by Christi Snow
Brian looked up at her and held up his hand. “Sure, just a second, and I’ll get a police officer to escort you.”
“That’s not…” Cassie began, but Brian immediately interrupted.
He looked at her sternly. “If you want to go, you’ll accept an officer going with you to ensure your safety.” He paused and took a thoughtful look at her, “Which brings up the question, why were you alone today?”
Cassie stammered for a bit. “I was just taking out the trash. When Derek had to leave for an emergency, I called Jake so I knew he was coming.”
Brian eyes hardened. “What kind of emergency was so important he decided it was okay to leave you unprotected?”
“The girl he’s dating had a car problem. There was no reason to think it was anything more and I did call Jake. I know I shouldn’t have gone out alone, but there wasn’t any reason to think anyone would even know I was here to be in danger.”
“Do I need to share the meaning of stalker? This guy is somehow watching you and he knows your every move. What happened today took premeditation and planning and this guy, whoever he is, knew you were going to be here and taking that path. Who all knew you were going to be here working this morning?”
Cassie glanced at Jake, but answered, “As far as I know, it was just Derek, Jake, and I. Obviously, Derek may have mentioned it to Melissa, his girl, but I don’t know. She called him on his cell phone, not the office phone, so I don’t know if she knew he was here or not.”
Brian looked determined. “I need to talk to Derek, but Cassie, you have to do your part to keep safe. No going anywhere without someone with you and that includes going down the hall to the bathroom.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Brian. I won’t make that mistake again.”
After Cassie left, Jake looked at Brian. “Thanks for that.” He gestured towards the door where Cassie just left.
“What I said was true. Somehow this guy knew she was here this morning and she was going to be alone. How much do you know about her TA, Derek?”
“Obviously, not enough.” Jake looked frustrated and Brian could see his jaw clenching.
Brian looked at Jake for a little bit before he said, “When are you going to tell her you’re in love with her?”
Jake felt the blood drain from his face. “Wha…” At Brian’s incredulous look, Jake took a deep breath. “How did you know?”
“Man, it’s written on your face every time you look at her and every time you touch her.”
Jake ran a hand over his face, but looked at his friend. “I may be in love with her, but that doesn’t mean I’m the right guy for her. She deserves someone better than me. I’ve let her down so many times. Today’s just the latest in a long line of times when I’ve failed her.”
Brian just shook his head. “That isn’t fair to you or her. Doesn’t she get a say in it?”
“In this, no. I owe it to her brother to keep my distance and that is non-negotiable no matter how I feel.”
“I hate to tell you this, but I think you’re making a huge mistake.”
“Maybe so, but that’s my decision.”
***
Cassie slumped against the wall outside her office. The officer Brian tagged to take her down to the restroom was in a heavy discussion with another officer, so she hadn’t made it to the restroom yet. Instead she’d heard every word spoken between Jake and Brian. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but by the time she realized they were talking about her, she was too shocked to do anything but stand there numb and listen. Now she had to decide what she was going to do about it.
Chapter 33
It was several hours later by the time Jake and Cassie finished up with the questioning about the shooting. Cassie had been introspective throughout much of that time as she thought about the things she’d overheard that morning. Jake was in love with her. After all these years of crushing on him, it was shocking to hear. She had no idea he felt that way about her. In love…that was huge. Of course, she knew he loved her, but being in love with her was something so different and so much more. She didn’t know what to do with that information; especially since he’d made it clear he didn’t want her to know. The question was, why? Why didn’t he tell her? Why did he think Chris would have wanted him to keep his distance? Chris loved Jake like a brother. He wanted him happy too.
She just didn’t understand any of it, but she knew Jake wasn’t comfortable with something about the situation and there was definitely still the question of Amy. Cassie wasn’t going to do anything about what she had overheard without more thought.
In the meantime, this afternoon they’d both settled into a funk and it was time to get out of it. Their talk about the scars on their palms the night before had triggered a spark of an idea. In college, Jake and Chris had gone and gotten matching tattoos on their backs featuring the cross which appeared on the musketeer uniforms in the 1993 version of The Three Musketeers movie. They each had the tattoo on their left shoulder behind where their hearts were located.
Jake was staring morosely into the fire burning in the fireplace when Cassie picked up the phone. “Frankie, this is Professor Robertson from Military History 101. You told me once if I ever wanted a tattoo,” at this word, Jake’s gaze flew to Cassie’s, “you could set me up. I need to get a tattoo and I would like to do it today. Do you think you can fit me in?”
Cassie listened while Frankie responded, looked at her watch, and then glanced back over at Jake. “Okay, sounds good. Thanks Frankie. We’ll be there in about thirty minutes.”
Jake quirked an eyebrow at Cassie after she hung up the phone. “Do we have plans for this afternoon?”
“Yes, I’m getting a tattoo. I’m assuming you want to tag along as my protection.”
Both of Jake’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Cassie never wanted a tattoo before. When he and Chris went and got their matching ones done in college, they wanted her to go too, but she refused. “A tattoo, really? What do you want to get tattooed and why?”
