I woke up to pain. My head was killing me. I opened my eyes and shut them again immediately. The sun was shining and the light actually hurt my brain. I realized my entire body was aching, especially my stomach.

What on earth?

What had happened?

I shifted, trying to get comfortable.

What was my head on? That did not feel like a pillow.

I ran my hand across the surface of a very hairy bare leg.

Oh, God! What?

I sat up quickly, which was a mistake. The room immediately started spinning. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Riley?"

The deep voice of Jake. Of course. My guardian angel had saved me, yet again. Bits and pieces of last night flooded my brain. I was laying in his lap. I had put myself there. How forward of me!

The pain in my stomach increased. I opened my eyes. Jake's blue-gray ones were in front of my face and worried.

"How ya feelin'?"

I knew if I opened my mouth to answer him, I would throw up, so I silently got up and to the bathroom as quickly as possible. Everything really hurt, like my entire body, but especially my head. I could feel my pulse throbbing in it.

I carefully knelt in front of the toilet and felt Jake collect my hair in his hands.

I started to cry. I couldn't help it. I really, really, really didn't want to throw up.

Unfortunately, my body was going to do what it needed to do regardless of how I felt about that. Barely anything came up, only bile, but my body wanted to go through the motions anyway. It was horrifying, embarrassing, wretched, and painful...and Jake was standing there witnessing all of it.

I felt so weak, and every muscle in my body was screaming when it was over. My whole body was shaking, I was sweating, and I was crying.

"I'm okay", I whimpered to Jake, while I was still draped across the toilet seat. "I'm sorry I drank too much. I'm so stupid. Why isn't this stopping?"

"Stop apologizin'. Ya ain't stupid and ya ain't okay. I'm afraid ya got alcohol poisoning", he said.

"What does that mean? Please tell me I don't need to go to the hospital".

"What time did'ya start drinkin'?"

"Eight".

"It's been twelve hours. If ya can't keep anything down by twenty-four hours, yer gonna have'ta get an IV. Dehydration can be real dangerous".

I started crying again.

"It's okay, kid", he said. "I been here plenty o'times myself. We gotta get liquids in ya even if they come back up. We gotta try".

"Fine. I need to brush my teeth".

"Yes, ma'am, I know the drill", he said. "Four times already".

I only remember twice.

He lifted me directly to my feet and my head swam again. I squeezed my eyes shut and gripped the sink for support.

"I'm dizzy".

"I gotcha", he said.

He did, indeed, have one muscular arm around me with an iron grip.

After I brushed my teeth, I didn't even protest Jake carefully picking me up and carrying me back to the couch.

He set me gently on it and pointed at the crackers and water on the coffee table.

I picked up the water and took a couple small sips then set it back on the coffee table and started to lay down.

He caught my shoulder. "More", he insisted. "Slowly, but you need a shit ton more. Finish that glass before ya lay down".

I started silently crying again. I was so miserable. I had never felt this awful. This was worse than having the stomach flu.

Jake knelt next to me and wiped the tears from my face. He seemed sympathetic.

"I'm sorry", I whispered.

"Nothin' to be sorry for. Pretty sure Sam either drugged or spiked yer first drink. I'll get to the bottom of it".

His voice suddenly had a dangerous edge to it. The thought of someone poisoning me made me cry more but I took another sip of water.

"Those guys do anythin' to ya?", he asked quietly.

"No, but...I had a creepy feeling. Something was strange about them".

"Fuckin' right it was", he agreed. "No one touched ya?", he pressed.

"Well...the one in the backseat touched my hair but that's it".

I watched a muscle jump in his jaw and felt some anxiety about upsetting him.

"Anythin' else?" His face appeared intense, his eyes boring into mine, his brow furrowed, jaw clenched.

"Umm, I asked for a charger and the driver gave me one, but the other end wasn't plugged in. I mentioned that but he didn't do anything about it. It seemed really off".

"Mother fuckers", he muttered. "Probably hopin' yer phone would die so ya couldn't get ahold of anyone and hadta stay with 'em".

