Page 27 of Jake

I sighed; she was much more strong-willed than I’d expected. I had a feeling this was an argument I wouldn’t win. And did I want to be the victor? “Why did you come back?”

“Tania and I talked, and she said I had a right to know why you were suddenly dropping me into the ‘friend’ zone when there was obviously a strong attraction between the two of us.”

“She’s right about the attraction,” I mused.

She leaned forward, one hand still clutching mine and her elbows on the mattress.

“Jake, you’re a man—obviously—and I understand you must be scared shitless about what the future holds in that department, but as Connor said, I can help you. If your dick is gonna rise for anyone, it will be for someone for which you have an attraction. I have no idea if your dick will rise to the occasion the first time we’re together, but at least give us a chance to find out. I’m sure there are things we can try, techniques, and medication if we find it needs a bit of ‘prodding.’ Don’t write us off out of fear, Jake, or because you think I’m too much of a wimp to handle the situation.”

Wow! It looked like I’d found someone special and fucked if I was gonna let her go without a fight after that little speech.

“Come here.”

I pulled her towards me, and she rested one soft hand on my cheek, the other at the top of my thigh as we stared into each other’s eyes. Hers were the greenest I’d ever seen and sparkled with want, the anger she’d entered the room with slipping away.

Using my uninjured hand to tangle in the soft curls at the back of her head, I guided her lips over mine. I fucking swear I’d died and gone to heaven. The lips pressed against mine were the softest I’d ever kissed. Inside her mouth was warm, while the tongue battling for dominance tasted of strawberries, my suddenly favourite fruit.

Fucking hell! In the space of less than an hour, and thanks to Natalie’s attentions, my dick twitched again, and I felt it attempting to rise.

I was a tough brute, had killed without flinching, but feeling my dick respond when we kissed, had me close to tears.

Natalie pulled back, a surprised expression on her face. “Did you feel that?”

“I did… I really fucking did. Thank you, Nat.”

“For what?”

“For not allowing me to push you away.”

Leaning forward, she took me in her arms, and the fiery kiss we shared had my dick aching to be freed from the confines of the bandages.

Not yet, but soon… very soon.

***

Six weeks later

“Six weeks…” I shouted at the doctor when he entered the room. “It’s been six weeks, Barry. Enough! Get these fucking casts off so I can start being useful.”

Mum and Dad had returned to Melbourne four weeks earlier, satisfied their boy was out of danger and would be well looked after during the recovery period. I missed them both but not Mum’s fussing.

Six weeks had now passed since I’d been brought home, and I was sick and tired of my bedroom. It had been six weeks of hell, except when Natalie had been by my side. Nope… strike that. When Natalie was with me, and we’d shared off the charts heated kisses, it had been an even worse kind of hell. I ached to take her in my arms—both arms and make love to her.

Metres of bandages had been removed two weeks earlier; most wounds had finally healed. The exception at that time had been my dick, which Barry had insisted remain covered despite the skin being almost healed. One or two burns on my torso that had shown signs of infection and been slow to heal also remained covered with plasters.

All I needed now was for the casts to come off so I could start getting strength back, not only in my arm and leg but the rest of my body which had been forced to be sedentary for far too long. I worked out daily with Connor in my home gym, ‘physio’ Barry insisted, but it wasn’t enough for a man who was a self-professed gym junkie and had been used to a rigorous program.

“I’m not…”

I held up one hand, effectively silencing Barry.

“The x-rays yesterday showed the breaks were healed. I want these fucking casts off… Now!”

“Jake, Barry knows…”

I turned to Natalie and reined in my temper before speaking.

“No, Nat. Barry is being over-cautious. You saw the x-rays and heard the radiologist say the bones look as good as new.”