Let it Snow(The Hope Falls Series)

Chapter Twenty-Two


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Tessa walked in the front door of Jake’s condo, all of the trepidation she had felt about him since she had been back in Hope Falls melting away like snow under the rays of the bright, springtime sun. Far from feeling timid and unsure in his presence, she now felt bold. Sexy. Incredibly turned on.

Their encounter at Say Cheese had started her down that path, but the scene in the bar had clinched it. Wow. She knew it was a little cliché that she’d gotten so turned on by Jake’s hyper-masculine, testosterone-fueled display—but she couldn’t help it. When he had stormed up to save the day with his “Me Tarzan, You Jane” routine, she just hadn’t been able to help herself. Her body—and even her brain—had jumped right on board and responded with, “Um, yes, Me Jane. Now bring me home, Tarzan, so I can take a ride on your big swinging vine!”

As soon as they stepped past the threshold, the clatter of claws on hardwood filled the space, and seconds later, Lucky dashed pell-mell into the room. He leapt into Tessa’s arms as if she were his long-lost best friend and he were about one-tenth his actual size.

She felt Jake’s arms behind her, holding her up under the assault of the dog’s heavy body, and then he quickly moved around in front of her and lifted Lucky down. He scolded Lucky, telling him never to do that again, but Tessa could hear the undercurrent of affection and amusement in his voice. From the way Lucky was wagging his tail, Tessa guessed that the dog was picking up on it as well.

She giggled. “He seems very intimidated.”

Jake shook his head. “Well, apparently I’m not nearly as adept at putting my own dog in his place as I am drunk a*sholes.”

Tessa grinned widely. “Well, those guys deserved to be put in their place. Lucky, on the other hand… Well, he’s a good boy!”

Obviously, Lucky did not grasp the meaning of her entire speech, but he did clearly pick up on the words “Lucky” and “good boy,” which caused his tail to sweep back and forth with even greater speed and intensity as he rose up on his haunches, placing his front to paws on Tessa’s chest and beginning to lick her face.


Tessa laughed, ruffling the dog’s fur affectionately. She murmured to him as she petted his silky coat, assuring him that he was, indeed, a good boy.

Jake called Lucky to him and the dog happily followed his owner.

“You’re going in the laundry room, boy.” Jake patted the yellow lab’s head as he looked over his shoulder at Tessa. “I have plans for you and they don’t include my dog getting more affection than I do. I don’t care if his name is ‘Lucky.’ But don’t worry. I’m going to put plenty of his favorite treats in with him. He’ll be more than happy.”

“Okay.” Tessa liked the sound of plans. “I’m just going to go freshen up. I would like to be dog-spit free for your plans.”

“Use the upstairs. The downstairs is connected to the laundry room and I want to get him settled.”

Tessa practically skipped up the stairs, through the bedroom and into the bathroom. She turned on the water and washed her face, the cold temperature bringing her back down to reality a little bit, piercing the lust-and-adrenaline fog that had been firmly holding her brain in its grip since Jake had touched her in the photography studio this afternoon. However, far from giving her second thoughts, this moment of bright-eyed clarity only served to make her even more excited about the encounter that she and Jake were going to share.

This had been too long coming. It was time. She wasn’t sure if this was the smartest move they’d ever made, but she knew she needed Jake and he needed her. And this was going to happen. Tonight.

Tessa assessed her freshly scrubbed face in the mirror and saw a woman who was surer of herself than Tessa could remember being in years. That was partly attributable to Jake’s influence, sure. But the strong, clear-eyed determination she saw in her own eyes came from deep within, and she was proud that she had that reserve of strength inside, just waiting to be tapped.

She smirked. Speaking of waiting to be tapped. She smiled as she dried off her face, immensely amused by her own pun. Then, as she reached for the doorknob, all of the self-assuredness and confidence she’d been so happy to be feeling vanished. Poof! In a span of three seconds, it was gone.

What if being with Jake tonight somehow further damaged their relationship instead of bringing them closer? They were just getting back to being friends. Yes, they’d gotten frisky in the studio, but this was different. And on the flipside of that coin, what if it did bring them closer? What then? It didn’t change anything. Right?

