Break Point (10 page)

His gaze fell to her mouth, her cherry red lips begging him to take them. He ran a finger over her jaw then down her neck, stopping at the top of her breast. “Don’t tell me you think I’m just one of your father’s loyal field hands. Come on, Summer. I know you’re smarter than that.”

***

The white-hot glare in his eyes reminded her of the feral cats she had once seen in
Australia. So cunning and aggressive, any sudden movement would send them into a frenzy. The feeling should have scared her, but it didn’t. Instead it excited her, making her keenly aware of the strange spell she held over him.

With deliberate care, she slid her fingers between the buttons of his shirt, unfastening them with an ease that surprised her. Like a child opening a most precious gift, her eyes widened when she revealed his bare chest. Steel hard with faint purple ridges. Jagged like cut rock. She leaned in to him, kissing each muscled crease, following the small trail of ha
ir disappearing into his pants.

His large hands took her by the back of her head, bringing her mouth to his. She could taste the bourbon, the syrupy sweetness that slackened his lips. When he shoved his knee between her legs, she was startled by the electric jolt that ripped through her. She moaned, his mouth pressing harder on her as she fought for desperate breath.

Cold air rushed around her when the zipper released on the back of her dress sending it to the floor in a puddle. “Jake,” she breathed, when his fingers found her nipples, teasing them with his fore finger then covering them with his palm. A primal moan escaped her lips. The sound, like nothing she thought she could make. Like a wordless plea or declaration. If it was a language, Jake seemed to understand.

He dipped his head, taking a sharp nub in his mouth and taunting her with his snake-like tongue. If her life had been a famine from human contact, being with Jake was a feast. Sensations pulsed through her she didn’t recognize, forcing responses she couldn’t control. Pushing her hand through his hair, she drew them down his back. His muscles flexed and bowed, his skin slickening in the heat.

With a loud groan he swept her off her feet and laid her on the bed. Looming over her like a giant, his agile fingers unzipped the fly of his pants. “Being bad feels pretty good, doesn’t it sweetheart?”

She nodded, too breathless to find her voice. She felt uncoordinated and clumsy. Like the command over her body had left her. All that remained were basic reflexes and the carnal desire to satisfy every wish of the man standing before her.

This was the real Jake Harrison. The complexly, dark man who lurked underneath the smirk and charm, but having only been exposed in such small doses, she had no idea how deep it ran within him. Her heart raced as she looked at his naked form. As hard as he was, and as big as he was, the sheer mechanics of the impending act scared the hell out of her. But she never balked at a challenge. The competitor in her wanted to give him the play he so obviously demanded. She would not let him down.

He fell on her with a crushing force, driving the breath straight out of her. She gasped when he grabbed her panties, pulling them off with one swift jerk. Lifting her body, she pressed herself against him. Silently, she begged him to touch her. He responded, lapping at her nipples, his hands pulling wildly at her hair.

He drove into her with the velocity of a freight train, sending through her a pain so intense, she was sure he had ripped her in half. But it only made her crave him more, daring herself to take him deeper. Faster. Holding him against her, she kissed him with abandon, urging him, driving him. He responded with a fevered pace, his breathing now pants against her ear.

With each thrust he filled her, her insides holding him within. As the pain subsided, a sweltering heart overcame her, sharpening her senses and exaggerating her response. Opening her eyes, her stare met his and something shifted inside her. Her strength was waning, her muscles buckling. Her body shook and trembled.

Twenty five years of guarded emotion came rushing back with the force of a tidal wave. Washing over her—head to toe and overwhelming every sense. He thrust one last time, filling her deeply, and shattering the last of her self-control. Just when she thought she would surely shatter, Jake stilled and rested himself on top of her. She could feel his heart hammering against his chest. Her senses were overloaded, her body now blissfully numb.

Chapter Ten

The breeze floated through the open sliding-glass door, jarring Jake back to reality.
He felt like he’d just awoken from a coma.

All he knew for sure was he had just slept with Summer Riley.

“Your heart is racing,” she whispered, her breath tickling his chest.

“Is it?”

“Don’t you feel it?”

It was amazing he could feel anything. The last time he was this debilitated he was on his back in a burn unit.

She sat up, straddling him with her long spider legs. Like a kid in a candy store, he instinctively reached out to touch her when he saw her perfect pink nipples.

She smiled. “You’re the insatiable type, aren’t you?

“Would that bother you?”

She pushed his hand away, studying his chest as she ran her fingers over him. “I’ve never seen you without you
r shirt before. Nice six pack.”

“Thanks.”
He barely heard her. Post coital small talk drove Jake crazy. To him it was just passing time between sex and more sex. In his experience, sleeping with a woman was much better when fewer words were exchanged.

“So why not?”

“So why not, what?”

“Why haven’t I seen you without your shirt?”

He thought about it a moment, wanting a good enough answer so she’d drop it. “I don’t know. The opportunity never arose.”

