Jake (California Dreamy) - By Rian Kelley Page 0,68

easy manner she’d felt like he was doing exactly that—hiding from her.

“I might need more than a few minutes,” she said, avoiding any deeper discussion.

“Then you’ll get more.”

Jake carried her to the bed. He laid her on the mattress and came down beside her. But it

was already too late. She felt something shift inside her. Maybe it was self-preservation. She was pulling away, trying to disconnect from her feelings.

But for her, there was no way to maintain an emotional distance and still touch Jake. She curled her hands on his shoulders and felt his lips beneath her ear, his hands cup her breasts, his erection grow insistent against her thigh. Her body was slow to respond and Jake noticed that, too. He braced himself on his elbows and cupped her face with his hands.

“What?” he demanded.

“I guess I just don’t feel like having sex right now.”

“You wanted it a few minutes ago.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” She pushed at his shoulder so that she could sit up. “I didn’t mean to tease you.” She smoothed down her skirt and adjusted her shirt.

“Are you stressed about Vegas?” he asked. “Is it too soon?”

He sat up beside her and Ivy placed her palm against his cheek and stared into his eyes. “Not for me.”

His frown deepened. “I want to go with you, Ivy,” he said. “Remember? I practically invited myself.”

He had. But she was wondering if he’d come to regret that. “You can change your mind,” she offered.

But he shook his head. “I don’t want to.” He took her hand in his and sought her gaze. “This is about Monday, isn’t it,” he said.

She nodded. “You were right. I shouldn’t have pushed for us to be together so soon. Sex clouds everything.”

“That’s not true. Not for me. I don’t regret anything about being with you. Not the physical. Not the emotional.”

“If we’d waited…Gotten to know each other better…”

“We know each other,” he countered, his voice confident. She watched decision form on his face. “I have something I want to show you.”

He stood and walked toward the closet doors. “I’m not rushing you,” he promised. “If you’re not ready…if you want to wait a few weeks or months…” He turned, his face pensive. “I’ll wait for you, for as long as it takes.”

Ivy stood and moved toward him. She had no idea what could be in the closet. She didn’t doubt that it was important. Just the way Jake was stuttering through his assurances made her think he was guarding the Jewels of the Nile—or his heart. It was connected to them, as a couple, of that she was sure. He mentioned the future and it sounded like a promise. Anticipation made her breath thin. “What is it?”

He opened the doors and stepped aside and Ivy nudged past him so she could take a peek. One side of the closet was packed with uniforms, from dress blues to camouflage, a few dress shirts and slacks hung separately, jeans and t-shirts were neatly folded and stacked in cubbies. The other side of the closet was empty.

She stepped into the space, looked at the shoes lined up on the floor, at the stool tucked into the back of the closet, and was at a loss. What treasure was he hiding in here?

“I don’t see it,” Ivy said.

Jake came up behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Space,” he said. “It’s yours. I know you don’t want to leave your apartment by the beach and I don’t blame you. But it won’t fit the both of us. Until we can find something there, I thought we could share.”

Ivy was speechless as thoughts swirled through her head. If they were just talking about living arrangements, she wanted more. But if he was offering everything she’d talked about on Monday, then she was exactly where she wanted to be.

“You know that chance you talked about?” He pushed her hair back with his fingertips and stared into her eyes. “I want it, too.”

Ivy needed clarification. She needed absolutes. “And you’re asking me to move in with you?”

“No,” he said. “I love you, Ivy, and getting a place together is just the first step.”

Ivy’s heart shuddered to a stop between beats and then knocked painfully at her chest.

“What comes after that?”

“Forever.”

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty