Stolen Hearts (Thoroughbred Men Book 2) (8 page)

              A short while later, Jacob still had a raging erection and could take no more. He had to get some relief and Millie sitting next to him, chatting and lounging in her white satin robe was driving him crazy. He wanted to peel it from her and touch her again. The scent of her coming was still on him and he had no intention of washing it off until he had taken care of things for himself at home.

            
 
“Baby, I think I am going to head home. I have to be in the office early tomorrow-would you care to join me for breakfast?” he asked, kissing her knuckles. Millie wasn't ready for him to leave, but wasn't ready for more yet either. She nodded and took their plates to the kitchen without a word.

              Jacob drew her into his arms once again, kissing her deeply, and held her. “Millie, I am going to head home because if I stay I want to do more with you and I don't think either of us are ready yet at this point in our relationship. I don't want to end us because I couldn't keep it in my pants,” he joked, turning her chin up to him. “I like where we are going and want to keep seeing you, baby,” he said softly, kissing her again.

              Millie felt better knowing this and didn't feel like she had been loved and left. She walked him to the door, kissed him again, and confirmed she would see him in the morning.

11

              The next few days, they spent time together in short bursts here and there. Breakfast at BatterUp!, her friend’s bakery, on Thursday. Jacob would casually drive by, pull up in front of her office, run inside to give her a kiss and return back to work. He did that three times and each time she was inordinately pleased with the attention.

              Friday surprised her. She hadn't heard from Jacob all morning long. No emails, no texts, no random drive-byes. She told Danielle that she was stepping out for lunch today and headed to the park down the side street. Millie rounded the corner of the office and decided to text Jacob.

              Looking at her phone, typing away, she casually walked down towards her favorite spot under the tree. She heard a faint ding and glanced up from her phone and caught her breath. Jacob was waiting under the tree beside the park bench in the shade. Underneath him was a large white tablecloth and a picnic basket. A large spray of roses was waiting next to the basket. “What is this?” she laughed and asked. She was absolutely delighted with the sight in front of her.

            
 
Jacob stood in his uniform and bowed as she walked up, smiling from ear to ear. “Nothing but the best for my lady,” he said. He took her hand and led her to the picnic blanket, inviting her to join him.

              Millie kicked off her heels and stepped onto the blanket. She took a seat, tucking her bare feet under her and beamed at Jacob. “I am so surprised! Thank you so very much,” she said, highly impressed. She could not believe what a romantic he was and how good he treated her.

              Jacob asked how her day was going as he unpacked the basket. Grapes, two cold sodas, a small bucket of potato salad and some small beef sandwiches completed the feast. Millie picked up the one spoon and eyed him. “We’ll have to share, I guess,” he said with a wink and popped a grape into her smiling mouth. “I hope you don't mind? I have been thinking about you all morning and wanted to see you smile again,” he said gently. Jacob put his hand softly behind her neck and pulled her forward for a kiss. “I needed this,” he said and kissed her again.

              Millie melted. Jacob was truly wonderful and was sweeping her off her feet. If she wasn’t careful he would steal her heart… if he hadn't already. She was extremely fond of how he treated her and acted towards her.

              Millie heard several high-pitched “Ewwww” coming from beside them. She broke off the kiss and laughed. Several of the kiddos in the park were pointing and looking at them. Jacob looked thoroughly amused as their eyes met.

              “Oh yeah?” Jacob taunted. “Watch this!” he growled and pulled a laughing Millie into his lap. He began tickling and kissing her, much to the children delight. They squealed and ran off. A parent yelled out an apology and waved at them. Jacob was in heaven and Millie was his angel. She looked so very happy and content. Her face radiated joy and he wanted to keep her this way.

              Millie kissed him lightly and tried to pull off his lap. Jacob would have none of it; he grabbed the spoon and gave her a bite of potato salad. “You know you are going to have to put me down eventually so we don't get our work clothes filthy and we can eat within our lunch period,” she said teasing him. She truly enjoyed how much attention he paid her and how ‘hands on’ he was in touching her and holding her.

              Jacob and Millie enjoyed their break from the world. Millie gave him several spoonfuls of the salad. They lovingly fed each other a few grapes and then broke away to eat their sandwiches, talking between bites.

              Millie saw Officer Graham slow down and roll down his window first. Jacob turned and saluted his coworker. “On lunch there, Officer?” Graham questioned looking at Jacob and Millicent, the roses and the food.

              Jacob grinned at his coworker. “Yes, sir, almost done and heading back to my patrol shortly.” Millie just waved and Officer Graham looked mildly uncomfortable and haphazardly waved back to her as he drove off.

