by Liz Bower
"You're right, this is happening to you, but somehow I'm involved too. I have no doubt that you can handle whatever is thrown your way, and I'm happy to let you. All I want you to know is that I'm right here, on your side, willing to help in any way you want me to. But don't doubt me, Jess. I know you need to call the shots on this, and I'm fine with that, just don't shut me out."
Then he did lift her off his knee and stood. "Come on, I suggest we both try and get some rest. It's almost morning."
Jess followed him slowly up the stairs, going over his words in her head. Am I trying to shut him out? Or am I just trying to protect myself? At the top of the stairs, he turned towards Emma's bedroom without a backward glance, and before she thought about it, she grabbed his arm.
Looking at her over his shoulder as he stopped, he said, "What is it, Jess?"
He sounded weary. Wary, maybe? Letting her hand trail down his arm, she twined her fingers through his and stared at their joined hands for a beat. Lifting her gaze to his curious one, she turned towards her bedroom and dragged him with her. As she climbed into bed, Rob hesitated.
"Are you sure about this, Jess?"
In answer, she clasped his hand in hers again and pulled him down onto the bed. When he finally lay down, she rested her cheek on his chest, draped an arm over his stomach and twined her leg with his. Yes, she was sure. Because being there, in his arms, felt so right.
"Yes. I think it's time I accepted that you are involved. That I want you right here." She tightened her arm around him. "We're in this together."
***
Jess dropped her bag on the floor and her keys on the kitchen table. It'd been a crappy week, thanks mainly to her boss, Anne. She toed off her shoes and stretched, her back cracking as she did, and felt grateful it was finally Friday.
Since that Sunday, she'd had no visions, and after she'd told James and Matt, she'd heard nothing from them. With their silence, she assumed they'd found nothing new, or maybe it didn't mean as much as she and Rob had thought.
At the thought of Rob, a smile spread across her face. He hadn't spent the night since that Sunday, because of his work schedule, but they had spoken every day. Checking the clock, she realised she had just about enough time to shower before he would be there. She ran upstairs, excited by the thought of him spending the night again.
The knock on the front door sounded just as she'd finished tying her hair up. Bounding down the stairs, she threw the door open and paused. The man could take her breath away, and he was only dressed in scruffy jeans and a tight T-shirt.
"Hey."
Jess stepped back to let him in. "Hi," she said, feeling a little shy all of a sudden and unsure what to do. Shutting the door behind him, he leaned down and softly kissed her on the lips. As he started to pull away, she wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss as it hit her how much she had missed him that week. She pulled away, scared a little by that thought.
Leading him into the kitchen, she opened the drawer by the fridge and pulled out a stack of takeaway menus. "I thought it might be safer to order in."
Rob smiled and, at the sound of someone at the front door, said, "You choose, and I'll go see who that is."
***
Rob opened the door to see Emma holding shopping bags and struggling to get her key in the lock. "Emma, let me help." He took the bags off her and stepped aside to let her in.
"Thanks, Rob. I didn't realise I'd bought so much. Is Jess in?"
"In the kitchen," he said, angling his chin in the direction of the doorway.
Jess stuck her head round the doorframe. "Emma? I didn't know you'd be here tonight."
Rob dropped the bags on the table as Emma let out a laugh, which sounded more awkward than amused.
Emma hooked her hair behind her ears and then looked at Jess and him. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I? I wanted to make a meal for you," Emma said, looking at Jess. "And you too, Rob, of course. It's just we wanted to tell you something."
He nodded at Jess when she looked his way, to let her know he was fine with the change in plans.
"Sounds great, Emma, thanks. Guess we won't be needing these then," Jess said, stuffing the takeaway menus back into the drawer.
Almost an hour later, Rob left the girls to it in the kitchen and went to answer the front door once again. "Hi, we've been expecting you." Matt scowled up at him, which looked pretty comical next to the bouquet of flowers he held, but Rob didn't think it was a good time to laugh at Matt.
"What are you doing here? Besides making yourself at home, clearly."
