Chapter 2

Jake was tired, dirty, and depressed when he walked through the back door of the lake house. He toed off his boots and left them lying on the floor. After hanging his hat on the hat rank beside the door, he made his way straight to the refrigerator with a course of action in mind. Cold beer. Shower. Food. After that? Well after that hopefully he could find a way to take his mind off what Teddy had said to him this morning.

He hated to admit it, but her words had rankled him something fierce—and not just in anger. He felt ashamed. Had he been doing what she said and projecting desire on women all his life and not been aware of it?

God, he hoped not. He loved being the kind of man women were drawn to, mainly because he purely loved women. Loved the look, the feel, the smell, and the taste of them. But he damn sure didn’t want them to be attracted to him out of some feeling he was giving them and not on their own.

That kind of made him feel like a pervert or molester. If what they felt for him wasn’t real then what the hell kind of man did that make him to have taken from them?

Jake snatched a beer from the refrigerator and used the countertop to pop the cap. One long draught and he closed his eyes, letting the coolness ease its way down. Damn that was good.

That good feeling transformed into something else entirely when he opened his eyes. There in the doorway to the front room stood Teddy. And by the saints and angels, one look at her, and his heartbeat was speeding up.

In place of the flowing shin length skirt and wafty blouse she normally favored, she was wearing a dress that was strapless, displaying the top curve of her breasts. It was fitted down her lean torso and then flowed out over her hips in a bunch of little irregular lengths of fabric that stopped at mid-thigh, giving a real good view of her legs.

And what legs. The phrase “legs that go on forever” crossed his mind. She was barefoot and her long tumble of blond curls was worn loose, framing her face and shoulders like a golden halo.

Jake was pretty sure he’d never seen anyone so beautiful in all his life. Desire rose hot and fast, bringing thoughts of touching and tasting.

Almost as soon as it did, panic or something akin to it, tainted his mind. Was she feeling that? And if she did was she thinking he was trying to project something on her she didn’t want?

Damn, this shit was screwing with his head. So much so, that it threw darkness into his mood.

“Didn’t expect to see you.” His voice was harsher than intended, and he immediately regretted it.

His feelings were running so high that it was impossible for Teddy not to feel them. She had her own regrets and wanted to make amends, to let him know that her desire for him wasn’t something he was forcing her to feel.

“We need to talk.”

“Uh, I think you pretty much already covered all the important stuff this morning, didn’t you?”

“No, actually I think what was said this morning left the wrong impression.”

“How so?” Jake took another swallow of beer and leaned back against the countertop.

Teddy moved to stand in front of him. “What I said this morning, Jake. I wasn’t saying it to be critical, just…just kind of teasing. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

She felt his anger and discomfort and mentally kicked herself. She was handling this all wrong. But what could she do to assure him? Maybe it was time to take a page from Mik’s playbook.

“Look, Jake, we both know what you and your brothers can do. But I don’t believe you can force a woman to want you against her will. I think you just enhance what’s already there.”

He stared at her for a long time before speaking. “So you’re saying…?”

“That you’re hands down the sexiest man I’ve ever seen and if I’d been surer of myself, my life and…and a whole lot of other things, I’d have jumped you the first time I set eyes on you. I want you—honestly, more than I’m comfortable with. Truth is, I’m scared of it. I need more than sexual attraction and I need to know that the man I choose is someone I can trust with more than just my body.”

Jake straightened and the movement brought them closer, so close she could feel the heat from his body. He put two fingers under her chin to tilt her head up. “Honey, I’d never hurt you. And I want…well, it’s a given that I want you, but not just for a quick roll in the hay. I want more, too, Teddy and I think I can be more. I’d just really like you to give me a chance.”

“Well here it is, cowboy.” She kept her eyes on his as she peeled her dress down her body and let it drop to the floor around her feet.

