Page 35 of Blocked Shot
Jake smirks. “I don’t know about that, but I didn’t destroy it, so I’ll take the W.”
They fall into an easy rhythm, drinking wine, rolling dough, filling and sealing the pierogies. By the time they finish, flour dusts Jake’s shirt, and Natalie has a streak on her nose. They both notice at the same time.
Jake grins. “You’ve got something?—”
“So do you.”
His fingers brush her cheek as they swipe at the flour. The touch is fleeting, but it sends a spark up Natalie’s spine. She stills, fingers hovering near the glob of dough stuck to his chest, her pulse stuttering in her throat.
Jake’s eyes darken, his expression shifting. The playful ease from moments ago melts into something else, something heavier. She sees the way his gaze flickers to her lips, and she knows she should step back, knows she shouldn’t be letting this tension coil so tightly between them.
She clears her throat and drops her hand. “We should, um, clean up.”
Jake hesitates, then nods. “Yeah. Good idea.”
They work in silence for a few minutes, but the charged air lingers. Natalie focuses on stacking the sealed pierogies onto a tray, but her heart is pounding, her cheek tingling from where he touched her.When they finish, Jake walks her to the door, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back as they move through the hallway.
“Thanks for helping,” he says, his voice softer now.
Natalie glances up at him. “You weren’t completely hopeless. I’d say you’re at least semi-competent now.”
He huffs a laugh, shaking his head. “High praise.”
They stop at the door, and Natalie hesitates. She should say goodnight. She should definitely say goodnight. She should thank him for the wine and the laughter and then go back to Jesse’s apartment and take a cold shower.
She steps into him before she can second-guess herself, arms sliding around his waist in what she tells herself is a quick and harmless goodbye hug. But the moment Jake’s arms wrap around her, all solid muscle and heat, the air shifts. His hold is too tight, and far too intimate to mean goodbye.
His warmth seeps through the thin fabric of her clothes, sinking into her bones. His warmth seeps into her, and his clean, masculine scent fills her senses. She tilts her head, and their faces are close, her nose brushing his cheek.
Jake goes completely still. His breath fans warm across her skin, their mouths a whisper apart, their eyes locking. Waiting.
Drawn by an irresistible force, Natalie surges on her toes and crushes her lips to his, like she’s been dying to for weeks.
The moment their mouths meet, she detonates, with heat rushing through her in a flood, raw and immediate, and Jake… freezes, but only for a second. She clutches his shirt in two fistfuls, desperate, needy, pulling him closer like she could crawl inside him if she tried hard enough.
A low, guttural sound rumbles from his chest, and then he devours her.
His mouth crashes against hers, wild and hungry, his hands gripping her waist so tightly it borders on bruising. The kiss deepens fast—messy and breathless, no rhythm, no thought—just need. She feels the strength coiled in his body as he presses into her, his hips flush with hers, and every nerve ending in her lights up like fire.
Natalie’s heart races, a chaotic drum in her chest as Jake’s fingersslide up into her hair, curling tight, angling her head so he can kiss her harder, deeper, rougher.
It’s not gentle. There’s nothing slow about it.
He kisses like he’s dying of thirst and she’s the first taste of water he’s had in years.
And she wants it. She wants all of it.
Jake’s hands slide to the backs of her thighs, and he lifts her effortlessly, spinning her and pressing her against the door. She gasps at the cold metal against her back, digging her heels into the firm curve of his ass.
His mouth tears from hers, dragging down her jaw, along her neck. He leaves a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses, each one rougher, hungrier than the last.
“God, I want you, Nat,” Jake breathes, his voice low and ragged as he presses his thick, unmistakable hardness against her core. “In every sense of the word.”
“Jake,” Natalie whimpers, her body arching into him, hips grinding against his like her mind has already surrendered. Her hands roam up his stomach, over the sculpted lines of his chest, until her fingers tangle in his hair. She drags her nails lightly across his scalp, drawing a groan from deep in his throat.
“Tell me how I can have you,” he whispers into her neck, his breath hot, hands gripping her as if letting go would break him. “Tell me what to do. I’ll do anything. Just… tell me you’re mine.”
Unforgiving reality slams into her.
