Authors: Nikki Rittenberry
“Thanks again for breakfast.”
“My pleasure”, he answered.
He kissed her tenderly, communicating his love with every unhurried swirl of his tongue. She responded to his patient pace, her tongue caressing his in perfect harmony. She ended their kiss far before he was ready and he chased her mouth for several inches before opening his eyes. He watched as she disappeared up the flagstone path, leaving him with a grin on his face and a familiar ache between his legs.
* * *
The sky was still gloomy as Jacob parked along the private drive of the cottage. The morning chill was gone, chasing the subtle haze that hovered above the harbor. Jacob closed the door to his rented Jeep and hurried to Cassie’s car now parked behind his. He’d hated that they had to drive separately, but after the rehearsal dinner were the bachelor and bachelorette parties, which meant they’d have to part ways for a while. Once she too was out of her vehicle, he leaned in to her, sandwiching her between his body and the car door.
“I thought we’d never get here. I’ve been waiting to do this ever since we got on the interstate”, he said. He kissed her, slow and attentively. “Can’t we just skip this? Go back to my suite?”
“Don’t you think it’d be a little obvious that the two of us were missing?”
Jacob softly kissed her neck, grazing his lips against her jasmine-scented skin. “Who cares what everyone thinks”, he uttered in a low, seductive voice.
Her eyes slid shut and a soft moan escaped her lips at the sensation of his mouth on her bare skin. She needed to stop him, but it felt
so good.
“Jake, we need to keep this a secret…” Jacob continued exploring her neck with his mouth, in complete disregard. “Jake… Jake, are you listening to me?” she managed, breathlessly.
He stopped, meeting her gaze with his determined, green eyes. “Yeah, I’m listening…”
“
No one can find out what
happened between us last night. We have to be…
discreet
about this today, okay?”
“I’ll try.” Cassie scowled; she looked beautiful even when she frowned. “Okay, okay… I’ll keep my distance.”
They left the driveway and followed the wrap-around porch that led to the back, making sure to keep a certain amount of distance between them as to not attract any unwanted attention. Once they reached the deck, they were greeted by Emily and Tanner. The large, white tent had been assembled on the lawn and bare round tables and chairs were already
positioned into place underneath
. Members of the family and the bridal party were hard at work, lining rows of white, wood-folding chairs on both sides of the aisle in front of the arbor.
Cassie took a seat in the second row during the rehearsal, eyeing Jacob as he stood in front of the arbor. She tried not to, but somehow her inner compass kept facing north, which just so happened to be where ever he stood. The rehearsal didn’t take long, Tanner and Emily insisted on a short ceremony; apparently they figured they’d waited for this day long enough. Once the bridal party and the wedding planner were comfortable with the flow of the ceremony, everyone returned to the large deck for the rehearsal celebration.
It was now later afternoon and the overcast canopy was beginning to clear, revealing the vibrant, blue sky. The wind was picking up, fluttering Cassie’s long, bohemian maxi dress effortlessly around her petite figure. Jacob kept a close eye on her as she mingled, smiling every time he thought about what lied beneath her dress. They’d barely spoken two words to one another since they’d arrived and he was determined to inhabit her table at dinner.
Emily wanted the rehearsal dinner to be a bit casual, although there was still an understated elegance. Three large picnic tables were positioned on the large deck, each with a vivid, white tablecloth draped over the surface. Glass hurricane
lamps were aligned down the center of
each table; filled a quarter of the way with
sand and a large, white pillar candle. Cassie took a seat next to Emily’s youngest sister, Kara, who also happened to be her maid of honor. They were immersed in conversation about the upcoming bachelorette party when Jacob met her gaze. He was sitting at their
table, catty-cornered to her on the
opposite end.
After everyone was seated, an oversized, silver platter was placed on each of the three tables. A heaping mound of shelled lobster meat was surrounded
by roasted, fingerling
potatoes and various grilled vegetables.
Not exactly a casual menu, however
it was served family-style; everyone helping themselves.
No matter how diligently he tried, Jacob couldn’t keep his eyes off of Cassie, in fact—he barely touched his food. He loved how the breeze caught in her hair, forcing her to secure it in place with her free hand. It was strangely erotic and the thought of tangling his fingers in her golden locks aroused his curiosity—
among other things.
She could almost feel his eyes settle along the surface of her skin and it sent shivers down her spine. As sensational as it was to be the object of his concentration, she was worried the attention he was giving her would cause others at the table to become suspicious. In an attempt to prevent the exploitation of their…
whatever it was that they were
, she needed to send him a message. She glared deep into his eyes and gave him a convincing look as if to say, “
Stop making it so obvious
!”
He got the message, loud and clear, and if he couldn’t get lost in observing her from afar, then he would have to do it in private. He reached into his pocket and obtained his cell phone. He quickly typed a text message and sent it to Cassie before excusing himself from the table.