Even in the darkness he could tell she didn’t buy it. She looked at him then smiled, running her index finger along a thin white scar on his arm. “You don’t have to be embarrassed, you know. They’re only a big deal if you make them that way.”

The moonlight danced in her golden hair, the silken ends tickling his hardened nipples. Everything about her entranced him. Normally by this time he was thinking about round two or heading home. But not now. Not with her. He sucked in a breath as she studied his nakedness, feeling oddly nervous about what she’d see.

He tensed when her finger found the thick purple gash just below his collar bone. “What happened here?”

“I don’t know.” he shrugged. “Something cut me.”

“Like what? Glass?”

“Summer, I went through the wind shield. Glass, metal. It could have been anything.”

She gave him a pointed look. “Now who’s the one who could use a dose of self-confidence?”

The jab caught him right in the gut, presumably right where she intended. He remembered from his research that Summer Riley was a master at mental strategy on the court, outsmarting opponents with her quick thinking. It amused him to think she was applying her skills to him.

“How long did it take for your body to heal?”

He thought about it a moment, running his hands along her thighs. “A couple of years maybe. Skin graphs, surgeries. I don’t know. I don’t think about it much anymore.”

“I think you think about it all the time.”

She caught him again. This was exactly why he trafficked in casual sex. He was spared the pop psychology. Grabbing her hips he attempted to move her on to him, but she pushed him back down, and smiled. “Sex won’t make you feel better.”

“Want to bet?”

“What about this big patch along the bottom of your stomach?”

“Summer, don’t.”
He pushed her hand away.

“Does it hurt?”

“No, it’s healed. I just don’t like you touching it.”

She replaced her hand where it had been, and smiled as if daring him to remove it. “Did you ever notice the flesh that makes up a scar is much tougher than the skin it replaced?”

He could tell by the twinkle in her eyes she had a deeper point. “Maybe.”

“Why aren’t you proud of them? If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger, right? Besides weren’t you the one who just told me you can’t let something in your past dictate the rest of your life?”

Beautiful and smart. A killer combination. He reached out, sliding his hand between her legs but she shifted away from him.

“
This is your number, isn’t it?”

He looked down at the faded green tattoo over his heart. The number thirty-seven with a white lighting bolt through the middle. “Yeah,” he replied. “I wanted to get it removed but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“Why would you do that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Seems kind of pointless now.”

“Because its part of who you are,” she said, as if it was obvious. “That’s like if I couldn’t play tennis anymore and I turned in all my victories.”

“Okay fine, so I’ll keep my number and you keep your trophies. Happy now?” He bit his lip, surprised by the anger in his voice. Lying back in the pillow, he rubbed his face with his hand.

“I don’t mean to upset you,” she said, still staring at his chest. “I just know that what happened hurt you, in more ways than what these scars reveal. You’re never going to get over it unless you deal with it head on.”

His eyes locked on hers.

Wasn’t that exactly what he was doing?

Softly she brought her lips to the deepest part of the scar on his lower chest. He closed his eyes, his body trembling when she ran her tongue along the groove.

“It feels good to feel, doesn’t it, Jake?”

He exhaled, as if expelling the smoke of a building fire. He held her closer when her mouth found the marred skin just above the hairline. “Don’t stop,” he heard himself whisper, his fingers now fisted around her blonde locks. No woman had ever captivated him the way Summer did. It went beyond desire. It was a craving. A need. As he held her, she seemed a universe away. He needed to be back inside of her.

“You tell me you want me to trust you, well it goes both ways. I won’t hold back if you won’t.”

Gently he pulled her back on him, his wide eyes staring deep into hers. This time he eased inside of her, like two parts of a whole. He moaned and then thrust with her, wanting to touch he
r as deep as he possibly could.

The smolder within him was now a full-on fire. He held her hips, moving slowly, aware of each sensation. For the first time ever, he was completely conscience of the act. Feeling every part of her, their bodies moving in synch.

He had never made love before.

Whatever shame or anger that had festered within him had come to the surface, now cinders that no longer fueled the flame. Grabbing her by the arms, he gently brought her under him, her eyes like prisms in the moonlight.

The release he felt was like no other. Whatever poison he held exploded from him with crippling force. His body rocked and seized, and as he filled her she freed him. He had been exorcised. The demon was gone, banished forever by the angel in his arms.

He rolled over on to his back, pulling her head on his chest. Her body molded against him and her long, wild hair stuck to his dampened chest.

“Jake, what if I’m pregnant?”

His eyes flew open. He looked up at her, her green eyes wide over him. “What?”

“I’m not on birth control.”

If the question hadn’t knocked him on his ass, the excitement in her voice when she asked it would have. Jake was many things but daddy was not one of them. “You’re not pregnant.” He finally said, not knowing he was disappointed until he heard the words.

“But the timing of it is pretty accurate.”

