I feel his arms wrap around my waist and I open my mouth to him, letting our tongues become entwined. He pulls my body tighter to his as our kiss deepens, and I let my fingers snake their way into his hair.
I am completely lost in this moment.
No one and nothing else matters.
I pour all of the passion that I am feeling into our kiss. I need Jake to know how I feel about him, and how I feel about everything that he has done for me.
My body hums.
My lips tingle.
It’s like we are the only two people in the world.
It isn’t until I hear someone clear their throat behind Jake, that I am brought back to reality. I pull my face back slightly, but I keep my focus on Jake.
“Thank you,” I whisper to him. I don’t need to explain why I am saying this to him. He knows what I am thanking him for.
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m sorry about interrupting your meeting.”
“Don’t be. It’s the best interruption that I have ever had.” I giggle at his comment and I feel relieved about the fact that he doesn’t seem to care that we have had an audience watching us.
“I thought that I should let you know that my memory’s back. I can remember everything.”
“Everything?” he asks as if needing me to confirm what I just said.
“Everything.” I lick my lips as I answer, and I can see the heat in Jake’s eyes.
One of the men sat at the table coughs, making me peer around Jake’s head. Each one of the men sat there are all staring at us with open mouths.
“Maybe we should continue this later, in private?” I say.
“Sounds good. I’ll call you when I am finished here.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“I look forward to it.” Jake smiles, releasing his grip on me, and I step out of his arms. I turn and start to walk from the room and see that Jake’s PA is stood by the doors, smiling. I look at her sheepishly as I feel a blush creep up my neck and graze my cheeks.
As I reach her, I apologise for not listening to her when she tried to stop me from coming in here. She waves her hands at me in a manner that suggests she isn’t bothered by my ignorance to her earlier request.
“Hey, Stace?” Jake says, stopping me in my tracks. I turn around and our eyes lock onto one another.
“Welcome back, baby,” he says, grinning like the cat that got the cream. Butterflies are going crazy in my stomach as I smile and turn to walk out of Jake’s office.
I leave with a bounce in my step and feeling more positive than I have in weeks.
It’s all going to be okay, I just know it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Stacey
I return to the flat at half past three. After leaving Jake’s office, I went straight to the police station to give them my statement. It is a relief to finally get it over and done with.
D.C. Sykes was the one who dealt with me and he made me feel completely at ease. He said that he will let me know as soon as a court date has been set for Caitlin’s trial. I won’t need to attend if I don’t want to. It’s nice to have the choice as with the way I feel about her right now, I never want to have to see her again.
The flat is quiet when I open the front door and there is no sign of Lydia. There is however a note scribbled on the kitchen table from her. She has had to go to The Den to sort out some paperwork. I bet it is killing her not knowing how things went with Jake. I know that as soon as I see her, she will want all the details.
I decide to have a shower and freshen myself up whilst I wait for Jake to finish work.
Once showered, I dry myself and put my black, silk dressing gown on. Jake said that he would call me when he had finished work, so I have plenty of time to get ready. I tidy the bathroom after I use it and then I go to my bedroom and dry my hair. Once dried, I style my locks into soft curls. I want to look better than I did earlier for when Jake comes over.
I make my way to the kitchen and flick the kettle on. I take a quick look at my phone, which I left on the kitchen table, but there have been no missed calls. I hum quietly to myself as I wait for the kettle to boil, but a knock on the front door breaks my peaceful moment. I bet it’s someone trying to sell something.
I walk down the hallway and open the front door, expecting to dismiss whoever it is very quickly, only to be confronted with the sight of Jake standing there.
“Oh,” I say, surprised to see him here already. His eyes roam up and down my body and I become very aware of the fact that I am completely naked beneath my dressing gown. “Um, I thought you were going to call when you left work?” I am thrown by his sudden arrival.
“I thought that I would surprise you. Can I come in?” he asks in his smooth tones.
“Oh, uh, yeah, sure.” I sound like a bumbling idiot.
I step back to allow him to enter the flat. “I was just about to make a coffee. Would you like one?” I ask as I shut the door after he has walked past me. As I close the door, I feel Jake’s lips by my ear and I almost orgasm on the spot.
“I didn’t come for coffee,” he purrs in my ear. His breath heats my cheek and he pulls my hair back over my shoulder. I am still facing the door as his hands go either side of me and his palms go flat against the door, his body encasing mine.
I close my eyes and inhale his scent. He smells spectacular. I can’t believe that I ever doubted him.
I try to keep my breathing as normal as possible, but it’s hard to do with him this close to me. My whole body becomes covered in goose-bumps and my sex starts to awaken. He must be able to sense how turned on by him I am.
Jake’s breath travels from my cheek to my neck, and then his lips make contact with my skin. He places light kisses on the side of my neck and I lean into his body so that my back is resting against his chest. I give a moan of approval and I feel his lips curve into a smile against my skin.
I keep my eyes closed and relish in the feel of him. I feel his hand cup my cheek before he gently turns my head to the side. I can feel his lips centimetres from mine.
