“It was a total surprise to see you there, though,” he said. “I mean, I didn’t even want to come in the first place, but I got talked into it. I can't believe I almost missed out on meeting you again.”
We were both on our second bottle of beer. Jake was leaning against the table with an easy smile. I was feeling a bit warm myself, but I took another sip of my beer. I didn’t drink often, but I was not a lightweight.
Maybe no more after this, though, since I’ll be going back home.
Then, I had a stray thought. If I’ll be going home…
Immediately, I felt my face warm up even more, and I pushed that thought aside. My wild days were already over, so what the heck was I thinking!
Though maybe that was just Jake being as hot as always.
“I was surprised to see you, too,” I said, pushing back a lock of hair that was brushing my cheek. “I didn’t even ask your surname, so I didn’t imagine I’d see you when news of Richard Black showing up with his son started floating around the school.”
He grinned. “Well, I’m glad we were both there. I always wanted to try and find you after the Vegas.”
“You were the one who left while I was asleep,” I accused.
His smile dimmed a little. “I got a text from my brother, he and his friends had left already so I thought it would be time to go back, too. Dad would get mad if I stayed so long after he got back early.” Then, he smirked. “Besides, you looked so peaceful lying there, I didn’t want to bother your sleep, so I left you alone.”
I touched my flaming cheek, and mock scowled at him. “It would have been nice to say goodbye in person, though. But, I did love the note.”
We finished our drinks, and I decided against ordering a third bottle.
I’d wanted this chance because I had things to talk to him about, but I couldn’t bring any of it up. I didn’t know if it was the memories from our time together resurfacing or what or the drinks, but my body was slowly heating up as I sat across from him.
Also, I wasn’t sure, but I thought he was flirting with me.
“So,” he asked, as he finished his third bottle. “Your place or mine.”
I was startled, my eyes widening.
“That was blunt,” I muttered.
He arched an eyebrow. “You don’t want to?”
I couldn’t honestly say I didn’t. I was thinking about it, and he must have noticed me checking him out with how closely he was watching me. He’d taken off his coat and loosened up his tie to undo the top buttons of his shirt, then taken off his cufflinks to fold back the sleeves of his shirt. The shirt was thin and well-fitted, so every time he moved, my eyes would be drawn to the shifting muscles underneath his shirt.
I could only vaguely remember what he looked like beneath those clothes, but it wasn’t hard to imagine. My mouth watered and I swallowed.
“My place is a total mess,” I said in a breathy whisper.
That was a total lie. I commuted every day from home to school and back because I couldn’t move into the dorms with my kid, and I couldn’t leave him alone for my parents to raise, either.
He reached across the table to take one of my hands. I was holding tightly onto my bottle, feeling my body start to ache in intimate places as I thought of what we would be doing behind closed doors. Or just anywhere we could get some privacy. He took my hand in his and squeezed it tightly.
“I do have to wonder why you’re still in college, though,” he murmured. “You were twenty one when I met you, so you should have graduated by now, right?”
My breath hitched in my throat. His voice sounded genuinely confused, but his eyes were full of heat. The table was small, and he brought my hand over to his side, lifting it to press his lips to the back of my hand.
I swallowed again and managed a reply.
“I had a bit of a scare that time, so I…wasn’t in my right mind when I ran off to Vegas on my own. I didn’t even tell anyone.”
He nibbled lightly on my knuckles, and I gasped. I crossed my legs and fidgeted.
“I was feeling unwell, and my doctor thought it was cancer, but it was a misdiagnosis. So I….was being a little reckless while I was there because I thought it was my last chance. And then I met you.”
The heat in his eyes gentled a little as he kissed my fingers, and squeezed them.