“Summer, sweetheart. I can’t have kids.”

She looked at him like he had three heads. “Why? What do you mean?”

He had never had this conversation before. It felt strange and pointless and inexplicably sad. He rubbed where he felt a sudden ache in his chest. “After I had the accident, I was on a lot of medication to prevent infections. They made me sterile and I can’t have children. It’s no big deal.”

“No big deal?” she replied. “I can’t wait to have kids.”

“Hard to play tennis at the same time.”

“Yeah but it would be worth it.” She lay down on her back, splaying her hand across her flat stomach. “A baby loves you no matter what. Totally unconditional. That’s got to be the best feeling in the world.”

He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her. In a way he had never looked at another woman. “You’d make a hell of a mother.”

“You think so?”

“Wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.” He pulled her into a kiss, running his fingers down the length of her body. When she stiffened, he pulled away confused by the pain on her face.

“What’s the matter?”

He looked down and saw blood dotting the white sheets. Rough sex wasn’t uncommon for him. He bruised and scraped himself before. But as he looked down at Summer with panic in her eyes, he suddenly realized what it meant. “Summer, why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

She rolled away, pushing herself to the edge of the bed before he gently pulled her back to him. “Summer, why the hell didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?”

“Does it matter?”

“Of course it fucking matters.” He was angry and not sure why. She lay there under him, her eyes closed as if willing him to lower his voice. Sucking in a deep breath, he rubbed the side of her hip.

“So this is a big night for you,” he said. “You had some wine, you made some love.”

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“I wasn’t making fun of you.” He lifted her chin to find her eyes. “I was thanking you. I’ve ne
ver been someone’s first time.”

“Gee, I hope I didn’t bore you.”

“Bore me?” he chuckled. “Does this look like the face of a bored man?” He sat up, leaning over her so she could see his smiling face.

She smiled back. “I guess not.”

“Can I ask you question?”

She cocked her head. “Sure.”

“Not that I would know, but you certainly didn’t strike me as someone who hadn’t done it before.”

She bit her lip, but Jake could detect the smile pulling at her lips. “When I was fourteen, a kid at Vitalie had a huge porn collection he’d stolen from his older brother. What can I say? My dorm was the only one with a VCR.”

Jake laughed. Again he was amazed by the woman he should have despised. He kissed her hard then pushed her away, just before the point of no return. “I don’t want to start something you can’t finish. Why don’t I run you a bath and you can soak in there a while.” He moved to get up but, she pushed him back down.

“I can do it myself.”

“Hey, I’m trying to be a gentleman here. Don’t ruin the moment.”

“Consider it ruined.” She kissed him, them jumped off the bed. “I told you I can do it myself.”

Grabbing a shirt from her bag, she went into the bathroom. He was pulling his boxers back on when he heard Summer scream.

He grabbed his gun from the nightstand then burst through the door. He threw Summer behind him and drew his weapon at the empty shower stall.

“What the hell is going on?” he demanded.

“Look!”

She pointed at the mirror. In bold red letters the words “WATCH OUT SUMMER” were written in lipstick across it. He swallowed hard then cursed, dropping the gun back to his side.

***

Summer sat on the edge of the couch watching the people move around her. The hotel manager, security, and the same plainclothes cops she had seen the night at the bar all huddled in the hall. They spoke in hushed tones, but Summer suspected she could understand them if she strained hard enough. But she didn’t have to. The hardened scowl on Jake face said it all. They didn’t have a clue.

“Summer,” Jake addressed her “You remember Earl Diggs?”

Summer extended a hand to the dark-skinned man towering in front of her. “Good to see you again, Sir.”

“It’s a shame it’s under these circumstances,” he replied. “Jake says you’re holding up okay.”

She glanced at Jake. He was still bare-chested with his hands on his hips, his gun resting in the waistband of his dress pants.

“I’d be better if you tol
d me you found who did this.”

“We have a few leads.”

“Well what are you doing talking with me? Why don’t you follow up on them?”

“That’s what we are doing, Miss Riley.”

She went behind the bar and poured seltzer water. If she had to hear another speech about the dazzling sleuthing abilities of the Bonita Springs PD, she would scream. “Well what am I supposed to do now?” she asked the men. “This guy obviously won’t give up.”

“Maybe you should reconsider playing in the Citrus.” Earl said, looking at Jake and then back at Summer.

She could feel the frustration curdling within her. Her hands fisted at her side as she approached the dark, burly man. “Mr. Diggs, if you think for a minute I am backing down from that maniac, you are stupider than I thought. I’m playing.” She looked back at Jake making sure her eyes met his. “No one is going to stop me, got it?”

Jake ran his hand over his stubbed jaw. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do then. We’ll keep this under wraps. No reason why the press needs to hear about this. You can still play, but if it gets too dangerous, you’re pulling out. In the meantime, you’re staying at my place.”