I started crying again. "Why would they want to do that? Why are people so mean?"

"'Cause yer fuckin' beautiful, and for most men that's the only thing about ya they're interested in. 'Member what we talked about?"

"I'm really sorry, Jake. I'm so sorry".

"I ain't givin' ya a lecture. Drink".

I drank.

"Why didn'tcha call me when ya realized you were alone?"

He was still squatting next to me, his blue-gray eyes contemplative.

"I didn't even know where you were", I said, "but I knew you weren't here. Or, I mean, I thought you weren't. What would you have been able to do remotely?"

"Get ahold'a someone to help ya, threaten Sam. I coulda helped".

"I didn't want to bother you".

"Ya ain't never gonna bother me askin' for help. What bothers me is seein' ya all fucked up".

He ran his hand over his mustache then stood abruptly.

"Drink", he said, walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

I noticed he had only been wearing boxer briefs and a short sleeved shirt, and that he looked good.

I continued sipping the water.

When he returned he sat next to me on the couch.

"Riley?"

"Yeah".

"I don't wantcha doin' anythin' with anyone without tellin' me. I don't care who they are. I wanna know where ya goin', with who. I ain't tryin' to control ya, but...this was some serious shit, kid. Some dangerous fuckin' shit. Ya coulda ended up dead, raped, kidnapped. You don't know the people here. If ya woulda told me what ya intended to do I coulda warned ya bout Sam. I woulda told ya not to go".

"I'm sorry", I said again, my eyes burning with tears. "I'm always burdening you because I make poor choices. I've always made poor choices".

I stared down at my hands, which I couldn't see because I was blinded with tears, and they started running down my face for about the hundredth time.

Jake put a firm hand on my shoulder.

"I ain't mad. I ain't lecturin'. I ain't tryin' to control ya. I just don't want nothin' to happen to ya. I'm afraid to leave ya alone for one minute because somethin's always happenin' to ya".

"I know", I sniffed. "It's really inconvenient".

"Inconvenient?!? Jesus, Riley, ya coulda died! I didn't want'a leave ya in the first place an' if ya woulda died 'cause I wasn't here...".

He trailed off, got to his feet and started pacing, hand on top of his head. I watched him nervously. I felt like I was in trouble.

He squatted in front of me again and took my face in his hands, leaning his in close to mine.

"I'm not mad. I was fuckin' terrified. Promise me you'll tell me where ya goin' an' with who, from now on".

He was serious. His eyes were scanning mine. He was visibly upset but not angry. He cared about me that much???

My heart gave a hopeful little thump.

"All right. I'm so sorry", I said quietly.

He nodded then stood again.

"Drink".

I drank.

"I gotta eat, kid. Anythin' sound appealin' to ya?"

"No".

My stomach was already starting to gurgle from the water.

I decided to be proactive. I got up, went to the bathroom, and restrained my hair into a French braid. Then I laid down next to the toilet and waited.

Mere seconds after laying down, Jake found me.

"Didya puke again already?"

"I'm going to".

"Darlin', ya can't lay here".

"I don't have energy to keep running in here", I explained weakly.

He left, then returned with blankets and pillows. He expertly helped to make me comfortable and warmer. He also returned with the glass of water, now full again. 

"Keep drinkin' till it happens. Don't matter if ya want to or not. If it gets past yer stomach, it's gettin' in yer system. Every minute it's in there is helpin'".

I didn't want to but I did what he told me.

He left to return to cooking. As soon as the scent of what he was cooking wafted into the bathroom (I believe it was scrambled eggs), I lost it.

Jake had come running before I was finished and helped me up again when I was done. I had to admit, it was slightly less painful with something in there to come up besides bile.

...........................................................................

Jake was having a hard time emotionally dealing with Sam purposely trying to harm Riley. He wanted to beat the shit out of her, to seriously damage her, put her in a fucking hospital, and he didn't even believe in hitting women. He was also stressed about Riley continuing to puke. He, himself, had never thrown up more than four times that he recalled, and it had never gone beyond twelve hours of when he had stopped drinking.

