When Jake got into a mood, you knew his mood. And when Jake had to go, Jake went.

This was nothing unusual.

Okay, so, we’d been seeing each other for four months and this was the first time we made love.

Sure, that seemed weird, considering he was all man, a wild man, but he was always gentle with me, very gentle, and it was like he sensed I needed that. I needed him to take it slow. And I did need that. Boy, did I need that. So I didn’t think anything of it.

And sure, we’d made out. We’d fooled around a lot. A lot, a lot and it was good. The best. And he’d made me come with his hand, though he’d never let me touch him that way, saying he liked to watch and the first time I made him come, he wanted to be inside me. Just him telling me that nearly made me come. But I’d never been naked with him, not even close, until now.

So, any girl would expect, after all that time with a wild man unlike any man she’d ever been with, a wild man who tamed that beast in order to be gentle with her, that he’d hang around after the big event.

But not Jake.

I knew that about him.

But this was something different.

I knew that too.

“Tess,” he called, his deep voice gentle and my eyes opened.

He was somewhat fuzzy. I didn’t have my glasses on but I knew he was still unbelievably gorgeous. The sight of him was burned on my brain in a way I knew I’d never forget.

“Yeah?” I replied and watched him, now fully clothed, lean into a hand on the bed toward me.

I held still as he got closer and came into better focus.

“Grab your glasses, darlin’,” he whispered and I must have narrowed my eyes to focus on him or something.

Jake, I also knew, didn’t miss much.

I forced my body to come unstuck, rolled as I kept the blanket pressed to me, nabbed my glasses off the nightstand, and slid them on. I rolled back to him.

Seeing him focused, I saw his eyes were no longer conflicted and remorseful. They were quicksilver still but affectionate, gazing at me like they did when I fancied he was thinking I was cute. Or at least I hoped it was that.

He liked me wearing my glasses. He’d told me that flat out. Said he never had a woman who wore glasses. He told me it was like stepping out with a sweet, sexy school teacher.

I’d never felt sexy, not in my life. Not until Jake.

“We’ll talk later, yeah?” he said quietly.

“Yeah,” I answered, hope budding in my heart at his look, his tone, his words.