Rescued by Love(26)

Chapter Thirteen





“YOU’RE LOSING YOUR alpha status,” Addy teased as she and Jake walked out of his room and headed toward hers, a few doors down. After Jake made good on his promise several times over, she’d wanted to stay in bed for the entire day just to revel in the aftermath of their lovemaking. And what they’d done had definitely been making love and not wild monkey sex, as they’d been doing with reckless abandon these last two days. But Jake insisted they watch the sunrise from the beach. They’d tapped into their wild sides, having sex in the shower, conquering another first she’d forgotten to add to her list earlier.

“Do you need me to throw you over my shoulder and carry you back to my bed?” He carried a blanket in his free hand, and wore a confident, cocky grin on his face. “I want to watch the sunrise with my girlfriend. There’s no shame in that.”

“Girlfriend?” she whispered to herself. She liked the sound of that a lot more than she’d thought she might, although she hadn’t put their being a “thing” and “girlfriend” together until just now.

“Don’t get all weird about it. Multiple orgasms earn me the right to call you my girlfriend.”

“How about ‘better half’?” She pushed open the door to her room and found her flip-flops inside with a handwritten note from Gabriella. That was so Tarzan of him! You belong together, Ad. He’s as bullheaded as you are. Have fun! Xo, G. She turned the note over, feeling embarrassed by how much Jake carrying her off had affected her. It had been romantic, and sexy, and beyond alpha.

Jake grabbed her around her waist, hauling her against him again.

“How about I bend you over that couch and take your better half?”

“Promises, promises.” She wriggled out of his grip. He was so big and broad he made her cozy room feel small. “I’ll be right back. It’ll only take a sec for me to change. Make yourself comfy.”

All the rooms at the inn had a living space separate from the bedroom. As she left the room, she noticed sore muscles from their extracurricular activities. She changed into clean shorts and a T-shirt and slipped on a hoodie as she walked into the living room.

The blanket Jake had brought for the beach was lying on the coffee table. Jake sat on the couch, his long, jeans-clad legs spread wide, his bare feet flat on the floor. Oh, how she loved the look of frayed jeans over masculine bare feet. His arms were stretched out along the back of the couch, reaching nearly end to end, and his head was tipped back, eyes closed. He was…stunning. Her stomach fluttered, thinking about how much she liked waking up in his arms, snuggled up in his warmth.

He lifted his head, his eyes zeroing in on her like lasers, causing her pulse to spike. As he rose to his full height, his chin fell to his chest and he gave her a slow, deliberate appraisal. She felt self-conscious, wishing she’d chosen something sexier than a purple zip-up hoodie and a loose, comfy shirt. His mouth curved up in that wicked invitation she knew so well. My wicked invitation. A sense of power and warm appreciation accompanied the naughty thought.

He was beside her in two long strides, his hand circling her waist. “We’re going to have a problem if you plan on looking this hot all day.” His hands slid down her thighs, moved over her hips, and he grabbed her ass. Tight.

Enjoying every second of his attention, she rubbed against him, pleased to feel that even after all the sex they’d had he was still raring to go. “I never knew you were such an ass man.”

Kissing her neck, he said, “With you I’m an everything man. We’d better go, sexy girl, or we’ll be in here all day.”

“That wouldn’t be so bad.” She wound her arms around his neck and went up on her toes. He brushed his mouth teasingly over hers.

“I promise you, it would be very, very good. But I only have one sunrise left to watch with you until you’re back from your trip.” He kissed a path across her neck to the sensitive pulse point at the base and laved his tongue over it.

Her knees weakened. He’d found all her pleasure points.

“Unless you’re ready to let me come with you on your trip,” he said seductively. “Then we can have ten days of sunrises and ten nights of sinful sex and sunsets.”

Curling her fingers around his forearm, she forced her brain to push past the lust. “Jake.” His name came out breathy and wanting. “I’m going on the trip alone.”