He also wasn't a hundred pound girl with no tolerance whatsoever.

After she threw up for the sixth time, he ate quickly, then ran next door for clothes.

"I gotta get ya a sports drink with electrolytes", he said when he returned. "I'm gonna be gone thirty minutes".

He handed her phone to her on the bathroom floor and squatted next to her. "Ya call me immediately if anythin' is weird, or ya hear anythin', or ya start feelin' worse. You stay right here and ya keep drinkin' water".

She was pale, with dark circles underneath her large green eyes, miserable, in pain, and exhausted. She was laying on a comforter next to the toilet, covered in a crocheted blanket, with her head on a pillow.

"I will. Thank you. I'm so sorry".

She appeared so pitiful, his heart gave a painful tug as he looked at her.

He laid his palm against her cheek, leaned over, and slowly pressed his lips against her forehead. Then he peered into those large, beautiful eyes of hers, and said, "I will be right back. Are ya gonna be okay without me?"

"I'll be fine. I'll call if I'm not", she promised.

"Ya better", he said. "No crazy shit now".

She gave him the faintest hint of a smile.

He pressed his lips to her forehead once more briefly, then left before he changed his mind.

He drove directly to the grocery store as quickly as he could. He grabbed several flavors of sports drinks and several options for salty chips. He also grabbed an antacid and acetaminophen in case she was running low on those items. He tossed the bag in his truck then impulsively decided to make another stop. He strode purposefully down the street, and lo and behold, Sam was outside of her bar smoking a cigarette on the sidewalk, standing right in front of Riley's black BMW, like a tiger gloating over her freshly caught prey.

Without pausing in his strides, he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her up against the side of her building so fiercely her feet left the ground and the cigarette hit it.

Her dark brown eyes flew wide open and she actually appeared frightened. He'd never seen Sam even remotely rattled before.

"YOU WORTHLESS CUNT!", he roared right in her face. "She coulda fuckin' died! You left her in the middle of nowhere! What the fuck did you put in her drink?!?"

Sam had both her hands on the one he had around her neck, and was trying unsuccessfully to pry his fingers away.

"Woah, Jake, take it easy", a guy from inside the bar protested.

"Tell me what you put in her fuckin' drink!", Jake roared, ignoring the man.

"Just vodka and blue curaçao! It's not my fault she's a lightweight!"

"You knew she was! How many shots were in that drink?"

"Get off me", Sam gasped.

"HOW MANY?!?", he insisted, shaking her neck in his hand.

"Eight".

"Drugs?"

"No".

"You tried to kill her!"

"It was just a joke", Sam protested.

"Because you're fuckin' jealous?!? You wanna try to kill her because yer jealous of her?"

Then a strong hand was grabbing his shoulder.

"Man, have you lost your everlovin' mind?!?"

Jake turned his head and glared at Will over his shoulder, who was staring at him in disbelief.

"Sam tricked Riley into drinkin' a spiked drink, got her wasted, and left her at Bud's to get picked up by random men. Thankfully, I ran into 'em at The Valley. She's got alcohol poisonin'! Find somethin' to charge this bitch with. Riley woulda been raped or dead if I hadn'ta ran into 'em!"

Will's face was horrified, his mouth actually gaping open.

Jake turned back to Sam.

"If you was a man, I'd snap yer fuckin' neck", he said in a low voice, giving her head a nice thump against the wall before releasing her.

He turned and started striding away.

"My name is Samantha!", she called after him hoarsely.

He held his middle finger up over the back of his head and kept walking.

When he returned to the cabin, Riley was so still and pale, curled up in a ball on the bathroom floor, he wasn't sure she was alive. He watched until he saw the blanket move with her breath. He inhaled deeply with relief. The water glass was still nearly full, so she hadn't gotten much more in. He was disappointed to see that. He considered waking her but decided to let her be for the moment.

Instead, he busied himself by heading out to the porch, doing push ups and sit ups to burn off some of the adrenaline left in his body from restraining himself from murdering Sam. He had never considered Sam a good person, but he hadn't necessarily considered her a bad one, either. She had simply been bad ass as far as he was concerned.

