Revealed (Book 4, the Redemption Series)

Chapter 2

Jake's heart raced as he opened the window, no longer feeling tired. "What are you doing here?"

Mary blushed. "I wanted to see you."

"But why the window?"

"Isn't your mom asleep in front of the TV?"

"Of course."

"Well, there you go. I didn't want to wake her."

"I don't think an air horn could wake her."

"Whatever." Mary rested her elbows on the windowsill. "Are you going to help me up?"

He popped off the screen. "It would be easier if you snuck in the back door."

"This is more exciting. It's like we're kids again." She gave him a wink. "Be careful. I'm wearing a dress. I don't want it to wind up over my head until after you've kissed me."

Jake scooped Mary up and carefully set her inside. From the way her dress molded to her body, he could tell that she wasn't wearing underwear. He ran a hand down her hip. "My, aren't you a little minx?"

With downcast eyes, she said, "Yep. Things have laid dormant for too long, and you bring out the worst in me, Jake Bryant."

It was his turn to blush as the blood rushed to more than his face. "And you bring out the best in me, Mary Morgan."

"I have to warn you this isn't the first time I've snuck into a boy's room in the middle of the night."

"I know. I heard." The second the words left Jake's mouth, he wished he could take them back.

"He told you?"

"Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

Her brow pinched. "What? Did Tom tell you in the locker room after snapping each other on the butt with wet towels?"

"It wasn't like that. You're being silly."

"Am I?"

"Yes. So stop it, or I'll snap you on the butt."

She shook her head. "That's not my thing. Not after my childhood."

"Sorry. I forgot," he said, tickling her earlobe with his lips. "But you have to let some of this old stuff go if we're going to stand a chance."

"I know. I'm trying."

"Good."

Mary had been his best friend's wife before he was brutally murdered. Jake had wasted no time in secretly avenging Tom's death. The man was a saint and didn't deserve to die that young. Though Jake's methods were selfish, they had also saved Mary and her children from a painful trial if the murderer had ever been brought to justice..

She said, "Now, where were we?"

Jake snaked a hand underneath her dress and squeezed her ass. An ass that was soft, small but fleshy, and smooth as a marble statue. She responded by kissing him passionately, thrusting her hips into him. He led her towards the bed. The mattress caught the back of her legs, and she sat down hard. The bed frame rattled against the wall.

"We have to be quiet," she insisted.

"Super quiet," he agreed.

Jake got down on his knees and kissed her, inching up the hem of her dress. She didn't stop him, so he moved his hand higher. The room grew hot. Mary's tongue traced a line down his neck to his collar bone. He grew harder. The need grew more urgent. Their lips mashed together. His fingers inched towards the goal. She fumbled with his zipper when the snoring in the next room abruptly stopped.

"Wait." Mary pushed him away. "Did your mom wake up?"

"I'm not sure."

They waited. And listened. Jake's mom coughed loudly in the next room. The recliner groaned as Nancy shifted her weight off the chair's worn springs.

There was no doubt that she was awake.

Mary pulled down her dress, and Jake reached for his shirt, groaning under his breath. This was so stupid. Meals and laundry weren't worth this embarrassment. As soon as he could afford it, he'd have to rethink his living arrangement. Footsteps pattered down the hallway. They stopped momentarily in front of Jake's door but luckily continued on. His mother's bedroom door opened up and closed with a dull thud. They both heaved a sigh of relief.

Jake looked at her expectantly. "Do you want to pick up where we left off?"

"Sorry. This was fun, but I don't want your mom to catch me with my pants down. Or my dress up."

"I could come back to your house. The kids should be asleep."

She shook her head. "I have a big day tomorrow. Can I give you a rain check for the weekend?"

"Sure," he said with a frown.

"You don't have to tell me. I needed this too. Why else would I have left my underwear behind?"

He pretended to write on an imaginary piece of paper. "All right. Can I get you to endorse this rain check?"

"Shut up." She punched him in the arm. "Now help me back out the window."

Jake rubbed his shoulder. "Not after you hit me."

"Right. You just want to see my ass."

"Maybe." He grinned like the Cheshire cat.

She turned around, bent over, and flipped up her dress. "Happy?"

Her ass looked as good as it had felt. It would fuel his dreams tonight. And probably the next night too. It was just the right amount of big, round, small, plump, and tight. He knew they were all contradictory terms, but somehow her ass pulled it all off into one nice package. Very similar to its owner. He lunged for her, and she quickly let the dress fall back into place, wagging a finger at him.

"This weekend. I promise."

"Fine. Ready?"

"Yes."

Scooping Mary up, Jake gently set her on the windowsill. She hopped down with grace, not getting tangled in the bushes. "Thanks."

"Be careful driving home."

"I will." She paused in the yard. "Oops. I almost forgot the real reason I came over."

"It wasn't to tease me?"

"No." She dug in her jacket pocket and extracted a folded piece of paper. The white note gleamed supernaturally in the moonlight. "I want you to read the letter Tom left me."

"Tom left you a letter?"

Mary sprinted off to her car. "Yes. Read it, and we can discuss it tomorrow."