Never Too Late Page 12

  She gasped, unable to move an inch.

  He loomed above her in gorgeous magnificence, faint rays of sunlight glinting off the gold in his hair and short beard, and her traitorous body yearned towards him.

  His amber eyes twinkled down at her. “Is that what you’ve been thinking all this time?” He shook his head in disbelief. “But you’re a little spitfire all right. I love knowing there’s a hotbed of passion beneath that prim and proper exterior.”

  “Let me go,” she bit out, straining against his hold.

  “Molly, I’m not dating Lilayni.”

  She went limp. “You’re not? But I thought…”

  “She’s my cousin, but she’s more like the sister I never had.”

  “Oh…”

  “And now that’s cleared up…”

  His mouth came down on hers, gentle but firm, the tip of his tongue sweeping across her lips, and on a low moan, she closed her eyes and opened to him, welcoming his possession, thrilling as his tongue dipped in to taste her.

  He stroked the sensitive skin of her wrists with his thumbs, his fingers intertwining with hers as he kept her hands pinned to the blanket. She swiped the tip of her tongue against his in an effort to deepen the kiss and strained upwards, wanting to feel him against her from head to toe.

  Shifting his weight, he pressed one knee against her thighs and she eagerly parted her legs, making room for him to settle between, loving the delicious weight of him as it came more fully on her. She gripped him with her thighs, and with a groan he pulled away from her lips and trailed featherlight kisses across her cheek to her ear.

  He nipped her earlobe. “Do you know why I brought you here, Molly? I imagined you laid out for me, naked, like a goddess of nature, a fairy, all mine for the taking,” he whispered.

  She shuddered at his words and he claimed her mouth again, releasing her hands to run one of his under her camisole. He pushed the flimsy material up and cool air hit the exposed mounds of her breasts.

  Releasing her mouth, he levered up on his elbows and gazed at her pert breasts in their white lacy bra. Embarrassed heat coursed through her, and she brought both hands up to his shoulders as if trying to stop him looking.

  “Beautiful,” he muttered. Cupping one breast, he dipped his head and nipped the exposed skin of her cleavage.

  She gasped, her hands flying to his head to clutch him close, her fingers tangling in his silky golden hair.

  He hooked a thumb in one bra cup and pulled it aside, freeing the aching pebbled nipple. “Oh, Molly,” he breathed against the hard nub. “You drive me crazy.”

  And taking the tip in his mouth, he sucked hard, making her arch up as she moaned his name. Wetness seeped between the folds of her sex and she rubbed against him, desperately seeking relief.

  He released the pebbled nub and buried one hand in her hair, holding her still, his eyes locking with hers. With his other hand he cupped her breast, rolling the hard tip between thumb and forefinger. “Tell me what you want,” he growled. “I want to hear you say it.”

  Electric bolts shot from her breast to her core making her squirm. “You, Jake, I want you,” she gasped.

  He crushed her lips beneath his, his tongue sweeping into her mouth. His aggression drove her wild, and as the hard ridge of his arousal pressed against her, she closed her eyes and lost herself to the thrumming beat building deep in her core.

  11

  Suddenly a dog’s wild, excited barking registered nearby and Molly’s eyes snapped open.

  With a groan, Jake broke their kiss, his eyes feverish. “Hell, I can’t wait. I need to get you where I can have you all to myself.”

  She nodded in silent agreement, and he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. Then tugging her bra back into place and straightening her camisole, he jack-knifed to his feet and pulled her up after him.

  Stray strands of hair clung to her heated face and she pushed them back, running her fingers through the soft length of curls in a futile attempt to neaten up.

  The dog barked again.

  A young couple strolled on the bank opposite, occasionally throwing a ball for an enthusiastic chocolate terrier that bounded in circles around them. They were tactfully not looking in her and Jake’s direction, but they had to have seen everything.

  Laughter bubbled up in her, but she managed to keep it down. It was as if the world ceased to exist when she was with Jake and she no longer cared who saw what. She barely recognized this new shameless her.

