Love Like You've Never Been Hurt (28 page)

Inside the RV smelled wonderful. “Chili?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he drawled, “A big ole Texas
chili for my lil lady.”

She laughed, staring to relax. “I may have to rope you in to
making some for Saturday. Gramps loves a good chili.”

“Consider it done. I’d love to make him some. It’d
be nice to contribute to his party.”

“You’re on then. As much as you can make, there will
be a lot of people to feed.”

“Your wish is my command, purdy lady.” He made her
laugh with his deep Texan drawl.

“I forget most of the time that’s where you’re
from.”

He smiled, “So do I these days. Want some wine?”

“I’d love some of that Merlot you brought the other
day.”

“Coming right up.”

“Could I run through to the bathroom?” she started
toward the back of the coach, but he blocked her way.

“Give me two minutes, would you? It’s a bit messy back
there, I need to tidy up. You arrived a little earlier than I
expected, sorry.” He went into the master bedroom and closed
the door behind him.

What on earth was he playing at? She’d never known him make
any kind of mess, or be untidy in any way. He was meticulously neat.
Even here in the kitchen where he’d been cooking, you couldn’t
tell because he cleaned as he went. But apparently he had something
to hide in his bedroom.

Emma frowned, she didn’t like this. She remembered there was
another bathroom anyway. She stepped inside and closed the door.
Don’t get worked up, she told herself. It’s not like he’s
Rob, trying to explain stray ear rings in the bed. She shuddered at
the memory. This is Jack. He loves you, remember? Hearing his deep
voice echo in her mind, “I love you, Emma,” she smiled.
If he was hiding anything back there it was probably another surprise
for her.

She emerged from the bathroom to find him back in the kitchen,
stirring the chili.

“Sorry about that,” he didn’t look up.

“That’s OK. I used the other one. Are you sure
everything’s all right?”

He finally met her eye and gave the smile she now knew so well.
“Yeah, Baby. I’d be better with a hug though.”

She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, surprised to
feel his heart pounding. He bent his head to kiss her and soon any
questions left her mind along with everything else except the feel of
his lips on hers.

“Gramps will absolutely love this,” she said after
they’d eaten the chili. “It’s wonderful.”

“Then I’ll be more than happy to make him some. I know
Dan will love it too. I used to make it all the time when we were
kids.”

She raised an eyebrow, “You cooked as a kid?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged, not offering anything further.
“Anyway, do you want to watch a movie tonight?”

She looked at him. This was something different.

“Honestly? It’s an excuse to get you to come lie on
that big bed with me.”

That was more likely.

“See, I’ll have to spend the next two nights alone in
there.” He gave her the puppy dog eyes and she melted.

“I’ll try to get back for Friday night.”

“Even so. I wanted you to stay here with me tonight so that
while you’re gone, I can smell you on the pillows and remember
you in that bed with me.”

“You are a big softie!”

He shrugged, “Only when it comes to you, Baby. So what do
you say? I’m beat and I think it’d be kinda nice to spend
an evening lying around with you.” He let his eyes trail over
her, “Maybe make out?”

Emma could think of nothing she would like more.

In the bedroom he’d made a mountain of pillows on the huge
bed.

“How about you get comfy and pick us out a movie while I fix
us some dessert?”

He returned with a bowl of fresh strawberries and bowl of melted
chocolate.

“Oh my!”

“You like?”

“I like.”

He dipped a strawberry and fed it to her.

“Oh, Jack that’s wonderful.”

“See, I may not bake, but I can still do desserts.”

“You certainly can.” She dipped another and popped it
into his mouth. He caught her hand and licked a drop of chocolate
from her wrist, sending shivers all though her.

“Ooh, this could get messy,” she laughed.

“I’m hoping so.”

