Claiming Her

by Noelle, Alexis

I know she is scared because she thinks she is too broken for me to love her.

  I’m going to show her how wrong she is.

  Chapter Nine

  Nina

  The timer begins to beep, and I jolt awake. I look up to see Jake’s eyes trained on me. I can’t believe I fell asleep. Even more, I can’t believe I let him in. Yes, I have hugged him before but lying here with him and letting him see me in a vulnerable state. That is something that is so out of my comfort zone. I feel so uneasy right now, I have no idea how to act. I’ve never been in a serious relationship and haven’t even been on a date since high school. I feel like I am totally going to suck at this.

  I sit up, and Jake follows my lead. Once I turn the timer off, I turn to face him. “So, now what?” I need to know what he expects of me, that way I could at least try my best not to disappoint him.

  “Now? We do whatever you want to. This isn’t as hard as you think, I promise.” He stands up and walks over to me. “Just relax and be yourself. I have something I need to do. Can I meet you at your place in an hour?”

  I nod. He places a soft kiss on my lips before leaving. I take a moment to gather my thoughts before I grab my purse and head home. I feel gross in my work stuff, and have an overwhelming smell of lotion, so I decide to shower.

  As the water rains down on me, I try to let my fear and hesitation roll off of me. He’s right, I just need to relax. Carly, send me a sign, please. Let me know I’m on the right path. I need some reassurance. I keep thinking of all the things that could go wrong. All the ways I could break him, or how much worse he could break me.

  As I stand in front of my closet, I am stressing over what to wear for the first time in forever. I settle on comfortable over stylish and throw on a pair of leggings and a flowy shirt. I don’t think we are going out, at least Jake didn’t mention it.

  A knock sounds at my front door and I open it to find Jake and a little girl. A kid? He has a kid? Isn’t that something that normally comes up pretty quickly? I’m utterly shocked and have no idea what to do at this point.

  “Can we come in?” Jake is looking at me with furrowed brows not understanding my confusion. I move to the side, and the two of them walk past me. I shut the door and face them. “Nina, this is Grace. Grace, this is my friend, Nina.

  “She’s pretty, Unkey Jake” The little blond headed girl beams at me, before running away and plopping on the couch. I look at Jake in confusion waiting for him to explain to me what is going on.

  “Hey, sorry about the little surprise. Grace is my friend Mason’s daughter, and he got caught up in traffic. I told him I would grab her from school and watch her ‘til he gets home.” Thank God she isn’t his kid. Don’t get me wrong she is cute and all, but I am so not down to play Mommy Dearest.

  “No problem. I don’t know that I have much to keep her entertained, though.” He crooks his head at me before nodding his head over to the couch. Grace has already found some princess show and is sufficiently mesmerized by it. “Okay, never mind.” He takes my hand and walks us into the kitchen. There are a few grocery bags on the counter. I didn’t even notice them, I must have been distracted by the possible Maury episode that walked through my door. He is NOT the father; I laugh to myself and Jake looks over at me. “What’s in the bag?”

  “I picked up some things to make dinner. I figure showing you I can cook is just another way I can hook you even more.”

  “Even more? Who says you hooked me at all?” I turn around to make a sassy exit when his hands grab my hips. He turns me toward him, his lips softly pressing against mine.

  “I’ve had you hooked since my indecent exposure.” He winks at me before starting to search through my cabinets. I’m about to offer him help when he lifts some pots and pans onto the counter. “Now get out of here so I can start on my panty dropping pasta sauce.”

  My eyes widen as I cough choking on my sip of water. “Your what?”

  “My perfect pasta sauce. What did you think I said? You might need to get your hearing checked, Sparky.” He laughs before turning away from me and taking ingredients out of the bag.

  I have my work cut out with him. I shuffle uncomfortably into the living room and sit down near Grace. I have no idea what to say. Hey, any new drama in Barbie land?

  “That’s Sofia. She’s a pincess.” I smile the way she says the words.

