“Ouch,” I say, interrupting the moment. I bring my hands back down and curse myself for not masking the pain.
“Babe, what’s wrong?” Jake looks concerned as he steps back from me and gives me a quick look over to see if he can see what the problem is.
“It’s nothing. I just had a little shooting pain in my side. It won’t be anything to worry about.”
“Let me see.”
“Jake, don’t fuss. I will just take some painkillers and it will be fine.” I try to reassure him, but I should have known that wouldn’t work.
“Stacey, let me see,” his tone is commanding, and I know that he isn’t going to back down on this one. I sigh and take his hand, leading him into my bedroom. I pop the light on and close the door. Jake sits on the bed and I stand in front of him. I undo my dressing gown and Jake moves the material to one side.
I watch Jake as his eyes go wide before I follow his gaze and notice a tiny patch of red on the dressing. It isn’t much, but it is enough to cause alarm bells to go off in my head.
“Fuck. I’m taking you to the hospital.” Jake stands up off of the bed and goes to walk out of the room.
“Wait,” I say, stopping him from going further. He turns to look at me. “I need to get dressed first, I can’t go in just my dressing gown.”
“Why not?” Jake asks.
“Because I won’t feel comfortable being naked beneath just a dressing gown.” I am not going to budge on this one, blood or no blood.
“Fine.” Jake sighs. “But we need to be quick. You need to see a doctor.”
“Yes, I am fully aware of that,” I say as I grab my jogging bottoms to put on. Unfortunately, I have a bit of trouble bending to put them on.
“Stop,” Jake says as he takes the jogging bottoms off of me and kneels to the floor to help me put them on. “You are going to be the death of me, woman.” I smile as he pulls the jogging bottoms up and then helps me slip on a T-shirt. He then puts my socks and shoes on for me.
He kisses me on the nose and takes my hand in his. “Can we go now?” he asks.
“Yes.”
Jake takes his car keys out of his pocket and guides me out of the flat.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Stacey
After spending a couple of hours at the hospital, I am given the all clear to go home. I had managed to tear a couple of stitches that hadn’t yet knitted my skin back together. The on-call doctor did a thorough examination and then cleaned and re-stitched the part that had torn.
After thanking the doctor, Jake takes my hand and we walk out of the hospital and back to his car. He helps me get in before getting into the driver’s seat. As he starts the engine, I notice that his jaw is clenched, so I move my hand and place it on his knee. He turns to look at me, his eyes softening a little.
“Are you okay?” I ask him. I know damn well that he is pissed off, but I would like to ease the tension radiating from his body.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he answers, very unconvincingly.
“Jake, it was just an accident.” I don’t want him to think badly of Lydia.
“That may be, but I’m taking you home with me.” I roll my eyes at him, but inside I am secretly thrilled that he wants to take me to his place. “Don’t roll your eyes at me. You heard the doctor in there, you need to take it easy, and you can’t do that with Lydia coming home all shades of fucked up.”
“That’s not fair, Jake. Lydia has been good to me since the attack. She didn’t mean to do it.”
“I don’t care. I’m going to look after you now, and that’s final.” He starts to pull the car out of the hospital car park and we turn onto the main road. “We can go to the flat and you can pack some things. That way, we can check on Lydia at the same time, if that makes you feel better.”
“Okay.” I don’t elaborate on my answer. I may be pleased that Jake wants to look after me, but I don’t want him thinking that I am completely useless.
We drive in silence back to the flat and when Jake has parked the car, he helps me out and up the stairs to the front door. I unlock the door and go straight to Lydia’s room to check on her. She is led exactly as we left her, and I close her bedroom door after being satisfied that she is okay.
I walk to my bedroom and find Jake sat on my bed. He still looks pissed off, so I go and stand in front of him. I nudge his legs so that he opens them slightly, allowing me to walk into the gap he has just created.
He looks up to me and I place my hands on his shoulders. “Relax. I’m fine.”
