“Eyes on me, Gia,” he rumbled.
At her nod, his hips thrust forward, impaling her in one smooth move. The sudden movement filled her with a sharp,sweet pain around his stiff cock. His hips stuttered until they found a rhythm that had her moaning. She met each thrust as he murmured how good she felt wrapped around him. He praised her for being a good girl and taking his cock so well, and when she came with a shout, he rubbed at her clit with his thumb until he’d wrung out every shudder from her.
He went on like that, forcing her to come around his cock. Her telling him she couldn’t possibly come again, only to be made a liar. He was a man possessed.
Reaching her limit, she begged him to stop, and only then did he finally allow himself to come. She held on as his cock throbbed, feeling his cum as her body squeezed each drop from his length before he collapsed on top of her. She welcomed his weight, stroking his back as he caught his breath. Only their sweat-slicked skin separated them, and warmth spread through her.
Her fingers toyed with the curls at the base of his neck. As his cock slipped out, she felt a wave of sadness wash over her, leaving her feeling hollow.
“Jake,” she whispered into his hair. His grunt was the only response. “I love you.”
His body stilled beneath her hands before he heaved himself off her. Braced on his forearms, he scanned her face, trying to sense the truth in her words. She wrapped her hands around the back of his head, bringing him closer to her.
“I. Love. You. Jake.” She punctuated each word with a kiss.
The wide smile across his face made her heart skip a beat. “I knew it.”
Her jaw dropped open as she looked at his smug expression, and then she laughed, her heart brimming with hope. The world felt lighter.
Thirty-One
GIA
Soft tapping at the bedroom door followed by a timid voice reminded her she was not the center of Jake’s universe. As much as she wanted to stay in bed with Jake and avoid reality, there were other people who demanded his attention.
“Um…guys?”
Marley’s worried tone caused Jake’s head to jerk from its place on Gia’s shoulder.
“You might want to come see this.”
He looked down at her, brows pinched together with concern.
“You go ahead. I’ll be right after you.” She needed to at least freshen up before showing her face.
Jake smiled ruefully and kissed her softly, making her stomach flip, before he rolled off her. She missed his comforting weight but schooled her expression into calm acceptance when he hesitated. She gave him a reassuring nod as he pulled on his discarded clothes.
“Come down when you’re ready. Marley’s been worried about you, too,” Jake stated, voice gruff.
Her heart squeezed in her chest as she watched him leave, shutting the door behind him with a lingering glance.
With a groan, she heaved herself into a sitting position, head swimming momentarily as her toes dug into the plush carpet. When she felt steady enough to move, her muscles ached in protest as she hurried to the bathroom. She wondered if this resulted from being bedbound for who knows how long… or from the extracurricular activities she and Jake had engaged in.
A quick shower made her feel more human. By the time she walked downstairs wearing Jake’s borrowed clothes, she was almost as good as new.
“Jake?” she called, not seeing him in the living room or the kitchen.
“Back here!” She followed the sound of his voice through the kitchen to the mudroom. The door remained shut but opened a sliver as she went to knock on it. Jake pulled the door wider so she could fit through.
“What’s going on?”
“Look.” Jake pointed to where Marley sat, huddled over the cat bed.
“Marley? Is everything okay?”
Marley glanced up with an awed smile on her face. “Tuna had her kittens not too long ago.”
Gia stepped closer until she could see Tuna cleaning a white kitten, still wet from birth. She counted each kitten—two black tuxedos, one white with black spots, two gray tuxedos, and one orange with white swirls. All six were accounted for. “And how is Miss Tuna doing?”
