Watch Over My Life: Emotional Love Story (What Will Be Book Series)

by Laura Ashley Gallagher

  She had not opened her eyes yet, but she knew he was there. She knew his arms were surrounding her as if he were trying to protect her from something.

  Jessica could feel a soft smile gather on her kissed-out lips as she pondered every word Jake had said to her the night before.

  She was the one he had been fighting for. The wild look in his eyes scared her but brought a heat to her body like she never knew was possible.

  Last night, when he told her, relief and fear hit at once.

  Relief he felt the same way she did, and fear, because she was doing exactly what she told herself she wouldn’t. She was going to hurt him, and she had the power to stop it. But she couldn’t let him go. It just took her years to realize it. She couldn’t tell him either. It gave her chills to even think of sitting him down and watching the look on his face as she told him she was fighting cancer. Cancer that could never give him children. And he wanted them so badly.

  Shaking the uneasy thought from her head, she finally found the strength to open her eyes. When she did, she was greeted by the relaxed face and gentle breathing of Jake’s body. He looked so peaceful; so happy.

  He had been there through everything. She never thanked him for that.

  The night before, he didn’t think she remembered when he used to call her when she was with Rob.

  She remembered.

  Jessica remembered every single conversation she had with him, and she didn’t realize why until last night. It was because she loved the man lying beside her; the man she hugged so close, she never wanted to let go. She was always too scared to admit it to herself because the last time she let her guard down and loved somebody; she got hurt. They took her heart from her chest and stomped on it like a piece of dirt stuck to the ground.

  She allowed her fingers over Jake’s eyes and rubbed them along his lips, remembering how he put shivers through her body at the slightest glance.

  Quickly, she pulled her hand away, feeling a heavy breath sweep across her face, and his eyes began to flutter to life.

  “Sorry,” Jessica whispered against his chest, feeling guilty for waking him.

  When his eyes opened to the dim light of the room, he looked down at her; his relaxed yet dark features making her feel meek beneath him. He was giving her that look. She knew it was coming; this man was about to make her his own. She was the only one he wanted right then, and she fed on it. In fact, she needed it.

  So it was no surprise when his lips landed on hers. She trembled under his touch and the feel of his tongue grazing her bottom lip, exploring her mouth. As he did, he pulled her closer to his heated, muscular body, his fingers dancing up and down her squirming figure.

  “Don’t be sorry,” he said, pulling back for air, still not letting go of the secure grip around her body.

  For a long moment, he just stared at her in silence, making the blood rush to her cheeks with embarrassment. He laughed under his breath and placed his fingers under her chin to lift her face back to meet his eyes.

  “You’re adorable when you do that.” He kissed her gently.

  “Stop doing it,” Jessica demanded, slapping him playfully on the arm.

  “You’re just too damn beautiful. I can’t help it.”

  “What time is it?” she asked, directing the subject away from herself.

  As he leaned over to look at his watch on the locker, Jessica couldn’t help but appreciate his toned torso and the way his muscles stretched.

  “It’s almost time for us to get up.” He yawned, turning back to look at her. She cuddled closer to him. She didn’t want to get up. She never wanted to leave that very spot.

  “I know, baby.” He rubbed his hand along her back. “Me neither,” he continued as if he could read her thoughts.

  As she laid there in his arms, she suddenly noticed a few things scattered along the floor. It was her clothes, leaving a trail across the large hotel room. Her beautiful dress was a ball of wrinkles in the corner.

  “I wish you would have told me we were staying the night. I could have brought some fresh clothes.” She tilted her head to stare up and him.

  “I thought I told you last night. It must have slipped my mind, but I have everything in check. There is a bag in the wardrobe with everything you could need in it.”

  “But how?”

  “Sharon,” he answered quickly. “I called her last week and asked her to do me a favour. I guessed she was about the only one who knows about us.”

  “You mean she knew about this before I did?”

  “She did.”

  “What made you so confident that I was going to stay?”

  “I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.”

  She inhaled sharply as he rolled her over, pinning her hands to the pillow above her head, and hovered over her.

  “Jake!” she shrieked.

  “Hush,” he growled, coming closer to her face. This man was growling at her like a beast. She whimpered quietly as he left a map of kisses down her neck, across her jawline, over her collarbone, studying the reactions of her body like a book; a book he seemed engrossed in, yet not once removing the grip he had on her hands over her head. Instead, he intertwined his fingers with hers, holding them tight, keeping her there so he could do what he liked. He was keeping her secure, and she loved it. Again, he left a trail of kisses along her skin, and then he blew cold air over the moist of his lips and smiled in satisfaction at her soft pleas. He looked at her then, making her feel he could see into her for miles.

  Unable to stop herself, Jessica slowly lifted her head and met his lips with a soft passionate kiss, embracing the way he let one of his hands glide over her soft, bare skin. The other hand he kept over her head. Her breath was coming in heavy pants as his hands travelled over her black satin underwear.

  “You have got to be fucking with me.” She gritted her teeth, protesting against her ears as she heard her phone buzz.

  Jake sighed against her lips and pulled away before kissing her one last time.

