Page 32 of Street of Dreams
Mac took them, but his eyes were riveted to the table where Jake’s leather jacket lay with the lining clearly exposed. His mouth hung open, and he felt a cold shiver creep down his spine.
“What?” Jake asked, following Mac’s gaze. “My gun?”
“Why the hell did you bring a gun into my parents’ house?” Mac barked.
“Relax. It’s—”
“Is it loaded?”
“Of course it’s loaded. What good is a gun without bullets?”
“Jake!”
“Calm down. I’m not a fucking murderer.”
Mac’s eyes shot from the gun to Jake, as if questioning the statement.
“I’m not,” Jake repeated, offense strong behind the attitude in his voice. “And I don’t sling guns. Let me explain.” He exhaled, and he softened his voice. “I carry a lot of money. See?” He picked up the wad of cash to prove his point. “It’s what I do for a living. People know that. You know that. It makes me a target. The piece is strictly for protection.”
It made Mac feel marginally better about the gun sitting on his dresser, but not much. “Did you ever have to use it.”
“No.” Jake pulled the gun from the holster inside his jacket, causing Mac to immediately flinch and take a step backwards. “Relax,” Jake said, emphatically. “The safety is on. I know how to handle a gun. I go to the range all the time.”
“Oh.” Mac knew it was a stupid thing to say, but it made Jake chuckle.
“Do you think I go around shooting people?”
“No. I don’t know, Jake.” Mac suddenly became aware that he was still standing there holding Jake’s dirty laundry in his hands and dropped it on the floor. “I’ve never seen a gun up close before. It took me by surprise.”
Jake carefully turned the gun, keeping his finger away from the trigger. He pointed to a lever. “See that? That’s the safety.”
Mac peered at it with curiosity, feeling better about the firearm. “Can I hold it?”
Jake’s eyebrows skyrocketed. “Really? Ten seconds ago, I thought you were going to throw me out in my underwear for bringing it into your apartment.”
Mac shrugged, realizing that Jake had a legitimate reason for carrying a weapon, but also feeling uneasy that he needed to do so. “I understand now.”
Jake took a deep breath. “OK. Donotput your finger anywhere near the trigger. And don’t ever point it at anyone unless you plan on shooting them.”
Mac took the gun carefully, holding it the way Jake instructed. It didn’t seem so intimidating any longer, and, although he still didn’t like the idea that Jake was walking around with a gun, he was more tolerant of it.
“Are we good?” Jake asked, taking the gun back and replacing it in its holster.
“Yeah. We’re good.” Mac picked up Jake’s pile of dirty clothing. “I’ll wash these while you shower.”
“Hey,” Jake called, as Mac headed for the laundry room. “Don’t ever touch my gun.Ever.OK? If you want to hold it or see it again, you ask me. OK?”
Mac nodded. “OK.” After returning from putting Jake’s clothes in the wash, his eyes immediately went to the table where Jake’s gun sat, but the holster inside the jacket was empty. Jake had taken the gun into the bathroom with him while he showered, and it made Mac smile.
Ten minutes later, Jake emerged wearing nothing but a towel, similar to the way Mac had. Now he knew why Jake had the reaction he did, because seeing the water ripple over the muscles in Jake’s chest and viewing the deep “V” at his waist peeking out from the front of the white terry cloth, stirred Mac’s insides.
“Got a pair of sweats for me to wear until my clothes dry?” Jake asked, returning his gun to the holster in his jacket, unaware that Mac had been ogling him.
“Um. Yeah.” Mac retrieved a clean T-shirt and sweatpants from his dresser and handed them to Jake. “I was just about to order a pizza.”
Jake’s eyes brightened. “I like pizza.” He picked up his phone and started texting. A reply came back right away, and a short exchange followed.
“Everything OK?” Mac asked, wondering about the text messages.
“Yeah. I just needed to check on my brothers.”
Pizza arrived a little while later and they ate in front of the TV. “This is nice,” Jake said. His voice sounded different. Relaxed. Carefree.
“It is,” Mac agreed, taking another slice of pizza. “It’s not at all what I expected when you showed up today. I had a really nice time. I want to spend more days with you like this.”
Jake stared into his plate, heat tinging the apples of his cheeks a light pink. “Yeah. Me too.”
