Page 54 of Fae Devoted (Fae Touched #3)
“J acob, I’m fine,” Johnnie said for what seemed like the hundredth time since landing in Memphis with Samuel and Lady Rose on the private jet an hour ago.
Ethan had left King Alexander’s residence the afternoon of the rescue mission.
A full day before the rest of the ESC team.
Sixteen hours into Johnnie’s twenty-four-hour healing sleep and mere minutes before Jacob received a text from Jeremiah via an unknown, untraceable number.
He said Charlie and Hannah were somewhere safe—and not much else.
“I’ll call Regan.” Jacob pulled the Guard issued SUV in front of his newly renovated home; his truck was stuck in Michigan. Alexander promised to have the vehicle repaired and delivered to the island by the end of the week.
“I don’t need another healer.” She laid her fingers on Jacob’s forearm, stopping him from reaching for his cellphone. “The king’s physician wouldn’t have cleared me to leave if any poison was left in my system.”
“You should still rest.” Jacob caught her hand, flipping it over and placing a kiss on her palm then another on the inside of her unblemished wrist. “And eat.”
“I’m tired of resting, and we ate on the plane.” Her pulse jumped at the featherlight brush of his lips on her skin. “Besides, you promised I could see the house tonight.”
“Yeah,” Jacob’s voice lowered along with his gaze, his focus on their newly linked hands. “Did you want to visit your parents first?”
“But we’re already here.” Johnnie frowned. She had waited what seemed like forever to see the interior of his new place, why was he still stalling? “We made plans to have dinner with them tomorrow, remember?”
Dorothy and Ellis Long knew little more today regarding their daughter’s impromptu trip than when she left the island with Jacob to help him with a personal family issue .
Any explanations—beyond the bare minimum—would only place them in danger; the threat of the Fae was far from over.
Johnnie counted on the joyful surprise of learning Jacob was her truemate to trump her parents’ natural curiosity. At least for a while.
Jacob didn’t look up or move to leave the SUV, her confident male was acting oddly uncertain. Was he worried she wouldn’t like the house?
“I’m sure I’ll love it,” she said, squeezing his hand and hoping her sincerity reached him through their incomplete bond. “Show it to me?”
Jacob’s answering nod was slow to come, but he finally released her and came around to the passenger side of the SUV.
Johnnie managed to get her seatbelt undone before the door opened, and he offered his hand to help her down.
She didn’t protest the unnecessary aid, needing the reassurance of physical contact as much as Jacob did after the events of the past two weeks.
His shoulders remained stiff as he led them to the front porch and punched in the security code. He reached down to turn the knob, and Johnnie bounced on her toes. The knowledge she was about to see their future home for the first time rendered her incapable of hiding her excitement.
The door swung open, but he didn’t attempt to enter.
Johnnie tried to see around Jacob’s broad back, but the setting sun was shining in her eyes and the interior lights were off. She couldn’t see a damn thing.
“Jacob,” she said, poking him in the side. Her already finite patience was at an end.
His fingers flexed, the grip on her hand tightening with the movement. He remained silent as he pulled her into the foyer, his spine impossibly rigid.
The lights flipped on, and Johnnie blinked, her breath catching as the room came into focus.
The main living area was decorated in a blend of bright patterns and muted colors.
A huge sofa and an overstuffed chair were upholstered in soft grays but accented with a mishmash of coral, blue, and vibrant turquoise throw pillows.
The white-washed coffee table held a gradient trio of ceramic vases dyed in ombre shades of dark aqua, navy, and rusty orange; the silver and blue rug beneath it was thickly woven.
“It’s beautiful, Jacob.”
And damn near feminine.
And exactly Johnnie’s taste.
She spun slowly, forcing Jacob to drop her hand.
Heart racing, Johnnie approached the dream kitchen with her fingers covering her throat and headed straight for the enormous butcher-block island in its center.
The base was painted a gorgeous deep teal, its long length accommodating five wicker stools.
White shaker-style cupboards lined three walls of the redone space, the lowers’ topped with a sleek marble countertop and an abundance of small appliances.
A wide-mouth food processor and stacks of colorful mixing bowls were tucked into a corner near the farmhouse sink.
Built seamlessly into the cabinetry were a top of the line commercial-grade refrigerator and six-burner stove outfitted with rubberized handles to protect iron-sensitive skin. But it was the double convection ovens made for baking that made her gasp.
