“I can take it from here,” I announced when we made it back to my steps.

“No such luck,” Jake whispered into my ear, then tucked a loose piece of hair back into my ponytail.

We walked in silence back to my door, Jake’s hand burning an imprint on my back, even though he was barely touching me. For the second time, he took my key and opened the door, letting the puppy loose to scurry to the corner and flop down on the rug.

“Aly.” He seized the back of my neck and pulled my lips close, almost touching his but not quite. “You don’t have to be so tough.” With each word, his lips brushed along mine, his voice a low mumble, yet reverberating throughout the room.

“I am that way,” I murmured back. “Tough.”

“You don’t have to be with me.”

I didn’t have a chance to respond as Jake’s lips landed directly on me this time. We were kissing as we walked backward until my back landed against the far wall. Jake grasped my ponytail and tugged my head back just a little, adding a tiny bit of exquisite pressure.

If you’d asked me a week ago if I thought pain could be pleasurable, I would have been adamant the answer was no. But not now, because this tiny bit of pain was delicious. Pulling back my head exposed my neck, and Jake tore his mouth away and ran his tongue all the way down my face, over my jaw and straight to my clavicle. He sucked on a spot I hadn’t realized was so sensitive as he moaned, “Aly-cat.”

My hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they slipped under his T-shirt. Up the wide expanse of his back they went, fingering each of his well-defined muscles that rippled like waves under my touch. When his thumb ran along the bottom seam of the lime-green TEAM FIZZLE T-shirt, tickling my abdomen, I tried to suck in my belly, to make it feel more muscular like the bodies he was probably used to groping.

“Stop, I like it,” he told me as his thumb continued to map my stomach. “Stop doing that.”

“Jake, wait,” I said breathlessly, and he froze. “It’s too much. I’m not ready for this. You being here, your hand up my shirt after just showing up.”

He cleared his throat and reached down to adjust himself in his pants. “I know. I’ve got to stop. I don’t want to, but I will.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” I said with a sad smile, “I don’t want to either. But this just isn’t me.”

He planted a kiss on my cheek before granting me a sneaky, gorgeous smirk. “Me either. I usually don’t stop, but with you I think waiting is going to be worth it.”

No longer melted butter, I was now full-on dripping off the plate and onto the floor butter.

“Good night. Thanks for a great time,” I told him with a smile.

“It was fun, but next time, I’m keeping you to myself. Good night, Legs.” Another kiss on the cheek, a wink and one more smirk, and he was out the door.

Aly

Thursday and Friday were quiet. I’d spent most of the time working on my caseload, running the stairs after work on Thursday. Drew showed up to run with me, and afterward, he asked if we could go eat.

“I’m sorry, Drew. I can’t. It’s not you, it’s me,” I’d said, embarrassing myself by actually using that horrible line.

Last night, I’d come home to do laundry. Leaning into the vibrating dryer in a Jake-induced fog, I almost came from the combination of the memories and the motion.

Today Jake showed up at my door with a bottle of wine and promises of takeout if I let him take Maverick and me back to his place. I’d tried not to admit it, but I’d missed him. Seeing his muscular frame looming at my threshold, wearing a pair of dark jeans and a black T-shirt, had me instantly sexually charged. I was like a dog in heat, and Jake was the stud sent to service me.

“Let me get my stuff,” was all I said. I was still wearing my green blouse and a pair of black leggings I’d thrown on this morning to work some overtime in the law library. Without a peep, I just slipped on my lined moccasins and grabbed the dog leash. I should have been annoyed at how Jake just showed up with no notice, but there was some closeness between us, a familiarity I couldn’t put my finger on. It just felt right that he stopped by. Maybe it was the dog?

Maverick jumped around the luxury truck, leaving drool and paw prints all over the backseat while I sat on my hands in the passenger seat, trying not to grab the driver and shove my tongue in his mouth.

“You good?” Jake asked.

“Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind. I’m carrying a crazy caseload to begin with, plus the whole department is working on this big case. I was working on it today.”

“Oh yeah?” Jake gave me a sideways glance.

“Actually, I shouldn’t say this, but it’s the guy you beat up. You may have seen it in the papers already. Apparently he’s being charged with several hate crimes, and my team was assigned to represent him. He maintains his innocence and his right to freedom of speech, posted some sort of outrageous bail even though he refused to pay for his own defense, and now we’re figuring out what to do with it all. My thoughts are obviously all mixed up on this one.”

“Guy’s an ass. He should fry.”

“Well, I’m somewhat responsible for his fate. I really wish he had someone else defending him. He’s making it impossible to do my job. He keeps clamming up and offers me nothing to go on when it comes to a defense. My partner, Barry, thinks he’s covering up for a woman, but I think that’s plain ludicrous. A woman? Please. He’d been dying to get out on bail, and now he finally has, but I’m afraid he’s going to go all renegade or something. Anyway, that’s probably more than I should say, and definitely more than you’re interested in. ” I let out a slow breath. “And honestly, I don’t feel like talking about him anymore. How was your day?”

“I’m here if you need me, although I’ll admit I may not be a huge help.” He shrugged. “When it comes to rules and laws, they’re not really my specialty.” This time he winked and his grin was devilish.

Geez, he’s such a bad boy. I’m in so over my head.

“As for my day, the usual. Work out, then work, even though it’s the weekend, then work out and work some more. Saturdays are usually packed, and I like to pop in and make sure everyone knows I’m around. Not all the time, but most of the time. Being with you is the cherry on top of my day.” He turned my way and finished with a broad smile.

“Really?” I asked, not sure why I needed affirmation.

“Yeah.”

“So, I don’t really do the whole gym workout thing,” I said, desperately needing a change of subject.

“Well, you do something.”

“Both eyes on the road,” I instructed, unable to take the heat of his gaze traveling the length of my body. “I run, usually the stairs at the cathedral.”

“That’s a good workout, but do you go with a partner? Doesn’t seem like you should be traipsing around there alone. Maybe I should come along? I’m big and scary.”

“I’ve been doing it for years, and lately, Drew meets me. Occasionally.”

“What the fuck?” He shot another glance my way. “The guy you were at Roman’s with?”

“He’s just a friend.” I crossed my arms in front of me like a defensive high school girl caught cheating with the football captain. Or whatever those cool girls did.

“Hey! Sorry. What can I say? I don’t want to share those legs with anyone. So, if you ever want to hit the gym, I know of one. I can get you a few day passes.” He smiled, the corner of his mouth turning up in profile.

“I’ll keep that in mind, but, seriously, you’re okay with the fact that I’m not into all that pumping iron and stuff?”

“That’s my job and my hobby. It doesn’t have to be yours, Aly.”

For some reason, my eyes filled, the tears threatening to drip down my face, but I kept them at bay. “You always surprise me, Jake. Why do you put on the whole hard-body, tough-guy thing so heavy? When inside you’re a softie?”