Jaken (The Untouchables MC 6.5)

He lifted me higher so that my feet dangled as he kissed me again. I felt his big, strong hands wrap my legs around his waist and then grasp my cheeks and hips. His palms were hot and rough against my skin from his calluses.

He pressed me down into a soft, white bed, never breaking the kiss as his manhood pressed against me, teasing my folds. I wanted him inside me. I needed something more. I opened my eyes and saw him above me.

Jaken.

“Are you sure?” he demanded in a raw voice.

“Yes,” I breathed. “Yes . . .”

He pressed forward, my lips parting for him as he became part of my body, part of my soul.

“COLLEEEEENNNNNNNN!”

My eyes snapped open at the sound of a four-alarm screen coming from outside my bedroom door. I sat up, nearly pushing Lana out of the bed. Penny and the girls had taken over the girls’ bedroom for the night, stacked in there like firewood. I sighed as I tiptoed down the hallway and peeked into the room.

Lots of kids in the house. That meant lots of breakfast. Jaken had saved me from blowing my monthly food budget the night before with the pizza. It had been beyond generous of him to feed all of us. He’d even brought salad and some fun toys for the kids.

No soda, though. He’d listened when I said that. It made me feel special. It made me feel seen.

Don’t go crazy, girl. It’s just pizza. So maybe he does like you. He won’t when he finds out you’re a virgin. Men like him have women throwing themselves at them all the time. He doesn’t need some silly girl cluttering up his social calendar.

Still, it was nice to be wanted, even if only for a little while. And he hadn’t been too forward about it. He’d just asked me to spend some more time together. I couldn’t say no, even if I knew he was going to break my heart.

Not just my heart, I thought with a wince. I’d had a dream about him. Scratch that, I’d had a sex dream about Jaken. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before. My cheeks were hot with embarrassment, but I had things to do.

I quickly cleaned the living room and kitchen, washing the stray glasses that always seemed to accumulate and stowing toys and books onto the built-in shelves. Half-done homework was neatly stacked on the entry room bench or placed into notebooks and slipped into book bags. It was the weekend, I reminded myself. Even if I never relaxed, the kids deserved to. I’d make sure it was all finished on Sunday before my . . . plans.

I started making pancakes. It was expensive but the kids loved it. I decided to skip my morning run. It was Saturday, after all. And I would be running all over the hotel for the wedding scheduled today.

The couple was young, sweet, and so clearly head over heels in love with each other.

It was nice to see, even though I never expected anything like that for myself. I had let go of bitterness about what my life had turned into long ago. As a kid, I’d had dreams of joining the Air Force. Being a pilot. Or a teacher. Or a nurse.

Or all three, come to think of it.

I’d fallen into hospitality and management completely by accident. Waitressing jobs were easier to come by. And I hadn’t had time or money for after-school classes or pre-college courses. Thankfully, I’d proven my worth immediately and quickly moved up the chain to managing the diner I worked in after school. That had led from job to job until I ended up doing most of the concierge work at a five-star hotel, and now I was taking over the wedding and event planning entirely. I did like the work, and it paid surprisingly well, but I still wanted to go to college full-time.

Someday, I would.

When the last of the little buggers under my watch were safely on their way to college themselves.

It would be a long time for that, so I would keep taking my classes and putting one foot in front of the other. Speaking of my feet . . .

I frowned down at my toes. I had not given myself a pedicure in weeks. Between my early morning jogs and running around in heels at the hotel, the ballet pink paint job was needing a definite touchup.

I had to get ready, I thought, as I flipped the first batch of pancakes in the air. I had a date on Sunday night. An actual date, like a normal twenty-year-old girl, I thought wistfully.

And I decided something spontaneously.

I decided I was going to let Jaken kiss me . . .

Chapter Five

Jaken

I blessed Preacher mentally. He and Cynthia were still in town and had volunteered to babysit for Colleen. Which meant I had her all to myself this evening.