Awaken Me (The Jaded Series Book 4) (37 page)

I laugh at his goofiness. “You are not calling my baby monster. She’s going to be a sweet little angel.”

He grins and gets to his feet. “Who says it’s going to be a girl?”

“I do,” I tell him confidently with a smile.

Shaking his head, he grabs my hand and drags me to the kitchen. I dig out the makings for a salad, as he puts together a quick meal of chicken alfredo with broccoli. For once, the smell of food doesn’t bother me. I haven’t had a good meal in days.

As I stand at the bar chopping veggies, I think back to the last time I saw Nick and the pain I felt as he walked away. I knew I was being cranky. It was done on purpose to push him away. I needed a few days to myself to wrap my mind around being pregnant and to find a way to tell him. I was also preparing myself for the inevitable of him walking away. As soon as he left the room, the tears started flowing. I wanted to call him back, to beg him to never leave, but I had already acted pathetic enough in front of him. Like I told Jase earlier: I don’t want him to stay unless he wants to.

These last few days have been bittersweet. I miss Nick like crazy. Sometimes I feel like I can’t breathe with missing him so much. The couple times he’s called I’ve literally had to sit on my hands to keep from answering. Tears gather in my eyes as I listen to my phone ring. He never leaves a message, even though I desperately wish he would so I could hear his voice.

But it’s also given me the opportunity to come to terms with the situation. I often find myself touching my belly, anxiously awaiting the day I’ll feel the flutters in my stomach. The baby will come with sadness, but overriding that sadness is utter joy. I can’t wait to hold my baby in my arms.

I dump the fixings in the bowl with the lettuce and place it on the bar with dressing and a pair of tongs. Going to the fridge, I get out a can of soda for Jase and a bottle of water for myself and set them on the bar as well. I turn and jump up on the counter close to Jase as he finishes the fettuccine.

“How’s work going?” I ask, swinging my legs.

He looks at me and rolls his eyes at my childish behavior.

“It’s good. Joe finally decided to go into semi retirement. He’s giving me a trial run to see if I want to take on the shop full-time. If it goes well, we’ll set up a payment plan for me to buy the place from him.”

“That’s great, Jase! I know you’ve wanted your own shop for years now.”

I lean over to kiss his cheek, and dip my finger in the yummy-smelling sauce as I lean back.

“Hey!” he scowls and slaps my hand before I can bring my finger to my mouth. “No dipping in the goods until I’m finished.”

“Screw that.” I moan in delight when the delicious taste touches my tongue. I slip my finger back in the sauce for a second time before he can stop me. “You have no clue what it’s been like for me, Jase. I miss food so much. This is the first time in days it hasn’t turned my stomach. Now hurry up before I eat it before it’s done.”

“Aww, you poor baby,” he says with a pout. “Five minutes. Can you last five more minutes?”

“I guess,” I grumble, making him laugh.

My phone rings in the living room, and I jump down from the counter to go answer it. My heart drops to my throat when I see who’s calling. I think about answering it, desperately wanting to hear his voice, but then decide against it. I need a couple more days. Then I’ll seek him out to tell him about the baby.

I hit the Ignore button just as Jase comes to stand behind me, putting his chin on shoulder and looking down at the phone in my hand.

“Even though I don’t care for the guy at the moment, you need to give him a chance, Chris. He may not act like you fear he will.”

“Yeah,” I say softly, still looking down at the now black screen.

“Come on. Let’s go feed you and the Monster.”

He grabs my waist and turns me back toward the kitchen. We make small talk while we sit and eat. Because I’m starving and I haven’t eaten a good meal in what feels like weeks, I have two servings. I get updates on how Ally is doing and I tell him about the boy at school. Once we’re finished, I do the dishes while he finds a movie for us to watch. Telling him about the baby wasn’t the only reason I came over. I also wanted to spend some time with him. It’s been so long since it’s just been me and him.

