Page 42 of Love Medley
“So…should we take a few pictures together?” Jake says, tapping a rhythm on his leg.
“Yes,” I say, eyeing his restless hands. Could Jake benervous? “Maybe we can take a couple selfies on the couch?”
“Sounds good,” Jake says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Um, I think we’ll have to be pretty close for the photos? Is that okay?”
Liquid heat immediately pools in my lower belly at his words. Eliminating the physical distance between us is dangerously appealing, and regardless of the consequences, I know I’m going to say yes. “It’s okay,” I murmur.
Jake shifts closer to me and slides an arm around me, pulling me close. I shiver with the sensation of his bare arm touching mine, his strength encasing me. “Are you cold?” Jake asks.
“No, no,” I stutter. “Um, this is good, let’s take some pics.”
I lift up my phone, but the phone slips out of my nerveless hand, and Jake catches it before it falls. “Here, let me do it,” he says.
As he holds up my phone, Jake leans into me so we’re sitting cheek to cheek, and I’m positive he feels my pounding heart.
Click, click, click.
After Jake snaps the photos, he gently extricates himself from me and hands me the phone. The moment he’s no longer touching me, I feel the void immediately and wish I could close the distance between us.
“How do they look?” Jake asks, jerking me out of my reverie.
Glancing down, I scan through the photos, my stomach doing somersaults as I glimpse an alternate timeline where Jake and I might have been a couple. We look so happy…and sorighttogether. More right than Weston and I ever did. A niggling sense of loss fills my belly, but I shove the feeling far, far away.
I have baggage that I need to get rid of, and Jake has Sam. Trying to hide the pang of jealousy that sears through me, I say, “These look perfect. I’ll upload them later.”
And then, I blurt out the first thing that might break this unbearable limbo: “Should we head to your place now?”
Jake glances at me for a beat, a question in his eyes. But then he only says, “Sure thing.”
Chapter fourteen
Jake
As I let Lucy into my apartment, everything about this situation feels surreal. I’m a mess of emotions: furious at Weston for bullying this breathtaking woman. Overwhelmed by the desire I feel for her. And gripped by the growing realization that I’m completely in over my head.
The irony isn’t lost on me—the woman I’m falling for is helping me reconnect with an ex I have zero interest in.
And she wouldn’t be doing this if she felt the same way Ido.
Taking those photos was torture. I just wanted to tug Lucy ever closer, to be connected on every level. But that’s not going to happen.
I’ve always been too open with my heart, but I’m also an expert at hiding the devastation that inevitably follows.
I have a sinking feeling I’ll be putting those skills to use soon.
Regardless, I need to make sure Lucy is safe from that asshole Weston—that’s always been the true reason for this scheme, and I’m determined to see that through.
Even if it costs me more than I expected.
“Your place is bigger than mine,” Lucy says, her smile transforming her face. I can already tell she’s more relaxed now that we’re no longer in her apartment. A pulse of anger thrums through me as it becomes even clearer how scared she’s felt in her own home. Knowing this only strengthens my resolve to help her.
“I didn’t know this was a competition,” I say, reaching out and tugging a lock of her hair before I can suppress the movement. Oh God, I didn’t even hesitate that time. Lucy isn’t the only one who acts before she thinks. It’s getting harder to stamp out this continuous desire to touch her. Now I’m worried I overstepped.
But Lucy only beams up at me, and a kernel of warmth blooms in my chest.
Yup, I’m fucked.
Lucy’s already moved towards my keyboard and presses down one of the keys.
