He blinked, looking genuinely confused. “But why lie at all? I mean, if you’re going to fake, then why not fake not having an orgasm, so that the guy keeps at it?”

“Huh.” She laughed again. “Never thought of it that way.”

He shook his head, his eyes still heated, his body still taut and tense…everywhere.

Hers tightened in response. She was going to have to accept that whenever she saw him, this crazy heat would be there. But also there was more. What exactly that more was, she couldn’t say, but it was a little disturbing given that she’d known him all of a few days.

And even more disturbing, he made her laugh.

God, she was a sucker for that.

She realized he made her both laugh and want, a double whammy, one she wasn’t sure she could resist, or why she even wanted to try.

He was just watching her watch him, another thing she liked about him. He was tough and edgy, a cop through and through, and yet he had seemingly endless patience.

But just behind that patience was hot, simmering passion that took her breath away.

He said her name once, softly, then let go of her hair to slide his hands up her back, and down, cupping her bottom, a cheek in each of his big palms, cheeks that were more than half bared by her scrap of panties. A sound of distinct male satisfaction rumbled from his chest, and he squeezed before lifting her to nestle her best part against his best part.

A movement that had them both stopping to gasp in pleasure.

She didn’t know about him, but she was instantly back to quivering with need, burning up with it. Her breathing was unsteady, ragged, making her breasts brush his chest with every breath of air she gulped.

He ran his mouth over her jaw to her ear while his fingers explored her body. “If I stand here any longer, Bella, you are not going to make it downstairs to deal with your dough.”

“Yeah.” She winced. “Remember when you said I always need an escape route? Well, I usually do, when it pertains to men.”

“And what, the dough thing was it?”

“Yes. Sorry.”

His eyes were two dark pools. “Tell me to go, Bella.”

She opened her mouth to do just that and said “stay” instead.

He groaned and once again pressed her into the door, lifting one of her legs to wrap around his hip, opening her up so that when he rocked again, he slid his erection directly against the core of her. The only thing that separated them were his jeans and her very thin, very wet panties.

“Do you want this, Bella?”

In answer, she took the hand he had on her ass and brought it around until he cupped her. Again he groaned low in his throat, and then his mouth found hers, crushing her lips, his tongue delving deep.

Yeah, she wanted this. And even as she thought it, he lifted her up and turned to her bedroom. Suddenly she found herself airborne and then she hit the mattress with a bounce. With a laugh, she started to sit up but found herself pinned by two hundred pounds of solid muscle, and she shivered in anticipation.

“Cold?” he murmured in her ear, his hands sliding beneath her tank, settling on her ribs.

She shook her head and clutched at him. “No.”

He held her gaze as his hands slid farther north, covering her breasts, his thumbs slowly rubbing over her nipples.

A shuddery breath escaped her.

He tugged her tank up and off, baring her to his eyes, and then his mouth.

Already half gone, she shivered again, and panted his name.

He groaned in approval, then stood to strip out of his clothes, stopping to pull a condom from his pocket.

She’d thought she had the image of his perfect body etched in her brain, but the reality was even better than the memory. Clueless to how gorgeous he was, he kneeled on the bed at her feet. His hands hooked in the material at her hip, slowly sliding her panties down her legs and off before he parted her legs.

And then his gaze skimmed down at what he’d unwrapped for himself. “God, Bella. Look at you.” He kissed a rib, dipped his tongue into her belly button. “I need to taste you, all of you.” Urging her open even farther, his thumb made a slow, barely there graze right over her center, and she nearly came off the bed.

“My toes are curling!” she gasped.

“I have the cure for that.” And he replaced his thumb with his mouth and proceeded to drive her right out of her ever-loving mind. She came with such force that her entire body was trembling, and still he didn’t stop. “Jacob.”

“Making sure you aren’t faking anything,” he murmured against her wet flesh.

She laughed, then moaned as his tongue got busy again, ravaging and plundering as he brought her to orgasm once more before finally releasing her.

When she opened her eyes, he had a forearm on either side of her shoulders and was gazing into her face. She had just enough left in the tank to laugh breathlessly. “Show-off.”