              Millie laughed at his expression and rose to her feet. It was about time to return to Danielle and follow up on a few leads. Jacob stood, too; not wanting his carefree Millie to disappear. He reached out, pulled her to him and kissed her thoroughly. He then gently held her for a moment and released her.

              Millie picked up a few items and placed them in the basket, gathered up the large cloth and folded it. “Thank you again Jacob… for everything.” She smiled warmly handing him the basket. “I will see you in the morning for our appointments.” Jacob wouldn't miss another moment with her for the world.

              Later that afternoon, turning in his papers at the precinct, Jacob took a lot of ribbing from his coworkers once word had spread from Officer Graham that he had a picnic with Millicent Clark today at the park. Several guys patted him on the back, congratulating him on his win, which made Jacob feel dirty. What started out as competition had turned into something more.

              He believed he was falling in love with Millie and could identify the exact moments that cemented it for him. Laughing in the park, when she threw back her head and laughed unrestrained at Tito’s. When she had climbed in his lap and looked at him with those sultry eyes? Oh yes, he had fallen hard for Miss Millicent Clark.

              Jacob got out of the station quickly, he didn't want to hear any more celebration about how he ‘thawed the ice princess’ and what ‘warmed her up.’ He didn't want anyone talking about Millie and knew if he let it alone, they would find some other thing to harass each other about.

              Jacob sat in his own car for a few and emailed Millie. He missed her smile and couldn't wait to see her in the morning.

My lovely Millie,

I adored seeing your face light up this afternoon-thank you for joining me.

Always yours,

Jacob

              Millie checked her email before going to bed and smiled broadly when she saw he had sent her a message. She thought about him all afternoon. He was stunning in his uniform and dark sunglasses. He definitely looked good in black. One of these days she was going to get him out of that uniform and see him lose control, similar to how she felt when he touched her. Millie typed out a quick reply to him:

Jacob,

              Nope, scratch that. She thought and hit the delete button. He was always so inviting in his emails and she was pretty to the point. Time to warm things up just a bit?

My darling Jacob,

Thank you again for surprising me with lunch today -I thought about your smile all day and will dream of your kisses tonight…

Sweet dreams,

Millie

Much better, Millie thought. She clicked send, went to the restroom to brush her teeth and floss. She returned and already had a reply:

Darling,

I will have a hard time sleeping after that email. I’m thinking all sorts of thoughts, all surrounding you. Maybe I do need a bigger shower, don't I?

Goodnight sweetheart, I will see you soon.

Jacob

Millie flipped off the light, rolled over and smiled thinking of Jacob.

12

              The next morning, Millie decided to go with a more informal look rather than her standard suits and tailored skirts. Millie put on a light summer dress she had bought on a whim with Danielle one weekend. It still had the tags on it, she noticed wryly. It was a light cotton dress that was fitted to her torso, but flowed out into a bell skirt and had fluttery sleeves. It was also a soft lilac color rather than the blacks and whites she normally wore. Millie rolled her hair and pulled the curls back into a ponytail to keep them tamed somewhat. She slipped on some white heels and stepped into the kitchen to hear a knock at her door. Smiling, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

              Jacob had not seen her before like this. She seemed carefree and was so happy. The pale purple suited her fair complexion perfectly. Millie glowed and he loved it. He brought them two coffees and two muffins to get their morning started.

              They drove out to the first location, rolled down the windows and sipped on the coffee for a bit. “We are really early,” Millie explained. “There should be no one at the house, but I hate to be earlier than fifteen minutes from the time allotted, in case they are doing last minute cleaning, etc.”

              Jacob was just enjoying the moment and curious to see what made Millie pick this house. It didn't stand out much from the street; maybe there was something a bit more eye-catching on the inside?

              They finished their coffee; Millie hopped out of the car and started up the walkway. Jacob joined her. Millie punched in her code on the key box and it popped open. She removed the key, knocked hard on the front door and unlocked it. She slowly opened the door and yelled “realtor” in a strong voice that startled him.  “You would be truly surprised,” she said over her shoulder to Jacob. “I’ve walked in on people changing diapers, fixing dinner and fooling around. I always announce myself now.”

              Jacob could just picture the old Millie’s cool face as she walked in the room with a potential buyer and someone was indecently exposed. She would probably tell them that it was a detraction not attraction to the house and to get out, he thought with a smirk.

