The Girl He Marked

Chapter 19

Book 1 Chapter 19

At first, we barely talk, both of us too engrossed in our meal.

‘I can‘t remember the last time I enjoyed a meal so much, this is delicious, I tell him honestly, embar

rassed when I realize I‘ve eaten twice as fast as him. I attempt to slow down but it‘s very hard when it

tastes this good.

‘Thank you, my dad taught me to cook,‘ he says, and our conversation turns onto the family.

An hour later, and the empty plates have been sat in front of us for ages, but we‘ve been talking too

much to clear them. I dry the dishes and pans as Jayce washes and places them on the dryer. With our

team effort, we‘re finished pretty quickly.

I watch, lost in thought, as he moves easily around his kitchen, putting everything away. Tonight he has

been a completely different person, the person he obviously is. The standoffish, cold persona he adopt

ed since we first met was an act he was using to protect us both from himself. I‘m so glad we‘re past all

that now.

| glance out of the window and the rain is still hurtling down, although now it has been joined by fre

quent bolts of lightning that light up the sky every few minutes.

‘It hasn‘t rained like this in ages,’ I mutter as I look out the window, the rain is falling so fast and dense

you can barely see the end of his garden.

‘I don‘t want you driving in this weather‘ I tell him, thinking of that mud road we arrived on, he‘ll proba

bly get his car stuck.

“But how will you get home?‘ He asks and I bite my lip as I ponder the thought.

‘Maybe we could wait it out?‘ I suggest, and he seems content with that plan.

‘We can watch a film if you want, he offers and whilst he pours us some more drinks, I flick through the

channels trying to find something.

Eventually, we make a choice and settle down on his extremely comfortable sofa. Just having him sat

in such close proximity to me sends my whole body buzzing with excitement, I feel like a schoolgirl with

her crush.

Something chinks and I jolt awake, I glance around in confusion, squinting because everything is blur

ry. Looking down at my hands, I realize that I must have fallen asleep, Jayce has taken my glasses off Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

and put them on my lap along with a blanket. I hurriedly put them back on so everything comes back

into focus. Jayce enters the room and I smile sheepishly.

‘Sorry, I can‘t believe I fell asleep, I apologize, embarrassed and silently praying I didn‘t snore or make

a weird noise or something.

‘It‘s okay, you only missed half the movie, he teases, sitting down next to me. I look over at the window

and although the thunder and lightning have ceased, the rain is still falling relentlessly.

‘You don‘t have to, but I was thinking, you can stay over tonight if you want,‘ he says, and I raise an eye

brow with him. I never thought he‘d offer that.

‘I don‘t have anything with me, I reply, trying to work out whether I think it‘s a good idea or not.

You can borrow my clothes to sleep in, and I‘ll drop you home tomorrow when the rain has stopped, he

replies, and I consider it for a moment.

I try to think of reasons not to, but all I manage to come up with is, ‘I don‘t have any make–up wipes.‘

‘l have some moisturizer you can use; it‘ll probably take it off, he suggests and again, I find myself

struggling to contain my laughter.

‘You moisturize...very sensible,‘ I comment, and he smirks at me.

‘How else do you think i keep this skin so soft, he replies, taking me by surprise by rubbing his cheek

against mine to prove his point, making me giggle. He stops, but doesn‘t pull away, and his eyes drop

to my lips. I barely have time to react as his lips press against mine, but my hands, of their own volition,

eagerly entangle themselves in his hair.

His arms wrap around my waist, and he easily lifts me onto his lap, blanket and all. My thighs are posi

tioned on the outside of his, my hands tugging gently on his hair as his large hands squeeze my hips,

driv ing me crazy as his tongue teases mine. Our chests meet with every shallow breath, I can barely

think, I‘m so overcome with desire.

After a while, we pull away and I try to slide off his lap, feeling awkward. But, because the blanket is

wrapped around my legs, my legs are stuck, and I end up falling backward off the sofa. Jayce bursts

out laughing as I manage to sit up and right myself.

‘That was amazing, he says, pretending to wipe away a tear. I huff and hit him on the arm, it has no im

pact of course.

‘Come on, I‘ll get you some things, Jayce stands up and I put the blanket back on the sofa.

I follow Jayce upstairs to his bathroom, where he gives me a spare toothbrush and gets his moisturizer

out of a cupboard.

.

“Wow, onion goggles and moisturizer, this evening has been enlightening, I tease, and he nudges me

playfully. The small moment of contact has my heart racing like I‘ve just been on a jog, I‘m in way over

my head with this guy.

I remove my make–up and get myself ready for bed, I try to distract myself from the thought that we will

probably be sharing a bed.

I‘m nervous.