Chapter 307

“I’m waiting on it, Emma.” His voice was low and pained, hating himself for his tone and acting this way
after the way he had just kissed her. He was an emotional mess and had been for months. He just
couldn’t bear any of this anymore, and he needed her to just say it.

“On what?” She sounded young and vulnerable, doe-eyed, and meek. He wanted to punch himself in
the face for his sudden change toward her, but he couldn’t help it. Part of him was back peddling and
getting ready for another scene that left him here and Emma walking away, preparing for another stab
in the heart.

“The door to hit me in the face again; another reason you think we shouldn’t be together.” He said it
sardonically, his tone flat as though already resigned that this was too good to be true. He felt the
overwhelming fear rising up his spine, knowing from experience that her kissing him back meant
nothing.

Emma shook her head, her face softening and lifted her fingers to trace the shape of his lips. The touch
sending a tingling sensation right through his very soul, catching her hand to press it to his face and
commit this moment to memory in case it was the last. Emma smiled at him.

“I’m not going to do that, Jake. I won’t push you away again.”

Jake felt the inner pain and dread loosen a little, watched the way Emma remained calm and continued
to gaze up at him with unveiled adoration. This really was different for her this time. His tense muscles
relaxed as a warm realization hit him, he really had her after all. She wasn’t running or closing down,
she wasn’t even pushing him away. Still in his arms and touching him freely.

“I love you … I think I’ve been in love with you for a very long time.” Jake let it out, like a wave of relief,
something that had been on his lips for what felt like an eternity and had never had the courage to say
to her. Smiling at the release and suddenly not feeling so scared anymore. Emma, however, burst into
an instant mess of unexpected tears that shocked him.



Jake pulled her against his chest, confused and a little unsure how he was meant to take that at all. All
he could do was hold her, stroke her hair and pray to God she was “happy” crying. Hoping that’s what
women did anyway.

“I … I …” she stammered and then got even more emotional, falling to pieces in his arms and gripping
onto him tightly as flood gates of tears and sobbing opened up. All he could do was cling right back on
and bury his face in her hair helplessly. His heart upping a beat and fear coming back to gnaw at his
insides. Emma wasn’t much of a crier and whenever she did he hated it, made him feel pretty much like
it did now, as though his insides were being twisted out in the most excruciating way.

“Don’t cry, bambino … Please, Emma … I didn’t think telling you I loved you would cause this,” he said
hoarsely, tensing his arms around her and just trying so hard to mold every line and curve to him while
supporting her. “Say something.”

Anything, please … Tell me you want this.

“I … love … you.” It came from her so breathily between sniffs, Jake immediately exhaling complete
relief and suddenly aware he had been holding his breath. His body went into instant warm and fuzzy
overdrive and for once in his life understood all that girly mushy crap about butterflies and inner tingles.
The overwhelming euphoria of three little words from the only person who truly mattered changed
everything in that one moment.

Jake lifted her chin gently, unable to stop the goofy happy smile breaking across his face and kissed
her softly. He could do this for an eternity and never tire of how good she felt. How kissing her seemed
to make the world stop turning and everything make sense. He could kiss Emma every second of every
day for a lifetime and know it would always feel this good.

His gentle meeting of the lips set her off again into another flood of hormonal tears, only this time Jake
didn’t crumble into insecurity, he smiled instead and watched her with a small shake of the head.



“Jesus, Emma … If I’d known this was how it would be, I would’ve brought some tissues and a lot of
chocolate.” Tangling his fingers in her soft, silky hair, no longer pained at her tears because he knew
sometimes girls cried when they were happy. In this case, he had no doubt his beautiful girl was happy.
Her giggle through tears confirmed it and he sighed against her once more.

What am I going to do with you?

Emma looked up under lowered lashes, her makeup doing a pretty good job of staying put for the most
part, despite the waterworks and smiled at him coyly. It had the same effect as a thud to the chest.

“They’re happy tears.” She smiled once more, another sniff and some signs of regaining composure.
Emma pulled her bag forward and began to search for something, he assumed a tissue, seeing as now
her cheeks were starting to get little rivers of diluted black running subtly down them. It only made her
even more goddamn adorable to him, and he lifted his hand to her face to start removing the traces of
makeup as they fell.

“Should I be crying too then?” He smiled down at her, wiping her cheek with his thumb and then
switching tactics to his jacket sleeve and dabbing at her instead. He didn’t care if this was a ten-
thousand-dollar suit, his baby needed a tissue, and he would let her use his entire shirt if she wanted it.
He wiped most of her upset away before caging her in against the wall to just take her in. Every little
detail of her in full glory had his heart soaring, he moved in close, so he could breathe her in. Three
words had just changed everything between them and now his life was looking a hell of a lot better.

“I don’t think I want to see you cry.” Emma blinked up at him cutely, a face so innocent and beautiful
that he had no resistance to her.

“Good. I’m not much of a crier and you’re doing a grand enough job for the both of us. I’m happy
though, you have no idea. I never thought we’d get here. I didn’t think this was how you felt about me.”
Jake moved in, wanting contact with her at all times and rested his brow against hers. She leaned up



suddenly and bravely and kissed him this time, knocking the wind out of him momentarily and pretty
much making him the happiest guy on the planet in that second. It only ignited his deep longing for her
and passion brimmed in milliseconds, bracing her face to him by sliding his hand behind her neck so he
could deepen the kiss and caress her tongue with his. Emma groaned under her breath which in turn
made him groan too, still hopeless to how much power she always had over him.

Jake pulled away before he lost all control and ripped her dress open, unable to just break free, he
sucked in her bottom lip and gently slid away. He loved the taste of her in every way and could only
imagine how much he was going to devour every single inch of her skin when he got her alone.

The way Emma was looking up at him told him that would be sooner rather than later, the unleashed
raw look on her face of sheer lust had his body stirring and heat rising within. He wanted her so badly it
was almost painful.

“If we keep doing this, then I can promise you I won’t be a gentleman for much longer.” He warned her,
voice soft as his focus stayed on the slightly kiss-swollen set of perfect lips. The red lipstick was still in
place and weirdly unsmeared.

“Oh, I always knew you weren’t a gentleman.” She jested, biting her lip seductively and staring right
back at Jake’s own mouth. She wasn’t helping calm his libido one little bit.

God, I want to kiss you and fuck you nonstop.

“Hey! I’ve been very well behaved. You have no idea the kind of thoughts that went through my head
concerning you.” He caught her wrists and pinned them up over her head, loving how it made her both
vulnerable and open to his control but the way it made her bust rise up from her dress a little, peeking a
little riskily on the verge of overflow. He wanted her naked more than anything and still glued to her
body it was really hard to keep the obvious sign under control in his pants.



“None of that surprises me, you and your ex-rated mind. I always knew you had Casanova tendencies.”
Emma grinned up at him, shifting her pelvis closer and almost nudging him.

“Cheeky!” He threw her a fast, chaste, kiss and let her go, more than aware that he was about to lose
his shit and fuck her against the wall if they kept this up. He had little control around her normally, so
this was only testing all his powers to the very verge of his limits. “You’re beautiful, and you’re all
mine!”


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