Emily's Affair (11 page)

Instinct made her grip his shoulders and rock against him. Liquid desire poured through her veins and into the fire pit in her loins. She rubbed herself against him like a cat in heat. This was what she'd wanted last night, but more. She wanted to feel him moving against her, inside her. Emily wanted no barriers between them. Her attention was riveted on the tension building between her legs and the sensations he was provoking. She was on the edge, ready to fall off the precipice and let him catch her. She knew without a doubt that this time would be bigger than all the rest.

No inhibition. No fear. No questions. Her body instinctively trusted this man who could easily snap her in half.

Emily clutched his waist with her thighs and rocked harder. Faster. The white, blinding light of release was within her grasp.

Jake broke the kiss and gasped for air. "Sweetheart," he rasped. "We've got to stop. I want you so bad, I can't—"

His voice was the incentive she needed and Emily dragged his mouth back to hers. She relentlessly drove her tongue into his mouth while her body shimmered and exploded with wave after wave of pure, savage pleasure. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, then, breaking the kiss, she arched her back and spasmed against his hot, hard body. Dazed, she thought to herself, "It can't get much better than this. If it does, then I am a dead woman."

Jake was tense, his muscles stiff and rock hard, as she drifted back to him.

Emily sagged against him and, panting for her next breath, dropped her head to his shoulder. Her arms hung limp over his shoulder and down his back, but her legs remained locked around him.

"Emily?" His voice was tight and soft.

"Hmm," she asked in a contented purr.

"Are you okay?"

"Mmm-hmm. You?" Stringing together coherent phrases were well beyond her tongue's ability at the moment. She drew aimless patterns on his muscular back.

Jake blew a stream of air out in a soft whistle. "Another second and we would have had to make a quick trip back to the condo." She started to unhook her feet and he gripped her knees. "Oh God, no. Don't, ah, move a muscle. Don't twitch. Damn, sweet Emily. You're burning a hole through my jeans."

"Is that good," she asked, barely able to concentrate on continuing a conversation.

He laughed and immediately groaned in pain. "Don't make me laugh, sweetheart. I'm hanging by a thread as it is."

"Let the thread break, Jake. I'll catch you."

He groaned again. "You're in no condition to catch anything. I barely caught you."

"Mmm and it felt soo good." Emily pressed a kiss to his neck. "I've never done that before. Thank you for catching me."
"Honey, we need to change the subject. The thread ain't that sturdy."

"What do you want to talk about," she asked, disinterested. Her attention was focused on the pulse beating—make that throbbing—in his neck and against the juncture of her thighs.

"The weather?"

"It's raining."

"Politics?"

"Too many sex scandals in Washington." Emily touched her tongue to the pulse and tasted saltiness.

"Hydrogen." Jake sucked in a breath. "Lithium, Sodium, Potassium, Rubidium, Cesium, Francium. Beryllium, Magnesium, Calcium, Strontium, Barium, Radium. Stop that, Emily. Scandium, Yttrium—Oh God, honey, don't make me go into the Lanthanide series. Titanium, Zirconium, Hafnium." He inhaled a deep breath.

"Jake, what do you want for the future?"

He shuddered and gripped her waist. "Vanadium, Niobium, Tantalum. Chromium, Molybdenum, Tungsten. I want to be inside you the next time you… Manganese, Technetium, Rhenium, Iron, Ruthenium— Stop licking me. You're making me forget the table."

Emily smiled. "Physical control is over rated."

"Osmium, Cobalt, Rhodium, Iridium—"

"It's not fair to you that I had a…
you know
and you didn't."

Jake growled and Emily suppressed a giggle. "Nickel, Palladium, Platinum, Copper, Silver, Gold. You are not helping, Emily. Zinc, Cadmium, Mercury. Stop laughing. It, ah… feels too good. Boron, Aluminum—"

"We could go back to the house and—"

"Gallium," he practically shouted. "Indium, Thallium, Carbon, Silicon, Germanium. As much as I need it, I promised to go slow and even if it kills me—which it feels like it will—I am going to wait. Tin, Lead, Nitrogen, Phosphorus—"

"Do you want me to get off?"

"You already did," he muttered.

Emily playfully smacked his back and he grunted. "I should punish you for that."

"And you are," he ground out. "I'm well past the transitional metals and I still feel like I'm going to explode." Jake sounded astounded, amazed. "What have you done to me?"

"Me? I haven't done anything. I wouldn't even know what to do if—"

"Sweetheart, you know what to do. Your tight little body just did it and nearly took me with you." Jake shook his head. "Damn, I can't be alone with you for a minute. First, you tease me in the mail room with—"

"Me?" Her head snapped up and Jake clenched his eyes shut. "You're the one who came up behind me and made me…
you know
."

