Page 12 of Winter's Surprise
“What happened?” Jake asked and kissed the top of her head.
“He was an associate professor at the university. It turned out he was also sexually assaulting some of the females.”
“Wow…” Jake pulled back. His eyes searched hers. “Did he ever—”
“No! Thank God, no he didn’t.”
Jake wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. “I’m glad you listened to your instinct.”
“Me too.” Michelle looked up at him. His lips invited her in, and she followed. She used her lips and tongue to tell him how sorry she was for his loss. Each run of her tongue along his was meant to soothe the pain. He palmed her face and slowed their kiss.
Michelle put her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too. The hardest part?”
Michelle laced her fingers with his. “Yeah?”
“Learning to live without them.”
Their food arrived just then. Jake squeezed her hand and released it so she could sit up. They shared a sweet smile before digging into their food. The conversation moved to more lighthearted topics. Where they went to college, favorites, and funny childhood accounts.
Michelle didn’t trust herself well with men after the professor. The signs that things weren’t as they seemed flashed in her mind, but she could only remind herself that hindsight was twenty-twenty. Since then, she listened to every spark that went off in her gut. Especially when dating a complete stranger.
Jake was different. Minus the initial impact of their meeting, he felt like home to her. It scared Michelle to death. Was her mind playing tricks on her? He was obviously still grieving his wife and child. Not that she could blame him.
Michelle could only imagine what it was like to lose someone so special. Life would be the worst form of punishment. She didn’t know how he lost his wife, but she wondered if he held onto guilt for his own part in their death. Michelle pushed this all aside, reminding herself that he would tell her more as he was ready. It wasn’t exactly first-date information.
“Michelle?” Jake asked, breaking into her thoughts. His hand was on her thigh near her knee, the heat of his flesh seeping through her jeans.
She looked at him from her empty plate. “Yeah? I’m sorry I—”
“Went on a little trip. Are you okay?”
“I’m great,” she said, the words sounding forced and anything but great.
Jake turned toward her again. He watched her for a moment, and his brows pulled together. “No, you’re not. Too much information on the first date?”
She cupped his face at his quiet words. “No. Not too much.” Michelle sighed before biting her lower lip. “As you can imagine, I’m careful about dating. I hold myself back.”
“Yeah, but this shit is hard. In your case even scary.”
Michelle laughed. “Yeah it can be. Although, my fear this time is completely different.” The confession slipped out as she focused on his chest.
Jake lifted her chin with a finger, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Care to elaborate?”
“No?” She smiled.
A shadow crossed his face. “Okay.”
When Jake broke their connection, she regretted evading his question. Lifting her hand to his cheek, it was her turn to give a piece. “I like you, Jake.”
“I’m sensing abutin there.”
She trembled. “But it scares me to death.”
He rubbed his lips against hers. This whisper-soft kiss was sweet in nature, unlike their passionate ones before. “I’m scared too. You are the first woman that has knocked me out of my chair of grief.”
She giggled. “I’m pretty sure you are the one who’s done the knocking down.”
“Touché. I’m just saying that before I splayed you across the sidewalk, I was perfectly content sitting and grieving my girls. I’ve carried this pain for so long that the idea of moving on hurts. I’m scared too.”
