Chapter Seven

Jake

She was gorgeous in the gut-wrenching way that made a guy rethink every aspect of what he knew. The dress highlighted her curves perfectly. Her hair fell in silky waves down her back. Her lavender perfume pulled at me. The soft click of her heels, the way she kept glancing up at me with those large doe eyes of hers and my heart was lost.

The woman was too sexy. I know, I had never thought that possible. But, I hated the idea of any other guy seeing her. A possessive passion had taken up permanent residence in the bottom of my gut. I know I wasn’t supposed to feel that way. Believe me, I had attended enough sexual harassment lectures. But that didn’t change the fact that I would kill anyone who tried to hurt this woman.

As we walked down the stairs an awkward silence hung in the air. It was like I was in high school all over again. That prickly tension where both of us were too nervous to even speak.

Why? I wondered. What was it about this woman that made me feel like a gawky teenager. A stage I had put behind myself a long time ago.

This is too important I realized. That was why I was nervous. If I said the wrong thing I might lose her before I ever had a chance. And with the way I felt, that could not be allowed to happen. No, I told myself. Everything must go perfectly.

When we stepped out of the house we were greeted with a brisk autumn breeze. The air was filled with the scent of pine, pumpkin spice, and a hint of approaching winter.

Sadie shivered. My heart jumped. Was she having second thoughts? Then the goosebumps on her arm let me know she was probably freezing. That dress didn’t offer a lot of protection from the elements.

“Here,” I said as I draped my sports coat over her shoulders.

She looked up at me with a thankful smile, making me feel like I had just conquered a hoard of barbarians. I swear I could have moved half a mountain at that very moment if she but asked.

.o0o.

Sadie

Of course, the man was gallant, I thought as I tugged his jacket tight around my shoulders. When he wasn’t looking, I pulled it up to take in a deep breath, savoring that delicious smell of leather and sandalwood.

The night was brisk with a hint of coming winter as we walked towards the restaurant. Why had he asked me out? He’d already had what guys wanted. Sex without demands or questions. Why hadn’t he moved on to any of the other dozen girls waiting in line?

No, don’t do that, I told myself. Just enjoy the evening. You are with a strong, handsome, intelligent, kind man. A man who was also gallant, I reminded myself. Enjoy it. I knew it wasn’t forever. Just dinner. I would deal with the sense of loss tomorrow. Tonight, I would just enjoy myself.

As we walked, my churning stomach fought with my fluttering heart. Jake smiled down at me and my very core caught fire. Oh, this was going to be a long night if he kept smiling at me that way.

When we reached the corner, he took my hand to help me across a rough patch of street. My heart jumped as I mentally checked if my hands were sweaty. Obviously, they weren’t too bad because he didn’t let go when we got to the other side.

Okay, fluttering heart was winning.

When we got to the restaurant, I reluctantly slipped off his jacket and gave it back. All the while, it felt like I was giving away a treasured possession.

He nodded his thanks as he slipped it on then pulled the door open for me. His hand gently rested on the small of my back as we stepped in. I had to close my eyes for a second as I felt the electricity from his touch travel through my entire body.

A strong aroma of garlic, fennel, and some unknown spice caught me as I stepped inside. Jake had made reservations. The hostess glanced up at him and smiled, obviously liking what she saw. I wanted to lean over and rip her eyes out. Okay, maybe I was being a little overdramatic. But that didn’t mean the thought didn’t cross my mind.

As we were seated, I sighed internally. First part done, we had gotten there. My heart was still fluttering and the smell wafting in from the kitchen made my mouth salivate. This was going to be so much better than Top-Ramen.

While we studied the menus, that awkward feeling descended over me again. How do you have a first date with a man who has been inside of you? Taken your virginity no less. How do you sit there and pretend that there wasn’t this huge issue between you?

What did he think of me? Had he been satisfied with me? Or had I been an inept amateur in bed? Questions I could never ask. Questions that would scare the crap out of him.

“So, I have a question,” Jake said as he looked over the top of his menu. Those eyes of his penetrating my very soul

Here it comes. How does a girl get to be my age and is still a virgin? He is going to attack the issue head-on. Bringing it out in the open where it could be examined in fine detail. Gritting my teeth, I nodded slightly for him to go on.

“What is your favorite book?”

“Ha,” I barked before I could stop myself. He frowned back at me, obviously wondering why his question had elicited such a funny response.

I smiled weakly, letting him know it wasn’t him as my mind shifted to a different spot in my brain.

“I’ve always liked fantasy.” Realizing how that might sound. I felt my cheeks grow warm, but Jake just nodded, waiting for more. My favorite is . It’s a fairy tale at heart but still …“

“What?”

“It’s really romantic,” I sighed, wondering what he might think of my dragon-shifter fetish? But he just smiled, taking in my words. “How about you?” I asked, desperate to turn the conversation onto him.

“Enders Game,” he said firmly. “Both most read, and favorite.”

