Strawberry Kisses (A Rocky Harbor Novel Book 2) Read online

  “Maybe I’ll show you later.”

  “Show?” Jake stepped closer, pinning Rachael to the wall. She licked her lips and nodded. “Babe.”

  Grinning until her cheeks hurt, she pushed him back and slipped under his arms. “Let’s go.” The stairs were narrow and they climbed slowly until they reached the top. “Wow.” You couldn’t buy a better view than from the top of a lighthouse. They could see for miles and miles across the Atlantic. The quarters were cramped and they had to make their way back down soon so the next group could come up.

  “Where to now?” Jake picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles.

  “Let’s eat before our subs get warm.” Once again Jake let Rachael take the lead. It was all so new to her. They followed a path toward a shady area and found an empty picnic table. They sat next to each other facing the ocean and ate, occasionally bumping shoulders or thighs. Sometimes on accident, sometimes on purpose.

  Jake liked to touch her, and she liked it when he touched her. A lot. He wasn’t possessive or domineering; his gentle caresses were more natural. Like he simply wanted to touch her, not control her. “Feel like exploring?” he asked.

  “Absolutely.” She gathered their trash and placed it in a bin before leading the way out on to the cropping of rocks. “I’ve always wanted to find a sand dollar. In all my years at the beach, I’ve never found one.”

  “We’re not going to find one in these rocks, but we’ll put it on our list of things to do this summer.”

  She liked that. List of things to do. It meant they’d be spending more time together. Like a couple. They climbed far out on to a large rock and sat, dangling their feet above the waves.

  “I was never a beach kid growing up. Julia liked going to the ocean with her friends, while I was more of a city boy. I used to give my parents such crap when they’d make us go to the beach for a family day or camping in the White Mountains.”

  “Why didn’t you like it?”

  “I was too cool.”

  “I think you’re pretty cool now and you’re at the beach.”

  “Yeah, well, if I knew you’d be at the beach when I was a kid I wouldn’t have given my parents such hell.”

  “As if.” She bumped his shoulder with hers and he looped his arm around her waist.

  “I’m glad I didn’t run into you when I was a puke teen.”

  “Oh yeah? Why is that?”

  “I was a messed up kid. Drugs. Alcohol. If I was in another state I’m sure I would have joined a street gang.”

  “You’re doing pretty well now.”

  “Only because…”

  Not wanting to ruin their perfect afternoon with too much serious talk, Rachael changed the subject. “Do you bring Julia to the beach?”

  “My mom does for walks.”

  “We should bring her with us next time. Not on the bike, obviously, but we can pack a picnic and you can be our hero and find us sand dollars and sea glass.”

  Jake shifted sideways and lifted his hands to her face. “You’d do that?”

  “Of course. She’s your sister.”

  “But you don’t have to give up a day to take care of her. It’s not easy.”

  “You and your mother handle her differently.”

  “You picked up on that, huh?” Jake played with her hair and pulled gently on her ponytail. “Mom can hover. She forgets Julia’s brain still functions. It’s just slow at sending messages to the rest of her body. You can see it in her eyes, though. Or maybe it’s the twin vibe thing we have going. She wants to be treated like an adult. It’s tough. For her. For my mom.”

  “I’m sure your mom could use the break. And with us both there with her it won’t be too bad. I’d like to get to know her. Help make her feel…normal.”

  Jake studied her face, an unfamiliar look in his eyes. Something between lust, surprise, and compassion. He lowered his mouth to hers and her body melted into him. The kiss was tender, sweet like his iced tea, and so gentle she nearly collapsed in his arms.

  “You’re a really good kisser,” she said when he finally broke away.

  “No. It’s you. There’s something about those lips. And those eyes. And that body.”

  “Excuse me.” A voice from behind them prevented them from another make out session. “Would you mind taking a picture of our family for us?”

  “Sure.” Jake stood and helped Rachael to her feet. The gentleman gave Jake his phone and gathered his three kids and wife to pose. After he took a few pictures, Jake gave the man his phone back.

