest dreams? “You’re kidding, right?”

“No. I’m not.” He sighed and grabbed the wine bottle and the glass out of my hands, pouring me another one. “This is something I went ahead and got done a long time ago, when I first got to New York.” He took his shirt off, and the sight of him half-naked made me go weak. His skin was paler than it used to be, but the definition of his muscles more pronounced. He’d gained weight, and was more buff through his shoulders than he’d appeared to be with his clothes on.
Holy shit, I never thought he could get hotter.
I could see the silhouette of a face over his bicep,
my face,
with just one eye and the small bridge of a nose. The long strands of hair weaved like waves over his shoulder and down his arm. The little topaz blue-colored song notes were everywhere throughout the black strands, embedded like jewels. 

I collapsed down next to him in complete disbelief, staring at the ring on my finger, and then at his bare skin and tattoo. He held the glass out for me to take it, and I did. I remained slack jawed and silent. He took his glass and held it up. “Here’s to changing my life forever, Alyssa Montgomery.”

After watching him take several sips, I took the glass out of his hand, placing both of ours on the table. I stood, taking him by both hands, and pulled him up. He smirked at me. “Show me around. What else do you have hiding behind those black drapes?”

He spun me around so quickly up into his arms. I squealed and gripped his shoulders, burying my head into his neck. I breathed in deeply, inhaling his delicious scent, remembering how his skin used to feel beneath my lips. Even though he was so familiar, everything I felt was entirely new. The feelings were more intense. I wasn’t scared about finally giving myself to him, nor was I confused like I’d been all those years ago when I was too young to know any better. I was certain I wanted him. I was as certain as he was about wanting to spend the rest of his life with me.

I kissed him slowly and tenderly as he carried me around the other side of the curtain. His tongue felt like velvet, and with each lick I felt the pressure get more intense throughout my body. He held me so tightly I could have melted into him.

He let me down at the foot of his bed. “Mmm,” I hummed, looking around and down at the bed. “Everything looks new and especially fluffy.” I played with his hair and sat down on the bed, tugging at his belt loops.

“It is,” he said, tipping me backwards and lying on top of me. I wrapped my legs round him and he pressed into me, kissing and sucking my neck. The chills ran all over my body, and I moaned.

“I love the little sounds you make when I’m kissing you.” He nuzzled me. “Fuck, Aly, I had no idea how much I’d really missed you.” He buried his head in my hair, taking in several deep breaths. Each time he pressed into me, I could feel him growing harder and harder, and the pleasure radiated through my body. My hands ran up his bare back and I grabbed his face, desperate to feel his lips and tongue on mine.

He gently peeled off my sweater, socks and leggings and stared at me from the foot of his bed. He unbuckled his belt and slid off his pants. There he was, in all his naked glory and I surprised myself by covering my eyes. I giggled, shaking my head, and looked back at him. “I’ve said it so many times.” I sat up, reaching for him. He took my hand and I pulled him down to me. “I must be dreaming. Pinch me?” I begged, running my hand down his back and over his ass. I shivered and tucked in closer to him.

“How about I do this instead.” He reached over and pulled a thickly quilted cream-colored blanket up over us and pulled me close. Our legs entwined and our hips, stomachs and chests pressed together. I nuzzled my face into his neck. His skin radiated heat like a steam engine. The warmth of his lips grazed and pecked at my forehead. “I didn’t notice how cold it was in here until I was naked.” He chuckled. “Ima warm it up in here.”

He went to slide out from our cover and I held his arm. “You’re warming me up just fine.”

“I’m gonna start a fire.” He glanced at the grey stone fireplace across the room.

“I’m getting fired up perfectly.” I gave him a pouty face and squeezed the blanket under my chin.

He thumped the tip of my nose with his finger and got up, stepping toward the chair next to his bed. “Your nipples will appreciate it later.” He laughed softly and grabbed a white towel, wrapping it round his waist, covering his perfectly firm bum. Ugh, he was so freaking hot. I could barely contain myself. I wanted to pounce on him like cat and lick every inch of him. I buried my face under the blanket, embarrassed at my thoughts, growing slightly insecure. What if I didn’t do it for him? What if I totally sucked at being a lover? I mean sex was pretty basic, right? Insert penis and go for it.