“Open your eyes,” he says in the sexiest voice that I have ever heard. I do as he says, and I am penetrated by his caramel pools. So many emotions pass between us. “God I’ve missed you.” I am unable to reply as his lips crash onto mine.
We devour each other hungrily and Jake turns me, so that we are chest to chest. He then pushes my back against the door and I love the way his macho side makes an appearance.
He is all man, and he is all mine.
His hands travel downwards, and he starts to caress my ass. I moan into his mouth and I grip his biceps. My body responds to him in a way that it never has with anyone else.
Jake’s hands move to the backs of my thighs and he lifts me up. I wrap my legs around his waist and link my arms around the back of his neck. Our lips break apart and we both pant as we try to catch our breath, and I feel the overwhelming need to tell Jake that I am sorry.
“Jake, I’m sorry for everything that I have put you through these last few weeks. I can’t thank you enough for what you have done for me.” I feel tears sting the backs of my eyes, but I need to say more. “I never should have doubted you, and I am sorry for that.”
I feel a single tear start to roll down my cheek. Jake’s hand comes up and he wipes the tear away with his thumb. The gesture is so tender that it almost makes me cry more.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain,” Jake says. He has been so understanding about everything.
“Yes, I do,” I whisper. I tighten my grip on Jake’s waist with my legs. I never want anything to break us apart again. “My life has been like a rollercoaster since I woke up in the hospital, and you have been there every step of the way. I’m sorry for pushing you away at the beginning, and I’m sorry for some of the uncaring things that I have said to you. But out of everything, there is one thing that I am most sorry for…” My voice trails off as my throat clogs with unshed tears. Jake is looking at me ex
pectantly, waiting for me to finish what I need to say. I am grateful for his patience whilst I start to fall apart in his arms. “Most of all, I’m sorry that I forgot you.”
I see his eyes glaze over, and I know that my words have touched him. I know that my words have meant something to him.
“I’m just glad to have you back,” Jake says, placing a light kiss on my lips.
“What did I ever do to deserve you, Jake Waters?” I will never know the answer to that question.
“You’re just lucky, I guess,” he says, teasingly.
I laugh at his answer. “I guess I am.”
“How does your side feel now?” he asks, changing the subject.
“It’s fine. No pain.”
“Is that so?” He cocks one eyebrow at me and I hope that I am thinking the same thing that he is. “In that case, what do you say about removing some of these layers between us?”
I can think of nothing better.
“There isn’t much to remove on my part. I’m only wearing this dressing gown.”
“Oh really?” Jake starts to walk with me still straddled around him, to my bedroom. He closes the door behind us as we enter, and he gently lowers me to my feet. “Well then, I guess I better even things out a bit.”
I stare at him as he takes off his suit jacket and starts to unbutton his shirt. At the first sight of his chest, I inhale a sharp intake of breath. His body is perfect. Ripped abs and smooth, tanned skin.
He drops his shirt to the floor and then his hands find the belt of my dressing gown. He undoes the belt and the dressing gown splits down the middle. He pushes the material to the sides and then slowly pushes it down my arms. My skin prickles and I feel the cool air touch my naked skin.
I stand there, immobilised by his actions. I can now remember how good the sex was between us, so I am already anticipating what he may do to me.
Jake undoes his trousers and lets them fall to the ground. I watch as he then pushes his boxers down his legs and I lick my lips at the sight of him in all his naked glory. Beautiful.
He steps out of the clothes and kicks them to one side before gently pushing his body against mine and lowering me onto the bed. He treats me like I am going to break, and I know that he is worried about hurting my side even though I have told him that it isn’t painful anymore. I still have the dressing covering it, but it should be able to come off completely in the next couple of days. I push the thought out of my mind and focus on Jake’s eyes. I can’t believe that we have lost weeks of intimacy, of the connection that we share.
Jake covers my body with his and I move my legs to either side of him, so that he can slide in-between them. I feel the head of his long, hard cock nudge at my entrance, and I am already wet with my need for him to enter me.
He looks to me for reassurance that I am okay, and I nod my head slightly at him. He pushes slowly into me and I groan as I feel him fill me. He moves so that he is all the way in and I tremble.
“Okay?” he asks me.
“Yes.” He lowers his face to me and I put my arms around his shoulders. His lips cover mine and he slowly starts to move in and out of me.
This isn’t going to be rushed.
This is us rediscovering each other’s bodies.
This is us celebrating our reunion.
This is us erasing all the bad of the last few weeks.
This is us, making some perfect memories.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Stacey
I lie there after making love to Jake, and I revel in the feel of his arms wrapped around me. I am led so that I have my head resting on his chest and one leg straddled over his. He holds me tight against his body, and I savour every bit of this moment, this pure state of bliss that I have been missing for the last few weeks. The way Jake made love to me just now has left me speechless. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was perfect.
“That was incredible,” Jake says, mirroring what I was thinking. I smile at the fact that he found it just as amazing as I did. He was gentle with me, almost as if he thought that I would break, but it made it more intimate somehow. The way he seems to know what my body needs is mind-blowing.
I run my fingers across his abs, loving how they ripple. His physique is out-standing. It makes me think that I should tone myself up a bit more. I am about to voice this to Jake, when there is an almighty banging on the front door. I jump from the loud noise.
