Page 21 of Something that Could Last

Jacob's eyes darken and he watches me with a look of hunger, but not for food, I suspect. He shakes himself from his thoughts and skewers a piece of his steak before handing me his fork. “Here, try this.” I take his offering and bite into the juiciest, most tender piece of steak I’ve ever eaten.

“That's incredible,” I affirm, savoring the filet. “Here, try the scallops.” I push a couple onto his plate for him to sample.

“Those are delicious,” he praises after trying them. “That's what I'm getting next time.” My pulse quickens and my heart flutters at the thought of a next time. “We'll have to come during the day so we can eat out on the deck that overlooks the river. I hear the view is spectacular.” The prospect makes me giddy with excitement.

We enjoy the rest of dinner in relative silence after that, only making small talk here and there. I'm working on my third glass of wine when they clear our plates and bring the dessert menu. I'm not sure I can eat another bite, but I agree to share a slice of turtle cheesecake with Jacob. Unfortunately, we’re subjected to watching Tiff and Luke feed each other crème brulee. Yuck.

Once our desserts are finished and we decline ordering anything else, the waiter brings our checks. Once again, I’m overcome with anxiety because I know Jacob's portion alone must be well over one hundred dollars. But he hands over his card without a second glance and signs the receipt when the waiter returns.

Jacob, unaware of my inner turmoil regarding our bill, grabs my hand and pulls me close, speaking into my ear. “Come with me. I want to show you something.” He hands Luke his keys and asks him to get the car before leading me out onto the deck. There are a few other people outside, mostly men smoking cigars and drinking brown liquid from snifters at the small outdoor bar. We walk over to the far side, away from everyone else.

“Look,” Jacob instructs, pointing out in front of us. The pink and orange hues of the fading sun sinking over the horizon dance across the surface of the New River, the deep blue of the night sky snuffing out the last rays of light. Soon, it will be illuminated by a million distant stars. It is absolutely breathtaking.

“It's beautiful.” I admire the view as I lean against the railing.

Jacob wraps his arms around my waist from behind. “Not nearly as beautiful as you,” he whispers in my ear, his hot breath causing goosebumps to rise on my arms. “I want to bring you back and show you this place in the daylight. Would you like to come here again? With me?”

“Of course. I'd love to,” I answer without even thinking. I feel him smile against my neck. He places a kiss on my shoulder and turns me around to face him.

“We better get going. I'm afraid to leave those two unattended with my car.” “You should be.” He laughs at my quick response and grabs my hand, guiding me back to the entrance.

We make it out the front door just as the valet is handing the keys back to Luke. He tosses them to Jacob and slides into the back seat. Jacob opens the door for me and I climb in. As we take off out of the parking lot, Tiff leans forward and asks, “Where to now?”

“I was thinking maybe you guys could come back to our cabin and hang out with us for a bit,” Luke answers. “We have a hot tub,” he adds to make the offer more enticing.

Before I can open my mouth to object, Tiff chimes in. “That sounds like a great idea! Doesn't that sound like fun, Abby?”

Gee, thanks for putting me on the spot,bestie. “Well, uh...” I hesitate. “It sounds like fun, but, umm...” I try to think of a good reason not to go. It's not that I'm opposed to being in a hot tub with Jacob, but I feel like things are moving a little too fast, and I don’t wanna give him the wrong idea. Call me old fashioned, but I’m not the kind of girl who puts out on the first date. Going home with him might lead him to believe otherwise.

I can feel Luke and Tiff staring at me, anticipating my lame excuse. I stammer for a minute, grasping for an answer. Suddenly, I remember one very important detail, one that will save me from seeming like a complete buzzkill. “We don't have bathing suits.” Now if she suggests us going in our underwear, or skinny dipping, for that matter, I’ll strangle her.

“Well, actually...” she begins nervously. Uh, oh. This can't be good. “I brought a couple bikinis with us,” she reveals, holding up her cinched bag.

Of course she did.

“Wait a minute,” I retort incredulously, turning in my seat to face her, my eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Did youplanthis? How did you know we would need those?” The smug look on Luke's face and Tiff's impish grin give them away. Those two have been plotting this since before we left Tiff's house. I glance at Jacob, wondering if he had anything to do with it, but the tight set of his jaw reveals his irritation with their antics.

“Abby,” Jacob begins, but can't seem to find the right words. “It's okay if you don’t want to. I get it.” I relax back in my seat, assured that he isn’t trying to pressure me into anything.

“No, it's okay.” I’ve always been good at reading people, and something in my gut tells me I’m safe with him. “We can go.” Tiff's ear-piercing squeal of excitement fills the car and Jacob winces.

“Yay, we’re getting in the hot tub!” Tiff declares, doing a little triumphant dance.

“Hey J, how ‘bout some tunes, man?” Luke asks from behind me. Jacob reaches down to switch on his satellite radio.

“What do you like to listen to?”

I just shrug my shoulders. “Pretty much anything,” I reply. I'm too nervous to care right now, flustered by the thought of soaking in a hot tub next to Jacob's deliciously enticing body. He starts to flip through the stations, stopping on a current pop hits channel. After a few minutes of listening to whatever garbage they’re calling music these days, he starts pushing the buttons of his presets. When he clicks on the preset for a nineties station, the familiar opening chord of one of my favorite songs emanates from the speakers. “Oh, leave it here!” I exclaim.

He laughs lightheartedly at my enthusiasm. “Okay.” I reach down to crank the volume up, all my anxiety floating away as I prepare to sing along. I know Tiff will join me in the second verse because we’ve done this a thousand times.

My irritation with my friend quickly forgotten, I turn to her and she leans up on the console between Jacob and me. Together we belt out the opening line. She giggles as I begin imitating Warren G, busting out the first verse to “Regulate”without hesitation. Jacob glances over at me with an expression I can't quite pinpoint. Impressed? Amused? I'm not sure if it’s the wine or something else, but I feel completely at ease rapping in front of him.

At the end of my verse, Tiff joins in with Nate Dogg's rhymes. She does her best to imitate his deep voice, causing Jacob to chuckle. His laughter is like a drug, intoxicating and addicting.

I join back in with Warren's next lines, expecting Tiff to follow me up again. Jacob beats her to the punch, surprising us both as his voice fills the space between us. He nails every line and every word of Nate’s second verse, and now I'm the one who’s impressed. I did not expect this guy who looks like a Tommy Hilfiger ad to be so familiar with nineties gangster rap. I guess you reallycan'tjudge a book by its cover.

Once he finishes his verse, I pick up with the next one and we go back and forth through the rest of the song. When I look back, neither Tiff nor Luke appear amused. Tiff may even be pouting since Jacob stole her thunder. I don't care. I'm having too much fun and from what I can tell, so is Jacob.

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