Page 41 of Fight from the Heart

“Jacob,” I groan.

“So hand holding?” He shifts subjects, shutting down his question. “You’ve created a monster in me. I think I like it.” His eyes sparkle under the dim streetlamps. “And to prove that hand holding does not need to lead to sex, I’m going to kiss you and say good night.”

I start to laugh at his playfulness until a hand slips into my hair, and his mouth crashes mine. My body falls back against the exterior wall of the pharmacy as his lips master mine. Instant heat rushes my body as his tongue thrusts into my mouth, and he moves it in such a way that mimics what he did with it between my legs. It mimics what he’s done to me, entering me, surging into me, filling me. It’s erotic and wild, and I can’t get enough. I tug him closer to me, but it isn’t enough with our winter clothing between us. He tilts my head one way and then the other, not missing one spare spot of my lips before drawing back, leaving me breathless and collapsed against the wall.

Wow.

“Going to walk away now before I beg you to take me upstairs.”

Beg. Please beg. But I also like how he wants to show me not everything leads to sex.

He doesn’t walk away, though. He kisses me hard and fast once more and then breaks free, leaving me still panting against the building.

“Upstairs,” he whispers, brooking no argument. “Now.”

I think he means to follow me, but he doesn’t. He waits as I race up the stairs to my apartment and enter it. My heart hammers in my chest as I fall against the door, wondering how I’ll survive a weekend in New York with him.

Chapter 16

New York: A City That Needs Sleep

[Pam]

The following Wednesday, Jacob picks me up for the drive to Cherry City Airport in Traverse City, where we will fly to Detroit and then connect to New York. He offers to buy me a coffee after we check in, but I can’t stomach anything so early.

My excitement builds with each step of the process until the plane taxis to the runway. My hands clutch the armrest as the speed increases for takeoff.

“What’s this?” Jacob teases, taking note of my fingers white-knuckling the divider between us.

“I haven’t flown in a long time, and I’m just a little nervous.”

Chuckling, Jacob takes my hand, kisses the tips of my fingers, and then rests them in his lap.

“Hand holding,” I mutter.

“Look at me,” he whispers, and I turn my head to face him. His mouth lands on mine, thoroughly distracting me as we enter the sky and level off. Our tongues tangle as he pulls me deeper and deeper into the kiss. I’ve latched onto him like he’s the air I need to breathe. When he finally leans back, tugging my lower lip with his, his dark eyes spark.

“Kiss me like that again, and we’ll be testing admission into the mile-high club,” he teases.

“You’re probably a founding member,” I snark.

His playful eyes narrow. “Actually, no.” This surprises me.

“Most unusual place,” I question, unable to let it go and hoping this conversation will continue to distract me a bit.

“My couch before the fireplace in my home.”

“Jacob,” I groan. It’s such a line.

“I’m serious. I’ve never had sex in that place.”

What? I stare at him. He’s lived there for over two years. Then again, I’ve been in his home often enough to know he hasn’t brought Mandi there. I assumed he might have had random hookups from town, but I’d hear of them, too. Jacob wouldn’t be someone a local woman could keep a secret.

“What about you?” he asks, and I think back to all the mundane places I’ve had sex. A bed. The back seat of a pickup truck. There really hasn’t been anyplace out of the ordinary or any place as romantic as a leather couch before a fireplace during a snowstorm.

“A leather couch in front of a fireplace in my boss’s home.”

“Yikes. Does he know you did that? I hope it was after working hours.”