Submission: Guilty Pleasures #3 (BBW Erotic Romance) by Adriana Hunter Page B

cigarette, thin wisps of smoke caught in the wind.
Wearing nothing but the short silk robe she’d worn when I saw her in her
apartment, not more than a couples hours earlier.
    My eyes flew back to Jake’s face.
“You have her here? Now? I just left her apartment!” I felt tears welling in my
eyes.
    “Abby, it’s not what it looks
like...” Jake took a step closer, the light from the house catching his features.
    I looked up at him, at the man I
thought I loved, the man I had been willing to give up everything to be with.
Even the love of another good man...even willing to give up Chase.
    Jake’s beautiful face was a
kaleidoscope of emotions. I watched as he fought down fear and shock...shock, I
suppose at seeing me, at being caught with Jane. Fear...of being caught in a lie?
I wasn’t sure. Things were happening too fast.
    Then something else took over
inside Jake. His face softened and he moved toward me, reaching out to touch my
arm.
    “Abby, honey. You’re here, that’s
all that matters. I love you. Whatever else you think, it’s not important. I
love you, and you love me. There’s nothing else that matters.”
    He took another step closer. I
backed up, my shoulders hitting the door behind me.
    “Stop, Jake. No...don’t...” I put my
hands up, no idea what his intentions were, wanting to ward him off, push him
away. But I ended up with my hands on his chest, the warmth of his bare skin
beneath my fingers. Instinctively I clenched my hands, trying to pull my
fingers away.
    But Jake grabbed my wrists,
holding me fast, his grip like steel.
    “Abby, you have to understand. I
love you. She’s...” he looked over his shoulder at Jane “...she’s nothing.”
    He pulled my hands up to his lips,
kissing my knuckles. “I was scared, scared that you were gone. I was desperate,
needed someone...she was the only one I could think of to use...” His voice trailed
off.
    “You’re lying. I’ve had enough.
Let me go, Jake. You have what you want. You have Jane.” I felt anger,
pain...fear...welling up inside of me. But mostly anger. Something snapped.
    “You’ve been with her for the past
week, Jake. Or didn’t your little fuck buddy tell you that I knew that?” I
craned my neck, looking past Jake’s shoulder.
    Jane was still standing in the
doorway watching, smoking her cigarette, or her second or third cigarette.
There was a smile on her full lips, something terrible that didn’t quite reach
her eyes. I shuddered with the realization she’d set this whole thing up,
knowing exactly what I’d do after I left her. Knowing I’d confront Jake. She’d
played me for a fool.
    I looked back to Jake. His face
had changed, something dark behind his eyes. His fingers dug into my wrists.
    “I talked to Jane...today. I left
you here, last Saturday morning. And the next thing you do is go find her and
sleep with her. And now...” I stopped for a breath.
    “You’ve been sleeping with her for
the past week.”
    Something changed in Jake’s
expression. A calculating look passed over his eyes.
    “I love you, Abby. You know that.”
His voice was low, that husky sexy voice that did...had...done things to me. But
now it scared me.
    “I’ve loved you since the first
time I saw you.” He pulled me close to him, his body against mine. I felt the
heat of his skin against me and then the pressure of his erection, pressing
against my stomach. I pulled hard, wrenching my wrists from his hands, pulling
away. I was disgusted now, angry and scared. I stumbled from beneath the
portico roof toward my car, cold rain hitting my face, mixing with the tears
that were running down my cheeks.
    Jake was right behind me, his bare
feet slapping on the wet pavement.
    “I love you. We can fix
this...whatever is wrong. I just made a mistake...I love you. You love me. We can
fix this...”
    I spun around, my anger flaring,
pushing back the fear. I pointed back to the tower room door. I could see Jane,
silhouetted against the light from