“Put your knees on them, baby, and get down on all fours. I’ve been dying to take you from behind, and tonight, I’m going to do that.” When she hesitated, he reached his hands around to grab her ass, kneading it firmly. “You’ll love it, sweetheart. I’ll be deeper than I’ve ever been.”

   She knew that he’d make it good for her; he always did. Jake never took his pleasure until she’d found hers at least twice. She couldn’t imagine there being a more unselfish lover out there. He got down onto his knees next to her and helped her find the position that he wanted. When he was finished, her ass was in the air and her face rested on another pillow. He began caressing her backside, seemingly obsessed with it. Then without further warning, he slid a finger through the moisture that had gathered between her legs. “Ohhh, Jake,” she moaned as her sex contracted from the sensation. He lazily circled her clit until she could hear the embarrassing sounds of how wet she was.

   “You are so fucking beautiful, baby—absolute perfection.” Finally, he stopped tormenting her and pushed one of his thick fingers into her channel. It felt different from this angle, more intense, and she knew she wouldn’t last for long. When he slid the second finger inside and pushed deep, she came so quickly that she lunged forward in surprise. Jake caught her by the hips, keeping her upright until she’d found her balance once again. “I’ve gotta be inside you now. I’m going to go hard and fast. Let me know if it’s too much and I’ll slow down,” he said raggedly.

   She heard a rip and knew he was putting a condom on. She had no idea where he’d gotten it. Maybe he carried a stash all the time now. Then she could feel him there, pushing his wide tip against her slit. Without thinking, she rocked backward and gasped as she impaled herself on his big shaft. “Oh God!” she moaned. “It’s too much, Jake.”

   “Shhh.” He stroked her back soothingly. “Let me know when you’re ready for me to move. I’ll give you time to adjust, sweetheart.” As she wiggled experimentally, she heard him take a ragged breath. The pressure was easing, and in its place was a hunger that she knew only he could extinguish.

   “I’m ready,” she whimpered as her need continued to grow. She gripped the pillow under her head and held on as Jake made some shallow thrusts before plunging deep. “Yes!” she cried out. Before long, they’d established a rhythm as she met him thrust for thrust. The sound of slapping flesh and their groans of bliss as they raced toward the peak together filled the room. When her knees began to wobble, Jake pulled her backward and wrapped one arm around her chest and the other hand went between her legs, rubbing her clit. After only a few strokes, she was screaming his name as she came around his cock. Her contractions pushed him over the edge, and with a harsh shout, he found his release as well.

   After that, they were a leaden tangle of limbs on the floor for several minutes. Jake had pulled out of her and was now laying draped over her back as they both fought to quiet their breathing. She felt like a sated, but sweaty, mess. If she had any energy at all left in her body, she’d go clean up, but that wasn’t an option right now. Since Jake was also damp and sticky, she figured they canceled each other out. “You okay?” he asked as he rubbed lazy circles on her thigh.

   “Mmm, I’m great,” she assured him as she enjoyed the afterglow closeness. Even though they’d been together for only a short time, he never treated her as if she didn’t matter. He touched and kissed her for a long time after most sexual encounters. A few quickies hadn’t left time for that, but otherwise, Jake liked to take his time with her. It was then that she recalled the earlier confrontation with Chris. She hated to ruin the moment, but she needed to tell him what had happened in case he wanted to do some type of damage control with the mother of his child. Clearing her throat, she said, “The reason I was inhaling a glass of wine when you came home was because Chris came by earlier under the pretense of talking to you.”

   She felt him stiffen behind her before he asked, “You think she actually wanted to see you?” She noticed he didn’t seem surprised in the least by that.

   “I think so, yes. She did ask where you were at first, but I got the feeling that wasn’t the reason she stopped by. I think she wanted to feel me out and to let me know that she has the inside track with you.”

   “For fuck’s sake,” he bit out. “I knew things had been entirely too quiet on that front lately.” He moved to lie on his back and pulled her to his chest. Cupping her cheek, he asked, “Did she upset you, sweetheart?”

   “She made me a little angry, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I think she knows or, at least, guesses that we married because of your concern for Casey. She mentioned it while she was telling me that you wouldn’t have any use for me after she backed off on her threats.”

   “I’m actually surprised it took her this long to seek you out,” he said, sounding exasperated. “And please don’t take anything she said seriously. She’s pissed that you have what she wanted. It’s that simple. She doesn’t care at all about the people involved.”

   Doing exactly the thing that Crystal had warned her against, Lydia found herself asking, “But do I really have that, Jake? You have to admit we haven’t talked about what’s going on between us and I’m a little confused about where we’re going. Especially if Chris does back off and the threat of losing Casey isn’t there for you.” What am I doing? Me and my big mouth!

   He studied her intently for a moment before asking, “Are you not happy with how things have been since you’ve been here?”

   “What? No—I mean yes! It’s been amazing. I love living here and being with you.” Crap, why did I toss out the love word?

   “I feel the same,” he stunned her by admitting. “So please disregard Chris and her jealous rage.”

   “Okay,” she whispered softly. It wasn’t until she was dozing in bed later that she realized he’d never answered her question. Other than him admitting to enjoying their current situation, he’d made no promises or mentioned anything about the future. Had it been a mere oversight or had he ignored that part on purpose? She couldn’t bring it up again anytime soon without looking like some kind of insecure clinger. For now, if she wanted to be with Jake, she would have to take each day as it came and hope he saw her as more than someone to warm his bed.