Read Online Popping the Cherry by Aurelia B. Rowl - Free Book Online Page B

arm.
    ‘Whoa, steady there,’ he said, staring right into my eyes. ‘Maybe not, huh? You’re all floppy like a rag doll.’
    Yep, he nailed it. That’s exactly what I felt like. ‘I’m just a bit dizzy, I’ve not moved for a while. Give me a sec.’
    ‘No, I don’t think so, Lena, you’re turning green.’
    He dropped my hand and grabbed me directly beneath my armpits, with his long fingers spanning my shoulder blades and his thumbs hooked around the front.
No no no …
Of all the things to be worrying about, sweaty pits shouldn’t have even made it onto the list, maybe not even the reserve list, but right at that precise moment it was all I could think about. I mean,
eww
! A girl has to have some standards, right?
    I silently prayed for my deodorant to be still working and chanced a peek at Jake’s face as he carried me like a child towards the chairs in the makeshift waiting area. He didn’t look particularly revolted as he lowered me carefully onto the seat, and he didn’t instantly let go of me as if I were some kind of freak or leper the second my butt hit the seat.
    ‘I’d better take you to A&E, get you checked out properly,’ he said, squatting down to be at my eye level before dropping his hands.
    ‘No, please,’ I blurted. ‘I’ll be fine. I just need a hot bath and a nice soft bed.’
    Jake just looked at me, inspected me even, but his X-ray vision must have been faulty because he shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. ‘OK,’ he said, raking his fingers through his hair for good measure. Crap, he really must be worried: he didn’t even attempt to turn my words into some kind of innuendo. ‘Do you feel up to speaking to the police?’
    His words hit me like a bucket of cold water and I froze. At a loss for an answer that didn’t involve a lot of swearing and pleading, I swallowed deeply and stared back at him. It was fascinating how his dark eyebrows dipped in the middle, one slightly higher than the other, and the way his gaze pierced mine as if trying to do some kind of mind transfer.
    ‘You’ve got to report this, Lena, so they can look for the creeps that chased you.’
    ‘But I didn’t even get a good look at them,’ I wailed, appalled by the whiny pitch to my voice.
    ‘It doesn’t matter, the police can be the lookout for them at least.’
    ‘Jeez, Jake, when did you get so … so goddamn sensible?’
    ‘Right about the same time I thought of my little sister.’ He rose to his full height, clearly agitated, and took a couple of steps away from me. He bent at the waist to retrieve my socks and shoes from the floor, then turned back and fixed me with a haunted look. ‘She’s out there right now, and I know for a fact she can’t run anywhere near as fast as you.’
    My stomach lurched and I sucked in a deep breath, blinking in quick succession as an echo of the earlier terror prickled over my skin again. He had a point. A damn good one too. Of course he’d be thinking of Gemma, why wasn’t I? Shock maybe, but I knew I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her.
    ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’ My voice had lost its whine but it had lost its volume, too, coming out all timid and weak. ‘You’re absolutely right, I’ve got to do it.’
    ‘Yeah, you really have,’ he said, speaking much more softly and matching the gentleness of his actions as he replaced my socks.
    ‘My folks are gonna freak,’ I said, wishing I had something to hold onto. ‘They’re never going to let me out again when they find out. I don’t suppose I can call the police from your place instead?’
    Jake didn’t say anything for a few painstaking moments and avoided my gaze. I found myself holding my breath even though it really hurt. ‘You know, that’s actually not a bad idea.’
Phew!
‘If your folks are the same as mine, they won’t be home for a while yet and I don’t think you should be on your own tonight. I’m sure Gemma will be up for an impromptu sleepover,