side of you makes me reconsider.”
Everything inside her shook, and she didn’t know what to say, what to do, how to react. It wasn’t like her. None of this was. “What are you saying?”
“It’s really very simple. I’m going back to civilization to think.” Bitterness tinged his voice. “You should do the same while enjoying the holidays with your beloved family.”
Her head spun again, and she felt dizzy and nauseous. “So you’re just going to leave me then? Just like that?”
Just like her mother. He was one more person who would bail out on her. It didn’t matter that he’d always seemed reliable and dependable—perfect, even. Things had gotten rough, and now he was leaving. She couldn’t live like that. Not anymore. Not ever again.
“I think it’s for the best,” he reiterated.
Tears burned her eyes, but she shook her head. “Maybe you shouldn’t reconsider. Maybe we’ve said all we have to say.”
“Fine. Good-bye, Dayna.” He plucked his keys out of his pocket, walked to the car, pulled her suitcase from the trunk, and set it on the driveway.
She opened her mouth to call the words back. That wasn’t what she wanted. Yes, it was. No, it wasn’t. She didn’t know what she wanted. She didn’t know anything anymore. No sound emerged from her throat.
Then it was too late. He was gone. Everything had changed in less than a day. Her perfect life was over.
This was the worst Christmas ever. She buried her face in her hands, waiting for the tears to fall, for some relief to the pressure growing inside, but her eyes were dry and gritty.
It only added to her misery when the door slammed shut behind her, letting her know someone was going to see her at an all-time low.
“Ah, hell. I’m sorry, Dayna. Don’t cry.” Jake. Of course it was Jake.
“I’m not.” She shoved her fingers through her hair and curled them into fists before letting her head fall back. “You heard that?”
“Yeah.” At least he didn’t bother to lie. It was a small comfort. “Listen, I—”
“Dayna?” Her aunt’s voice sounded from inside.
Dayna shook her head, letting her hands drop to her sides. “I need to get away from this house.” She choked on a laugh. “No, what I really need is a stiff drink.”
“That I can arrange.” Jake reached out, taking her hands in his. His touch was gentle, and the expression on his sharp features was kinder than she’d ever seen from him.
It only made her feel worse, and she had to blink rapidly to push back the tears that wouldn’t fall only moments before. She swallowed, wanting nothing more than to erase this day from existence. “I don’t want to go to a bar. If I get trashed there, someone will tell Aunt Rainbow or Sam or my mom when she gets back, and I’ll never hear the end of how Nathan wasn’t worth it.”
“Yeah, I get that.” He nodded, squeezing her fingers. “Your hands are cold. You should be wearing gloves out here.” He rubbed her hands between his bigger palms, warming her.
That tingle of awareness she’d felt on the stairs rippled over her skin again, and the way his brilliant green gaze slid down her body only increased the sensation. She shook her head, denying it. Thinking like that really would be crazy.
His breath made white puffs in the air. “I have a bottle of Jack Daniel’s back at my place with your name on it.”
Her mouth opened and then closed. Damn, but she needed to not have to think, to worry, to overanalyze everything for once, and she couldn’t come up with one good reason not to accept Jake’s offer. “Okay.”
He’d matched her shot for shot until they both couldn’t see straight, until neither of them was thinking clearly, until it had seemed like the most natural thing in the world to kiss her, to strip her bare, and stretch her out on his bed.
She’d been with him every step of the way, yanking at his clothes, sliding her hands over his skin, whispering his name, biting his ear, begging him to fuck her hard.
It was better than he’d ever imagined, even in his wildest adolescent fantasies.
He watched her arch on his sheets, her dark hair a stark contrast against the white fabric. She reached up to spread her fingertips on his chest, and he damn near groaned at how good her hands felt on him. He filled his palms with her breasts, lifting them to suck each rosy nipple into his mouth in turn. Somewhere in the back of his whiskey-soaked mind, he knew it was wrong to touch her, but he couldn’t seem to piece together why. When she wrapped her slim fingers around his cock, he didn’t give a damn about the whys, he just knew he had to have more. More of her, more of this. More.
Jesus, he’d always wanted more when it came to Dayna.
“Hurry, Jake,” she breathed, pumping his dick hard enough to make his jaw lock. He lunged for one of the condoms he’d dropped on the bedside table, ripped it open with his teeth, and sheathed his cock with shaking fingers.
She threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling him down for a kiss. Nipping at his bottom lip, a husky little laugh rippled from her. He slanted his head, caught that sexy sound in his mouth, and licked his way between her full lips. Their tongues twined, each fighting for control of the kiss. He nudged her thighs apart with his, settling between them. The head of his cock prodded her slick opening. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she pushed her feet down on the backs of his thighs. His breath hissed out at the feel of her soft, soft skin rubbing against him.
Fire fisted in his gut as he pressed his cock into the hot depths of her pussy. The snug sheathing almost made him come, but there was no way he was letting this end so quickly. Rocking himself inside her, he felt the slow drag of his hard flesh in her damp heat. A shudder racked his body, but he picked up the pace, shoving his cock deep with each push. Her slim fingers curled over his shoulders, the nails digging into his muscles. A little sting to sharpen the pleasure. He almost smiled.
The smell of her enveloped him, spicy roses and hot sex. The sensations burned themselves into his memory, and he knew he’d never get the feel of her off his skin, the taste of her sweetness out of his mouth. He didn’t want to.
The sounds she made as he ground his pelvis against hers made his head feel as if it were going to explode. “Damn, Dayna.”
“Jake, Jake, Jake.” She twisted in his arms, desire flushing her pale cheeks, making her eyes sparkle. A low laugh bubbled out of her as she tightened her vaginal walls around him. “Oh, my God, this is good.”
A growl pulled from his throat. He gripped one of her thighs, hitching it higher on his hip so he could thrust deeper. He couldn’t get enough of her. “Baby, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this.”
“How long?” she gasped.
An evil grin he couldn’t stop pulled at his lips. “Since I was old enough to get a woody.”
“That’s crude.” The giggle she gave was as drunk as he felt. He laughed with her, every movement pushing him higher than he’d ever been.
Waggling his eyebrows, he let his smile widen. “I am crude, rude, and socially unacceptable.”
“I noticed that about you.” A little grin parted her full lips. She ran a fingertip down from his shoulder to circle his nipple. Then she flicked it hard with her nail, making him jolt. “You’re a very bad boy.”
Reaching between them, he rolled a finger over her clit in time with his thrusts. He wasn’t gentle, working her hard. Her moans drove him on, told him how close she was to orgasm. He pressed down directly on her clitoris, and she arched against him, sobbing as her pussy milked the length of his dick. She shuddered, her fingers gripping his arms tight. “Yes! Oh, my God. Jake!”
Gritting his teeth, he jerked