What's his problem? Rob gripped the door but didn't let Matt past. "Jess invited me round for dinner. Do you have a problem with that?" It was as close to the truth as Rob felt like sharing right then because it wasn't actually anything to do with Matt. The crinkle of cellophane caught his attention as Matt held the flowers in a death grip. Clearly, he did have a problem with that.
"Are you two going to stand on the doorstep all night? Emma's about to serve up, come on."
Rob stepped back, letting the front door swing open, and Matt walked past him, scowl still in place.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Matt strode into the kitchen, and dropped the flowers into the sink. They all took a seat at the dining table, and Matt unwrapped his napkin. Furtively, he glanced between Jess and Rob before he turned to Emma and said, "This looks delicious."
Emma smiled at him. "Thanks. It's a new recipe I thought I'd try. Tuck in, guys." Jess and Rob mumbled—what Matt assumed were—words of thanks. Something was going on between them. Jess was normally quiet around other people, but she'd known Rob for years since he was Matt's best friend. And Rob wasn't normally this quiet either.
"Did you have a good time with John the other night?" Matt asked. He didn't miss the look between Rob and Jess, nor did he miss the colour on her cheeks. He knew what that meant. Before he could decide what to say, a hand dropped on his leg, and Emma squeezed his thigh.
"Not bad, thanks. Just had one in the pub, then left," Rob said after clearing his throat several times.
"Didn't you go to the pub that night too, Jess?" Matt asked as he felt another squeeze on his thigh.
Jess pushed the food around on her plate before she answered, "I was going to, yes. But something came up, and I couldn't make it."
Rob started coughing as Jess spoke, and Matt thumped him on the back. Harder than was necessary, but he deserved it. Jess had gone back to playing with her food, and the frown from Emma made him leave it for the time being.
Once everyone had finished, Emma picked up the dishes and Jess stood to help.
"Are you meeting John again this evening?" Matt asked.
Emma turned to glare at him, shaking her head.
"Erm, no, we haven't made plans to," Rob said as he took his plate to the sink, trying to get Jess's attention.
"We could always go for a pint. You wouldn't mind, would you, Emma?"
"No, sure, Matt. You two go. I only did all the cooking; I don't mind clearing up too. Just don't expect me to keep any dessert for you. It's not like we had this dinner for a reason, is it?"
"Emma's right. We should help clear up. And if dessert is half as good as dinner, I'm staying," Rob said, flashing his trademark grin at Emma.
"No, you two go," Jess chimed in. "I'll save you some dessert. Emma was only kidding, Rob."
"No, it's fine. I'd rather stay," Rob replied, picking up a tea towel and starting to dry a pan.
Jess let out a sigh and headed upstairs. Emma caught Matt's glare, and she wasn't sure if it was aimed at her or Rob. She picked up another pan and started to scrub.
***
Jess closed the door and sat in front of her mirror. A pale face, surrounded by dark hair, and big eyes stared back at her. What had she expected Rob to say? What was there to say? He hadn't lied exactly; he had gone to the pub that night, he'd just neglected to tell Matt he'd come to see her after. So they'd kissed. Did she really expect Rob to tell Ma
tt that in front of her, and Emma? God, did she even want Matt to know? Yes, he was friends with Rob, but that didn't mean he'd be happy they were ... were what? Friends with benefits at some point soon, possibly?
Slicking on some lip gloss, she lifted her chin and plastered on a smile. She had no idea what was going on between her and Rob, but now wasn't the time to find out. Emma had some announcement to make, so everything else could wait.
Finding the three of them in the living room, she joined Rob on the sofa as Matt and Emma stood, fidgeting in front of the fire. As she caught Emma's gaze, Jess knew she was nervous when Emma grabbed hold of Matt's hand. Jess's fingers flew to her mouth as a gasp escaped.
"What?" Emma asked.
"You're pregnant, aren't you? Oh, my God, I can't believe it. I'm going to be an aunt."
Emma's mouth dropped open, and her free hand yanked her top down farther over her stomach.
