Page 70 of Street of Dreams
All of those little distinctions brought the same old rush of adrenaline. The remark about calling the kilt a skirt, which Mac had loathed in the past, now stirred up fond nostalgia and the corners of his mouth curled warmly. “It’s not a skirt. It’s a kilt.”
Jake marched toward Mac with the same purposeful steps he always exhibited. But nothing was the same. Everything had changed. Mac used to think about what would happen when they finally met face to face again, but he was never prepared or sure how he’d react. Now, an onslaught of emotions and memories pummeled him.
For a few brief moments, the old attraction was back, stronger than ever, and every pore in Mac’s body was on fire. But it quickly dissipated, and anger filled his soul as the pain of being discarded without any kind of contact stabbed him repeatedly in the heart. For almost a year, there was zero contact from Jake. Not one fucking word. And the guy thought he could show up with that damn crooked smile and weave his way back into Mac’s heart? No. Fucking. Way.
Flicking the cigarette on the ground, Jake continued to approach, but the bodyguards stepped between them. “Call off your goons,” Jake said, rolling his eyes.
“It’s OK,” Mac told security. “I know him.” The two bodyguards stepped out of earshot but lingered nearby.
“You did it. You’re a rock star. I saw your show. You looked damn good on that stage.” Jake ran his eyes up and down Mac’s body. “You look damn good standing here in front of me right now.”
A tingle ran up Mac’s spine and betrayed him, but he quickly stifled it. He was done pining for this man. He’d moved on. “Why are you here?”
The smile on Jake’s face deflated, clearly hurt by the snippy remark. “I wanted to visit an old friend from the neighborhood.”
A sarcastic scowl passed over Mac’s face and he narrowed his eyes. “An old friend?”
“Yeah.” Jake nodded toward the waiting SUV. “Let’s get outta here.”
“That’s my ride. I’m going back to my hotel room. Alone.”
“You’re blowing me off?” Shock and hurt passed over Jake’s face with surprise. “I got on a plane and came all the way here to see you.”
“You blew me off 10 months ago. Because you’d rather pretend that I meant nothing to you than answer a God damn text message. Because you didn’t have the guts to stick it out.” It was a cheap shot, but Mac wanted to return some of the pain that had been festering in his gut for far too long. But the humiliation and crushing look that marred Jake’s face made Mac immediately regret the harsh words. He didn’t want to be that guy. The bitter asshole who lashed out and redirected the pain in his heart on the person who put it there. “Never mind. It’s not a big deal anymore. I’m over it. I gotta go.” He turned and headed for the SUV.
“Mac . . .”
The intimacy, the longing, and the emotion in that one word toppled Mac’s defenses and caused a lump to form in the back of his throat. He stopped walking but didn’t turn around.
“Don’t be like that,” Jake said. “Don’t be angry. I don’t blame you for hating me, but underneath, I know you still care. It’s not over between us. Not by a fucking longshot.”
Mac swung around to face Jake, ready to shout back a reply, but there were two people approaching, slowly, then they quickened their pace and walked by. They were probably fans who passed without stopping when they saw the heated exchange going on. Attention and rumors were the last thing Mac needed when it came to Jake. For Jake, as well as for himself. “I gotta go.”
“You’re really gonna leave?” Jake asked, crippling shock clear in his tone of voice. “Aren’t you going to at least talk to me? I took a big chance coming here.”
Mac let out a sarcastic laugh when he realized that Jake knew where to find him. “Are you following my career?”
“It’s kinda hard not to. You’re all over the TV and the radio. You’re a star. Every time I turn around, your picture smacks me in the face. Your voice assaults me.” He put his hand over his heart. “Right here. I’m in the store buying a pack of smokes, and your voice is on the radio. I go to a bar for a drink, and there’s your voice again pumping through the sound system and into my veins. Everywhere I turn, you’re there. Only . . . you’re not.”
Mac’s cheek twitched, and he clenched and unclenched his hands. This was too taxing, and he didn’t know how much more he could take. “I know we needed to take a break, but did you expect me to just fade away into the background and wait without any contact from you? Put my life on hold? Indefinitely? Without one fucking word? You can’t just walk in and out of my life.”
“I’m not walking back into your life. I told you. When the time is right, I’m coming to get you. I’m here so you don’t forget that. So you don’t forget about me. But now is not the time. Soon. But not yet.”
Mac was tired of the waiting game and whatever plan Jake may or may not have in the works. “Goodbye, Jake.” Mac turned and started to leave, but Jake ran after him and grabbed his wrist. The tingle that ran up Mac’s arm made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. His breath hitched, and his chest tightened. It brought back so many memories, and his heart surrendered. “You could have returned my texts. Or sent a message through Skylar. You didn’t have to shut me out completely the minute you broke my heart.”
“I couldn’t take the chance. It was too risky.” Jake pulled a cigarette from his pack of Marlboro, lit it, and took a long drag. “I want you to know that I never stopped thinking about you. Not for one fucking minute. And you better know that I never stopped caring about you. Everything I’m doing is for you.”
Mac folded his arms across his chest. “What are you doing?”
“Putting a plan in motion.”
Mac pinched the bridge of his nose and huffed out a breath. This guy and his fucking schemes. “What plan?”
Jake shook his head. “I can’t tell you. It’s too—”
“Too dangerous.” Mac finished the sentence with frustration. “I know. You can’t tell me anything. You can’t call me. You can’t text me. You can’t see me. Why the fuck are you even here?”
“Because I miss you. Because I needed to let you know that I’m still here.”
