Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
JAKE
T he last place I thought I would be was so far on the outs with Frankie that I didn’t even know what to say to her. Talking to Frankie was easy . She’d always been easy. Ever since Rachel filled her head with that bullshit about us…
Fuck.
I raked a hand through my hair. “You look tired,” I said finally, staring at her. She did look tired. Even her hair which she’d pulled up in a high ponytail looked like it was sagging.
“I am tired,” she said with a shrug. “It’s been a long day. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. I still have some reading to do.”
A part of me reasoned I should let her go home, let her get some sleep. The rest of me dug in my heels. I wanted to see her, I wanted to spend time with her.
“Have you had dinner?” Because we had to start somewhere dammit. If she was looking at me like I was the bad guy then I needed to fix it. That started right now.
“The idea of eating a burger is…” She made a gagging face.
“I bet.” The faint sway to how she stood there kicked me squarely in the ass. She was tired, so… “How about I go grab us pizza, you go and grab a shower?” I paused a beat. “Your mom gonna flip if i come by this late?”
“Probably, if she were home,” Frankie said, smothering a half-yawn. “She left a message this morning that she had to go out of town for something for work. I don’t know. She won’t be back until this weekend.”
What a bitch. Mrs. Curtis was just a shit mother. Yay that she wasn’t there which meant one obstacle out of the way, but Frankie deserved a hell of a lot better.
“Okay, well, then we don’t have to worry if she won’t like it.” I opened the driver’s side door of Frankie’s car for her. “Pizza?”
“Um—is your mom going to be okay with you staying out this late?’
“Mom knows I was planning to hang out with you. She’s cool with it.” I held up my phone. “And she knows how to reach me.” Since I said I might crash on Frankie’s sofa if we went too late, she’d given me a long look but finally nodded. So, yeah, Mom and I knew what was what.
“Then, yeah…though if I pass out on you, I’m sorry in advance.” She smothered another yawn and guilt took a bite out of me. If she was this damn tired, I should let her sleep.
I would, but I was selfish too and I wanted this time.
“No sweat,” I promised. “Go home. I’ll go grab the pizza.” I swiped over to the app where I already had the order ready to go. Before she could get in though, I caught her arm. “Frankie?”
“Yeah?”
“We’re going to figure this out, you and me.” It was as much an oath as anything. “But three things you need to know as facts.”
Her green eyes were troubled as she studied me. “Those are?”
“I’m not dating Maria. I haven’t in a while. It was over a long time ago and I coasted. Should have cut her loose before and that shit is on me.”
Her nose wrinkled and that was fair. Maria wasn’t bad, but she was never going to be Frankie. Just dating her because she was there was pretty damn shitty.
“The other two things?”
“I hate you dating Frenchy.” I raised my free hand at the instant mutinous expression on her face. “I don’t like it, Frankie. Never going to like it. He’s not good enough for you.”
“You don’t even know him.”
“I don’t have to know him.” This time, I narrowed the distance and cupped her chin. “ No one is good enough for you.” Then I dropped a kiss on her lips before I could overthink it. The simple brush was definitely not enough. It would never be enough . Didn’t matter. “Not even me.”
The stunned look on her face seemed to echo the shock inside me. Nothing about that kiss screamed passion, but the contact branded me. I wanted more.
“The third thing,” I said as she blinked up at me. “I want you. I’ve always wanted you. I thought you didn’t want me the same way. Maybe you don’t… but Frenchy isn’t just getting you by default. There’s competition here and I plan to win.”
She ran her tongue over her lower lip. “Jake…”
“What? You forget that I like a good fight?” I tried to inject some humor into my voice, but I was too damn serious for that.
Rolling her eyes, she tilted her head back. “You guys are determined to drive me crazy.”
“Not at all,” I promised. “Now. In the car. You need to go home and shower. I’ll be there in a few.”
That earned me a sour look. “You’re bossy.”
“Yes,” I agreed with her. “I am. In you go, baby girl.”
The endearment slipped out, but I didn’t regret its escape. It suited her. She flushed, pink staining her cheeks and it was adorable. But I pocketed that particular description for now.
“Straight home. I’ll be right behind you. Ten minutes?”
She blinked up at me as she snapped the seatbelt into place. “Ten minutes.”
After I closed her door, I retreated to the Jeep and waited for her to back out and leave before I got in the car.
The drive to the pizza place didn’t take two minutes.
Fortunately, they weren’t busy and our pizzas were being cut, so it didn’t take long for me to carry the boxes out and head for Frankie’s.
