Page 37 of A Lonely Road (Spruce Hill #2)

Chapter Thirty-One

Jake

T hough my pulse sped to a gallop at the quiet words, I stood, leaving Nora nestled between my mother and sister, and walked down the driveway with John. When we reached his gray Honda, he stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned against the passenger side door. I braced myself for bad news.

“Roberts got a name from the host of the bachelor party,” John said quietly. “The guy who assaulted Nora is Frank Scarpella. Friends haven’t seen much of him after the wedding. They said he told them he was going to visit family.”

I blew out a breath. “Let me guess, the family hasn’t seen him either?”

John nodded in confirmation. “I extended my stay for another week, at least. I don’t expect you to keep any of this from Nora, Jake, but I wanted to get a word alone with you.

Scarpella has no criminal history, no arrests.

Maybe he’s living out some revenge fantasy based around you two, maybe he’s just trying to scare you, prove he’s in control.

Whatever his game, I don’t want the son of a bitch getting anywhere close to Nora. ”

“He won’t,” I said grimly.

“Good. Make sure Nora gives you my number. I want you to be able to reach me in an emergency.”

I nodded. “Will do, sir.”

With a long, searching look, John nodded again. “You love her,” he said after a long pause, “and you make her happy. That’s all a father can ask for. Thank you for taking care of my girl, Jake.”

“I couldn’t do anything else,” I replied.

It was that simple. I’d go to the ends of the Earth for her.

“She’s been running a long time, looking for something, somewhere.

I’m not even sure she knew what that was when she started out.

Her place, her people. Trust isn’t something that comes easy to her, never has been.

I knew as soon as I saw you two together that she’d finally found it.

And, as her father, I’ll only tell you this once—if you break her heart or her spirit, I will absolutely break your knees. ”

I laughed and shook John’s hand one last time. “I’d expect nothing less, sir. I promise you, she’s safe with me.”

Heart, body, and soul .

The only thing stronger than my newfound dedication to not letting down the man who would hopefully become my father-in-law was my commitment to loving Nora as best I could.

John grinned, his dark eyes glinting in the twilight. “I know. If anything else happens with Scarpella, I’d better hear it from you or Nora instead of from Roberts.”

“She won’t be leaving my sight for the foreseeable future, though she’ll probably kick my ass sooner or later over it.”

John gave me a wry smile. “She might, if she weren’t head over heels for you, too.”

It warmed me to hear her father say it—almost as much as hearing the words directly from Nora’s lips, but not quite. If her affection was clear to someone like John Cassidy, then it must be true. I smiled a little and inclined my head in thanks.

“Have a good night, Jake.” He winked as he got into the car.

“Have a good night,” I murmured belatedly.

For a long moment after the Honda pulled away from the curb, I stared after it, thinking about what he’d said, then I hastened back to Nora’s side.

Though I thought she might be eager to head home after the many hours of conversation and chaos that always made up family events for the Lincolns, she surprised me yet again with a tiny shake of her head when I asked if she wanted to go.

We all lingered around Sam’s little fire pit until well after dark.

Eventually, Nora and I were sent off not only with hugs and boisterous farewells, but with huge containers of leftovers, too .

When we finally got into the quiet cab of my truck, Nora laid her head back against the seat and sighed.

“You have an amazing family,” she said softly. “Like, fairy tale, picture perfect. Your parents are still so in love even after all this time. I’ve never experienced anything like it. It makes me feel . . .”

When she trailed off, I waited, watching her with a patient smile on my lips, until she drew a deep breath and continued.

“Hopeful. Like it’s possible to find true happiness and seize it, hold onto it with everything you've got.”

I took her hand and stroked the back of her knuckles with my thumb.

“My parents have had their ups and downs, just like anybody else, but you’re right.

They’re head over heels for each other. Their thirty-fifth anniversary was this past spring, that’s why they ended up planning this extended vacation they’ve been on.

You really didn’t believe in happily ever after, did you?

” I asked, lifting her hand to my lips and studying her expression in the dim interior of the truck.

The existence of true love was not something I’d ever doubted, but it was clear that was hardly the case for Nora.

My heart broke for her, the younger version of her who hadn’t known what was out there waiting for her, even as it swelled with my love for her and with pride for this remarkable woman who’d made it so far without all the little things that had helped me along the way.

She smiled a little, her expression caught somewhere between sadness and self-deprecation.

“No, I definitely didn’t. Haven’t. My mom was so unhappy.

I don’t even know if they were in love to start with, because for as long as I can remember, that’s just how it was.

He tried to be there for us as much as he could, but I’m not sure it was ever enough for her. ”

“I can’t even begin to imagine what that was like for any of you.” I wished I could think of something more to say, but she seemed to understand.

“Sometimes, I wonder if she was happy with Shawn, even for a short while, before it went downhill,” she said quietly. “Or if she’s happy now. I don’t even know what her life is like. Am I a terrible daughter?”

When she buried her face in her hands, I slid across the seat and wrapped my arms around her. “Of course not. Not at all. I hope she found happiness, too, one way or another.”

Though she wasn’t crying, her shoulders trembled and I kept her tucked tightly against me as we waited for it to pass.

In all honesty, I'd expected some kind of aftereffect from the evening.

Her simple need to be held was far less dramatic than what I might have imagined.

Nora was barely used to sharing her emotions with me , nevermind tolerating a prolonged visit with my entire family.

After another long moment, she rubbed her face with her hands and smiled weakly up at me. “Okay. Enough with the maudlin ponderings. Let’s go home.”

As promised, I took a short detour past my parents’ house, a beautiful old Colonial that looked like a dollhouse. It wasn’t until she finished exclaiming over it that Nora finally brought up how long I'd been gone while walking her father out.