His mind was changed now. She was an evil fucking bitch. He could not fathom trying to have someone killed or raped simply because you were jealous of them.

Can't believe I ever fucked her. Makes me fuckin' sick.

Well, he would never be doing that again. Not that he had planned on it anyway, but it was a for sure no now. It was interesting...even though he wasn't typically thinking about Riley in a sexual way, he hadn't even thought about Sam since she'd been here.

An approaching car put an end to his exercising. He stood and saw Will's Ranger SUV pull into Riley's dirt driveway. The decrease in his adrenaline levels had certainly been short lived.

Jake was storming to the vehicle before Will had fully stopped, and he shut Will's door back on him with a snap as it started to open.

Will's window was down. His face was immediately pissed.

"What the fuck is your problem?", Will asked through the open window. "I'm here to help".

"I ain't in the mood, Lemke. Git yer ass outta here before somethin' bad happens".

"I just want to see her".

"No".

Will tried unsuccessfully to open his door again but Jake was holding it shut.

Will glowered at him.

"You're being unfuckingreasonable", Will snarled. "I'm not going to bother her. I would never-".

"Ya bother her all the fuckin' time, dumb ass! Ya can't see it, or ya don't wanna see it! She's sleepin', she feels like shit, and I ain't lettin' ya upset her!"

They stared at each other for a moment, both reflecting mutual hatred and anger, breathing hard, weighing their options. Jake knew his fuse was real fuckin' short right now, and he wouldn't be able to control his temper, which was a concern only because he didn't want to upset Riley further.

Will's behavior was going to determine his, so Jake decided to level with him.

"If ya press me, I'm gonna snap", he said honestly. "I'm too worked up 'bout this whole thing. It ain't a threat. It's a warnin'. I don't wanna upset her more otherwise I wouldn't even care".

He watched Will take some deep breaths then let go of the door handle and lean back against his seat.

"I just wanna see her", Will repeated in a calmer voice. "I wanna verify she's okay with my own eyes. I won't disturb her".

"She ain't okay, she ain't gonna look okay, yer gonna get all riled up, and yer gonna disturb her. That's why the answer is no".

"Why haven't you taken her to the hospital then?", Will snapped.

"She don't wanna go and I know what I'm doin'. This happened to me plenty of times. If she don't come 'round soon, I'll bring her in regardless what she wants. I ain't gonna let nothin' happen to her".

"How did this happen?", Will asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Sam invited her out for drinks with Tara and Ashley. Apparently they convinced her to drink somethin' Sam made with eight shots in it. Theirs all probably only had one. Then they took her to Bud's, had her do more shots, and ditched her when she was in the bathroom. Three low lifes was givin' her a ride to supposedly try an' find the girls, arrived at The Valley, where I happened to be".

"You know 'em?"

"Yep. Dunno their names but I know where they hang out".

"Tell me".

Jake described the men, where they could usually be found, and with whom.

"Riley says they didn't touch her. Don't mean they didn't plan to. In fact, I can pretty much guarantee they did. She says they refused to let her charge her phone".

Will squeezed the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb.

"How is she always getting into these situations?", Will asked.

"'Cause she's too fuckin' trusting. You know that".

"Travis was talking to Sam when I left. I hauled her into the station".

"Good. He better charge her with somethin'".

"I'll make sure of it", Will agreed. "Jake, please let me see her. I promise I won't fight with you or disturb her".

Will's dark brown eyes met his, his face calmer, his eyes pleading.

Jake knew how he would be feeling if the roles were reversed, so he caved.

"Fine, but I've warned ya. If ya make me hurt ya that's on you, and if ya make me do it in front of her, that's gonna piss me off even more. I ain't gonna be able to control myself".

"I understand", Will replied calmly.

Jake let go of Will's truck door and started walking up to the cabin without bothering to see if Will was following or not.