His right eye cracked open. "How? I didn't touch you. I wanted to, but—"

"And then you went and did it again with the massage and then again last night when you—"

Both eyes were open now. "Now, wait just a second. That wasn't my fault. You kissed me and damn near made me…
you know
." Jake frowned. "Hell, I'm even starting to talk like you. You are going to drive me insane before this week is over. And when we finally do get into bed, you're gonna kill me. I doubt I'll make it through the first round."

"You doubt you will? I'm not even gonna be able to stand when we get out of here. You'll have to prop me up next the bar." Emily shook her head at herself.

Jake's grin was smug. "Yeah, you've got that look in your eye again. Everyone will know what we were doing. They'll take one look at those swollen lips and say, damn that Jake is a lucky sonofabitch. How the hell did he get a sexually uninhibited beauty like sweet Emily?"

She playfully slapped his shoulders and dropped a chaste kiss on his mouth. "Stop. You say the sweetest things only to make my ego explode. I'm the lucky one to get someone with an annoyingly vast quantity of patience. Your willpower is both astounding and disgustingly strong. It's not fair that you can make me do the things I do when I can't even make you…
you know
."

"Your modesty and innocence humble me, sweet Emily. As for making me," he smirked wickedly, "
you know
in my jeans, I would rather you didn't. It makes for a damned mess and is most embarrassing. However, you may call me anytime when you need help
you know
-ing."

"You are too, too kind," she said in a sweet voice while punishing him by flexing the muscles in her thighs.

Jake winced. "You almost did it that time."

"Almost doesn't count."

"That does it." Jake fitted his hands under her bottom and stood. "Maybe a minute or two in the walk-in will cool you down."

Emily wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him. "I bet it won't."

Jake yanked open the door to the walk-in freezer and carried her inside. He stopped in the middle of the metal cube and let the cold air sink into both of them. "That's better. I'm telling you, sweetheart, I promised to take things slow and I'm not going back on that promise. And before you start getting it into your head that you and I are going to have a purely physical relationship, we are not."

Emily shivered. "We're not?" Her voice wobbled.

"No, ma'am, we are not. I haven't lusted after you for two months just to let you use my body and throw me away. I've got dignity. I'll get a reputation. Oh, but you wouldn't. It's in an unfair world where a man has to suffer from a double standard. You and your small, hot, peach perfumed body will use me, then cast me away like a used pair of cotton panties. All my friends will pity my decline into slut-hood and—"

Emily giggled.

"So you think my impending slut-hood is funny, do you? Well, you'd better think again. I am not easy. I have a five date minimum. And I refuse to have you do a wham-bam-thank-you-sir, then walk out the door with my reputation and respect in tatters." He sniffed haughtily. "I've got an image to think of."

"You are quite right. How remiss of me not to consider the ramifications to your image. What must I have been thinking?"

His adorable grin returned in a flash, wiping out the mock indignation. "You were thinking that you want me. It's quite understandable. I am irresistible."

"Was I, oh arrogant man o' mine? It's so cold in here I doubt I'll ever want anything again." The heat and wetness in the crux of her pants had all but crystallized it into ice.

"Am I?"

"Are you what?" Emily huddled closer to his warmth.

"Your arrogant man."

Emily pulled back and cocked her head to the side. "Do you want to be?"

"I do."

"Okay. You can be my arrogant man, but you can't be overbearing and controlling. I can't stand overbearing and controlling."

His expression turned solemn. "Emily, I'm serious about wanting more."

Her good mood started to sour.

"And I'm even more serious about giving more." Jake ducked his head and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. "I've waited for you too long to want anything less."

Emily swallowed and said nothing. There wasn't anything to worry about. Men often said things like this. It was a ploy. It was a tactic to convince the woman of their choice to… trust them enough to hand over their heart.

At least, that's what Marilyn was always telling her.

Yes, that's it. It was just a trick.

Jake didn't really mean that he wanted more.

"Enough with the serious talk, oh arrogant man o' mine." Emily flexed her thighs around his waist. "I think it's time that you…
you know
-ed."

"My sweet Emily doesn't believe me." Jake turned and carried her from the walk-in freezer. "But she will. Sooner or later, she will."

"Jake, how can I believe you? We hardly know each other. This is only our second date. You don't know me well enough to want—"

"I know enough." Jake silenced her with a toe curling kiss. "Give it a chance, Emily. What do you have to lose?"

The band—the same group from last night—started up their first set and Jake and Alex received a breather at the bar. As one of the few bars in the area who catered to the big band-swing music crowd, The Brigade was doing record breaking business for a Saturday night. Nick was busy back in the kitchen with his barrage of orders. Another hour or so and the kitchen would close for the night, letting Nick come out and have his first break since the crowd poured in.

Jake backed up into the chair he'd set up for Emily behind the bar and stepped in between her legs. She draped her arms over his shoulders and he leaned back against her. He was in a great—make that incredible—mood. He and Emily were making progress. He was as horny as a teenager, but he was old enough to deal with the baser urges. The progress was on a more emotional level.