Page 28 of Street of Dreams
“No one will see us. It’s dark. If you’re worried, leave your bike here and come with me in my car.” Mac tugged on the front of his hoodie. “You can wear this. With the hood up.”
Jake’s foot bounced on the asphalt as he searched the sky for an answer. “OK,” he finally agreed. He pushed his bike behind a set of bushes, so it wasn’t visible on the pedestrian path, and got into Mac’s old Chevy. Jake leaned over to look at the outdated stereo and then at the stained cloth seats, the snarky smirk back on his lips. “What decade is this thing from?”
“1964,” Mac said proudly. “It was the first car my parents bought when they came to America. It wasn’t in much better shape than it is now, but it was all they could afford.”
When they got within a few blocks of Mac’s house, Jake started to bounce his foot nervously, then chewed on a fingernail. Mac didn’t push him, though, only kept a watchful eye and tried to distract Jake with small talk.
When Mac pulled into the driveway and cut the engine, Jake sat motionless, without any indication that he planned on getting out of the car. With his hands stuffed into the side pockets of his MC jacket, he eyed the house warily, as if giving himself a mental pep talk.
“Here.” Mac tossed his hoodie into Jake’s lap. “I still don’t think you need it, though.”
Jake suddenly grabbed the door handle. “Fuck it. Let’s go. Make it quick. Get your house keys out, open the door, and lock it behind us.”
They both exited the vehicle at the same time. Jake carefully closed the car door with a quiet click, while Mac slammed his shut.
Jake flinched, then exhaled with annoyance. “Remind me never to commit a break and entering with you.”
Mac let out a small laugh as he rounded the car. When he reached Jake, there was an amused smile tucked into the corner of Jake’s mouth.
“Hurry up,” Jake whispered, with a jovial lilt to his voice and giving Mac a little shove toward the house.
Once inside, Jake deposited his leather jacket on the coat hook and took a seat on the couch. He stretched his arms over the back and visibly relaxed. It was really nice to see the tension and stress disappear from the guy. No one should have to tiptoe around the shadows just to enter someone’s house. “Make yourself at home,” Mac joked.
“I am. I’ve been here once, and I feel more at home here than in the house I lived in my whole life.” While maintaining eye contact, Jake nodded at the empty seat next to him.
The simple invitation made Mac’s chest grow warm. Such a small act from someone who never showed his feelings seemed like a giant assertion. He sat on the other end of the couch to give Jake some space. He didn’t want to unnerve the guy by sitting underneath his outstretched arm.
“Why are you sitting all the way over there?”
“Where to you want me to sit?”
A chortle bubbled from Jake’s mouth, and he spread his knees and motioned to his crotch with his eyes.
A fiery sensation ran through Mac’s core, making him respond immediately by standing and unbuckling his belt.
“Whoa.” Jake held up his hand. “I was joking. Sex isn’t the only thing I want from you.” He gave Mac the onceover. “It’s really nice to know you’re so quick to give it up, though. Sit next to me. No one’s here. We don’t have to pretend.”
Mac moved next to Jake, not close enough so that their legs were touching, but close enough to feel the magnetic pull that always sparked between them. To Mac’s surprise, Jake’s hand cupped Mac’s shoulder and gave it a little squeeze. And Jake smiled.
“That’s better.” Jake glanced around the apartment with admiration. “This is nice. You got a real cozy setup down here. When did you move in?”
“While I was in my senior year. I used the front door back then and had all my meals upstairs. Now, I’m basically on my own. I have complete privacy down here.”
“I wish I could move into my basement. I don’t have a full kitchen like you, but it’s got a full bar.”
“What’s stopping you?”
Jake let out a deep breath. “There’s a lot you don’t know about my family, Mac. A lot I can’t talk about.”
Bruce King was elbow deep in shady activities, and Mac didn’t want to hear about any of them. He put his hand on Jake’s knee. “You know you can come here anytime you want, right?”
“Stop talking crazy. I can’t just drop in like we’re friends or something.”
“We are friends. And you can.”
Jake chewed on his lip. “Maybe if I had a reason to come by it wouldn’t look suspicious. Need help restoring that old car of yours?”
It was Mac’s dream to turn the beat-up old Chevy into the beauty that rolled out of the showroom fifty-plus years ago, but he couldn’t afford it. The plan was to leave it here until he made it big and had enough money to pay for restoration. “I don’t have that kind of cash. I’m saving all my money to ditch this town.”