At the screen door, Jake opened it quietly as he heard Will walking up the porch stairs. He held the door for Will, who stepped inside silently and waited. Jake slowly and quietly approached the bathroom door, where Riley was still in the same position he had left her. He motioned to Will, who peered over his shoulder, covered his mouth with one hand, and teared up.

Jake watched Will shake his head and walk over to the kitchen, staring out the front window with his hands on his hips.

"How many times did she throw up?", Will whispered as Jake approached him.

"Six. We've gotten some water in but not much".

"Can I stay until she wakes up?", Will asked hopefully.

"I'd prefer ya didn't but I'll allow it", Jake replied, taking pity on him, his new deeper feelings for Riley helping him to understand Will's.

"Thanks".

Will continued to stare out the window.

"Ya want somethin' to drink? Coffee, water, Grandpa's bourbon?"

Will cracked a smile at that. "Yeah, let's see a little of Greg's stuff", he replied.

...........................................................................

I woke up to throw up. I was exhausted and wanted to remain sleeping. Thank God I had been laying next to the toilet or I woulda never made it.

I was sweating and crying and shaking again, gripping the toilet seat with my left arm, clutching my abs with my right.

Then a warm, comforting hand was on my back and I knew Jake had returned.

"Ah, darlin', I'm sorry this keeps happenin'", he said quietly. "We're gonna force yer stomach to behave. I've got things to help it".

"I wanna die", I whimpered.

"Yeah, baby, I know", he said quietly next to my ear. "But ya ain't gonna. I ain't gonna letcha. We're fixin' this now".

He hauled me to my feet and held me upright at the sink again so I could brush my teeth. After I rinsed my mouth, I noticed a dark handsome face near the bathroom doorway.

"Will?"

"How ya feelin'?", he asked quietly.

"Awful. What are you doing here?"

"Ran into Jake downtown and he told me what happened. Travis was talking to Sam when I left".

"If she gets in trouble, she's going to hate me more!", I protested, starting to cry again.

"If she gets in trouble, she'll be too scared to do it again", Will countered. "Plus, Jake scared her shitless. She ain't gonna mess with you".

I met Jake's eyes in the mirror. I didn't have the energy right now to worry about what he'd done.

"I need to lay back down", I said, gripping the sink. My legs were shaking.

"Nope, yer gonna get some stuff in yer belly", Jake informed me, scooping me up in his arms in one motion. I laid my head against his shoulder and shut my eyes. My head was still pounding but the exhaustion was the most overwhelming sensation now, more impactful than all the pain I was in.

I had nearly fallen asleep again before he sat me on the couch, and I collapsed weakly against him as he attempted to move away.

"Rillian!", Will said sharply, his strong hands grabbing my shoulders.

I opened my eyes. Both men's faces were right there and they were both very worried.

Shoot.

"I'm so tired", I said quietly.

Will quickly sat next to me with an arm around me and held me upright. I watched annoyance flash across Jake's face but he said nothing as he opened a package on the table. He handed me two tablets.

"Eat".

I reluctantly ate them. They tasted good but I had a feeling they would come right back up.

He pointed to several options of sports drink on the coffee table.

"Which one?"

"Pink", I replied.

He smirked. "Mighta guessed that", he chuckled.

He twisted the top off and handed it to me. I took several sips then attempted to set it down.

Jake's large warm hand closed around mine. "Uh-uh, sweetheart. Yer drinkin' it till it stays down or comes up. This pukin's gotta stop or we're goin' to the hospital".

"He's right", Will chimed in.

I was already feeling nauseous but I continued to take small sips as both men watched me silently.

"I want to lay down", I said, trying to hand Jake the drink.

"Halfway, then ya can", he insisted.

I slowly continued sipping as my stomach continued to increase in discomfort. It was gurgling around.

"No more", I said. "I'm going to throw up again".

Jake took it from me, his brow furrowed.

"I want to lay in the bathroom", I told him quietly.

He simply picked me up again, carried me to the bathroom, laid me next to the toilet, covered me with the blanket, and sat silently beside me until I threw up again about twenty minutes later.

Will had hovered in the doorway that entire time.

"We gotta take her in", Will said.

