“Heaven picked it out last week on one of the afternoons I picked her up from daycare. Tuesday, I think. You were working on the Barlow’s anniversary party,” he informed her between gentle nips to the column of her throat. “She was torn between purple and pink. She chose the pink in the end… mostly because it matched all her Barbie’s clothes,” he said as though it were a reasonable argument.
“Jake,” Harmony groaned, placing a hand on his chest and shoving gently. “You don’t put decorating decisions in the hands of a four-year-old girl.”
“First, she’ll be five in a couple of months. Second, why wouldn’t I let her choose? It’s gonna be her room.”
“When she’s here, sure,” Harmony replied, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs. “But when she’s not, you might want to use that room for something else. Are you gonna want to be in that room if it has pink carpeting? The same goes for getting her a dog. It’s all fun and games for her when she’s here, but you are left with the responsibility of an animal at the end of the day.”
Jake’s hands froze in their exploration as he drew back enough to give her a hard look filled with equal parts irritation and displeasure. “You’re completely missing it, aren’t you? I’m not sure if you’re doing it on purpose or not, but I gotta say it’s pissing me way the hell off right now,” he warned, tightening his fingers on her hips before he lifted her body to plant her ass on the kitchen counter, bringing them eye to eye.
Clutching his shoulders as she found her balance, Harmony met Jake’s glare with one of her own. “I’m pissing you off? Why? For pointing out the obvious?”
“For not seeing that I plan for both you and Heaven to be spending a lot of time here once this place is completely furnished. And by a lot, I mean all of it, Harmony,” he growled, bracing a fist on either side of her thighs as he leaned toward her. “I don’t want a part-time relationship. I want a full time partnership. That means I’m going to want you living here.”
Harmony’s eyes widened. “You barely know me. You can’t be suggesting…”
“I know you,” Jacob retorted angrily. “I know what I’m saying scares you. I know the thought of sharing your life with me terrifies the hell out of you. I know you’ve been burned before. That’s why I’ve been moving slow and careful with you, but I’m not getting any younger, Harmony. I want a home. I want a family. And I want those things with you and Heaven.”
Harmony’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “You call that slow and careful,” she all but yelped at him, shoving at his broad shoulders as she tried to scoot off the counter. “You’re about as tactful as a whore in Sunday School, Jacob Stone!”
Stepping between her spread legs, Jake held her squirming body still as he fought not to laugh at her theatrics. “Calm down and settle,” he ordered against her temple, holding her firmly against him.
“I could have gotten on board with the pink carpet. I might even have been able to wrap my mind around a puppy. Maybe!” she railed, smacking his arm as she spat each sentence. “But dropping the bomb that you want me and my daughter to move in with you just takes the cake!” Jerking her gaze to him as she heard a low chuckle escape his mouth, she shook her head furiously. “Are you laughin’ at me? Trust me, I don’t find any of this funny, Jake!”
“I’m not laughin’ at you, darlin’. I’m just a little amused at our situation. See, I thought I’d been real clear from the outset about what I wanted. Are you honestly gonna tell me that this is a surprise, babe?” he asked, capturing her frantic eyes with his and holding them. “Look me in the eye and tell me that you didn’t realize that I was in this for the long haul. I told you weeks ago that I was staying in Paradise because of you, Harmony. And in the last month, I’ve gotten as wrapped up in Heaven as I am in her momma. Where the fuck did you think this was going?”
“I don’t know!” Harmony exploded in a burst of temper. Seriously, this is not the conversation she’d seen happening tonight. “Tonight, I’d hoped that it was leading to the bedroom, but I hadn’t thought too far beyond that.” Really, she’d just finally worked up the courage to get intimate with a man again after years of celibacy, and now he wanted more?
“Oh, the bedroom is definitely our destination for the evening, sweetheart,” he agreed with a slow, wicked grin. “But a night stolen here and there isn’t gonna satisfy me, Harmony. I’m a selfish bastard. I want everything you’ve got to give me. Your beautiful body is only part of that. Oh, it’s a gorgeous piece, but I want the heart and mind, too. ”