Page 53 of Barefoot Lake

“I’ve already told you, Ace. No miscommunication here. I want to be sure you’re sure about this. I don’t want to rush you after everything with⁠—”

“I’m sure. Trust me.”

“I need you to tell me what you want.”

“You, Jake. I want you.”

She punctuates the request by rolling her hips again, hard. My hands tighten further as I clench my jaw, but I stay still. I try to go back to listing the states, but I can’t think of a single one. Her writhing body pressed against mine is short-circuiting every thought in my brain. I focus hard just to be able to speak.

“Specifics, Ace. I want to hear the words. Now, tell me what you want.” My voice sounds rough and deep in my ears.

“I…” Alice groans dramatically and rolls her eyes. I’m not sure she’s ever had to voice it before. Her pupils are blown wide when she finds my gaze again. “Please…”

“I’ll help you, but I still need to hear you say it,” I offer the compromise, and she nods eagerly. I palm her backside and stand, taking her with me before turning and laying her down on her back. I lean over her, pressing her into the mattress, with the ridiculous pile of pillows haloed above her head.

She releases one hand to weasel it between us and find the button on my jeans, but I press down and trap her there. I have no doubt she can feel how hard I already am, even through my jeans.

I click my tongue like I’m scolding her.

“Not yet,” I admonish.

“I want to make you feel good, too.”

I want to say that I don’t know what messed up partner made her think that taking care of her wouldn’t make me feel good, but Reid’s face flashes in my mind, and I immediately understand.

“Trust me. I feel incredible.”

I lean down and run my nose along her neck up to her ear. She turns her head away and sighs softly, just as responsive as when I’d teased the same spot last time.

“Do you want me to kiss you here, Ace?” My teeth graze her ear as I breathe the words against her skin.

I feel her nod again.

“Use your words, Ace.”

“Yes…” The word lazily spills from her lips, like it’s a struggle to form the sounds.

I drag my teeth down the column of her throat and kiss the hollow at the base. She squirms wildly beneath me, and it feels like a reward. I press my hips down harder to hold her still because as good as she feels writhing against me, a man can only take so much. I lick across her collarbone until I reach the neckline of her long-sleeved tee. I bite the material and pull it away, so it snaps back when I release it.

“And how do we feel about this shirt?”

“Off. Please, take it off.” Her hand, still stuck between us, clenches and pulls at the bottom hem of her shirt. I lift up to follow her instructions, but she rips the shirt over her head before I can.

I take a moment to drink in her curves.

She’s wearing a simple nude bra, but she could be wrapped in a strip of ratty old fabric and still look like a goddess. Her skin is smooth and soft, with a few beauty marks dotting across her chest. I want to memorize every single one of them.

I look up and see Alice watching me expectantly like she’s again waiting for my evaluation.

“You are perfection, Ace.”

She blushes all the way down to her breasts.

“Tell me what you want,” I say again.

She giggles and slaps her hands over her face. I swear the redness on her skin darkens. I drag my finger up her side, from the waistband of her jeans to the band of her bra, and she leaps around beneath me. When her skin erupts in goosebumps, I see her nipples pebble underneath the fabric.

“Tell. Me. What. You. Want.” The words come out as a demand this time.