Matt's gaze dropped to Emma's hand, and a look of longing passed over his face. "There's a reason you can't believe it, Jess," Matt said. "Talk about jumping the gun. You are not about to become an aunt. What we were going to say was that Emma has agreed to move in with me." Matt slipped his arm around her shoulders.
"Oh," Jess said. That’s the big announcement? Then she saw the look on Emma's face and jumped up. "Oh, that's wonderful!" She wrapped Emma in a hug. "I'm going to miss sharing a house with you, but I'm so happy for you. For both of you." Then she found herself being hugged by Matt as Rob congratulated Emma. "I'm so happy for you, Matt. I told you she was a keeper." Jess swiped at a stray tear.
She was happy for him, but she couldn't help but wonder if that would ever be her.
Later, when Jess followed Emma to the front door she found herself enveloped in a hug.
"I'm really going to miss living here. Are you sure you won't come to the pub with us?"
"I'm sure, but thanks, and congratulations again." Emma made her way down the path but stopped when she realised Matt wasn't following her. Instead, he was staring at Rob, who seemed to be going nowhere.
"You coming, Rob?"
"Nah, not this evening. You two go and celebrate."
Matt didn't look too happy with that response, if his clenched fists were anything to go by. "You going home, then?"
Jess looked from Matt to Rob, his jaw was tight, and she could see the muscle twitching as he ground his teeth. Normally, she would have said something, but she wanted to know the answer to Matt's question too.
Rob turned to look at her, and she gave him a shrug because it was his choice—she already knew what she wanted. Turning back to Matt, he said, "Not yet."
Matt stepped towards Rob, but then Emma's hand curled around his bicep, pulling him back.
"Come on. If he doesn't want to go to the pub, that's his choice, Matt." Emma peeked around his shoulder and mouthed towards Jess, "Sorry."
Jess pressed her lips together to suppress her smile because she knew it would only wind Matt up more. Giving a little wave to Emma, she turned to go back inside. "Are you coming back in?"
Rob shoved his hands into his pockets, hunching his shoulders around his neck. "Do you want me to?"
"I'm asking, aren't I?"
He nodded and followed her back inside.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
He followed her into the living room where she collected the wine glasses they'd used. Taking them into the kitchen to start washing them up, she didn't say anything to him, didn't even look at him. He'd been pretty sure they were on the same page after her vision, and she'd spent the night wrapped around him. Maybe she'd had second thoughts. Or had Matt's reaction changed her mind? The thought of people knowing they were together. He didn't want to push her, but if she was just looking for friendship, he needed to know before he made an even bigger fool out of himself.
Leaning against a cupboard, he crossed his legs at the ankles, arms folded across his chest, and waited for Jess to finish avoiding him. Because that was what she was doing, and he wanted to know why.
Eventually, she put the glasses away and turned to face him. "What?"
"That's what I'd like to know, Jess. What's going on between us?"
At his question, her cheeks flushed, and her top teeth sank into her bottom lip. And then all he could think about was that he wanted to bite that lip, then kiss it better. Straightening, he tugged at his jeans, trying to make more room inside them.
Shifting on her feet, she stared down at them for what seemed like an eternity. "I don't know," she mumbled. "I thought after that Sunday we were ... That we might ..." She trailed off with a huff and looked up at him. "You didn't want to tell Matt that you were here last night, so I don't know. Are you ashamed of what we did?"
As she said the words, he rubbed at the back of his neck. Was she for real? Striding across the kitchen to her, he took her hands in his. "I didn't tell Matt because it has nothing to do with him, and I wasn't even sure what was going on between us. But I know what I'd like to be going on between us." He knew they should talk, but sometimes actions spoke louder than words.
Releasing her, he stroked his fingertips up her arms, around her shoulders. Wrapped one hand around her neck while entwining the other in her hair. Her eyes never left his as he slowly lowered his lips to hers.
