Saving Love

Chapter 17

I smile, reaching up and cupping Max's face, "It was really sweet of you"

He leans down and kisses me, "I would be a reck if something happened to you"

Our foreheads are pressed together, eyes closed. I take a deep breath, "Me too"

Max stands up, "I'm really sorry that I have to go. I wish I could stay all night"

I wave him off, walking him to the door, "Max, it's your dad's birthday. Go have a good time with them!"

He grabs my waist and pulls me into a passionate kiss, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

I nod, "See you tomorrow"

He leaves so I go take a shower. When i'm done, I wrap up in a towel and walk out into the kitchen, preheating the oven for dinner.

There's a knock at the door. I peek through the peephole and see Jake standing there. I quickly throw open the door. But Jake's reaction reminds me that i'm still in a towel.

I quickly say, "I'm sorry. I just got out of the shower. I'll go change"

Jake grabs my arm to stop me from walking away, "Don't worry about it"

I laugh, "I'll just go throw a robe on. It's no big deal"

I jog into my room and grab my short, black silk Victoria's Secret robe. I put it on, nothing underneath. Am I trying to seduce Jake? Not necessarily. But I do want to be with him.

I walk back out and watch as Jake's eyes rake over my body. I smile and put the lasagna in the oven, "Have you eaten yet?"

He shakes his head. I clap my hands together, "Perfect. Because I have plenty"

We go sit in the family room. We sit down on the same couch and I face him, laying my legs across his lap.

I can see Jake looking at my head with concern on his face. I playfully smack him, "I'm fine. Just some stitches. No big deal"

Jake sighs, "I should have been there"

I furrow my brows, "What are you talking about. You weren't even on duty today"

He continues, "I know. But I should've been there to protect you"

I shake my head, "Jake, you wouldn't have been able to do anything. "

"I could've at least gone with you to the hospital and come back here with you to make sure you were okay"

I shrug, "Max stopped by a bit ago to make sure I was okay"

Jake looks at me, raising his brows, "Max did? Wow, that's nice of him"

I can hear the bitterness in his voice. I smile, "I really appreciate you stopping by too. It means a lot. "

His eyes dart up to meet him as he starts drawing circles with his fingers on my newly shaven legs. "Of course, Blair. When Maxi texted me and told me what happened, I wanted to go to hospital to get you. But Maxi told me not to. Said you wouldn't be there long"

I smile, "Yeah, I was just there for like 30 minutes. Easy peasy"

Jake scoots over so he's sitting right next to me. He cups my face in his hand, his eyes roaming my face, "Blair, remember when I told you that you meant everything to me? Well you still do. And if something had happened to you, I-"

His voice cracks and he looks down, starting to cry. I grab his face, pulling him into a hug. He squeezes me tight, "I cant lose you. Ever. "

I smile and kiss his temple, "You won't lose me. I promise"

I think we both know that there's an underlying meaning to our words. Jake pulls away from the hug but stops, our lips just centimeters apart.

We're both breathing heavy, looking at each other and at each other's lips. We both slightly lean in, our noses resting against each other's. And finally, our lips begin to touch- and the oven beeps. Dinner is done.

Jake presses his forehead against mine, muttering, "Dammit"

I groan and get up, going to get the lasagna out of the oven. I dish two plates then come back, handing one to Jake. He smiles at me, "Thank you"

"No problem"

We sit there in silence, eating and watching tv. A kid is missing, presumed drowned at a nearby beach. We watch as they broadcast the search efforts. I know some of our guys are probably helping.

When we finish eating, I grab the plates. Jake stops me, "Here, let me do the dishes"

I grin, "How about we do it together?"

He smiles and follows me into the kitchen. We turn on some music and start doing the dishes. I have my hands in the soapy water when suddenly I feel Jake's hand grab mine.

Time immediately stops whenever we touch each other. I look up at him as he moves closer. Jake sighs, "I can't be this close to you and not touch you"

I bite my lip, "Jake,"

I reach up and touch his face, getting soap all over him. I can't help but start to laugh. He grins and picks me up, setting me on the counter. He steps in between my legs and lightly presses his lips against mine. He keeps pressing soft kisses, so soft I almost can't feel them.

Then the next thing I know, his lips are attached to mine and his tongue is in my mouth. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him close. His hand slides up my thigh, hiking my robe up. I don't have any underwear on.

Before his hands travel any further up, I pull away. Jake quickly says, "Did I do something wrong?"

I shake my head, "No, believe me, you were doing everything right. But you have a girlfriend"

I see the realization wash over his face. It's like everything else goes away when we're together that we both forgot. I hop off the counter and say, "I'm going to go put some clothes on"

I walk into my room and put on a sweatshirt and shorts. When I walk out, Jake is still standing in the same spot where I left him.

I look at him, "Are you okay?"

His head jerks up to me, like he was in a trance. He nods, "Yeah. Sorry. "

I rub my neck, "I think i'm going to get into bed. I'm really tired," I pause, "You can join me, if you want"

He nods so we turn everything off then go into my room. We crawl into bed, Jake gathering me in my arms. He holds me close, "I'll try not to wake you up with my nightmares"

I look up at him, "If you wake up, wake me up. I want to be there for you"

Jake smiles at me, pressing a kiss against my forehead. Then we lay there in silence, falling asleep.