"It was all in there for twenty minutes", Jake reasoned. "It's helped at least that much. We're tryin' again".

He got me up, I brushed my teeth, and we went through the whole routine of antacids and sports drink again.

This time, my stomach didn't start protesting as quickly. It took me probably twenty minutes but I finished the drink.

"I want to sleep now", I said determinedly to both of them.

Jake nodded. "All right, kid. Ya did good".

He helped me get set up on the couch.

"Rillian, can I do anything for you?", Will asked.

"Can you figure out a way to get my car here?"

"Absolutely. Anything else?"  He sounded hopeful and I guessed he probably wanted me to kick Jake out so he could stay instead.

"No, thank you", I replied with my eyes shut. "I appreciate the offer but Jake's got it. I'll be fine with him. Jake, can you get him my keys?"

I felt Will's large hand brush across my head and a brief conversation between them before I drifted off.

"Can you text me and let me know if she's stopped puking or if you're going to the hospital?", Will asked.

"I don't have your number".

I heard Will recite it to him.

"I want to come with if she's going in".

"We'll leave that up to her", Jake replied.

...........................................................................

Will felt sick to his stomach, sick down to the very depths of his soul. What those girls did to Rillian, what could have happened to her, what the intentions of those men were.

He was surprised to note that he didn't feel sick about Jake. For some reason, in this situation, he didn't. He initially had been as defensive and confrontational as he usually was with him, but when he felt Jake was being honest, he backed down. Plus, like Jake said, he didn't want to upset her more by fighting with him.

Will had suspicions previously about Jake's intentions and why or how he had been available for helping her when the kidnapper guys had shown up. This time there was nothing that indicated Jake had been anywhere but the right place at the right time. His anger toward Sam had been real...scary real. Jake seemed as distraught as Will himself felt.

Will believed he was telling the truth. He was jealous and hurt that Rillian continued to choose Jake over him, and he still didn't trust Jake...but he had to admit that maybe Jake's intentions for her weren't as despicable as he originally thought. He seemed protective of her, and he had been treating her with respect.

He really wished Rillian would give him some ground, though, let him help her. Clearly, she saw Jake as her hero, and with everything he'd done so far, why wouldn't she?

Why couldn't I be the one in the right place at the right time for once?

He headed back to the station to discuss everything with Travis.

...........................................................................

Jake reclined half asleep on the end of the couch with his feet on the coffee table as Riley slept for an hour. When she stirred, he immediately got up and prepared to help her to the bathroom.

She simply opened her eyes, peering up at him, so he squatted next to her head.

"How ya feelin'?"

"My stomach stopped hurting", she said, sounding relieved.

"Oh, thank God". Jake could have cried from relief.

"Gotta get more liquids in ya", he said, and sat her upright, sitting next to her on the couch.

She willingly drank, though slowly. Once she had half the sports drink down he suggested crackers.

She slowly ate one.

He was feeling so much relief he could hardly stand it.

Thank God.

"How ya feelin' now?"

"My stomach is feeling better".

"Everything else?"

She met his eyes. She still seemed miserable.

"Everything hurts".

"Yeah. It's gonna. All the muscles ya use to puke... You eat a couple more crackers, I can getcha some acetaminophen".

"All right".

"On a positive note, yer head's lookin' better than the last time I saw ya. Yer knee on the other hand...".

"I'm so sorry I keep damaging it", she said, flushing.

"What the fuck ya apologizin' to me for?!? Ain't my knee!"

She flushed deeper. "You're the one bandaging it up every time".

"I don't mind about that. Get to touch yer leg, don't I?", he asked mischievously, giving her a wink as she checked his face with a slightly startled expression on hers.

It worked. She laughed lightly, then clutched her abs as her smile faltered.

"Ow", she breathed.

"Speakin' of, lemme check that knee".

She obligingly draped her leg across his lap and pulled her pants up over it. He peeled back the bandage. It was sealed but bruising something awful.

"We can keep that bandage off now", he decided.

He carefully pulled her pant leg back down. He hadn't actually been joking about enjoying that part but she didn't need to know.

