"What do you need, baby? Tell me."

"More," I say simply and his slow, sexy smile has more moisture trickling down to my core.

His hands cup my br**sts and he brushes his thumbs over my ni**les and I moan as they tighten even more, shooting a bolt of electricity between my legs, my sex clenching. My head falls back, my mouth opening as he takes turns at my ni**les, sucking them and flicking them with his tongue expertly.

Jake's mouth pops off my nipple and he steps back and I whimper at the loss of him, taking in his tented jeans and his lust filled eyes. He scoops me off the counter and throws me over his shoulder. I shriek, laughing as Jake strides to his bedroom. He throws me on the bed and now I let out another little scream, still laughing as he pounces on me, grinning.

But then he leans up off of me and the look on his face becomes serious, "You are so beautiful, Evelyn Cruise."

I smile up at him, thinking that I'm nowhere near as beautiful as he is right now, looking down at me, the moonlight shining in on him.

My thighs open to accommodate him and I stare into his eyes, "Show me."

He kisses my mouth, slow, sexy and tormenting at this point because I'm so turned on. My h*ps press upwards and Jake reaches down my shorts, between my legs and moans, "God, Evie, you're drenched."

He stands up and I watch him strip off his t-shirt, followed by his jeans and boxers. I take in his hard, male perfection and then he grabs my h*ps and pulls me to the side of the bed so that my ass is right at the edge. He pulls my shorts and panties down my legs, and then does the same with my tank top which is still pulled down around my waist.

The bed is the perfect height for him to remain standing and when I feel his throbbing c**k at my entrance, I whimper with pleasure. He takes himself in his hand and uses his erection to rub against my cl*t and I think I might come right then and there. He circles his erection slowly against my sex, teasing and torturing me, bringing me close to the edge, but not giving me enough to tip me over.

"Jake," I whine, desperate with need.

He chuckles but then positions himself and surges inside of me. I gasp, my body gripping him, getting used to his size, before relaxing just as he starts moving. He groans loudly, "God, Evie, you're so tight, so hot, you feel amazing."

He starts pumping into me and from this angle, every thrust causes his body to hit my clit.

"Harder," I breathe, tilting my ass so that he can go deeper, giving greater access to his thrusts, completely lost in his possession.

He groans, thrusting harder and I can feel pressure in my core building as he continues to pump into me over and over again. I sit up slightly and grab his contracting ass, amazed at the feeling of his muscles, hard as stone. Then he brings one hand down between my legs and presses his thumb against my cl*t and that's all it takes to take me spiraling into an orgasm, my sex pulsing around his cock.

I come down slowly, Jake still pumping inside of me and then watch him dazedly as his own orgasm takes over and he rams into me, his eyes closing and his lips parting in pleasure, filling me with scalding heat. And I seriously feel aftershocks just at the expression on his face alone. I’ll never stop loving that look.

Jake falls forward, shuddering as he plants his face into my neck. We both breathe hard for several long minutes until he pulls out of me and kisses me slowly and deeply. Then he rolls to the side so we’re lying next to each other.

That was so amazing, I think I might die. For real.

When I look over at him, he’s smiling up at the ceiling. “What’s that for?” I ask, smiling too.

“I knew it’d be like this with us,” he says, smiling bigger.

“You did, did you?”

“Yup. Knew it the first time I kissed you.”

I smile at him and lean up to kiss his lips gently. “I’m gonna go clean up. I’ll be right back.”

When I finish in the bathroom, Jake is already under the covers, wearing his boxers and t-shirt. I snuggle in against him and we whisper and cuddle until both of us fall asleep.

CHAPTER 23

Evie is 14, Leo is 15

I smile up at the sky as Leo makes his way to me on what I've come to think of as "our roof." I keep staring upwards as I say teasingly, "Hark, who goes there? Is it my lion or is it my boy?"

"If I'm half of each then I can't be one or the other, I can only be both," he says with a smile in his voice.

I ponder this for a minute. "True, I suppose. But just for the record, it wouldn't matter who showed up. I love both equally."

