Page 18 of Girl Betrayed

It felt impossibly foolish to give in to his childish pep-talk, but when Jake devoted the entirety of his focus on Dana, he was irresistible. She caved. “Fine. We got this.”

“Nah, you can do better, Doc. We’ve got this!”

“We’ve got this!” she echoed with more gusto this time. “Are you happy?” she asked, grinning despite her best efforts.

“Almost,” he whispered. Jake pulled her closer, those stormy blue eyes drawing her in. “I meant what I said before, Gray. I’m back now. We’re in this together. For as long as you’ll have me. Promise.”

The number of words in the world was infinite, and Dana knew more than most, yet she’d never imagined a single one could hold so much power over her.

Promise.

Each time Jake uttered the word, it pierced her soul, supplanting all doubt and apprehension.

Dana let herself get lost in the moment, reveling in the exquisite sharpness of what Jake made her feel when he kissed her.

He hadn’t kept up with his shaving in Nevada, and the roughness of his stubble burned as he hungrily nipped a path down her neck. She’d been surprised by his new unkempt look, but she liked it. Even more surprising was how good it felt to have his coarseness against her skin.

Jake moved with calculated accuracy. His fingers didn’t fumble, his hands didn’t shake. He handled her body like he’d already conquered it. With one swift move he lifted her onto the counter and kissed her so deeply she wrapped her legs around him and moaned into his mouth.

Jake stilled, his fingers frozen midway through deftly unbuttoning her blouse. Dana pulled back; her eyes wide as she realized how carried away they’d gotten. Jake gripped the counter on either side of her hips and let his head drop to her shoulder while she tried to catch her breath. Finally, she whispered his name. “Jake … we can’t.”

“I know,” he said calmly. Then he lifted his head. There was a barely contained wildness caged behind his blue eyes when he gazed at her. Jake stared at her a moment longer before untangling himself and helping her off the counter. “Guess we still haven’t gotten the timing right just yet,” he teased.

“We will,” she promised.

“I know.” He placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “Get some sleep. I’ll stay up and keep watch.”

“Jake, don’t take this the wrong way,” she said, caressing his prickly cheek. “You look like you haven’t slept in a week. I’ll stay up with Claire. Besides, I’m not sure how much sleep I’ll get after what we almost did,” she joked, buttoning her blouse.

“Oh yeah?” he teased, not even trying to hide his flirtatious smirk. “You were into it? I couldn’t tell.”

“Shut up and get some shut eye. That’s an order.”

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his arms. “That’s not fair. You know I can’t resist when you talk bossy to me, Doc.”

Feeling lighter than air, Dana reached up and looped her arms around his neck. “Then you’re in luck because you know I like to be in charge.”

“Sign me up.” After another passionate kiss Jake turned serious. “For real though. You’re crazy if you think I’m going to sleep after someone tried to break in here.”

“Jake, you need sleep, too.”

“And I’ll get it, but not until I’m sure you and Claire are safe.”

“We took care of ourselves just fine before you crashed into our lives.”

“I know that. But I’m here now. You don’t have to do everything alone.”

Dana looked down to disguise the sting the word still possessed.Alone.It’s something she’d always been, something she’d always planned to be. But now, here was Jake, offering her true partnership. It was almost too much to wrap her mind around. “Speaking of doing things alone,” she hedged. “Do you want to tell me about Nevada?”

Jake sighed deeply. “It’s a long story.”

“I’m the curator of the world’s largest occult library, Jake. Long stories are kind of my thing,” Dana murmured, hoping to lighten the mood.

Jake pulled her in closer, dropping a kiss on top of her head as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. “Alright, I’ll make you a deal. You get some sleep now, and I’ll wake you for the AM shift as soon as the sun rises, and after we’ve both gotten some sleep, I’ll tell you all about Nevada.”

Relenting, Dana agreed. She released Jake and poured him another cup of coffee, escaping from the kitchen while she still had the willpower to do so.

Pulling herself away from him after so many promises wasn’t easy. But there would be time for them later.