Choosing Happiness (4 page)

J
ake walked Andrea out to her car. He wanted to load her into his truck and take her with him, but knew they couldn't leave her car in the restaurant parking lot all night. He got in his own truck, led her to his apartment and waited for her in the parking lot. Seeing her shiver, he put his jacket over her light, short dress and wrapped one arm around her to help keep her warm for the walk up to his second floor apartment. Carefully, because ice was a real hazard on the stairs and her heels would have little to no traction, they made their way up the two flights. He kept one arm around her all the way up, ready to catch her should she slip and start to fall.

Once they made it safely to the top and inside his apartment he let her go so he could turn up the heat. He’d turned it low when he left that afternoon.

"It'll warm up in here soon." He moved back to her as the furnace kicked on. "You want something to drink?"

"What do you have?"

"Um..." He opened the refrigerator. "Milk, orange juice, beer... Oh. And tequila."

"Where's the tequila?" she asked.

"I keep it in the freezer."

"That's typically how I prefer it but it's too cold for that tonight." She was still shivering slightly.

"I think I have some hot cocoa, if you like that?"

"Oh, that sounds perfect."

"Good. Go sit down in the living room, kick those shoes off and relax. I'll be right out."

"All right." She ventured farther into the apartment.

"There's a blanket on the back of the recliner you can pull onto your lap until it warms up in here." He called after her.

"Do you mind if I use the restroom real quick?" she called back.

"Go right ahead." He directed her where to find it.

He quickly fixed two cups of hot cocoa, but before serving he ducked around the corner. She was sitting on the couch with the blanket pulled over her lap. "Have you ever tried Bailey’s in your cocoa?"

"No. Is it good?"

"I like it, want me to bring you mine and let you try it before you decide?"

"If you don't mind, please?"

"If I minded I wouldn't have offered." He carried his cup of cocoa to the sofa and let her take a sip.

"Oooh, that’s good."

"Want me to add some to yours, too?"

"Please, that would be great." She kept his warm cup cradled in her hands, her shivering had stopped.

Jake quickly doctored the second cup of cocoa and returned, sitting down on the sofa near Andrea. He was careful not to jar her enough to spill the cocoa. "Do you want to trade? Or do you want to keep that one?"

"I already have this one and it’s almost half gone so I might as well keep it."

Jake held his arm out. "Do you want to come over here and let me help warm you up?"

She scooted over and slid under his arm, lifting the blanket to cover his lap too, so he could help the heat build underneath. He pulled her close against his side and curled his arm around her. They sat quietly, drinking their cocoa for a few minutes, until Andrea started laughing.

"What?" Jake frowned down at her, confused.

"We’ve got to be crazy. Sitting here, still dressed for the wedding, sipping cocoa at nearly three am."

"Well, I considered getting you out of the dress, but thought I'd be a gentleman and let it warm up in here first," Jake quipped, causing Andrea to laugh harder. "I love your laugh," Jake squeezed her against him in a quick, one-armed hug. "It makes me feel good."

"What a sweet thing to say." She stretched up to kiss him on the cheek. Draining the last of her cocoa, she set the empty cup on the coffee table in front of them. Pulling the blanket up to her shoulders, she curled into him, resting her head against his chest. "You smell nice." She wiggled a little, trying to get comfortable.

"Make yourself comfortable." He looked down at her, amused.

"I'm working on it. You're warm, like Ben."

"You do this to Ben?"

"Not anymore, but I did when I was younger. I was always cold and he was always so warm. I would curl up against him and steal some warmth. He never really knew what to make of it." She admitted reflectively.

"I imagine not." He wasn’t sure what to make of it himself. Not knowing what else to do, he slipped the arm that had been around her under the blanket and started rubbing up and down her side. He didn't know why he did it, just that it seemed right. After a couple minutes she kicked off her shoes and pulled her legs up and curled them beside her. Jake started rubbing his hand up and down her leg. "Hmm... No hose."

"No, I hate those things."

"Probably would have been at least a little warmer in them though."