He'd meant to be gentle, but he forgot as her lips parted, the tip of her tongue brushing against his. Groaning, he bit down on her lip, then dragged his mouth away, pressing it against the soft skin of her neck. With his hand still entwined in her hair, he pulled her head to the side and ran his tongue up the full length of her neck. When he reached her ear, he gently bit the lobe then sucked it between his lips, as Jess moaned.
Dragging her top down her shoulder, he kissed his way across the bared, warm skin. Her hands went to where his T-shirt was tucked into his jeans, fluttering there as he pressed another kiss to her shoulder. Giving her a chance to back out, if she wanted to, he lifted his lips an inch from her skin because she had to want this as much as he did.
Slowly, her fingers dragged his shirt from his jeans. His stomach muscles clenched as her fingertips brushed against him. Running his free hand down her back, he cupped her bum and pulled her closer to him, dragging his lips back up her neck to capture her lips again. Lost in his kiss, she became braver, working her way up the planes of his chest until her fingers found his nipple, brushing her thumb across its hardened tip. When she tugged on his piercing, a groan started in the back of his throat. Releasing his hold on her hair, he wrapped that hand around her bum as well and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, their lips still fused, and he made his way to the stairs.
Kicking open her bedroom door, he laid her on the bed and stared down at her. God, she's sexy. Dropping a knee to the mattress, he crawled up her body until he held himself over her, his weight on his elbows. He lowered his head to kiss her again, and she reached for the hem of his T-shirt. Dragging it up his chest, he released her lips long enough for her to drag it over his head, and for him to return the favour and remove her top.
He kissed her again, stroking her lips with his tongue until she parted them. His hands dropped to her bra, releasing the clasp to let her breasts fall free. Grazing a thumb over her already-erect nipple, she arched her back, pushing her breasts farther into his hands. He kissed his way down her neck until he reached her nipple, running his tongue around the hardened tip before sucking it into his mouth as a moan escaped Jess's lips. Her fingers brushed down his chest until she reached his belt buckle. Unfastening it, she then popped the buttons on his jeans. He couldn't stop the groan as she reached in to free his cock, which was so hard it was almost painful.
He dropped his head to her chest as she stroked him before running her thumb over the already-wet tip, his breath coming hard and fast. He shifted, pulling himself free of her grip so this didn’t end before it had even started. Working his way down her body, he dragged her jeans and underwear down her legs until she lay naked before him. He ran his hands up her legs and s
miled when she shuddered. Parting her thighs, he lay between them, placing a kiss on her inner thigh before glancing up at her. Her head was thrown back against the pillow, eyes closed. Gripping her thighs, he gently squeezed until she looked down at him.
"You okay with this?"
"I was until you stopped," she said, a small smile on her lips.
That was all he needed to hear as he dropped his head and ran his tongue across the wet seam of her sex. He sucked her clit between his lips and was rewarded with a loud moan. He did it again then stroked a finger across the same path as his tongue before dipping inside her. She was hot and wet, and he added another finger as Jess began to writhe on the bed, her hands twisting in the covers. He increased the speed of his fingers as he felt her start to contract around them until she shouted his name and her hips bucked.
Sliding his fingers out, he kissed his way back up her body. Slowly opening her eyes, she smiled at him, looking satisfied. She reached for him again, stroking his length as he let out a groan. Needing to be inside her, he asked, "Do you have condoms?"
Her hand stilled on his cock, and she glanced up at him. "No. Do you?"
He lay back on the bed, throwing an arm across his eyes. "No," he said with a groan. He glanced at the clock but the shop would already be closed for the night. He dropped his arm when she straddled him and licked her way down the solid wall of his pectorals. Along the ridges of his abdomen until she licked the hard length of his cock. "Ohh, Jess."
"Relax. It's my turn now."
Then she took him into her mouth. Her tongue swirled around the head before dipping into the ridge at the centre. He threaded his fingers into her hair as her head bobbed and she sucked him harder. The tingle started at the base of his spine. "Jess." He'd meant it as a warning, but she carried on until he couldn't hold back any longer. With a groan he came in her mouth as she continued to gently suck him.