CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
“I can’t believe you talked me into this. I feel disabled.”
Moving through the corridor with both of their bags resting on the handlebars of the wheelchair, Charlie smiled. “You are disabled for the time being. You’ve been ordered to stay off your feet for the next week or so while you continue to heal. You agreed, and that’s why they let you leave a little earlier.”
“I only agreed so I could get out of here.”
“Oh, so you thought I was going to let you renege on it? Yeah, I forgot you actually don’t know me that well yet. I can see why you might think that was going to happen.”
Jake tipped his head back and strained to look up at her. “So you’re a bossy one, huh? What am I getting myself into?” The side of his mouth went up, and even upside down he took her breath away. Pulling them to a stop, she leaned over, squashing the bags to put her face by his. “You just wait. I’ll be taking care of you and making sure you don’t try to do too much. You’re going to love me.” She saw his face straighten, eyes narrowing on hers right before she kissed him quickly.
“You might be right.” Then he dropped his head.
Her chest inflating, she was glad he couldn’t see the wide grin that spread across her face. Wow. They’d really bonded during his time at the hospital, she’d fallen pretty bloody hard for him. There was a part of her that was worried. What if it was all because of the situation? He was elated because he’d survived. What if, when they were back in their normal environment, things weren’t quite the same.
Swallowing it down, she pushed the chair, not allowing those thoughts to spoil the day. It was his life day, that’s what he kept calling it. The day he started to live again. Even so, when they got back home, Charlie was going to make sure he didn’t overdo it like she expected he would try to.
The sun was shining when they got outside. Finally, May had brought some warm weather. Only a few wisps of cloud streaked along the welcome blue sky, and the air had that fresh summer smell. Charlie saw Jake inhale the fresh air deep into his lungs, eyes closed, tipping his head back. “Shit. I wasn’t sure I was going to feel that ever again.”
Reaching over, Charlie placed her hand on his shoulder and he moved his head towards it, pressing his cheek on her fingers. Enjoying the moment, she closed her eyes too. Bliss. At least, it was until a horn blared, startling her from the peaceful moment. She was about to curse at whoever it was until she saw Cara springing out of Jason’s car, bouncing towards her with a wide grin in her pink shorts and orange and white striped T-shirt that was knotted at the front, and matching headscarf. Smothered by her best friend as she consumed her in a tight hug, Charlie laughed and realised she could barely take air into her lungs Cara was hugging her so hard. “Can’t breathe.”
Pulling back like she hadn’t just almost asphyxiated her, Cara moved to look at Jake. “Wow, you look tired. Anyone would think you’d just survived a gunshot wound or something.” While Charlie gasped, Jake laughed.
“That? Oh, that was nothing. It was the food in there that threatened to finish me off.”
Grabbing the bags from the back of the wheelchair, Cara laughed, and Charlie couldn’t help laughing too. Over the last few days, Charlie had seen a big change in Jake, not only with his health, but his whole self. It was like someone had lifted a layer off him, the layer that had covered him in darkness since his mum’s murder. He smiled more, that pained expression that had been constant hadn’t shown up except for the time he’d received the news about his stepdad.
This was the real him. The man she knew was trying to get out of the blackness he’d been consumed by for so long.
“Bit lazy aren’t you?” With a smirk, Jas was resting his arse against the back end of the car, boot open ready for their bags. He too looked all summery in light, navy joggers and a white vest top that showed off his muscled arms.
“Got to save all my energy for when I get my woman home.”
Jas shrugged a shoulder and nodded as if to say “fair play” like he approved of Jake’s answer. “I’ve got no come back for that.” The two men fist bumped as Jas got up to grab the bags and put them in the boot. The reservations Jas had towards Jake were gone, thankfully. During their time at the hospital, Charlie had video called her friends, together and individually. She’d even spoke to Cara with Nathan, pleased things were going so well for her best friend. Everyone had been concerned for Jake and the banter they’d shared together had really made a difference to the way Jason, in particular, viewed Jake. It was a huge relief that they all now got on well.
“Lucky bitch,” Cara muttered, softly bumping Charlie’s shoulder as she walked past to go to the other side of the car.
Shaking her head, Charlie wheeled Jake to the open door of the back seat, driver’s side. “Don’t think for a minute you’ll be doing anything strenuous for at least a week.”