He leaned back, his face a mask of sexual restraint—his eyes full of disappointment. It was almost enough to make her reconsider.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

He shrugged it off and grabbed the blanket. When he took her hand and leaned in for another kiss, she whispered, “Sorry,” again.

“Like I said,” he said. “I’m not missing my one chance at watching a sunrise with you before you go.”

This time when she gazed into his eyes, she was met with acceptance, and something more. Understanding? He was surprising her at every turn, and it meant the world to her that he wasn’t pushing her harder.

“You’re a romantic,” she said as they left her room. He pushed open the door to the resort and they were greeted by crisp ocean air.

“Whatever,” he said, taking her hand in his. “Keep that to yourself.”

“Making another mental note to tell your brothers.” She’d never been romanced, and as they started down the dusty dirt road hand in hand, with morning dew on the grass and mist in the air, everything seemed more intimate. The fear she’d experienced about opening up and accepting that she had feelings for Jake no longer overrode the goodness of the emotions.

“It seems like a month ago when you carried me away from the bachelorette party,” she said as they crossed Main Street.

He leaned down and kissed her, and she noticed he was doing that more often, too. Like he’d been stockpiling kisses until she opened the floodgates.

“Because every thought leads you back to me?” he asked.

“I’d never admit it if it were true. It’s not like your ego needs a boost.” She leaned in to him with the tease.

Addy glanced down the road, where gorgeous sprawling oak trees with long, thick branches draped in moss bordered a dense forest. Just beyond, the newly renovated docks looked as pretty as a postcard in the morning haze. Addy remembered when she’d first visited the island with Gabriella and they’d joked about how one day they’d jump from the boat to the old dock and it would crumble beneath them.

Jake held her a little tighter as their feet met the cool, soft sand. “What are you thinking about?”

“The work Duke’s having done on the island. I’m glad he’s doing it. It’s funny, Gabriella had worried about an investor coming in and taking away all the cultural elements that were so important to her and her family. Did you know her family emigrated here from Greece? They were the original settlers. And then Southerners came from the mainland. It’s surprising that the two strong cultures didn’t clash.”

He stopped to spread out the blanket in the sand. “Duke would never do that. He respects family too much.”

“That seems to be a theme among the Ryder clan.” She glanced back the way they’d come and startled at the sight of Jake’s parents headed their way. Andrea carried a picnic basket, Ned carried a blanket, and both were watching them curiously.

“Um, Jake…?” she said nervously.

Jake put a proprietary arm around Addy’s shoulder, and she froze, instantly hating herself for it.

“I didn’t expect to see anyone else out here this early,” Andrea called across the beach. “Mind if we join you?”

“Not at all.” He tightened his grip on her.

“Hi, yes, of course. Please, join us,” Addy said, shooting Jake her best way-to-ease-into-it glare, which he chose to ignore as he sank down to the blanket and pulled her down with him. She crossed her feet at the ankles and leaned back on her palms, leaving a few inches between them.

Jake repositioned her so she was leaning against the side of his chest, tucked beneath his arm. It was a mighty fine position, despite her worries.

“Someone needs a lesson in girlfriending,” he said to his parents.

Lord, could he give her an inch? “I’m a little out of practice, and was unexpectedly thrust into coupledom.”

She’d dated in college, but even then she’d never felt particularly close to anyone. She was kind of glad, though, because she might have missed out on noticing the little things that she found so overwhelming yesterday, and until a few minutes ago she’d found surprisingly exhilarating. Now she was as nervous as a high schooler on her first date, and no matter how hard she tried to calm her nerves, it wasn’t happening. She’d known she’d need Gabby’s approval, but she hadn’t expected to want his parents’ approval this badly.

“Girlfriending? Never thought I’d see the day.” His father draped an equally as possessive arm around his wife and kissed her cheek. “You were right, doll face.”

Caught off guard, Addy was still processing the Never thought I’d see the day comment when Jake’s parents leaned in closer to each other. She watched with fascination as they gazed into each other’s eyes with the same intense attraction as she and Jake had so many times in the last two days. She’d never seen any passion between her parents, and she felt a little like a voyeur.