Page 58 of Jake Forever
Chapter 22
Jake's words hung in the cool, quiet air.You're mine.
The words were simple. And true.
Still, something about the way he said it made my breath catch and my knees go wobbly. I tried to speak, but couldn’t find the words.
"And," Jake continued, "you were on Moe's street." Slowly, he reached out and gripped the zipper of my borrowed hoodie. He nudged it down barely an inch, and I felt the cool air tickle my throat.
Suddenly distracted, I felt myself swallow. "You mean like where he lives?"
Jake's fingers were still on the zipper. "Guess again."
I didn't want to guess again. I wanted Jake to give that zipper another tug.
I don't know why or what I expected. From the look on his face, our argument wasn't quite over. And, as for myself, I was cold and damp and overly conscious of what I was wearing.
True, Jake had seen me in a lot fewer clothes, but as far as this particular outfit? It was obviously an issue, even now.
In front of me, Jake stood very still, waiting, apparently, for me to answer.
I tried to think. There was a question. What was it? Oh, that's right. It was about Moe. If Moe didn'tliveon that street, how could it be considered his?
I tried to find the words. "Is it, uh, where he does business?"
Jake gave the zipper another tug. "You might say that."
My shorts were still cold, but the parts they covered were growing warmer with every tug of that zipper.
I glanced around, suddenly curious whether or not the elevator had security cameras. I didn't see any, but that didn't mean they weren't there.
Jake had lived in this building a lot longer than I had. Would he know the answer?
Probably, he would. I was tempted to ask, but was far too embarrassed. Supposedly, we were still fighting, and if I asked about cameras now, Jake would know exactly what I'd been thinking.
I returned my gaze to his and felt a new flush rise to my cheeks. From the look in his eyes, he already knew.
The cocky bastard.
Mortified, I tried to change the subject. "So, uh, that's his territory or something?"
Jake gave a slow nod. "And in case you didn't notice, it's not a nice place."
His hand was still there, poised on that same zipper. Distracted as hell, I murmured, "It isn't?"
Jake gave another slow nod, followed by another yank. "It's not nice.Orsafe." His dark gaze bored into mine. "Especially for someone as sweet as you."
My lips suddenly felt very dry. I wanted to lick them, but I made myself stop. Somehow, I managed to say, "I'm notthatsweet."
"Yeah?" He gave the zipper another yank, this one longer and harder. The hoodie fell open down to my navel, exposing a long, narrow gap where the hoodie's dark cotton no longer met. Within that gap was the thin fabric of my soaked, white blouse.
The gap was so narrow that nothing much was exposed, just a long, thin swath of fabric, straight down the center of my chest. Even so, I was starting to feel just a little bit naked.
And heaven help me, I liked it.
Jake's fingers still gripped the zipper. "Later, I want you to look at that picture again."
I didn't care about the picture, not now. The real-life image in front of me was far too compelling. It was the sight of Jake, standing there, close enough to touch.