“You’ll see. Come on.” She walked out the front door and hopped up into Jake’s truck. Jake moved a bit slower, still wondering what she was up to, but willing to go along. Cassie directed Jake to the tattoo shop called, Fortune Ink. The place looked clean enough from the outside, but you never could be too sure about these shops.
Jake looked at Cassie. “How do you know this Frankie?”
“He was a student of mine a few years ago. He has and does gorgeous ink. He always promised me he would tattoo me if I ever wanted something done. I provided him with some private tutoring when he was in my class.”
“So, again, I have to ask, what exactly are we doing here?” Jake looked at her with curiosity.
Cassie just turned, winked at him and then she strode over to the door and went inside.
Jake sighed, “Okay, I guess I’ll just see then won’t I?”
As they walked into the shop, a tall lanky guy dressed in a t-shirt, loose jeans, combat boots, and with his red hair done in dreadlocks pulled back in a ponytail, walked out of the back room. His arms were covered with full arm sleeves of ink and from what Jake could see, a good amount of it was really well-done. He walked forward with his eyes only on Cassie, “Professor, I never thought I’d see you in here.”
“Hi, Frankie. Thank you so much for fitting me in today.”
“No problem. I’d do anything for my favorite sexy professor.” He stepped back from where he had grabbed her hand and did a full-body perusal of her. “And can I just say, I think you have gotten even sexier in the last couple of years.” He gave her a flirtatious grin which caused Jake to scowl. “So what do you want to have done today?”
“Thanks Frankie. You always were a flatterer, but I can live with that.” She looked over at Jake and gave him a mischievous grin. “Jake, take off your shirt.”
He gave her a confused look, but complied with her order.
Cassie tried to ignore the immediate flutter in her stomach from having Jake standing th
ere without his shirt. “Now turn around.” She reached up to his left shoulder and caressed the ink he had there. Cassie felt the muscles bunch underneath her fingers and the flutters became even more profound. She looked back over at Frankie. “I want this with a slight modification.”
Frankie stepped up and to look closer at the ink. “Man, this is nice. Who did it?”
Jake shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t really remember. A buddy and I had them done when we were in college.” He looked over at Cassie. “Are you sure about this? You’ve never wanted this before. Why now?”
“It’s time. You and Chris had those done together to signify our friendship. I’m part of the three musketeers too and I want a symbol of our friendship, but,” she looked over at Frankie, “I want a slight change. I want to add three swords lying crossed over the main cross image.”
Frankie nodded. “That shouldn’t be an issue. Do you want it in the same place as his?” He gestured towards Jake’s back.
Cassie shook her head. “No, I want it on the inside of my left wrist, going up my arm.”
Frankie grabbed her arm and looked at the inside of her arm. “I like the location. It will look really hot.” Frankie looked back over at Jake. “Man, do you mind if I make a quick tracing of your ink?”
“No problem.”
After Frankie finished tracing Jake’s tattoo, Jake shrugged back on his shirt and settled into a chair beside Cassie while they waited for Frankie to create the final rendering of the tattoo. “I still don’t understand why you’ve decided to do this now.” He looked speculatively at Cassie.
“I’m not sure if I can explain it, but I need to do this now. Everything’s changing, but the one thing that has always remained the same was the friendship between the three of us. Even though Chris isn’t with us anymore, he knew that. He’s the one who came up with our blood oath.” She held up her scarred palm. “He tied us together with that blood oath and now we have these scars which mean so much to each of us.”
She grabbed his hand and rubbed his scar. “I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I know he would want us to face that future together. He loved us, both of us. He would never want us to forget that or let anything come between us.” She looked at Jake with an incredibly serious look in her eye. It was time for her to fight for him. For them. “You know I love you, right, Jake?”
The look in her eyes stunned Jake, but before he could respond, Frankie called over. “Okay, Professor, I think I’m ready.”
Cassie looked back at Jake, gave him a soft kiss on his lips before leaning over and whispering in his ear. “We’ll finish this later.” Then she winked at him and walked over to where Frankie was standing.
Jake stood there with his mouth hanging open and tried to grasp what had just happened. Had he misunderstood what she’d just said? She walked away, but the promise in her eyes as she did so caused his blood to boil and move to other areas of his body. He tried to get her words to compute with his brain, but he could only hear one thing over and over in his brain. “I love you.” What had just happened and when did he lose control of the situation?
Jake shook his head and tried to center himself with what was happening. He looked over at where Frankie was already working on Cassie’s wrist. He jerked himself out of his stupor and went over to look at Frankie’s progress. From the looks of things, the tattoo was almost done. Just exactly how long had he sat there in the twilight zone?
“Whoa, that’s nice. I love the addition of the swords.” He looked at Cassie. “That was an incredible idea.” He gave her a gentle smile, still not sure where he sat with her, but wanting to explore the possibilities, despite his reservations. “I think I need an addition to my tattoo.” He looked over at Frankie. “Can you add the swords to mine?”
Frankie smiled. “Absolutely, Man.”