“I just don’t like to think of what would have happened if I hadn’t been here.” His eyes bore into mine. “I nearly lost you once, Stace, I can’t even contemplate what I would do if it happened a second time.” I am touched by his honesty, but I need to de-dramatise this situation.
“I only tore a couple of stitches, Jake. It’s nothing to worry about. You were here to help me and that’s all that matters.” I bend down slowly and kiss him on the lips. It’s a tender kiss that leaves me feeling weak at the knees.
When I come up for air, I can see that some of the tension from his body has dissipated. I quickly change the subject to get Jake’s mind off of what happened. “Right then, there is a pink holdall in the bottom of the wardrobe, could you get it for me, please?” I step away from him and start picking out some underwear to pack as he gets the holdall for me. He places it on the bed and unzips it. I pack my underwear and then I start looking for some comfortable clothes to take with me.
“You know, I think that the underwear is enough clothing,” Jake says with a twinkle in his eye. I laugh at him as I grab some leggings and jogging bottoms, popping them in the holdall along with some tops and a couple of jumpers. I ask Jake to unplug my laptop and pack that for me, with the charger. I also pack my phone charger, and then I go and collect my toiletries from the bathroom. I pack some make-up and my hairbrush, and I quickly scan the room to see if I have forgotten anything that I might need. I spot my dressing gown on the floor and ask Jake to pick it up for me. He does, and I place it on top of all the other items that I am taking.
“I think that will be enough. I’ll be coming back in a few days’ time, so I shouldn’t need anything else.”
“Hmm. We’ll see about that,” Jake mutters as he zips up the holdall and exits my bedroom. I ignore his comment and follow him into the hallway. I go into the kitchen and write a quick note for Lydia, so that she knows where I am, and I leave the note on the kitchen table before walking back to Jake. I pick my handbag up off of the side which already has my phone, purse and keys in it, and then I take Jake’s waiting hand.
I lock the door as we leave, and we make our way back to Jake’s car. Jake pops my holdall into the boot and then, as seems to be normality at the moment, he helps me into the passenger seat. Once Jake is in the car, I buckle up and then we are on our way to his place.
“So, do you have to put up with Lydia behaving like that often?” he asks me. Lydia clearly hasn’t made a very good impression of herself tonight.
“No,” I say on a sigh. “I don’t know why she got so wasted.” I do know, but I am not about to tell Jake why. I know that Lydia is still struggling with the whole Paul situation. I am worried about her, but I also need to get myself back to full health.
“Well, whatever the reason, she needs to get her shit sorted,” Jake says, his tone harsh.
“Give her a break.” I really can’t go into any details.
“Give her a break? Stacey, her behaviour tonight resulted in you having to go to hospital.” He’s not going to let this issue go easily.
“Jake, if you are going to keep going on about it then you can turn the car back around and drive me home,” I say in a firm tone. “I will not listen to you going on about it all night. It was an accident, end of story.” I hear Jake chuckle beside me and I whip my head around to look at him. “What’s so funny?” One minute he’s annoyed, and the next he is laughing.
“Nothing.”
&nbs
p; “No, go on, I want to know.” Now it is me that is sounding annoyed. I impatiently sit there and wait for him to answer.
“You know, you’re sexy when you’re being feisty.” Jake grins and I feel a smile tug at my lips. I wasn’t expecting that answer.
He glances at me and I quickly divert my eyes so that I am looking out of the window.
“I wasn’t going for sexy, Jake,” I answer, but my tone has definitely lost its firm edge.
“I know. That makes it even sexier.”
I laugh at his answer and just like that, all the tension from his beautiful face, and body, has vanished.
Jake
Fuck me. This woman really knows how to get under my skin.
I take in her perfect profile as I glance at her in the passenger seat, and my cock stirs in appreciation of her. Her creamy skin, her twinkling blue eyes, and her full lips makes me want to do all sorts of things to her. Of course, we won’t be doing anything for a while as she needs to get better, but when she is fully recovered, I am going to catapult her into another world.
