Taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell instead of using her key.
Jake opened the door a few seconds later, a dumbfounded yet lustful expression on his face. “Sophie?”
She’d never forget that night in Napa when she’d stood on a different doorstep and begged to come inside. “I know you think you need to be careful with me, but the doctor said I’m fully healed now.” Her voice grew husky. “I need you, Jake. Badly.”
He pulled her inside and she was immediately enveloped in his delicious heat, but despite the fact that he clearly wanted her just as much as she wanted him, she could tell from the hard set of his mouth—and the fact that he was keeping a bit of distance between their bodies—that he was going to be a hard sell.
Well, she’d just picked her battle. And there was no way he was going to win this one, thank you very much.
“Stop trying to deny it, Jake,” she said in a husky voice. “You need this just as much as I do.”
He didn’t argue with her, just simply said, “I’ll make you come, princess, over and over, as many times as you need.” He looked like he was about to burst with the need to do just that. “But I can’t be rough with you. Not if it means hurting you again.”
“I know what you’re trying to do,” she told him in a soft voice. “You’re trying to make all the decisions for both of us again. But it’s not going to work.” Heat jumped into his eyes, along with the emotion he no longer tried to hide from her. “I want you exactly the way you are. Rough around the edges. Commanding. Exciting.” She licked her lips. “And I’m willing to do
anything
to prove it to you.”
She worked to control the laughter that threatened to spill out at how adorable he was as he tried to fight the inevitable.
“You’ll do anything to prove it to me?” His expression had finally changed back to the wicked lover she’d begun to miss lately.
“Anything,”
she repeated as she reached for the buttons on the front of her dress and began to undo them. Jake’s eyes held hope, desire, and so much love in them that it took her breath away as she pulled open the front of her dress.
She loved the way her name fell as a ragged plea from his lips, loved the way his eyes ate up the fullness of her much-larger-than-usual breasts, the swell of her stomach. She pushed the dress from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.
“I’m yours, Jake.”
* * *
Sophie was everything to Jake. Despite all the ways he’d been longing to take her in the past two months, he’d known going slow, easy and gentle, was what she needed as she healed from her surgery. They had
forever
to make their way through everything else he wanted to do with her.
Tonight, however, he could see she needed—and was finally ready for—more.
Thank God.
The air was already heavy with desire, and the promise of incredible pleasure. He loved the way her body felt against his as he pulled her into his arms. The softness of her skin, the gorgeous swell of her breasts against his chest, her rounded stomach pressing against his hips. She was his perfect fit in every way, the only woman he could have ever dared to be completely honest and open with.
And the only one he ever wanted in his bed again.
He scooped her up into his arms and she wound her arms around his neck, laughing as he carried her into the bedroom. “You’re going to have to start lifting weights soon if you want to keep doing this.”
He pressed a kiss to her stomach as he laid her down on the bed, almost knocking over the pile of colorful children’s books on the side table. He and Sophie had a standing date at the bookstore once a week to select books for their children. He could hardly believe it, but he actually enjoyed reading when Sophie was in his arms, and he couldn’t wait for their children to be there too. The fact that his little girl
and
his little boy were growing inside of Sophie still blew his mind.
Jake ripped his clothes off in record time, then moved into her outstretched arms. She offered him her mouth and she tasted so sweet he had to take and take and take, even though he’d been planning to do nothing but give. He cupped her breast with one hand, her hips with the other. God, how he loved filling his hands with her, could spend hours running his fingertips over every inch of her skin. Even better was the way she begged for him to do more than touch.
His thumb caressed her breast and when she begged, “Jake, please,” against his lips, he was too close to the edge himself to make her plead any more than that.
Every time they made love, Jake gave silent thanks for the way she opened not just her body, but her heart to him. Later, he’d use his hands, his mouth, to slowly bring her to the edge—then over—again and again. He finally believed in forever.
But he needed her
now.
Cupping her face in his hands, he crushed her mouth beneath his as their bodies became one. Their limbs were wrapped tightly around each other as they moved with each other in the perfect rhythm they’d always had, until he was swallowing her gasp of pleasure in a wild kiss as he fell with her over the edge.
Jake was certain nothing could be more amazing than lying with Sophie after they’d made love, with her nestled into the crook of his shoulder, her hand laid over his heart, his on her stomach. But then, he felt it, a ripple of movement under his palm.
“Did you just feel that? Did they just kick for the first time?”
Sophie’s smile was radiant, and so full of love it stunned him every time.
“Yes,” she said as she lifted her face to his and kissed him, “they did.”
Epilogue
Zach Sullivan yanked at his tie. Damn, he hated wearing ties, but he figured he could suck it up for an afternoon, considering it wasn’t every day one of his little sisters got married.
The past year had churned out a seemingly endless supply of Sullivan weddings and babies. First Chase had gotten married and had a kid on the way in a matter of weeks, then Sophie pulled the same thing from out of the blue. Even Gabe and Megan were now engaged. Only Marcus and Nicola were still slightly sane, but Zach wouldn’t be surprised if Nicola showed up sporting a huge diamond ring one of these days.
He’d expected Sophie to want a big wedding, a splashy Sullivan celebration where every relative and friend on the planet would be invited. Instead, here they were in his mother’s backyard, like so many other Sundays. The only real difference from their usual Sunday brunch was his sister’s long white dress and Jake’s monkey suit.
When, Zach wondered, had Sophie grown up? And how long would it take him to see her as anything other than the baby sister that he needed to protect with his life?
Five months pregnant, she was prettier than ever, especially in her wedding dress. He could see how happy she was, but Zach still had a hard time thinking of Jake with Sophie. Even though the bride and groom looked like the most mismatched couple on the planet—the big guy with the tattoos and the classy brunette—Zach was starting to realize that Sophie gave as good as Jake dished it out. Better, usually.