Cassie watched as he gave her a wink and leisurely disappeared behind the French doors of the cottage. Her heart
ached as she watched him walk away, a
complete about-face from how she’d felt
days before. Before she could dwell on her
feelings, she heard a familiar chime. She reached into her burgundy clutch and retrieved her blackberry; it was a text… from Jacob.
Meet me in the bathroom by the den in two minutes. Hurry—I miss you!
Cassie sat motionless for a few moments, staring at his message. What was she doing? She didn’t have a reckless bone in her body, and yet she was actually considering meeting him. Maybe she should stay seated—stand her ground. Yeah, that’s what she should do. She’d had a moment of weakness last night and she kept telling herself that it wouldn’t happen again—
it couldn’t happen again
—but somehow her logic was overpowered. Overpowered by the way he made her feel—like her body, her mind, her soul were the missing links to his ultimate happiness.
She quietly stood up from the table and strolled to the massive French doors. Once inside she passed the expansive, farmhouse kitchen and made her way across the family room toward the den. Jacob stood in a small alcove next to the den, his shoulder leaning up against the wall and his hands in his pockets.
“There she is. I was wondering if you were going to stand me up”, he said, smiling.
“The thought did cross my mind,
briefly
.”
“Oh yeah?”
“
Very briefly
”, she reiterated.
Jacob took her by the hand and quickly led her into the bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind them. Once they were safely hidden inside, he grabbed her face and kissed her with a sensual hunger that left her short-winded.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to steal you away”, he explained, breathlessly.
“Jake—we shouldn’t be doing this. What if someone sees us and—”
Jacob grabbed the sides of her face again and gazed into her eyes. “No one saw us. We were careful. In fact, we’re almost being too careful—we’ve barely spoken two words to each other since we got here!”
“I know—I’m sorry. It’s just… I’ve never done anything like this before.”
“I know you haven’t.” He cupped her firm backside and lifted her onto the vanity. He kissed her with a calmness that settled her nerves. He could feel her
tense muscles relax, giving in to his touch. He ran his hands up her long,
bohemian dress, caressing her smooth thighs; his mind spiraling deeper into a sexual abyss. He leaned his forehead against hers as he ran his thumb along the center of her red, silk underwear. “I want to taste you again. I want to do all the things to you that I’ve been thinking about all day.”
“Jake… we need t-to get back to our table—people are going to start speculating about where w-we are—”
“I told you—I don’t care what everyone says or what everyone thinks.”
Cassie gripped her hands around his wrist and shoved his hand away. “You may not, but I do and we can’t do this… not here…”
Jacob placed his hands beside her hips on the vanity and stared at his feet for a moment before returning his focus back to her beautiful face. “Okay… You’re right. Listen, the guys are staying here tonight to play poker. What are your plans?”
“We’re going to some vineyard, not far from the inn.”
“Okay… tell Emily you’re not feeling well and that you want to leave early to lie down. Come to my suite—let’s say… nine-thirty. I’ll be waiting for you and we can continue where we left off, okay?”
She knew she shouldn’t, but somehow she couldn’t resist his touch. “Okay”, she responded softly.
“I’ll head out first. Wait a couple of minutes after I leave before you make an appearance.” Jacob gave her the most incredible goodbye kiss, leaving her speechless and
aroused
.
* * *
“Alright Jacob, what’s it going to be? Are you in or are you out?” Tanner asked.
Jacob stared at his cards. He had a full house: three five’s and two two’s.
Certainly not a terrible hand, but he was
already down one-hundred fifty-five dollars. He’d always done well at poker, which was why Tanner rarely wanted to play with him; typically, Jacob won. He placed his cards down. “Sorry fellas; I fold.” He took a long pull from his beer and stood up from the table. “I’ll be right back—I need some fresh air.”
Jacob ambled outside and leaned his forearms against the deck railing. He studied the dark Atlantic and listened to the calm waves gently collide against the jagged shore. He’d been looking forward to this night for several months. In fact, when Tanner called to tell him the news about his engagement to Emily, the first thing out of Jacob’s mouth had been
“congratulations”
; the second was
“when’s the bachelor party
.” This was supposed to be a night of good poker and lots of beer drinkin’, but surprisingly none of that mattered anymore. Being intimate with Cassie after years of separation had changed everything. He couldn’t concentrate… at dinner, at poker, at anything other than her. He was a slave to his mind and his mind replayed all of the naughty details from the night before.
Jacob took another long pull from his beer and felt a slap on his upper back.
“I just want to thank you, bro”, Tanner said with a wide grin.
“Thank me? For what?”
“For whatever’s distracting you from winning! You’ve made me a good chunk of change to take with me to the honeymoon!”
“Glad I could help”, Jacob said in a frustrated tone.
“So, I’ve been meaning to ask you all day, how’d it go with Cassie last night? I’m assuming it must have gone well, seeing that the two of you were mysteriously missing during dinner tonight…”
Jacob quickly turned to look at him. “How’d you know that?”
“I’m very perceptive.”
Jacob glanced over his shoulder, making sure that they were alone. “Can you keep a secret?”