She kept her gaze on him, thinking that this was a strange conversation but that both of them were using it as a way to postpone action.
“So you’re willing to take chances. But not with a woman?” she asked.
CHAPTER FIVE
The comment had been a calculated risk.
Jake’s expression darkened, and Rachel knew she’d insulted a man who prided himself on his courage.
And he wasn’t going to let the remark go. His eyes glittered dangerously, making her want to spring off the couch, but she stayed where she was as he slid across the space that separated them and reached for her.
She let her head drop to his shoulder, closed her eyes and held on to him. It was a unique experience. As his arms came up to enfold her, she felt such a confusing rush of emotions that she could hardly cope with them.
Safety was part of it. She was safe in his arms. Along with that came the most overwhelming sexual need she had ever experienced. But she knew that was only one component. She was also keenly aware of the danger simmering below the surface.
It came from the situation they were in. And also the intimacy.
Why?he asked.
I don’t know.
In addition to the word he had spoken in her mind, she could read the emotions churning within him just as clearly as her own needs and doubts.
If we go any farther, there’s no going back,he warned.
Shedidn’t have to ask how he knew that. It was as clear to her as it was to him.
Her answer didn’t come in words. She lifted her head, staring at him, letting him make the final decision.
He did, lowering his mouth to hers, rubbing his lips gently against hers. It was only a light touch but it sent heat shimmering over her nerve endings and beaded her nipples to tight points of sensation.
With any other lover, there had always been the question of how fast to go.
In terms of days and hours, she and Jake Harper still hardly knew each other, but in this case, time was the least important factor.
She had confessed her inability to connect with anyone on a deep level. He had said the same thing.
Not now.
When he lifted a hand, brushed it lightly over the swell of her breast, it felt right.
His touch sent heat shooting downward through her body as wayward thoughts shimmered through her brain. Memories that he would rather her not know. Yet he had no way to hide them.
She gasped.A junkie almost killed you.
He didn’t speak, but she saw him clawing his way out of the man’s clutches, then striking back with fists and feet.
As she was absorbing that, another long-ago scene leaped into her mind. A well-dressed man trying to pick up the good-looking boy. Offering money if Jake would come home with him.
She felt the clogging sensation in his throat as he’d backed away and run.
Next she watched him taking a valuable pitcher to a flea market and having a dealer knock it off a table–only to blame the clumsy kid.
I got back at him a few years later by scoring a whole house-load of goods that he’d thought were going to be his.
But it wasn’t one-way communication. If his mind was open to her, hers was to him. Her life hadn’t been as shocking, but it hadn’t been wonderful, either.
She saw herself again in sixth grade, trying to explain why she’d done so well on a book report. And Jake was right along with her, eavesdropping on the memories.
