CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JAKE
My heart hammered against my ribcage as Gabriel, and I exited the haunted house together.
After the go-carts, and excelling at arcade games, I was feeling adventurous.
What was a cheesy haunted house? Besides people with makeup and masks, the attraction wasn’t all that spooky.
It was just the jump scares and darkness that had hit my triggers.
“Are you okay?” Gabriel inquired, looking both concerned and amused.
“The next time I have an idea like that, please talk me out of it.” I stopped for a moment to catch my breath, my head swimming. A scream sounded and a large group of kids came barreling out of the haunted house, nearly trampling us.
“Here,” he said, taking my hand. “Let’s find a quiet place and unwind.”
The touch was electrifying, both comforting and scary. I didn’t know how to feel about being safe with this man. If something hideous jumped out of the shadows, I had no doubt he would fight it for me.
I let him be my guide to a quiet corner behind the building. “I’m sorry. I should have known better.”
“It’s okay,” he murmured, pushing me against the brick. He pressed his thumb against my wrist. “Just breathe. In and out. Four seconds in, four seconds out.”
I nodded and did as directed, the wall anchoring me. I hated the jumpy feeling in my heart. Luckily, the precursor to a panic attack eased and my body calmed. “I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing,” he said and touched my shoulder.
A little smile played on my lips. “At least I can say that I’ve visited a haunted house now.”
He didn’t say anything, just ran his warm palm up and down my shoulder. The sensation was comforting and with the day growing late, the chill had tightened its grip. I looked at him, noting the worry and maybe a bit of curiosity.
“I have a lot of issues,” I said in an effort to sum up the existence of my shitty life. “But I’m okay. I just needed a few minutes. For future reference, if I do have a panic attack, don’t call an ambulance. I just need to work through it.”
“There is a story behind this, isn’t there?” He inquired. He moved closer and caged me in with his big body. He exuded nothing but caring strength and warmth, the kind I wanted to wrap myself in like a freshly dried towel.
I rubbed my face as the rush of adrenaline receded, leaving me tired. “I freaked out in a farmer’s market once. Caused a scene. It was embarrassing. Even worse, I encountered an astronomical hospital bill. But enough about that. I’ll be okay. I hope you had fun.”
“Are you kidding? Getting my ass kicked at everything today has been surprisingly arousing,” he said, a naughty glint entering his eyes. “Come on, let’s get back to the car. I’m hungry.”
“But our tickets. We didn’t get to pick a prize.”
“Let’s hold onto them for now. We can come back another time.”
As we made our way to his car, I said, “You realize we will end up paying $100 for a $10 teddy bear?”
“Yeah, but it’s the fun that counts.” He disarmed the alarm and opened the door for me. “Go on and admit it. You had fun kicking my ass.”
A rush of warmth raced through me, and I chuckled uneasily. It was rather amusing this gorgeous and confident guy sucked at arcade games. “I had fun. Period.”
He rushed around the car and hopped in. “Okay, King of Skee-Ball and demolisher of coin-pushers, what do you have the taste for?”
I wasn’t feeling all that hot, but I couldn’t help grinning. He had a way of making me smile. “You pick.”
“Hm,” he murmured and dug his phone out. “I’m not too familiar with the area, but I’m sure there is a decent family restaurant around here somewhere.”
Ten minutes later he pulled us into the parking lot of The View. As we got out of the car, the world swirled for a moment, but he was right by my side. The hostess showed us to a corner booth, and we took up our menus.
“I don’t think I want to eat too much,” I said as I surveyed their salad selection.
“Just eat a little bit and take the rest home,” he suggested.
“The Caesar salad looks good.”
“I think I’m going to go with the summer salad plate.”
The simple chit-chat was weird to me. Besides Maria and the kids, I didn’t partake in conversation much. Certainly not about weather or food choices or how the Chicago Bears might be doing this year. Not that I followed sports at all. It was nice and it made me feel normal.
Feeling a bit better, I said, “An excellent choice, sir.”
The grin on his face was beautiful. He put his menu down and ran his eyes all over me. “Doing okay?”
“Yeah. I’m a little jumpy, but I’ll be okay.”
“Good,” he said, his gaze growing distant. “I want to do something for you after dinner. Will you let me?”
