LEAP OF FAITH (14 page)

The anticipation of making love with him made her squirm in her seat as she imagined his hands on her bare skin and how easily those talented fingers coaxed her into a climax. Halfway up the mountain, Abby was convinced she was going to explode from the agony of having to endure another next fifteen minutes when Jack’s brake lights suddenly flashed and his jeep came to an abrupt halt. She barely had time to set the brakes and turn the engine off before he yanked her door open.

“I can’t wait,” he growled, pulling her from the driver’s seat.

He crushed her lips with a feral moan as he trapped her between his muscular body and the hard metal of the jeep. Fumbling with his belt while he worked furiously to get her zipper down, Abby tugged his jeans and boxers over his hips in one urgent movement. Stripped of her own jeans and panties in a matter of seconds, she groaned with impatience when Jack failed to penetrate her as he cupped her bottom and lifted her in a frantic attempt to maneuver their bodies into the right position.

Her lips quivered against his when she felt his heated thickness seeking and then blessedly finding her moist entrance. Entwining her legs around his hips, her back arched when he shoved into her with one powerful thrust, a cry of pure elation echoing in the darkness as he began to move in and out of her in long, forceful strokes. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. All she could do was cling to him, devouring his mouth and delighting in the harsh, rasping growls that erupted from his throat. 

Jack pressed her back against the jeep, inflaming a response that was already molten as each jarring stab stretched her overly sensitive flesh. Abby threw her head back with a wild gasp as the climax sent a chain reaction of explosions throughout her entire body. When the violent tremors subsided she felt a rag doll, mindless and limp and completely at his mercy as Jack continued to pound into her for several more minutes. It was the most intensely satisfying moment of her life to be staring up at the stars, her inner muscles contracting around Jack’s engorged shaft as his big body shuddered and finally released them both from the aching hunger that had driven them to this point. 

Then he was kissing her again and she wanted nothing more than to stay just as they were, their bodies locked together, their mouths drawing out the heated sexual pleasure of being in each other’s arms once more. Jack kept her there, pinned against the jeep, kissing her until her lips were swollen and tender. When he eventually lifted his head, she could barely see his face beneath the soft glow of moonlight. 

“I couldn’t wait…”

“I’m glad you stopped,” she whispered. “I thought I was going to explode if I didn’t feel you inside of me soon.”

“I love you, Abby. I love you so much I was going crazy without you here.”

She sifted her fingers through his hair, tears of happiness pooling in her eyes. “Take me home, Jack.”

***

Abby lay curled up in Jack’s arms, a contented smile on her lips. They’d grabbed the groceries from the jeep when they arrived at the cabin and shoved them, bags and all, into the refrigerator before he swept her off her feet and carried her to the bedroom. It took them all of five seconds to strip and fall onto the bed. 

Having satiated the first initial rush of desire, Jack took her with slow, lazy strokes, prolonging the moment of release until they were both nearly out of their minds. Afterwards, he held her, whispering the words of love she so longed to hear, his body trembling every time she repeated her own vows of love. This was where she belonged. Nothing made her happier or righted her world more than when she was in Jack’s arms. As her mind wandered over the events of the day, Abby recalled something Julia had said.

“Jack?”

“Hmmmm…” he mumbled sleepily.

“Why did Julia call me your coach?”

Jack was seconds away from nodding off and so completely relaxed that he replied without thinking. “The love scenes,” he pulled her closer. “I was thinking of you when I wrote them.”

She let it sink in for a minute. “But…that must mean this isn’t your first novel. I thought you only did research.”

“No…” his mind was drifting away toward blissful sleep, “write…murder mysteries.”

Abby blinked. “You write murder mysteries?”

“Hummmm…and suspense, and…” Jack was out.

“Jack?” 

He was sound asleep, his slow, even breath whispering across her skin as she scoured her mind. Had she read any of his work? She didn’t think she owned any books by Jack Burton but maybe he used a pen name like she did. 

“Jack?”  

So many questions, but there was no chance of getting any answers from Jack at the moment. He was totally gone. Abby eased out of bed and pulled on a robe. Slipping outside to grab her laptop from the jeep, she carried it back inside and settled on the sofa, quickly connecting to the internet and typing the words
Burton, Jack, novels
into the search engine
.

Several websites popped up and she was flummoxed to discover there was actually an official Jack Burton website. A deep crease began to form on her forehead. A picture of Jack stared back at her, heavily bearded and straight faced, but it was definitely her Jack. His work was categorized; murder-mystery, suspense, historical, true-crime. Abby began to shake. 
Why hadn’t he told her?
 

She clicked on suspense and found eleven novels listed, most of them having hit the top ten best seller list under the author name, J.D. Burton. She’d heard of him but doubted she’d read any of his novels because she preferred romance to any other genre and was only concerned with where she ranked among other romance writers. Clicking on the murder-mystery category, she found twenty-two novels to date, along with a synopsis for his upcoming novel which was due to be released early next year. Scrolling down, Abby read the brief synopsis.

Desperate to find a quiet place to complete her novel, Megan Brewster leases a cabin high in the mountains of Montana. With only one other cabin occupying her side of the mountain, Megan is certain she will find the solitude she needs. But when she meets the owner of the other cabin, Dylan Granger, his impressively well-toned physique and ruggedly handsome face become an instant distraction. Unable to control the magnetic attraction between them, Megan invites Dylan into her bed and a fiery romance is kindled.

When Megan discovers they share a passion for writing and that Dylan is a bestselling author, she begins to believe that the happily-ever-after endings in the romance stories she creates are more than mere fantasy. Even as her love for Dylan grows, she is disturbed by his unexplained treks into the woods at night and his evasive answers whenever she attempts to know more about his past.