“What the hell was that?” I say out loud. I feel myself start to become irritated that, whatever it was, it has interrupted our blissful moment.
“I have no––” Before Jake can finish his sentence, there is another bang.
I disentangle myself from Jake’s arms and I jump out of the bed. I find my dressing gown on the floor and I quickly put it on. Jake follows me out of the bed and there is another bang. I open my bedroom door before Jake has got his boxers on and go to the front door. I can hear a lot of giggling from the other side and then I hear my name being called.
“Stacey, open the fucking door.” It’s Lydia. She must have forgotten her keys.
I breathe a sigh of relief that it is her. I unlock the door and open it, only to be knocked backwards as Lydia comes flying through the door. I land on my ass with a thud as Lydia lands beside me, and some guy lands on top of her. She is laughing like a maniac.
Good grief, how much has she had to drink?
I feel a twinge in my side which makes me suck in a sharp breath of air as Jake appears to my left, fully dressed, taking in the scene before him.
“What the fuck happened?” he says as he comes over and helps me to my feet.
“Nothing, I just fell over. It’s fine,” I say. I really don’t want him to fuss over me.
“No, it’s not. What about your side, Stace?” he says, angrily. I wave a dismissive hand at him.
“I landed on my ass. I’m sure that my side will be fine.” Jake wraps one arm around my waist to keep me steady as I look down at Lydia. I have never seen her this wasted before. “Lyd, are you okay?” I ask as I lean over her. Her eyes are glazed over, and she seems to be having great difficulty in focussing on me.
“Hey, babes,” she slurs. “Have you met…” Her voice trails off and she waves her hand in the direction of the guy, who has now rolled onto his back on the floor, next to her. The guy’s eyes are half closed, and I bet he hasn’t got a clue where he is.
“Do you want a coffee or something?” I ask, not quite knowing how to deal with Lydia and this strange man.
“No thanks. We’re just gonna go and, you know…” She doesn’t manage to finish her sentence as her eyes close and her head turns to the side. I look from Lydia to Jake and then back to Lydia. I stare open-mouthed at the state of her. Her hair is a mess, she has mascara smudged underneath her eyes, and her clothes look like they need a damn good ironing.
“Lydia,” I say loudly, trying to get her attention. There is no response, so I crouch down beside her, ignoring the pain in my side as I do. I nudge her gently to start with, and then a little bit harder as she doesn’t respond.
“Lydia,” I say a little more urgently. She gives a small moan and I nudge her harder. “Lydia, wake up.” She groggily moves her head and slightly opens her eyes. She mumbles something, but I have no idea what. “Lyd, get up.” She needs to get to bed and sleep off the ridiculous amount of alcohol that she has consumed.
I look up to Jake helplessly and he runs his hands through his hair.
“She is completely out of it,” he says, stating the obvious. “Who’s the guy with her?” he asks me.
“I have absolutely no idea. Maybe I should try and lift her to her room?” I say, more to myself than to Jake.
“Oh no you’re not.” Jake’s tone is adamant.
“But I can’t just leave her led in the hallway all night.”
“I’ll lift her to her room.” With that, Jake signals for me to move out of the way so that he can carry Lydia to her bedroom. I slowly stand up and go and open he
r bedroom door. I put her bedside lamp on so that Jake can see where to go. He carries her in with no problems and then places her on the bed. I manage to take Lydia’s shoes off of her feet and then I cover her over with her quilt.
“What about the guy she brought back?” I say to Jake.
“Well, I’m not lifting him into bed,” Jake says, making me laugh. The look on his face is priceless.
“Do you think that we can wake him up?” I ask once my laughter has subsided.
“I know,” Jake says, walking out of Lydia’s room. I follow him, curious to see what he is going to do. He disappears into the kitchen and I come to a stop by the guy who is currently sleeping in the hallway.
A few seconds later, Jake emerges from the kitchen with a glass of water in his hand. Before I can ask what he is going to do, he pours the water over the guys face, making him splutter and open his eyes. I put my hand to my mouth to stifle the laughter that is threatening to burst out of me.
“Hey, bud,” Jake says, leaning over the guy to get his attention. “Time for you to leave.” Jake then helps the guy to his feet and directs him out of the front door. I don’t think the guy knows what planet he has woken up on, as his eyes are wide with shock as Jake shuts the front door on him. Jake then turns to me, with an innocent look on his face.
“What?” he asks, putting his arms out either side of him.
“I can’t believe that you just did that,” I say, no longer able to contain my laughter.
“It got him out of here, didn’t it?” he says whilst smiling.
“It sure did.” I chuckle as I make my way over to him. “Thank you for lifting Lydia into her bedroom,” I say as I come into contact with him.
“No problem,” he says, moving his hands so that they are holding my hips.
“I wonder how I can show you my appreciation,” I tease. I lay my hands on Jake’s chest and his hands move around so that they are cupping my ass.
“I’m sure that you can think of something.” Jake leans down and kisses me. I move my hands up his chest and am about to move them to his shoulders when I feel a sharp pain in my side.
The Complete Perfect Series Page 33