Page 64 of Into the Dark
“At home. Some boring partner stuff I have to catch up on.” Unfortunately, though my appointments were covered while I was in France for three weeks, the other stuff piled up in my absence. “I wish I were with you instead.”
“You’re not missing much here, baby. Trust me.”
“Oh, no, nothing much. Just you. Nothing much at all.”
Jake chuckles softly.
“So what are your plans since you’ve got the whole night ahead of you now? Clubbing?”
He groans. “Christ, no. Kev’s downstairs having a drink with some girl who works on the ferry. I just ordered room service and I’m lying in bed watching the highlights of the game from last night. Or, as Kev puts it, ‘being pussy whipped.’”
“Ah, of course. How original of him.”
“Reckon he’s just jealous you fancied me that night and not him.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh yes, I’m certain that’s it and it has nothing to do with me stealing his wingman and being your Yoko.”
“My Yoko?”
“Yes, you know, I’ve split up the band.”
“That make me John Lennon then?”
“Well, he didn’t meet a great end, so maybe let’s not go there.” A cold shudder moves through me.
He’s silent for a moment. “Alex, I’m safe. We’re waiting on some people—people I know well. This isn’t dangerous, baby, I promise. It’s something I’ve done a million times before.” His voice is steady and confident, and it does its job of relaxing me. “I’ll be home tomorrow like I said. Don’t worry.”
“Okay.”
“I wish I were there,” he says with a sigh.
I close my eyes and imagine he’s lying beside me. “I wish you were here too.”
“I keep thinking about what you said yesterday. We should go away together somewhere, just the two of us. Ever been to Scotland?”
“Edinburgh a couple of times for the festival. Ben and I used to rent—” I stop talking immediately by biting my tongue hard.
“So we won’t go to Edinburgh. We’ll hire a house in the Highlands and stay in bed for a week,” he transitions smoothly.
“Sounds divine. Although I’d quite like to see some of the scenery. What a waste to miss the Scottish Highlands because we were in bed the whole time.”
“I’m not scenery enough for you?”
“You’re enough of everything for me.”
“Good save, baby.” He chuckles. “Now, tell me what you’re wearing right now.” His voice is a few octaves lower than it was a moment ago.
“You first,” I tease.
I can actually hear him smile. “White boxers, that’s all.”
My insides clench at the image. He looks divine in white boxers. It’s always how I picture him when I drop into my Jake daydreams. In boxers or the blue suit he wore to Rob’s dinner party, or how he looked the day at the deli. The boxers though. The way they contrast against his lightly golden skin and hug his tight butt and muscular thighs. I always want to bite his butt when I see him in them.
“Now you,” he commands.
“One of your T-shirts, a blue one I got from the line. Nothing else, very short bed shorts.”
He groans. “You trying to kill me?”