Chapter 16
DANI
Oh. My. God. He’s even sexier without clothes.
My eyelids were opened in narrow slits, enough to watch Jake sneak out of the bed we’d shared in the most annoyingly platonic way. I should watch his face to see if he caught me ogling him, but my gaze was riveted on his gorgeous body.
Jake moved again, and the outline of his morning wood caused my mouth to go dry.
His entire body was a series of delights I wanted to map, but his proud cock jutted out in front of him like the prow of a ship.
I bit back a giggle at my delirious pirate-themed daydreams. But, damn, did I want to plunder that booty.
He shut the door behind him, and I sagged into the bed. At some point in the night, Jake kicked the sleeping bag off, and I took advantage of the situation. This was my only chance to find out what it was like to sleep with him, really sleep.
It was hot. Literally and figuratively. Even though he was like a furnace, I had the best night’s sleep maybe ever.
Despite all his hard muscles and excessive warmth, he was amazingly cuddly. I don’t think I’ve ever slept that well before, and I was a champion sleeper once upon a time.
When I woke up the second time, I was horny as hell.
I layered more and more of myself over him until we were tangled together, and all the stress in my body melted away.
All my financial woes, worries about my parents, drama with Beau, it all disappeared into the perfection that was snuggling with Jake.
I was relaxed to the point of being boneless. Except the arousal coursing through my veins.
Before Jake came back to Sierra Rose Ridge, I hadn’t been aroused in months.
It’d been longer since I masturbated. I wanted to, now.
I wanted to do it while he watched me with his unfathomable eyes, that serious mouth, and his impressive erection.
More, I wanted to watch him touch himself. I ached for it.
Would Jake be interested in more than friendship? The idea consumed me as I listened to his steady breathing.
The instant he woke up, horror stunned him, and his breath caught.
That answered that question. My heart cracked in my chest, but I feigned sleep while he crept out of his own bed.
Once he left, a few tears escape before I womaned up. Jake had never been interested in me or women like me. Everyone he dated were my polar opposites, so I shouldn’t have been surprised, but it still stung.
Thank God he thought I was asleep. We’d pretend this never happened, and it wouldn’t mess up our friendship.
Maybe in another thirty or forty years, I’d get over it, but at least I wouldn’t have to suffer through pitying looks or awkward, letting-me-down-easy speeches.
Besides, he still deserved better than my mess.
After he returned, I stirred and faked a sneeze as a pretext to wake up. When I opened my eyes, a stone-faced Jake hovered near the doorway, as far from me as possible and still in the same room.
Ugh, this sucks. I need to nip this in the bud asap.
“Oh, good. I didn’t give you a black eye while I slept,” I said with an embarrassed smile. “I tend to move around a lot when I sleep.”
His anxious look faded, replaced by confusion.
“What?”
“Mom calls me a sleep traveler because I sometimes wake up on the floor or at the end of the bed. I have ever since I was a little girl. When I’m super tired, I roll around, throw my pillows and blankets on the floor, or cuddle all the pillows at once and nest on them like a bird.”
All of that was true, but it wasn’t what happened last night. If it let us get back to normal, though, I’d say anything. His expression lightened for a moment, but then the furrow between his brows was back, damn it.
“You might have done that, but I’m responsible, too.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I shouldn’t have slept on the bed. I crossed a line, and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. You were probably pushing me out of the bed because you subconsciously knew I didn’t belong there. The whole point of you moving in here was so you’d be safe.”
“Jake, you idiot, I slept deeply because I was one hundred percent certain I was safe. I trust you more than anyone in the world except my parents.”
My exasperation was obvious, but he didn’t believe me.
“I swear to you,” he said solemnly, “I’ll never give you any cause to doubt my trust. You’re completely safe with me.”
My eyes stung at the earnest way he spoke, but it was unnecessary, not least of which because I put him in this untenable position.
“Jake. Haven’t you been listening?”
“I have, but I need you to know I won’t take advantage of this living situation. It would destroy me to abuse your family’s trust in me. You can trust that I won’t ever make a move.”
Gee, do you have to rub it in? I get it; I repulse you. Can we move on?
Obviously, I kept that to myself. My cheeks trembled as I forced a smile, but hopefully he wouldn’t look too closely for fear of catching cooties.
“Jake, calm yourself,” I said with a lightness I didn’t feel. “I don’t expect a proposal because we slept in the same bed. Nothing happened.”
The laugh I gave him sounded fake to me, but he relaxed, and tension faded from his face.
“You can make it up to me,” I said, inspired.
Maybe we can get back to normal. Please, please let us return to normal
“Were you serious when you told Beau I’d have free reign of your kitchen?” I batted my lashes at him in an exaggerated fashion. “I want a kitchen that doesn’t have my mother’s Corelle Ware or Beau’s melamine dishes.”
He stared at me blankly.
“Okay…” he said, trepidation clear in his voice.
“There’s no need to look so suspicious. My housewares are in a storage unit, and it’d be a lot easier to get it with your truck.”
He brightened.
“Housewares? Like dishes?”
Laughter poured out of me.
“Yes. Dishes, silverware, pots and pans, curtains, sheets, towels, that kind of stuff. I wasn’t able to fit my queen-sized bed in my car when I moved, so I gave it to a women’s shelter, but I kept my fancy latex mattress topper.
This is gonna be like Christmas. I’ve had most of my stuff in a storage unit since I moved here. ”
“Why didn’t you have your things when you moved in with Beau?”
My nails became incredibly interesting. I swallowed and plastered on another bright smile I didn’t feel.
“You know how it is. When one person is already entrenched in a living space, it’s easier for the new person to use what’s there.”
His eyebrows got that crease between them that always tempted me to smooth it out. I never dared in the past, and I sure as hell wouldn’t now. We were on thin ice, and I wasn’t going to be reason we almost fell through again.
“We’ll get all your stuff today,” he said gruffly, “and anything else you need. A bed. Plants. Decorations. Sweet smelling things. Girlie shit. Those annoying little pillows that multiply on the couch. Shit, we need a couch.”
My lips trembled from the effort to avoid laughing at him, but I needed to laugh so I didn’t cry. It wasn’t fair to keep comparing them, but in half an hour, Jake made me feel more welcome than Beau did in three years.
“We don’t need a couch today, but we should probably figure out the bed situation. Maybe I can borrow the one in my parent’s guest room until I figure something else out.”
“That’ll be our last resort. You already said that bed wasn’t very comfortable. We can get lunch and go shopping.”
“Damn, I forgot I’ve got lunch plans with Vanessa today. I’d better cancel.”
“Why would you do that?” he asked.
I blinked at him.
“Shopping?”
“Nah, you have so little time to relax as it is, and you’re saving me from dealing with dishes and shit. I’ll follow you to your storage unit and bring it back here while you’re at lunch.” He frowned as a thought occurred to him. “Unless you don’t want me in your stuff.”
“You’re welcome to go through all my boxes. I promise there’s nothing interesting in there.” I winked at him. “All my salacious stuff is hidden in the closet next door.”
Was it my imagination, or did his ears turn red?