  “That’s cool. Princesses are awesome.” I’m so awkward. I notice a doll she has in her hand it has long blond hair just like mine. “What is your doll’s name?”

  “This is Carly; she’s my best friend.” I stand up and almost run into the bathroom. Her doll’s name is Carly. I lean against the cool tile and look up toward the sky. Is this a sign, Car? Are you telling me it’s okay?

  A knock at the door makes me jump. “Nina, you okay?”

  “Yeah, just an emergency.” Real smooth. Now he probably thinks I’m in here dropping bombs.

  “Um, okay, just wanted to make sure you were okay.” I hear footsteps walk away.

  How embarrassing! I look in the mirror, and my face is beet red. This night could not get any worse, I swear to God. I peel myself off the wall and decide to brave going outside. I try to walk into the kitchen like I didn’t just tell him I was taking a huge shit, and then I eat shit. My foot catches on the lip of the kitchen and I fly face first onto the floor. Fuck my life.

  “Nina!” Jake is sitting on the floor next to me, helping me sit up. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” No. I’m not okay. My face hurts so bad, but I’m trying to keep from crying like a little bitch on top of all the other embarrassing shit.

  “Shit, it looks like you hit your face good, that might leave a mark.”

  Of course, it will.

  Chapter Ten

  Nina

  It looks like an elephant stomped on my face. I stare at my reflection in absolute horror. The entire left side of my face is bright red and already starting to turn all sorts of funky colors. I really can’t win. I take a deep breath and walk back out to check on Jake, this time making sure not to break my face, again.

  “So, anything I can help with?”

  “Um, I don’t know that letting you near knives or the stove is a good idea right now.” He laughs. Yeah, it’s damn funny. Fine. Grace makes better company anyway. I walk into the living where she is still watching her princesses. “How is Sofia doing?”

  “Her bunny is silly!” Grace laughs and then looks over at me. “What happen to your face?” Thanks, kid.

  “I uh, I fell.”

  “Were your eyes closed? Oh, Daddy says you should always watch where you walk.” I just got schooled by a three year old. Awesome.

  There is a knock at the door, so I head over to answer it. When I open it, the most intimidating guy I have ever seen is standing there. He is dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, both of which are filthy. “Hey, we had that leak fixed last week. I called the super and told him.” I move to close the door when his hand reaches out to stop it. My heart starts to race. “Jake!” I don’t know what the hell this guy wants, but I need some backup.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” I hear him say as he approaches. “Grace, Daddy’s here!” Daddy? Shit, this is Jake’s friend. I look like a total bitch.

  Grace runs past me as he bends down to scoop her up. “Thanks for taking her, Jake.” He looks over at me. “Glad to hear there’s no leak. See ya later.”

  “Bye, Nina! Bye, Unkey Jake!” Grace is waving wildly, I wave back before closing the door.

  Maybe her doll wasn’t a sign, maybe the fact that nothing is going right tonight is the real sign. I lean against the door and let out a moan of frustration.

  “You okay, Sparky?” I look over at him.

  “Just peachy keen. I mean, I busted my face, and then assumed your friend was the hired help. I’m just waiting to see what other ways I can make an ass out of myself tonight.” I run my hands through my hair in aggravation.

  “Well, you do have a nice ass.” I give
him a pointed look to let him know flattery will get him nowhere. “Chill out, dinner is done.” He walks toward me with two plates in his hand. “Table or couch?”

  “Definitely couch.” I take the plate from him and thank him. Whatever this is it smells amazing. My plate is full of spaghetti and some sort of orange sauce. “What kind of sauce is this?”

  “That’s a secret. Just call it Jake Juice.” What he says hits him, and I can see his face redden. I start to laugh and place the plate on the end table.

  “I do not think that I am at a point in our, whatever this is, to eat Jake Juice.” He glares at me before joining me in laughter.

  “It’s vodka sauce, just eat it.” With his ego officially wounded he grabs the TV remote shutting off the cartoons Grace left on.

  I take a bite and it is delicious. “Where the hell did you learn to cook like this?”

