“If your nine,” I muttered. A slight smirk twisted my lips, because I knew that was a good jab.
“You’ll see. Give it a chance.” He held the door open for me.
I slipped in past him, taking in the bright lights and boldly painted walls. Noises from fifty games going at once and sirens blaring, announcing a winner, assaulted my ears. By the time I got out of here, I would be deaf. A kid ran in front of us, coughing up a lung without covering his mouth, and I added infected with the plague to my list as well.
“Isn’t this place great?” Sawyer asked from beside me.
His face was lit with excitement. I didn’t want to burst his bubble, but great wasn’t the word I would use to describe the place.
“Yeah, sure—and again I’m going with—if you’re nine,” I said, my words thick with sarcasm.
A group of kids about that age flew past us with a long string of tickets floating behind them as they ran to find their next game. The same look of pure joy I’d seen reflected on Sawyer’s face moments before was plastered on theirs.
“They have the right idea.” He nodded toward them. “Smile. Let’s have something called fun.”
“Ass.” I rolled my eyes, but grinned.
“There we go. Now we’re getting somewhere.” He winked.
* * * *
Forty minutes later, I was leaning against a neon orange wall made entirely of foam, peeking as cautiously as I could manage around the corner. My eyes roamed over the green tunnel dead ahead, and the pink and purple walls to the left of it, which resembled the one I was ducking behind as I searched for Sawyer. I’d lost him in the black light laser tag dome a few minutes ago. My heart raced as I thought of him jumping out at me again. He’d already managed to shoot me twice. Once more, and I was out for good. I’d deemed him a cheater last time, claiming he’d had special training in this department, thanks to his National Guard stuff, but he’d just smirked and ran off to hide from me.
My thoughts scattered as my lips stretched into a smile. I spotted him creeping through the green tunnel directly in front of me. I took a tentative step away from the wall I’d been hiding behind. When he reached the end of the tunnel, Sawyer poked his head out, and glanced to the right and then the left before pulling his head back inside quickly and freezing in place. I knew he hadn’t spotted me. Right when I began to question whether I should scurry back to my hiding place, Sawyer jumped out of the tunnel and shot at the little kid on the balcony above him.
I hadn’t even seen the kid, but apparently, he’d noticed me, because his laser gun had been trained on me. Thank goodness, Sawyer had taken him out before the kid hit me. Aiming my gun at Sawyer’s back, I went for a cheap shot, and nailed him. The vest strapped across his chest went off, flashing bright orange lights and making strange noises. A wicked laugh bellowed from me as his head jerked around in confusion, trying to spot who had hit him.
“Got you.” I beamed.
“I noticed that.” He chuckled. “That was it. I’m done.”
“Giving up so easily?” I lowered my gun, and placed a hand on my hip. “I didn’t think you were the type.”
He unstrapped his vest while walking in my direction. “I’m not the type, but our time is up.”
He pointed to the glowing digital clock high up on the wall. It said there was only six seconds left. Being the good sport that I am, I nailed his vest once more as he was taking it off. His three lives were gone. I won.
“Wow, now that was a cheap shot if I’ve ever seen one.”
The buzzer went off, and a voice came over the speaker system telling us all to make our way to the exit, that our game had ended.
“I’m not above them.” I shrugged.
“I’ll remember that.”
We exited the laser tag arena, and I headed straight for the water fountain outside the doors. This night had been a blast. I’d been so preoccupied with work, school, and all the day-to-day things that I’d forgotten what actual fun felt like.
“What’s next?” I asked, wiping a few droplets of water off my chin with the back of my hand.
Sawyer took in a deep breath and released it slowly. “I think I’ve had enough of this place for tonight. You up for heading somewhere else?”
“Sure.” I wasn’t ready to call it a night yet, I knew that much.
Running my hands through my hair, I pulled it up into a ponytail to get it off my neck, and then straightened out my sweater. “Where to?”
