Page 69 of Not Falling for the Forward
“Mmmm,” I groan as I lean my hips further into him. “I’d rather be awake and replay last night.” His lips meet mine again and he backs me up slowly into the cabinets behind me. I feel his dick start to harden against my stomach as his kiss increases in pressure. I dip my hand between us, squeezing the hard length through his boxers and he hisses through his teeth.
His hands grip each side of my face and he pulls back, “We need to eat first.” He says it on an exhale as I slowly pump him through his boxers.
“Fuck. Em.” His eyes squeeze shut and he pumps his hips in time with my hand. I think I’ve won but he reaches a hand down to still mine. “Stop,” he says through gritted teeth. His control is incredible. “We really should eat. I took you to bed last night without dinner and it’s well after ten, you haven’t eaten for hours.”
“I’m a nurse,” I protest. “I’m used to not eating for long periods of time.” But even as I say it my stomach lets out a loud growl.Treacherous bitch. Jack grins at me and directs me to my little dining table at the bottom of the kitchen.
“Sit.” He places a kiss to my forehead. “Let me take care of you.”
He goes back to the job he started and I do as I am told and sit, content to watch the show that is Jack Cartwright, topless, cooking.
I notice my phone on top of the table, next to my car keys. I must have abandoned them here last night when we got home. I was too distracted by Jack to focus on where I put anything last night. I turn it over and see I have fifty-four notifications.
My stomach hollows out. Not again.
I glance at Jack. His back is to me, and he is shaking his hips to the music he is playing from his phone whilst he cooks. He looks so content. So happy.
So why would he do this?
Jack must feel my gaze on his back because he turns around. The small smile he sports drops as soon as he sees my face. He rushes towards me, kneeling between my legs he takes my free hand in his, “Em, what’s happened?”
I feel a tear slide down my cheek. No. I wasn’t supposed to get attached enough for this to hurt.
Jack reaches for my face, and I jerk back before he can touch me. His brow creases in confusion and hurt? No. How couldhebe hurt.He’sthe one that’s cheating. Hehadto have known I would find out.
“Em, what’s happened?” he asks again, eyes searching mine.
Hands shaking, I hold out my phone to him. I show him the lock screen so he can see the number of notifications, and he has the audacity to still look shocked.
“What do they say?” he asks.
I chuff a hollow laugh. Like he doesn’t know. There is only on reason for me to have so many notifications on my phone. The same reason as last time.
I am about to reply when my phone lights up with a phone call. Jess. My hand swipes to answer before my brain registers what it is doing. “Babe! Finally. Have you seen?” I have to pull the phone away from my ear as she screams.
“Seen what?” My voice doesn’t sound like my own, it’s empty. Broken. I don’t want to see. I don’t want to know. I really don’t want to find out whilst Jack is kneeling in front of me, looking like he cares about how I feel.
They’re all fucking liars. Especially the pretty ones.
“The article I sent you,” Jess replies in my ear. “Put me on speaker and open it.”
“Just tell me what it says.” It’s barley a whisper through my lips. Let’s just rip off the plaster. It’ll hurt. But it will be quick.
“Well, it starts with a massive picture of you climbing Jack like a tree outside his team bus.” I sag in relief at the information.
Meon Jack. Not someone else. I take the phone from my ear and put Jess on speaker phone. “Jess, you’re on speaker, Jack is here, don’t say anything embarrassing.”
“Haemorrhoids. Diarrhoea. Chlamydia,” Jess immediately says. Despite the whirlwind of thoughts in my mind at the moment, I can’t help the small laugh that comes out at the childishness of my best friend’s humour.
“I’m opening it now,” I say to her. Jack doesn’t move from his spot nestled between my legs. His gaze doesn’t leave my face, searching for something. I flick open my message app and see notifications from Dan and a few people from work. My stomach plummets for a different reason.Oh god. They know.
I scroll to Jess’ message thread and click the link she has sent me. An article from a trashy news site opens and I am greeted with a picture of me wrapped around Jack, his hat backwards on my head, his face fully on display. I am looking down at him from my position, both of us grinning like we had just won the lottery. It’s actually a really sweet picture if it didn’t out the relationship we’ve been trying to keep quiet. I scroll slightly and read the headline:‘Jack Cartwright pictured looking smitten with mystery woman’.
“Oh,” I say quietly.
“You okay?” Jess asks through the phone. Jack stays quiet where he sits.
“Yeah,” I breathe. “It could have been worse, I guess.”
