Page 30 of Burning Love (Looking For Love #7)

WORE ME OUT

J ace opened his eyes the next morning in Talia’s bed.

It took him a moment to recalibrate his brain to his location.

His body was sore, his brain fuzzy.

Talia had been almost insatiable last night. Guess she had missed him.

He missed her equally and wasn’t sure he’d ever been able to say that about a woman.

He heard the groan next to him and turned to look at Talia. He’d thought she’d been someone that liked to cuddle, but she’d stayed on her side of the bed the whole night.

Even now, she was curled in a ball.

Another soft moan escaped and he wondered if she was having a bad dream.

He put his hand on her shoulder.

“Talia. Are you okay? Wake up.”

He shook her shoulder and she bolted out of bed and made a dash for the bathroom.

That had him throwing the covers back and racing after her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She’d shut the bathroom door but hadn’t clicked it.

He heard retching and pushed it open.

She was on her knees on the floor, her head over the toilet and dry heaving.

He pulled her hair back for her, then found a rubber band on the sink and secured it haphazardly in place for her, then went to the kitchen to get her a bottle of water.

When he returned she was turned and sitting with her knees to her chest, her forehead on top of them.

“Drink this,” he said. “It will help.”

She lifted her head and reached for the bottle. He noticed she hadn’t thrown up, just made some disgusting noises.

She took a tentative sip as if to test it, then another. “I’m not sure what the hell that was.”

“Maybe you’re dehydrated. People get nauseous when they are.”

“Could be. I always drink a lot throughout the day, but with all the traveling I’ve been doing I haven’t drunk as much. I didn’t drink much flying either because I didn’t want to keep getting up to use the bathroom. The flight was bumpy and I was ill too.”

“Did you throw up?”

“No,” she said. “Just nauseous like this. It’s probably what you said. I’m dying of thirst right now.”

She was chugging the water and he took the bottle out of her hand.

“Don’t do that. It will come back up if you’re sick.”

“I don’t feel it now. Just like on the plane, it came and went pretty fast.”

He held his hand out for her to stand up. “Do you feel steady enough to walk back to bed or do you want me to carry you?”

“I’m good. I really am. That was nuts.”

He pulled her up. “It happens. I get that way after a fire when I feel as if all the water in my body is gone.”

“Really?” she asked. “I never thought of that.”

She never talked about this and any thought he had that she might not like it hadn’t been voiced.

They went back to her room, he pulled the covers back and climbed in on her side of the bed, then moved over for her to get in with him.

He was on his side, she climbed in on her side, her back to his chest and he pulled her close.

“Go back to sleep. Neither of us got much of it last night.”

She laughed. “I was so horny. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt like that before.”

He kissed her neck. “I liked it. You wore me out.”

His hand slid under her T-shirt that she’d put on in the middle of the night and rested on her stomach, giving it a few caresses.

“Feel better?”

“I do. Thank you.”

Jace shut his eyes when he heard her soft breathing, knowing she was back to sleep too.

The next time he opened his eyes, he realized he was alone in bed.

“Talia?”

There was no answer so he got up to search for her.

She wasn’t downstairs, but he smelled something upstairs.

He didn’t want to walk up there in his underwear even if they were the only two people in the house.

He picked his shorts up off the chair and put them on, then followed the scent up the stairs to the kitchen.

“I was going to surprise you with breakfast. I’m starving.”

She was flipping pancakes in a pan, and he saw a few more on a plate.

“I woke up alone and thought you might have been sick again.”

“I felt it at first, but once I drank some more and moved, it went away. I’m good now. Just hungry.”

He got the plates out from where he saw them last night.

This house was massive and he felt out of place in it.

His father had a big home and he’d thought that was like a dream when he first arrived as a teen.

But Aileen Carlisle’s house put his father’s to shame.

“That’s good. Keep drinking.” He noticed the cup of coffee on the counter. He’d never seen her drink it before. Then he remembered it was the first time they’d spent the night or had breakfast together. “The caffeine will dehydrate you more.”

“I finished that bottle of water and another. I’m good.” She moved over to give him a hug. “But I appreciate you caring about me.”

“I’d do that for anyone.”

She stepped out of his arms with a frown on her face. “Oh.”

“Don’t think more of it than the words,” he said. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“It’s fine. I’m just off. I’ve been this way for a few days.”

“Off how?” he asked, frowning. “Maybe you’re coming down with something.”

“I can’t explain it. It could be. Traveling never agrees with me much.

Not like what I’ve been doing. I’ve been in four different cities in five days.

It’s a lot. Lots of cars and planes and hotels.

Abby wanted to give birth in the Hamptons and I don’t blame her, but that meant when it was time to leave, I had to either have West’s driver bring me to JFK or take the helicopter there and cut the time significantly. ”

He snorted. “You’re kidding me?”

