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“Goodbye, Messa.”
“Bye. Love ya!”
“Love ya too. Even though you’re a pain in my ass,” he added for good measure.
“I try.”
With a puff of a laugh and a grin, he disconnected the call.
Chapter Thirteen
Laurel started to lift the axe over her head, but didn’t expect it to be so heavy. Not in an I-can’t-lift-it sort of way, but rather a who-knew-stupid-axes-weighed-so-much kind of way. Regardless, it caught her by surprise and slipped from her grasp.
“Whoa, hey!” Jake materialized behind her and pulled her back against him. “Shit! You almost cut your foot off!”
She looked at the axe embedded in the dirt… right next to where her tennis shoe imprints were. Only then did she realize how close it’d come. She shuddered, triggering Jake to tighten his hold. The heat from his body warmed her back, messing with her senses. She looked down to where his arms encircled her. Because of their height difference, they were pressed against the underside of her breasts. She drew a shallow breath as a shiver of awareness tripped through her.
“Are you okay?” he asked, turning her around to face him.
She nodded, but apparently he was waiting for a verbal response.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she assured him. “Clumsy, but fine.”
“Good.” A mischievous grin spread across his face. “The ‘fine’ part, not the ‘clumsy’ part. You’re short enough with both feetintact. How the hell would I be able to kiss you if you were any shorter?”
“Hey!” She pushed him away, fighting back the smile threatening to emerge. “That was uncalled for.”
“You’re right. It’s true, but you’re right.” He drew her back in and stole a kiss. “Thank God,” he breathed when their lips parted. “Still tall enough to reach.”
She couldn’t stop a laugh. “Go away.”
“Not gonna happen as long as you’re here.”
She opened her mouth to say something, then realized she had absolutely no clue what. How did this man always manage to shuffle her focus?
“Wanna call it?” he asked.
“What?”
He nodded toward the axe stuck in the dirt. “The axe throwing. Spare yourself an ambulance ride.”
“Wow, you really went there,” she said, trying her best to look offended and probably failing miserably. “In answer to your question, no. I’m not going anywhere until I do this stupid thing.”
“Ringing endorsement, right there.”
She laughed. She’d nearly cut her foot off, but she was having fun. And she wasn’t as nervous around him as she’d been at dinner. Of course, the few short phone conversations they’d had setting up this outing helped, but it was his easy-going nature that made her feel comfortable enough to be herself.
“At least, let me show you how it’s done,” he said. “It’s my day off. I’d rather not see Randy if I don’t have to.”
Randy. Why did that name sound familiar? “One of the guys you were with at Hannah’s?”
“You actually remember Hannah’s?” he teased. “I’m impressed.”
“I wasn’t that drunk,” she countered.
Um, yeah, I was.
Jake raised his eyebrows, but thankfully didn’t comment on her supposed sobriety. “Yes, that Randy. He’s one of the paramedics at the station.”