              Millie strode in the house, flipped on lights and began her routine. “This one was the three bedroom, two bath colonial that I emailed the listing for. Its 1750 square feet, but it has the basement that can be finished. There is a fenced yard with a small dog run,” she said grimacing at the tall grass in the backyard. Not cool! She would make a mental note to see if someone could come cut it before she showed this place again. “What do you think?” she asked whirling around brightly with an enthusiasm that did not reach her eyes and she knew it.

              Jacob about swallowed his tongue. He could see right through Millie’s skirt when she stood in front of the glass door with the sun behind her. He could see exactly where her slip ended and her shapely legs were firmly outlined by the glaring sunlight. “I like the view a lot,” he said as he cleared his throat.

            
 
“You do?” she asked puzzled. “It needs to be mowed and there isn't much of a view. It backs up to another house and there are no trees,” She looked around again, thinking she had missed something.

              Jacob pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “The house is okay, it’s not great. The view I just had of you was spectacular and can’t wait to see more,” he said lightly.

              Millie took it that he wanted to see more houses and was strongly encouraged. “Ok, so it was good but not great. What did you not like about it?” she asked him.

Jacob just shrugged, not sure how to say it but this was not the place he had in mind for his home.

              Millie shrugged, mocking him. “What does that mean? Let’s elaborate a bit more,” she said encouragingly. “So it did not impress you at all,” she commented.

              Jacob turned the tables on her. “I don't know how to say it, but this is not the place for me. What do you see when you look at this house? What are the features that made you pick this one to look at it and what did you not like when you walked in?” he asked pointedly, trying to not be too critical.

              Millie thought on that for a few minutes. “Well, honestly, it’s bland. I like more character…but it has a basement, which is appealing.” Jacob leaned towards her “more, tell me more” he said trying to see exactly what she liked in a place. “What appeals to you about a basement, Millie? Not as a real estate agent, but as a person,” he asked.

              Millie looked surprised. Nothing appealed to her about a basement other than it was a big storage area. Sure it had potential, but unless it was finished already, it was a potential money ‘pit’ to her.  She knew nothing about construction other than she would have to hire someone and pray there wasn't any other problems they came across. “I understand…yeah, this one is not it,” she said with a smile and led him back out of the house, locking it back up.

              Millie plotted out the route to the next house. As she pulled up, she smiled. It was quite quaint. There were flowers all along the front bed of the house and a trellis full of roses. She got out of the car and led him to the front of the house, repeating her introduction again and guiding him inside, straight into a wall.

              This was a stunning, small house with tons of charm and character, but the layout of the interior was all wrong. The front door was hung oddly and opened towards the wall, so you had to swing it wide in order for more than one person to enter the home.

              Once inside, it had a small step down into a living area and a corner fireplace. Millie continued through the house, showing Jacob a few items that appealed to most buyers. Jacob just nodded and didn't say much.

              The master bedroom was tiny, so much so that a dresser had been placed inside the closet to give more walk space around the bed. Jacob just shook his head. This was not it. This one had personality to the house, but felt crowded and tiny. Millie was determined and would not let this dissuade her from the search.

              Millie took him to the next house on her list. This one was sure to be a hit. A single young man used to own it and recently put it on the market when his transfer went through for work. It was the proverbial bachelor pad and might be a good fit for another single man.

              It didn't have as much curb appeal as the last house, but it wasn't unpleasant either. There were two small trees on either side of the yard and a few bushes underneath the windows. Millie guided Jacob inside and stopped. She wrinkled her nose and Jacob looked at her strangely. The house smelled strongly of marijuana.

              Jacob refused to see any more of the house on the grounds that he did not want to go into work smelling like a pothead. Millie couldn't blame him for that at all, especially in his field. So far, today was turning out to be a complete bust.

              Millie returned to the car with Jacob, flipped through the papers she had printed and looked through a few more she had stapled on. “Let’s check out one more and call it a day,” she said beseechingly. She wanted to show him at least one house that might be worth calling home.

              They drove through the small town, and turned down the street by her office. She continued down the road and turned again. She pulled over, put on her hazard lights and flipped through her papers once again. “What’s wrong?” Jacob asked, “Can I help?”

              Millie was frustrated and it was bothering her that she couldn't find the one she had printed out. There were a few fixer uppers in her stack; one particularly had caught her eye that she thought about showing Jacob.  “Want to just drive around and look for things that we like in a house and things we don’t?” Millie got prissy and threw the papers over her shoulder. “Sure! The one I wanted to show you is somewhere over here. We’ll just look around for a bit until we find it,” she said, completely frustrated. This wasn't like her and she hated being caught unprepared.