“Okay, okay, okay,” she whispered to herself, shaking her hands to try and release some of her anxiety. She knew that she couldn’t stand in the bathroom all night intellectualizing and overanalyzing her and Jake being together. So, taking a deep breath, she reached her now trembling hand out and turned the doorknob.

As she stepped out of the bathroom door, she saw that Jake was already waiting for her in the bedroom, sitting casually on the edge of the bed. He looked up as she walked towards him and the expression in his gorgeous big brown eyes stopped Tessa in her tracks. They were so full of emotion, but they appeared to be conflicted. She couldn’t quite get a read on what he was feeling, and it made her anxiety skyrocket.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” he rasped.

And just like that, Tessa wasn’t thinking about her nerves or anxiety. Jake’s compliment rushed through her like the raging white waters of the rapids. It had always been like that. Whether it was four little words, a touch, a smile, or a look, Jake affected her on a primal subconscious level.

Staring at him as his hungry gaze raked over her, she attempted to reply, but her voice came out as a whisper. “So are you.”

“Come here,” Jake responded, his voice growing thick with lust.

The sound of his voice like that, the sudden fullness of it, the catch in his voice, the rapidness of his breath—it washed over Tessa in a tidal wave. Suddenly, she was on fire from head to toe. She needed Jake. To be close to him. To feel his skin against her skin, his mouth on hers, or she felt like she would explode.

Spontaneous human combustion. Yep. She’d heard of it, and she didn’t think it could be caused by mere lust—but wow. After tonight, if she heard that such a thing were possible, she certainly wouldn’t question it.

She moved across the room in two steps on unsteady legs, her heart feeling like it would beat right through her ribs. She stopped only when she was standing in front of him, and his mouth turned up into a sexy half smile.

“Straddle it,” he directed, repeating the instruction she’d given to him earlier at the studio.

Tessa let out a little laugh, and the last tiny bit of anxiety and nervousness dissipated completely. This was Jake. Her Jake.

She placed her hands on his shoulder as she lifted one knee up on the side of his thigh. Before she could move the other one, Jake’s hands were on her, pulling her up on his lap, his mouth crushing hers in a passionate kiss. She could feel his hands roaming up and down her back, dipping down and cupping the firm globes of her backside.

Her hands moved over his strong shoulders and down his back. There was a thought in the back of her mind that there were too many layers of clothing between them, but Tessa couldn’t bring herself to break their kiss to remedy it. Even through the cotton of his shirt she felt his muscles rippling beneath her touch, but she wanted to touch skin.

So she moved her hands up and cupped his face. The bristly hairs of his panty-melting five-o’clock shadow beneath her palm sent a shock of tingles straight to her femininity. She gently dug her fingers into his skin at the powerful sensation.

Breaking their kiss, Jake’s mouth moved to the base of her wrist. He moved one of his hands and cradled hers as he lavished sensual attention on the sensitive area just beneath her palm. Tessa began feeling dizzy with arousal. The room was spinning so she closed her eyes. Then suddenly everything stopped.

Jake’s hand was no longer roaming up and down her back. His magical mouth was no longer kissing her flesh. He was perfectly still. The only movement she could feel was his chest rising and falling against her.

Opening her eyes, she found his jaw locked and fury in the eyes that had just been filled with lust and desire. His gaze was laser-focused on her hand that rested in his.

“Jake?” she spoke through choppy breaths.

“I’m so sorry,” he rasped.

“For what?” Tessa had no idea what he was talking about. Was he sorry they were about to have sex? Was he so sorry that he was putting a stop to it? Panic began to rise up inside of her.

“I should have got there sooner.” Jake closed his pained eyes and softly kissed her wrist again.

Okay, time out!

Tessa needed to know what the hell Jake was talking about. She pulled her arm away from his soft lips so she could talk to him and that’s when she saw it. There was a discolored, raised outline of fingers from where the a-hole Red Shirt had held her wrist.

Looking back at Jake, she tried to assure him. “I’m fine. Honestly. You know I bruise easily.”

He was breathing only through his nose, and if he were a dragon, he’d definitely be shooting fire out of his nostrils. “I should have killed him.”

“No you shouldn’t have!” she exclaimed.