He dipped a finger into the chocolate and dabbed it onto her lips.
Holding her eyes, he licked it away then nibbled on her lower lip
before he slowly explored her mouth with his own. Emma felt the now
familiar ache for him between her legs, her breasts tingling, hopeful
for his touch. She was so glad she hadn’t freaked out over that
phone call earlier and his mad dash back here had probably been
simply to pile up the pillows. She wouldn’t have wanted to miss
out on this, on having Jack, strawberries and melted chocolate all in
the same bed with the whole night ahead of them. She tangled her
fingers in his hair as he kissed her and when they finally came up
for air she couldn’t deny that it was love in those gorgeous
eyes that were looking at her. Nor could she deny that she loved him
right back. It scared her; she had no idea what to do with it, but
she loved him with all her heart and soul.

“What is it, Em?”

“Nothing.” How could she speak those words to him when
she didn’t know what they could mean?

“OK then.”

He fed her another strawberry, a little frown on his face. But she
knew how to distract him by now. She slid her hands inside his shirt
and stroked his abs, loving the way the hard muscles trembled at her
touch. A look of lust replaced his frown. She removed his shirt,
smiling at him mischievously. She dipped a finger in the warm
chocolate and coated his nipples then delicately lapped them clean
with her tongue.

“Oh my God, Emma,” he groaned, reaching for her, eager
to return the favor.

She pulled away and smiled at him. “You’re beat,
remember? And you made dinner. I think perhaps you should lay back
and let me work tonight.”

She wanted to make this about his pleasure as he always did for
her. He’d been so gentle and understanding in loving her. She
may not be able to say the words he wanted to hear, but she knew she
could show him with her body. She stood and undressed before him,
loving the way he devoured her with his eyes. He reached for her
again, but she pushed him back down on the pillows.

“Lie back and relax.”

She covered his nipples with the chocolate again and as her tongue
licked him clean her hands unfastened his belt and jeans. Even as he
kicked them off she took hold of him and began to stroke gently as
she kissed her way down his stomach. She dabbed some chocolate on the
very tip of him. He gave a low growl as she flicked her tongue over.

“Mm, tastes good.” She kept up her stroking as she
took him into her mouth. He tensed and lay completely still.

“Em, stop, I don’t want...”

Keeping her mouth close to him so the breath of her words fanned
him, she smiled up at him. “I do want, Jack. I want chocolate.”
She smeared it all over him, amazed as he grew even bigger and harder
in her hand. She gently sucked at the end of him, “And I want
this. Anyway, this is between me and him,” his cock surged in
her hand, “and he doesn’t want me to stop, do you?”

She addressed the question to his erection and returned to her
task of cleaning away the chocolate with her tongue. Jack moaned and
lay back. She felt him relax, pleased he was giving in to her. She
held him in both hands and trailed her tongue up him over and over
again.

His hands tangled in her hair, “Oh God, Emma!” His
voice cracked on her name as she took him deep in her throat and
swirled her tongue over him. She raised her gaze to see him and their
eyes locked as he thrust his hips up. Again she felt totally
empowered as she commanded his release and he gave in, letting her
carry him away as he cried out her name and his love. When she came
back up beside him, his chest was still heaving. He wrapped her in
his arms. “Oh my God, Emma!”

“You like?” she smiled, pleased with herself.

“I more than like!” He nuzzled his lips to her neck
and his fingers found her heat. “Will you ride me, Baby?”
he pulled her on top of him. “Let me do the work this time?”

“You sure you want me up here then?”

“I want you right there.” He sat up against the
pillows, carrying her with him. Bringing his knees up behind her he
brought her face to face with him. “Hi,” he smiled.

“Hello.” As she sat astride him he kissed her long and
hard, filling his hands with her breasts, making her moan though the
kisses, amazing her by how quickly she could feel him grow hard
again. Without leaving her lips he stroked his hands down to her hips
and lifted her ready to receive him.

“Lean back on me, Baby.”

She leaned back against his legs and gasped as he thrust up inside
her. In this position he was deeper than he’d ever been. She
marveled again at the size of him. He held her hip with one hand,
steadying her to receive his thrusts, while with his other hand he
sought her heat, stroking the sensitive flesh even as she stretched
around him. At the pressure of his thumb against the bud of her
arousal, she felt the heat tear through her as she came. He’d
hardly gotten started as she rode the sensations that carried her
away. As soon as she opened her eyes she found him smiling at her and
his fingers returned to their work. She couldn’t believe she
was so close again already as he circled his thumb.