"How's your arm?", she asked, reaching for his injured forearm. It was still bruised and tender but the swelling had gone down.

"Ain't nothin'", he assured her.

She raised one eyebrow as she met his gaze but she said nothing.

"Crackers", he instructed as he got up for acetaminophen.

She ate another two crackers then he gave her two pills to take with more sports drink, sitting next to her on the couch.

"Can I ask you some things?", she asked quietly after swallowing the pills, her cheeks flushing, avoiding eye contact.

"Shoot".

"I threw up on you, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't care. Not a big deal".

"And myself?"

"Mostly on me but some was on ya, yes. It got in yer hair".

"So...you had to...change me?"

He realized where she was goin' with it.

"Yep. I already seen all that before, 'member? I was tryin' not to look".

She twisted her fingers and looked at the ground, her face flaming. "I understand. I'm sorry I put you in that position".

"It weren't you that did it, it was-".

"I was still stupid enough to drink the drink, not knowing what was in it, and knowing it was strong. I could tell it was strong, I just...just wanted them to like me".

She sighed and met his eyes again. "What did you do to Sam?"

"Grabbed her by the throat and threw her against the wall".

Riley paled. "Jake...I don't want you to hurt anyone because of this!"

"I didn't hurt her, and even if I had, she deserved it for hurtin' you".

"You don't need to sink to their level. You have been in trouble before. If you end up in prison because of me...".

"Ain't gonna happen".

She didn't seem convinced. There was a troubling crease between her eyebrows.

She stared down at her hands again.

"I remember laying in your lap. That was...really inappropriate for me to do and I'm sorry. Thank you for being a gentleman about it".

Jake burst out laughing. "Oh, dang, darlin'. I ain't never been called that before!"

She flushed deeper but at least he got her to smile.

"Anythin' else?", he asked.

"I cannot believe you don't hate me for putting you through all this".

"Told ya", he said, putting his hand over her anxious ones, "I ain't mad. I was terrified. Still am when I think what coulda happened. And fuckin' angry. I wanna kill Sam. Unfuckinbelievable what she did".

He squeezed her hands.

"Thank God yer okay, kid. Gonna feel like shit for a couple days though".

"I figured".

"Text Will and let him know yer done pukin'".

"All right", she replied, picking up her phone off the coffee table.

...........................................................................

Will had dropped off my car sometime during my second nap and I was finally ready to eat some actual food by suppertime. By that, I mean toast. Jake also encouraged me to eat some chips because he said I needed the salt. My headache was mostly gone but the soreness of my entire body seemed to be worse.

Jake had made himself a burger and tater tots, checking with me first that the smell wouldn't make me nauseous.

He was still eating long after I finished but I waited until he was done to get up from my chair.

"I'm going to take a bath after I do the dishes", I informed him, collecting both our plates.

"The fuck you are!", he snapped, snagging the dishes from my hands. "You ain't doing no fuckin' dishes. Git yer ass in the tub!"

"But you-".

"Cooked? I ain't no sexist man who thinks he can't do woman's work. I do whatever I gotta do, sweetheart. Now, ya feelin' stable enough, or ya need help gettin' in?"

"Oh my...seriously? No, I'm...I'll be fine".

My face was on fire with the thought of him seeing me naked. It was bad enough he had seen me in undergarments.

"Lord Almighty, Riley", he grumbled, brushing past me with the plates. "I can shut my eyes. I'll be checkin' on ya, too, so don't flip out when I do. I'll knock first".

I felt a giant amount of fluttering in my belly and my breath caught.

I drew a very hot bath and got in while the water was still running. I kept the water as hot as I could stand it, borderline uncomfortable. Once the tub was full, I turned it off, shut my eyes and focused on relaxing all of my muscles.

A few minutes later, there was a light knock and then the door opened a crack. Thankfully he had warned me he would be doing this otherwise I would have panicked. As it was, my heart leapt into my throat.

"Ya okay?", he simply asked.

"Yes, I'm fine".

