Chapter 232

Jake holds the keys out in front of me, swinging his hand just out of reach like a torturous plaything and
I lean up to swipe them. He lifts them higher and hits my mouth with a kiss when I try for a second time.
He has a happy playful smirk on his face and his sexy stubbly jaw looks very delicious this morning to
match his very good mood.

“Stop tormenting me and open the damn door.” I giggle, and step back, folding my arms across my
chest in a no-nonsense Carrero pose. I try to appear authoritative, but he just frowns and tweaks my
nose in the most annoying way.

“Ask me nicely.” He grins and lifts them higher above his head with a wicked look in his eye. He’s been
like this since he got up and I’m enjoying the return of playful Jake. It’s been almost non-existent lately
and I can only sigh at him.

“Please, Jake … loving, gorgeous, beautiful man of mine. Can I have the keys to our new home?
Thank you very much!” I pout at him with a sickly-sweet voice, oozing sarcasm. My hands on his
magnificent chest, imploringly, in a very sexy black sweater.

“Nope.” He turns in front of me walking toward the front door we’ve been standing a few feet from and I
scowl, viciously, jokingly at his back.

Asshole.

He wants me to beg. He seems to get a kick out of it lately, torturing me over these last few days, some
sort of sexual gratitude. Not that I mind. Jake in fun and playful mode is almost as good as Jake in sex
mode.

OK not even a close almost.



I walk up behind him sliding my hands into the butt pockets of his jeans as he unlocks the door. My
hands flat against his pert ass, enjoying the way I can grope every movement of his body. It makes me
ache for him more and my temperature climbs as my eyes devour that muscular set of shoulders
straining under his black smooth knitted sweater.

He opens the door and pulls me in with him, pressing numbers into a keypad on the wall beside the
door, shutting off the infernal beeping that started the second the door opened. I gaze around the grand
entrance at the white marble floor and sweeping staircase almost a mirror image to the Carrero house
next door with a surge of complete excitement.

This is ours. Jake and I have a home together, a new start. We really are home.

He reaches behind and pulls my hands out of his pockets turning to face me, bending down to scoop
me up in his arms. I squeal with the sudden motion and I’m met with a full-on passionate kiss. Tongues,
teeth, and smiles.

“Get a room.” Leila’s voice cuts into our intense meeting of mouths and I lift my head as she lazily
saunters in. Jake told her we were getting the keys today and she assured him she was coming over
as soon as, to get first dibs on a guest room. Her timing is impeccable.

“I thought that’s what we were here to do?” Daniel walks in behind her and I can’t help but throw her a
smile with raised eyebrows. He goes to place a hand on her shoulder, and she pulls away, throwing
him a defiant little look, met with a sigh from Hunter.

Still torturing the boy then. Oh, Leila give him a break, even a little one. He’s really trying.

Jake told me that Leila has been making life as difficult for Hunter as possible since our engagement
party. At least he’s clinging on, so far anyway. He just needs to break through her wall of hostility and
prove himself worthy to her. She has so much to guard considering their past history.



“Go ahead. I’m taking Emma on a tour to refresh our memories.” Jake smiles at Daniel encouragingly,
and we watch as he wanders off after his little hell-cat, trying to get a hold of her, being met with little
slaps on the hand each time and quiet, I don’t think so’s. It’s obvious that Leila has no intention of
letting Daniel in just yet and it amazes me that he’s following her around so tolerantly.

“What’s going on with them?” I ask.

“A lot of angry sex and Leila trying like hell to push him away … That girl is hell bent on making him
hurt her because it’s what she’s expecting.” He shrugs and carries me toward the large downstairs
formal lounge, sliding me to my feet when we walk into the huge blank room. All the furniture is gone,
despite the owners leaving some included in the sale. Jake wanted us to start from scratch and choose
everything together.

“And Daniel?” I look back through the door, but they’ve disappeared.

“Has been well and truly forewarned that he only gets one shot at this. Honestly, I think he kinda likes
her behavior, he’s always been a warped kind of guy.” Jake grins and I can’t tell if he’s joking or being
serious. I try not to wonder too much. I know one thing for sure … Hunter needs to play this right
because Leila is done with being hurt by him; there will be no second chance this time. She wants him
to prove he has what it takes to be with her, and she’s going to put him through a lot worse before he
gets past that wall. I just hope he has what it takes to persevere.

I turn my attention back to the room as Jake wanders off to pull the drapes wide open, letting the
sunshine in and dazzling me momentarily.