  “You better get that.” He nodded towards the phone, smiling gently at her.

  She mentally cursed the person on the other end of the line before she tapped to answer, not bothering to even check the name.

  “Hello,” she sighed, sitting up, throwing her long legs over the edge of the bed.

  “Jessica?” A familiar deep voice wondered.

  “Yes,” she said skeptically, trying to make out who the voice belonged to.

  “Jessica, this is Doctor Harris.”

  Jessica quickly placed her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone and turned to Jake.

  “I’m going to take this in the bathroom. It’s April. Men problems,” she lied, hoping the smile on her face convinced him enough not to question her.

  He just shook his head and winked.

  “Put this on.” He picked his white shirt up from the black carpeted floor and threw it at her.

  Quickly, she shrugged her arms into it.

  “Sexy,” he hissed as she pondered into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  “Sorry about that, Doctor Harris,” Jessica finally spoke to him. “Is there something wrong?” Her voice was almost a whisper. She didn’t want Jake to get suspicious.

  “Oh, no. I didn’t mean to worry you. I am just calling to find out if you would like to move your scan forward to tomorrow? We got a cancellation today, and I thought of you. I know you are a busy woman, and it will ease some worries to get it out of the way.”

  She plopped herself on the edge of the large bath and exhaled loudly, letting her pulse slow down.

  “Tomorrow is good.”

  Was the man trying to give her a heart attack? Because she was well on her way to one.

  “Perfect. I will see you at two.”

  “See you then.” She sounded breathless as she said goodbye.

  She tried her best to calm her heartbeat, but it would not obey. Slowly, she stood up and found herself having to cling to the sink for support as th
e bathroom spun around her. She could feel the beads of sweat stick to her skin and her pulse quickened again from the shock that something had come on her so fast. When she closed her eyes, she took three deep breaths and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Thankfully, when she opened them again, the only thing left was the clamminess on her skin.

  Jessica splashed some cold water on her face before she made her way back into the room, where Jake was pulling a grey sweater over his head. He had already put on his dark blue jeans. Once his face was visible, she smiled at him for a moment before making her way towards him and standing on her tiptoes to kiss him.

  “Everything okay with April?”

  “Everything is fine,” she simply said, removing the bag Sharon had packed for her.

  Jessica couldn’t look at him when she lied.

  She threw the bag on the bed and opened it to see her blue faded jeans and a white fitted blouse folded neatly inside. She made a mental note to kiss Sharon when she saw her. She pulled off his shirt, exposing her bare shoulders.

  “Here.” She threw it at him, making him jump.

  “It looked better on you.” He shrugged, looking disappointed that she had taken it off.

  She got dressed quickly and tied her hair back loosely.

  “You know, we will probably have to tell people about us at work,” Jake announced as they made their way into the elevator.

  “You mean there is an ‘us’?” she teased, nudging him as the steel doors closed.

  “We work well together. It can’t be that hard.” He grazed his fingers along her cheekbone.

  They were going to do this. She was totally and utterly insane.

  What if he did genuinely love her? She was dying, and she couldn’t bear the thought of telling him. She couldn’t.

  “We’ll see,” Jessica finally whispered.

  Before he could react, the large steel doors opened onto the luxurious lobby they had entered the night before. The daylight shone on the marble tiles and reflected throughout the large space. Sofas and chairs spread out neatly, and the friendly faces of the receptionists beamed behind the counter.

  As they stepped out, Jessica could feel her mouth water again.

  “For Christ’s sake,” she muttered under her breath. “Jake, will you take a seat for a moment? I just need to use the bathroom.”

  “No problem. I’ll check us out.”

  Jessica had to quicken her speed the more her throat filled with a lump. Her head pounded against her temples, and her vision became blurred.

  “Not now. Not now.”

  She just reached the cubicle in time. The pressure in her stomach became too much, and she threw up, feeling her body become weak and lifeless. Standing up and wiping her mouth, she had to support herself against the wall and calm her erratic pulse.

  She gave herself another moment before she left the small square cubicle.

  And oh, how she wished she had stayed inside when she was greeted by the red-painted lips and golden hair of Katie, staring at her through the mirror as she applied mascara to her short eyelashes.

  “Feeling sick, Jessica?” Katie asked coolly, zooming closer to the mirror to concentrate on her makeup.

  Jessica bit down on her now pale bottom lip before she made her way to the sink.

  “Something I ate. I’m fine now.”

  She twisted the tap, rubbed some mango soap onto her soft hands, and began to wash them. The last thing she wanted was a ‘heart to heart’ chat.

  “You and Jake seem to be pretty close.” Katie turned to her, leaning her hip against the counter. “Something I should know about?”

  “I don’t think this is any of your business,” Jessica stated calmly. This was the wrong day for Katie to be getting on her nerves. Her head ached and her stomach was doing somersaults. “What Jake and I do is between nobody but us.”

  “So, you admit you are doing something?”

  “Katie, I don’t want to have this conversation with you right now. You and Jake are over. You have been for a while now. He has moved on and you are engaged, so I assume that you have moved on too. Look, I know you two will always have something. You were together for so long and engaged to be married, but some things just don’t work out.”

