The Christmas He Loved Her (Bad Boys of Crystal Lake 2)

“Jesus Christ, Raine, you gotta stop.” His hands were in her hair, and gently he pulled her away from him, his control thin at best. Their bodies were covered in sweat, a thin sheen of desire that coated them and made the flickering light from the fire dance across their skin.

Jake pushed her back until she was on that god-awful pink blanket. Until she lay back, with her legs spread, with the most vulnerable part of her exposed to him. He stood over her and stared down at the woman who would break him.

Because that’s exactly what was going to happen, and Jake was no more able to stop that from happening than he’d been able to stop everything else that had happened to him over the last few years.

Including the last time he’d been with Raine. But he wouldn’t think about that now.

He fell to his knees, his hands on her stomach.

He’d been heading here—he positioned himself between her legs—right here, forever, it seemed, and right now in this moment, he didn’t want to think about the consequences.

Jake bent over and gently kissed her, his tongue tasting her mouth, his lips cajoling a response. Her hips jerked up toward him and she pleaded into his mouth, “Please, Jake.”

He leaned close to her, one hand on her hip to hold her steady as the head of his cock slid into her wet sheath. “There’s no going back now, Raine.”

He was at the edge, poised and ready, when her hands slid into his hair and she yanked him so that she was able to look into her eyes.

“I want this, Jake.”

Moisture glimmered in the corners.

“I want you,” she whispered.

And then her mouth was on him and he was buried deep inside.

For a second he stilled. He let her body adjust to his size and length, and he reveled in the tight, hot wetness that surrounded him.

Slowly he began to move, smiling when she would have hurried things along.

“Not so fast, Delgotto.”

She made a noise in the back of her throat. “Edwards,” she gasped as he thrust into her again. “I can’t take this much longer.”

He rested most of his weight on his elbows so that he could look down as he rocked into her. So that he could watch the play of emotion across her face and anticipate her reaction as he carefully controlled their pace.

“Jake,” she cried out, her eyes dark and wet and so hauntingly beautiful, he was sure he’d see this in his dreams.

He captured her mouth as he increased his rhythm, his large body sliding in and out of hers, his tongue doing the same. When he knew she was there on the edge with him, when her body began to shudder and the walls of her vagina clenched so tight around him that he couldn’t hold back, he groaned into her.

He worshipped her with his mouth, with his tongue and his hands, and with one last hard, intense thrust, he came.

Jake had no idea how long they stayed that way, with him buried deep inside her. All he knew was that he didn’t want to lose this connection. He was afraid that if he withdrew, it would be gone forever. He caressed her face and stared down into eyes that he would never forget. Ever. Not as long as he lived.

And eventually, when he couldn’t stay that way any longer, he rolled to the side, grabbing the pink blanket and Raine in one motion. He carried her over to the sofa and tucked her into his arms.

There were no words. There was only the cocoon they had built around themselves, and Jake didn’t want to think about the aftermath of their actions. For the moment he was content to hold and cherish the woman he loved.

He held her, listened to her breathing and her heartbeat. He gazed into the fire as outside the storm continued to rage, and eventually his eyes closed, and Jake Edwards fell into a dreamless sleep.

And that was something he hadn’t done in years.

Chapter 18

They say that all good things come to an end, but for Raine, this “end” wasn’t something she wanted to face. If she had her way, she and Jake would disappear inside this paradise they’d found and maybe, somewhere in the near future, they’d venture out. But for now? Right now in this moment, here was good. Here was where she wanted to be.

Here was everything she thought she’d never find again.

The storm had raged for two entire days and nights, pounding Crystal Lake with a torrent of freezing rain, and when that had finished, several feet of blowing, drifting snow had been unleashed. It was the first real snowstorm of the season, and for some, it wasn’t exactly appreciated or convenient. Roads weren’t safe for travel, businesses were closed, and appointments were missed.