Pleasure

Chapter Thirty-One

I slip on my clothes quietly, careful not to wake Jacob. He passed out right after we talked and there's no waking him. He's going to wake up with a major hangover, but there's nothing I can do about that. I hate to be leaving without saying goodbye, it feels like I'm just sneaking out, but I know I should get home and rest myself. My parents probably think I'm sleeping still, I haven't been gone for long. I plan to keep it that way.

I'm lucky the rain stopped because I came home at the right time. I smell like sex, so I end up changing my clothes. I climb in bed and hear a knock on my door.

"Come in," I groan, pulling the cover over my body.

My mom walks in with a cup of tea and some snacks on a tray. She smiles lightly before setting them down and sitting on my bed.

"How are you feeling?" She asks, pushing hair behind my ears.

"Fine," I respond.

"I brought you some tea and ginger, just to soothe any headaches." She smiles and pushes the mug closer to me. I smile back and thank her.

"Have you heard from Jacob?" She questions.

"Yeah, why?"

She shrugs a little and smiles. "I'm glad he was there to call the ambulance for you, that's all. You should invite him to dinner. I think we all need a fresh start."

"Wait, what?" I look at her confused by her statement. She gives me a questioning look back. "He called the ambulance?"

"You didn't know?" She stutters. I know the events before the crash were from his doing, but after that is a blur. Is that why he was feeling so guilty about everything?

"Well," she starts, interrupting my thoughts. "If it weren't for him, I don't know what we would've done." She stands from the bed and fixes the sheets. "I'm just glad you're okay. Think about inviting him, and get some rest."

She kisses my forehead and walks out of the room. I know Jacob is still sleeping so I wait to call him until tomorrow. I lock my phone and put it on my night stand. I roll over and let my eyes droop closed until I'm finally unconscious.

Next Day

I hop out of the shower and go into my room to get changed. I shut the door behind me and hear my phone vibrating. I wrap my robe around my body and check the caller ID. Jacob is returning my call from earlier. I can't help but smile when I answer the phone.

"Hi," I greet flirtatiously. I hear him chuckle through the other line.

"Hi beautiful. Sorry I missed your call, I'm really hung over." He sounds groggy, but nevertheless hot.

"It's okay, I figured you would be."

He sighs and shuffles a little. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I wanted to see if you would come over for dinner tonight. My parents sort of want to thank you." I explain, pacing around my room.

"Thank me?" He questions. "For what?"

"For calling the ambulance for me." I pause for a moment. "Why didn't you tell me you were the one to call them?"

He groans, sort of like he's thinking out his answer. "I don't know, I didn't think it was important I guess."

I chew the inside of my lip and respond, "It was. You saved my life, Jacob." The line goes silent for a moment, and I hear nothing but static. Then I hear him sniffle.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he replies, sounding distant. "I'll come to dinner for you."

I smile and feel my cheeks radiating heat. "Great! Be here around 7ish, okay?"

"Okay Aria." He says, sending chills into my spine.

I hang up the phone and find myself smiling hard enough to make my cheeks hurt. I get dressed and let my parents know he'll be here tonight.

As seven o'clock arrives, I feel myself getting more nervous. I've been on dates with him so I don't know why I have an achy feeling in my stomach. I don't dress up too fancy, considering he's only staying for a few hours. I think of all the possibilities of what could happen tonight. The last time he was around my parents, my dad had a few choice words that didn't settle well with Jacob. I just hope all the bad blood and tension is gone between them, so the night can go smoothly.

The doorbell rings and I feel my heart practically leap out of my chest. I go to answer it. I see Jacob's tall figure standing in the doorway with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He smiles immediately after seeing me and I can't help but smile back, letting butterflies erupt in my stomach.

He slips a hand around my back and brings his lips to my forehead. I get a whiff of his aroma and it's nothing less than mature. Although I didn't dress up nice, he surely made himself look far more older than he actually is. He's extremely well put together and it's hard to tell he was a hot, drunk mess last night.

"Mr. Diaz," my father greets from behind us. "Glad you could join us this evening."

He walks up to my father with his chest poked out. His facial expression is hard but concentrated.

"Thank you for inviting me." He responds in a deep voice. This is a side I've never seen before and I can't lie, it's turning me on.

"Hello Jacob." My mother greets with a smile.

He smiles back and says, "Hello Mrs. Winter."

I walk over to all of them and we all take a seat at the table. My mom hands each of us a plate and sits down across from me.

"I hope you aren't vegetarian." She jokes.

I feel Jacob's hand run across my inner thigh before squeezing it. I bite my lip and instantly clamp my legs shut, hoping no one notices. Jacob smiles and clears his throat.

"No I'm not. This looks lovely." He says to my mother. I grab his hand and squeeze it, but he doesn't move. I look over at him and see his eyebrows raised cockily, with a devilish smirk on his face.

Dinner goes well, thankfully. My father was mostly asking the questions, but Jacob never backed down, or became intimidated by a single one. We offered to do the dishes and put away food so my parents could go get some rest.

As I scrub away the dirt from my plate, I feel Jacob's hands slither across my waist. He nestles his head in between my shoulder and plants soft kisses on my neck. I moan softly and close my eyes, letting my head fall back onto his chest. He presses his body up against mine, trapping me in between him and the sink counter.

"You know," he mumbles in between kisses. "You should come back to my house."

"Why's that?" I question, biting down on my lip with my eyes still closed.

"I really," he starts, then kisses me. "Really," kiss. "Really want to do a lot of things to you."

"Yeah?" I giggle, feeling a warm sensation in my belly.

"Mhm," his hand squeezes my waist as he pulls my butt into the front of his jeans. He slowly makes his way to the top of my skirt before wiggling his way inside. I instantly grab his hand and laugh. I turn around and look at him. He has a cocky grin on his face, but his eyes are full of lust.

"We're not doing this here." I warn. He bites his lip hard and chuckles deeply.

"Fine fine," he stares down at me admirably. "I am happy I came though." I take my arms and slip them around his shoulders.

"Me too." He searches my face for a while, as his smile drops. I furrow my eyebrows from worry. "What's wrong?"

"I know I was drunk last night," he whispers, "But I did mean it when I said I'm in love with you. I'd do anything for you, Aria. You're different, but not bad different, you know? You're special." He stumbles over his words. It's almost as if he's nervous. And I've surely never seen him nervous. Jacob is never the type. He always seems in control of his feelings.

I pull his face close to mine and kiss him softly, cutting him off. He takes a deep breath before kissing me back. I pull away and run my fingers through his hair, smiling.

"I love you too."