"True. I wasn't planning on staying out quite so late or in the cold as long when I got dressed though."

"So you froze." He ran his fingers along her thigh, back and forth against the hem of her dress, sending another shiver though her body. "You still cold?"

"No, not anymore." She moved against him, as if silently asking for more.

Jake continued to play his fingers lightly over her skin, teasing her with his touch until he had finished his cocoa. He carefully slipped out from under the blanket, tucking it around her, and stood. Picking up hers, he took both mugs into the kitchen and set them in the sink. On the way back, he took off his suit jacket and hung it and his tie over the back of a dining chair.

Unfastening his collar, Jake returned to the couch. Sitting beside her, this time he kicked his own shoes off and sat sideways, one leg bent in the seat as he leaned against the arm. He invited her to curl up against him. "Come here."

She crawled closer, dragging the blanket with her, and laid against his chest. He pulled the blanket around her, tucking it around her feet and put his arms underneath to wrap them around her.

"How’s that? Warm enough?" He liked that she trusted him enough to put herself in his arms.

"It's nice, but not at all what I thought you meant when you said you wanted to take me home." She looked up at him with half lidded eyes.

"It's not, but it’s still a little cool in here, besides I'm enjoying this too."

Andrea got a mischievous glint in her eyes as she started to wiggle, moving her arms around his sides.

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing much." She struggled a moment, pulling the ends of his dress shirt and the t-shirt underneath free from his slacks. When she managed to untuck them all the way around she slid her hands underneath, against his skin. "Mmmm, much better." She played her fingers back and forth over his skin. Pushing herself onto her knees, she stretched until her lips met his. She kissed him eagerly, using her mouth to let him know she was ready to move faster.

Jake ran his hands along the hem of her dress, caressing the bare skin as he slowly inched the fabric up her legs.

Engrossed in the deep kiss, Andrea let her fingers curl. They dug into his skin as she pulled herself against him. She squirmed, moving into his hands as he touched her and pulling herself back into him again, as though she couldn’t decide which touch she wanted more.

Jake continued to slowly slide her dress up, running his fingers lightly over her soft skin on either side of her body as he went. It wasn’t until she arched her back, leaning into him that he realized he'd reached her waist. He broke the kiss and looked at Andrea, confused.

She smiled mischievously again, amused by his confusion.

"Don't tell me you've been naked under that dress all night long?"

"Would you like it if I were?"

"Girl, I've wanted you since the first time I laid eyes on you, before I knew who you were. It drives me crazy thinking of you with no panties on under that little dress all day. On the side of the highway, changing that tire." He felt himself growing hard at the thought. "In the church while Ben said ‘I do’. All that time at the reception hall, and sitting next to me at the diner."

Andrea laughed at how his voice deepened with desire as he spoke and the hard feel of him pressing against her. "It's a good thing I was wearing some then, wasn't it?"

"What? When?" He frowned.

"A little bit ago."

"You did that just to tease me didn't you?" He smiled back at her, his eyes half lidded.

"Would I do a thing like that?" She pretended innocence.

"You can pull that innocent act all day long. It might work on Ben but it's not going to work on me." Jake placed his lips against the side of her neck and kissed her softly for a moment before nipping her lightly with his teeth. "I know you'd do it and I like it. See what you've done to me?" He pulled one of her arms from where it lay wrapped around him, and laid her hand on his slacks so she could feel his reaction to the idea of her going commando all day.

"Mmm... all that for me?" She gently squeezed the bulge, it pulsed and grew even harder. "It seems awful tight in there." She reached to unfasten his pants.

"Hold on," Jake put a hand over hers. "I'm not doing this here."

Andrea stuck out her lower lip, pouting. "Then what was the point?"

"Oh, we'll do this, but not on the couch" He bundled her in his arms and shifted so he had both feet on the floor, then stood, lifting her and the blanket still wrapped together.

"Jake!" she squealed.

"What?"

"You can't pick me up!"

"Feels like that’s exactly what I’m doing." He laughed, tossing her in the air slightly as he made his way to the bedroom.

