All Chapters of Jaded: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

Sicily"So how is it having Martin Wilcox work for you?" Lisa asked as she leaned up between the front seats as they drove back home from dinner."It's good. He's a great kid." Sicily glanced back at her friend as Kari sang to the song on the radio and drove.Dinner was filling and Sicily had worked hard to keep it light. Her friends ate their usual fare of fattening meats slathered in butter and cheese with pasta and tons of bread. It took all of the willpower she could find not to dive into the sinful meal with them. The image of Drake scowling down at her at the gym caused her to keep her hands in her lap.Had he scowled? No.Why did she replace his kindness with him basically attacking her for not being able to run on the machine? Protection.She was beginning to want more than a casual bantering friendship with him and where she was a strong girl, her heart couldn't handle rejection right now."Are the guys coming over tonight?" Lisa asked, moving back, but catching Sicily's atte

Sicily"Tell me how you know Mr. Carrington?" Sicily walked outside with Drake. She glanced around the parking lot looking for his truck, but didn't see it. "Am I driving?""No. I brought the bike. That okay?" He walked to a decked out Harley and pulled a spare helmet off the back, tossing it to her.Sicily caught it as her words escaped her. She had spent a large part of her teenage years riding on the back of motorcycles, her older brother owning several as a mechanic. It had been years since she felt the thrill they provided. The fear that rushed through her was simply over being so close to Drake and nothing to do with the inherent danger of riding on the back of a bike."Yeah. It's fine," she muttered and slipped the helmet on before walking to get on behind him."Just hold on to me tightly and we'll be good. I'll tell you about me and Mike at the restaurant." He started the bike as she slid her hands around his waist.The thick muscles of his abs tensed under her fingers. She ha

SicilyThey hung up and Sicily changed into a pair of sleeping pants and a tank top, not caring at all how she looked. Drake wasn't coming over for a date, but to talk as friends. If they could work on their friendship for a while, she could get in better shape. Once she was healthy and thin maybe things could move into something more. He wouldn't want it before then.The kiss the other night was just him being a horny male with all his friends hooking up but him. Typical.She got a glass of tea and made herself a half of a sandwich while she waited on him. Marc and Lisa were gone from the house, the smell of their cologne and perfume filling the place. Sicily breathed in deeply, letting the sensual aromas roll over her. It would feel so damn good to let Drake have her tonight. Just for one night if he wanted a soft place to land. They could make love and then she would send him home, their friends with benefits thing a one-night deal.The doorbell rang and she spilled her tea on her

SicilyKari reached over and patted her hand. "I need to get going. Lisa is showing a house with Marc and I have a shoot at one of the convalescent homes today. Miss Margaret Johnson is turning one hundred."Sicily smiled and wiped her tears away. "Thanks for the talk. I'm sure we'll figure it out.""I think you will too. One more thing and I'll leave you alone." Kari squeezed Sicily's shoulder, the look on her face loving concern."Sure." Sicily reached up and covered her friend’s hand with her own."I would rather love a million times and lose than never to have felt the high that love takes you on. Every minute of that bliss is worth all the pain and suffering that comes when something doesn't work out. Take a risk. I know without a doubt that you'll be pleasantly surprised.""Thanks, Kari." Sicily patted her friend’s hand and turned to rest her arms on the table.She waited until Kari slipped out to pick up the phone and call her brother, Johnny. She hadn't had a chance to talk to

DrakeSunday was a day of rest, and happened to be the only day Drake DeMarco had off from his beloved gym. It was a lazy day to watch football and lounge around on the couch, wash a few loads of clothes, and eat his one cheat meal of the week. Rest was the last thing on his mind when he woke, his stomach a torrent of knots as he tried to walk through what went wrong with his latest obsession.Something about the look on Sicily's face the day before at the gym told him that she knew more than he wanted her to about who he was before moving to Maine. She'd changed her tune about going to dinner with him and seemed far more interested in running on the treadmill than giving him another second in her presence."Weird," he grunted and got out of bed. Being a bachelor had been a necessity for a while, the need to ensure that he was safe in Maine had left him lonely. She was the first girl in five years who hadn’t been a planned one night stand in another town over just to release some of t