Page 25 of Winter’s Heart (Three of Hearts #1)

A SMALL PART of Nikki couldn’t believe she was about to do this.

To make love to Jacob. But like she’d told him in the hallway.

She needed this. She wanted this. The past few days had been a nightmarish whirlwind.

With only one constant. Jacob. Sexy as hell, badass cop Jacob, who protected her when no one else could.

There were so many reasons she shouldn’t sleep with him, but she’d banished all objections from her mind and her heart for now.

This might be their sole chance to be together, and she would not regret choosing him, even if it were only for this single perfect moment in time.

This was just sex, she reminded herself.

A way to release all the stress and fear and anxiety of the last several days. A way to celebrate life.

Jacob’s naked body lay heavy over hers, and she wriggled against him, savoring all his hot skin pressed against hers.

He was devouring her mouth with his, and she let her head fall back against the pillow, pulling him down to follow her.

His lips eventually left hers, but only to kiss her face, sink his tongue into the dip at the base of her throat, taste her.

Soon, his mouth was doing wicked things to her breasts and then her belly, then even lower down, and she lost awareness of anything that wasn’t Jacob. The intensity within built until she was whimpering for him to give her release.

“Condom. Second drawer on the right,” she panted, pointing in the direction of her nightstand.

She didn’t know if he carried protection, but she wasn’t taking any chances, not even when she was this desperate to have him inside her.

She watched him roll on the condom, and she lay back and beckoned to him.

He lowered down, hovering over her body, biceps bulging as he held himself a few centimeters above, asking the question with his eyes.

“Yes,” she whispered her needy response.

Oh, yes. This was everything she’d wanted and more, and so she arched her back, her hips colliding with his, pushing her core against his erection.

He was so hot and hard for her, and she was so ready for him.

Tantalizingly slowly, Jacob eased his cock between her legs, and she opened for him, like a flower to the sun.

Until, in a rush of heat and sensation, he was inside her.

Oh, the feeling was incomparable, nothing else on earth felt this good.

Together they moved in the slow rhythm of sensual pleasure until she knew she was close.

Oh, so close. “Jacob,” she pleaded. “Jacob.” His name became a mantra on her lips, then soon turned to a moan as she could hold back no longer and tumbled over the edge, her climax fast and shockingly intense.

She heard him utter a groan of his own, and then he shuddered and took his own satisfaction.

They lay entangled in each other’s arms for moments uncounted, her breathing becoming normal again, their skin slick with sweat where they were joined.

At last Jacob rolled off her, disposing of the condom, then lifting the blankets so they could both crawl underneath.

She’d left the heating on low while she’d been away, so she didn’t have to come home to a freezing house, and while she hadn’t noticed the coolness of the air when they’d been making love, her skin welcomed the coziness of flannel sheets now.

They lay facing each other, not speaking, content to be cocooned in each other’s arms. Nikki admired the strong planes of Jacob’s cheekbones, his slightly crooked nose as she stared into his amazing hazel eyes.

Jacob’s eyelids fluttered closed, even though he valiantly tried to keep them open.

She didn’t blame him; it’d been a long few days and neither of them had slept much.

Lethargy made her limbs heavy, but her brain was still too wired to shut her eyes just yet.

Which left her an opportunity to study Jacob as he lay sleeping and try to untangle all the knots in her mind as to how she felt about him.

The sex had been amazing. And she’d discovered a lot about Jacob today in her bed.

Over the time Nikki had known Jacob, he’d come across as calm and competent, radiating a don’t-fuck-with-me vibe.

The man was intimidating. Even when he’d been outnumbered this morning in the driveway, she’d felt the brutality that Jacob kept hidden just below the surface ready to be unleashed; he’d been prepared to fight to the death with those agents if he’d had to.

But now she had a unique insight; in bed she’d seen another side of Jacob.

A tender side, vulnerable even. He was an attentive lover, compassionate and giving.