We’re halfway through
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
, one of our favorites, when we hear the front door open. Jase pauses the movie and gets up from the couch when Andrew walks in. The first thing he does, even before putting down his keys, is pull Jase into his arms for a kiss. I can’t help but smile at them.

When they pull apart you’d have to be blind to not see the desire in both their eyes. I hear Jase tell Andrew, “My sister’s here.” Andrew looks over his shoulder and sees me sitting there. A smile forms on his face.

“Hey, you. Get your ass over here and give me my Chris lovin’.”

I roll my eyes, but laugh and get up from the couch. Andrew drops his keys on a small table as I make my way over to him. He pulls me in his arms and I hug him back. Before I can pull away, he plants a light kiss on my lips. Some people may find this weird, especially since he just kissed my brother, but that’s Andrew for you. He’s always been very affectionate.

“How ya been? Seems like forever since I’ve seen you.”

It’s only been about a week, but when you’re used to seeing someone almost every day, a week seems like a long time.

“I’ve been good. Darn headache had me out last weekend. But I’m better now.”

My gaze flickers to Jase to see him watching me with questioning eyes. I barely shake my head. I hope he gets my meaning that I don’t want to tell Andrew yet about the baby. It’s not that I don’t trust him. I trust him as much as I trust Jase, but the more people who know, the higher the chance of Nick finding out before I can tell him. So far, Bailey, Karyn, and Jase are the only ones who know. I want to keep it that way until I’ve told Nick myself.

Jase’s brows pull down into a frown. I hate asking him to keep something from Andrew, but it’s only for a couple more days.

Andrew grabs Jase by the ass, pulls him close for another kiss, and murmurs against his lips, “I’m gonna grab a quick shower. I’ll be back out in a few.”

Jase watches Andrew walk away longingly. I snicker and slap his stomach with the back of my hand. “That’s sad, Jase. You’ll see him again in a few minutes.”

“Whatever,” he mutters with a sheepish grin.

We go back to watching our movie. Andrew joins us on the couch a little while later. I’m on one end with Jase in the middle and Andrew at the other end. They are holding hands and every once in a while I hear them murmur something to each other. I know I should leave to give them privacy, but I’m enjoying cramping their style too much. I swear these two would stay in bed all day if they could. It’s actually quite gross to think about it; Jase is my brother after all, and I in no way want to picture him in a situation like that, but they leave no choice for anyone in their vicinity. If they are close to each other, chances are they’re touching or eye fucking each other. The thought makes me shiver in disgust.

By the time the movie is over, I swear the heat in the room has risen ten degrees. Just to mess with them a little bit more, I fake a yawn and ask, “I’m exhausted. Do y’all mind if I stay over for the night?”

Both are quiet for several seconds, before Jase says with poorly hidden reluctance, “Uh… sure. You can take Ally’s room.”

I look over at them both and see Jase with a look of dejection and Andrew grinding his molars together. I laugh at their miserable expressions. “Geesh, guys. I’m only kidding. Give me two minutes to use the bathroom before I go, then you can jump each other’s bones. I promise not to keep you from each other any longer.”

Jase gives me the evil eye while Andrew grins cockily. “Oh, you staying here wouldn’t have cramped our style, honey. I would have just had to hold my hand over—”

I put my hands to my ears, effectively blotting out the rest of his words, and yell, “Nope! Don’t need to hear that!”

Getting up from the couch to go to the bathroom, I hear Andrew laughing behind me.

Well, crap.
That backfired on me.

I wash my hands when I’m done with the bathroom and walk out to find Jase and Andrew in the kitchen. Andrew has a plate of leftover dinner, scarfing it down. I hug and kiss them both. At my ear, Jase whispers, “Don’t wait too long. And let me know how it goes.”

I pull back and give him a slight nod.

Waving at them, I leave and head home to my lonely and cold bed.

I gather the few things I need to take home with me and head out of my office. Apprehension and anxiety make me jittery. Nick is supposed to come over tonight. I called him last night and asked him to, so we can talk. It took every bit of courage I possessed to make that phone call. I have to admit though, I’m dying to see him again. It’s been almost a week.

