Page 127 of His Virgin Romance Series

When we were alone, I turned to Jared and took his hand, without worrying about what he would say or how he would feel about it. I just wanted to touch him.

“I was so scared when I got the call,” I said. “I think I jumped to worst case scenario.”

“You don’t have to worry… I’m fine, as you can see.”

“Still, this is all part of your job.”

“Always has been.” Jared nodded.

“When are they discharging you?” I asked.

“In a few minutes,” he replied. “The doctor will come in and change my dressing and then I’m free and clear.”

“I’ll help you get back home.”

“You should be at work.”

“Fuck work,” I said firmly. “You need me more.”

Jared looked amused, but he didn’t insist that I go back to work, and I took that as a good sign. Once he was discharged, Jared handed me his car keys and Mel, Kendrick, and Ryan helped him into the car. Then I drove us back to his building and helped him up the stairs to his apartment. It wasn’t the easiest job in the world, and his crutches kept getting in the way, but we managed.

Once we were inside, I settled him down on the couch and made sure he was comfortable. Then I ran around like a headless chicken, getting dinner ready while making sure the apartment was clean and organized.

“Rachel, stop,” Jared said, unable to do anything more than talk to me. “You’re not my maid or my nurse.”

“You need clean sheets on your bed,” I insisted. “And I want to make sure there aren’t any tripping hazards lying about. Also, I’ve kept all your creams and medicines on the counter next to your bed, so you won’t forget to take them.”

“Oh, don’t worry, the pain will remind me,” Jared joked.

I whirled around. “Are you in a lot of pain?”

“No, no… Rachel, come here and sit with me, please?”

Unable to resist, I joined him on the sofa. We sat only inches apart and even though it wasn’t as close as I would have liked, it was a start. We ended up watching a bunch of movies while eating our dinner and the whole time we argued about which characters were our favorites and which ones were just plain annoying. Four hours later, and I could tell that Jared was exhausted, and to be honest, so was I.

I helped him to bed and got him settled under the covers. His eyes followed me everywhere, and I felt slightly self-conscious, but also slightly aroused. I tried to remind myself that this did not mean that we were getting back together, but still, I hoped. Once Jared was nice and comfy, I moved towards the door to off the light.

“Where are you going?” he called.

“Um… Well, I thought I’d sleep on the couch tonight.”

He was quiet for a long moment. “No,” he said, at last.

“No?”

“Stay with me tonight,” he said. “In this bed.”

I stared at him, wondering what this would mean for us. I decided not to ask about that just yet. It was enough right now to know that he wanted to me next to him while he slept.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yes,” Jared insisted, without hesitation.

---