The Mighty Storm (The Storm 1)

Once the doors are closed he pushes me up against the wall, his mouth on mine, hard and fast, and his hands are everywhere.

Then, before I know it, the lift doors are pinging open on our floor, and Jake’s pulling me down the hall, unlocking the door to his suite, and then we are finally alone.

Jake starts to walk toward me but I back off.

Payback time mister.

He cocks his head to the side, staring at me a little puzzled and very curious.

“Stay there,” I breathe.

I’ve never really been this confident sexually. I’m more of a straight to the basics kind of girl. And I’ve most definitely never been confident about my body.

So I have no idea where that little skirt lifting show came from in the car, or why I let him do what he did to me, or even why I want to carry on the show in here. But I do. I want to do it for him, because of him.

Jake makes me feel confident … and so very sexy.

I’m feeling pretty glad right now that I’m wearing my good underwear, as I start to unbutton my shirt, slowly, one button at a time.

I watch Jake’s eyes as they follow my hands down.

I slide my shirt off, down my arms, letting it fall to the floor.

Then I kick my heels off, and unbutton my skirt at the back, slowly easing the zip down. I shimmy it over my hips, then let it fall to the floor and step out of it.

Now I’m just standing here in just my black lacy underwear.

Jake’s eyes are on fire, devouring me, and he looks like he’s about to pounce any second now.

I run my hand down my stomach and hook a thumb into the elastic of my panties, slowly inching them down over my hips.

Jake’s breathing is shallow. His eyes fixed on my hand, watching, waiting.

He puts his hand on the stretch in his jeans, adjusting himself, obviously feeling the discomfort in his pants.

I stop pulling my panties down, changing my mind, and bring them back up to rest on my hips.

He cocks his head to the side.

Slowly, I walk over to him.

My heart is pumping hard in my chest. I’ve got a heat in my belly, and I’m flushed all over.

Jake grabs hold of my hips pulling me hard against him the instant I’m within his reach.

Shaking my head at him, I remove his hands off my hips and step back a little.

“Not yet,” I whisper.

“I want you now.” His tone is urgent, intense. It travels through me, hitting me in just the right spot.

I lean close to his ear and whisper, “Yo voy a chupar.”

He sharps out a breath. “Fuck, Tru,” he growls. “If you want me to wait you’re not going about it the right way.”

Moving back, I smile at him, snagging my lower lip with my teeth.

“Tell me what you just said? I need to know.” His words are breathy, ragged.

I love that I can do this to him with just words.

“Let me show you,” I say, dropping to my knees before him.

Then I’m undoing his jeans, freeing him, and showing him just exactly what I meant.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Why won’t you tell me where we’re going?” I ask Jake again, turning in my seat to face him.

He flickers a glance at me. “Because it’s a surprise.”

“Why is everything always a surprise with you?”

He slows the car to a stop at the red traffic light.

“Because I like seeing the look on your face when you discover what the surprise is.” He reaches over and strokes my cheek with his fingers.

“You would still get the surprised look even if you told me you know – I’m great at surprised faces.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you are,” he chuckles. “But still, it just doesn’t equal the look of seeing it in your eyes, as you see it for the first time.”

Huh? Well now I’m just confused.

“Okay, so what if I told you I don’t like surprises.” I fold my arms across my chest.

“Well you haven’t seemed to mind them so far,” he says confidently, shifting the car back into drive as the light changes to green. “And you definitely didn’t seem to mind the one I gave you earlier.”

My cheeks instantly flush.

Memories of Jake sneaking up behind me when I was in the bathroom, brushing my teeth, getting ready to come out tonight … and then I was coming, but in a whole different way.

“Well, yeah I did like that one,” I grin across at him, unfurling my arms.

“See surprises can be good.” He takes hold of my hand and kisses it then rests it back down so he can signal his turn.

Earlier was amazing, but I think it was also Jake’s way of cushioning the blow, pardon the pun, because after we made love; he’d had some of those amazing cakes delivered as we never did get to go to the delicatessens, and while we were sat in bed feeding each other cake, he told me that the pictures of me and him leaving the Louvre had hit the tabloids in full colour glory telling the world we’re together. They also know Jake and I grew up together. That we used to live next-door to one another and had been best friends growing up.

So now the whole world knows pretty much everything about Jake and I.

Except they don’t know we had an affair.

They don’t know I still had a boyfriend when we started seeing each other. They haven’t locked onto that little piece of information, yet, and I hope they never do. For Will’s sake as much as my own.

The word is that Jake has found "the one". His girl next-door.

It’s sweet, in an intrusive, weird kind of way.

Jake was worried how I’d feel because of my privacy concerns, and because of how I had wanted to spare Will’s feelings as much as possible.