"Eeeek!" She wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him from tossing her again.

"Now that’s how I like it."

"What?"

"You clinging to me." He dropped her on the bed and finished unbuttoning his shirt. Tossing it in the laundry basket, he started peeling back the blanket still wrapped around Andrea. "Oh, look a present for me to unwrap."

"Looks to me like you've got the package all right." Andrea eyed the growing bulge at his groin.

"I'm more than happy to share my toys."

Andrea laughed at his playfulness. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down into a kiss. While their mouths met eagerly Andrea's hands wandered slowly down Jake's body as he held himself over her. She eventually reached the top of his pants and again tried to unfasten them.

"Belt," Jake said against her mouth before pulling away. "It's tricky.” He stood on his knees. "Unless you know how it works you'll never get it undone blindly."

She watched him unbuckle this belt and then took over. She unbuttoned his pants but didn’t bother unzipping them before sliding one hand inside, cupping and gently squeezing the hard bulge. Jake unzipped the slacks and eased them down his legs, until he had to move away and get off the bed to slip out of them completely.

She sat up and watched him.

After losing his pants he went back to Andrea, crowding her with his body until she laid back once more. He pulled back a little, moving until he knelt on either side of her calves. Starting there, he wrapped his hands around her calves and caressed the smooth skin. Working his way upward, he played his hands over her skin, kissing it softly as he moved up her body. He reached the hem of her dress where it had fallen back around the tops of her thighs and continued upward, working the slick fabric up her body as he went, teasing and tormenting her flesh with his hands and lips.

By the time Jake had her dress to her hips Andrea was restless, her body silently begged for more. He continued the slow work of moving her dress further up her body, gently nipping her hip bones and stomach with his teeth as he went. He stopped when he felt the band of her bra and looked up at her face.

"You better not stop now." Her voice was husky and thick.

Without responding he continued upward, slipping his hands with the dress over her bra and working his fingers over the exposed skin above her bra ever so lightly before lifting the dress off her head and arms and tossing it aside. Bending, he kissed her softly while pressing his pelvis into hers, letting her know how eager he was for her.

She brought her hands to his shoulders, holding him as he kissed her. She whimpered when he pulled away to run a line of light kisses along her jaw and down her throat. With one hand, he tugged down one side of her bra, exposing a hard, puckered nipple. Jake flicked the nipple with his finger making her cry out before taking over with his mouth, circling it with his tongue briefly then sucking the hardened nub into his mouth.

He lowered his mouth to her breast again, teasing her a moment while he reached around and unhooked her bra. Andrea took over, tossing her bra aside before burying her fingers in Jake's hair. Jake enjoyed the slight sting when she pulled is hair, as she tried to guide him just where she wanted.

He slid further down, caressing the soft, smooth skin of her belly. Taking small, tender bites of her skin, he made her wiggle and squirm with the sensations. The soft gasps and small squeals of pleasure she made only enflamed his need for her.

Andrea was beyond words. All she could do was lift her hips in a silent plea.

Jake eased her legs apart, settling his body between her knees as he lowered his mouth to her core. Andrea fisted her hands in the blanket beneath her

"Please, Jake." Andrea cried out as Jake backed off, letting her peak slide away before she could reach it.

"Are you ready?" He taunted her, moving up to tease her sensitive nipples with his tongue. "Do you want to come?"

"Please." She cried.

Jake teased her until she arched her back and clenched her hands. She threw her head back and moaned deep in her throat as her eyes rolled back in her head.

Jake moved to lie beside her, watching as she came back to herself.

"Wow," Andrea finally regained her ability to speak. She looked him up and down. "Why do you still have clothing on?"

Jake grinned. "Because I was enjoying watching you."

"Well, stop watching me and come here."

Jake slid his underwear off and rolled onto his back as he reached for the nightstand behind him. While he was trying to open the drawer and grab a condom he felt Andrea shift. Suddenly she was straddling his thighs, her mouth was settling over one small nipple.