“No. I took the helicopter. I normally like that, but didn’t this time. I’m not sure why it’s so windy when I’m in the air. Maybe that is what made me feel a bit off before I even got on my plane to come home yesterday. It was nonstop travel.”

“The curse of the rich.”

“Don’t be that way. I fly coach just like you. Laken gets to fly first class. The only time I get to travel in style is when I’m with my mother because West spares no expense for her or we are in his jet.”

“Jet,” he said, smirking. He shouldn’t be surprised.

Talia shrugged and got the syrup out of the fridge, they made their plates, and she sat to eat.

“I’m sorry I didn’t offer you coffee. What do you want?”

“I’ll get it.” He’d only set his plate down. “Start eating.”

When he sat at the table a minute later with his coffee, he noticed the perplexed look on her face.

“Taste the syrup. Does it taste funny to you?”

He’d just poured some on his pancake and touched it with his finger, then put some on his tongue.

“No. It’s fine.”

She took another bite of her pancakes and smacked her lips and stuck her tongue out.

“Try the pancakes then. Maybe it’s the boxed mixture.”

He took a bite and they were fine to him. He laughed. “Nothing wrong that I can taste.”

“What is wrong with me?”

“Maybe you’ve got a bug,” he said. “People get sick all the time when they fly. It’s like a breeding ground for germs in a closed space.”

“True.” She moved back and grabbed a banana off the counter. “I have to eat these so they don’t go to waste. My mother wasn’t thinking when she bought some stuff last week that she’d be gone for a month.”

She bit into the banana and that didn’t seem to bother her as she ate the whole thing.

“Is this the longest you’ll be in the house alone?”

“Yes. Normally she’s only gone for a week. Once she went on vacation for two weeks with some friends.”

“Are you going to be okay here alone? Do you want to stay with me some of the time or me here?”

She smiled. “Yes, please. But not for any other reason than we can have more sex.”

Was it only sex to her?

In the beginning it’d only been that way for him too, but he thought that all changed for them.

“We’ll figure it out. Did you have plans today?”

“If you brought your motorcycle over we could have gone for a ride.”

“You wanted me to come straight from work,” he pointed out. “But I can go get it and bring it back.”

She shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m just as happy to stay in and have a movie marathon. I’ve got to get some food at some point but can do that when you go to work tomorrow.”

“I’m all for snuggling in for the day.”

He wasn’t sure the last time he had a day where he didn’t do much at all.

“Do you like to play pool?”

He grinned. He remembered the game room on the second floor loft area from when he was opening windows.

“I do. I like darts too.”

“Sweet. Then we can have some friendly competitions today. My brothers never let me play with them.”

“Because you’re a girl?”

She laughed. “Because I whined they never let me win and then I’d trump them when they went light on me. They said I’m a sleeper shark hustler.”

“Good to know.”

They finished breakfast, him eating her pancakes, which tasted just fine to him too.

When they were washing the dishes, she gagged a few times and then ran to the bathroom again.

He gave her a few minutes when he heard her actually throwing up, then went in with a bottle of water.

She opened the door; he was standing right by it and handed her the water.

“Thanks.”

Her face was red, and there were tears in her eyes. “Let’s go back downstairs. You should lie down. You’re obviously sick.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I was so looking forward to this. I don’t want you to get sick either. Now I’m worried I was by the baby and everyone else.”

“You probably picked it up in the hospital.”

They went downstairs and he convinced her to climb in bed and sleep it off.

“You can leave if you want. There is no reason for you to stay here while I’m resting.”

“I’m going to go play pool,” he said, grinning. “If that is okay with you?”

She forced a smile. “Yes. Maybe I’ll feel better in an hour or so.”

Once she was sleeping, he went up to the second floor and racked up the balls. He didn’t have a problem entertaining himself.

Most times when he was home alone he was doing chores or finding some work to do on the house. It was nice to have that break.

Yep, there was still a lot left to do, but he was in no rush either, having busted his ass for the past seven months to get done what he had.

“Jace.”

He turned his head when Talia was standing at the top of the steps.

“Are you okay? You look white.”

His feet immediately moved toward her.

“My period is late.”

He stopped and stared at her. “How late?”

“A few days. Nothing that I’ve ever worried about before.”

“Are you worried now?”

“Kind of. I’ve never felt like this. It’s not just the nausea.”

“What else is it?” he asked, telling himself not to stress.

“My nipples are really sore.”

“I was kind of rough with them last night.”

“It was before you did anything. I noticed it and thought I was really worked up.”

He ran his hand through his hair. “Let’s not panic.”

“I’m not. I’m stating a fact to you. I’m going to run to the store and buy a test. I need to know. I can’t sit here and wonder about it.”

“I’ll go do it,” he said. “You lie down.”

“No. I feel fine now. I really do. That’s why I’m concerned and want to know.”

“Let’s go together.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Yes. I do.”

As scared as he was, he’d never let any woman do this alone.