"Aren't you afraid of the lion, just a little?"

"Uh uh," I nod, no. "In fact, the lion is my favorite - he's the side that's fierce and strong. He's the one who fights for those he loves savagely, who is powerful. He's the one who shines through when I see that fire in your eyes."

I look over at him now and there it is, that burning expression that makes my heart beat faster, in excitement and confusion both.

He stares at me for a minute, his eyes wandering down to my mouth. Then he closes his eyes and turns his head to look up at the sky.

He changes the subject. "I met with my new adoptive parents again today. Looks like I'll be moving in with them by the end of the month. Two weeks."

I turn to him, resting my head on my hand, my elbow propped on the roof. "Yeah? You still like them as much as you thought?"

"Yeah. They're… yeah, they seem real nice. He doesn't talk a whole lot but he seems like a nice guy. She's kind of nervous, but nice too. She touches me a lot, trying to be motherly. I don't think they've been around teenagers a whole lot."

He's silent for a minute and then, "They also told me that it's a good possibility that he's going to take a new job in Southern California." He glances at me nervously. "It's not set in stone but… they say it's likely. They went on and on about how fun it would be to live near the beach."

I feel my heart plummet to my feet. "What?" I whisper.

"Listen, it's not for sure, yet, okay? I just wanted to tell you now so that it won't come as a shock if it does happen. Listen, Evie, it might not be the worst thing in the world. I mean, one of us having a stable family… it will give us that much more of a chance for a successful start once you turn 18. We won't be so alone."

"Yeah, but that's in four YEARS, Leo! We're going to be apart for four years?"

He sighs, "I don't know. I hope not. But I'm trying to look on the bright side here, okay?"

We both stare up at the sky for long minutes before he turns to me and says, "Do you know the quality all lions possess, above all else?"

"No," I nod.

"Loyalty," he says, smiling and showing me that adorable gap in his teeth. No matter how far apart we are. No matter the distance or time, I will never love anyone except you. Not ever."

I nod at him sadly.

He gets a teasing glint in his eyes, "Also? They really like to maul their women!" Then he play tackles me, rolling me and growling in my ears.

I laugh and squeal but hiss, "Leo! You'll wake everyone else sleeping inside!" rolling away from him. But I laugh again when he gives me a vicious look, crossing his eyes.

"You're crazy," I say, as we lie down next to each other again, holding hands. But I feel better. He's mine, and he always will be.

CHAPTER 24

The next couple of days are pretty uneventful. I stay at my own place Sunday and Monday, feeling like a little space in a new relationship is probably a good idea. Jake doesn't seem to agree but he doesn't push.

He has to fly to the office in San Diego again for work and he leaves on Tuesday morning so he can be in the office for meetings all day. I feel slightly anxious about him leaving because of what happened on his last trip, but I put it out of my mind as best as I can.

He calls me several times while he's traveling and between meetings and seeing his name on my phone gives me butterflies each time. God, I really need to get a hold of myself. I think several times about how my relationship with Jake has traveled so far out of my safety zone. If (when?) he decides I'm not enough for him, how will I survive that? I stop and take deep breaths when these thoughts assault me and somehow, I am able to resist talking myself into returning to my safety cocoon. Instead, I keep busy with work, running and catching up on the book I was in the middle of reading and have neglected recently.

I go to lunch with Nicole on Tuesday afternoon and catch her up on my suddenly interesting life. We giggle like schoolgirls and it feels great to share my happiness with her and ask her questions about her relationship with Mike, things I never would have had the courage or the need to ask her about before now. Is it normal to want sex all the freaking time? Nicole: In the beginning yes, after five years of marriage and a three year old, not so much. Can you fall in love with someone after less than a month of knowing them? Nicole: More likely lust than love, but enjoy it all the same.

We look at our calendars and she asks if I can come over for dinner a week from Saturday. We plan it and as she hugs me outside the restaurant, she says, "Invite Jake!" "Okay," I say, smiling, looking forward to introducing him to three more of the people I love most in the world.

