Chapter 11 #2
Shoving her wayward thoughts over the proverbial cliff, she concentrated on her breathing. Their footsteps were in sync, though she wasn’t sure when it had happened. The fast pace didn’t seem to make him break a sweat, while she was panting with exertion.
Her legs were going to hurt later. She needed a soak in the bath to loosen up her muscles tonight.
Maybe I could stop at the store and get some bath bombs.
Buoyed by her plans, she practically bounced the rest of the way.
A question rested on the tip of her tongue as they were taking the last leg down the trail. She glanced at Jake, who was fiddling with his phone.
Texting someone, by the looks of it.
A surge of white-hot jealousy shot through her at the thought of him texting another woman while she was with him.
The audacity! Isn’t it rude to text another woman when he’s with someone else?
Until this moment, Gia had assumed he was single.
But what if he isn’t? Does he have an out-of-town girlfriend or something?
With how small Willowbrook was, she would have heard about Jake having a girlfriend by now.
Why do I care if Jake has a girlfriend?
She didn’t care. Not really. It wasn’t like she had a claim on Jake or anything. Their past was solidly in the past, and there was no way she was going to pursue anything with him.
“Wanna tell me what’s got you all hot and bothered?”
Stopping in her tracks, she whirled to face Jake.
“I am not hot and bothered,” she denied. The lie tasted like ash on her tongue.
“Sure thing, princess.”
“Don’t call me princess.”
“Okay, cupcake.”
“Cupcake? Seriously?”
“Cookie?”
“No.”
“Pookie?”
“I will kill you.”
“At least you’ll be the last thing I see before I die.”
Huffing out an irritated laugh, she shook her head at him.
“You’re a piece of work, you know that?” she began, tone dry, unlike her panties.
“I’ve been told that a time or two.”
She nodded in agreement.
“Look, thank you for the umbrella, but I need to get going.”
Before he could answer her, Gia took off toward her car. If he followed her, she couldn’t tell.
By the time she reached the car, she caught sight of Jake as he emerged from the trail. She clambered into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Instead of taking off immediately, she made eye contact with Jake as he stood in the path. There were no other cars in the parking lot.
Did he walk here?
Pursing her lips, she huffed an annoyed breath before starting the engine and driving over to the lone man. Rolling down the passenger-side window, she gestured for him to get inside.
“Get in, loser. We’re going shopping.”
Jake smiled at her reference and closed his umbrella, shaking it out before climbing into the passenger seat.
She shook her head at the turn of events.
“I don’t want to hear another word from you.”
“My lips are sealed.”
She rolled her eyes at his response before pulling out of the parking lot, only to realize she didn’t know where he lived anymore.
Glancing over at her passenger, she raised her brows as if to say, “Well, where to?”
Jake mimed zipping his lips and tossing the key out the window.
She growled in irritation at him. Jake leaned his head back and laughed.
It hadn’t been the response she’d expected from him.
His face transformed as he laughed. She stared at him in fascination.
For a moment, she saw glimpses of the Jake she once knew.
It warmed her heart to see he hadn’t changed too much, other than growing out of his youthful face.
One thing remained the same—his laughter still enthralled her. Still made her ache with a need she’d only found relief from once.
She studied his profile, from his dark blond hair, which needed a haircut, and down the slope of his upturned nose, before landing on his full lips parted in a wide grin.
His perfect teeth seemed to glow against the dimness of the car.
She watched as the prominent bulge of his Adam’s apple bounced with his laughter.
As handsome as Jake was, his booming laugh made her feel something. She could never quite figure out what that something was, but it made the butterflies in her belly swarm and flutter round and round. It was a disconcerting sensation. One she hadn’t felt in over a decade.
His laughter was deep, as if it had been pulled from the depths of his abdomen and traveled up his throat to be released by his sinful mouth. It made her feel lucky to cause him delight. Like she was the luckiest person in the world. A warm and tingly sensation made her squirm uncomfortably.
Yanking her gaze away from the confusing enigma of a man seated next to her, Gia drove the car back onto the main road. It was empty this way. No doubt most of the townspeople were busy at work.
“You’re going the wrong way.” Gia jumped in her seat at Jake’s raspy words.
“What?” She glanced over at him, only to see he had been studying her. The warmth of a blush heated her skin in embarrassment.
“You’re going the wrong way,” Jake repeated calmly.
“I knew that,” she retorted and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her immature response. It seemed she reverted to the teenage version of herself around Jake.
A bend in the road was approaching, so she slowed down and pulled over to the side, looking for any approaching cars before turning the car in a U-turn.
“See. Easy fix,” Gia stated proudly, as if it had been her intention all along. At Jake’s answering chuckle, her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.
The radio was turned down low to the local radio station playing the top-requested hits of the hour. The air felt warm and humid from the rain. As she reached a hand to turn on the air in the car, her fingers encountered Jake’s. She recoiled at his touch.
She glared at his audacity in touching the controllers in the car, as if he owned the vehicle. When the air kicked on, she breathed a sigh of relief. The cool air licked across her heated skin. Grateful for the reprieve, she relaxed back into the driver’s seat.
“You’re welcome.”
And just like that, her anger returned at his playful tone.
God, he is insufferable.
Keeping her gaze focused on the winding road in front of her as they headed back into the heart of Willowbrook, Gia wondered, not for the first time, how Jake had gotten up here without a car.
“How did you get up here, anyway?” Her curiosity got the better of her.
“I drove here.” His flippant answer made her want to scratch his eyes out.
What the hell is he talking about? “There were no other cars in the parking lot.”