“What did my dad say to you this time?” she asked. “Let me guess—he threatened to break your knees?”

I laughed. “Well, yes, that was thrown in there, but it seemed like just a token threat, a bit of an afterthought. I don’t think his heart was in it.

” I sobered as I glanced over at her. “The guy from the bar is named Frank Scarpella. His friends said that after the wedding, he told them he was going to visit family. Apparently his family told Chief Roberts they haven’t seen him.

No priors or history of violence, so all we have is a name to put to the face. ”

Nora nodded. “I should probably be offended that he gave you the information instead of me, but since he also threatened your kneecaps, I guess I’ll let it slide this time.”

“You’re a hell of a woman, you know that?”

“Yes,” she replied simply. “You are truly blessed, Jake Lincoln.”

I placed a hand on her knee, my warm, rough palm shifting against bare skin below the hem of her dress. “Oh, believe me, I know,” I murmured.

She laughed. “You’re a hell of a man, you know that?”

Her echo of my words was equal parts taunting and breathless as my thumb drew heated circles against her bare thigh. “A match made in heaven,” I said, my voice low.

“I think you might just be right,” she replied. “You know, your parents did a damn good job making you. ”

I grinned as I pulled into the driveway and shifted into park. “Wanna see just how good?” I asked, waggling my eyebrows at her.

“Yes,” Nora said very primly, then hopped out of the truck before I could reply. She danced away when I tried to kiss her, kicked off her sandals while I armed the security system again, and ran upstairs barefoot.

I caught up to her in the bedroom, running my gaze over her flushed cheeks and twinkling eyes.

“Oh, hello,” I said casually, but I slowly stalked toward her.

Instead of twirling out of reach again, this time she moved straight into my arms, offering her mouth up to me with a smile. “Hi,” she replied, just before my lips covered hers.

There was something different about this kiss, something light and playful, carefree almost, like another one of those fragile glass walls around her heart had crumbled and been swept away like dust in the wind.

I was content to follow her lead in this sweet, teasing dance, so I let her propel me toward the bed.

When the edge of the mattress hit the back of my knees, I sat, drawing her down onto my lap.

Coherent thought had just about left my mind when Nora drew back and said, “So Sam and Casey are finally dating, it seems.”

I blinked at her. “Huh. That’s nice.”

Then her mouth was on mine and I didn’t bother thinking about anything other than how good she felt against me.

Any interest in Sam and Casey’s relationship, inevitable as it had always seemed to me, flew straight out of my head.

All that was left was Nora—the taste of her lush lower lip between my teeth, the soft swell of her breasts against my chest, her heat pressing against the fly of my jeans.

When my palms slid up the outside of her thighs to cup her ass under the cotton skirt of her dress, I froze, my brain short-circuiting until I managed to assemble my thoughts back into some degree of coherence.

“You’ve been wearing that little black thong all night?” I asked hoarsely.

A mischievous smile lit her face even as she batted her lashes at me. “Of course I have. I did buy it just for special occasions, you know.”

“Of course,” I repeated, a groan rumbling through my chest. “I didn’t realize meeting my parents counted as a special occasion, but I suppose I can see that. And you didn’t tell me before because . . . ?”

“Well, I thought you might be too distracted, silly.” She trailed her lips along my jaw and I responded by kneading the soft, bare flesh that filled my palms. “Besides,” she murmured against my ear, “my parental approval rating might have dropped if they saw the way you’re looking at me right now.”

“And how am I looking at you?”

Her hands tangled in my hair to tip my head back. “Like you’re hungry,” she said softly. “Starving, even. And definitely like you have some very explicit thoughts going through your lovely head. ”

I cupped her more firmly against me and stood just long enough to turn and lay her out on the bed.

“I’m absolutely ravenous, and those thoughts are very, very explicit,” I replied against her throat.

Sitting back on my heels, I threw off my shirt and lifted the skirt of her dress to her hips with tantalizing slowness.

When my lips brushed the top of her knee, she wiggled.

“Jake! That tickles,” she gasped, then I let my tongue swirl along the inside of her thigh and the gasp turned into a moan.

“You have beautiful kneecaps,” I said. I propped myself on my elbows and shot her a quick grin.

“Your father did just threaten mine, so I think it’s only fair to show yours some heartfelt appreciation.

And now look. I discovered they’re connected to these truly exquisite thighs, which I’ve decided deserve equal reverence. ”

All the air left her lungs in an audible rush as my mouth traveled along her skin.

My hands slipped under her ass again, cupping the bare flesh in my palms as my lips grazed her hip bone.

When my teeth caught the edge of the sheer black fabric, my name escaped her lips on a strangled, breathless whimper.

I slid my hands upward, underneath the waistband, then drew them slowly down her legs, inch by agonizing inch.

“Should I stop?” I murmured, but she only tossed her head restlessly on the mattress.

As I crawled back up, I dropped hot, open-mouthed kisses from ankle to calf, from knee to sweet, softly rounded thigh.

When she whimpered and let me spread her legs further, wide enough to fit my shoulders between them, I dipped my head to run my tongue along her center.

She arched, her hips lifting of their own volition, and she gasped when I did it a second time.

“What was that?” I asked, drawing back to cock my head at her. “I’m afraid I couldn’t hear you.”

“Please,” she whimpered, then my tongue rolled against her, teasing, circling, lapping at her until she was breathless and writhing beneath me.

I paused again to lift my head, eyebrows raised. “Please stop?” The way she wiggled was answer enough, but I waited for her to say it.

“Please don’t ever stop or I might shrivel up and die,” she groaned, arching violently against the teasing brush of my lips along her hip bone.

“Can’t have that now.”

I flashed her a devilish smirk before dropping my head again, then I set about showing her just how much I appreciated her.