Somehow, without furniture, the place seems monumentally bigger, the huge floor to ceiling windows
frame the view, taking my breath away instantly. I turn slowly and scan around; this room has one large
open fireplace and a distinct marble mantle on a far wall.

It’s hard not to imagine this room filled with comfy



furniture, expensive Christmas trees, and trimmings by a roaring log fire.

“Dime for your thoughts?” Jake cuts into my daydream of children opening presents on a warm furry
rug on a snowy day, and I break into a smile.

“Just imagining this room with furniture.” I blush, a happy surge at where my mind was.

“I was imagining this room with a huge roaring fire and serious plush rug down there.” Jake smiles and
nods at the floor where I’d been imagining the same thing. I wonder if we had the same thoughts on the
rug. “Great place to fuck.” He winks cheekily.

Yeah, I guess not.

“I don’t know what that is.” I smile sassily, and he sighs, bopping me on the nose with a fingertip. We’ve
been making jokes about the lack of sex lately. I guess in a bid to try to get our head around the
emotional barrier that Jake still has, one I can no longer understand. We’ve come so far and yet he still
doesn’t attempt to touch me that way. I’ve never pushed because I don’t want to be rejected again.

“Well play your cards right, shorty, and I might be talked into trying again. I can’t keep beating the shit
out boxing bags for the next few months. I can’t handle looking at you and not doing anything about it.”
His pained gaze tells me he’s obviously been thinking about this a whole lot more recently than he lets
on.

My ears prick up and I pass him my wanton look below lowered lashes with more than a little hope
simmering.

“Keep looking at me like that and it’ll convince me to try right now.” He groans and walks off toward the
doorway as though reeling himself back in. Jake is walking off again, like he does anytime it looks



remotely like something will happen with us, and again that huge surge of disappointment hits me
painfully.

“I’m not stopping you from trying right now.” I retort huskily, throwing him my best seductive look,
mustering all the sexual prowess I can, willing him to come back to me. He pauses in the doorway,
appraising me for a moment. I can tell he’s arguing with himself over whether he should or shouldn’t.
The moment is broken by a bang above our heads and we both look toward the ceiling in surprise.

There’s another thud, not as loud this time, followed by some smaller noises and then the unmistakable
noise of Leila moaning.

Oh, my fucking God. Really.

“For the love of God, the wrong fucking people are christening this damned house.” Jake snarls,
bristling at another man marking his territory and without warning he storms toward me, lifts me up
around his waist, pulling my legs around him and backs me against the wall a little too aggressively for
how he’s been lately.

His mouth hits mine with force and he braces all my weight on his hips. His hands come to undo my
wool cardigan and push it back over my shoulders rapidly. He’s obviously got his mind hell bent on his
purpose, fueled by the couple upstairs taking away what is his right in our new house. I mentally tell
myself to thank Leila later. Or Hunter, as this is probably more of a male pissing on another’s territory
kind of thing and it’s doing the trick.

Right now, though, I’m too zoned in on what his mouth is doing to mine, sudden exhilarating heat
coursing through me with the fact that Jake is attempting sex again finally after so freaking long. He
stopped trying to initiate it after the first few times and judging by the intense way his hands are
roaming over me, he’s managed to build himself into a lust-filled fury without any help from me at all.

Okay maybe a tiny little bit of persuasion … and a lot of help from upstairs.



His tongue slides into my mouth as I grasp my arms around his neck, our bodies pressed close, and I
can’t help but grind against him mercilessly. Jake feels better than good, so much so that I almost
forgot what this feels like, it’s like realizing a fantasy all over again. I slide one hand down to the hem
off his T-shirt and yank it up. rewarded with his helping hand as his top is soon lying on the floor behind
us exposing all that chiseled muscle and tattooed sexiness that has me panting. He pulls my dress up,
moving his hands up my thighs slowly, his mouth trailing to my neck as I buck and arch at the way he
feels. No sign of any wavering libido or confusing and conflicting thoughts from him anyway.

I missed every second of this, wanted every single one of his erotic touches so badly that I’ve dreamed
of him around me, and inside of me and woke many a time after experiencing the craziest sleep
orgasms known to womanhood that I didn’t even know existed. The surge of pregnancy hormones has
only served to make all those feelings more intense.

He cups me from underneath, his thumb pulling my lace panties to one side and I gasp in pleasure at
the connection, I slide my hand to his waist band and yank open the buttons of his jeans with little effort
… given that he’s pushed against me so hard. I slide and wiggle my fingers into his jeans, finding the
source of what they ache for and I’m practically singing in happiness, I’m so ready for this kind of
reunion. Long awaited.

This is really happening, God.


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