  Jessica had to swallow back the pain. The throbbing in her head was getting worse by the second, and having a confrontation with Katie wasn’t helping.

  “You could never love him as I loved him. He is just passing time with you.”

  “What, until he comes crawling back to you? You slept with another man,” Jessica snapped. “You hurt him, Katie. But you don’t have him wrapped around your little finger anymore.”

  Jessica’s gaze on her narrowed as she cackled.

  “You honestly think he cared about me? Do you think I was the one who had him wrapped around my finger? If you said jump, he asked how high.”

  At that moment, Jessica felt a pang of sympathy for the golden-haired beauty standing before her.

  “That doesn’t mean he didn’t care about you, Katie. He loved you.” God, it killed her to say those words.

  “But you won in the end. Having an abusive boyfriend really gave you the upper hand,” Katie spat, her lip trembling with anger.

  “Katie, I don’t have to explain myself to you. Jake and I have known each other for long enough. He was just trying to protect me.” Jessica took a deep breath before speaking again. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand. Jake treated you like a queen and you pushed him away. This isn’t about winning Katie, but if you asked me, you gave him away. You didn’t fight for him. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to leave.”

  Jessica could feel her pulse race as she stormed out of the bathroom; adrenaline pumping through her veins. The clamminess on her skin made her blood seem cold as the air swept passed.

  “Sweetheart?” He must have noticed the bewildered look on her face. “Jess, what’s wrong?” He pressed his hands against her face.

  Focus.

  That’s what she needed to do. She needed to focus on Jake.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Sit down.” He pushed her gently onto the leather sofa. “You’re not fine.”

  “I’m cold.”

  “Jess?”

  “I’m okay, honestly. Will you bring me home?” she pleaded with him, blocking the sun from her eyes with her hand.

  “You need a doctor.”

  “No doctor. Just bring me home. It’s a headache.”

  He opened his mouth to argue with her, but she hushed him with her finger.

  “Just take me home,” she begged as she rested her head on his shoulder, shielding her eyes from the sun.

  “Okay.”

  Twenty minutes later, they were both sitting in a taxi on their way to Jessica’s apartment. As she dozed off in his arms, his phone rang, but she didn’t have the energy to dwell on his conversation.

  When her eyes opened again, she was lying on her sofa with a large blanket surrounding her body.

  “Did you carry me the whole way up here?” Jessica asked, noticing Jake sitting at the end of the sofa, watching the muted television. His hands relaxed on her legs.

  “You demanded to walk. You slapped me a few times when I even tried to help you.”

  “Sorry.”

  “You need to go to a doctor, sweetheart.”

  Jake bent down beside her, removing the strands of hair from her face and kissing her softly on the forehead. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a pain he could kiss better.

  “Jess?”

  “Yes?”

  “Who was on the phone earlier? In the hotel room?”

  Her gaze narrowed as she stared at him.

  “It was April,” she lied.

  “Yeah, that’s the thing.” He exhaled deeply. “April called me in the taxi. We got talking, and she hasn’t spoken to you since yesterday. Who was on the phone, Jess?”

  Her eyes widened in shock. How the hell was she supposed to get herself out of this o
ne?

  She sat there for a long moment, taking in deep breaths, trying not only to soothe the pounding at her temples but to buy herself more time. Jake was searching her face, as if he knew exactly what she was trying to do. She could feel the pain grow, and her mouth watered as nausea sailed through her body. Her palms gripped the cushions of the couch, and she wished she could melt into it. How was she going to tell him?

  She couldn’t. She couldn’t hurt him. Not like this.

  She opened her mouth to speak just as her phone buzzed on the coffee table. She looked back and forth between her phone and Jake’s scrutinizing stare.

  She leaned over, reaching out for the phone before he had a chance to stop her.

  She looked at the numbers flashing, and a familiar tingle gnawed at her back. No name, just numbers.

  “Aren’t you going to answer that?” Jake asked anxiously.

  She looked up at him softly before obeying.

  “Hello,” she managed, her head aching as if it were a strain for her to speak.

  “Jessica? Is that you?”

  Immediately, she could feel the colour drain from her cheeks. She wasn’t going mad. Those numbers gleaming at her just moments ago were all too familiar indeed.

  As she stretched her legs over the sofa to get up, Jake’s firm grip stopped her. “You’re not going anywhere. I need to know what the hell is going on.”

  It suddenly felt like somebody had reached their hand through her throat and into her chest.

  She looked at Jake once more, pleading with him before she even opened her mouth to say a word.

  He was going to go insane. She knew it.

  “Jessica?” the deep, worried voice interrupted on the other end of the line.

  “I’m here.” She swallowed. “What do you want, Rob?” she asked, shifting as Jake’s body tensed, his tight jaw flexing under strain. She looked away, not daring to look him straight in the eye.

  “I’m sorry, but you are the only person who can help,” Rob stuttered over his words. He sounded upset.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s my sister.” His voice broke.

  “What’s happened?”

  “The day we met in the cafe I told you she had a baby boy, right?”