Pursuit of a Kiss (7 page)

Another one of the explosives flew into the
living room. As the bottle shattered, gas spilled everywhere, spreading more
fire along with it. A car peeled off outside with a final burst of gunfire.

With the coast clear, Jake grabbed a blanket off
the couch and began trying to smother one of the fires. Juliet followed his
lead. But as the coffee table and billowy drapes ignited, the futility of their
efforts became clear.

“We have to get outside.” He had to raise his
voice over the growing roar of the flames. Both of them had begun coughing and
sweating in the intense heat and accruing smoke.

Taking hold of Juliet’s uninjured arm, Jake
dragged her through the kitchen and out the back door. Juliet dialed 911 on her
cell phone. Whipping his own phone out of his pocket, Jake called Detective
Harris as he ushered Juliet to safety several yards from the house.

“Harris, it’s Jake Parker,” he barked into the
phone. “Juliet was just attacked.”

Juliet’s eyes began to tear as she watched the
destruction of the swelling inferno. She hung up the phone once the dispatcher
had all the information, continuing to listen to Jake’s call.

“Drive-by shooting and Molotov cocktails. The
place is on fire as we speak…. I don’t give a shit. Get your ass over here
immediately. And wake up that damned DA!”

Jake turned towards Juliet as he ended the call,
“Moments like this, I miss those old landline non-cordless phones that you
could slam down, with that harsh ring, you remember those? Pressing ‘end’ on a
cell phone doesn’t have quite the same satisfaction.”

Juliet couldn’t help but laugh at the tremulous
smile he gave her.
Sparks
from the fire seemed to shine within his eyes, but his expression told her just
how badly he felt. Without a word she stepped forward as he opened his arms to
her, pulling her close against him. She couldn’t turn her eyes away from the
blaze that hungrily consumed her home. It didn’t seem real. Yet with Jake
rubbing her back and his chin resting firmly on top of her head, she knew she
could handle it.

He tapped her chin to lift her face up towards
his. “I’m so sorry, Jules.”

She closed her eyes with a sigh, longing for him
to comfort her with kisses instead of words. Whether or not he would have done
so she’d never know, since approaching sirens captured their attention.

“Come on.” He pressed a hand in the small of her
back to lead her around the side of the house. As the fire trucks, police cars,
and ambulance screeched to a halt, he laced his fingers with hers and gave her
hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re going to get through this. I promise.”

He kissed her cheek before releasing her hand,
holding up his badge as he jogged towards the fire fighters. Juliet surveyed
the chaos unfolding on her street, wondering if someone had heard the gunfire
and called immediately for a cavalcade like that to arrive so fast.

She stumbled toward the uniformed police offers,
only vaguely aware when a paramedic draped a blanket around her shoulders and
gave her a quick exam. Other than being covered in soot and ash, she hadn’t
suffered any injuries. Her house, on the other hand…

Jake returned to her side only a few moments
later. He gently wiped some soot off her cheek.

“Let’s get you out of here. Harris is on his way.
He can deal with securing your house once the fire department is done.”

Juliet nodded, feeling numb as exhaustion
overtook her. She couldn’t believe she’d just gotten out of the hospital this
morning. First a gunshot wound. Now someone had burned her house down. What had
happened to her nice, orderly life? And would she ever get it back?

****

Jake took one look at Juliet’s pale face and
wrapped his arms around her to lead her to his car. He didn’t know if she
realized how tightly she clenched his shirt, but he did know he liked the feel
of her head resting against his shoulder. Her palpable sadness reached out to devour
him as he buckled her seat belt without her seeming to notice. She stared
silently out the window throughout the drive, even when he reached over to take
her hand in an attempt to offer some comfort.

He parked at a hotel and assisted her out of the
car. She felt fragile, almost breakable, in his arms. Every protective instinct
he possessed surged to the surface. Hadn’t she been through enough? He yearned
to whisk her away to somewhere safe, far away from everyone and everything.
Perhaps a deserted island somewhere, where he could ease all her pain.