A little while later Jake and Cassie walked out with fresh bandages on their newly inked tattoos. He was still feeling a little shell-shocked from their conversation, but Cassie was rambling on like nothing had changed at all, and that fucking confused him more than ever.
When they got home, Jake walked to peer out the French doors leading into the backyard. He felt Cassie walk up behind him, but he didn’t turn. He wasn’t sure he had the strength to hear what she had to say.
Cassie wrapped her arm around Jake from behind and laid her head onto his tense back. “I think we need to talk. You have and will always be my best friend, but we need to talk about what happened in May. We need to talk about what’s happening now.” She didn’t think it was possible, but she felt him tense up even more at her words.
He looked down at her left hand which was holding onto him and he traced the scar on her palm. “What happened in May was a mistake. I never should’ve taken advantage of you like that. If Chris was still alive,” he strained to keep the emotion out of his voice, “he would’ve kicked my ass for sleeping with you.”
“Jake that’s a ridiculous idea. First of all, the idea Chris would ever have any say in my love life is insane. I’m twenty-eight years old. I make these decisions entirely by myself and have done so for a damn long time.” She turned him around so he could see she was serious about this and furious about his perspective on it all. “Second, I missed the part where you took advantage of me. From what I could tell there were two of us in that bed. There were two of us taking a VERY active role in what happened there. Until you snuck out in the middle of the night like a thief, it was actually the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Jake looked tortured. “You don’t understand.”
“No, I don’t, so why don’t you explain it to me? What, in any of the three of our histories, would make you think Chris wouldn’t approve of the two of us becoming involved?”
“He told me. He told me he would never forgive me if I touched you and, Christ,” his voice turned gravelly with emotion, “I did so much more than touch you.” His hand flexed as he resisted the urge to reach out and touch her again. His voice lowered with the strain of the conversation. “I still want to do so much more than touch you.” He looked at her and the pain and emotion in his eyes caused her to flinch.
Cassie was stunned. “What? When? Why would Chris have told you something like that?”
Jake started to speak, “The prom…”
Cassie gave a harsh laugh to cut him off. “Oh my God, high school? You’re honestly freaked out about something my stupid-ass brother said when we were in high school? Oh my God,” Cassie looked at Jake like he was an idiot, “you were a man-slut back then. Of course, he would have warned you off.” Cassie ran her hand through her hair and looked back at him in disbelief. “Why? Why would you think anything he said back then… Ten years ago, Jake. … would have anything to do with today. You’re a completely different man today than you were back then.”
Jake didn’t respond. He just looked at her with pain-filled eyes which broke Cassie’s heart. She reached up and smoothed his brow where he was frowning at her and then slowly reached up to pull his head down to hers. She gently pressed her lips to his. She angled her head and slowly pushed him to respond to her. When she ran her tongue across the crease of his lips, she felt his groan and capitulation as he reached around her and dragged her body closer to his as he responded in force. She felt him tense up a minute before he dragged his lips from hers and pressed his forehead into the top of hers. They were both breathing raggedly, like they had just come in from a long, hard run.
Cassie took a deep breath and continued in a broken whisper, “Chris would never hold you to a promise you made ten years ago, Jake. We were all just kids then. He was your best friend. He loved you and respected you, but I love you too and I’m not giving up on us without a fight. We could be so good together. Just think about that, okay?”
Jake gave a quick nod as he watched her walk down the hall to her bedroom alone. Could what she was saying possibly be true? Could they have a future together? If Chris was still alive, would he still hold him to that pr
omise he’d made so long ago?
He wanted her and he loved her. He would be lucky if he could manage to think about anything else besides going into that bedroom after her and burying himself into her luscious body. It was going to be a long night, but the big question was, could they have a future together? Could they have more than a single night? He was afraid to hope.
Chapter 34
Jake stumbled into the kitchen after a long night spent tossing and turning. He could feel the scratchiness of his eyes grating the inside of his half-masted eyelids and rubbed them to clear the grit. The bright morning light filtering through the windows definitely wasn’t helping.
Cassie stood at the coffee pot and automatically pushed a cup towards him. She knew him well enough to know not to talk to him until the caffeine began to hit his system. He grunted a quiet, “Thanks,” and inhaled the delicious caffeine-filled aroma.
His internal thought process stuttered. She knew him. She knew practically everything about him. Hell, he’d been living with her for a couple of weeks and they already moved around the kitchen like a couple of married people. They were completely in synch.
He watched her write as he mulled over that thought and everything she’d said the night before. Would Chris expect him to stick to that promise he’d made ten years ago? He watched Cassie surreptitiously. They’d been friends so long. It would be so easy to slide into something more, but when it ended…Wait a minute. Who said it would have to end? There wasn’t a single doubt in his mind, he loved her. He could so easily imagine waking up here with her every morning. Just the thought staggered him. Why hadn’t this ever occurred to him before? Why couldn’t they have forever?
She gave him until he’d inhaled his first full cup of coffee before talking to him. “Good morning.” She gave him a soft smile. She had no idea of the chaotic thoughts bouncing around his mind this morning. He tried to settle his jangling nerves. Was he really going to do this and risk everything they had together?