Page 59 of Fight for Me
“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just... probably not a good idea,” he added, casting his eyes around like he was looking for just the right words.
“Oh,” she said again. An odd rush of relief washed over her.
“Everything about tonight was perfect,” he said. His hand drifted up to cradle her jaw. The rough pad of his thumb swept across her cheek like she was a fine piece of china—delicate and priceless. It wasn’t perfunctory, like a ticket punched before the main event. It wasn’t a hoop to jump through on the way to something better. It was everything she wanted, without strings attached, which made it feel like so much more.
Lexie nodded in silent agreement, not quite trusting her voice as he gazed down at her with that look that said she meant the world to him—an expression she still found baffling. He settled his mouth over hers in a goodnight kiss that was soft and sweet, so different from the demanding insistence she’d experienced in front of other doors on other nights.
Lexie snaked her arms around his neck as he trailed kisses along her jaw, and her breath caught in her throat when his lips brushed over a place just below her ear. Jake froze, like it had been an accident, but when he did it again, it was definitely on purpose. She tipped her head to the side, giving him more room to explore, and her eyes drifted closed as his other hand trailed up her spine, pulling her against his chest. She felt herself start to melt, suddenly rethinking her earlier hesitation. Inviting him inside seemed less and less like a risk and more like an inevitability.
But all at once, Jake ripped his lips from her skin with a sharp breath as if he’d been forgetting to breathe at all.
“Yeah, not a good idea,” he gasped, dropping his hands and stepping back, though the heat in his eyes was almost painful. “Can we talk tomorrow?”
“Yeah, tomorrow,” she said breathlessly, her mind now spinning for a completely different reason. Lexie watched him walk quickly to the staircase and thunder down it before reappearing at the bottom and climbing into his truck. He rolled down his window and waved up to her, like he couldn’t stand not to see her one more time, and Lexie felt a smile bloom across her face.
This time, things would be different. She could feel it.
12
Lexie’s fingers pausedover her keyboard as she felt Jake approach. She didn’t need to look, didn’t need to hear him speak to know he was coming even before he moved up behind her. He swept her hair off her shoulder and brushed a kiss just beneath her ear the way he’d learned she liked.
“Hey, are you busy tonight?” he asked, his voice low.
“Tonight? No, I don’t think so. Why?”
“How would you feel about pulling an all-nighter to celebrate our first month together?”
She turned her chair to face him, her brow furrowed in confusion. “An all-nighter?”
“Yeah. There’s something I’d like to show you.”
“In the middle of the night?” she asked incredulously, and Jake only chuckled.
“Are you in or out?”
A fluttery feeling of anticipation took flight in her belly.
“In,” she said. The smile on his face grew, and he reached up to brush away a strand of hair that had gotten caught in her lip gloss.
“Perfect. I’ll come to your place at eleven. Try to take a nap, if you can,” he said, bending to press a quick kiss to her lips. “I’ll text more instructions later.”
Lexie smiled as excitement filled her from head to toe—though for what, she wasn’t sure.
“Extra layers?” Oliviasaid skeptically, reading from the text message Lexie had shown her. “What kind of romantic all-nighter requires extra layers?”
Lexie shrugged. “No idea. I’ve tried to get it out of him, but he’s holding this pretty close to the vest.” She pulled a pair of faded jeans over her fleece-lined leggings. “The only thing that makes sense is if we’ll be outside.”
“Outside? It’s November!”
“Which is why winter layers would make sense,” Lexie argued, choosing a T-shirt to wear underneath a soft, blue sweater. She looked at the clock on her bedside table, which read a quarter to eleven. Only fifteen minutes to go. A familiar flutter started in her gut, but she wasn’t sure if it was excitement or nerves. She finished pulling on a sweater and Jake’s hoodie, then tucked her leggings and jeans into boots. She felt like the Michelin Man, but at least he couldn’t say she hadn’t followed instructions.
Finally, a knock echoed through the apartment.
“Ready?” Jake asked when Lexie opened the door. He was obviously bundled well beneath a thick Carhartt jacket, and Lexie narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“You wouldn’t have told me to wear so many layers if you were taking me into the woods to kill me, would you?”
Jake only laughed as he held out his hand. “No woods, I promise.”