  “I can take one for you if you’d like,” the woman offered.

  Rachael hadn’t even thought of having their picture taken, but she’d love to have this day captured forever. She handed the woman her phone and stood next to Jake. He drew her near with his arm, his hand placed lovingly on her hip, and she wrapped her arm around him as well, resting her head on his shoulder.

  “You’re a lovely couple,” the woman said when returning the phone.

  “Thank you. Your family is beautiful as well. I hope you’re enjoying your vacation.”

  “When the kids aren’t fighting we are.” She laughed. “We always enjoy our trips to Maine. Take care.”

  Jake asked, “Ready to hit the road, or do you want to walk around a little more?”

  “It’s pretty warm out here in jeans. We should probably head back anyway.” They mounted the bike and took their time traveling back to Jake’s house.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked after opening a water bottle from his fridge. “I can make us dinner.”

  “Not yet.” Rachael took the water and drank, watching Jake’s throat bob with each sip she took. Feeling brazen, she set her bottle down, toed off her sneakers, and unbuttoned her jeans. “I’m feeling a little sweaty from all that sun. Mind if I take a shower?”

  “That depends,” Jake said as he whipped his shirt off over his head. “As long as I get to join you.”

  ***

  Jake

  Jake collapsed on the bed, trying to catch his breath. He rolled onto his back and pulled Rachael to his side. Still breathing heavily as well, she draped a leg over his thigh and rested her head on his shoulder.

  “Damn.” He didn’t have the strength to say much of anything else. Rachael’s fingers traced the tattoo on his left shoulder. Her caresses were not helping his breathing rate any.

  “Tell me about your tattoo.”

  “Give me a second. You damn near killed me, Blondie.”

  “Me?” she laughed. “You’re the one who made our foreplay last so long.”

  He had to stop thinking about the laughing and teasing and moaning that had happened in the shower, against his wall, and on his bed over the past hour or he’d never catch his breath. “Yeah. Well.” He slid his fingers along her side. “Like I said before. You’re hot.”

  “I’m average.”

  “This is one argument you’re not going to win.” He swept her hair out of her eyes and nipped at her shoulder. “I bet you were an adorable kid.”

  “I don’t have any pictures from before I was adopted, so I suppose we can pretend.”

  Jake hadn’t meant to bring up the past, determined to move on with the future, but since it was out there, he wanted to know more.

  “You were eight when Doreen and Keith adopted you?”

  “Yeah. They already had Luke and Graham. I thought they were so cool. They hated me.” She chuckled. “I don’t remember trying to be a pest, but I couldn’t help wanting to be with them. I’d been alone and bored my entire life.”

  “Do you mind me asking about your birth parents?” When her body didn’t tense he figured he hadn’t crossed the line.

  “Not much to tell. I really don’t remember much about them. I don’t remember my dad. He took off when I was young. My mom was poor and often didn’t feed me. I remember having an accident in kindergarten and having to go home. The next day I showed up at school with the same underwear and pants on. My mom hadn’t washed them. I can�
�t imagine what I smelled or looked like.”

  “Sweetheart.” He hugged her close, unable to imagine sending a child to school that way.

  “I hated school vacations and long weekends. I wasn’t sure when I’d eat next. A least at school I got free breakfast and lunch. I don’t remember my mom yelling at me or hitting me. I don’t really remember her at all. My bus dropped me off not far from our apartment in a rough section of Lewiston. I thought I was so mature having my own house key and staying home alone. I’d have tea parties with my dolls all afternoon and played with my imaginary friends until my mom got home. We didn’t talk much. I’d put myself to bed. Wake myself up. I guess I was a pretty responsible kid.”

  Jake stroked her back and listened to her tell more stories of her loneliness. No wonder she latched on to Graham and Luke when she joined the Riley family. And succumbed to Dylan’s abuse. All she wanted was someone to pay attention to her. His heart squeezed tight in his chest, wanting and needing to give her all the love he had inside of him.