I reassured him I was fine with it all. It was bound to hit the press one day, so sooner rather than later.

So now it’s out, Jake and I can get on with just enjoying one another.

I stare out through the heavily tinted window looking at Paris all around me. I feel like I’m the luckiest girl in the world to be with Jake. To have him back in my life, and for us to finally be together.

And for him to love me back, like I’ve always loved him.

If only we’d told one another how we felt when we were younger, maybe we would never have lost touch. Maybe we would have always been together, and Jake would never have had the drug problem and I would have been there for him when Jonny died.

It’s sad to think we’ve missed out on so many years together, but we have each other now and that’s what matters.

So, I have no idea where I’m going tonight, which is a tad frustrating, but the flip side is that it’s just Jake and I tonight. He told Dave and Ben to stay at the hotel.

I know, I couldn’t believe it either.

Dave was not comfortable with Jake going out alone. But Jake is the boss and what he says goes. He can be pretty authoritative when he wants to be. And it’s really very sexy to see in action. I might let him be all authoritative with me in bed later tonight.

I know why Jake wanted to go out alone with me. He’s trying to give me a normal night out after today’s escapade at the Louvre. Trying to prove to me that life can be normal with him at times.

So there’s no Dave following us. Just Jake and I in his new hire car, a two-seater black BMW Z4.

It’s a sexy car, just like its driver.

Jake had it delivered earlier for us to go out in tonight, and Stuart has also changed the Merc’s, so now Jake’s got Audi’s for the remainder of his stay.

However long that will be.

We haven’t talked about going home yet. I know I have to go home soon, as I need to get back to the magazine and do some work before the US leg of the tour starts. But I’m reluctant to bring the subject up because I don’t want to leave him yet, if ever.

Every time I think about being without Jake, I get this awful strangling, tightening sensation in my tummy.

So for now, I’m not thinking about it.

Jake takes the next turn, taking us down the Rue de la Paix.

He pulls the car over just outside Tiffany’s and turns the engine off.

“What are we doing here?” I ask, a little frisson of energy bursting in my tummy.

Of course I have an idea, well a hope, of what we’re doing here, but I have to ask just to be sure.

“There’s something I need to pick up,” he answers.

“Oh, okay.”

My little glimmer of sparkly hope vanishes.

Of course, I don’t want Jake spending lots of money on me, but if he ever felt the need to buy me something pretty from Tiffany’s then I wouldn’t take total offence to it.

I’ve always wanted jewellery from Tiffany’s.

A: Because I love Audrey Hepburn and wanted to be her for a while when I was younger, well I still kind of do.

B: I love the song.

But mainly C: Because the jewellery is just so ridiculously beautiful, but it’s also, so very out of my price range.

Anyway, he’s here to pick something up, and that’s cool.

Maybe it’s something for his mum. He did speak to her on the phone earlier.

He told her about him and me.

Apparently, she’s really pleased and is looking forward to seeing me again.

Honestly, the thought makes me nervous. Maybe it’s because I’ll be seeing Susie again after all these years as Jake’s girlfriend, and not just his friend.

I climb out of the car and Jake meets me around the other side.

Luckily, the streets are fairly quiet tonight, as I don’t fancy another mobbing like we had earlier.

Jake takes hold of my hand and we walk toward Tiffany’s.

I’ve been in a Tiffany’s store before, of course. Looked around then left before I either killed my visa or cried.

The closed sign is up on the door, but the place is all lit up, and I can see a man walking toward the door.

They’ve kept the place open late for Jake.

Oh, the power of money and status.

We’re greeted at the door by the man inside who identifies himself as Devin.

Devin is well groomed and very attractive. He reminds me of Stuart in a way. I wonder if he’s gay…

“Your piece is ready for you,” Devin is saying to Jake as we follow him over to the brightly lit, glossy, sparkly counter.

But I’m barely listening. It’s so damn pretty in here. My head is swivelling on my neck.

It looks even fancier than the one on Bond Street back home. It probably isn’t, it’s just because it’s here in amazing Paris that I think so.

More than anything, I want to visit Tiffany & Co. in New York. The original and the best.

One day Tru, one day.

I’m getting distracted, there’s just so much to look at, and my fingers are itching to touch things.

A display of rings to my left catches my eye, so I drop Jake’s hand and wander over to have a look, leaving him to get his ‘piece’.

The thought makes me want to giggle. I’m so immature at times.

My eyes roam the gems in the glass case, white diamonds, sapphires, yellow diamonds, and oh my god, a pink diamond. A freaking pink diamond! I didn’t even know you could get pink diamonds!

I’m actually freaking out a little here. Because this has to be the most beautiful ring I have ever seen in my whole entire twenty-six years on this plant.