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“Hi to you, too. You look amazing,” he beamed. Leaning in casually, he brushed his lips against my cheek. I knew the graze from his beard would most likely leave redness in its wake, but I didn’t care. It was a sting of scratchy satisfaction. Apparently, he was full of contradictions tonight.
“I imagine you clean up well in formalwear, but you sort of wear the shit out of jeans and a tee. I mean, all other shirts don’t stand a chance.” I was smooth. At least I didn’t physically peer around to his ass and assess that as well.
There would be time to do that later.
Jake chortled at my appraisal. “Thanks.” His head dipped ever so slightly and the chestnut of his eyes became almost fully concealed as he glanced at his toes.
“Woah. Did my comment make you shy?” I bleated like one of those fainting goats. His eyes met mine; the tiniest of lines appeared around the outer edges, softening his expression. “You have women—and men—fawning after you and you don’t bat an eye, but my super smooth line made you shy?”
“I don’t bat an eye at the others because they don’t mean anything to me. But you…do.” His confession was modest in nature but no less meaningful.
“Oh.” I didn’t know what to say exactly. I cared for him also, something I knew he was aware of. But I also didn’t want to voice that sentiment in fear of sounding like I was merely parroting him.
Jake shifted his weight, stirring the thick air between us. “So, I was thinking we could head out,” he suggested, effectively changing the subject.
“Sounds great; do I need a light sweater or anything? Different shoes?” I flirted, pirouetting my toe in his direction. My platform sandals were super comfy, but if we were planning on hiking to another ruin, I’d definitely need to change.
“Nope. You’re perfect.” He could have used any number of phrases like ‘you’re clothing is perfect’ or ‘what you’re wearing is fine’, but like his texting, Jake was deliberate in his word choice.
Smiling, I chose to let his compliment sink in. It was nice to hear and it felt like when the sun warmed you slowly; you didn’t appreciate it until you felt its full effect.
Silently high-fiving myself, I kept a few steps back as we left the room in order to assess his jeans. Yep. They sat snugly on his hips, as if they were made specifically for his tapered waist. Who knows? They might have been.
“Where are we going?” I inquired before it became obvious that I was ogling him. I liked Jake. I didn’t want him to feel objectified even though I could easily stare at him for hours. Make thatdays.
Now that we were side by side, an easy grin slid across his face. “Somewhere a little unconventional. I hope that’s ok?” Amusement and mystery laced his tone.
“As long as it’s not a dumpster that has a wood chipper conveniently next to it, I’m down for whatever,” I joked.
“Are you saying I look like Steve Buscemi? Because if you are, ouch. I mean, the guy is as nice as they come, but…”
Of course, Jake would know him. I wondered how many other famous people he knew and had worked with. Did he host BBQ’s at his house filled with nothing but celebrities and other A-list people? It didn’t seem like his style.
“You definitely do not look like him,” I replied. “A girl just has to be cautious these days. Too many Tinder dates gone wrong. That’s why I absolutely prefer to meet people organically. Nothing forced. And no offense to anyone who’s on those sites, they’re just not for me,” I explained.
“That’s fair,” he agreed, rounding the corner and holding the door to the stairwell open. “I don’t get a lot of opportunities to meet people. I’m either on set over half the day and when I have down time, Liam is always sort of around.” An empty chuckle escaped him, echoing in our concrete surroundings. “Now that I say that out loud, it sounds rather pathetic.”
It didn’t sound pathetic; more like he was a workaholic. “Stairs were a good choice,” I huffed. “There was some Ben and Jerry’s I needed to burn off.” The cork soles of my platforms slapped each step and I wondered if I could be heard a mile away.
Jake slowed down marginally, though he wasn’t winded in the slightest. In fact, he was breathing and talking like those absurdly annoying people you see on a treadmill that are able to carry on a conversation without gasping for air like a fish out of water.Superhero, indeed.
Finally, we reached the top floor.
“How interesting…another hotel floor.” I was thoroughly wheezing and as much as I wanted to conceal the fact that Ben and Jerry won this round, I needed oxygen more.
“Do you need to take a break; it’s just up here where we’re going.” He was honestly concerned. Under other circumstances it would have been endearing, but now? I sort of wanted to retreat into my own skin until my heart rate returned to something remotely normal.
I did pause, placing my sweaty palms on my knees while bending over halfway at the waist. Jake stood close to me—so close that I could smell that he had showered very recently.
The combination of sweet and clean filled my nose and within seconds I was able to breathe a little slower. I don’t know if it was the soap he used or if it was cologne, but I pictured him as the poster model for some expensiveeau de toilettead.
“I’m good!” I exclaimed, resuming a normal standing position. “Phew, that last flight was a doozy…” I went down a few notches in the maturity scale and questioned, “So, where to, Magellan?” I told you it would be premature to call me Bill Shakespeare.
He gestured to the end of the hallway. It wasn’t a long walk, but he kept his hand at my lower back the entire time. My romper was a thin synthetic fabric and the absence of heat was immediate when he let go to push open the door.
“Rooftop access?” I questioned. Jake was looking around all while holding the door open. “What are you looking for?”
“There’s usually a cinder block of some sort near the door to keep it ajar,” he explained.