  “My mom always told me that a man that can cook is a man a woman would never kick out of bed. Wanna test that theory?” He wags his eyebrows at me, and I gently kick him with my foot. “Don’t start something you can’t finish.” There is a challenge in his eyes, and it excites me.

  I wait a minute before kicking him once more; I catch him off guard though, and his fork slips smearing sauce all over his cheek. He looks over at me, and I start to laugh again.

  Before I know it, my plate is being taken out of my hands and Jake is on top of me. I wriggle to try and get away but end up flat on my back his hands holding mine above my head. “This is funny?” he asks with a dare in his question.

  “Hilarious.” I’m taunting him.

  “You asked for it.” He dips his head and I think he is going to kiss me, my heart speeds up as he closes in. Then he turns his face wiping sauce all over my nose and forehead.

  “Jake!” He continues his facial assault despite my screams for mercy. He stops moving and I look up at his virtually sauce free face. “I’m gonna kill you.”

  “Oh yeah? I guess I’ll have to keep you like this forever then, huh?”

  I buck trying to throw him off of me when I accidentally press my core against him. He’s hard and from that quick feel, he is huge. I start to panic. I’m getting too close too quickly. I’m getting so comfortable with him that I’m putting myself in these compromising positions. Why does he pull me in like this? I have no idea what makes him different, but he is. I have had no problem keeping any other guy at arms length and being just fine with it, not Jake.

  I don’t know if he can sense my mood change, but he eases himself off of me and stands up. He walks away, but I don’t move. My head is so messed up right now. I don’t know what I want.

  Do I want to be close to him? Yes

  Do I want to run from him? Yes

  Does he make me happy? Yes

  Does he scare the shit out of me? Yes

  Is it possible that one or both of us will become broken at the end of this? Definitely.

  Jake reappears with a kitchen towel in his hands. He kneels in front of me on the floor, gently cleaning the mess off of my face. The towel pauses over my mouth and he leans in just a bit. I know he wants me to meet him in the middle. He saw the mental freak out on my face. He wants to know it’s okay. Is it? I have no idea. I remember what he said to me earlier. Don’t be afraid to jump, I won’t let you fall.

  This jump is scary. This is like a skydiving kind of jump.

  I lean forward meeting him and pressing our lips together. He drops the towel and his hands cradle my head.

  I jumped.

  Now I have to wait and see if we hit the ground.

  Chapter Eleven

  Nina

  I love that I don’t have to work on the weekends. That was always something that irritated me in LA. I worked every day, whenever I was needed. It was always so exhausting, and it sucked because I could never make plans to do anything. I look over at the clock, 10 a.m. An acceptable weekend time to sleep until. I check my phone and see that I have a text message from Sam.

  Sam: Going to a haunted house tonight. I’ll pick you up at 8.

  Me: Damn, you’re ordering me around now too?

  Sam: I know you missed my diva behavior, haha. We are all going as a group so don’t worry you’ll have Jake to hold on to.

  He’s going? I think back to last night. We kissed for a little bit, and it was nice. He cleaned up the dinner mess, then went home. I was scared he would have some sort of expectation of sex, luckily he didn’t. That was such a relief considering the first time I had seen him he was expecting me to give him a happy ending. I didn’t feel pressured at all, I was so at ease with him. Maybe I should text him. He must have told Sam at some point because I haven’t.

  Me: Guess I’ll be seeing you tonight. Fair warning I’m a big baby when it comes to scary stuff.

  Jake: Guess I’ll be looking forward to having you wrapped around me all night. See you soon, gorgeous.

  I can’t help but smile. I haven’t enjoyed a guy’s attention since senior year; I feel like a teenager all over again.

  My bedroom door opens and Tina is standing there. “Good, you’re up. We have CrossFit in a half hour.”

  She gives me no time to answer or object. What am I everyone’s bitch lately? “Who said I even want to go!” I yell back at her. She doesn’t respond. I stand up stretching and grabbing some workout clothes. My muscles are still a little sore. Jake might need to carry me through the haunted house tonight.