My mind wanders back to our tryst, earlier this evening. Her petite but curvy body led on the bed. Her pussy wet with her need for me. Her moans as I rode her slowly like music to my ears. Her breasts pushing against my chest as our tongues were entwined makes my cock start to harden.
Damn, Waters, get a hold of yourself.
I fidget slightly in my seat to ease the pressure on my groin.
I make a promise to myself right here, right now.
She is my life.
I am going to do everything I can to keep her safe. I’ve finally got her back. There is no way I am going to lose her again.
I’m going to look after her so good that she is never going to want to leave my place.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Stacey
We arrive back at Jake’s and he unlocks the front door. He lets me enter first and then follows behind me, carrying my holdall with him. I stop awkwardly in the hallway and wait to see which room Jake is going to go into. He places my holdall by the stairs and then offers to make us both a drink. I follow him into the kitchen and I take a seat on one of the bar stools, placing my handbag in front of me on the worktop.
“Hot chocolate?” he asks me.
“Yes, please.” It’s far too late for coffee, and if I drink one now, then I will be up all night. Jake busies himself getting the cups and making the drinks as I scan the room. I think this is one of my most favourite rooms in this house. It’s got a homely feel to it.
“Can I get you anything to eat?” Jake asks as he brings over the hot chocolates.
“No thanks. The hot chocolate will be fine.” Jake takes a seat next to me and we sit in comfortable silence for a few moments. It doesn’t take me long to finish my drink, and my body warms from the inside at the chocolatey goodness. I stifle a yawn and my eyes flick up to see what the time is. It’s gone eleven, and from the events of the day, it’s no wonder I’m tired. Jake sees me trying to stop myself from yawning.
“Come on you,” he says as he places his now empty mug on the worktop. “Let’s go to bed.” Jake stands, and I follow suit, and he leads the way up the stairs, picking up my holdall on the way. I wearily reach the top of the second flight of stairs and Jake puts his arm around my waist to help me along. He can clearly see that my body is losing its strength as tiredness takes over.
“Thanks,” I say as we walk to his bedroom. Jake guides me to the bed and I sit down on the edge, groaning in pleasure as my ass meets the soft mattress. Jake places my holdall to the side of the room and then helps me out of my clothes. I stand up and let Jake take my jogging bottoms off. I don’t have any underwear on as we were in a rush to get to the hospital earlier.
As I lift my arms up for him to take my T-shirt off, I wince slightly. My side is sore after being messed about with. Jake gently moves my T-shirt up my arms, and his hands graze the sides of my breasts, making my nipples instantly harden. Even though I am in pain, my body craves his touch.
Jake throws my T-shirt on the floor and eyes me approvingly before walking to his wardrobe. He disappears for a few seconds and then emerges, carrying one of his shirts.
“Wear this,” he says as he holds the shirt open for me to put my arms into. “It will be less painful to take this on and off than one of your tops.” I slide my arms into the fabric and inhale deeply as the scent of him encases me. I button up the shirt and Jake goes to my holdall, bringing a pair of my lacy knickers with him. I step into them and he pulls them up as I raise an eyebrow at him quizzically. I thought that he would like the thought of me being commando. “It’s hard enough to keep my hands off of you, without the added enticement of you wearing nothing under that shirt.”
“Yeah but think about how good it will be when I’m all better,” I tease him.
“Oh trust me, I am. And it won’t just be good. When the time comes, Stacey Paris, I am going to make you delirious with pleasure.” The heat emanating from his eyes makes me feel weak with need for him. I step up on tip toes and place a light kiss on his lips.
“I look forward to it,” I whisper to him. He smiles, and it makes my heart flutter. His smile really is gorgeous.