Abby stopped reading for a moment. The novel was eerily similar to their real life situation, minus the mysterious night time hikes, and she couldn’t help wondering if their relationship had somehow influenced the direction of his novel.
I hope so
, she thought. But as she continued to read, an icy shiver shimmied up her spine.

Determined to uncover whatever secrets he is hiding, Megan learns about the strange and frequent disappearances of young women in the area. Could this explain Dylan’s odd behavior? Has Megan found the love of her life or is she destined to be the next victim of the Logan Mountain Killer?

Abby logged off of the internet and snapped the laptop shut. So what if there were a few similarities between the characters in Jack’s book and the recent turn of events in their lives? This wasn’t Logan Mountain, and as far as she knew there hadn’t been any mysterious disappearances. Abby shook herself. What was she thinking? She was letting her imagination run wild just because he hadn’t told her who he really was. 

Despite her efforts to dismiss it as trivial, it disturbed her a great deal. Surely he wasn’t afraid she would try to steal his work? Impossible, she told herself, quickly rejecting the idea. No, it was more likely Jack didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable with his much more successful status, especially after volunteering to help with her novel. Regardless of his reasons in the beginning, he’d had plenty of time to come clean with her since but had chosen not to.

Abby strolled out onto the deck and closed her eyes, listening to the night sounds of the forest. What was going to happen when winter fell and she had to go back to the city? Would Jack come with her or would he ask her to stay? She wasn’t even sure her dad would let her remain at the cabin once the snow started falling unless she could convince him it was perfectly safe with Jack here to look after her. 

She could almost picture the forest in winter; the quiet beauty of nature covered in a blanket of snow. Inside, it would be warm and cozy as they worked side by side, diligently hammering out their novels. She envisioned them sitting by the fireplace with their laptops and, when they were done for the day, taking advantage of the plush rug in front of a toasty fire to make love. Everything in her life seemed to revolve around Jack right now, and yet she felt as though a small wedge had been driven between them with what she learned about him tonight. He had never denied he was a writer, but neither had he volunteered the information. 

Abby’s mind wandered back to Lou Lou’s and the pain that had engulfed her when she saw Julia and Jack in what appeared to be an intimate embrace. He’d been smiling while Abby’s world was crashing down around her. Then he turned and saw her standing in the doorway, and for a moment his smile had broadened. It had confused her. How could he seem so happy to see her when she’d caught him with his arms around another woman? 

Then Julia had looked at her and they both must have realized at that moment what was running through Abby’s mind. When he took a step towards her, all she could think about was getting away. She didn’t want to hear his lies. It had been difficult enough to listen to the fabrications Shane had produced; those same lies coming from Jack would have utterly destroyed her.

She never told anyone that Shane called after she had come across the earring and left him. She was too afraid of what her dad and brothers would do to her cheating husband. Shane begged her to give him one more chance, told her it hadn’t meant anything, that her best friend had merely been a substitute because Abby had refused to make love to him when he wanted her so badly. And she’d almost bought it. 

Then she thought of their house. Her brand new, beautiful house that had been desecrated by another woman before Abby had even stepped through the doors as a married woman. She thought of her wedding night and the calloused way Shane had taken her virginity before rolling over and going to sleep, leaving her feeling cold and empty. He’d hurt her both physically and mentally that night. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t live her life trying to forgive him, knowing she never would. She could have forgiven almost anything Shane did, but his infidelity was not one of them.

She’d cried it out for a few days, comforted by her mother and Maggie. The rest of her family had rallied around her as well, and Gage offered to break a few bones. He’d made her laugh and that’s when she realized she had to find a way to survive and move on. Then one night, her dad found her standing outside on the deck, feeling worthless and throwing one hell of a pity party for herself. 

He’d put his arms around her, told her he was going to allow her one more good cry, and then she was to put it all behind her and get on with her life. Abby never felt safer or more protected than when her dad was around and she had sobbed her heart out for quite some time. When the waterworks were over, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and dried her tears.

“I never used to carry these,” he told her, “until you were born.”

Abby sniffed while he continued to dab her cheeks. “Did Mom cry when I was born?” 

Sam Travis had gathered his daughter in his arms. “No,” he said softly, “I did.”

“I love you, Daddy.”

He smiled down at her. “I love you too, baby.” 

Then he had walked her back into the house and that was the last time she had shed a tear for Shane Malcolm. Terrified of repeating the same mistakes, it was also the last time she let a man get close enough to hurt her that way. Locking her emotions away was a safeguard, and she had truly believed she would never fall in love again. Until she met Jack.

Abby heard the soft rustle of movement behind her. When Jack’s strong arms wrapped around her, she leaned back, feeling the heat of his body penetrate through her robe. 

“Couldn’t you sleep?” he asked.

“Just a little restless, I guess.”

Jack lowered his head and pressed his cheek to hers. “You’re not still worrying about Julia, are you?”

“No, but I was just thinking about it. I realized you smiled when you saw me. That’s hardly the reaction of a man caught cheating.”

“I would never do that to you,” he said, tightening his hold on her. “I love you, Abby.  I would never purposely do anything to hurt you.”

And yet, he
had
hurt her. He’d held back the truth about who he really was. For a moment Abby considered confronting him with what she knew, but it was important that he come to her with it on his own. She needed to have trust in their relationship, and right now that trust was hanging precariously in limbo while she waited for him to push it one way or the other.

“Jack, what’s the name of your novel?”