Her gaze shot to Jacob. His hands were stuffed inside his pockets, his expression guarded.
“But you don’t cook.”
He took a deep breath and said, “But you do.”
She glanced at the first floor again. At the vibrant splashes of color she favored, and his bachelor suite at the Harbor Complex hadn’t included. At the chef’s kitchen he didn’t need. At the unmated male who bought and renovated a four bedroom home after being content with a single room apartment.
Had Jacob designed this house with a family in mind? With her in mind?
Johnnie’s heart jackhammered inside her chest as she turned back to the kitchen, reverently running her palm over the smooth maple surface perfect for rolling dough.
Why hadn’t she questioned the move before now?
“You bought the house for me?”
“For us,” he said quietly, suddenly at her back.
“How long?” was all Johnnie could push through a tight throat, teetering on the verge of tears, knowing he’d understand what she was really asking him.
Jacob removed the elastic band from her ponytail, gathered the length in one hand and pulled it aside. A tender kiss brushed the nape of her neck, his arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her against his chest. “Always.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You were still a year away from your Majority.” His chin lowered to the crown of her head. “I couldn’t risk starting the Dance when your wolf might not be ready to accept the final Mark. Nothing would have stopped me from claiming you too soon if I knew you felt the same way as I did.”
Johnnie snorted at the absurdity of the word if.
“And then Jeremiah was outcast.” His jaw glided across her hair as if pushing her scent into his pores. “I couldn’t leave him to the Fae, and I couldn’t ask you to wait for me. Not when I didn’t know how long I’d be gone.”
Or if you’d be back at all.
“I know.” Johnnie nestled into his embrace. “But you have to know that I would have waited forever for you, Jacob.”
There was no need for words as contentment fluttered through the bond, and several moments passed before Johnnie broke the silence. “I love your kitchen.”
“Our kitchen.” Jacob’s hand slipped underneath the hem of her slouchy sweater, his fingers spreading wide as though trying to reach every centimeter of her skin.
“Our kitchen,” she repeated, pivoting in his arms. Jacob’s hand never lifted from her skin as she turned, sliding around her waist to her spine. Johnnie pressed her nose to the hollow of his throat and breathed in his scent.
He tugged on her unbound hair with his free hand, wrapping it in his fist and tipping her face to greet the yellow gaze of his wolf.
“I love you.” He kissed her forehead.
Johnnie’s eyes closed. She’d known it all along, so why the hell was she crying?
“I can’t live without you.” He kissed her cheeks, his lips brushing away the tears that wouldn’t stop falling. “I’m not good with words, but if you could see inside my heart…”
Say something, Johnnie…anything.
Her windpipe squeezed shut.
“Be my Ca’anam, Jo. I want you to feel everything I can’t say.”
Yes, yes, yes.
He kissed her wet lids, tears still leaking. “Baby, stop.”
She managed a hiccup. Who knew she was such a damn crybaby?
Jacob sighed, and tried a different tactic.
His mouth took hers, but it didn’t just take , it devoured. Love and lust surged through the bond, and Johnnie responded instinctually to both, opening her heart to welcome them in—welcoming Jacob in. “Yes.”
Jacob grunted into her throat, his hand delving beneath the waistband of her long, pleated skirt to cup her butt and lift her off her feet. He kept their mouths pressed together with fingers tangled in her hair and spun toward their bedroom.
Johnnie wound her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as he strode down the hallway. She sucked in air through her nose, unwilling to break the kiss. Who needed air anyway?
They sank onto the bed with lips locked, and Jacob braced above her on his elbows. She felt his stiff cock through the layers of fabric, pressing against her center. She raised her hips, seeking more of the sweet friction.
Jacob’s lips tore from hers, skimming over her chin to her throat, teeth scraping her collarbone.
Her breath sawed in and out, fingers yanking at his shirt. Off, off, off.
He felt her urgency and levered to his knees, yanking the material over his head. The reveal of sleek flesh and sculpted muscle sent a punch of heat to her middle and set her blood on fire.
She quickly removed her sweater, then arched her back to undo her lace bra, not wanting to wait another second for skin on skin contact.
Jacob’s gaze raked over her bared breasts and his broad chest heaved, his eyes blazing liquid amber.
He unzipped his jeans, his glowing eyes on her and his handsome jaw clenched.
A flush crept up her neck as he pushed them and his boxers down his thick thighs.