Forever's Embrace (Forever In Luck Series Book 2) (6 page)

When
the light show came to an end, she turned in his arms and looked up at him.
Then in that sultry voice of hers, she said “That was phenomenal. I will never,
ever forget these moments with you for as long as I live.”

Beguiled,
he reached a hand up and held her face, as he gave her the sweetest, gentlest
kiss he knew how to give. Then he prayed like hell she liked it.

CHAPTER
4

Throwing
her hair up with a clip, Jules made a mad dash for the bathroom mirror to make
sure she didn’t have raccoon eyes. She had to hurry if she was going to see
Linnie before she left on her honeymoon. Jake was waiting for her at the top of
the stairs, and when they walked into the kitchen, Nik started laughing.

Equally
amused, Kris said, “Well, well, if it isn’t Ginger Rogers and Fred Flintstone.”

“Shut
up,” Jake bit out.

Nik
jumped up and started clomping around the kitchen, slapping his hip several
times, then began moving his fingers back and forth like crab claws, pretending
to mimic Jake.

Grabbing
a kitchen towel, Jake snapped it at Nik. “It was maracas, you ass, not
castanets, and you’re the one who played the tambourine.”

There
was a round of rowdy laughter.

“You
got proof of that?” Nik challenged, continuing to dance around before plopping
in his chair. “Because we’ve got some of you. Kris and I uploaded it this
morning on that new YouTube video thing on the computer. You’re getting hits
left and right. Hey Dad, if Dancing With The Stars calls, they’re looking for
Jake.”

Reaching
around Jules, Jake punched Nik in the arm, then growled, “I’m going to kick
your ass.”

Laughing
it off, Nik responded, “I’m shaking in my boots, Elvis.”

Jake
groaned.

“Hey,
Jules, Mr. Cool here given you the flick of the head and his Elvis smile yet?”
Kris asked, mimicking Jake, while giving it his best impersonation, “Hey, baby.
I’m Elvis Albrecht.”

There
was another round of laughter, and Jules had to smile because it was kind of
true now that they mentioned it, and because Kris was hilarious trying to pull
it off.

“It’s
his Elvis look. He practiced for hours in the mirror to get it just right.”

Hearing
Jake sigh with irritation, Jules turned and gave him a warm adoring look.

Looking
back at her, he shook his head and said quietly, “Don’t listen to them.”

Then
Nik started in again, his voice a high falsetto, “Oooh, Jake, you hunk of
burning love, you ain’t nothing but a hound dog. I just love it when you shake
your maracas.” Then he let out some squeaky kissing noises.

Kris
and Nik busted out laughing.

Jules
was mortified. He did not just say that, did he? Their dad was in the room!
Jules turned from Jake and glared at Nik.

“Hey
Jules, that ain’t your happy face,” Nik said, amused. “Kris, look. Look at
her.”

Nate
and Linnie walked in just as Jules reached over and pinched the back of Nik’s
arm, hard, with all her strength.

“OWWW!
Damn, Jules, I was just kidding.” Nik howled and whined, rubbing his arm
vigorously. “Shit that hurts.”

“Suck
it up, you wuss,” Jake said, laughing with glee.

Linnie
gasped, and Jules looked up irritated, then responded sternly, “Your brother is
teasing inappropriately.”

Glaring
at Nik, Linnie offered somewhat apologetically, “Well, welcome to the family, I
did tell you they’d take you under their wing. That’s typical behavior for
him.”

“Oh
sure, now you tell me it was a warning. I’m going to quit listening to you. It
just gets me into trouble every time.”

They
all laughed. Then Jules hopped up and gave Linnie a big hug goodbye, trying not
to cry. It didn’t work. They both cried, and when they were done and their
goodbyes said, Jules snuck downstairs because she needed some time to rest and
compose herself.

Lying
there in Jake’s bed after having nodded off for a while, she thought about
everything that had happened in the last few days, and couldn’t help the smile
that pulled at her lips. He’d kissed her! Last night would forever be burned in
her mind, and it had been nothing short of sensational. The wedding, the
dancing, the ride home, the northern lights, being held in his strong arms, then
that magnificent kiss. WOW! She thought she’d died and gone to heaven it was so
wonderful.