I call Jake at his hotel room that night and we talk for an hour before I'm so tired I can't stay awake any longer.

On Wednesday, I clock into work at ten a.m. and make my way up to the top floor to clean the penthouse suite. I knock three loud raps on the door and wait a minute and when no one answers, I use my key card to let myself in. I wheel my cart in and look around confused. The place is immaculate. Clearly no one has used the room which is weird because I know they wouldn't have me scheduled to clean it unless someone had rented it the night before.

I grab my walkie talkie and am about to press the button to connect to my manager in his office downstairs when I hear a sound from the bedroom. I frown and call out, "Hello?" No one answers and so I take a few steps towards the room. Seriously, if there's some serial killer in there, I will totally bash him over the head with this heavy ass walkie talkie. Wait, those sound like really bad famous last words. I grab the spray bottle of bleach too just in case I need extra ammunition.

I peek around the corner, craning my neck and what do I see? Standing in the far doorway is Jake, hands stuffed in his jean pockets, grinning at me.

I don't know if it's the shock of seeing him or just that I react instantly to my emotions, but I drop my "weapons," let out a happy shriek and run across the room, launching myself at him. He catches me, laughing and spinning me around while I rain kisses over his face. I squeal, taking his face in my hands and kissing his mouth now, laughing along with him. He's kissing me back and we're acting like two people who haven't seen each other in ages. And that's how I feel. I feel like I haven't seen this man in years and years and the joy that pounds out of my chest is something I don't question. I just hold him close and relish the feeling of him being in my arms. I've missed him so much. And this is crazy. It's only been two days! But he seems to accept my reaction as perfectly normal and he keeps kissing me, saying my name again and again, both of us caught in this strange, joyful moment. I don't look below the surface, I just soak it in.

I finally go still but don't let go, holding him close. I close my eyes and just enjoy the throatiness of his voice against my ear, the smell of him, uniquely Jake, and the beating of his heart against my own. I can't explain it but I know that if I could freeze time right this second and live in this feeling forever, I would.

Finally, we are quiet and I slide to the ground, gazing up into his warm, brown eyes. "What are you doing here, Jake?"

"I wanted to surprise you. When we talked on Sunday, you told me you were cleaning the penthouse all this week if it was occupied and my evil wheels started turning. I rented it on Tuesday morning before I left town. How long does it usually take to clean it?"

"You rented this room so you could have the time with me it takes to clean it?" I say, confused.

"Yup."

Oh, okay, then.

"Um, how long to clean it? If the guests are really messy, an hour and a half?"

"They're dirty slobs."

"Oh, okay, then, maybe I could push it to two hours."

He starts unzipping my dress. "What are you doing, Jake?"

"Not wasting any time."

Right.

"Um, Jake - " I start, but he's doing this thing on my neck that feels so good, I forget what I was about to say.

I take his hand and lead him to the big, upholstered chair at the other side of the room, locking the bedroom door on my way - If we got caught, it wouldn't be good. I push him down and his eyes have already gone lazy and God, that makes me wet. Does he know that?

I straddle him and take his face in my hands, looking into his eyes for seconds before lowering my lips to his, nipping at him before sliding my tongue into his mouth. Jake takes over and his kiss feels hungry and possessive. Our tongues tangle, dancing and he brings his hands back to the zipper of my dress, yanking it down boldly. He brings it down my shoulders and I lower my arms so he can slide it down as we continue kissing. When it hits my hips, I break our kiss and stand up. Jake leans back in the chair, watching me with dark, smoldering eyes as I strip in front of him. He has one arm draped over the arm of the chair and one hand resting in his lap. His thighs are spread and his erection is tenting his black dress slacks. He looks like the epitome of every wet dream I've ever had and my core is throbbing just looking at him.

I bring the dress down over my h*ps and let it drop to the floor. His eyes follow the uniform and then roam back up my body. I see his c**k jump in his pants and I almost whimper with my need for him, but I manage to remain silent as I unhook my bra and let it slide down my arms and drop to the floor. My panties are next and I hook my thumbs through the waistband and drag them down my legs.