“In the meantime, you need to get some rest.” Jake twirls me around so that I am facing the bed and he pulls the quilt cover back. I get into the bed and he covers me with the quilt. He then starts to undress himself and I can feel myself salivating at the sight of his naked flesh. He strips down to his boxers and then disappears into the ensuite, emerging a few minutes later and climbing into the bed behind me.
I can’t lie so that I am facing him as I need to stay led on my good side.
I feel his chest against my back and his hand rests on my leg. He can’t put his arms around me, because if he does, his arm will be resting on my wound. He nuzzles his face against my neck and I giggle as it tickles. I feel feather-light kisses start to inch their way around to my lips. I turn my head to look at him and his lips cover mine.
He kisses me softly and I love the feel of our tongues merging together. We take our time exploring one another’s mouths. His hand leaves my leg and comes up to caress my cheek. I so badly want to take things further, but I know that Jake would stop it. He wouldn’t want me to end up hurting myself again, so I know that there is no point in even trying.
“Hey, Jake?” I say as our kiss comes to an end.
“Yeah?” His face is inches from mine and I love the intense look in his eyes.
“I know that I apologised to you earlier, but there was something else that I didn’t get the chance to say.” I turn so that I am led on my back, enabling me to look at him properly.
“Okay.” He looks wary of what I might be about to say, but I am hoping that when he hears it, it will make him happy. I hold his gaze as I feel my eyes start to well up. I have never felt this strongly about anyone else. I may not have known Jake for long in reality, but I feel like I have known him my whole life. And, I know that I have only just got my memory back, but it has only made how I feel about him even stronger, if that is at all possible.
As I study every aspect of his handsome face, I bring my hand up and trace his lips. He plants a kiss on my fingers and then takes hold of my hand, lowering it to the bed.
“What is it, Stace?” He searches my eyes for an answer.
“I heard you, when I was lying on the office floor. I heard what you said to me.”
“You did?”
“Yes, and I just wanted to tell you that, I love you too.” I have never said those words to him before, so it is kind of a big deal for me. I have also never meant them as much as I do now. His face breaks into a massive smile and he kisses me again.
“You have no idea how long I have been waiting to hear those words,” he says as his hand entwines with mine.
“I think I do.” I have been waiting forever for someone to mean it when they say they love me. I know that Charles never did, not in the way that he should have, but Ja
ke does.
He places his hand back on my leg and I get as comfortable as possible. With Jake curled around me, I close my eyes, feeling like I am on cloud nine despite what transpired earlier this evening.
“You were made for me, Stacey Paris,” Jake says, his voice soft and low. I smile, and with those words in mind, it’s not long before I fall into a deep, blissful sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Stacey
I wake up to find that I am alone in bed. There is no sign of Jake in the room. I sit up groggily, and a smile begins to form on my face from the memory of last night. Happiness consumes me as I get out of bed and go to the ensuite. I use the facilities and then take a look at myself in the giant mirror. I look flushed and my hair is a mess, but even I can see that my eyes are sparkling.
I go and get my hairbrush from my holdall and take my toothbrush with me at the same time. After tying my hair into a ponytail and freshening up my breath, I leave Jake’s bedroom to go and find where he has disappeared to.
I get to the first floor and I can hear him talking in one of the rooms, so I walk along the hallway and come to a stop at his office door. When he sees me, he looks up and smiles. He hasn’t put a T-shirt on and I appreciate his manly form as he sits at his desk. He gestures for me to walk over to him and as I approach him, he moves his chair back and pats his lap for me to sit down. I sit on his lap and start to plant light kisses on his neck. He is still on the phone and I have to stop myself from laughing at the fact that he has all of a sudden become a little tongue tied.
“I’m sorry, Valerie, I’m going to have to call you back later. I have something that I need to attend to.” He leans over and puts the phone down and lets out a low growl as I kiss my way to his lips. After I am finished, I pull my face away from his slightly.
“Good morning, handsome.”
The Complete Perfect Series Page 34