Jake couldn’t stop his eyes from following the path of that bit of material as she worked it down her body. Breasts that were firm and graced with the prettiest pink nipples he’d ever seen made his fingers tingle to touch. But he held firm and allowed only his eyes to touch her flesh, continuing the trek down her body.

When he reached the junction of her thighs, his knees damn near went weak. Smooth and completely hairless, her sex drew him like the proverbial bee to honey.

“God almighty, Teddy. Girl, now’s your chance ‘cause if you don’t run in the next two seconds, I’m gonna put my hands and mouth all over you.”

“Seeing is believing, cowboy.”

That’s all the encouragement it took for him to reach out, grab her behind the neck and pull her to meet his lips. His free hand moved to her breast, thumb tracking over her nipple and feeling it harden. He’d kissed her before, but this was the first time he felt like she was kissing him back. And what a kiss.

There was nothing shy or hesitant in the way her tongue warred with his, or the way her hands moved to work at the buttons on his shirt. There was nothing delicate in the way she gave up on the buttons and ripped his shirt open to bare his skin to her touch.

She broke free of the kiss and lowered her head to trace her tongue down the center of his chest, all the while working to loosen his belt and jeans.

When she shoved his pants down around his knees and took him in her hand, fire swept through his mind, obliterating every other thought but wanting her. He grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up, cupping her firm rear as she wound those mile-long legs around him. Her fingers tangled in his hair, her lips seeking dominance over his.

He couldn’t fight it. Her sex was wet against his belly, her lips hot on his and little breathy sounds came from her throat.

Jake turned, backed her up against the refrigerator and reached beneath her to guide himself into that liquid heat. Teddy threw her head back, banging it against the refrigerator and screamed. “God yes!” as he slid inside her.

After that there was no room or time for thought. It was just them, locked in a primitive dance of mating, all at once completely physically and totally emotional. He’d never felt anything like it. It was intoxicating, overwhelming and irresistible.

“Oh god, yes. Yes, yes, yes!” The volume of her voice increased with each word, meeting him stroke for stroke, her body vibrating with the onset of orgasm.

One final “Yes” turned into a full-blown scream of pleasure.

And in almost the same instant came another sound.

“For god’s sake Teddy! The whole fucking county can hear you!”

Jake went stone-cold still and looked over his shoulder at the door. There stood Teddy’s sister, Alex with her hands on her hips.

“Knock much?” Teddy growled and when Jake tried to disengage, she swatted at him. ‘No, don’t you dare move. Alex, get out.”

“Fine, whatever. Just thought you’d like to know that Manning’s attorney called. We’ve got two weeks to come up with the money or he’s taking the ranch.”

That took the starch out of Jake’s sail and Teddy’s as well. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Fine.” Alex turned and left, slamming the door behind her.

Teddy looked up at Jake and to his surprise, burst out laughing. Before he knew it, he was laughing too, and it wasn’t long before they both were howling, unable to look at one another without inciting another wave. Finally she sobered, wiped her eyes with her fingers and blew out her breath. “Well, damn.”

“I can’t believe she just walked in like that,” Jake said as he allowed her to disengage.

“Yeah, that’s Alex,” Teddy replied. “Miss Buzz Kill.”

“And just when things were getting good.” He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Good doesn’t even come close to it, cowboy,” she said with a smile. “But we better get to the main house.”

“And later?” he asked.

The smile she gave him held promise. “Well, I do think I might be too tired to drive home so…” Her smile faded. “Is it wrong to be this way, Jake? I mean with everything that’s going on?”

“Trouble happens, honey. That’s life. But you can’t let it steal everything from you. If you do then trouble wins. You know what I’m saying?”

“Yeah, I do. I just wish there was something—oh my God! Jake, I know what to do!”

“Say what?”

“I know how to help.”

“How?”

“I’m about to tell you, but we need to get dressed and I need to shower off so…come on, I’ll tell you in the shower.”

Jake just shook his head and followed. This was turning out to be one hell of a day.