“How about something a little more grown-up?”
“Aw, I was having fun with the juvenile date night,” I admitted.
“Oh really? Well then, I guess we could still stick with this theme.” He reached for my hand, and interlaced his fingers through mine. A boyish grin appeared on his face. “Come on. I’ve got an idea.”
Smiling ear-to-ear from the sensation his touch sent spiraling through me, and the giddiness I felt due to the continuance of this insane date, I walked to his car with him. It was freezing out. I pulled my coat around my body tighter with my free hand so Sawyer wouldn’t release my hand. In the end, he dropped it anyway as soon as we reached his car. Climbing inside, I instantly shoved my hands underneath my legs, and bounced up and down in an effort to get warm.
“Burr, it’s so cold.” My teeth chattered as I spoke.
“Just give it a minute. It’ll warm up soon.” Starting the car, Sawyer reached for me. “Give me your hands.”
Without question, I passed my icy hands to him. He cupped them between his, and brought them to his mouth. Warm air passed over my frozen fingers in the form of his hot breath, and I moved to get closer to him. My heart banged against my rib cage. I became hyperaware of his lips—parted and panting against my skin. An electrical jolt pierced through my stomach. The coldness penetrating straight through to my bones left me as a warmth I hadn’t felt in who knew how long spread throughout my body and mind. Sawyer’s eyes lifted to meet mine.
“Better?” he asked.
My tongue darted out to lick my dry lips. “Yeah, much.”
His warm hands continued to rub against mine, but he never lowered his lips to blow against them again. My stomach clenched with a yearning for him to do so, one I’d never felt before. When he finally released his grip on my hands, warmth was flowing through the vents of his car.
“All right, ready for the next installment of this spectacular, juvenile date?” He popped his car in reverse, and backed out of our parking space.
“Sure.”
I could have said absolutely or something just as upbeat, but instead, I stuck with a one word, downgraded version that meant virtually the same thing. I needed to tone down my overzealous excitement about this date.
Music thumped from the radio and Sawyer cranked it up. I recognized the song the moment the words began—Sir Mix-a-lot, Baby Got Back. Bobbing his head, and singing along in a hilarious rapper voice, Sawyer tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as we headed in the direction of his next date choice.
The entire night had been one for the record books. I guessed a thank you prayer to the love gods was in need at some point.
When Sawyer turned into the parking lot of the twenty-four-hour gas station at the corner of Hillcrest and Ridge Road, my gratitude to the love gods evaporated. My eyes widened as he pulled into a parking space near the back atop the bank that overlooked the highway and a small section of town.
“And here we are.” Leaving the engine running, he unbuckled and turned in his seat to face me. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.” My eyebrows drew together as I wondered what he was doing. This couldn’t be the site of our date continuation. It was a gas station. And a hill.
Sawyer climbed out, and I spun in my seat to watch him jog across the parking lot. Once he disappeared inside the brightly lit station, I flipped back around in my seat, and messed with the radio. The station we had listened to all night was the only one that came in clear. No wonder he hadn’t changed it. Fro
wning, I turned the volume down low and crossed my arms over my chest. The driver side door opened, and Sawyer slipped inside quickly with a brown paper bag clutched in his hand.
“Maybe I should come to this station late at night all the time, and then I wouldn’t always have to wait in such god-awful lines.” He opened the bag and set it on the middle console between us. “Here is the continuance of our juvenile date.”
The word juvenile rolled off his tongue in a playful, mocking way, and I smiled. After tonight, that word would hold a new meaning for me, regardless if there was a second date waiting in the future for us.
“Hold this.” He handed me a candle, and then reached back into the bag.
“Is this our romance factor?” I teased, flipping the small, stubby thing over in my hand.
“No, that’s our marshmallow melter,” he said.
I kept waiting for some smart-ass thing to pass from his lips, but nothing ever came. A small package of graham crackers, some mini-marshmallows, and a chocolate bar were what he pulled out of his bag next.
