Page 51 of Yours, Finally

He pushed me against the wall, his body pressing into me and making me feel gloriously at his mercy. Lips-to-lips and tongue-to-tongue, my hands undid the button of his tux jacket. I ran my fingers over his big chest and up to his shoulders; his hands caught at the edge of my belt, and traveled lower and lower until he found the opening in the fabric of the skirt. I lifted my leg to give him access.

He took a handful of my thigh. "Fuck, Vi. I've been dreaming about this for too long."

"Are you going to regret it this time? Like you did last time we came to a gala?"

He frowned and dropped his forehead to mine. "Not this time. I hope neither of us will."

My heart continued to drum against my breastbone, the cool, dark night holding us. The roof patio empty, forming a makeshift home where we could make a bet on our future.

"What are we going to do, Jake? How are we going to do this?"

He closed his eyes. "I don't know. But I know I have to try. I have to."

Jake had kissed me. He had taken the lead, and made it clear he wanted to take a chance on us. That's what I needed from him, and I hadn't known it, or told him. Possibilities opened ahead and finally,finallywe were on the same page.

I gave him a smile fueled by the hope blooming in my chest. His eyes filled with awe as he gazed at me.

"Kiss me again, Jake." I trailed my hands up his neck, and into the short hairs at his nape. "We'll figure out the rest."

His smile stretched slowly to mirror mine, before he kissed me again like we would never have to stop.

Chapter 17

Vi

We did stop kissingeventually, and returned to the gala like nothing happened. He left me with Olivia, who gave us suspicious looks but didn't say anything. He joined the family and I joined them later, keeping them in the dark about the development in our relationship— whatever that was. That was on purpose; in rushed words, we had decided to keep it all private until we knew what to tell them. Aside from playful, heated looks at each other, we did nothing else that night.

The whole group bar Dad and Mom had a slow morning the next day. We grabbed brunch in the first restaurant that we found, then drove to the lake house. I'd ended up in Max and Eva's vehicle; the sleek sports car barely had room for me inthe back, and Javier and Jake chose to ride with Gabe and Lina instead.

Entering the property released any tension I harbored, as always. The forest surrounding us welcomed me, while the big log walls and large windows threw foundations into the ground at every one of my steps.

If the exterior made me feel like I could take truly deep breaths, the interior hugged me like it did each time. Mom and I had put a lot of effort together with Dad at designing it, when we had the house built; from the imposing stone fireplace drawing the eye in the middle of the big room, to the large sectional around it, or the modern kitchen and twelve-place dinner table. The house had been made to last, and hold people and memories alike.

After everyone had left their things in their bedrooms, we got together on the deck to settle into the time off. The view of the lake greeted us with a million specks of blue and gold.

"You know what I haven't done in a while?" Max asked. "Go out on the lake in a boat. I would love a chance to show off my rowing to my wife."

Eva gazed at him with eyes that mixed humor and exasperation. "Let me guess. You won't change and you will row in your slacks and waistcoat."

"Of course, darling." He kissed her temple. "How would I properly impress you otherwise?"

"That sounds lovely, actually," I said. "The bigger boat is out for maintenance, but we still have a couple dinghies in the boathouse."

"I'll go with you." Jake took off the sweater he wore and threw it on a nearby outdoor chair. It left him in tan pants and a light blue denim shirt. "Max and Eva can take the other."

Jake rolled his sleeves, and I couldn't help but to admire the gesture, his nimble fingers, and the thick, freckled forearms it revealed.

"Fine, you guys go." Gabe spoke somewhere near me and it took me out of my trance. Mostly. "We'll throw something in the barbeque to pick at through the evening."

Jake stared at me with knowing eyes, like he'd caught my attention on purpose. I wrinkled my nose and hid a smile.

"Thanks, Gabe." I kissed my brother's face. "You can take Lina tomorrow. And Javier, well… one day, right?"

The group as a whole didn't know it, but the tall, white-presenting Latino was the only fully single person in the house. Strangely for him, Javier had been distracted by his phone. At my words, he lifted his dark blue stare my way, and put his phone in his pocket.

Javier rolled his eyes and replied in a half-annoyed, half-humorous tone. "I'm happy being single. I'll row the boat my own damn self, thank you."

"So touchy." I gave him a mock frown, and took to the stairs leading down to the ground, and the path toward the boathouse.