He stared at her with all the pent-up anger of a bull ready to charge.

“Oh, stop it.” She smiled as her eyes widened. “And you say Nikki’s a drama queen. You trying to take her crown, killer?”

Normally, Jake was the first one to let something go or joke around about things, but he looked far from amused at her teasing comment.

Scrunching her nose, she tilted her head and asked, “Too soon?”

Luckily, that comment was rewarded with Jake’s mouth twitching at the corners and his eyes softening as he said, “You’re a brat.”

“I know,” Tessa said as a sense of pride welled up in her. She loved that she too could affect Jake. Maybe not as much as he did her, but she would take it. Leaning forward, she softly kissed the corners of his mouth that had just turned up.

He let out a small sound of resignation. “Are you trying to distract me?”

She continued pressing kisses along his jawline. “Yes, I am.”

Her lips trailed down to his neck and she felt his vein beneath her kiss. True, it could be protruding because he’d just been angry. Its appearance didn’t necessarily mean that he was still turned on, but she figured either way she would enjoy it.

Slowly, she licked from the base of his neck where the vein began, all the way up to the sensitive spot just beneath his ear. A moan vibrated through his chest, and she felt his hands move back down to her butt, his fingers kneading her.

Leaning back, she asked as innocently as possible, “Is it working?”

A fire of arousal once again sparked in Jake’s eyes as he picked her up and flipped their positions. She was lying flat on her back on the bed now and he hovered over her.

Then he moved to her side, Jake’s hand roaming up and down her body as he leaned over and whispered, his lips brushing against her ear, “Yes. It is.”

Tessa took in a deep, shuddering breath and reveled in the sentiment, loving the feel of Jake’s hands on her body and the sound of his voice in her ear. On so many nights over the past thirteen years, this was a scene that had played out in her dreams. It had seemed too much to hope or imagine that it might one day come true. But now, that was exactly what was happening. Her dream, her wildest fantasy, was coming true at last. She was making love to Jake Maguire again.


Tessa felt Jake’s hand slip under her shirt, caressing the smooth, flat skin of her belly. Tingles exploded throughout her torso, zipping out to her extremities with the power of electric charges, until her body felt like one giant fiery mass of charges.

“Good. I’m glad.” Tessa’s strained voice was threaded with need.

She felt his tongue on the skin of her neck as he trailed his mouth lower and sensed his intensity increase with each kiss. Tessa felt totally consumed. She was torn between the impulse to slow things down to stretch the encounter out as long as possible and the equally strong drive to rush headlong through the building intensity and the explosion that would inevitably occur. The tension between these two mutually exclusive desires had stretched her taut, like a rubber band about to snap, but it was the sweetest torture she could imagine being subjected to.

In reality, she did not surrender herself to either one of the conflicting impulses, deciding, rather, to simply surrender herself to Jake. As difficult as it was, she forced herself to lay back, relax, and just enjoy the sensations that the touch of this deliciously sexy man was sending through her body.

She felt alive for the first time in a long time, and Jake was the reason. When it came to taking good care of her, Jake was a master. It had always been that way.

Tessa threaded her fingers through Jake’s hair as he moved his head lower and lower, kissing down her neck as he went. She felt his hands slide behind her back and unhook her bra. Then he slipped her shirt up and brought them off together in one fluid movement. She moaned as his rough palms traversed her smooth skin, and she pushed her body even harder against him, needing to get closer, closer—as close as she possibly could.

Jake rose up on his elbow and surveyed her now-bare torso. His gaze caressed her, moving slowly from her smooth, flat belly up to the plump, round mounds of her breasts. She felt her nipples harden under his scrutiny, which she felt like a physical touch. Jake must’ve seen this as well because she heard his breath draw in sharply as he eyes landed on her hard, pointed nipples. Then he dove for them hungrily, enveloping first one and then the other in his hot, wet, mouth.

Tessa could feel the intensity of his need for her like a physical force the instant his tongue made contact with the tight, hard peak of her nipple. The sheer power of it was so strong that it caused her to arch her back and let out a cry. It was more than the pure physical pleasure of having his tongue caressing the sensitive nubs that caused her to cry out, although the pleasure was fierce. It was the connection, the electricity that was flowing back and forth between them, not just within their bodies, but also within their souls. That was what really got to her and made her lose control.

