Take a Breath (Take #1) - Jaimie Roberts Page 0,1

me goosebumps.

As I pop the last bite of toast in my mouth, I get up to gather my things. “Yep. I’m good to go.”

He kisses my mum on the cheek, and she smiles her sickly-sweet smile before saying goodbye. Just before going into the garage, Jake turns back to my mum. “As long as you have no objections, I should be home around nine tonight.”

I briefly wonder why he’s planning on coming home so late, but that thought soon disappears when I check my watch and see that we have to get going. We live in Northern Virginia and have just over thirty-five minutes to get from McLean to Fairfax, which is a bit of a tight time frame given all the traffic and construction between the two.

“That’s fine, Jake. I have things to take care of later anyway.” She then turns to me. “Bye, darling. I hope you have a good day.” Waving back, I shout my my goodbyes as Jake and I get in the car.

Once on the road, I try my best not to stare at his perfect form. But it’s so hard not to. Naturally, he catches me looking, and he smiles before a concerned frown takes its place and is joined by the furrowed brows which are beginning to form on his equally perfect forehead.

“Are you okay?”

I nod my head vigorously. “Sure am. I think I’m still just a little bit sleepy. I bet it looks like I just got out of bed.” I say it with a chuckle, but then I notice Jake gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly. As I watch, his muscles tighten underneath his shirt, and the situation with my already jumbled mass of hormones gets a lot worse, which I honestly wouldn’t have even thought possible. But in my defense, he is wearing those tight black trousers with that damn white shirt again—a combination which makes me nearly orgasm on the spot when I catch sight of it.

With his jet-black hair and intense, sparkling green eyes, Jake is the ideal female fantasy. I myself have completely lost count of the number of times I have pictured his chiseled face, rock hard pecs, and intense gaze while touching myself. It doesn’t take much. Even that sexy five o’clock shadow of his can make me come within just a couple of minutes. The fact that he has power doesn’t hurt either.

Jake is the captain of the Fairfax County Police Department, and he is in charge of their Major Investigations Unit. He’d managed to get me a job there back when we moved in with him. In the end, my status as a recent graduate had gotten me an invitation to move in as well as a job interview. Jake had already been looking for a new analyst, and my degree happened to be in the right field. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I absolutely love my job.

Determined to never follow in my mother’s footsteps, I’d set out to better myself from an early age. I pushed and pushed as much as I possibly could to get myself a decent job which would enable me to settle down as soon as possible. I’m only twenty-two, but after having spent so much time running just to keep up with my mum and her poor choices, I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more than the ability to lead a normal life.

What’s even better about my current situation is that I’m not the only offspring in the picture. Jake himself has a son called Matthew. He was only sixteen when his son was born, but even though he was young, he took on the responsibility of raising him as a single parent because Matthew’s mother just couldn’t cope. With the help of his rich parents, Jake brought Matthew up with all the love that any child could ever wish for. Naturally, knowing all of this has only made me want him more.

“How are you feeling today—other than sleepy, of course?” He curves his lip up into that breathtaking smile of his, and I can’t help the way my knees tremble.

“I’m fine, thanks. I actually had a good night’s sleep. You?”

“Good, thanks, but I must admit I’m looking forward to taking some time off. Work has been more than a little hectic lately. Speaking of which, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. Are you going out tonight?”

I find his question intriguing, and I can’t help but wonder why he is suddenly