“What’s all this for?” I asked. “Are we making s’mores?”
“We’re going to try,” he insisted.
Setting the ingredients in his lap, Sawyer took the candle from me and grabbed a lighter from the glove box.
“An unscented candle is our fire tonight.” He set it on the center console, and opened the crackers. “I’m not too sure how well this will work, but it’s worth a shot. I mean, how much more juvenile can you get than s’mores and parking?”
“Parking?”
“Yeah, why else did you think I parked way back here when there are plenty of spaces directly in front of the store?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. The thought had never crossed my mind.
“It’s sort of like Onion Mountain, don’t you think? We’re on the bank, overlooking the highway, and small section of town instead of a mountain valley, but at night, lights are lights, whether they’re from houses or businesses.”
Onion Mountain. I wasn’t from Coldcreek or Norhurst, so I’d never experienced Onion Mountain, but I was sure that’s where Blaire had said she’d had her first sip of alcohol.
As I settled back in my seat, a nostalgic smile formed on my face. I could still get down with this moment. “This is pretty great.”
Love gods, thank you for giving me a push toward Soldier Boy when I needed it most, because tonight has been the best date I’d ever been on. Hands down.
CHAPTER EIGHT
SAWYER
Five-thirty on Sunday morning came too soon for me. The desire to press snooze on my alarm clock and stay in bed to keep my dream alive was nearly overpowering. The reality of it was, I would never be able to get back to the amazing dream I’d been jarred from, even if I tried my damnedest. Eva had just been about to unbutton my pants with her teeth.
Damn it.
Rolling out of bed, I yawned and stretched with my feet firmly planted on the floor. I pulled on my usual running attire, and made my way through my dark apartment toward the door. After slipping on my sneakers, I scooped my iPod off the coffee table and headed out. I clicked on my favorite Dubstep station, and bass and a robotic screeching sound filled my ears. I was down the wooden steps and jogging through the foggy early morning in no time.
Clips from last night ricocheted through my mind, sort of the way a pinball machine bounces that little red ball around inside it. I’d never felt this crazed about a woman. Ever. All the little things I noticed about her throughout the night stacked up in my mind as I continued forward, my feet pounding against the smooth concrete of the sidewalk. The way the bridge of her nose crinkled, her sexy laugh, how she stared at me when I had cupped her hands between mine and blew on them to warm them up.
I was hooked.
Once I reached the flower shop on the corner, I walked in place for a second before turning around and heading home. Since I practically had all day to myself, I decided once I made it home and showered, I would spend the rest of my morning doing what I loved—riding my motorcycle.
Even though it had to be no more than twenty-eight degrees outside, I still wanted nothing more than to get out there and let some tension go. Motocross had been a part of my life since as far back as I could remember. There was a sense of freedom I couldn’t live without that overcame me when I rode.
Starting up the wooden steps toward my apartment, I thought of how, even this moment—racing up these stairs—held memories of Ryker. There were many times in the early morning when we would race up the stairs side by side after a run. He would always kick my ass; Ryker had always been faster than me.
I unlocked my apartment door, and stepped inside. Tossing the keys onto the coffee table, I shucked off my sneakers and started toward my room. Three months. That was how long it had been since my brother had passed. Somehow, it still felt as though I was waiting for him to barrel through the door behind me, and say something smart-ass about how I’d gotten lucky beating him up the stairs this time.
There was no way that would happen though. I knew it.
The thing that irked me most was that I didn’t get to say my goodbye. I’d been studying for my MOS position, and hadn’t gotten word my brother had passed until it was too late to attend his service. Everyone said he would have understood my reason for not being there to lay him to rest, but I didn’t. I couldn’t grasp the reason as to why there had been a need to lay him to rest at all.
