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“It’s just been a long day.”
“Is that all?”
He stood up and walked over to her. She turned around to face the stove and buried her face in her hands. She didn’t mean to cry; she was frustrated.Stupid angry tears.And what was she even angry about? Coralee couldn’t decide if it was simply being tired, or if she really was angry about something. Maybe just anger at the airlines, or Mother Nature. Jake wrapped his arms around her and turned her around to face him.
Without lifting her face from her hands, she leaned into his chest and let a few tears fall while he held her, rubbing her back.
After a moment, she collected herself, feeling like the situation was far too intimate. She shouldn’t have let her guard down like she had, and now she looked ridiculous; at least it’s how she was perceiving the situation. Until Jake broke the silence in a way only he could.
As she started to pull away, Jake held on. “You know I’m going to take care of you, Coralee,” he whispered.
“That’s not your job anymore,” she replied in a whisper.
Jake took her face in his hands, ensuring she had his full—and commanding—attention. “It’ll always be my job, baby.”
Baby.The term of endearment he’d always used with her. And in a flash, all her feelings came flooding back, washing over her like they were eighteen again. Her mouth opened slightly, partially in shock and reminiscence, just before he dropped his lips to hers.
ChapterSeven
Jake
The proximity was more than his willpower could resist. He had never stopped wanting her. He’d carried on after they parted ways of course, but he thought about her often, and he decided when he knew they’d be stuck he was going to make his move. Second chances happened all the time. If she’d let him, that is. And it seemed as though she had.
When he kissed her, she gasped briefly, then melted into his arms. A perfect fit. Like she’d always been. As if no time at all had passed. He kept one hand at the back of her neck, and the other roamed down her back, just above her ass and pulled her closer, flush against him completely. The kiss deepened, and Coralee let out a small moan as she reached around him, gripping the back of his shirt tightly. Jake turned them around and pushed Coralee backward until they’d run into the nearby table.
As their kiss heated, Jake lifted Coralee up and set her on the table where she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him between them. Jake wanted to take her right there on the table; he could barely contain his growing lust, or the hard on he now had rubbing against her. He didn’t want things to go any further than she did, and he danced on the edge of tearing her clothes off and pulling back to assess where her head was at. But before he could, she placed her hands on his chest, halting them.
Panting, she grinned. Her hands remained in place, and they were just inches apart when she said, “Jake. What are we doing?”
“I don’t know, baby.” He replied honestly, unsure of what to say. “We don’t have to do anything at all here.” Not wanting her to feel pressured, he felt the need to qualify the electricity happening between them with some kind of exit strategy if that’s what she needed or wanted. He didn’t know what the hell they were doing any more than she did. He just knew it was what he wanted, and it didn’t feel wrong.
“Maybe we should talk,” she said, but it sounded more like a question.
“Of course,” he replied and stepped back. He noticed her fingertips holding on slightly longer than they needed to as he moved from between her legs and helped her off the table. “Why don’t we eat this soup and . . . talk.”
They’d already done quite a bit of talking and catching up before they’d found their way to the trailer in the snow, but if she wanted to talk more, that’s exactly what they’d do. Jake poured the soup into the two bowls Coralee had set out, and handed her one, and a spoon. He then motioned to the table, indicating she should sit. She took the food and sat on the other side of the table at the bench seat and stirred her soup hesitantly.
“What should we talk about do you think?” he asked thoughtfully before taking a spoonful for himself from the second bowl.
“I . . . Uh, I don’t know,” she said, then laughed nervously.
Jake wasn’t angry she’d stopped them from doing anything, but he also thought maybe this was the perfect time to bring up the past and get the closure—or at least the answers—he’d wanted all those years ago.
“I have a thought,” he said.
“Okay?”
“Why don’t you tell me why you left me with no explanation, then wouldn’t speak to me again all those years ago?”
Coralee choked on her soup and started coughing. “I’m sorry?”
Jake didn’t want an argument, what he was hoping for was some clarity. Years had gone by, they’d obviously both moved on, but now here they were, stuck in a trailer for the night. There’d literally be no better time than the present to get some answers.
“You heard me,” he said with a smirk. He crossed one booted foot over the other, holding his soup and staring at her. Coralee had a wide-eyed expression, similar to that of a caged animal looking for a way out.
“You’re not serious,” she replied.
“Oh, but I am.” Jake waited, watching her shift in her seat uncomfortably. “You know what? Let me make this easy for you.”
