Unscathed

His black leather boots made a creaking sound. “No, I’m glad you brought me here. The memories I have of my father are very special to me. I’ve thought about coming here once or twice before since returning to the States, but could never muster up the courage – if that makes sense?”

“Perfect sense,” he whispered, pulling up his chair and sitting down again.

“How?” I asked, although I already knew the answer. I knew a lot about Jax already.

“How what?” he asked right back.

“How do you know it makes perfect sense?” I said, looking at him. It was then I saw that flicker – smudge – over his right shoulder. It was like someone had dragged a wet thumb over those holiday makers sitting and eating at tables behind Jax and blurred them out of existence. I blinked and then opened my eyes again. The blur had gone and those people were back in focus.

Instead of answering my question, he asked one of his own. “Why do you always seem so distracted, Mina?”

“Do I?” I said, reaching down and taking my phone from my handbag, which sat beneath the table between my feet.

“Yeah,” he said, glancing quickly over his right shoulder, then back at me. “It’s like you’re looking for someone the whole time.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, my heart speeding up just a little.

“It’s like you’re scared you’re being watched,” he said, as if joking, but I knew he wasn’t. If only he knew it was me who was watching him.

Beneath the table, and out of Jax’s sight, I switched on my camera phone. My heart quickened. I couldn’t be caught by Jax, but I needed another picture of him. Curling my fingers around it, I inched my iPhone over the table edge and faced it towards Jax. I tried not to look down at my phone and to keep my eyes fixed on him. I gently pressed the record button with my thumb and prayed that he was not only in focus, but in shot, too.

“No one’s watching me,” I said with a smile, which I hoped didn’t look too fake. “I’m just nervous that’s all.”

The view over Jax’s shoulder blurred again, like I had a tear in my eye throwing everything out of focus.

“Nervous of what?” Jax frowned. “Of me?”

“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “Not you.”

“Then what?” Jax asked, reaching across the table and taking my hand in his. His hands where rough and strong. He gripped the hand that held the phone.

“You’re trembling…” he started. Jax looked down at our joined hands.

I looked at him.

He slowly uncurled his fingers from around mine and the iPhone. “And you always have your phone in your hand,” he whispered.

Jax looked into my eyes and they looked kind of sad.

I slid my phone back beneath the table.

“Who are you waiting to call?” he asked, his eyes never leaving mine.

“No one,” I whispered, secretly turning off the camera. I couldn’t risk him discovering I had been secretly filming him.

“The same person you keep looking out for?” he said.

“No…” I stared.

The music and dancing continued all around us, but it seemed muffled now, like someone or something had thrown a cloak over the world.

“That’s why someone like you is with someone like me tonight,” he said, and that sadness left his eyes and now darkened with a look of mistrust – like I had tricked him somehow.

“Is it your friends – the others you were with the other day in Starbucks?” he said, glancing back over his shoulder and into the throng of dancers. “Are they hiding in the crowd somewhere having a laugh at you with me?”

“No…” I tried again. He had the wrong idea about me and why I had the phone in my hand.

With his face hard-looking, and eyes so dark they shone black, he said, “Do I freaking amuse you, Mina? Is this why you’ve come out with me tonight? Is that why you were in Rowdy’s the other night? You followed me there with your friends…”

“Why would I do that?” I gasped out loud.

“To watch me make a fool of myself, that’s why,” he said, pushing his chair back and standing again. “Rich little bitches having a laugh at the grease-monkey who was dumb enough to believe that someone like you might really like me.”

“No…” I tried again, and at that moment the music stopped.

“I know what people like you think about my kind,” he said, pushing his chair back beneath the table. His half full bottle of Coors wobbled then fell over, spilling its frothing contents across the table. “You think I’m a dropout. Well, you’re right. I am a dropout, but I only dropped out ‘cause of people like you.”

“What’s that meant to mean?” I said, desperate to convince him he was wrong about me.

He stared at me, running one of his strong hands through his wild hair. Then, taking a deep breath, Jax said, “Tonight was a mistake, but I hope you and your friends have seen enough to get your kicks.”