She could have handled the pleasure. Pleasure was wonderful and she enjoyed it, but she had been given pleasure by other guys. She had also given herself pleasure on more than one occasion. Simple pleasure was a cheap imitation of the soul-consuming sensation that was currently streaking through her entire being, and that sensation could only be imparted to her by one person—Jake. That was the way it had always been, and it was abundantly clear to Tessa that that was the way it still was.

She tangled her fingers in his hair, pressing herself even harder into his mouth, unable to get close enough to him to satisfy the white-hot fire that was burning within her belly.

“Jake…” she whimpered as she reached for his shirt. She wanted to feel him. Skin to skin. “I want this off…”

Jake lifted his head and looked hungrily into her eyes, the naked lust she saw there, stoking her inner fire to even greater heights. He reached one hand behind him and yanked his shirt up and off of his body.

Then, moving over her, he covered her mouth with his, plunging his tongue inside. Tessa thought that she might explode from the burst of white-hot electricity that surged inside of her at that moment. She wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling her core tighten at the touch of his hardness through the layers of fabric that still separated them. The bare skin of his chest rubbed erotically against her sensitized peaks, only increasing the pleasure bursting between her legs.

She had forgotten how powerful this was with Jake. She had forgotten what it felt like when she wasn’t just having sex, but when she was making love.

She never wanted to forget again.

*

Jake kissed Tessa with all of the pent-up sexual energy that had been building, on some level, for the thirteen years since she had left. Sure, he had had sex since then. But those girls hadn’t been Tessa. None of them had mattered. He hadn’t felt anything except the most fundamental biological response to the act of two people having sex. It had felt empty and lonely.

Not like this. Not like he felt with Tessa. She was a part of him. When they were together he didn’t know where he stopped and she began.

A part of Jake couldn’t really make himself believe that this was actually happening, that he was actually here—in bed with Tessa—after all of these years. He couldn’t stop touching her, running his hands over her smooth, soft skin. Of course, part of that was because he simply loved the feel of her, couldn’t get enough of touching her. But another big part of it was an effort to convince himself that he wasn’t dreaming, that she was actually here, that this was real.

Jake began peppering small kisses down her neck again, then her chest, moving past her breasts this time, and continuing down her belly. He trailed his tongue down the flat expanse and reveled in the feeling of her muscles jumping underneath her skin at his touch. He loved that he affected her that way. He just loved the fact that he could bring her that much pleasure with a simple touch.

When he reached the waistband of her jeans, he unbuttoned them and slipped them down her legs, bringing her lacy panties with him. He needed to see her naked before him. He needed to have nothing covering her, nothing hiding her from him, nothing between him and her gorgeous body.

When he had completely undressed her, his eyes traveled slowly up her naked flesh and he could see her trembling, whether from arousal or vulnerability—or a combination of both—he was not sure.

Without a word, he knelt at the side of the bed. Looking down he saw that her toenails were painted red. She was happy. He ran his finger over her toes.

“What’s wrong?” she asked as she lifted up on her elbows.

“They’re red.” He looked up and answered. “So that means you’re happy. Here.”

Her brow knitted in confusion. “What?”

“The night you got here, they were purple, so I knew you were sad. Now they’re red so I know you’re happy.”

Her lips parted as she shook her head a little in disbelief. “You remembered that?”

“I remember everything about you,” Jake said as he ran his fingertips up the outsides of her perfectly shaped legs and over her hips, feeling her skin shudder deliciously at his touch.

When his hands had reached her waist, he grasped her firmly and pulled her closer to the edge of the bed. Her arms gave out and she was once again flat on her back. Then, slowly…ever so slowly…he pushed her knees apart and positioned himself in between them. He sharply drew in a breath at the glistening wetness he saw there.

Unable to wait even a moment longer, he buried his head between her legs, covering her entirely with his mouth, tasting her sweet arousal, devouring her, and running his hands up and down her body as his mouth moved furiously on her core.

Tessa began to wriggle and shudder underneath his hands, and he could feel the passion building inside of her minute by minute. He worked his tongue, stiffening it and moving it up and down and in circles around the center of her pleasure, building her up to a stunning climax.

