Page 12 of Golden Knight

Before she can answer, I crash my lips to hers. Her mouth opens instantly and she kisses me back with full force. I dip my tongue into her mouth and stroke hers with mine. I grip her ass and pull her even closer to me.

She pushes me away, but not far enough away. I can see her replaying our kiss in her mind because her hand goes to her swollen lips, tracing them. Then she whispers, “Jake. We can’t.”

“Yes, we can. Just have dinner. I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow.”

With those words, I take a step toward her, lean down, and give her a chaste kiss on her lips. “You have my number, sunshine, make sure you use it.”

Then I give her a wink and head toward the door. Before I close it, I turn to look back at her over my shoulder. “See you tomorrow.”

Chapter eight

Amber

I wake the next morning from the best dream ever. I dreamed of Jake lying in my bed with me holding me throughout the night. On occasion, I’ve gotten myself off while thinking about him, but I mostly think about the love and loyalty he gave when we were kids. I was always left behind while my parents were off building the restaurant of their dreams. Jake always made sure that I was never alone. He entertained me, fed me, and overall made sure I was taken care of.

I know that I should be more concerned that he was able to find me. You never know who you need to be wary of; anyone can stab you in the back. The fact that Jake knows where I am could be bad for me, and I won’t go back. I escaped and I want to keep living my life on my terms.

But there are moments when all I can think about is the way he kissed me. That kiss almost brought me to my knees. I want so badly to believe that he can keep me safe.

I feel giddy about dinner with him tonight, but I’m still cautious. I knew him as a kid. We were both kids. Is he still the same? Or has life changed him too?

My hands start to shake with nerves. Maybe I should just text him and cancel. But the conversation I had with Paul in my office comes back to me. “You’ve been waiting for him for so long. I remember how much you used to talk about him when you first came to the house. Remember, he’s not the bad guy. You deserve to be happy.”

If I feel this excited about the date and the man himself, then I probably owe it to myself to follow through. The last time I felt excited about someone, it just so happened to be the same man. Jake. It’s always been Jake.

After I was taken from my family, I never thought I would ever feel anything again. The whole time the Wolves had me, I felt numb. Occasionally I would feel a spark of happiness when Paul would crack a joke or tell me a story from his past, but for the most part, I spent my days sad, lonely, and scared. I’m broken now. Unable to trust or give or want. I feel things deep in me for Jake, but I don’t know if I’m capable of being happy.

It’s not like men haven’t hit on me or asked me out before, but I’ve never wanted anything from any of those men. The men of the Wolves took what they wanted from me whether I wanted it or not, and I closed off a part of myself…a part I may never be able to open up. I know that I’m not like other women, but I want to feel ‘normal.’ Let’s just hope it doesn’t turn Jake off.

I let out a sigh. If I keep thinking about the past, I might dive head-first into a vat of depression. What I need is to get out of here and get my mind off things. Maybe I can convince Ella to go shopping with me so I can get a new outfit for tonight.

Me: Hey, I’m going to go shopping today. You want to join?

Ella: Yes! I’ll meet you at noon at the coffee shop near The Tower.

Me: Sounds great. We can get a coffee before we go shopping.

Now that I have plans before dinner to keep me busy, I quickly jump out of bed to get ready. I look at myself in the mirror and I can’t help but smile. My life has been looking up for the past few years. I have a few friends, a job, and now Jake. I have to try. The Wolves took enough from me. No one is taking anymore. No matter who they are.

***

Walking up to the coffee shop, the back of my neck tingles. My body stiffens. I slowly turn around to see if I can see anyone watching me but I don’t see anyone. “You're just imagining things,” I mutter to myself.

My excitement returns when I see Ella standing in front of the coffee shop with drinks in her hand. I shorten the distance between us quickly, “Hey, Ella.”

She looks up at me and smiles, “Hey. I grabbed us some coffee so we can start shopping right away.” She says with a smile as she passes my drink to me.

I take a big gulp of my vanilla iced coffee. “Mmm…thanks. It’s perfect.”

She has a twinkle in her eye when she links her elbow to mine. “Now that we have our caffeine, it’s time to shop. Are we shopping for something special?” she says playfully.

I’ve never really confided anything in a friend other than Jake and then Paul. I don’t have the same experience with friends as others might. I know I can trust Ella for the most part. She’s been there for me without any judgment. She knows a little about my past but not enough to endanger her. I worry about her knowing more about my past and walking away from our friendship. Or worse, getting hurt because of me. And that would crush me.

“Do you remember when I told you that someone from my past came to see me?”

She nods her head while we walk down the street, window-shopping as we go.

“He showed up to my apartment and told me he was taking me to dinner. At first, I wasn’t so sure, but then I decided to take the plunge.”

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