She almost felt as if she were being worshiped as he’d stroked the skin over her hipbone, and kissed her collarbone so gently, intent on driving her slowly insane.

He was far more committed to her pleasure than Bradley had ever been.

That notion stopped her in her tracks. Bradley had been nowhere in her thoughts while they’d made love, which surprised her.

It was now a little over six months since she’d found out about Bradley’s cheating and ended their relationship.

Half a year since she’d made love with a man.

And while she’d missed the sheer physical indulgence of the carnal act, her heart had been too wounded to want to move on.

Until now. One touch from Jacob and she’d lit up like a Christmas tree, zinging with awareness and want.

She couldn’t remember having this kind of intense attraction to any other man.

But what did that mean? For her? And for Jacob?

Was there any kind of future for them? Or was this the beginning and the end all rolled into one?

She was a scientist who lived in Seattle.

He was a police officer who lived in Sweden.

It didn’t seem like there was any way they could make this work, even if they wanted to. Which she wasn’t sure she did.

She and Bradley had been together for three years.

Had been in love, or so she thought. There’d been no actual discussion about getting married and having kids, but she’d always assumed it was on the cards at some stage in the future.

That one day Bradley would get down on one knee and produce a ring.

And then after he’d betrayed her so horribly, she was no longer sure where she stood on the matter of marriage, or even another relationship.

She’d actively steered away from men, not wanting to put her heart out there again so soon. If ever.

Then Jacob had barged into her sauna and into her life.

Gosh, she didn’t know if he actually was single?

The conversation had never come up, and today they’d been so caught up in the swift intensity, the idea he might have a partner hadn’t even occurred to her.

She was pretty sure he was a man of principles, and wouldn’t cheat on a lover, girlfriend, or wife.

He wore no ring on his finger, but a lot of men didn’t.

That would be one of the first questions she was going to ask when he woke up.

The lethargy in her muscles was finally taking over her brain, and her eyelids became heavy.

Time for all those uncertainties later. They were stuck in her house for the foreseeable future with nowhere to go and nobody they could contact.

There was nothing they could do while the FBI stood guard right outside her door.

So, she may as well follow Jacob’s example and get some much-needed sleep.

Maybe things would become clearer when they woke up.

* * *

Nikki moved sluggishly around the kitchen, covering an enormous yawn as she turned on the coffee machine.

She and Jacob had slept like the dead for six hours straight, neither of them moving out of their lover’s embrace.

Now it was evening, and she stared out the window at the bleak, wintry skies trying to rouse herself from her daytime snooze.

There was no sign of the FBI agents who were supposed to be guarding the house on her front porch, but she had no doubt they were there somewhere.

Which was a good thing, because if she spied one of them, she was likely to go out and give them a piece of her mind.

She knew part of her listlessness was due to jet lag.

But more of it was the hopelessness she was now feeling.

She’d arrived back in America full of determination to use the data from her research to bring down the greedy Chinese company.

But that plan had been put in limbo, and she was at a loss as to what to do next.

There was a knock at the door, and Nikki jumped, wondering if those pesky agents could read her mind.

She knew she looked a sight, her hair all in tangles and wearing sweats, which she’d hastily pulled on as an afterthought when she remembered there were strangers watching from outside.

She was of two minds whether to answer the door.

But when she looked out through the peephole, the brown paper bag being held up by Miller convinced her to open it.

“We thought you might need some supplies,” Miller said, but Nikki was still too angry for olive branches, and she snatched the bag with a haughty sniff then slammed the door closed in the other woman’s face.

She was being petty, but the satisfaction was nonetheless immense.

There was bread, butter, fresh fruit, milk and other staples in the bag, which was good, because Nikki had left the fridge practically empty.

Jacob emerged from the bedroom wearing only a T and his jeans at the sound of the door slamming. He came up behind her as she put the bag on the kitchen countertop and pulled her around gently into a hug, kissing the top of her head as she lay it against his chest.