No Strings

Chapter 16

For a terrifying moment I was blind with panic, my breath coming in gasps, my chest squeezed by a tight band. I was back there again with my ears ringing with the sound of creaking metal and screams. No light, just the flicker of flames and someone's phone glowing. I couldn't catch my breath but then I gradually realised that I was sitting up in a bed. The glowing mobile phone was on the table beside me. I must be safe. It was dark and quiet, but ... not my own room and there was someone next to me. A cool hand was stroking my shoulder.

"Jake," a familiar soft voice murmured. "It's OK. You were just dreaming."

Sarah. Fucking hell, I really hadn't wanted her to witness that. One reason I had never slept over before. No one wanted to be woken in the middle of the night by a crazy man who thought he was somewhere else. I was sweating like a long distance runner and it was not attractive. But she stroked my arm until my breaths evened out and then she eased me back down onto my back and kept stroking me until I eventually fell asleep again.

----

The alarm went off at seven o'clock and I struggled to surface despite the bright sunlight flooding the room. Beside me, Jake was lying on his front, his gorgeously muscular arms stretched above his head.

"I can't move," he mumbled into the pillow. "Don't make me move." Had I done that to him? "I think you broke me."

I kissed his bare shoulder, and he smiled without moving an inch.

"Don't you have to go to work?" I asked. Didn't builders start early? Even Homebase opened at nine.

"I do shift work. I don't have to go in today," he said, face still buried in the pillow.

"Oh. Anything planned?"

Rolling over onto his side, he tucked his hand under his cheek. My eyes found themselves wandering over the expanse of bare chest and the glimpse of narrow hip the movement had exposed.

"Nothing special. How about you? Shouldn't you be getting up?"

"I guess. But for some reason, I don't much feel like it," I said my eyes not leaving his chest. I gave a little cough. "I think I might have come down with the flu or something."

"Poor baby. What you need is a day in bed." He grinned wickedly. "And plenty of liquids," he added suggestively as his hand disappeared under the quilt.

I laughed. "Oh yeh? And what liquids did you have in mind?"

He laughed too. "No, seriously. I think you could do with a day in bed. Call it a mental health day. We all deserve one occasionally."

"Wouldn't I get a bit bored?"

He stared at me steadily, his pupils big and dark. "Not if I have anything to do with it you won't."

"I thought you said I'd broken you?"

"Nothing a hot shower, cup of coffee and a bacon buttie won't fix."

"You're a cheap date."

"I have simple needs."

I smiled at him. His beard had grown longer over night and he looked hyper masculine,but at the same time kind of angelic with his cheek pressed against my snowy white pillow. I suspected his thoughts weren't exactly holy though.

Was it right to spend all day in bed with him? I wanted to. Of course I did, I wasn't mad. Hours and hours of sex with Jake, daylight sex, doing everything we wanted to do with rach other was a far too tempting prospect. Yes, I had vowed not to do Jake again but had already well and truly broken that vow last night so what harm was there in extending things a little longer? And the ad exec could manage without me for one day, I deserved this.

"It's just as well my needs are pretty simple too then. Shall I call in sick?" I asked.

"Yes," he said huskily.

----

One hot shower, cup of coffee, bacon buttie and one slow screw and one energetic fuck later the phone rang.

"Ola slag!" Nina's excited voice rang out. "It's Friday!"

"I know, Nina, but the thing is ... I can't go out tonight, I'm busy."

"Busy? busy doing what?"

Busy doing Jake but I wasn't going to tell her that. Not in a million years.

"I have some stuff to catch up on ... you know work and stuff."

"Why are you being so vague?"

"I'm not. I just don't feel like a night out Neen. I'm knackered."

I had wandered across the living room and now found myself standing in my open bedroom door, gazing at a completely naked Jake spreadeagled across my bed. His arse was really something to behold.

"I'll come round. We can watch a movie."

"No!" I said a little too anxiously. "Thanks for the offer but I don't think I'd be good company."

Nina was quiet for a moment. "Are you OK Sarah?" she asked. "You sound odd ... oh God, Paul hasn't made a reappearance has he?"

My best friend had positively psychic powers sometimes. And now I was going to have to lie to her about two things. Thank God it was on the phone and not face to face.

"No Nina. I haven't seen Paul for months. I'm just tired. I might be getting a migraine. I swear I'm OK. Call me tomorrow if you like."

"OK." She sounded unconvinced but hung up.

I surveyed Jake's naked arse for a little bit longer, trying to preserve it in my memory banks, then putting the phone down on the bedside table, I took off my slip and lay down beside him. I had an idea of how to wake him up, something he would quite like.