Page 42 of Saving Me
“Besides my mom having one with my dad occasionally, I’ve never met another girl who drinks bourbon.”
“Well, now you know two,” she grins.
“I guess I do. I’m also oddly turned on by the fact that you love my favorite drink,” I chuckle, walking over to get the balls of ice from the freezer. I plop two into the tumblers before pouring the amber liquid over them.
“Thanks,” she says, taking the drink from my hand.
“You’re welcome.” I watch, fascinated, as she takes a sip and softly moans when the flavor hits her taste buds.
“Of course, you buy the best. This is delicious.” She licks her lips, and I feel my dick respond. If I didn’t already know I was falling, I would now.
It’s like I wrote a handwritten note to God, giving him a checklist of everything I wanted in a girl, and He said,Here, Jake, I created her just for you.
I suddenly have an idea and walk over to the hall closet to grab a blanket.
“Let’s take our drinks down to the beach. It’s a beautiful night, and knowing you, you haven’t taken the time to put your feet in the sand yet.”
“I haven’t,” she laughs. “It sounds perfect.”
I lead us down the stairs, and we find a spot close enough to the water to enjoy the sounds of the waves as they crash against the shoreline before being sucked back out to sea.
“I love the beach,” she breathes deeply, lifting her head to look at the stars.
“Just another thing we have in common.” I raise my glass, and she clinks it to mine. “To your first day in Blue Haven.”
“To my first day,” she smiles before we take a sip. The liquid slides down, warming my insides. I try to enjoy the stars with her, but I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes off of her.
“When’s your birthday?” I ask suddenly.
She turns her head and looks at me. “June first. And you?”
“That’s only in a couple of weeks,” I say, ignoring her question.
“I know. I don’t celebrate my birthday anymore. It’s just a reminder of the worst day of my life, so I treat it just like any other day.”
“Maybe you need to change that. It sounds like your dad was an amazing guy and father,” I say softly. “I’m sure he wouldn’t want his daughter not celebrating what was probably his favorite day of the year. Something very tragic happened on that day, but something very beautiful happened on that day, too, when you came into this world. He would want you to still celebrate that for him and not be the reason you don’t.”
“I never thought of it that way.” She turns and looks back up at the stars. “Maybe it’s time I started looking at that day differently,” she says a few minutes later.
“I think that’s a great idea.” I smile and watch the sky with her while we finish our drinks. The moonlight shines across the water, casting a warm glow on the glassy surface.
“Jake,” she whispers, breaking the silence.
I turn to look at her, and my heart beats fast in my chest. I can feel her eyes pierce me right in the soul. I could easily stay lost in those gold embers for the rest of my life and die a happy man.
“Yes?” I say, afraid to breathe in this moment and break the spell.
“Will you show me more of what I’m capable of feeling?”
I close my eyes briefly at those sweet words, knowing this is huge for her to ask me. “I would love nothing more than to givethat to you.” I take her hand and pull her up with me. “Let’s go back inside where sand won’t be an issue,” I smile and soak in the giggle that escapes her.
Grabbing the blanket and our empty drinks, I keep her hand in mine as we walk back to the house. I drop the blanket on the deck and set the tumblers down as we brush off our feet.
I swoop her up easily in my arms when the last of the sand is gone. Her eyes widen slightly before she throws her arms around me and snuggles against my neck. I hear her inhale deeply, and it does something to my heart that she feels the need to breathe me in like I do her.
“Where to?” I ask quietly, wanting her to choose where she will be more comfortable.
“My place, okay?” Her voice is muffled against my skin.
