Greatest Gift Read Free Page B

least. His tactics left much to be desired, he got that, but he hadn’t been
able to resist after her saucy comment about kidnapping. It had been the most
playful moment in his life in way too long to remember. Jakob liked playing with Holland.
    What he had not expected was to have her hands on
his ass, and squeezing no less. That had shocked him enough he’d nearly dropped
her. He hadn’t, and had even managed to get them both safely to his truck. With
her squeezing, and practically massaging his buttocks it had been a definite
challenge.
    Once he’d stuck her in the passenger seat she’d
started to avoid his gaze again. The drive back to her place had been quiet.
Hell, she hadn’t even asked how he knew where she lived. She was probably
waiting for the other shoe to drop from her groping. Jakob didn’t plan to give her too hard a time, maybe a little teasing, but he was all
for groping.
    Taking her parking spot, Jakob threw the truck into park. She started to scramble out the other side. Not that
she made it, he was there to keep her from losing her footing and sliding down
under the truck. “You should invest in some boots that have grips on the
bottoms. Might keep you from falling on your ass.”
    She threw him a look that only females had in their
repertoire. “Yeah, but these are cute. The others are practical, yes, but they
definitely are not pretty enough.”
    “Oh right, the fashion statement, however could I
forget that?”
    “No idea, but you should’ve known better.” Turning,
she grabbed her bag, and slung it over her shoulder. “Thank you for the ride. I
should go in, I need to get some sleep.”
    Jakob knew a blow off when he heard one. Not happening, he and the little
vixen had things to discuss. Hooking his arm through hers when she headed for
her building’s front door, he wasn’t all that surprised when she gave him a
wary look. “My mother always instructed me to see a lady to her front door, and
ensure she was safely inside.”
    “Well there’s the door, and I plan on being on the
other side momentarily,” she said. “You really don’t need to walk me there. Its
glass, you can see me through it.”
    “That is the building’s front door, not your front
door. Anyone could break through this thing, and it wouldn’t even take much
effort.”
    “I doubt anyone would bother.”
    He snorted at that. She had no idea what someone
would do when the pickings were so easy. Instead, he followed her inside even
when she shot him a pointed look. Jakob hadn’t been
kidding earlier, his mother had instilled several rules upon him and his
brothers. Watching out for a woman was near the list’s top. The fact it gave
him the perfect excuse to crowd her into the elevator was merely a by-product.
    He scented her nerves kicking up again, but the
arousal that mixed with it told him clearly she wasn’t afraid. Jakob could handle nervous, fear was an entirely different
mess. Once she’d hit the button for her floor, he boxed her into the corner.
Enough space she could bolt if she truly wanted to, but close enough to keep
her attention fully on him. “We still have a few things to talk about, you and
I.”
    “I don’t know what you mean.”
    It was adorable how she switched between watching
the numbers clicking on the display and him. Her fingers compulsively clenched
and released her keys, yet another tell she had. Why the hell he hadn’t
cornered her before was beyond him, but he was damn well going to make up for
it.
    “I think you do know exactly what I mean,” he said
quietly.
    Her sharp breath had him wanting to press in
closer. But the bell announcing her floor saved her, for the moment. Stepping
back, he grinned when she bolted out from the elevator and attempted to stay
out in front. Jakob caught up with her while she
scrambled to get her keys into the door, and pressed close to her back. A small
fumble, and then she had the door open.
    When she was inside, breathing erratic, he lifted