Page 43 of Love Medley (Med Wreck Romance #1)

Chapter thirty-three

Lucy

T he next couple days without Jake are torture on so many levels. Without him there, my mind whirls and spirals. The night at karaoke was bittersweet. Not only did it show me that Jake understood me better than anyone has before, but also it proved just how much he deserves more.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking that Sam wasn’t good enough for him, but am I any better?

Jake’s always gone after what he’s wanted—choosing to become a nurse against the wishes of his family, enduring slights from his father and brother. But even with all that toxic energy, he’s never lost sight of who he is. In fact, he’s risen to the occasion, every single time.

Showing up. Reaching out. Being vulnerable. Supporting me no matter what.

And here I am. The moment my mom calls, I move backwards and withdraw from him.

Invent flaws he doesn't have just to make our inevitable demise easier to swallow.

Because if there's something wrong with Jake, then I won't have to focus on my own failings—like the way I let other people set the limits of my life.

Scared to move forward, frightened to step out of line, restricted to my passive motion.

Don’t get me wrong—I’ve made progress. But how much is that really me?

How much of that was just Jake encouraging me?

Oh my God. I can't believe that I'm now using his strengths to explain why things won't work out between us. What is wrong with me? I'm just in denial about the fact that I'm not going to go against my parents. And that's on me. Not him.

Even though I want to chase after what I want, I know I won't. I can't.

I think Jake and I have always been living on borrowed time.

Still, the thought of losing him wracks my body, a physical ache that burrows deep.

Before I can stop myself, I’m texting him. My mind’s shouting at me, saying I'm just making this harder, but my heart's already decided.

Me: Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight? I’ll cook.

Jake: You’ve been feeding me way too much. Why don’t I cook for you?

Me: I don’t want you to go to a lot of trouble.

Jake: Don’t you get it? You are more than worth the trouble.

Tears pool in my eyes.

And here Jake is, once again showing me how much he cares.

No man has ever cooked for me before. No man has ever wanted to cook for me before. And certainly no man has ever made me feel like I was worth the effort. Not until Jake.

How could I ever contemplate giving this man up?

That evening, Jake rings the buzzer outside my apartment building, and in spite of everything, my treacherous heart leaps at the sound. In moments, he’s at the door, bearing loads of groceries. As soon as he puts them down on the ground, he grabs me by the waist and swings me around.

I’m kissing him, ravenous. With him, the overthinking goes still.

He shuts the door behind him, backing me into my bedroom.

I want to inhale this man, suck him down into my very marrow .

“Lucy, Lucy, Lucy.” Jake murmurs my name like it’s a prayer as his warm hands sear a path down my skin.

I tear at his clothes, shocked by my unrelenting hunger for him.

He laughs deep and low against my lips as I struggle to unbutton his pants. Taking pity on me, he helps; then just as efficiently, he strips me bare.

Jake steps back, appreciating my naked body. It’s as if he sees past the surface—and somehow still wants all of me.

But that thought is too addictive to hold close. I urge my mind to halt its constant movement; no matter what happens after this, for now, I want to be completely present.

“God, Lucy,” Jake exhales finally. “You are just…perfect.” His reverent tone makes me flush with pleasure.

Lying me down on the bed, he settles himself on top of me.

I love feeling his musculature against my softness.

Skin to skin, my nipples pebble against his bare chest. His cock is rigid against me, nudging eagerly at my folds, but he is determined to take his time.

Instead, he’s kissing me everywhere—my lips, ears, neck, breasts and belly.

My hands are stroking everywhere I can reach.

Jake bends his head down to my breasts, licking them, teasing them.

I groan and run my hands through his dark hair.

“Your breasts are gorgeous,” he murmurs, cupping them and stroking my nipples with his thumbs. Then he kisses a sensual path down my body… lower, lower, lower, and oh!

There. My mind goes deliciously blank .

My God, this never gets old. His hot, probing mouth is already on my clit, one finger sliding inside of me.

“More,” I gasp, my hands gripping his hair.

Jake obliges with a second finger, pumping inside of me with a quickening rhythm, and I whimper at the increased fullness. His tongue swirls on my clit in a tantalizing pattern that heats me up on the inside. I can already feel myself primed to climax, but I don’t want to come yet.

With both hands, I grab his face, urging him to stop. Jake slides slowly up my body, kissing me deeply once we are gazing into each other’s eyes. As my tongue dances with his, I can taste myself in his mouth.

