Jake (Demented Souls #16)

6

“A mistake,” Heather repeated, still not looking at him. “But what about you? What brought you up here? You always swore you’d never go where it snowed.” She hoped he’d let her move the subject of their talk to him. She didn’t want to elaborate on her mistake.

She might eventually have to tell him, depending on how things went, but not now, and not here, where anyone might overhear what she felt was one of the biggest mistakes of her life. She hadn’t lied to him about that. Mitch had been a mistake. Now she wished she could forget him, but that was impossible, at least until she was sure that neither he, nor any of his buddies, and she used that term loosely, were looking for her. Until she was certain she didn’t have that chasing her, she had to be careful what she did and who she trusted, though Heather was ninety eight percent sure that Aaron had nothing to do with that group, what if she was wrong?

“After a few years of incredible heat, the snow looked a lot better. Then my president had to come and spend a year up here, so I came to support him. I got up here last fall, and found I really liked it, despite the cold and the snow. They weren’t as bad as I’d anticipated.” He lifted one shoulder and let it drop.

“Lurch had to spend a year up here?” she asked, she’d me the man, and his woman, earlier.

“No, it was Tuck. Tuck’s the president of the Tucson chapter, our original chapter. Tucson is where I’ve been for the last few years. He had to come north and once he was here, they decided to start a new chapter. Lurch is the president of this chapter, the Gillette Chapter.”

“And since Tuck is your president, you’re going back to Tucson when he does. When is that?” She couldn’t help the pang of disappointment that shot through her as she discovered that he wouldn’t be around much longer. Somewhere deep inside she’d been hoping now that she knew he was in the area, she might get to see him again, reconnect, and hopefully this time in a deeper manner than they’d ever connected in the past.

“Tuck’s going back next week, it’s why we’ve got so many men here, it’s some from Tucson and all of Gillette’s chapter. They came up to have a little fun, then escort him home.”

He didn’t answer what she thought was the most important part. How long did she have until he left too?

“And you’ll leave with him, or are you going back separate?”

He turned and gave her what, on anyone else, she would have called a flirtatious smile. But he couldn’t be flirting with her, could he?

“I’m not going back, at least not to stay. I’m sure I’ll go back for a while, maybe over the winter when there’s not so much to be done here. I have some business down there I’ll need to take care of, but it can wait.”

Heather’s head whipped around to stare at him for several seconds. She could only stand there, watching him as her mount refused to follow directions and say the words she was thinking. Finally, after what seemed like an eon, she managed to get the words out.

“You’re not leaving?”

He watched her, the corner of his eyes crinkling slightly as a slow smile spread across his face. “Not planning to. I’ve decided I like it up here. Plus, I recently found this girl I’d like to see more of.” He paused.

Heather held her breath while she waited for him to say it. Was he thinking the same thing as she had been?

“So, do you want to see me again? Can I talk you into letting me come up to Dickenson and taking you out some time?”

Heather’s heart seemed to flutter in her chest and for a moment the world began to spin, then she remembered to breathe.

“Shit, are you all right?” Aaron asked.

She nodded, then spoke. “I’m okay, just not the brightest sometimes.” She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’d love to go out with you.” She wondered, not for the first time, what any man saw in someone as scattered and ditzy as she was.

“I’m glad to hear that, but now I’m worried about you.” He looked around then led her to a nearby bench. “Here sit down for a minute. Are you really sure you’re okay?”

“I’m sure. I’m just an idiot.” She stared down at her hands as her face heated.

A finger under her chin gently lifted her face until she looked him in the eye.

“Hey, don’t talk about yourself like that.”

“But it’s true.”

“It may have been a long time since I’ve seen you last, but I know better than that. You’re smart. You’re witty and at times, you’re funny as hell. We all have moments of doing stupid things, but I can’t say I’ve seen you do anything like that, not since I found you again.” His voice was soft, gentle in a way she wasn’t sure she’d heard from a man, or at least one she wasn’t related to, in far too long. “So tell me what happened.”

Heather let her eyes drop, it was hard looking someone in the eye while you admitted to something like this. You never knew how they would react. Would he laugh? Would he think she was dumb? Worse, would he be pissed for some reason. She was too close to get away before he had a chance to hit her if it pissed him off. She moistened her lips then let it out. “I forgot to breathe.”

He didn’t move or say anything for long enough, she looked up at his face to gauge his reaction. There was a light in his eye that hadn’t been there before.

“Are you telling me I take your breath away?”

Heather couldn’t help but giggle at the thought. She hadn’t thought if it that way.

“Well, that’s not how I would have put it, but you’re not wrong.”

“There. That’s better.” His voice was still gentle, but he seemed… satisfied somehow.

“What’s better?”

“Seeing laughter in your eyes. I like it a lot more than the anxiety or the fear. Fear’s the worst. I hate seeing any woman afraid, but seeing it on your face is worse. It rips me apart.” His eyes were gentle as his hand slid to one side to cup her jaw. “It makes me want to find whoever hurt you and teach them a lesson. They need to know how to treat a woman, but at the same time, whatever they did sent you here. Back into my life and I can’t be too mad about that.” One corner of his mouth lifted in a wry smile. “Talk about twisted logic, huh?” He watched her for a moment longer, then spoke again. “Better now?”

She frowned. “When did you see me afraid?” She didn’t think she’d felt the usual fear since she’d run into him again, at least not that she could recall.

“When I spoke your name in the museum. Terror flashed across your face. It wasn’t there for long, and gone as soon as you realized who I was, but I didn’t miss it.”

Heather stared at him for a moment as she thought back to the encounter less than two hours before. She remembered the way her entire body had flashed cold, then hot before she’d looked up and seen him. Had she let it show on her face? Why wouldn’t she have? Up until the last few weeks, she’d never had a reason to keep what she was feeling off her face. Even now she wondered what was on her face and what he saw.

“I’m glad it was you.” She forced herself to smile as she met his gaze. She hoped how happy she was to see him, and that he was interested enough to ask her out showed on her face. She didn’t know if she could come out and say it, but he should know. She just didn’t know how to make sure he did.