  Jake already had his jacket and boots on and was throwing containers back into the bag. Straightening her jacket, she stepped off the blanket and pulled on her flats. Her breast was swollen, and the hard tips he’d lavished attention on, stood peaked and tingling, sending sparks of sensation through her whenever they rubbed against the lace of her bra. She zipped up the jacket in an effort to tamp down the flames inside her.

  The blanket was the last thing to be flung into the bag, and straightening, Jake came over to her, grabbed her by the waist and dipped his head for a kiss that was as hard as it was demanding.

  She savoured it, throwing her arms around his neck, her body burning anew. But it was over too soon.

  His look was impatient as he stepped out of her embrace. “Let’s get back home.”

  His rough voice stoked the burning throb in her and she could only stand there and stare back at him, all her need in that gaze. Cursing under his breath, he spun her around and pressed her forward and up the wooden steps before him.

  They were back on the bike in seconds, speeding towards Barrowdene.

  The miles back to Barrowdene flashed by in restless silence, and this time as she clung to him it was like she belonged. His broad frame shielded her from the cold wind currents thrown up by the bike’s speed, and she felt warm and protected and wanted. She could have happily stayed like this forever.

  He’d called Barrowdene ‘home’. Was he coming to love the place as much as she did? For a beat, her heart somersaulted at the thought of him wanting to stay on in Appleby, but just as swiftly, reality slapped back, shattering the fantasy.

  Hadn’t he made it clear any affair between them would be only that, an affair?

  He planned to move on, and now knowing a little about his work like she did, she saw no reason on earth why a wealthy, worldly man like him would want to remain in an insignificant place like her village. Certainly, he wouldn’t be staying for her. She wasn’t going to kid herself.

  A heaviness crept over her, and she angrily pushed it away. She knew what she was doing, and she was doing it purely for herself. Maybe it was good that Jake would eventually leave. That was her safety net. That was all the reason she ever needed to keep her heart out of it.

  But as the turning into Barrowdene came into view, another cold doubt clutched her. What if she bored him?

  She lacked the experience and sophistication he must be used to in his lovers. What had she been thinking?

  Sudden nervousness had her tightening her grip around his waist.

  “All right?” His voice was in her helmet.

  “Yes.” She didn’t allow her voice to quaver, and closing her eyes to the hesitation in her, leaned into his back.

  It was going to be okay. When he held her in his arms, all her fears melted away. When he kissed her, she forgot herself. But for nothing and no one would she say no to him now.

  The bike roared up Barrowdene’s driveway and he stopped it in front of the house. She got down first, the slight tremor in her legs having nothing to do with the ride this time.

  She removed her helmet as he dismounted and then stood there nervously waiting for him to make the first move. What she wouldn’t give to be more confident around him. He took off his helmet and ran a hand through his hair, and she wanted to go to him, grab his jacket, and press her lips to that sexy mouth of his, but her nervousness was like glue in her veins, holding her locked in place.

  He grinned. “You’re looking at me like I’m the big bad wolf.”


  “Sorry.” Her eyes snapped down, her cheeks burning.

  Gentle fingers cupped her chin and tilted her face up to his. “Don’t be, because you’re right. I’m going to eat you up, my Molly.”

  Desire blazed in his eyes, and her trembling lips parted in invitation. His gaze dropped to them and she waited with bated breath for the touch of his lips.

  “Jake!”

  With a guilty start, she stepped back, just as his hand dropped from her chin, and they both turned towards the house.

  Francine stood on the porch, her eyes wide, her hands clutched to her chest, and tear stains streaking her cheeks.

  With a few long strides, Jake was by her side. He grasped her arms. “Francine, what’s wrong?”

  Francine looked up at him, before flicking a glance in Molly’s direction. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t want to interrupt, but…” Fresh tears flowed down her cheeks, and she leaned against him, sobbing into his chest. “I don’t know what to do. He won’t…”

  Jake wrapped both arms around her. “Hey,” he murmured. “It’s going to be all right. We’ll sort it.”

