Pieces of Broken Time (30 page)

Blake drew her closer and she let him. He placed one hand on the small of her back and Jennifer rested her head on his chest.

She breathed in his masculine scent, the familiar one that never failed to make her all tingly.

“Because I’m in love with you, Jennifer Owens. I’ve loved you from the moment Trent first showed me your picture. I loved you every day I drove past your house in Lancaster, and I want to love you for the rest of my life.”

She heard the rapid beating of his heart and she ached to believe him. He made it sound so enticing. Would she dare give her heart and risk getting hurt again?

“I want you in my bed. I want to call you my wife, and I would love to show you what the new and improved me is all about . . . if you’ll have me.”

Jennifer hesitated.

Tell him.

How?

What if he doesn’t believe me?

She pushed him back to get a better look at his face. “I’m not built for this free-falling relationship. I don’t even know you. All I remember is the man who kept pushing me away. A bitter person who despised life because he’d been dealt a bad hand. You refused to see that I love the man and everything about him. How do you expect me to just believe in what you’re saying now?”

Instead of answering her, he captured her mouth in a rough and demanding kiss.

Her heart started beating wildly as the memories of his touch flooded her, making her remember their nights together. Sweet tingles of apprehension surged through her veins. When he stopped to look at her, her mouth prickled from his punishing kisses.

“I will make you believe it every day of my life. I’m not asking you to make a decision now. All I’m asking you for is the chance to make you happy.” One hand trailed up and down her arm in a caress.

“I don’t know what to say. I have so many questions.”

“I’ll be happy to answer them inside your bedroom.” He breathed against her cheek, lifting her into his arms and carrying her up the steps.

Heat coursed through her, and no matter how much she wanted to deny him, her body had been pining for him for so long. She doubted she would last any longer under the intense pressure of his presence and his words.

When Blake laid her down, she pulled him on top of her. His eye sparked a deep flame of desire she knew was flashing in her own. He seized her mouth for a long kiss. This time it was unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world. Then he worked his mouth down to her chin, placing small kisses on her neck and throat.

Jennifer smiled, loving the buildup, for she knew it wouldn’t take Blake long before he tasted her. She teemed with excitement when he sat up, his legs cradling her, and began unbuttoning her blouse.

“I love the feel of this fabric.” He was breathing hard, and she knew that he was feeling the heat just like she did.

“It’s silk.” Having him so close to her made it impossible to think clearly. Jennifer closed her eyes for a brief moment and let out a moan as the last button came undone.

“I could look at your . . .” Blake’s eyes grew wide. He looked at her then back to her stomach. “Are you—is it mine?”

Jennifer nodded and ran her palm over her growing belly. “I’m going on four months.”

“How? When? I was protected the last time we . . .” There was no denial in his tone, just bewilderment. “Did it happen the night I was . . .”

She closed her eyes again, feeling the guilt of keeping an important detail from him for a long time. “The night when you were drunk. You wanted to shower. I wouldn’t leave you alone for fear that you might hurt yourself. And then it happened.” Jennifer opened her eyes to find Blake staring at her, his eye misting.

“I’m not turning my back on my responsibility. This baby will have my name.” Blake kissed her stomach before inching up to capture her mouth.

Overwhelmed by his words and the sudden turn of events, Jennifer responded with eager kisses then it dawned on her what he’d said. “Is that what I am to you? A responsibility you have to shoulder? Because I can make it on my own. You don’t have to feel obligated—”

“You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said. I wanted to marry you even before I found out you were pregnant. But now . . . there is no way I’ll let my child be born without my name and knowing how much his father loves him.”

“You think it’s a boy?”

He smiled. “It’s going to be a boy. I can feel it.”

“I don’t know what to say. I want—”

“What I want right now is to feel your body against mine.”

Fiery heat emboldened her. Jennifer relieved him of his shirt with frantic fingers while she marveled at the changes in him. He didn’t flinch when her gaze travelled to his chest, along his strong stomach and each scar that defined him as the man she had fallen in love with. She longed to feel his hard muscles brushing against the softness of her skin. Her gaze ended at the button of his jeans. The hair peeking from the waistband taunted her to unfasten the darn button, the one obstacle that was keeping her from fully appreciating his body.

She sat up and planted a kiss on his parted lips once she got her fill. Tilting her head, she let her finger trace the softness of his lips.

He used his tongue to suck her finger inside, circling, eliciting an involuntary shudder from her.

As her finger kept him busy, she caressed his back with her other palm, tracing the flexed muscles and feeling each ripple with every movement.

“You’re a tease,” he said when her finger slid out. Without a word, he reached around her back and released the bra that held her breasts prisoner. He let his eyes wander, grinning as they devoured all she had to offer. He reached out, gathered one nipple between his thumb and forefinger, and pinched.

She moaned at the delicious sensation shooting from the perky tip. “Blake, I love and hate foreplay,” she complained.

“I’m afraid we’ve entered the no stopping zone,” he said, before his mouth descended on one of her sensitive mounds. Blake let his tongue glide across her skin, up and down the sloping playground, lapping, teasing, and making her wish for heaven right that moment.

“I won’t let you stop.”

He continued his assault on her breasts, keeping his tongue rigid while he flicked repeatedly on her nipple, punishing her with pleasure and urging her to scream.

She released a loud sigh of contentment while her fingers raked through the silky strands of his hair.

Blake pleasured each breast until her toes curled and her bud throbbed with want. Arching her body with each of his punishing demands, she met his touches with pained pleasure.