He
was enchanting, and she hadn’t wanted it to end. When she’d said she’d never
seen anything more beautiful than the northern lights, and he said he had, she
didn’t know how to take it at first, but after thinking about it, she was
fairly certain he’d meant her. Her heart danced. He was a romantic! Hopping out
of bed, eager to see if he was there, she went to his dresser and looked at his
watch. Two o’clock in the afternoon. Well, if nothing else, the Bear’s were
going up against the Patriot’s in an hour and she’d watch the game.

Walking
into the kitchen, she stopped dead in her tracks. Jake was standing there
looking out the window as he drank from a cup. Holy lussekatter buns, did he
look delicious. He must’ve just come in from outside, because he was wearing
these snug and rugged, brown canvas bibs, that held his shape all the way up to
his broad chest. The cut and design accentuated his strong arms covered by plaid
flannel sleeves, rolled at the cuff, revealing the long underwear he had
underneath. He was taller than ever in his thick soled work boots, and his
cheeks were rosy from the cold. Darned if she didn’t have the urge to run over
there and throw herself in his arms. Flushing at the thought, she stepped
closer.

Smiling
when he saw her, he said, “Hey sleepyhead, you get some rest?”

Nodding
and smiling back, she answered, “Slept, showered, and mostly packed.”

“What
time does your flight leave?” he asked, leaning against the counter and
crossing his feet at the ankles.

“I
need to be at the airport no later than four in the morning, my flight leaves
at five fifteen, lands at six forty-five, then I’ll catch a cab home, drop off
my stuff, and head to work.”

“You
mean you’re here one more night?” he said, more than he asked.

“Well,
yeah, kind of. Linnie said it wouldn’t be a problem when I booked the flight,
but now that she’s not here… I should probably call and see if I can get a
flight tonight, because this one will interfere with your milking schedule.”

“No,
it’s cool, don’t change it,” he responded, with a little shake of his head.
“It’ll just cost more, and traffic will be a breeze at that time of the
morning, so leave it be.”

“You
sure? I don’t want it to be a problem.”

“I’m
very sure,” he answered with confidence. “You hungry?”

“A
little, but I can wait till mealtime.”

He
gave her a look that indicated he didn’t like that answer, causing her to
laugh. “Okay, how about something small until dinnertime, would that be
alright?”

He
shook his head as he stood up and walked to the fridge. “Breakfast food okay?”

Following
him, she watched as he took a plate out of the fridge. Then he stopped and
looked at her, as he waited for her response. He’s taking care of me again, she
thought. Nodding in response, she answered him, “It sounds good, but I can do
that, I’m sure you have other things to do.”

Ignoring
her, he put the plate in the microwave, set the timer, hit start, then went to
the cupboard and pulled out a glass. “Milk okay?”

“Yes,”
she answered, biting her lip, then had a thought, and added, “I like milk.”

“That’s
good,” he said, going to the fridge and getting the milk, then teased, “because
anything else around here would result in your immediate expulsion, with you
being escorted off the property, in none too much of a lady like fashion I
might add, and left at the end of the driveway with nothing but your bags to
sit on.”

Smiling,
she looked down and suddenly felt devilish. “That’s good to know. However, in
the interest of full disclosure, who’d do the escorting and how?”

He
laughed at her. “Me, and you’d be over my shoulder like a sack of ‘tatoes, with
a swat or two on the hinder, should you utter any dairy related blasphemy.”

Pausing
to watch him for a few moments, she gathered her courage and said, “Hmmmm, I’m
ahhh, failing to see the detractors in that scenario.” Then she quickly looked
down, trying desperately not to laugh at herself. After last night, if she was
right, this should get his goat and shed some light on the matter.

The
glass and milk jug smacked onto the counter, and she could hear the milk
sloshing around. Watching his boots, she saw him turn towards her, and then he
just stood there for a few moments, presumably looking at her. She bit her lip,
trying not to smile, then pretended to be studying her nails. Her heart was
pounding like a jackhammer, and she could feel the stain of redness on her
cheeks.