  But how much did he have? Hell, other than the love he had for his sister and parents, he didn’t know if he had any in him to give. And didn’t that make him feel like a shit? He’d come from a solid family with two loving parents and a sister who worshiped him, yet he threw it all away for a life of drugs and crime.

  While sweet little Rachael was sitting at home in her soiled pants, hungry, playing make believe with her dolls. He hated himself, hated her birth mother. Hated the neglect and stupidity of others. Including himself.

  “Have you heard from your mom since your adoption?”

  “No. She opted to have no contact with me.”

  It had to hurt, complete and utter rejection, yet there was no trace of agony in her voice.

  “I’m sorry your life started out the way it did.” He slid his hand through her silky hair and kissed her temple. “I’m grateful for Doreen and Keith and the love they gave to you. You’ve thrived and are a model to others. Not just in this body.” He squeezed her hips. “But in your attitude. I’m proud of you. All that you’ve faced in your childhood and adulthood, and look at you now.”

  She was completely awe-inspiring.

  “Yeah.” Rachael lifted her head and grinned. “In bed with my sexy biker boy.”

  “Enough with the biker boy already.”

  “It’s true,” she teased, tracing the outline of his tattoo with her finger. “Why did you choose a dragon?”

  He took his time answering, knowing he needed to tell her about more than just the tattoo. She shared her past, even though none of her sad story was her fault. His messed up tales, unfortunately, were one hundred percent brought on by his own stupidity. Not wanting to see the disappointment in her eyes, he pulled her back down to his chest.

  “In Japanese tattoo art, dragons are generous, benevolent forces that use their strength to do good for mankind. The Celtic dragon is related with a warrior or a fighter that had strong power and character to fight or battle. I combined the two. It’s a Japanese Celtic dragon. And it covers up a stupid tat I had done when I was in juvie.”

  “Wait.” Rachael pulled herself up onto her elbow. “You were in juvenile hall?”

  “Yeah. I told you. I was a puke.”

  “What happened?”

  “I had some inexperienced idiot tat me with a pot leaf on my chest. The dragon’s scales cover it up pretty well.”

  A curtain of blonde hair fell across his face as Rachael leaned over and inspected his chest. If this was the kind of inspection she was going to give to his ink, he wished he had tats in other places as well.

  “Oh, I think I see it.” Her soft fingers traced the outline of one of his many mistakes. “It’s barely noticeable.”

  Thankfully his tattoo artist covered it up pretty well, but Jake could easily spot the leaf. A constant reminder that it didn’t matter what you did to try to fix or cover up your stupid mistakes, they’d always be there.

  Rachael rested her head against his shoulder again and circled his nipple with her fingers. He thought he’d need at least an hour to recover, but if she kept touching him like that she’d be on her back in minutes.

  “Why were you in juvenile hall?”

  “Stupid stuff. Drugs. Drinking. Stealing. Fighting. Like I said. I was a puke.”

  “I can’t imagine you like that. You’re so caring. Not just to me but to your sister. To the women in your class. You were even kind to my brother when he was taunting you.” Rachael’s hand slipped lower, stroking his stomach. His abs contracted and his eyes rolled back into his head. The woman had no idea the effect she had on him. “And you’ve been nothing but thoughtful and considerate to me. You’re a good man, Jake.”

  She hadn’t flinched or made him feel ashamed of his past. Instead, she accepted him without judgment and made him feel like a man worth…worth something. She’d restored in him a new sense of pride. Not in the egotistical way. God knew with his track record he didn’t have an ego to stand on.

  Heat flowed between them, elevating his pulse, heightening his senses. She smelled delicious, a mixture of vanilla, orange, and their mingled sweat.

  He couldn’t take any more. “Babe,” he growled, tucking her beneath him and attacking her mouth with his. He was anything but gentle and considerate with his mouth as he sucked her tongue and bit her lip, then trailed kisses down her neck, leaving tiny love marks all the way down to her core.