When Jake had transferred to the car, he pushed the chair out of the way and grabbed Charlie’s hand, pulling her to him and crooking his finger for her to get down closer. “I only need to lie on my back,” he said quietly in her ear while her friends were out of earshot. Warm breath tickled her skin, a shiver creeping slowly down her side. Then he kissed her lobe.
Heat rushed through Charlie from her cheeks to her toes and everywhere in between. It was hard to ignore. The man could turn her into mush in an instant, either with a look, tone of voice. Hell, she only had to be in his company and she wanted to jump his bones. She pulled back to a wolfish grin, his steely-blue eyes gleaming.
Charlie tapped the end of his nose. “Like I said, I’ll take good care of you.” Throwing him a wink, she moved away, still smiling at him as she grabbed the wheelchair to return it to reception.
“Shit,” she heard him huff out. “Jas! How fast can you get us home?”
* * *
It was only now he was halfway up the stairs on the way to their floor that Jake realised how delicate he still was. There’d barely been any pain on the way back home in the car, not enough for him to notice anyway. Now that he’d moved more than a few feet his stomach was angry with him, pain moving right across the front, worse where his wound was. Nevertheless, he wasn’t about to let Charlie see he was struggling. She’d probably get all stern with him—have him tucked up in bed the minute they got back demanding he get some rest.
Not what his plans were.
He’d had a hard-on for the first part of the journey after his mind had stayed in the gutter he’d put it in with Charlie before they’d left. Truth was, he’d been thinking about all those things the whole time he’d been in that hospital bed. The first seconds alone with her and his libido had ramped up into overdrive. Eventually, he’d managed to take his mind off it, joining in with the conversations with her friends. Now it was back, and Charlie being in such close proximity as she helped him up the stairs wasn’t doing anything to cool his cockstand.
“You okay,” she asked, hand on his side, her other arm around his waist, as he rested his arm over her shoulder.
No. For a number of reasons. “Yeah.” It was a good job she was busy watching where they were going. One glance down and she’d know what one of the problems was.
It was still unusual, the feelings he’d been overrun with, especially lately. Jake hadn’t had anyone steady in his life, not even when he was in college. There had been a few women he’d had short relationships with, if you could call it that. And a fair few one night stands. He enjoyed sex, but had never even thought of settling with someone. After prison, even less so. It wasn’t in his future plans when he got out.
So it had been a shock to his system when he’d started to think about Charlie. At first, when she’d sparked an interest inside him, he’d put it down to the fact she was attractive, which he’d never denied, and his dry spell.
He was human, so a nice woman comes along and seems like she’s showing an interest, you can’t help your mind going there. Then it went there more often, to the point where she’d kept him awake at night, and it had freaked him out. Jake still felt bad about the way he’d been with her at first. It was a mixture of confusion and fear. At least now she understood his reasoning. There were times he’d wanted to tell her he liked her, but he’d fought with everything he’d had in him to keep his mind on the path he’d been on.
She’d worked her way inside of him. Without even realising, she’d undone him in a way no one ever had. Not even close. Initially, he’d only had the sole intention of getting her out of his system. But when he’d kissed her, it had changed everything. And he’d enjoyed it far too much to deny.
Jake had realised then that he liked her. A lot. She wasn’t just a temptation.
Now, he couldn’t seem to get enough of her.
It was like nothing he’d ever experienced before.
When they got to his door, he moved away from her body a little. “Keys are in my jacket.” The pain had subsided now that he was done with the stairs.
Inside, a familiar smell hit him and he looked around like he hadn’t seen the place in years. A feeling washed over him as he looked at all of his things, a sense of solace that was unfamiliar, but welcome. Sometime, amongst all the grey of his fight for survival, Jake had realised he wasn’t coming back here. He’d been convinced his life was over there and then. No flat. No things. No Charlie.
“Jake? Everything okay?”
He hadn’t realised he’d sat down on the sofa facing his big TV, staring ahead at the black screen. Blinking, he looked at Charlie, her blonde hair straight down over her shoulders, those beautiful green-blue eyes looking at him with concern. In that moment, Jake knew. He’d fallen in love with this woman in a big way.
Yes. Everything was more than okay.
Reaching out he grabbed Charlie’s hips and pulled her to sit on his lap.
“Jake!” When she laughed it filled his chest with warmth. “What are you doing? Your stitches.”
“They’re fine.” He reached up and put his hand on the back of her neck, already imagining those beautiful lips all over him, those hands. “I’ve waited long enough to have your hands on me,” he said, surprised at the desperation in his voice as he pulled her, still laughing, to his mouth.