He winced. “Oh, no. I’ve gone back to Jacobi.”
She took a slow bite of the tart, enjoying the ripe berry bursting on her tongue. Moaning softly, she closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, she found him staring at her with a hungry expression, and she doubted he wanted a bite of her tart. It was the same hunter look he’d worn that first night they had met. “Speaking of, your mom calls you Wallace, huh?”
He nodded. “She considers Jake undignified and common.” He rolled his eyes, but his expression showed affection rather than exasperation. “She’s never going to change, so I don’t bother correcting her any longer.”
It was her turn to stare hungrily as her dining companion put a forkful of the rich cake in his mouth. He didn’t close his eyes or moan, but the wrinkling around his eyes betrayed his pleasure. A small smear of chocolate at the corner of his mouth caught her attention. Before she could stifle the impulse, she lifted her hand and wiped it gently with her thumb. His gaze on her the entire time she brought the tasty morsel back to her mouth to suck off slowly sent her body plunging into a maelstrom of desire.
He leaned closer, his voice little more than a whisper. “Let’s take the desserts to go.” After clearing his throat, he no longer sounded husky, but he still looked aroused. His crisp voice was a marked contrast. “I’d like to show you the apartment, and then you can make a more informed decision.”
She nodded, rendered incapable of speech for a moment by the heady combination of raspberry and dark chocolate on her tongue. No, that was a lie. Jake was the one heightening her senses, not the decadent dessert. She wanted him, and it was suddenly impossible to pretend, at least to herself, that she didn’t. All the sensible reasons why they shouldn’t get more involved with each other were leaking out of her head like sand in an hourglass, and she couldn’t seem to summon enough will power to care.
Twenty minutes later, they were at his building. The same doorperson and security attendant were working, and she was surprised when they greeted her with, “Welcome, Ms. Elliott.” Perhaps Jake had been preparing them for her visit, or maybe she had been so clearly out of place that first night they couldn’t help remembering the curvy black woman who’d intruded.
She sighed at the thought, hating how vulnerable it made her feel and how pathetic it was. It was no secret he was way out of her league, but he didn’t seem to know that, and she didn’t have to indulge in fruitless musings about how inadequate she was.
The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, so only halfway up the building. For some reason, she found that much better than the penthouse. It just seemed less extravagant.
That impression soon faded as Jake opened the ornate door and led her into a marble-tiled foyer. The soft sheen of the pearl-gray wallpaper married beautifully with the dark marble. The furnishings were modern, but not so cutting edge as to be off-putting. She couldn’t help mentally calculating the cost of the furniture with a wince when he mentioned in an offhand way it came furnished, but she could redecorate if she chose.
It was exquisite and just the kind of place she would have picked, even down to the black and white art on the walls with the occasional splash of bright colors. “Did you ask my friends about my tastes?” she asked, torn between annoyance and a dangerous dose of endearment at the suspicion.
He shook his head. “No. The person who lived here is moving out of the country, and this is exactly as he left it. He doesn’t want to bother with disposing of anything, so that’s why it has a furnished option.” Jake tilted his head slightly as he led her into the master bedroom, which was larger than her current apartment. With a flourish, he threw open a door leading into a large walk-in dressing room. “Don’t you think I would have converted this to a nursery if I really wanted to impress you?”
She smiled. “I’m kind of surprised you didn’t, Jake.”
“It’s something we should do together.” He leaned against the doorway. “What do you think?”
Sondra took a deep breath, warring with her emotions. “I think it’s fabulous.” There, she’d admitted it. “I can think of several reasons why I shouldn’t accept this, but I think we could be comfortable here.”
He stood up, taking a step closer. “I hope so, but maybe you’d better test out a few things to make sure.”
She tipped her head to the left a bit. “Like what?”
“Maybe the couch. You have to make sure it properly supports your buttocks.” As he spoke, he cupped her bottom, pinching lightly.
She yelped. “Hey.”
“Or maybe you should take a long bath in the tub. Did I mention it’s a Jacuzzi?”
She moaned from the idea of having such a luxury at her disposal, along with the way his hand curved along her hip, and his thumb flirted boldly with the crease at the apex of her thighs.
“I think it’s most important for a pregnant woman to get good rest, so maybe you should try out the bed.” He made the suggestion before brushing his lips over hers. “I’ll be happy to help you test it.”
“I’m sure you would.” Sondra knew she shouldn’t do it, but she couldn’t keep from opening her mouth and running her tongue across his lips. His throaty groan was music to her ears, and she curled her fingers around the lapels of his jacket to pull him closer.
Jake kissed her passionately, clearly as desperate for her as she was him. Had it really been five weeks since they had touched like this? No, more like two weeks since that fiery kiss in his office, but she knew this was quickly moving beyond kissing.
Sondra cried out with surprise before giggling as Jake lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. He laid her down gently prior to peeling off his tuxedo jacket and the garments underneath.
She shook her head. “I can walk, you know. It must be some primitive caveman thing that makes you sling me around like a sack of potatoes.”
He chuckled. “I handled you like the finest crystal.” As he lay down beside her, Jake ran his hands through her straightened hair before pulling her head back to bite her gently on the neck. “You do make me feel kind of barbaric and territorial though, love.”
She shivered as his mouth moved lower, his hands dealing with her dress to clear his way to her plump breast. Sondra moaned when he flicked his tongue across the sensitive bud. “Careful,” she warned as he started sucking. He wasn’t hurting her, but she was so sensitive right now that his tender touch could turn painful in a second.
He softened his touch even more, and his fingers were barely more than a whisper on her other nipple. It was nice, but maddening.
“Not that careful.”
Jake increased the pressure of his fingers and mouth until she was writhing and squirming on the sumptuous bed. Sondra somehow assisted him with removing the dress and her under things, aside from the stockings and garter. How he managed to do his part, she didn’t know, since he was always touching or kissing her somewhere as he undressed her.
She was soaking when he slid a finger inside her to test her readiness. Sondra pumped her hips, arching against his hand to encourage him when he brushed against her clitoris. “Please, Jake,” she whimpered.
“I’d love to tease you.” He kissed her chin and then her neck, swirling his tongue around the column of her throat before settling between her thighs. “I would love to make you beg and then scream with pleasure after delayed gratification.”
“Please don’t.” She needed him now.
Jake looked down at her as he guided his shaft to her folds. “Don’t worry, honey. I can’t make either one of us wait. I’ve waited too long for you already.” He surged inside her with that declaration, making her cry out with satisfaction at their joining.
“That’s so good.” How was she still managing to form words? Even one-syllable grunts should be beyond her with her fractured thoughts a colorful kaleidoscope from pleasurable sensations.
“Oh, yeah.” He thrust in and out of her rapidly. There was nothing sweet or gentle about their coupling, but it w
as the perfect pace for their urgent need.
She locked her thighs around him and rocked her pelvis. Angling her hips brought more friction to her clit, and release swept over her a scant second before Jake spilled his warmth inside her. Her body continued to clench and clamp tight to him, as though refusing to let him go even though he was making no move to get away.
Afterward, they collapsed together, breathing heavily for several moments. Jake still sounded a bit breathless when he asked a few minutes later, “What do you think?”
She sighed. “I think that was the most amazing sex ever.”