“Jack,” she moaned as he carried her stroke by stroke
through her second orgasm.

When she returned to earth he was still smiling at her.

“Come with me, Baby?”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“You can.” His eyes were filled with a mixture of
lust, love and determination as he placed both hands on her hips and
pulled her down to receive his thrusts. She felt him pulsating inside
her, growing hotter and harder at every stroke. The intensity of his
emotion and the sheer size of him made her feel as though he filled
every fiber of her being. He moaned and she felt him explode inside
her, and every fiber exploded with him as he swept her away through a
third mind-blowing, soul-stealing orgasm. As she collapsed onto his
chest his arms came around her once more.

“I love you, Emma.”

“I love you, Jack.”

The words came straight from her heart before her mind had chance
to censor them. She tensed, immediately regretting that she’d
spoken them out loud. Jack flipped her over and lay on top of her,
brown eyes shining happily.

“Run that by me one more time?”

She sighed; there was no point denying it. “I love you,
Jack.”

He kissed her long and deep. “You’ve made me the
happiest man alive.”

“Jack, don’t get carried away. I didn’t mean to
say it.”

He looked down at her, smile gone. “You’re not saying
you don’t love me?”

She shook her head.

“No, you’re not or no, you don’t?”

“No, I’m not.”

His smile returned. “Then nothing else matters.”

“But, Jack, I don’t know what I can do with it.”

“What do you want to do with it?”

“Right now I want to run and hide, it scares me so much!”

“But you haven’t run yet, Em. You’re still here.
You came to me,” he grinned, “came for me, came with me.
Told me you love me and you haven’t run away!”

She couldn’t help but smile at the triumphant look on his
face. “I can’t exactly run. I don’t know if you’ve
noticed, but I have two hundred pounds of man lying on top of me.”

He looked down and laughed, pretending surprise. “Why, yes
you do. Isn’t that handy?” He made no effort to move.
“Baby, you don’t have to know what to do with it. That’s
how love works, we can figure it out together. Just relax. Keep
giving me chance to show you that I’m for real. Show you all
that we could share?”

She nodded.

“You have to know how happy it makes me?”

She nodded again.

“Tell me one more time?” he asked, eyes crinkling in
that sexy grin.

She wrapped her arms around him and looked into his eyes. “I
love you, Jack.”

“And I love you, Baby.”

“Do you really have to go?”

They’d had breakfast and Emma was getting her things
together, ready to head to the city.

“You know I do. Can’t you come too?”

He thought about it for a moment. He could probably see Meyers
next week, but he needed to finish last night’s phone call with
Laura. He needed to get over to the mall where he had some important
shopping to do, too. Could he do that in the city if he went with
Emma?

“It’s OK,” she said, “I know you’ve
got work to do, probably best not. I’ll try my hardest to get
back tomorrow, but really I think I will have to stay till Saturday
morning.”

“And condemn me to two nights alone, in this thing?”
he joked.

“You’ll survive.”

“I suppose.” He pulled her close for a lingering kiss.
“You drive safely, my little Mouse and hurry back to me.”

“I will.”

He walked her out to her car. He wanted her to tell him again that
she loved him, but he didn’t want to say it first just so that
she would respond in kind. He still couldn’t quite believe that
she’d come so far so soon. Although he knew he still had an
uphill climb ahead, he felt that it was all possible now. It would
just take time and patience on his part.

She put her bag in the car and kissed him one last time. Her green
eyes met his. “I do love you, Jack.”

“And I love you, Baby. With all my heart.”

As he watched her drive away he smiled to himself. This was going
better than he’d dared to hope. While she was gone he had some
important business to take care of. He pulled his cell phone from his
back pocket.

“Laura? Hey Sweetie. Sorry about last night. Yeah, Emma
showed up earlier than I expected.”

After talking to Laura he decided to go and see Gramps before he
did anything else. If this was going to work it was really important
that the old guy be on his side. After that he should still have time
to get to the mall and back before his meeting with Meyers.