He grazed his hand down her abdomen, stopping to rub her belly before moving down to her pants.

Jennifer bucked her hips upward, eager to meet his touch.

He spread the zipper apart, and a flame ignited within her.

Jennifer wished he could douse her fire soon, but she loved the anticipation enough to stay patient.

He peeled her slacks off, taking her thong in the process with one powerful sweep, and her skin burned even hotter. He nudged her down and spread himself on top of her.

Blake lifted her and cupped her bottom, running his hands along her overheated skin that was screaming for more. The friction of his calloused palm against her skin stirred more desire, and her lips parted. Sliding his tongue in between her lips, he teased her to action, and she sucked hard and unrelenting.

She roamed her hands over the button of his pants that separated her from ecstasy. She looked up at him, sensing his hesitation, but there was no stopping her now. “Are you okay with this?”

Please say yes.

When he nodded and his breathing relaxed, she released the fly and his erection greeted her. She swayed at the electrifying sight before her.

Blake moved fast to get rid of his pants and was soon as naked as she was. Remembering how self-conscious he had been their first time, the man before her barely resembled the old one.

Blake let her memorize every bit of him, from the thin strip of hair that trailed from below his belly button and running down to his curls. She gazed at the scarring that ran down his leg, loving every second of watching every bit of his body. Taking his proud erection in her palm, she gave it a little action, stroking gently. He groaned his contentment, grinding his hips with her every thrust. She was damp and so ready to take it a step further.

After several hard thrusts against her palm, he withdrew from her grasp. “I brought protection, but I see no point in using it now.” His voice was thick with emotions. “Am I going to hurt the baby?”

“No,” she whispered.

Like a bolt of lightning, Blake sheathed himself in her.

She cried at the sweet intrusion when he pulled out and plunged back in. He repeated the process until her head was about to explode, with no coherent thoughts but the fulfillment she was aching for. She hit her climax and burst into a mind-numbing rapture. “Oh, Blake.” Her cries shattered with her.

Blake followed, arching his back, shuddering and exploded to his peak. “Oh, baby, baby!” He kept shouting until the last of his pleasure ebbed and he collapsed next to her.

How she ended in heaven when she thought her life would wither away might have had her questioning her luck before, but she wasn’t going to ask anymore. She would never forget the sweetness of this moment.

Chapter 26

Blake hoisted his body on his elbows while watching Jennifer walk to the bathroom. He heard the running water and closed his eyes. Still reveling in the aftermath of their sweet reunion, he let the glorious thoughts warm him.

During the night, as Jennifer had slept, Blake watched her and kept thanking his lucky stars for paving a way back into her life. And the biggest surprise of all, she was having his baby. He was never going to let them go.

Jennifer came out in her robe, her face freshly scrubbed, and the glow of their lovemaking radiating on her face. She smiled when their eyes met, and descended the stairs to the main part of the loft.

She fascinated him. Her little smile showed strength underneath the layer of sweetness, and most of all, he loved her courage for giving him another chance.

Did she?

Rewinding every bit of their conversation from last night, she hadn’t said that he was back in her life. Sure, she had accepted his explanations, but there had been no mention of anything more. She wanted to talk. She had said so last night.

Taking a deep breath, Blake rose from the bed and picked up his discarded jeans. He made his way downstairs and found Jennifer by the window, staring off into the distance, a cup of coffee in hand. The view of the sleepy city with a few twinkling lights pulsing in every direction was something he could get used to.

He stopped behind her and placed both palms on her shoulders. “Good morning,” he said, and lowered his face on her neck, skimming his mouth on her soft skin.

She sighed and tilted her head to the side.

He ravaged the silky expanse with kisses until he wanted more. Though he’d had wicked dreams of making love with her on every surface of the loft, he knew they should talk first.

Jennifer turned around, her eyes glistening with tears. “You know I love you, right?” Her voice broke.

Blake frowned, searching her face for a trace of the happiness he thought he’d seen the night before. “Jennifer, I love you, more than myself,” he whispered, hating himself for feeling so vulnerable. He curbed his impulse to clam up and hide. Showing her his weaknesses was an integral part of his road to fully accepting himself, as well as his faults.

“I’m scared,” she said, placing one hand on his chest.

He felt her emotions through her touch and the way her body vibrated. He nodded. “I’m scared, too,” he murmured into her hair.

“What’s going to happen to us and the baby? I can’t handle your highs and lows. I already know that.”

After many visits with the shrink, he had been prepped to face her doubts about him. Although he didn’t have the concrete answers, he knew what he could to do to keep himself together and put her worries to rest.

“I don’t expect you to fully trust me after the way I’ve treated you. All I can promise you is honesty. I pledge to keep you close when fears and insecurities get the best of me. I won’t shut you out. It’s going to be a work in progress, but I assure you that through all of it, I will try to protect you . . . even from me and my mood swings. I will guard our child from all things that would hurt him, and be the best father I can be. I will love him with everything I have.”

She gazed up at him. “I don’t need you to protect me. I want to feel everything you feel. Don’t shield me from the horrors of your experience. All I ask is to allow me to be a part of all that you are . . .”

“I want you to be happy with me. Heaven knows, I hated seeing you unhappy. I wanted to shoot myself every time I lashed out at you. I was foolish to think I ever saw pity in your eyes. I believed the worst because I thought I was protecting myself.” He took the mug from her and placed it on the glass table, and then he took her hand and led her to the sofa. Patting his thigh, he waited for her to come to him.

She sat on his lap, still seeming uncertain what to say while she trailed her fingers along the scar on his face.