“Wanna make a bet on who’s the last one standing?” Lori asked as she handed him a beer. “You or me?”
Zach dug his twin sisters equally, but he’d always understood Lori better. She thrived on speed. Excitement. Breaking the rules. Just like he did.
“You looking to give away your money, Naughty?”
She stared at him over the rim of her glass as she took a sip of Marcus’s finest bubbly. “Haven’t you learned yet, it’s always the cocky guys who think they’re so safe that fall the farthest?”
Zach rarely backed down from a challenge. Especially not one that was this easy to win. Knowing there wasn’t a chance that he was going to fall in love with someone against his will, Zach Sullivan held up his bottle of beer to clink it against his sister’s champagne flute.
“Game on.”
~ THE END ~
Don’t miss the first three books in Bella Andre’s Sullivan family series ~ out now!
(Chase & Chloe, The Sullivans #1)
(Marcus & Nicola, The Sullivans #2)
(Gabe & Megan, The Sullivans #3)
Watch for Book #5 coming Summer 2012!
IF YOU WERE MINE
(Zach Sullivan’s story)
* * *
Please consider leaving a review at Barnes & Noble. Thank you.
* * *
Please enjoy the following excerpts from Bella Andre’s books...
CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE
Gabe & Megan – The Sullivans #3
© 2011 Bella Andre
Gabe Sullivan risks his life every day as a firefighter in San Francisco. But after learning a brutal lesson about professional boundaries, he knows better than to risk his heart to his fire victims ever again. Especially the brave mother and daughter he saved from a deadly apartment fire...and can't stop thinking about.
Megan Harris knows she owes the heroic firefighter everything for running into a burning building to save her and her seven-year-old daughter. Everything except her heart. Because after losing her navy pilot husband five years ago, she has vowed to never suffer through loving - and losing - a man with a dangerous job again.
Only, when Gabe and Megan meet again and uncontrollable flames of desire ignite between them, how can he possibly ignore her courage, determination, and beauty? And how can she deny not only his strong bond with her daughter…but the way his sweetly sensual kisses are challenging her to risk everything she’s been guarding for so long?
If one - or both - of them aren’t careful, they just might end up falling in love.
Enjoy the following excerpt for CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE...
Gabe Sullivan’s captain stepped into the room.
“How’re you feeling, Gabe?”
“Good, Captain.”
He moved to sit up straighter on the bed and Todd shook his head. “You’re fine just like that. I know your skull must hurt like hell.” He nodded back to the doorway. “Are you ready to see Ms. Harris and her daughter, Summer?”
No,
he thought,
he’d be better off never seeing those eyes again.
He’d thought about Megan and her daughter one too many times for comfort. Not just because he was reviewing the rescue, trying to look for what he could have done differently, to have gotten them out faster and more safely—but because he hadn’t been able to forget her strength, how hard she’d fought to stay conscious, and what a fighter she’d been every single second of the harrowing journey from her burning apartment.
Still, he understood that fire victims often felt compelled to say thank you to the men who had saved them. Especially in a case like this, where they’d just barely held death at bay.
“Sure.” He began to nod, but a sharp shooting pain stopped him halfway into the movement.
Catching his grimace, Todd said, “I’ll ask Megan and her daughter to come back later.”
Her name fit her, Gabe had found himself thinking one too many times.
Megan
was pretty and strong all at the same time. It would be better to think of her as Ms. Harris. Although, he had to wonder, was there a husband? And if so, where had he been during the fire and why wasn’t he here with them now?
“No,” he said, “it’ll be better if I see them now.”
She’d say thank you, he’d tell her he was happy to see her and her daughter doing so well, and that would be that. No more being haunted by her eyes, by the surprising strength she’d shown him as she’d crawled on the floor of her apartment and down the stairs.
A couple of minutes later, Todd walked back in with the mother and daughter. Ignoring the pain in his head, Gabe sat up higher and forced a smile on his face.
And then, his eyes locked with Megan’s and his smile froze in place.
My God
, he found himself thinking before he could shove the thought away,
she’s beautiful.
The last time he’d seen her face it had been through a thick haze of dark smoke and the knowledge that one wrong move meant their lives were over. Her eyes were just as big and pretty, her limbs looked as lean and strong as they had when he’d been helping to move her along the floor, but now he could see the softness in her, the sweet curves of her breasts and hips in her T-shirt and jeans. He couldn’t stop staring at the startling green of her eyes, the silky dark hair falling across her shoulders, and the way her pretty young daughter was a carbon copy of her, the only difference their hair color, one dark, one light.
She seemed just as stunned as he and for a long moment, the two of them just stared at each other in silence until her daughter ran over to him and threw her arms around him.
“Thank you for saving me and Mommy.”
The little girl’s arms were just as strong as her mother’s. “You’re welcome, Summer. How old are you?”
“I turn seven on Saturday.”
She beamed at him and right then and there he lost a little piece of his heart to the pretty little girl with the two missing front teeth.
“Happy birthday.” He’d have to remember to have the station send her a gift.
Movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Megan was moving closer to him and, yet again, once he looked up at her, he couldn’t seem to pull his gaze away. Without realizing what he was doing, he scanned her left hand for a wedding band and found it bare.
“Mr. Sullivan, I can’t even begin to tell you how much what you did means to me.”
He almost told her to call him Gabe, but he knew his name would sound way too good coming from her full lips. Already his brain was wanting to spin off into a fantasy of what it would sound like to hear her say his name in distinctly different circumstances, with one less child and fire captain in the room...and a hell of a lot less clothes.