“I want you inside of me,” I whisper. I desperately need to override my hyperactive mind with all the sensory input he is so good at giving me.

“Fuck.” Jake positions himself over me, his cock guided by his hand. “You are so wet already, baby.”

And then he slides home.

We both gasp as one as Jake buries his cock deeply into my giving flesh. Then we match each other stroke by stroke, picking up the pace. The addictive in-and-out sensation is a blissful friction. Intertwining his fingers with mine as we make love, an aching sensation wells deep in my chest.

A singular thought appears in my head.

I don’t want to lose him.

Forehead pressed against mine, Jake stares deeply into my eyes as our bodies come together again and again .

How could I ever imagine my world without him in it?

Abruptly, he separates from me, and I feel his absence from my body acutely. Before I can protest, Jake quickly flips me to my side, so my back is to his chest, then repositions himself at my opening.

As Jake enters me again, we moan in unison.

The sensations are so different in this position, and I love the way he is spooning me while we make love.

His hand is palming one breast, while the other reaches around and fingers my clit.

With each circular motion of his thumb on my fevered flesh, I soar higher and higher towards the brink.

I can already feel myself come apart. “Jake, oh my God, JAKE!” My body shudders and shakes with spasms as I clench on him over and over again.

At the same time, Jake is pounding into me faster and harder, his lips against my neck, and he lets out a hoarse cry as he spurts into my deepest recesses again and again.

We are both breathless, gripping each other. Jake is still curved around my body with his warmth, and his cock remains embedded in my body.

Luxuriating at being connected to him so intimately, I allow myself to hope.

Am I just stressing about nothing? I have a habit of catastrophizing. Maybe this will all work out after all.

Afterwards, with some portion of our clothes back on, we continue to touch each other constantly, smiling giddily. I peer into the bags that he brought over. It looks like he’s bought half of a gourmet grocery store .

“I was thinking salad, spaghetti, and garlic bread with some tiramisu for dessert,” Jake says. “And I also brought some red wine.”

“Wow, you really went all out,” I say. His thoughtfulness fills my heart with tenderness.

Jake nuzzles my neck. “Of course, I could just eat you up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,“ he says, his gray eyes twinkling.

“Seriously, it’s amazing that we ever leave the house.”

“I’d be okay being holed up with you for a while. But seriously, woman, stop jumping me so I can cook you dinner.”

Biting back a laugh, I grab the lettuce and tomatoes out of one bag to whip up the salad.

Jake is the most adorable chef—he dons my apron and starts browning the meat.

The conversation is easy and light, exactly what I need after the past two days.

Jake opens a bottle of cabernet and fills two glasses for us.

The buzz of the alcohol relaxes me while the smell of garlic from the baking bread fills the apartment.

Only with Jake do I feel this utterly content.

After dinner, full and replete in more ways than one, we relax on the couch, my head in Jake’s lap as he strokes my hair. With this gorgeous man smiling down at me, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

“Your friends are hilarious,” I yawn. “Luke is definitely a character.”

“That’s for sure. You did warn your friend Zoe about him, right? He’s great, but he doesn’t want a relationship. ”

I sigh. “I did, but I think by cautioning her against him, I just made her more interested.”

Jake snorts. “It sounds like Luke has his work cut out for him.”

“You got that right,” I laugh. “I’m not actually all that worried. Zoe can hold her own.”

“That’s good. I’m interested to see what happens.”

“Me too.” I hesitate, then rushing ahead to not lose my nerve. “Even though we all hung out the other night, I still don't know much about Trix.”

“Trix’s brilliant, as you know. Even when we were in high school, I knew she was destined for big things.”

Jake recounts the hours they spent playing first-person shooter video games and describes some hilarious computer games she coded when they were in high school. “And… this is a total secret, so you can’t tell anyone I told you."

“Like an NDA secret?”

Jake raises an eyebrow. “Well actually, maybe.”

“Wow, okay. My lips are sealed.”

“She created Connections.”

My mouth drops open. “NO. WAY.” I’m completely floored. I mean, hanging out with her for a single night I already knew she was remarkable, but this still blows me away. “That… that app is like the biggest dating app ever!”

“Pretty much. But you can’t tell anyone. She sold it anonymously in high school and made enough for the seed money for TechMedCo. "