"I'll check on ya again in a bit. Holler if ya need anythin'".

"Thank you".

Jake checked on me another two times before I finally decided to shower. My muscles felt moderately better but my whole body was still sore.

Unfortunately, when I started to stand up, I felt my head swim and saw black spots.

"Jake!", I instinctively called out, sitting back down with a splash.

The door burst open a mere second later.

I hadn't thought that through.

"I don't...don't open the curtain!", I shrieked before he even said anything.

"What happened?", he asked from outside the curtain.

"I think I almost passed out but I still need to wash my hair".

"Ya want me to hold ya up?", he asked.

"NO! Do not open the curtain!"

"I'll close my eyes and help ya out".

"I still need to wash my hair!", I wailed, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Jesus, baby, what'dya want me to do?", he asked, sounding exasperated.

"I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!"

I started crying again.

"Riley, ya need to calm down", he said. His voice sounded close and I realized he was squatting next to me outside the curtain. "Maybe ya just got too hot. Lemme grab ya some cold water. Don't move".

I heard him running water in the sink then he was handing me my bathroom cup through a crack in the curtain.

I took it from him then he reached down and touched the water.

"Jake!"

"I ain't lookin'", he assured me. "That water's fuckin' boilin'. No wonder yer gonna pass out. Dehydrated and hot. Drink all that".

I did.

"Here", I said, handing it back to him through the curtain.

"Wash yer hair sittin' down then rinse it sittin'. I'm stayin' right here and I'll make sure ya get out okay".

"But if I pass out...".

"Then I'll see ya naked, I 'spose".

"Shit", I breathed.

"Did you just swear?!?", he asked, sounding shocked. "Riley...didya just swear?"

He started laughing so hard I couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Oh, Lord, woman, ya kill me!", he chuckled. "Okay, get 'er done".

I did what he said. I washed my hair then let the tub start draining. I ran water to the right temperature, started the shower, rinsed, conditioned, rinsed, all sitting.

"How ya doin'?", he asked.

"Fine. I need to shave my legs".

"Do it".

I did that sitting also.

"Ready", I told him, turning off the water.

"Okay, kid. My eyes are shut. Promise. Open the curtain then stand slowly".

I was terrified so I hesitated.

"Don'tcha trust me?", he asked quietly, sounding mildly hurt.

"Yes, of course", I automatically replied, making a decision. I opened the curtain. He was standing next to the tub, towel extended between his hands, eyes squeezed shut in his handsome scruffy face.

...........................................................................

"Slowly", Jake reminded her as she opened the curtain.

He heard her moving to stand, a breath exhaling slightly heavily, like it hurt to do so or like she was maybe lightheaded again.

"Hands on my shoulders", he instructed quickly.

He felt her warm, damp hands on his shoulders. He carefully and slowly wrapped the towel around her, effectively avoiding touching anything he shouldn't. He had the towel closed shut at her back- one hand between her shoulder blades and one hand at her low back.

"Use me to step out", he said.

He felt her moving and he moved with her, eyes squeezed shut. 

She was out. He didn't move and neither did she. With his eyes shut, his other senses were more alert. She smelled intoxicating- fruity, sweet, vanilla. He could feel the firm muscles of her back. He could feel her breath on his neck.

"Are you okay?", he asked in a low voice.

"Yes", she replied, quiet and breathless.

"Do ya want me to go now?" 

There was a pause before she replied- not long, but definitely long enough to make his heart start thumping pretty damn hard.

"Yes", she replied in barely over a whisper.

"Can ya steer me out the door?", he asked, smiling.

"Sure".

"Ya got the towel?"

She removed one hand from his shoulder, then turned him with the other.

He let go of the towel and turned as she directed him.

She let go of his shoulder and took his elbow, guiding him forward a couple steps, then she gently trailed her fingers down his forearm and took his hand. He felt electric tingles run up that arm and down his spine. She raised his hand until his fingers bumped the doorknob. He grabbed the knob, turned it, opened the door, walked through, and took a deep breath as she closed the door behind him.

HO-LY SHIT.

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