Solace In The Silence ✓✓

chapter 27

I wasn't prepared for the rush of relief that thundered through me, picking up on what he was implying-that he hadn't been with anyone since Sera, which was over a year ago-and I fought to keep my happiness in check.

When those intense, magnetic eyes eventually crawled back to mine, they stole my breath and my heart. "Are you starting to get it now?"
"I think so." I nodded shakily.
He lifted his hand to my face, and his rough fingertips slowly grazed my cheek. "I've been trying to forget about you, long before you even came back."

To my frustration, Jake was the perfect gentleman when we got back to his apartment just shy of midnight.

All the heady sexual energy between us had only kicked up a notch when he'd suggested that I take a shower. Worse yet, that he didn't plan to sleep on the couch tonight. My brain had instantly played in the gutter, and I was flooded with incoherent images of Jake and me together, naked, having all kinds of fun.
Nerves fluttered in my belly as he walked over to his dresser and asked, "Do you want some clothes to sleep in? A T-shirt or something?"
"Uh, yeah. A T-shirt would be good," I said, donning a casual voice. On the inside, I was dying. The nervous-excited feeling swelled in my system.

"Your toothbrush is in the toothbrush holder from last time, and I'll get you a clean towel." Jake handed me one of his old T-shirts and brushed past me to open up the linen closet in the hall. The innocent contact jarred my entire body, and little zings of heat eddied through me.
After rummaging around for a moment, he withdrew a towel and added it to the growing pile I was carrying.

When Jake lifted his chin up, his dark gaze locking on mine, my stomach ignited like someone had set a match to an ember. His eyes burned with equal longing as they skated over me, lingering on my mouth.
His voice came out hoarse when he spoke. "Is there anything else you need?"
You , I was tempted to say.
Instead, I just shook my head and practically fled to the bathroom, crazily aware of how loud my heart was thundering in my ears.

Adjusting the water temperature so that it was hot enough, I stayed under the spray for a lot longer than I needed to, reveling in the way it soothed my stiff, cold muscles.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I barely resisted the urge to bang my head against the tiles, feeling like death from sexual frustration might be in the stars for me tonight.

I knew Jake wanted to wait-we'd talked about it once before-and that he didn't want to rush me, but as much as I admired him for that, the anticipation was starting to become a side of torture.
When I was finished, I exited the steamed-up bathroom and saw that Jake was sprawled out on the bed, engrossed in his phone. He only had on low-hanging sweats, and I could detect the cut V just below his abs.

A little shiver coursed through me.
I had to remind myself for the umpteenth time that the horizontal tango was not on tonight's agenda, and that, considering everything that had happened lately, it was probably for the best.
I forced myself to drag my eyes away. "Can you scoot over?"
He glanced up, his silvery gaze pinning me as it traveled from the top of my head down to my curled toes.
"Damn. You look ridiculously good in my T-shirt," he croaked out, and my pulse accelerated.

When he reached out to toy with the hem of the faded shirt, I inhaled. He slipped one hand beneath the thin material, his fingers tickling my thigh as they slowly skimmed higher.
I placed my hand on his shoulder to steady myself as I lifted my knee. He took hold of my thigh, guiding my legs until they straddled either side of him.
Jake's heavy-lidded gaze fastened on mine. "God, I can never get enough of you." His raspy comment was almost my undoing.

Tugging me forward in his lap, I was shocked by how much I could still feel through the thin material of our clothes. He was hard everywhere that I was soft. And while I couldn't concentrate on anything aside from the feel of him, Jake leaned forward to kiss me, capturing my mouth with his.