  Tina drives us to the gym, and I spot Jake as soon as we walk in. He comes over to me and places a small kiss on my lips. After last night, I want more but I also know that he works here. I pull away from him, “Go easy on me today, or I may not be able to move tonight.”

  “Sparky, you know I never go easy on you. Anyway, I have a couple meetings, so Jaimie is teaching this class.” He nods across the room, and I see a skinny, well-built girl. I smile at her but her eyes narrow and if looks could kill I’d be dead on the spot. What the hell is her problem?

  “I’ll see you later okay?” I nod at him giving him a quick hug before he leaves. I join Tina, who is standing in front of the whiteboard with today’s workout on it. I recognize a lot of the terms from last class, this shouldn’t be that bad.

  “Okay, ladies, I guess it’s just you two.” Jaimie walks to the front of the class, her eyes still piercing holes through me. She begins to tell us what our workout will consist of, and it’s entirely different from what’s on the board. “I want ten suicides, twenty-five push-ups, ten suicides and twenty-five sit-ups. You are to do that five times.”

  “Are we not doing the one on the board?” I ask praying that this is just some big joke and that hell is not what she has planned.

  “You’re doing what I tell you to,” she says in a hard tone before turning her back on me to start the timer and music. Bitch.

  I begin the torture that has become the next hour of my life. By the end of the warm up, everything is burning. We move through the strength session that isn’t horrible but not in any way pleasant. When it comes time to start the metcon, I’m scared to even hear what she has planned. “All right, you will be doing rounds for this part. First round is 100 single jump ropes, 50 burpees, and then 30 pull ups, if you’re too weak use the rings.” She looks right at me when she says it. “The next round decrease everything by five. Keep going for six rounds.”

  Jaimie turns around again, and I lean toward Tina. “Is she out of her fucking mind?” She doesn’t respond to me but just gives me a look that says she may not make it through.

  The entire workout sucks ass. I am determined to finish it, though, especially since she is watching me like a hawk. Every time I grunt from the effort I’m putting out she smiles. At this point I am looking at the kettle bells and wishing I could swing one right into her face. Tina and I finish within a minute of each other, both of us collapse on the floor, barely able to form words.

  When I finally manage the energy to stand, I look over to see that Jake is back. He is talking to Jaimie, and I
see now why she hates me. She likes him. She’s leaning close to look at a paper in his hands. Forcing her fake tits out to try and get his attention. This slut is about to get shown up.

  “Jake!” He turns toward me with a smile on his face, putting one finger up to tell Jaimie to hold on. He walks over to me. “I would not advise touching me, considering I’m disgusting right now.”

  He wraps his arms around me anyway. “I think it’s sexy. He spins me around, and I laugh, even though it hurts to do anything. “I’ll pick you up around eight?”

  “Sam already said she was.”

  “I’m driving her and Hunter there. I have to run right now and go over some new procedures with some of the trainers.” He gives me one last kiss and then walks back over to Jaimie, and I wave a fake goodbye to her before walking out to the car with Tina.

  “What the hell was that bitch’s problem?” Tina turns to me.

  “I think she is into Jake. That’s too damn bad, though.” I don’t know what has gotten into me but the fact that she wants him pisses me off.

  She laughs as she pulls out of the parking lot. “Look at you getting all territorial and shit. I’m proud of you.”

  I give her a look, and we both start to laugh but quickly stop and moan from the pain. “We are never taking a class with her again.”

  The fact that I’m jealous doesn’t escape me. I think if I had seen her lay a hand on him I would have flipped out. Which makes me nervous considering I just started seeing Jake and haven’t even known him that long. He has this pull, this way of making me want to never leave his side. I know that he is the kind of guy I could fall for if I let myself. I in no way love him right now, but I know I could. As someone who has closed themselves off for six years, it’s terrifying to feel like this. Why couldn’t he be ugly, or a jerk, or have smelly breath? Then it would be easy to stick to my hermit ways.

  But no, he has to be sexy, funny, great with his niece, and completely invading my every thought.