Page 130 of Withered

He drives to a local eatery. As we enter and find ourselves in an empty booth, people keep glancing our way. It’s because of my dress. I mean, who in their right mind wears a low-cleavage dress like this to a simple restaurant?

A waitress attends to us, and I order a hamburger while Jake gets chicken wings.

We dive right into the food once it arrives. Jake got a second plate of chicken wings for himself when I was halfway through my hamburger.

We pay for the food and leave. “Wait, I’ll be back,” Jake says as he walks back inside.

I wait near his car. He returns with two small, fancy cowabunga cups. He hands me one, and I find my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

“How did you know this is my favorite?” I ask him.

He looks surprised. “That’s your favorite? I chose it because it’s my favorite.”

I thank him and eat my cookie dough happily. We finally call it a night and return to Tyler’s parent’s house.

Jake cuts off the engine and asks, “Can you stay in my room?”

“Yeah,” I reply with the biggest smile, which causes him to smile.

Jake takes me to his room, which is the same as the previous one, just in a different color.

“Hey Jake, could you please go get me my bag from the other room?” I ask, taking off my heels.

“Yeah, sure,” he says this as he walks off.

I put my hair up in a bun and enter the bathroom. I take most of my makeup off, then grab a towel to wipe my face on my way out.

“Here.” Jake places my bag on the bed.

He removes his leather jacket and throws it on the chair, followed by his white shirt. I stand there, frozen, not knowing how to move. My cheeks warm as I realize I’ve been staring at his tattooed physique for too long. I turn and open my bag.

My eyes widen in disbelief, and anger takes over me. “What the hell!”

Jake is by my side in an instant. “What is it?”

I rummage through my bag and find nothing but an extra set of undergarments. “I don’t have anything to wear,” I groan, “Kristy, she didn’t pack my clothes. God! I should’ve packed the bag myself.”

Jake gives me an amused smile. He looks from my face to my legs and chuckles, “Guess she does have a brain.”

I run to the previous room and find Jake’s jersey and my jeans soaked in water. She had this all planned. I groan and put my head in my hands.

“You know, you can always sleep in my shirt,” Jake states.

We return to his room, and I struggle with my dress’s zipper.

“Help me out here,” I call out to Jake.

Jake shakes his head and stands behind me. His body heat is spreading through me. He reaches for the zipper on my dress and slips it down my back. His fingers move down my spine, stopping at my hips.

When he turns me around, my breath quickens. I keep my gaze fixed on him as he slips the dress off my shoulders and down my bare arms, exposing my body. The dress gathers around my feet.

His eyes are a frenzy of hunger and want that both frightens and excites me. I take a deep breath as he wraps his arms around me, flushing me against him.

My lips feel dry, so I wet them with my tongue, and Jake’s eyes narrowed at it. One glance at him, and I could feel myself getting wet. No one, besides Jake, has ever had this effect on me.Only him.

“It’s hard to stay away from you,” Jake says, his voice raspy.

I whisper in a hoarse voice. “Then take me.”

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