Page 26 of Love By Sunset

Pulling back, breathing hard, Jake stared at her. Hell, but she turned him on. ‘Let me wash my hands and flip the sign to closed,’ he murmured breathlessly, ‘then you can satisfy you curiosity about that quickie you were expecting when you came back.’

Rapidly completing both tasks, he turned and saw Emily, cheeks flushed, her lips slightly parted and her nipples peaked under her shirt, still leaning against the door. Running his tongue over his bottom lip, he advanced slowly towards her. She ran her hands down her body, her eyes hot with invitation. Reaching her, Jake pulled her against him and slowly rubbed his pelvis against her hips. Emily let out a sobbing moan.

Releasing her, he hustled her through the kitchen to the small office, a bed-settee crammed along one wall.

‘Take me,’ Emily said. ‘Fuck me. I want you in me now. Now!’ Her hands snatched at his belt, yanking down his zip, pulling his jeans and boxers down to release him.

Equally fast, Jake mirrored her actions and tore down her jeans and briefs. He pushed her down and immediately followed, taking a quick moment to add protection before thrusting into her wet depths. Her hips rose and enveloped him, her muscles tightening, pulling him deeper and deeper. Snaking his hand between them, he found her and fingered her, to add to her tension and feeling.

This was no tender love-making. It was hunger, lust, need… and within minutes Emily screamed out his name as she came. Jake soon followed, one last thrust lifting her hips from the settee before he collapsed, holding his weight from her with his elbows, his forehead resting against her.

‘Longer we stay here doing this, the longer it’ll take me to get home,’ he gasped out. ‘Go away. You’re too much temptation. I’ll see you back at the house. Please? I can’t work with you around.’

Emily was just as breathless and simply grinned up at him, her eyes glowing, her expression one of deep satisfaction. ‘That was wonderful,’ she finally managed, shaking her head slightly.

Jake slowly pulled away and sat up. ‘I really have to open up the café again,’ he said ruefully. ‘And I mean it when I say I can’t work with you around.’ He playfully swatted her thigh and, reluctantly, she sat up.

Within minutes, they were dressed. Pausing in the kitchen to exchange one more kiss, Emily smiled. ‘Hell, Jake, I rather like your quickies. We’re going to have to do that again. Several times. Start thinking of places.’

Jake watched her walk across the carpark, his mind whirling. He was taking her to dinner at his ma’s. She affected him so much she distracted him from his work. He enjoyed having her in his house and his bed. This was not what he’d expected, and, oh hell, it’d never happened before. With a sigh, he returned to the dough and took his confusion out on that, pummelling and kneading ferociously, until his arms ached—or was it his heart?

CHAPTER13

Sittingat the breakfast table a couple of days after meeting Jake’s mum at the café, Emily sighed. Life had taken on almost a pattern over the last week or so, and the time had flown. When they’d arranged the dinner with Annie, Emily hadn’t reminded Jake Sunday was the day she’d planned to head back to London. Now, she wasn’t sure what she would do. It depended on Jake, really, and whether he was ready to say goodbye or wanted more. She didn’t dare ask. One thing was now certain—in about a month, maybe less, Approach would be no more, and she would be unemployed, and that made her feel a lot better about things.

She also now knew what she wanted for her future, even if, realistically, her dream of turning Haven House into a hotel might never happen. Approach had pulled out, as Gerry had promised, and she’d put an offer in, but she didn’t want all of it. Certainly not Jake’s café, and not the stretch of coast on either side of it, either. The whole was beyond her budget, but she wanted to stake a claim. Having made the break from corporate life, the hotel idea seemed the right way to go.

The one thing she put all her efforts into was the hunt for the missing will. So far, she’d covered every room at Haven House and come up with nothing. Greenall’s had been thorough in clearing all the personal papers, and no matter how hard Emily looked, she’d found nothing they might have missed. Thinking about it logically, it seemed unlikely old Mr Whitchurch would have concealed it. If it really existed, it was something he’d meant to do, and meant to do soon, according to Jake. She sighed as she put her coffee mug down.

‘Big sigh?’ Jake looked contented, sitting opposite her, a half-smile on his face. He glanced at his watch. ‘Sorry, sweetheart, gonna have to go soon.’ Draining his own mug, he stood and came round to pull her to her feet.

The kiss which followed turned her inside out, made her legs weak and took her breath away. Pulling back, she looked at him. As always, he looked relaxed, almost sleepy, his curling hair touching his shoulder, and so sexy she melted. But it wasn’t just their evenings together, on the capacious settee or upstairs in the enormous bed. No, not just that, not anymore. Emily admired everything about him—his organisation and capability in running the café, his easy-going attitude to life despite setbacks, and his kindness to the local kids learning to surf. Oh, and to his ma.

‘Nothing wrong.’ Emily smiled back. ‘I’ll come with you, if you like? I’ve something to do later, but I’d like to be with you. I’d like to tell you something.’ Now it was all behind her, it was time to tell him about Approach.

His smile spread. ‘Welcome. Bringing your own car?’

‘I could drop you off at the café and pick you up at closing time?’

‘Yeah, why not?’

Once they arrived, Emily watched Jake open the cafe and begin the preparations for breakfast, taking things from the fridge and setting the coffee machines up. Every move was concise, and he was beautiful to watch. Once he was satisfied everything was ready, he leaned back against the preparation counter and grinned at her. ‘All set.’

He paused, his smile fading. His hands, resting against the edge of the metal table, were white-knuckled, and he ran a nervous tongue over his bottom lip. ‘Emily…’

A silence fell.

‘What?’

‘Oh, nothing.’ He stood upright and turned, laying bacon out on the microwave dish.

Emily looked at his back, curious. He seemed edgy and unsure of himself.

‘Come on. Say it. Ask me. Whatever.’

Turning, he looked at her, his eyes unusually sombre, his beautiful mouth straight and unsmiling. ‘When do you have to go back to London?’

‘It was supposed to be Sunday, but Monday will be fine,’ Emily answered, her voice low. ‘Why?’

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