Grabbing clothes from my dresser, I headed to the bathroom for a long, hot shower. My cell chimed from in the living room, where I’d left it on the coffee table beside my keys. I hesitated before going to grab it, wondering who could he sending me a text this early in the morning. It was barely 7 a.m. As I scooped up the phone, Eva’s name and number lit my screen. My heart hammered. Did she have as good of a time as I had?
Morning. Sorry to bother you so early, but could you check to see if I dropped my debit card in your car somewhere? ~ Eva
My lips formed a thin line. So much for her having something needy and hot to say—something along the lines of how she couldn’t sleep last night because she hadn’t been able to get me and our awesome date out of her head—that would have been nice.
Sure. I’ll go look.
I swiped my keys off the table, and started toward the door. My phone chimed with a response from her before I gripped the knob.
Oh. You’re awake. That’s great. ~ Eva
As I jogged down the wooden stairs for the second time today, I typed out a message to her.
Yeah, I’m up at 5:30 every morning.
Why? ~ Eva
I smiled as I unlocked my car doors, and then paused in my motions to respond to her.
I run.
Opening the passenger side first, I glanced around the floorboard. There wasn’t any card that I could see. Shoving my hand between the center console and the seat, I felt something. I pulled out a green debit card with her name on it, and smiled even wider than I had been, because this meant I had a chance to see her again…in person.
Of course, you run. ~ Eva
What’s that supposed to mean?
It didn’t take her but a second to reply.
You’re incredibly in shape. I can see you running every morning, completely dedicated and driven no matter the weather conditions. ~ Eva
Her words surprised me, but in a good way. They made me laugh and shake my head.
Thank you. And yeah, I’m sort of like the mailman. Nothing stops me from getting in my morning run. Some people like their coffee. Me? I prefer a run.
You don’t drink coffee? ~ Eva
I pocketed her debit card, and closed the passenger side door. Locking my car, I headed back to my apartment.
No. Too bitter tasting no matter how much sugar or sweetener I seem to put in it.
Ryker had been the coffee drinker out of the two of us. He’d also been the junk food eater, the biggest ladies’ man, and the alcoholic.
No date number
two then. I can’t believe this. My mind is blown. You hate coffee. ~ Eva
Now that made me laugh. Eva was a joker. A sarcastic joker. And a flirt. She was flirting with me.
Too bad, and here I am standing beside my car with your debit card in hand. Oh well, guess I can put it to use and see how much cash you’ve got in the bank.
Whatever. Meet me at The Point at eight. Preferably debit card in hand, please. ~ Eva
I didn’t have to know her all that well, or even be in her presence, to know there had been some serious eye rolling going on once she’d read my text.
I’ll be there.
She never responded. Slipping my phone in my front pocket, I stepped inside my place and headed for the shower. Eight a.m. was about an hour away, and I damn sure wanted to be on time for our second date—because that’s what I was calling this morning’s meeting, a second date. Hell, I’d even spring and buy her breakfast when I got there to make it official.
* * * *
The Point was a pub. Why I’d thought they would serve some form of breakfast besides a mimosa, I had no clue. In fact, when I pulled up out front, I wasn’t even sure why Eva was coming in to work so early. The same green Ford Escape that had nearly ran me over pulled into the spot beside me. I climbed out of my car, and sauntered toward the driver side window she’d just rolled down.
“Good morning.” I nodded.
“Yeah. Hop in.” She shielded her eyes from the sun, and motioned to her passenger side.
“We going somewhere? You’re treating this whole debit card exchange like a drug deal.” I rounded her vehicle, and opened the passenger side door.
“Breakfast, my treat. It’s a thank you for bringing me my debit card,” she insisted.
“I’m down for that.” Date number two. Check.
I buckled up, while inhaling the sweet coconut scent of hers I was growing to love. As she pressed her foot to the gas, I realized the other day when she’d barreled out of Gareth’s Park exit she hadn’t been in a mad dash to get away from me per say; that was just how she drove. Crazy fast.
Forget You Page 5