He felt Tessa’s fingers grasping his hair in her fists, felt her raising her hips to meet his mouth, pressing herself into him and encouraging him onward. He continued his steady pace, nearly as desperate to bring her to release as she obviously was to get there. He’d always known it—he lived to give this woman pleasure.

He could go for the rest of his life and never get tired of making love to her. Night after night, day after day—every time he looked at her, every time he touched her, he was amazed by some new aspect of her body and soul that he had never before fully appreciated. He knew with ever fiber in his being that it would always, always be that way.

He loved Tessa. Not just a little bit. Completely and totally, down to the core of his soul. He was entirely and irrevocably in love with Tessa Hayes and he always would be, for every moment until the day he died.

He didn’t know what the future held for them in the long run, so he didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he did know that it was true. In fact, it was probably the truest and most definite thing about him.

He felt her coming up to the edge of climax, and he continued his efforts to push her blissfully over, but she yanked on his hair to pull his head up and gasped, “No, Jake. Inside me. I want to come while you’re inside me.”

He grinned at her. Far be it from him to argue with a beautiful, naked woman.

Jake stood, shedding his pants and boxers as quickly as possible and then reached into his nightstand and grabbed a condom. He unwrapped it and smoothly slipped it on, turning back to Tessa to see that she had scooted back and repositioned herself in the middle of the bed. She held out her arms to him and he happily climbed into her embrace.


Jake leaned on his elbow, framing her face, his manhood positioned at her tight, wet opening. Her beautiful blue eyes looked up at him as she panted for breath and her hands roamed up and down his back.

Jake was overwhelmed with love as he stared into the sky blue pools of her eyes. He knew that he couldn’t say those words to her, so instead he said, “I missed you.”

She nodded as tears filled her eyes. Her lip quivered as she said, “I missed you too.”

Holding her gaze, he pushed himself slowly inside of her, groaning as her tight wetness fully enveloped him. His body shook from the power of the love, pleasure, and satisfaction that filled him so fully and completely. Tessa’s eyes closed as her hips rocked into his and she let out a needy moan. He felt a slight sting in his back as her nails dug into his skin, her thighs trembling against his hips.

Resting his forehead against hers, Jake rocked his hips, moving inside of her, slowly building up his pace. He didn’t want to rush this no matter how incredible it felt. He wanted to stay like this forever. Connected to Tessa. Body and soul.

With the pleasure intensifying unbearably as Jake felt the inner fire of his passion begin to build to a peak, he recognized the telltale signs in Tessa’s body that the same thing was happening to her. Her hips matched his rhythm, thrust for thrust. Her hands raked up his back as she arched her breasts against the hard planes of his chest. Her gasps and moans became ever more desperate as his pace increased.

All too soon, he was at the very edge of climax. It was simply a matter of holding himself back until she was also ready so that they could experience that physical and emotional explosion together, entangled in one another’s arms, the way that it should be. He hoped he would be able to. The intensity of sensation he was experiencing was so extreme that he was afraid it was going to overtake him and he would be carried away in an uncontrollable rush of pleasure.

Thankfully—because he honestly did not know how much longer he could’ve held out—after just a few moments, he heard her cry with encouragements as her body convulsed around him. He felt her arms and legs encircle him and grasp with steel-like strength, and her inner walls pulsed tightly around his shaft.

Jake moaned and surrendered to his own climax, grateful that he had been able to wait. Happy that he had been able to do that for her. He’d needed to share that with her. It felt significant to him. It felt like it meant something.

When their bodies had exhausted themselves and he looked up and into her eyes, he could see that he was not the only one who felt that what had just happened between them had been significant. Tessa did not say anything, but her eyes said it all. He’d always been able to read her like an open book, and this had meant something to her. It was significant.

A little voice in the back of his head popped up. But…does it mean that she will stay?

He pushed the thought from his mind. He didn’t want to ruin the present moment with worries about the future. He had wasted too much time doing that. Instead, he simply kissed her softly, held her, and enjoyed the knowledge that—for tonight at least—he was falling asleep while holding the woman he loved in his arms.