 
She made
no comments on the hotel he chose, and didn’t say a word as he checked in. He
had no idea what to do for her. When they finally reached their room, Jake
maneuvered her to the edge of the bed so she could sit down. He returned a
moment later with a cup of water and damp washcloth to wipe the ashes from her
face. Her eyes rose to meet his – the first sign of awareness he’d gotten in
the last hour. Smoothing her hair back off her forehead, he leaned closer to her
to slowly clean off some more dirt.

 
“Do you
have the energy to shower again? It might make you feel better.”

Juliet shrugged. Her eyes shone with unshed
tears, compelling Jake to pull her into his arms and simply hold her. He
stroked her hair and massaged her neck as he kissed the top of her head. Juliet
pulled back, just enough to look up at him. Her stare captured him with its
unexpected intensity. He wiped away a tear sliding down her cheek, tracing the
salty liquid across her lips. Her breath quickened with his touch.

“Christ, Juliet…”

She took his hand in her own, turning it over to
kiss his palm before pressing her cheek against it. “Make me forget all this
for a little while. Please. I want you to…”

He couldn’t listen anymore. Groaning, he swooped
in, capturing her mouth with his, a fire even hotter than the one at her house
erupting between them. He couldn’t count how many times he’d imagined this
since walking into her hospital room. Even so, the reality far surpassed all
his fantasies. He kissed a path down her neck, flicking his tongue against her
skin. With a satisfied sigh, she tilted her head back to give him better
access. His arm snaked around her waist to pull her flush against him. She let
out a little moan that drove him crazy, smothering all remaining concerns about
bedding his best friend’s sister. He had to feel her bare skin. See her naked
body. Now.

Juliet apparently felt the same way. She slid
her good hand up his back, pushing the shirt out of the way and following its
progress with her mouth on his skin. He was amazed his skin didn’t ignite on
the spot. And, when her hand slipped into the front of his jeans and captured
him in a firm grip, he could feel his eyes roll back in his head. He grabbed
her wrist to stop her. The hurt look in her eyes surprised him.

“That feels too good, Jules. I don’t want this
to be over too quickly.”

“Oh.” She blushed.

He couldn’t stand it. Their mouths came together
again, almost violent with need. Again, Jake had to force himself to pull back
and take a couple deep breaths. He took her face in his hands, caressing her
cheek with his thumb. “God, you’re beautiful.”

Her smile overwhelmed him. Tenderly he crawled
forward, pressing her down as he kissed her, until she lay flat on the bed
beneath him. Juliet gazed up as if her entire world had narrowed to just him
and that moment. When he slid his tongue into her mouth she matched it stroke
for stroke.

Jake lifted off her, and she whimpered in
protest, blindly reaching out for him. He laughed, kissing her hand. “I’m not
going anywhere. I just want your shirt off and don’t want to hurt you.”

“Oh.” Juliet sat up and let him slide it off.

She hadn’t bothered with a bra, much to Jake’s
delight. His eyes drank her in, and he had to touch her again. He filled his hands
with her breasts, flicking his thumb across one nipple and watching it pucker.
But that was no longer enough. He had to taste. He bent forward, pressing her
back onto the bed, and took one breast into his mouth, letting his tongue take
over for his fingers. She smelled like jasmine. Her scent permeated his every breath.
Underneath that heady odor, her skin somehow tasted like vanilla. He had to
have more. He kissed his way into the valley between her perfect breasts and
repeated the process with the other, his hands sliding down to cup her ass,
pulling her closer to him. Like a starving man in a desert suddenly stumbling
upon a hidden oasis, he felt as though he could utterly devour all of her.

“Please,” Juliet begged, “I’ve waited almost
twenty years for this.”

“I’d say the same but that would make me a
pedophile.”

 
“How
romantic.” Shaking her head at him, she rolled until she straddled him, running
her fingers through his hair. “What am I going to do with such a sweet talker
like you?” She leaned in close until her mouth almost touched his. But when he
leaned in for her kiss, she jerked her head back with a smirk, licking her
lips.

