“Ew…no way,” I groan.
“Yes, way. Deal or no game. I’ll just go inside. I’m sure my needy mother would love for me to-”
“Fine.”
“Whole thing. All seven movies.”
Ugh. “Whole thing.”
He closes his eyes and counts to five, allowing me time to disguise my location. My heart instantly races as I move behind him, trying to swim away as quietly as possible.
“Marco,” he purrs, his deep voice affecting my ability to play.
“Polo,” I retort, swallowing and swimming in circles around him. We play this cat and mouse game for what seems like forever, until he cheats, launching at me. He grabs for my waist and tucks me back into him. His laughter vibrates against my shoulder blades, and his lips press against my skin. He doesn’t move, and I swear I feel the hardness of— His grip suddenly becomes too tight, and he quickly releases me.
“So, what time are you coming back over? I’ll have the chef make us our favorite movie spread.”
Jake has discarded his pants by the time my memory fades, and my throat begins to work again. “And what did you want to do to me at eighteen?”
He climbs on top of me. His fingers move under my shirt, pushing it up my waist. “I wanted to do this.” He pulls my shirt up, exposing my breasts. My bra is pushed to the side, and his warm breath skates over my nipple as he takes it into his mouth. My eyes flutter closed, enjoying the way his tongue circles around my nipple as he palms my breast, getting a mouthful. My fingers slide into his hair.
“That’s it? Feels like a sixteen-year-old fantasy to me.”
His other hand skims down my ribcage, dipping into my pants.
“Oh no, I wanted to do more than that. I wanted to do this.” His finger disappears between my thighs, and I release a soft moan as he finds my hot center and enters me. “Then, this.” He pulls out and inserts a second, then third. His thrusts are slow yet forceful. “But I knew this wouldn’t be enough. I knew I wanted all of you.” He works me faster until my legs begin to quiver, and I bite down on my bottom lip. He pulls away, taking my pants with him, and his fingers are replaced with his mouth. My back arches off the bed as he devours me. His tongue becomes ruthless, and mere seconds later, my fingers are gripping too tightly around his hair as my orgasm takes flight.
My lungs struggle to inhale enough air when he comes back into full view. “I’m a fan of eighteen,” I pant. “Shame we didn’t play that one out back then.”
Jake chuckles as he crawls up my still quaking body and places his lips on mine. “Oh, I think we did.” He kisses me again. “And it was one of the best nights of my life.”
It was the night we finally fought the barriers of our feelings. The night we created Bria. The night he left.
“Hey,” he pulls me back from the darkness, “I know where you’re going in your head. Let’s make a pact. From this moment forward, we only focus on the present and future. No more dwelling over a past we had no control over or a time we can’t take back or erase. I don’t want anything to tarnish what we’re creating here—our future—because, baby, that’s something we have control over. Things are different now; we’re not kids. They can’t control us. From this point on, no more sad faces. Just happy ones. And post-sex worn-out ones.”
I laugh, swiping at a tear. “Post-sex faces?”
“Yeah, ’cause we’re going to do that a lot. You’re so damn sexy when you have that glow.”
“I am not glowing.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not—”
His lips slam against mine, and he spreads my legs apart, finding my still pulsating sex. “Then I better make you glow,” he says as he slides inside.
Chapter Nine
“Hey, Willa?” I turn my head to Jake, hoping he doesn’t see the devastation lurking in my eyes. He leaves for college today, which means I won’t see him ’til Christmas. Every day for as far back as I can remember, I’ve been with him, and now he’ll be gone for months. I suck in a breath and turn around, hoping my smile looks genuine despite being a mess on the inside. “Catch.” My hands reach out, capturing the bundled-up cloth he threw at me.
“Wh—What is this?” I unfold it to realize it’s his favorite t-shirt—the one he wore the night he kissed me. “Why…why are you giving me this?”
“’Cause it’s my favorite shirt. Reminds me why I’m going to miss home so much. I thought you could keep it safe for me. Make sure you don’t forget to wear that smile I love while I’m gone. Maybe a little memory will help.”
He smiles and waves, the same sadness lingering in his eyes. When I raise my hand to return the gesture, his mother is already shooing him inside the car.
The sun begins to peek through the shades as I’m nestled in bed wearing one of Jake’s oversized t-shirts. Bria lays in my lap, giggling at the beam of light coming from the window. As she wiggles, I play with her tiny toes and graze my fingers up her belly until I’m tapping on her baby nose. “Do you like that?” I babble as she smiles back at me.
Jake walks into the room, fully dressed. “I’m so damn sorry about this. If I could get out of it, I would.”
“No, it’s fine. There are plenty of things to do. Go save some lives.” Jake got a call early this morning needing him to come in. The hospital was understaffed, and a horrible accident filled up the ER.
“You sure? I’ll try to be back as soon as I can. We can make some dinner. Or go out. Anything you like.”
I smile back. “I’d love that.”
He kisses me hard, then gently places his lips on Bria’s cheek. “I’ll miss you two. Behave. No R-rated for her.” He turns to me. “You either. I know how scared you get.” I slap his shoulder.
“I was sixteen. You made me watch the entire Nightmare on Elm Street marathon.”
“Maybe I just wanted to get you to cuddle with me.”
“I did cuddle with you! I was scared out of my mind.”
He smiles and offers me another quick kiss. “Then my plan worked. Okay. Be back tonight. I’ll call you when I can. It gets swamped, so it’s hard—”
“Go!”
“Yes, ma’am.” He laughs, then turns back before heading out the door. “Willa?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
A smile explodes across my face. I love hearing him say that. “Love you too.”
He nods, his cheeky grin so darn sexy. “Okay. I really need to go now. Love you both. Call you. Order anything you want.” Then he’s gone.
I don’t stop smiling. Hours go by, and I’m still on cloud nine. When Bria is changed and fed, I put her down for a nap. It’s impossible not to shake my head at the mounds of clothes, toys, and knickknacks Jake bought. I pick up a pile of onesies that say I’m Daddy’s favorite to try and organize and put in the closet. I build a play center and a bouncy, and I’m opening up a box of stuffed animals when the doorbell rings.
I check the time. Jake said he would be home closer to bedtime. I jump up, unsure if I should answer the door. It’s not my place, so maybe I should just let them figure out he’s not here and leave. Another ring and I find myself walking toward the front door so they don’t wake Bria.