  The dread that had enveloped Molly earlier in the office, rose again. This had to be about Martin, and remembering the panic and remorse on Martin’s face, she stepped forward. Anyone could make a mistake. They had to see he wasn’t some common criminal.

  “Jake, I—”

  “Later.” His cutting tone and warning look stopped her in her tracks.

  Humiliation stung hot and hard, and she bit her lip. Later? He was dismissing her as if everything that had just happened between them had been nothing more than a business discussion. If she had ever been tempted to read more into his feelings for her, she had her clear answer now. She didn’t matter beyond satisfying his immediate physical needs.

  All of a sudden, expecting nothing in return from him became a reality too difficult to bear, and head high, anger pouring from her, she stepped back.

  He watched her, a small frown puckering his brow, and for a moment he looked like he’d say more, but he merely clenched his jaw, causing the muscle there to jump. Then ushering Francine into the house, he closed the door after them.

  Molly stood there, like a handkerchief discarded after one use, equal amounts of anger and shame coursing through her. To think, she’d been moments away from giving him all of her.

  Anger beat back shame and she hurried down the path to Rose Cottage. The sky would fall first before she fell for his practiced seduction again.

  * * *

  That night, Molly tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

  Her bedroom’s narrow window was open, but no cooling breeze blew in from the balmy night outside. She burned from within, sweat clinging to every part of her, and with a grunt of frustration she threw back the bed sheet to lie on top of her single bed in just her white cotton vest-top and red pyjama shorts.

  She could blame it on the summer heat, but that would be an excuse. It was Jake. He loomed large in her mind and no amount of counting sheep had budged him.

  With a groan, she threw an arm over her eyes. She couldn’t spend the whole night like this. A rush of blood warmed her cheeks and she licked dry lips, facing the inevitable. She couldn’t fight him anymore. And closing her eyes, she gave her bucking mind free rein to go where it wanted—straight to him.

  Instantly she was back by the stream again, his lips on hers, and a slow ache uncurled in her core. She pressed a hand to her stomach, trying to ease the yearning. The taste of him. The feel of him. His hands running over her hot skin. With a shudder she brought one hand under her top to cup her breast, playing with the hardened nipple he’d worshipped. Her other hand, she slid down her stomach, beneath the waistband of her shorts, searching out the sensitive nub of her sex.

  Her throbbing clit was wet, soaked with her excitement, and she circled it with a gentle finger. And as his words of want whispered in her ear, she pressed down on it and slowly rubbed.

  Tension mounted deep in her core, like a spring coiled to jump, and her hungry mind brought forth the solid weight of him as he’d lain between her legs, the press of his erection against her. God, what would it be like to have him fully inside her? The image tipped her over the edge, and she came with a wild shudder, tension throbbing and ebbing out of her like a receding wave, and all the while the image of Jake in her mind held her, whispered sweet nothings to her and soothed her.

  She lay there for a few moments, her mind satiated, her body boneless, but the questions didn’t stay away for long.

  Would he really soothe her back down to earth like that if they made love? Even if he did, that caring wouldn’t last beyond the bed. Jake wanted only one thing from her—sex. But wasn’t that what she wanted too? Her body craved the release only he seemed to be able to give. It was just sex. Then why was she angry about his curt dismissal in front of Francine?

  She sat up with a sigh. She just couldn’t keep her distance. The need to know more about him wasn’t going away like she wanted it to. What had happened that he was so adamant he didn’t want a proper relationship, only an affair?

  With a renewed sense of purpose she got off the bed and pulling on her dressing gown, trotted off to the bathroom. She was going to get answers, but first she had to cool off the rest of her lingering need for him with a quick cold shower.

  Minutes later, she was back on the bed on her stomach, her damp hair tied away from her face and her open netbook propped against the pillow in front of her. The soft glow of its screen was the only light in the room.

