“Well, there,” she said, turning to look at him as she stood and placed her hands on her hips.
Annoyed, he took a step forward, reached down and scooped up an armload of papers. Beneath all the mess of papers, in the area he had uncovered, was a long Winchester rifle.
Claire stared down at the weapon. “Oh my word,” she exclaimed, her cheeks flushing suddenly. “Jake, I apologize. This must have belonged to your dad, and my brothers...they took it. My dad had to have known where they got it.”
It didn’t make sense. He should be angry, but he didn’t care about the box now or the old weapons. He had proved his point. Now he just wanted his arms around her, to pull her close and kiss her endlessly.
* * *
He took out some more papers and revealed the two Colt revolvers. “Well, you can have this metal box, but I want the old guns. The Glock is gone—probably one of your brothers has it. I don’t care about the box, either. You keep it to store your papers. I just wanted you to know that it was my dad’s.”
“Well, you’ve got your antique weapons and I’ve got my old records. Actually, you can have the box. I’ll buy a new one.”
“You keep it. I’ll take the weapons because they’re collector’s items,” he said.
She looked down as she bit her lip. “Jake, I really am sorry for what my brothers did. It wasn’t right to take these guns. I had no idea.”
He draped his arm casually across her shoulders. “I believe you. And I don’t want what our families did to keep following us.”
She took a deep breath. “Yes, but we’re still living with that feud. It’ll never go away.”
“We can do a whole lot to make it go away,” he said softly, tightening his arm around her shoulders slightly to turn her toward him as he placed his other hand on her hip. His big smile was gone as he gazed at her with a solemn expression. Desire filled his dark eyes and made her pulse race faster. “It doesn’t exist between us,” he said in a husky voice. “We’ve already kissed it away.” His hand on her shoulder moved to caress her nape, light strokes that made her want to kiss again.
She was highly aware of him touching her, of how close he stood and of how intently he looked at her. She wanted his kiss, longed for his arms around her. She forgot about the world, her resolutions to be more cautious about him. The old feud? She didn’t think he was correct in saying they had gotten rid of it because of a few kisses. It could come storming back with more fury than ever if their relatives discovered them together, but right now, momentarily, where Jake was concerned, that feud didn’t exist. She wanted to be held in his arms to kiss and be kissed.
When he leaned closer, her heart beat faster. “You can’t imagine how much I want to kiss you right now,” he whispered, brushing her lips with his, making her long for more of him. She wrapped her arms around him as his arm slipped around her waist and he held her against him. His other hand tangled in her hair while his mouth covered hers. Leaning over her to hold her tightly, he kissed her, his tongue going deep, slipping over hers, sending waves of desire through her that made her yearn for more of him, for his hands and mouth all over her.
She had never known a man as sexy as Jake. Warnings and caution disappeared, overruled by desire. She clung to him, kissing him in return while he held her in his tight embrace.
She ran her other hand over him, tossing back his hat to run her hand through his thick hair, down across his arm, down his back. She felt his fingers moving over her, and then he leaned away, and she opened her eyes to look up at him as he pulled her red T-shirt off to toss it away.
“Jake, we’re outside. There isn’t any privacy.”
“There isn’t anyone for the next five miles in any direction, but it won’t matter,” he said, picking her up easily and turning, taking the steps two at a time to the porch and then carrying her inside as he kissed her.
When his mouth covered hers, she closed her eyes and returned his kiss, forgetting her surroundings, lost in his kiss that made her long for more from head to toe. Giddy with his kiss and being carried in his arms, she held him tightly.
His kisses fanned desire until she wanted him desperately, immediately. As he stood her on her feet, she glanced around. They were in his big bedroom, standing near his bed. It gave her pause, and for a moment she felt that warning of caution set in. Did she want to stop him now before they went far beyond kisses?
She placed her hands on his face, looking up and gazing into his dark brown eyes that blazed with such intense desire that she lost some of her hesitation.
“Jake, I—” But she didn’t get a chance to finish what she was about to say. Her words were stifled by his kiss. As he ravaged her mouth, he unfastened her bra and pushed it away. His big, callused hands cupped her breasts, and his thumbs lightly drew slow circles on her nipples until his lips trailed down and took over. His mouth captured one nipple, his tongue laving it to a hard pebble.
Sensations rippled through her, building her hungry need for his loving.
She knew if she intended to stop him, now was the moment. Did she want to take the risks to her heart that she knew Jake would cause?
She tunneled her hands through his hair. “Jake—” she whispered.
He looked up into her eyes and then leaned down, coming closer to put his mouth against her ear. “You want this,” he whispered, his breath light, tickling her ear. “You want me inside you, hard and fast. I want to make love to you, and you want me to.” As he talked, he shed his clothes, kicking off his boots and socks, peeling out of his jeans and briefs. He’d already shed his shirt.
When he stood before her, naked, she placed her hand against his chest. “Jake, I do want this. I want you. All of you.” She reached down and captured his erection.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he smiled at her. “Good, because you already feel how much I want you.”
“I think you’re the sexiest man alive. I shouldn’t admit that to you because it can just go to your head...or other parts that might have a bigger reaction,” she said as a smile flickered across her face.
“Come here, beautiful. I want to kiss you until we’re both eager to move to the next stage.” He reached out again to catch her wrist and draw her flush against him.
