Page 10 of A Lonely Road
My brain was buzzing so fast, I didn’t even flinch when he set his hand on the small of my back and steered me out into the night air. It was easier to breathe out there, but we only made it half a block before a strangled sob tore from my throat.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I gasped.
Jake grabbed my shoulders and gently guided me down until I was seated on the curb. He crouched in front of me, and the familiarity of his face—even with the dimple nowhere in sight—was enough to quell the nausea.
“Breathe for me, Nora, you’re okay. You’re safe. It’s going to be okay.”
The shuddering breaths that whistled past my lips were all I could manage, leaving me lightheaded and shaky. Jake shifted to sit on the curb beside me and cupped his hand around the back of my neck, easing my head downward until it rested between my knees. He released my neck to smooth his hand in a wide arc across my back. Beneath his palm, my entire body trembled, but his warmth seeped into my skin, covering me like a blanket.
“Just breathe,” he murmured. “There you go. Keep on breathing for me, just like that. You’re safe now.”
Slowly, the shaking waned and the tightness in my lungs eased. It was only then that embarrassment flooded me, replacing both panic and adrenaline. I knew I should move, scoot away or stand up maybe, but the way he was stroking my back was so soothing, I couldn’t bear to make him stop just yet.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “Oh, Christ. I just attacked someone in your restaurant.”
Jake’s short laugh rumbled deep in his chest. “No. Hell no. Nora, you defended yourself. He put his hands on you first. I saw the way he was looking at you. I’m so sorry, I should have gotten to him before he ever had the chance to touch you. What you did was in self-defense. You were amazing.”
As soon as I could draw a decent breath, I sat up slowly and covered my face with my hands. I didn’t tell him to stop, so Jake continued that slow sweep of his hand over myback. It felt good. Right, even, like some internal magnet under my muscles had latched onto one in his palm and refused to let go.
After a long moment, I finally managed to draw a deep inhalation into my lungs. The breath still trembled through my frame, but at least I was confident that I was finally getting enough oxygen.
“I should get home,” I said quietly. “You really don’t have to escort me. I’m sorry, Jake.”
Part of me wanted to cry, another part wanted the concrete below to swallow me and my humiliation in one gulp. The final, tiny part that I fought so hard to resist wanted nothing more than to lean into Jake’s warm, reassuring touch.
As if he’d heard those thoughts, Jake’s hand slid up to the back of my neck so he could tip my face toward him. He waited until I met his eyes to say, “Stop apologizing. You were just assaulted in my restaurant, so I’m damn well making certain you get home okay. Are you sure you’re ready to stand up?”
I nodded and gratefully grasped his other hand when he held it out to help me to my feet. “Thank you,” I whispered.
Mortification trickled painfully through me, weighing down my limbs as I stood, but it slowly gave way to a numbness that settled in my brain. Still, I didn’t pull my hand away as we continued toward home, clinging to the comfort Jake seemed so ready to provide.
Low profile: gone.
“You’re pretty badass,”he murmured.
My laugh was barely more than a rush of breath, but a relieved smile ghosted across his lips at the sound.
“Or pretty neurotic,” I replied. “He was probably harmless.”
When he didn’t respond right away, I glanced up at him and saw his features harden into an expression I’d never seen on his handsome face before. Cute Neighbor had transformed into a knight ready to avenge my honor, and for once, I wasn’t insulted by the thought of someone else trying to protect me. Those blue eyes softened when he looked down at me and shook his head.
“You said no. If he was harmless, he would've left it at that and kept his fucking hands off you.”
I fell silent, thinking as much about Jake’s reaction as about the scene I’d caused. It had been a long time since I’d been comfortable enough to hold hands with someone, but I was afraid if I broke that small connection, lost even that tiny point of contact, I might fall apart again. We walked the rest of the way in silence, until we reached the wooden stairs up to my apartment. I reluctantly dropped his hand and turned to take my bag from him.
Jake handed it over, but he shook his head again when he saw my expression. “If you’re planning to apologize again, don’t. You did nothing wrong.Nothing.”
Standing there in the falling darkness, I suddenly felt achingly lonely. Jake hesitated for only a heartbeat, then pursed his lips like he was throwing caution to the wind before he reached out and touched my cheek. It was only the barest brushof his fingertips against my skin, but my eyelids fluttered at the gentle intimacy of it.
That reaction seemed to embolden him, so he cupped my face in his warm palm and waited for me to open my eyes again.
“I’m sorry you were hurt.”
The way he said it sounded like he meant something beyond the evening’s mishap, like he could see into my past. I lifted my hand to cover his. “I’m okay,” I replied, even as I wondered if it was true.
“Nora,” he breathed, his thumb stroking my cheek. He closed his eyes like he was in pain, and when he opened them, the full intensity of his blue gaze zeroed in on me. “I know we don’t know each other very well yet, but if it’s okay with you, I really feel like I need to hold onto you for a minute. If you’re willing to let me, I mean.”
Everything inside me softened and warmed as I moved unconsciously toward him, sliding my arms around his waist without hesitation. He encircled me with his own, warm and strong, like they were shoring up my defenses.