Moving
quickly, he headed towards her. Surprised, she snapped her head up and began
stepping backwards, smacking up against the wall with nowhere to go. He moved
in close, resting a forearm on the wall over her head. She watched as he took
in a deep lungful of air, all the while studying her face. She sensed he was
smelling her.

“Listen
up, buttercup. I’m desperately trying to be a gentleman here, and you’re
playing with fire.”

Her
lips twitched as she tried not to smile. Looking at his chest, she shook her
head a little and countered, “No, not really, I’m playing with your mind,
Jake.” Then she slowly lifted her gaze to his, her smile carried solely in her
eyes.

Baffled,
he paused, then chuckled softly. “Well, I’ll be damned. You’re flirting with
me, aren’t you?”

Smiling
widely because he’d figured her out, she shrugged a shoulder in deference. Unable
to help herself, she looked into his beautiful amber colored eyes and was
transfixed. “I’m thinking I don’t want plain old milk, I’d like mine with
chocolate. I’m in the mood for something sweet,” she said softly. “I’m not
sure, could you clarify, would that be considered a sacrilege? Would I get the
less than lady like treatment?”

Peering
down at her in amusement, he answered slowly, “Oh no, that request would get
you the royal treatment for sure.”

Her
heart pitter pattered in her chest, and her breathing sped up. Soon she felt a
tingle and tightening throughout. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she went
for it. “The royal treatment? What’s the royal treatment?”

“Mmmm,
can’t tell you, can only show you. It goes like this.”

Taking
her in his arms, he pulled her in tight and kissed her ardently, taking his
time and doing it oh, so very right. She whimpered, overwhelmed by the feel of
his body against hers. Unable to escape him, she succumbed to her desires for
more of him, and brought her hands up, feeling his chest before taking full
measure of his extraordinarily impressive biceps. She was lost to him, solely,
and completely captivated by him.

“Jake,”
she said, in a breathy rush when he let up a little.

“Hmmmm?”
he responded, nuzzling her ear.

“Just
so you know, I really, really love chocolate in my milk.”

He
burst out laughing, hugging her even tighter as he lifted her off the floor.
Kissing her one more time before responding, he said, “I’m glad, I’m so damn
glad to hear that.” Putting her down, he placed a kiss on her head. “Let’s feed
you, and we’ll watch the game. The Bears are playing, and I for one can’t wait
to see them lose.”

*****

Jake
had never been so entertained. Jules was, without a doubt, passionate about the
Chicago Bears. He had more fun watching her than the game, and it was turning
out to be a decent game. She’d been nothing like this on Thanksgiving Day when
they’d watched the other games. It was no wonder she’d agreed to the bet.

“Did
you just see that? Did you?” she asked, throwing her hands up in the air.
“Unbelievable, wake up Urlacher, get with the program!”

Jake
wanted to howl with laughter, she was so funny, and cute as a button, cheering
when they made a great play, then jumping up and dancing around when they
scored.

“Come
on, coome ooon, cooomme oooonnn… NO!…No…hold on, hold on…NOOOO!” She fell back
on the couch. “Dang it! What in the world? This is ridiculous,” she lamented,
in total disgust, then got back into it by sitting up on the edge of the couch.
“Lovie!” she demanded, talking to the Bear’s head coach, “the offensive line’s
a mess! Pull it together, NOW!”

Jake
was in hysterics. She was riveted, and her boys were losing. He loved it.
Really, really loved it. He never would have imagined this. There were
dimensions to her he wouldn’t have ever dreamed of. Pinching Nik, the flirting,
and now this…this is not the shy girl who’d walked off the plane five days ago,
he thought. She’d obviously gotten comfortable around them.

She
threw in the towel, literally. Jake watched as the dishtowel fluttered to the
floor, and had to control himself from falling off the couch laughing.

“It’s
over!” she announced. “Allllll over with now,” she grumped, sitting back while
crossing her arms and legs, all disgruntled. Mumbling to herself, she continued
watching the last minutes of the game. “Intercepted,” she growled. “Seriously,
how in the world do they expect to win with that many turnovers? Good grief.”
Her leg began swinging out of frustration.