Young Love Dies Hard: The Young Brothers, Book 1 by Nikki Lane (old books to read txt) 📗

still lived with them. He usually saved it all for Mom. Once in a while, I’d get it when she wasn’t home. But I was quick, and I liked to run away. It hadn’t taken much for him to get tired of chasing me.

I swore I’d never let anyone like him in my life again. Until I met my first boyfriend. He was the first guy I had attached myself to the summer Jacob moved away.

That was the last relationship I’d been in. The only relationship.

I stepped into the hot shower, letting the water rinse away whatever combination of tears and dirt streaming over my face.

How was I going to explain these bruises to Sal when I had to go back to work?

I heard a knock on the door as I squeezed the shampoo into my palm.

“Jacob?”

Through the frosted glass of the shower door, I could see him creak the door open just a few inches. “Can I come in?”

I nodded.

He entered the bathroom in just his boxers. I watched as he peeled them off and opened the shower door to step inside. My heartbeat quickened as he slid his fingers through the shampoo in my palm and then ran them through my hair.

I closed my eyes, falling into the feeling of his fingers massaging my hair. Once the shampoo was rinsed out, he worked in the conditioner and washed me head to toe with a soap and washcloth, gently scrubbing around my bruised arms and scraped legs. When I was all clean, we stood forehead to forehead under the water. I wrapped my arms around his waist, ignoring the soreness that screamed from my muscles. Jacob held his arms around me and squeezed me close to his wet body.

I swore I wouldn’t do this again. Wouldn’t lead him to think that anything more could develop between us. But in that moment, being held in his arms, I couldn’t summon the courage I needed to walk away.

I made the first move, gently pecking him on the lips. He returned the gesture and soon a simple peck became fevered kissing. I wanted out of this shower. Into my bed with the feeling of Jacob inside of me again.

He reached for the faucet and turned the water off. Jacob was out of the shower first and held open a towel. He dried me off, making me giggle as he teased me at my most ticklish spots.

He wrapped me in the towel, and then ran one over his own body, notching it on his waist when he was through. Jacob led me by the hand to the bedroom to help me get dressed.

“Clothes?” I muttered as he shuffled through my dresser.

He was looking through the first two drawers, but I kept my eyes on him to make sure he stayed away from the last one. The last way I wanted to end this night was explaining my plethora of teeny tiny work attire.

“I thought we weren’t going to need clothes,” I said.

He gave me a smirk and plucked out a t-shirt. I sat on the bed and relinquished my towel. His eyes soaked in my bare breasts.

“Here,” he said, slipping the shirt over my head. “I’ll be right back.”

He disappeared into the other room and came back a few minutes later in a pair of gym shorts.

“Lie down,” he instructed.

He turned down the sheets, and I crawled into the bed. Jacob covered me up and kissed me on the forehead. “Get some rest.”

I watched as he headed for the door, his fingers just about to switch off the light.

“Jacob, wait.”

He paused, waiting for me to say something.

“What are you doing?”

He gave me a puzzled look. “Sleeping on the couch.”

His fingers flicked off the light, and I could see the silhouette of his body make its way to the living room. The couch shifted with his weight, and I nestled into my pillow, feeling the heaviness of the last few hours fall over my eyes.

Chapter Fourteen

“Where are you going?” Jacob asked as I headed out.

I froze, one hand on the doorknob. “Work. I’ll be back later tonight.”

He shot up from the couch, books and notebooks sliding to the floor.

“Maeve, you’re still healing.”

The swelling on my lip had gone down, but the bruises weren’t completely faded. But I had to go to work. Sal was extra asshole-ish whenever anyone called out. If I didn’t show up that night, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think I’d lose my job. Not to mention my shitty car was acting up again, and I wasn’t sure how many more miles I could get out of it.

“You should take the night off.” He reached for my oversized purse on my arm, but I swayed my shoulder back.

“I have to go, Jacob. It’s too late to call out now.”

He dropped a hand on each hip. “You need to rest.”

He’d been hanging out all day without a shirt, buried under a pile of books. I had tried to get some studying done before I had to leave for work, but he proved to be too much of a distraction. Not that it was any of his fault. I’d chewed the hell out of my pen cap, trying to channel my energy with an activity that wasn’t jumping on top of Jacob. He still hadn’t touched me since our first night together. It was like he was afraid to reinjure me or something.

“I’m fine,” I said with a sigh. “It’s been a few days now. There’s no reason for me not to work.”

“I wish you’d find another job. One that didn’t require you to drive so far so late at night.” He took a deep breath. “I mean, don’t they need bartenders around here?”

“Yeah, and I guarantee they don’t pay half as much.”

“Why? What’s so special about where you work?”

“I just…” Think, think, think. “I’ve been there for a while. And the people there really like me. It would be stupid to walk away now.”

“But I’m helping you with the bills