TWELVE
Avery spent her entire train ride thinking about Jae and Hannah. Were they going to be a couple now? What did that mean for her? She felt sort of stupid wondering these things. Jae had been just as flirtatious in front of Hannah as he had when she left the office.
She rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. After a train broke down somewhere on Eighty-Sixth Street, she’d been forced to wait in a cold platform for almost two hours before a new train was sent to pick up the straggling passengers. Unfortunately, that meant for almost thirty minutes, every single train that came by was packed to the point nobody could fit in it.
It was going on ten when she got off two stations away from her usual one. Trains were going express and skipping her stop, so that meant she had to walk home from there or try to catch a taxi.
Taxis were nowhere to be seen and those that passed her by were already full, which meant she had to walk. The air was bitter cold and she snuggled deeper into her wool coat and shoved her beanie down over her ears. Her scarf kept the rest of her neck and cheeks warm, but the wind hit her in the eyes, making her squint, trying to keep it from blinding her.
With her gloved hands shoved into her coat pocket, she walked across a park to cut her time in half. It was dark, but every few minutes a car would go by and light up the way. She wasn’t scared, though. She knew these streets all her life. The sensation that someone was following her started when she was a few blocks from home.
She kept glancing over her shoulder but there was no one there. A look up at the sky and everything was gray, which meant more snow was on the way. She was glad for her winter boots keeping her feet warm and giving her the stability needed so she could hurry down the ice and snow-covered streets. At this point, she wasn’t walking on the sidewalks. They slowed her down.
Several men stood outside their buildings talking to other people in cars. She could have kissed them. Never had she been so happy to see someone doing shady business dealings. At her house, she already had the key in her hand and ran up the steps. Fear clogged her throat. She’d never had that type of experience in her entire life. It was as if she’d been trying to get away from the devil himself. She made it up the steps and checked on her mother before going up to her own place. Star was still there.
“Hey, Avery,” Star screamed from the kitchen. She popped her head out and did a double take at Avery’s face. Then she slowly came out of the kitchen with a water bottle in her hand. “Are you okay?”
Avery wasn’t sure. Her heart was pounding so hard, she had to talk herself into calming down. She glanced up at Star who eyed her with a worried frown. “Yes. I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
She shook her head and started taking off her coat and toeing off her slide on winter boots. “I just had the weirdest feeling.”
“Yeah?” Star motioned her with her head. “Come over here and tell me about it. I’m almost done cooking. I made lemon chicken with vegetables and garlic bread.”
God. Star loved cooking and Avery loved eating. They had a really good relationship. She shrugged out of her scarf, beanie and gloves. Once she had her cross-body bag on a sofa chair, she headed for the kitchen in a pair of socks and her work clothes.
“So what happened?” Star asked, serving dinner. “You look like someone scared you half to death.”
She frowned and opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water and took a sip before replying. There was no point in lying to Star. They’d been friends forever. Star understood her weirdness.
“I got this sensation that someone was following me a few blocks back.” She took the plate Star handed her and went back to the dining room with her water bottle.
They sat at the dining room table and ate. “Did you see anyone?”
“No. That’s the crazy part. The closer I sensed whoever it was, the more scared I got. Until I was almost running.” She took a bite of bread and frowned. “When I got inside the building, I swore they were right outside the door, but I was too scared to look so I ran up here instead.”
Star chewed and nodded. “You’re not usually frightened by people.”
“That’s the thing. It didn’t feel like some man trying to mug me. It felt dark.” She shivered as cold fingers of dread crawled up her spine. “And evil.”
Star stopped mid-bite, her eyes narrowing. “That’s not usual.”
“No. It’s not.” And something told her this wasn’t the last time this was going to happen. She ate in silence for a while and then headed to her room to shower.
When she took off her top in the bathroom, she remembered the burning sensation she’d felt before. A quick glance and she was left speechless. There was some kind of tattoo on her back. It looked like a dragon but she couldn’t be sure. It looked like it wasn’t fully finished. The longer she stared, the clearer the image got.
The sick sensation in her stomach and the fear she’d been ignoring before doubled. She didn’t know anyone she could talk to about this. Her mother at one time had been a seer but when she got Alzheimer’s, she lost a lot of memories and clarity.
After a long hot shower, she still had no idea what the hell was going on. She lay in bed, wishing for a breakthrough but none came.
Her cell phone rang, taking her out of her intense and insane thoughts.
It was Jae. Her heart skipped a beat. Man, that guy was dangerous. He had her feeling things Darren never had and all with just a few words and intense looks.
“Hello?”
“I want to see you. Tomorrow.”
“Jae—”
“No excuses.”
“You’re my boss.”
“I told you that wouldn’t change how much I want you. And it hasn’t. I want to spend time with you. Not working, doing something different. Getting to know you. The you that makes me want to tear your sweater off and see what color bra you have underneath.”
She gasped. “What-? You-?”
“Yes. I spent all fucking day visualizing every way I could get you out of your clothes without destroying them. In each scenario, the clothes ended up shredded.”
She gulped at the dryness in her throat. Her hands shook. He managed to make her squirm with a few sentences. They weren’t even over the top dirty. It was just the instant image of him above her, sliding deep inside her that made her at that very moment choke back a moan.
He was too much in her system, but she wanted him and her heart told her to stop denying it. Instinct won the war with her mind. Logic dictated she take things slow and make sure she knew where they were going. But her instinct told her she was safe with him and she could open up like she never had with any other man. Jae was special.
“Say yes, baby. I promise you won’t regret it.”
“Okay.”
She should tell him to worry about Hannah but she wanted to see him. Whenever he looked at her, it felt as if she was being warmed by the sun and she wanted to feel that again.
“My brother will stay with Hannah. I’ve got something in mind for where we could go. Dress warm and comfortable. Be ready to go at nine.”
“You’re lucky I’m usually up late on weekends.”
“It will be great. Trust me.”
She did. That’s the crazy thing. She didn’t know him like she’d known Darren and yet she would put her life in Jae’s hands without a second thought or worry. How was that possible?
“I’ll do what you say, but you need to tell me something.”
“Anything.”
The way he said that single word, there was such power behind it. As if he’d go to the ends of the earth for her. “This isn’t a game, right? I don’t do games, Jae. I…I need to know.”
“I’ve never played games. Not with you. Not with any female.”
“What about Hannah?”
“What about her?”
“Aren’t you…and her…you know?”
There was a moment of silence before he answered. “I want you, Avery. You. Not Hannah.”
She sighed and let her guard down. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry, beautiful. You’ll have a great time.”
She grinned. “I better. I’m going out on one of the coldest days of the year instead of staying in my PJs and reading. You better make it worth my while.”