Chapter Twelve
After lunch, the four of them went home. Beatrice and George had to go look over something at the house they were interested in buying, so they left as soon as they arrived. That left Tori and Jake. Tori's yawn gave away her plans for the rest of the afternoon. Smiling around her yawn, she said, "We don't have to be over to Daddy's until 4:30. I want to take a nap. What about you?"
Jake wiggled his eyebrows at Tori. He teased, "Are you inviting me to join you?"
Suddenly Tori knew realized that was exactly what she was doing. Sobering up instantly, she looked at Jake with wide eyes. Licking her lips, she realized that she couldn't answer him verbally. Instead, she dropped her eyes and nodded her head.
Before Tori knew what was happening, Jake swept her up in his arms. He tilted her face back and began kissing her, passionately. Although they had shared a few kisses over the week, they had both made an effort to make them quick and chaste. But this kiss was akin to the ones they had shared last Friday. It was the kind of kiss that made Tori wish that her bed wasn't on the third floor.
As though he were reading her mind, Jake pulled back to look into Tori's eyes. "Are you sure?" Again, all Tori could manage was a nod. She saw the fire flame in Jake's eyes as he ran his finger around the outside of her lips. "Then, Ms. Banner, I'll meet you on the third floor in exactly five minutes. If you change your mind, Tori, all you have to do is close your door. I will go to my own room and won't bother you if you decide you don't want this. And I will understand. But if you are still sure after five minutes, leave it open." Then he dropped a kiss on her nose and turned to walk down the hall toward his office.
Tori raced up the stairs like demons were on her tail. She threw off all of her clothes and jumped into the shower. It had been a hot sticky day and she didn't want to be worrying about smelling all sweaty when Jake got there. As she rushed out of the shower and threw on her silky bathrobe (another item Stella had helped her pick out), she ran to the door to open it. Her eye caught the clock, though, and she realized that six minutes had passed.
Stunned, she heard the door to Jake's room open and close. He didn't even slam the door. Was he glad that her door had been closed? Tori stood in the middle of her room, uncertain what to do next. Then she saw the connecting door.
Making her way slowly across the room, Tori rested her hand on the knob. She knew what she wanted, but it was still a serious decision. She was about to alter life as she knew it and she took one last minute to wish it good-bye. Then she turned the round handle.
Sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands, Tori realized that Jake hadn't heard the door. She wasn't sure if she should clear her throat or say something to get his attention. However, when he threw his head back and she saw that his eyes were closed and his face was contorted in pain, she forgot her dilemma. She flew across the room and threw her arms around his neck.
Jake's eyes jerked open as he stared at her intently. With a voice thick with some unidentified emotion, Jake said, "What are you doing here, Tori?"
Tori groaned and responded with her too rapid explanation, "Jake, I'm so sorry. I wanted to take a shower so you wouldn't be disgusted by me, then I forgot to open the door before I got in the shower, then I ran out to open the door, but I was too late. Then I remembered the connecting door, but six minutes had already passed, and you didn't slam your door and I was afraid that you didn't want me. Oh, God, Jake, I'm so sorry!"
Jake's features relaxed as he listened to her jumbled excuse. Putting a finger over her lips, he said, "Shhh, it's ok. You're here now. That's all that matters." Then he replaced his finger with his lips. After a short kiss, he pulled back to look at Tori. He said, "But, Tori, this is your last chance. If you don't want to do this, you need to go back to your room and close that connecting door. I want you here, but you have to be sure. Once we take this step, we can never go back again."
Tori wasn't totally sure she understood all of the implications Jake was talking about, but she was sure about what she wanted. And what she wanted was Jake. She first ran her fingers around the back of Jake's neck and loosened the tie that held his ponytail. Running her fingers through the black locks, she gently massaged his scalp, content to be touching him.
It didn't take long for the passion rising in Tori to cause her to move beyond Jake's hair, though. Reaching between their bodies and pulling the tie that held her robe together, she let it fall apart. Since she had dressed so quickly that she was naked beneath the silky material. She heard Jake's breath catch in his throat when he saw her soft flesh. Then she felt his lips as they brushed along her shoulders, pushing aside the robe, causing it to fall to the floor.
Even in her wildest fantasies, Tori had never imagined herself being confident enough to stand naked in front of her lover. Now, with Jake, it seemed the most natural thing in the world. Jake's hands were holding her waist as his lips assaulted her breast. The feelings rushing through Tori were enough to cause her knees to buckle. She put her hands on Jake's shoulders to steady herself. Jake seemed to notice her difficulty balancing. He pulled her to his side and sat her down on the bed.
It was Jake's turn to stand in front of Tori. He started with his top buttons and slowly undid the closures on his shirt. Tori was almost panting by the time he shrugged it off of his shoulders. She realized that Jake was watching her closely as he slid the material down his arms. She wasn't sure what he was looking for, but she had a pretty good idea what he was seeing. She could feel her nipples pointing longingly toward him, she knew that her face was flushed with her arousal and she was aware that she couldn't take her eyes off of his body. She wanted him with everything that was in her and she was positive it showed in every inch of her body.
Then Jake reached for the snap on his jeans. Tori had never had an interest in the 'boy toy' magazines that some of the girls in high school had brought for private show-n-tell. She had always thought that the men were boring and the pictures not stimulating. In fact, she had questioned her own sexuality because of her lack of interest. But sitting in front of Jake, as he disrobed, put her mind at ease. There was nothing wrong with her sexual responses - she just hadn't been exposed to the right man before!
As Jake's fingers loosened his jeans, Tori actually caught herself licking her lips. She had read enough romance books to have some idea of what Jake was hiding inside that denim and she wanted to see him. When he dropped the jeans and stepped out of them, she realized that he was wearing briefs. Last Friday, he had been wearing boxers, but Tori made herself a mental promise to encourage him to wear briefs. She really liked the way the material hugged him. Of course, just that thought caused her to want to hug him with her own hands.
Jake looked as though he was enjoying torturing Tori as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of his underwear. He teased, "Are you sure you want this, Tori?"