“I’m heading out, Mary. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I wave at the school’s receptionist.

“See you tomorrow, Chris,” she chirps with a wave.

“Have fun on your date tonight.” I wink and smile before walking out the door.

I get in my car and make the less than a mile trip to Evelyn’s to pick something up for dinner. I have no idea how tonight is going to go, but I’m hoping for the best. I’m sure it’ll be a shock to him. I just hope once the impact of the news wears off, he’ll be more accepting. Neither of us planned this, but it happened, so we just have to learn how to work together for the best interests of the baby.

Once home, I take a quick shower and straighten up the apartment. It doesn’t take me long. After, I prepare meatloaf and put that in the oven on low for dinner. Left with nothing else to do, I decide to check my e-mail and Facebook. Afterward, I end up on the couch reading for a bit. It takes a good thirty minutes for me to force myself to forget about what’s happening tonight. I know if I don’t find something to keep my mind occupied, I’m going to drive myself crazy.

The buzzing of the oven timer is what pulls me from my book. I look at the clock and realize three hours have passed. I turn the oven off but leave the meatloaf inside to keep warm. Nick is due to be here in less than ten minutes.

The thought hasn’t left my head when I hear a knock on the door. He’s early. Maybe he’s just as anxious to see me? I smooth my hands down my knee-length black skirt, nervous energy moving through me. Taking a deep breath, I open the door to see Nick in all his hot glory. He’s wearing an old pair of jeans with one hole in the knee on one leg and another where the pocket is. His black button-up shirt with the top couple of buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows fits perfectly over his muscular torso. His dark brown hair looks like he’s been running his fingers through it. The scruff on his face is longer than the last time I saw him, but it looks well-trimmed.

My heart does a pitter-patter at the sight of him. I eat him up with my eyes and a shiver runs down my back. I’ve missed him so damn much.

His hooded eyes run up and down my body, making it feel like a soft caress. When they meet mine, I suck in a breath at the heat I see there.

Forcing my feet backwards, I open the door wider so he can enter.

“Come in.”

He doesn’t say anything as he steps inside. I close the door and turn back to him. He’s a lot closer than what I thought he would be.

“I have dinner in the oven keeping warm. Would you like—”

Before I’m able to finished, he reaches out, snags me around the waist, and the next thing I know, I’m against his chest. I squeal at the sudden movement, but it’s quickly replaced by a moan when his lips meet mine.

My back hits the wall, my arms circle his neck, and my fingers delve into his hair. He palms my ass through the thin material of my shirt. I want to rip the material away and feel his fingers against my skin. Our tongues tangle and our moans mingle. He nips at my lips and moves to my neck. I tilt my head back so he can reach his target better.

“Fuck, I’ve missed this,” he groans in my neck.

My breath hitches, and I let out a throaty, “Me too. So much.”

When his hands start lifting the hem of my shirt, I drop mine on top of his to stop him, knowing I need to tell him about the baby first.

“Wait,” I say breathlessly. “We need to talk first.”

“Fuck first, talk later. I can’t wait.” He grunts and starts pulling my shirt up again, effectively dislodging my hands. The tips of his fingers graze my sides and send shivers all throughout my body.

“Nick—”

His lips cut off my protest, and I lose the ability to think when his fingers brush the underside of my breasts. He pulls the cups of my bra down and pinches my nipples. All thought of protesting flies out the window. I know I need to stop this, but it feels too damn good.

God, he’s going to hate me.

I tug at his shirt and he pulls back just long enough to shed both his and mine. Our bodies mold back together and it’s never felt so good. We fit perfectly against each other.

His hands move back to my skirt to pull it up. Dipping his fingers beneath the waistband of my panties, he gives them a tug downward and they fall to the floor. Cool air hits my ass and it feels good against my heated skin. I want to crawl up his body, wrap myself in his essence, and never let go of him.