Stripping It Down (12 page)

Yes, he decided. His pride — at least what was left of it after he’d made a complete ass of himself and let her walk all over him — was the only thing keeping him going these days.

"There is no book," she said, followed by a soft sniffle.

Oh Christ, she was crying? Tough, take-no-crap Kit? The sound of her tears hit him like a hammer to the solar plexus. Then her words registered. "No book?"

She shook her head. "I told them I wouldn't include the columns about you, so they won't move forward with the book."

That made no sense. After he'd left San Francisco, Kit had sent him several e-mails trying to explain why she'd done what she'd done. Her explanation about the book hadn't improved his attitude, instead proving to him that she was willing to use people she cared about to further her career. That he remained anonymous didn't matter. How could he ever trust her when she could so easily exploit their relationship and twist it for public consumption?

Though he hadn't forgiven her, he understood how important this book was to her career. It was her big chance to break free of her boring job at the Tribune and have a career writing what she wanted.

She scrubbed her eyes with her fists and sniffed again. "I know it doesn't matter. It's still out there on the Bustout.com site, but I couldn't let them put it in the book. No matter how I tried to rationalize it, I couldn't do that to us." She paused and stared up at the ceiling in a futile effort to stop crying, before she continued in a trembling voice. "A magazine bought the rights to the column, so I’ll still have that, but the stuff about you will never see the printed page, I promise."

Jake's mind reeled at this. After he'd read through all the columns, he'd been so sure Kit was a manipulative bitch, willing to do anything to further her career. Now it seemed she was willing to sacrifice it all. "Why?"

"Because I love you," she cried, sounding exasperated and none too happy about it.

He couldn't stop the flare of warmth that pulsed through him at hearing her say the words. Not exactly the way he'd hoped to hear them, but he'd take what he could get. "Let me get this straight. You gave up a chance to sell a book to protect me, even though only you and I will ever know those columns were about me?"

She shook her head. "You couldn't remain anonymous for long. The editor wanted to do a big publicity campaign, and people who knew about us would put two and two together. It wasn't worth hurting you more. And it wasn't fair to you, the way I used the column to get revenge for something I should have gotten over a long time ago."

Tears poured down her cheeks, her full pink lips trembling at the corners. She always tried so hard to be tough, unemotional, and now she didn't bother to hide her hurt and shame. Or her love. He knew how hard it was for her to admit she cared, to lay herself on the line. Gone was her bravado and confidence. Kit was once again the naive teenager waiting to have her heart crushed.

God knew he wasn't the man to do it. A slow smile spread across Jake's face as he pulled her into his arms, imagining those green-eyed, black-haired babies she'd mentioned in her column. She stiffened a moment, then melted against him, her body going boneless as she leaned into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist, sighing like she’d found the one safe haven in the world.

She tilted her head back and looked at him with big, gray, mascara-smeared eyes. "Forgive me?"

Jake could barely speak past the lump in his own throat. “Yeah." It sounded like a croak. He kissed her, tasting salt and Kit, and it felt so good it almost hurt. His lips traced over her cheeks, forehead, even the tip of her red nose. "I want you to write your book, Kit." She started to shake her head. "It doesn't matter what you said, as long as I know the truth."

"Really?" she asked, her expression uncertain. "You're not going to do that thing where you say it's okay now but hold it over my head for the rest of our lives?"

He shook his head. "But the next time you write anything about me," he growled, backing her up against a wine barrel that was taller than he was, "it better be all about my enormous dick and how well I wield it."

Kit let out a watery giggle and threaded her fingers through his hair. "I have a deadline this week. You better refresh my memory."

***

To her delight, he wasted no time. His hands were everywhere, shoving inside the neckline of her dress to cup her breasts, sliding up her thighs to sink into the soft flesh of her ass, left bare by her thong underwear.

"God, I've missed you," Jake groaned, his hot, open mouth pressed against the sensitive inner curve of her breast. Kit felt a sharp tug at her neck as he undid the hook that held up the bodice. Her breath hissed out as he tongued a nipple into his mouth, sucking hard and starting a pulsebeat between her thighs.

He pulled away long enough to shove his pants and underwear down his hips and tugged hard on the crotch of her panties, shredding the silk fabric.

His fingers slipped and slid against the moist lips of her sex, coaxing wetness and preparing her for his rough invasion. Hooking a leg over his hips he shoved his cock inside until he was buried as deep as he could possibly go.

She was pinned, helpless, unable to move as he held her there.

"You feel so good," he said, holding himself so still she could feel the pounding of his heart against her own, the faint tremors that wracked his body. "Tell me you love me again," he whispered.

"I love you." She clamped down on him, squeezing him from the inside, kneading his shaft and rocking against him. "I love you so much."

Licking and sucking at his lips and tongue, she tasted his moans, tears squeezing out of the corners of her eyes as she realized how close she’d come to never being with him again. Never feeling his hands on her skin, never feeling him sinking so deep he felt like a part of her.

Never hearing him whisper "I love you" in that low, shaky voice.

Finally he began to move, short strokes deep inside her, his thick cock brushing against her G-spot with every tiny thrust. She came almost instantly, vaguely aware of his groans as he spurted hotly inside her.

For a long moment they held each other, leaning against the barrel as they regained their breath.

Eventually he pulled away, and they made their way across the courtyard to the bathrooms for a quick cleanup.

Though it was tempting to retreat to the hotel, they returned to the dining room where assorted friends and relatives were still making endless toasts.

Wrapping his arm around her waist, Jake pulled Kit against him and bent to whisper in her ear, "When we get married, promise me we won't do all those stupid speeches."

She licked her suddenly dry lips. "You want to marry me?"

His warm breath tickled her ear as he laughed. "How the hell am I going to keep tabs on you otherwise?"

Stunned, Kit leaned back against him, closing her eyes as the romantic, idealistic Kit she'd spent the last twelve years smothering had a big, triumphant belly laugh. I told you so.

Kit had to concede defeat. True love was possible. Not even a hard-headed, broken-hearted, wannabe cynic like C. Teaser could deny it.