I nodded as once again a silence fell between the two of us. It was my turn to ask a question, but I couldn’t ask the question I wanted to ask. Why had he asked me out? No, that would make me sound like a foolish school girl who couldn’t believe the great Jake Dawson had asked her out.

Instead, I copped out and asked about his favorite music. And that was how we moved the evening into a safe zone. Where neither of us would address the fact that we had already slept together.

The meal was perfect, of course, nothing about that evening would be anything less than perfect. We spent it discussing our lives, friends, school, families. I told him about the first time my dad took me to a Royal’s game in Kansas City. How he taught me to keep the scorebook and how I fell in love with baseball and all its complexities.

His eyes lit up even more. “Be careful,” he said. “If you get me talking about baseball we will never get to anything else.”

My inside’s softened, I loved how we had that in common.

Slowly we drifted into talking about the future, our dreams, our hopes. All of it perfect first date material. But, still, that question ate at the back of my mind. Why had he asked me out?

After the most perfect Crème Brule’, Jake paid the bill and escorted me to the front. Once again putting his hand on my lower back. Okay, I could get used to that feeling of specialness. When we got there, he quickly slipped out of his jacket and put it on my shoulders before even opening the door.

This time I didn’t wait until he was not looking before I pulled it up to take a deep sniff. God, my insides dissolved into a puddle. It was so Jake. So perfect.

He took my hand, as we walked home. Each step, the tension grew. What would he expect? Was I someone he just assumed would sleep with him again. After all, we already had, and this had been a pretty great date. And oh, by the way, he was Jake Dawson after all.

Was that how he looked at me? Just another girl in a long line of girls.

As we drew closer, I felt as if I was walking to the gallows. I knew that if Jake assumed we would sleep together I would be hurt. That this hadn’t been special. Of course, he was a guy, so I knew that he wanted to. Or at least I hoped he did. But it was the assumption part that bothered me.

It would mean I wasn’t special. It would mean that he didn’t feel towards me the way I felt towards him.

I know, silly girl logic. But that was what I felt deep in my stomach.

As we walked up the path to the house. I glanced up at him and realized that I was in love. Deep, no doubt about it IN LOVE.

That stomach churning, hopeful happiness that was hemmed in by doubt and worry. That silly feeling in the bottom of my soul that I had met the one man I would ever love. The one man I was meant to be with.

And yet, I had absolutely no idea how he felt about me. Oh, I’d seen the hungry look in his eyes. But that was the wolf inside of him. The male animal. No, what did he think about me? The real me.

When we got to my door of the sorority house, he stopped and turned, smiling down at me. Turning my insides to mush. Oh, who was I kidding? I wanted him to come in. I wanted to sneak him into my room and have him to make love to me all night long. I wanted to wake up sore and happy.

My own stupid self-doubt was the only thing stopping me from pulling him into my room and having my way with him, over and over. What would he think of me?

Without thinking, the question that had been eating at me all night burst free.

“Why did you ask me out?”

There I had said it. The one thing I desperately needed to know.

His brow furrowed for a moment, then he smiled and gave me a shrug. I could have killed him. The most important question of my life and he dismissed it with a silent ‘I don’t know.’

He sighed heavily then stared into my eyes. Suddenly my nervous tongue took over and I began to babble. “I mean, why? You already had what a guy wants. Why the fancy dinner. Why that fluffy stuffed wolf. Why go to all this trouble?”

Again, he shrugged. “Because,” he began. “When a man finds a girl that he might potentially fall in love with. He sort of wants to get to know her. I figured if …”

“What,” I interrupted.

He took a deep breath. “Listen, Sadie. You are special. But then you know that.”

“No, I don’t” I corrected him before I could stop myself.

Jake smiled again and slowly shook his head. “Sadie Elizabeth Winters, you are one of the most special girls I have ever met. Gorgeous, intelligent, funny, you love baseball. I mean, what more could a guy ask for. And I want us to become more than a fast hook-up. A lot more, for a long time.”

My world slammed to a quick halt. Had I heard him correctly?

But, before I could confirm anything, he bent down and took my lips with his. Shoving aside any doubt. This was the man I loved and would always love.

After a long breathless kiss, he pulled back and said, “It is important what you think about me. I don’t want you thinking I just want sex from you. I want so much more. So, I will say goodnight and hopefully, you will agree to go out with me again. Maybe next Friday?” he said with a hopeful smile.

I stood there, my arms draped around his neck and stared up into his eyes. How had this happened? How had this wonderful man come to care for me?

“Jake Dawson,” I said as I opened the door to my room, finally finding my confidence now that I know he wants me. “If you think you are leaving me alone tonight, you are insane. Get your beautiful butt in there. Be quiet and we might make it to my room without anyone knowing.”

He smiled that big boy smile of his. The one where he knows what he is going to get. The one that makes me want him immediately.

“Okay,” he said as he pulled the door open. “But only because you are too damn sexy to resist.”

My heart melted as I fell into his arms. My man, Jake Dawson was my man and always would be. A girl can’t ask for anything more.