  ***

  Rachael

  “You sure you can’t stay the night?” Jake trapped her naked legs between his and pulled her on top of him.

  Rachael smiled at his boyish pout, her chest pounding against his. “You have an early start as well. We need our sleep and you and I both know we won’t get any if I stay the night.” They’d made a simple dinner of spaghetti and meatballs to regain energy and then fell into bed again.

  “I didn’t ask you to sleep over, I asked you to stay the night. At least I’m being honest with my expectations.”

  She nuzzled his naked chest and shook with laughter before rolling off him and dragging the sheet with her as she slid out of bed. “Things will slow down when the tourists leave.”

  “That’s not for another six or seven weeks.” Jake stood, unabashed in his nakedness, and picked up his jeans off the floor. Forgoing the underwear, he stepped into the jeans and yanked them up his strong legs, covering his sexy, firm butt. Rachael smirked, remembering how he moaned when she dug her fingernails into his backside earlier. “What?” he asked, looking over his shoulder. “You keep looking at me like that and I’m going to think you have second thoughts about going home.”

  Rachael crossed the room to grab her bra off the windowsill and picked up her panties from the end of bed. “Of course I have second thoughts, but I’m sticking to my guns. I need some sleep. You’ve completely worn me out and I’m going to be useless tomorrow.”

  “I’ll come help.”

  She crouched to reach her jeans under the bed—how they got under there she had no idea. “You make it twice as hard to get anything done.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Jake came up behind her and kissed her neck while he undid her bra clasp.

  “You’re a pleasant distraction, I’ll give you that, but I’m starting my business and need to be professional.” She slapped his hand away and refastened her bra.

  “I hardly think Mackenzie’s going to give you a bad reference because you’re so smitten with me.” He slid his fingers under her bra straps, kissing her bare shoulders.

  “Smitten?” She fixed her straps and scooted out of reach of his busy fingers.

  “Isn’t that a word?”

  “Yes.” Rachael lifted up the comforter at the end of the bed and untangled her shirt. “But not one I picture coming out of your mouth.” She ducked under his outstretched arms and slid into her shirt.

  “What exactly do you expect coming out of my mouth?”

  Refusing to go there, she cocked her eyebrow and crossed her ar
ms. “Get dressed, biker boy. It’s time for me to go home.”

  “Biker boy, huh?” Jake opened his dresser and reached in blindly, pulling out a T-shirt and slipping it over his head without even looking at it. The Jameson Whiskey shirt had seen better days but looked good on him.

  She held on tighter than necessary during the ride home, not out of fear, but because she didn’t want to let him go. The roar of the engine was the only sound in her ears while the cool evening air kissed her thoroughly loved skin.

  “We’ll do this again,” Jake said instead of asking after he kissed her on her doorstep.

  “Which part? The bike ride?”

  “That.” He kissed her again. “And the other stuff.”

  “Oh, yes, the lighthouse was fun.” She smiled coyly and toyed with the frayed collar of his T-shirt.

  “Babe.”

  “Good night.” She kissed him lightly before turning and letting herself in the house, her body humming and tingling from her toes to her ears.

  Chapter Nine

  “Dinner with your parents?” Rachael slid deeper in the tub, keeping her cell phone barely above water.

  “And my sister.”

  “A family meal? Really?” She blew at the bubbles covering her chest and wished Jake was in the bath with her.

  “I’m assuming you’ve had them before, with your herd of brothers and sisters.”

  “I have, but I’ve never had a family meal at someone else’s house. I know how loud and obnoxious my siblings can be at the table.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that at the Morgan household.”

  “Oh, Jake. I’m sorry.” She sat up, sloshing the water in the tub. Rachael only meant to say the craziness was normal to her, but she’d put her foot in her mouth and offended his family.

  “Are you in the bathtub?”

  “Uh, yeah.”

  “Babe.” Apparently he wasn’t as offended as she thought

  “Seriously, Jake. You have a one-track mind. We’re talking about a family meal and you’re thinking about me naked.”