Tracking the time, I actually pulled into the slot next to Frankie’s on the far side of the lot closest to her apartment in under ten. Then waited another minute before I headed up. I’d promised her ten minutes.
She was yawning as she opened the door. Her hair was combed straight, and it was still damp.
It always took her thick hair time to dry.
She was in pajama bottoms and a tank top.
She also wasn’t wearing any kind of bra and her nipples peaked at the front of the tank.
Everything about her was sleepy and deliciously rumpled.
As good as the pizza smelled, I’d rather eat her.
I locked the door behind me as she retreated through the galley kitchen to the living room and I followed. “You really do look tired.”
“Keep telling me how bad I look. It’s really doing it for me,” she actually made a face at me and it was the most normal she’d sounded in months. That’s it, baby girl, give me shit. God I’d missed that. “Crap…”
“What?” I asked as I joined her on the sofa, she was half sprawled backwards and looked like she’d just been dumped there.
“I need to text Coop and tell him I’m home.”
Since her phone wasn’t in evidence, I pulled mine out of my pocket. “I got it.”
Me: Frankie’s home, safe and sound. Leave her alone, she’s exhausted and needs to sleep.
Coop : middle finger emoji Thanks for the update.
Smirking, I clicked off the screen and shoved the phone back in my pocket. “Done. I also told him not to come over cause you’re tired. That cool?”
“You know, it’s presumptuous but I am tired and I really don’t want to argue so—cool.”
“Accepted.” I shoved off my shoes and dragged one of the pizza boxes onto my lap. Then I patted the sofa next to me. I don’t bite.”
She snorted. “Yes, you do.”
“What?” I scowled at her.
“You bit me in the third grade.” The words threw me back in time.
“ You bit me first.” I gave her a smug look. “Can’t blame a guy for biting you back.”
Her narrow-eyed look jazzed me up. That expression promised me that she was going to retaliate. “You pulled my hair.”
“Oh.” Shit. “Yeah,” I sighed. “I did do that.” I’d kind of forgotten that I had pulled her hair. “Don’t even remember why I did it.” Certainly wouldn’t be for why I’d like to pull her hair now. That thought went straight to my groin and I was glad that the pizza box covered that up. “Point to you.”
The soft huff of her laughter was pure music, especially when she scooted over to sit right next to me. Her knees brushed my thigh and a little bubble of contentment spread out through me. “Remotes are there,” she said, pointing to the side table.
I turned the television on and scrolled to YouTube. Good, she was already logged in. I tabbed over to her Watch Later and then handed her back the remote. “You pick.”
Pizza in one hand and remote in the other, she studied the list. Finally, she picked out a video, it was a funny as fuck history one where the historian debunked a film’s accuracy with regard to the actual facts. Yeah, I was nerdy enough to appreciate it.
Much to my delight, however, Frankie mowed through four pieces of pizza without slowing down. I loved that she could eat. She didn’t pick at her food or pretend she wasn’t hungry when she was starving. It did mean I had to account for her appetite and mine, but that was easy enough.
We pretty much slaughtered the first box and started on the second before she settled back with a little sigh. After setting aside the second box, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“This okay?”
“It’s nice,” she admitted, but her eyes were drooping some. She started to put her head against my shoulder but then stopped.
“It’s fine,” I nudged her head back toward my shoulder. I wanted her to lean on me. Her wet hair was hardly going to make me melt.
“You sure?”
“I’m sure,” I promised her with a smile. She gave a little shiver. Her nipples were still two hard little pebbles in that tank top. I had to drag my gaze off of them. Goosebumps spread over her arm and I curled my own around her a little more tightly so I could warm her up.
“Jake?” she murmured, and her eyes were practically shut.
“Hmm?”
“This isn’t a great evening for you.” The sleepy words just added to her.
“I get to spend time with you.” I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I like it.”
“Hmm,” she released another jaw popping yawn and her eyes closed all the way. “Funny video next.” The words were slurred with sleep. I listened to the video, but I drank in the sight of her all snuggled up to me.
Closing my own eyes, I took a deep breath, filling myself with her nearness.
When I twisted a little and lifted her up to settle in my lap, she didn’t stir.
Yeah, having her warm and pliable against my lap was a torture of its own, but I could wrap her up better and she just seemed to melt against me.
Yeah, no more being cold for her. I watched three more videos as her breathing deepened and grew more regular. Holding her was nice.
Real nice. I’d have to move her to her bed—eventually.
Yes, I’d tuck her in, but first, I just wanted to hold her.