He smiled, a mixture of wicked intent and fierce affection that didn’t just take the last of her breath but also turned her heart over and exposed its tender underside.

What he did next cracked it wide-open.

He entwined their hands beside her head, murmured her name softly, and then, condom somehow miraculously in place, drove into her with one fierce thrust.

“Oh God, Jacob, God…”

He filled her so deeply, so completely, she felt as if he was touching her soul, and her hips rocked mindlessly up to meet his. He nudged her face with his jaw, then looked into her eyes as he moved within her, his thrusts deep and steady.

So good, it was so damn good. That was all she could think, and lost in the waves of pleasure crashing over her, her eyes began to drift shut.

“No, don’t close them. Look at me.”

Somehow she managed to drag them open for him, open and on his, which were letting her in, letting her see what she was doing to him.

Unbelievably, she was on the precipice again, hovering on the very edge. “Please. Jacob, please.”

“Mmm.” He nipped her jaw, then her lower lip. “I like the begging. More of that.”

She laughed breathlessly.

Eyes nearly black with desire, he rubbed his jaw to hers and her laughter faded away. Arching her back, she wound her legs higher around his waist, gripping him as tight as she could.

Now they were hand to hand, chest to chest, breathing as one as their movements sped up, becoming almost frantic, and then, at the very end, she cried out first as she came, hearing and feeling him immediately follow her.

It was the single most sensual, erotic experience of her entire life, and she wondered for the first time how she would ever be able to walk away from this.

7

JACOB WOKE UP, THE sun shining on his face. He was alone in Bella’s bed, which was not only a new experience, but also a little humiliating.

He was a cop, for crissakes. As a rule, he slept light, able to wake at the slightest sound or movement.

And yet he’d slept through her leaving, like the living dead.

Of course, he thought, bleary-eyed, as he looked at the clock-7:30 a.m.-he hadn’t gotten all that much sleep. Last night, after having his merry way with Bella in bed, they’d moved to the shower where she’d returned the favor.

And then, starving, they’d ended up downstairs in the shop’s kitchen, where they’d pulled miniature raspberry turnovers out of the fridge at two in the morning, feeding them to each other.

Licking the raspberry filling off each other…

Jacob rolled out of bed and recovered his clothes from where they were strewn across the floor. He had a raspberry stain across his chest in a shape that looked suspiciously like a handprint, and he had a flashback to Bella sitting on the counter, him between her legs teasing her, and her fisting her fingers in his shirt so he couldn’t get away.

As if he’d wanted to.

Probably no one would be able to tell what the stain was from, he decided, and grabbed his gun and cell phone from the nightstand. He took a stab at his hair with his fingers and helped himself to Bella’s toothbrush.

That was all the easy part.

After he’d laced his boots, he made his way down the stairs. He intended to get on his bike and head straight to work, but the back door to the shop was open and the most delicious scents wafted out, making his stomach rumble.

He needed more than raspberry filling.

Bella, her back to him and the door, wearing hip-hugging jeans and a snug red tee, was talking to Willow.

“I can’t commit to the Walker anniversary cake, I don’t know if I’ll be here next month,” she said, and for a minute Jacob forgot to breathe.

“Honey,” Willow said, sounding as if she was having the same problem. “You’re the best pastry chef Santa Rey has ever seen. Please consider staying longer, maybe the whole summer.”

“I don’t know.” She spoke with real regret and steely determination. “I was up front with you from the beginning.”

“I know, but just think about it, okay? You have the place, you have the beach right here, it’s gorgeous weather, and you have a hot guy in your bed. What more could you want?”

“How do you know about the hot guy in my bed?”

“Well, because you’ve been wearing a just-got-some smile all morning. And because he’s standing right behind you.” Willow winked at Jacob, and grabbing a tray of fresh pastries, made her way out of the kitchen toward the front of the shop.

Bella whirled around to face him, surprise on her face.

“Didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” he said. “All the amazing smells coming out of here drew me in.”

She tugged him out of the doorway. “I’ll feed you.”

“I have to go to work.”

“Food first.” She stared up at him for a moment, her mouth slightly curved.