              Jacob left her alone for a bit as she pulled back out onto the main road and turned into the subdivision. The silence was deafening; he wasn't quite sure what was the big deal but he wasn't about to set off her temper either. They drove through the older subdivision and Jacob pointed out a few that had curb appeal to him, things he liked and one that he did not like whatsoever. “Millie, avocado green shingles are a definite NO in my book,” he said with a shiver. That was just plain ugly to him and he didn't want that on his place. He hadn't demanded much, but dark green shingles were a deal breaker. Millie concurred.

              Jacob suggested dinner at Tito’s again, Millie declined saying she had to go through the MLS listings again and would not be available if they were going to find him a place sooner rather than later. Jacob suggested maybe they check out one more place on the roster she brought, attempting to smooth her ruffled feathers. Jacob reached over the seat and grabbed the papers. “Let’s see if we can see this one?” he suggested.

              Millie looked at the paper in his hand. It was actually the one she had been surprised came onto the market. The house was listed about a month ago with no offers as of yet.  It was a bit beat up and run down, but with some work and TLC it would be amazing. She loved the trellis along the side of the house and could see some flowers there or a lilac; the fence surrounding the house was almost non-existent due to rot and age. It definitely needed work.

              Millie headed a few miles down the road and turned at the dead end. As she pulled onto the long winding driveway, she heard Jacob whistle. “Man, this needs some work. I do believe the photo looked better.” She pulled into the circular drive and parked the car. This one had really jumped at her and made her consider finally buying her own place but the sheer volume of work needed was going to be more than she could dedicate or afford to spend.

              Jacob and Millie got out of the car and looked over the wrap around porch, noting a few boards that felt like they gave way a bit. Jacob waited patiently while Millie unlocked the combo, knocked, and announced herself. She knew the house was vacant but having someone pop out at you, was not how she planned any visit. She took no chances each home she viewed. Millie stepped inside and gasped. “Everything okay?”  Jacob asked and reached out to steady her, thinking maybe she sprained her ankle or tripped.

              Millie clutched at Jacob’s arm and breathed softly, “Oh wow, I had no idea this was how it looked on the interior. Danielle took the shots and I am going to have a few words with her. This place could be amazing,” she said reverently. Jacob studied Millie’s enraptured expression and had to agree. The house needed work but would truly be a masterpiece.

              A carved mantle with a large mirror graced the far wall. The fireplace had a smoky glass surround that desperately needed polishing. The sun was pouring through a set of stained glass transom windows over every window in the dining room area that had been opened to the living room. The wood floors showed signs of staining and would have to be sanded, stained, and waxed. It was in rough shape due to lack of care and if the entry was any indication? Jacob was certain the entire place needed an overhaul, however, it showed the most promise to him.

              Jacob watched her carefully, his mind working
.
“You know, Millie, you should snatch this place up and take your time fixing it up,” he suggested, almost joking due to the amount of work and how lovingly she was touching the woodwork along the mantle.

              “Ha!” Millie said, “I can't buy this and we are shopping for you, not me,” she said happily trying to cover the disappointment she could feel building as she moved from the living room into the kitchen. The warm stained glass was coloring the room with a soft glow that beckoned you to enter the home.

              The kitchen was bad. Bad was an understatement. There were absolutely no upper cabinets left in the house and the counters were yellow laminate. She could see where someone had tried to put a shelf up, but it ripped out of the delicate plaster. It was a gut job but there was so much potential in the room, she admired the tall ceilings and saw that there was a painted tin ceiling present. The light fixture was atrocious and being held up with a zip tie, she almost laughed at that.

              Every room they searched needed serious work but every room also had so many features that made it special. There was a small bedroom with a pink glass fireplace surround. Another room had a claw foot tub in the bathroom adjoining it. Yet another boasted soaring ceiling, a large cupola that had shelves making it an idea reading nook or desk area.

              Jacob said not a word and watching Millie carefully. She had not seemed as excited about any of the other places, but this one was special to her and it was written on her face. “Millie, how come you have an apartment and not your own home?” he asked softly, trying not to ruin the moment for her as she peered into the unused dumbwaiter in the kitchen, flinching at the cobweb she saw inside.

              Millie did not look up from her perusal
.
“I really never needed a home,” she admitted easily. “I don't have children or a husband. I don't have any pets. It’s just me. My apartment suits my needs for right now. Maybe someday I will need a bigger place or have children-you know: the American dream?” she said jokingly but there was an element of wistfulness to her tone too. Jacob didn't comment. Her last statement said a lot to him.