I searched his expression for any hint of wicked intent, but he looked serious. “Maybe.”
“I want you to trust me,” he said, sliding his hand across the table to take mine. “My intentions are pure, I promise.”
He had been nothing but nice and honest with me from the get-go. I didn’t see any reason why I couldn’t trust him. Biting my lip, I looked around for a moment to make sure no one was within earshot then leaned in. “I’m not good with trust, either.”
“I guessed that. I need just a little tonight, okay? Please? I really want to do this,” he said, his gaze glittering in the overhead lights.
The illumination highlighted all the curves of his perfect bone structure like a golden light from heaven.
I still wondered how it was possible I was—dare I say it?
—dating this God. He'd asked for a little trust. I could do that.
Besides, like my therapist had said, not everyone was out to betray me.
The best way to learn to trust someone was by doing just that.
My breath came to me in a ragged pull, and I nodded.
He smiled and released my hand then winked. “I promise, you won’t regret this.”
Our light dinner of salads was peaceful, and we talked about returning to Haunted Trails at a later date.
He insisted he needed time to practice Skee-Ball on his own in order to prepare for a rematch.
It was damned adorable he was a sore loser about it.
By the time we left the restaurant it was dark.
Time flies when you’re having fun, doesn't it? And I’d had much-needed fun with him.
He steered us toward downtown on I-55 and I couldn’t help thinking about what he wanted to do.
The first thing that popped into my head was a blowjob.
As nice as that sounded, with my near panic attack, I didn’t think I could get it up.
I was desperate to have sexual contact with him and was scared he might get bored with the sloth’s pace I needed.
The skyscrapers were lit up this evening, one of the buildings displaying a giant pumpkin for the holiday.
A deep chill had settled in, the temperatures plunging.
It was the perfect night to spend with someone, I thought.
Glancing at him, I surveyed his profile, from his hair that had gotten messy, to the elegant curve of his nose and fullness of his lips.
Maybe I just needed him to take control and lead.
I knew I’d never be able to say no if he got me naked.
As we penetrated the city, I inquired, “Are you taking me to your place?”
“Yes.” The response was to-the-point. His focus on the road, he reached over and took my hand, his thumb gliding softly along my skin.
I took a shaky breath and watched as the skyscrapers rose to swallow us.
We pulled into an underground parking lot in a more ritzy area of the north side.
The spaces were all filled with BMWs, and a few foreign vehicles.
I vaguely wished I had a car. Hell, it would be nice to just have a driver’s license.
“We’re here,” he announced, a little smile curled on his lips.
He guided me toward a door with a gentle touch and we entered the building.
“Doc!” A security guard shouted from a desk.
Gabriel raced up to him, and they butted fists. “I heard your boy sacked the quarterback on the last play.”
“Oh, man. You should have seen it. I’m not a cryin’ man, but that kid brings me tears of joy,” the security guard said.
I watched as the two yucked it up and looked at photos on the security guard’s phone.
Situations like these always made me uncomfortable.
I feared coming off as disinterested in talking to people when in reality, I just didn’t know what to say.
I thought about the way I’d finally made contact with Gabriel.
The idea of someday sharing my inept conversation abilities with friends or family was a nice fantasy.
“Jake?” Gabriel prompted. “This is Arnold. I treat his family. I’ve been working on his son, who has a good shot at going pro.”
The security guard smiled. “This man is a magician. Ask my wife.”
“Oh,” I murmured, hating myself. Say something else, you dolt. I knew I should compliment the man’s son, but the right words wouldn’t come.
Gabriel was right on it, explaining the entire situation. All I could do was nod and do my best to look interested.
“I’ll see him next Sunday?” He said and made a move to leave. “I promise to make one of his games.”
“Be careful. He will hold you to that.”
He was all smiles as he put his arm around my shoulders and led me into the elevator. “Arnold is a great guy. His family is awesome. I sure hope his kid makes it into the NFL because that boy can knock bodies around like nobody’s business.”
I nodded and said, “Sorry. I don’t know football.”
The elevator dinged and I followed him into the hall.
He said something else about the sport and opened the door for me.
The moment I entered the condo, I was hit with a blast of rich air.
I swore I could smell the money. The place was roomy with an open-concept that made it seem bigger than it probably was.
“Wow,” I murmured.