  It was past midnight, but luckily, Nan being a heavy sleeper hadn’t woken up at the sounds of her taking a shower, even though the bathroom was right next door to Nan’s bedroom.

  A few taps on the keyboard brought up images of Jake, some alone, some with other people in suits, one or two with Lilayni, and a few more with the rugged, dark-skinned man she’d seen at the pub. However, she could find none with different women on his arm. She bit her lip, frowning a little. Had he ever made time for significant relationships in his life?

  Then a more recent thumbnail image caught her eye and she clicked on it, and gasped at the photo it revealed.

  Jake stood in a dark suit, looking every bit the commanding CEO, and beside him stood a tall willowy woman with sparkling light-grey eyes, midnight-black hair, and porcelain skin enhanced by her long purple evening dress. She was stunning, a beauty created to entice all eyes to her. He had his arm around her, holding her pressed possessively to his side as they both smiled for the camera.

  Billionaire Jake Hennessy’s Heartbreak Over Tragic Death of Fiancée Sienna D’Alessio blared the headline, and her heart beating out of her chest, Molly devoured the article.

  A whirlwind romance, a sudden engagement, an twenty-year-old plucked from obscurity to become a supermodel courted by major designers all in the space of her and Jake’s five month relationship. Sienna was the beauty who had finally tamed the famously media-shy billionaire. And then it had all ended a month ago. The article only said it had been a boating accident out on the French Riviera. Her body was never found and nothing more was known about the tragedy. Jake had been in New York at the time, and since then he’d refused to speak publicly about Sienna, merely choosing to retreat even further out of the media’s searchlight.

  Molly closed her eyes on a juddering breath, but Sienna’s image was all she saw. It was carved on the very front of her mind. So that was why Jake was in Barrowdene. He’d said it was a change he was looking for, but in reality he was mourning.

  With a frown she opened her eyes again and snapped the lid of her netbook shut. The article vanished and the room darkened for a moment before her eyes adjusted to the greyish moonlight streaming in from the open window. Pushing the netbook on to the bedside table, she lay back and stared at the moonbeam speckled ceiling.

  Could she get any more pathetic? She’d lain here, fantasizing about him, fuelling her passion with the words of need he’d groaned in her ear earlier, but those
words and his fiery touches hadn’t been for her at all.

  Had he even seen her, Molly, when they’d kissed, or had he seen Sienna each time?

  She curled her fingers into the softness of the bedcover. This was where she listened to logic and turned and sprinted in the opposite direction. She wasn’t even a credible stand-in for the beautiful woman he’d wanted to marry. No wonder he’d been at pains to tell her that a brief affair was all this could ever be. How could any woman hope to replace someone like Sienna in his heart?

  And yet, her stubborn heart still yearned. It hungered to know the magic it would feel only in Jake’s arms, and she breathed out in defeat. Yes, she was pathetic. She didn’t exist for him beyond sex, and now it looked like she didn’t exist for him during sex either. But, if he still wanted her, she just couldn’t say no.

  * * *

  She didn’t feel any better about herself as she hurried to work at quarter-to-nine the next morning. On top of that, her sleep-deprived brain throbbed with every step she took in the light drizzle. She hadn’t bothered to bring an umbrella, settling instead for stuffing her curls willy-nilly into the hood of the green parka she’d thrown over her grey trouser suit.

  Both Jake and Francine had disappeared from Barrowdene sometime in the morning, leaving Nan perplexed to find the house empty. A small grateful smile touched Molly’s lips. Bless her heart, Nan had said nothing last night, not about the picnic, not about Jake. She’d limited her words to what might be troubling Francine. Molly shook her head. That was something she herself had kept quiet about. She needed to speak to Martin first. She wanted answers today.

  “Molly!”

  The familiar voice accompanied by the rapid click of shoes came from behind her, and she turned and waited as Sophie ran to catch up. Sophie’s face was flushed and messy strands of hair had pulled free from her thick dark braid in her rush, and she held her yellow umbrella tight up against the misty rain.