The music started up again. This time it was slower as the DJ began to wind the crowd down. Turning his back on me, Jax headed away from the restaurant and through the dancers who had now taken partners in their arms and were swaying against each other to the song Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth.

“Jax,” I called after him. “Jax!”

He continued to walk away from me.

Sliding my iPhone back into my bag, I picked it up and raced through the crowds and after Jax. I weaved my way through those dancing all around me.

“Jax!” I called over him, my voice turning hoarse over the sound of the music.

He didn’t look back. Halfway across the square, I reached for him. I gripped his arm. With all my strength, I pulled him around to face me.

“Jax,” I gasped, trying to catch my breath.

“Go away, Mina,” he said, yanking his arm free.

“I can’t,” I breathed, leaning forward and pressing my lips against his.

Letting my bag drop from my shoulder to the ground, and with eyes closed, I wrapped my arms around Jax’s neck and pulled him close as I kissed him. I felt the rough of his goatee against my chin as his hands gripped my hips. He kissed me back and pulled me close as Beneath Your Beautiful played all around us.

Chapter Fifteen

Jax

I couldn’t breathe. The anger seething through my body seemed to start at my toes and explode out of my mouth. I could feel my face turning red. I was so angry as I’d stormed off. But now my face and hands were tingling with increased blood flow and heat, but not in anger – in excitement. The blood was flowing elsewhere, too, and I knew she could feel my excitement against her stomach.

But I didn’t care.

As the pain of fury started to melt into the hot pools of desire, the shock of her kissing me also began to dissipate into pure need. I couldn’t get enough of her soft mouth, her urgent tongue, her hands all over me. It was hot outside and I’m fairly sure we raised the temperature around us about ten more degrees. I dug my fingers into her hips and pulled her closer. I wanted to consume her.

The music continued to play all around us as she swayed against me, and my spinning head began to float back down to Earth. I slowly pulled away from her and stared into the pools of her blue eyes.

“Why did you do that? I’m mad at you,” I whispered, gasping for air.

“No, you’re not,” she insisted, and her eyes trailed down to my zipper as if to remind me.

I pulled my arms from her and slid them down her arms, grasping her hands. “Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on with you? What’s with all the secrets?” I couldn’t believe she had completely disarmed me with one kiss.

She gently removed herself from my grip and absently hugged herself, turning away from me. “I can’t.”

I slowly spun her back to face me and moved a strand of blonde hair from her eyes. “Yes, you can. C’mon, let’s go and finish our dinner. I think you still had some chips, uh, I mean crisps, or…”

She shook her head. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

I chuckled. “Can I at least go pay for it?”

She raised her eyebrows. “You paid for it at the counter.”

Damn. “Ok well let me at least tip the waitress.”

“We didn’t have a waitress.”

“Okay, I give up. I’ll take you home,” I said, calling her bluff, grabbing her hand to lead her toward my truck. I knew she didn’t want to go back into the restaurant – perhaps because of the memories it had instilled in her.

Smooth move, Jax. Definitely not taking her back there. Ever.

She shook her head and picked up her handbag from the ground. “I don’t want to go home. Let’s go someplace else.”

“Where?” I asked.

“Think of something,” her eyes smiled back at me. “It was you who asked me out on a date, remember?”

How could I forget? Was I now regretting asking her? I didn’t know. I liked Mina – I liked her a lot. But there was something – just something about her that didn’t feel right. Was that what I liked? Was it more than her cool accent, long blonde hair, and tight little ass that had me intrigued? My like for her was more than her pretty looks. If I’d really wanted to, I could give her the slip, head for Rowdy’s, and be up to my nuts in guts before closing time. But there was something else to Mina and I was hooked.

“So?” she said, eyeing me. “Where to next?”

Taking her by the hand, I led her towards the parking lot and my truck. “We’ll figure something out,” I said.

My truck had a mind of its own, I swear. It was like it took us back to my house without any choice of my own. I suppose I was on auto-pilot as Mina started to open up a little on the truck ride home. She stayed on her side of the bench. What she said was mostly small talk about school and her family in England, but it was a start.