“Oh, you could,” Alice said when they pulled back. “You just needed a little push. Did Holly ever tell you how I was the one who set you two up?” Alice turned her attention back to Jacob.
“No,” Jacob said and shook his head.
Holly could feel a long story coming on. She leaned over and brushed her lips against the scruff of Jacob’s jaw. “I’ll see you in bed,” she whispered.
He took her by her jaw and kissed her, fully, on the mouth. She could taste his longing and it just made her soak her panties further. She knew he could smell that, too, and that both humiliated and secretly thrilled her.
“I won’t be long,” he said, his voice deep, eyes hungry.
Holly shrugged and stood. “Take your time,” she said with a smile. “Finish your beer.”
She was grinning when she turned to head for their house. There was something deliciously devious about leaving her Alpha of a man burning. Something she wouldn’t have been able to do a year ago when she’d been too eager to please, too desperate for love.
Now, she could take as freely as she gave. And that felt good. It made the act of giving all the more meaningful.
And Holly wanted to give him something special tonight.
She got home, peeled off her muddy boots, and went to take a shower. She had to sidestep the hazard zone of children’s toys that littered the floor to make her way upstairs. Holly took her time showering, knowing that Alice was a long-winded storyteller and Jacob wouldn’t be able to politely extract himself from the conversation for at least another twenty minutes. Then Holly dried off, dug into the depths of her closet, and pulled out something special to wear to bed.
Eventually, she heard the door open and shudder closed. She heard his heavy footfalls as he shook off his boots—uneven steps; he still favored one leg over the other ever since that night on the cliffs. She heard him stub his toe on a toy and swear as it burst into song. And when everything went quiet again and Jacob’s footfalls worked their way up to the bedroom, she heard his belt buckle clinking as he opened it. Finally, Holly heard the small, pleasantly surprised intake of breath when he stopped in the doorway and saw Holly spread out in bed, wearing her wedding dress.
“I think it’s time to renew our wedding vows,” she said and couldn’t hide the smile on her lips. “Don’t you?”
“Yes,” he said, though his eyes told her he was thinking about shoving the dress up her hips and taking her then and there, just as he’d done the first time they made love on their wedding night. Not that she could blame him. Jane kept them busy most nights and, well, it’d been a while. “I’d like that.”
“We’ve changed so much.”
“Not everything’s changed,” he said as he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing that strong, hairy chest underneath that made her weak.
“No?”
“I loved you the moment I first laid eyes on you,” he said, his eyes never leaving hers. “I just didn’t realize how much.”
She swallowed hard at that, her eyes unexpectedly brimming with tears. “You did?” she asked. Normally, she’d feel self-conscious about how weak she sounded, suddenly, but with Jacob, she just felt safe.
“Yes,” he said as he crawled over on top of her. “I did. And I do.”
He kissed her, firmly, and she lost herself in his lips, the brush of his stubble against her chin. She let out a small whimper against his mouth and grabbed his face, holding him in tightly, kissing him back hard. Just needing him, him, him, all of him, every inch of him. She heard him grunt against her lips and one of her knees crooked up and eased between his legs, where she felt his erection bulge stubbornly through his pants. That drew another whimper from her, wanting it inside of her so badly, but them she caught herself and pulled back, breathlessly. “Wait…wait. I also have something to say.”
Even rock hard and short of breath, his eyes were patient when they looked down at her and he nodded once, encouraging.
She felt a laugh bubble at her lips—an amazed, how did I get so lucky laugh—and emotion welled up inside of her again, burning the backs of her eyes. Jacob cupped the side of her face with his hand and brushed away tears that dropped from the corners of her eyes when she said, voice shaking, “I gave up on love before I met you. I really did. I thought I’d had my one chance and I’d blown it. But you’ve given me…more than love.” She looked up at him now and blinked away her blurry vision, wanting to see him. Jacob. Those soft eyes, that strong jaw, expression radiating adoration for her. “You gave me a second chance to find myself,” she said, her voice coming out in a whisper.