“Oh really.” Grasping her hips, he flipped her
back underneath him. “You think you can tease me, huh?”

“Absolutely.”

“Hmm…. We’ll see about that.” His fingers slid
down between her thighs. Juliet let out a gasp. “How about now?”

“What?” Good, she had lost the thread of the
conversation. “Oh God, Jake. I want you now.”

He swallowed hard as he completely forgot what
they’d been talking about too.

“Not yet.” He kissed his way down her stomach,
pulling her pants and underwear off as he slid down the bed. He could smell her
arousal, so Jake slipped one finger inside her, followed by a second. He
couldn’t hold back a groan. She was hot and wet and so tight around him. Her
eyes started to drift closed.

 
“Look at
me,” he commanded. “I want to watch you come. I want to see the look in your
eyes when you let go.”

Using his fingers and tongue he drove her up and
up until she shattered. Before her body could relax Jake practically ripped off
his own clothes.

“We’re not nearly done yet,” he growled,
positioning himself between her legs. She started to giggle, he thought, until
his first thrust cut off all sound. She lifted her legs to wrap them around his
waist, drawing him even deeper inside her.

They slowed for a moment as he looked down at
her, her hair spread across the pillow, her lips swollen from his kisses. He
couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman as much as he wanted Juliet at this
moment.

She playfully bit at his earlobe and his rigid
control snapped. He pulled out then plunged back in, faster and faster. Their
sensitized bodies slid against each other. Everything burned as they climbed
towards that final peak.

“Now I get to watch you,” she panted as his eyes
met hers. In blissful surrender, her entire body clenched around him. His arms
trembled as she triggered a release in him so fierce he couldn’t hold back a
shout as he exploded. Drained, yet more satisfied than he’d ever been before,
he sank, boneless and sweaty, on top of her.

He carefully shifted toward her good arm,
pulling her with him, not wanting to part from her. Even now, he couldn’t stop
kissing her hair, her cheeks, her lips.

“You definitely didn’t want
that
twenty years ago,” Jake murmured, stroking her hair. Even covered
in ash and soot, with her hair mussed from his hands, she still looked
stunning. “Or even seventeen years ago, when we actually met.”

“Okay, fine. But I’ve wanted to kiss you for
seventeen years.”

“Glad I could fulfill your greatest fantasy,
then.”

Juliet swatted him playfully. “I definitely
didn’t say you accomplished that.”

“Oh really. Well, we’ll just have to do
something about that, then.” He pulled her closer, gently touching the deep
shadows under her eyes. She’d been through so much today. He admired her that
she hadn’t collapsed into a pile of tears – a reasonable reaction under the
circumstances. But not his Juliet. He knew the adrenaline rush would fade, and
unfortunately, she still had a long road ahead of her. Even if she didn’t want
to admit it, she had to rest.
 

“After you get some sleep,” Jake amended.
“You’re still recovering.”

Juliet fought off a yawn, but looked so sweet
and sleepy Jake cuddled her closer, wanting to make her feel safe and
protected. If only they could stay like this without ever having to deal with
the aftermath of the shooting or the fire. He had a bad feeling he wouldn’t be
able to make her feel safe for long.

****

Around dawn, Juliet awoke. Jake slept like the dead
beside her, his face mashed into the pillow, one arm draped across her. Even in
his sleep, his hand had somehow found her breast and cupped it gently. She
laughed, slipping from his grasp and tiptoeing toward the bathroom. They had
woken up several times during the night, unable to get enough of each other.
She couldn’t blame him for being tired, even though she felt happier and more
energized than she could ever remember.

Juliet stepped into the shower, letting the hot
water ease her wonderfully sore body. She hadn’t known sex could be like that.
But had it been the same for Jake? Had he felt what she did? Deep down, she
knew she needed to stay guarded. Jake didn’t do relationships. And maybe she
didn’t really have such strong feelings for him. After all, it had been a
pretty emotional day.