Unraveling (Second Chances) - By Micalea Smeltzer Page 0,83
he kissed my cheek. “I’ll be quick.”
“Okay,” I sighed, sitting down on the wooden bench. “I’ll just be here.”
He chuckled, pulling clean clothes out of his locker. I noticed a picture of us together and I wondered who’d taken it.
It looked like were sitting on his couch. His arm was wrapped around me and he was kissing my cheek. I was smiling and there was a sparkle in my eyes.
“Where’d that picture come from?” I pointed.
“This one?” he pointed. “Karlie took it. I liked it, so I printed it off. I can take it down if it bothers you.”
“No, no, don’t do that,” I waved my hands back and forth. “Do you –uh- think you could get me one?”
A grin spread across his face. “Of course, kitten.”
“Thanks,” I fiddled with my fingers.
“Give me five minutes,” he held up a hand and wiggled his fingers. “Five.”
“Would you like me to set a timer?” I chuckled.
“You can if you want,” he winked.
He disappeared into the shower area and I sat on the bench, looking around the locker room.
It was pretty typical, although cleaner than I would have imagined.
The tile floors were scrubbed clean and the green lockers all appeared brand new.
It didn’t stink either, which was nice.
Steam bellowed out from the shower area and the roar of the shower water threatened to put me to sleep. For some reason, the sound of running water always relaxed me.
The shower nozzle squeaked off and a minute later, Jared appeared, wearing low slung jeans and a long sleeved button up black shirt.
“Going somewhere?” I smiled, quirking a brow.
He chuckled, rubbing the towel over his scalp to dry his hair. “Yeah, taking my girl out on a date.”
“Oh, really?” I blushed.
He picked up my hand. “Yeah, I haven’t seen her a lot in the past two weeks and I really miss her. I miss having her in my house, in my bed, her scent on my pillow,” his lips skimmed the underside of my jaw as he pulled me up.
My body shook at his words and he had to steady me. Was I swooning? Lord, help me; I didn’t want to be one of those girls.
“Where –uh- where do you want to go?” I asked.
Oh God. I closed my eyes. If I said, uh, one more time, I was going to stab myself in the eye.
He chuckled.
“To my house,” he placed his hands on my hips and I shivered. “I want to cook for you.”
“What about Karlie?”
Jared licked his lips. “Karlie will be going home with Dan and Patsy.”
“O-oh,” I stuttered.
“It’ll just be, you and me,” he swayed us back and forth, like we were dancing to our own beat. At my panicked expression, he added, “Nothing like that is going to happen tonight, Katy. I’m not saying I don’t want you that way, because I do, but you’re not ready. It’ll just be dinner and I might even,” he pressed his lips to my ear, “steal the occasional kiss.”
“I’d like that,” I breathed.
“Good,” he grinned, a twinkle in his eye. He opened his locker and grabbed his duffel bag. “Let’s get out of here,” he reached for my hand.
I took it and he led me to his car.
“I really shouldn’t leave Rollo and Piper,” I looked back at the building. “That wouldn’t be nice of me.”
Jared squeezed my hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Katy, I already told them.”
“You did?” I asked, climbing into his too tall SUV.
“Of course,” he winked, before jogging around to the driver’s side. He tossed his duffel bag in the back and then the vehicle roared to life.
“So… what are you making me for dinner?” I smiled up at him.
“I’m not telling. It’s a surprise,” he chuckled.
“What if I hate it?” I questioned. Although, the chances of me hating anything Jared made were slim. He was an incredible cook.
“Nice try, kittycat,” he grinned. A few minutes passed, “If you do hate it,” he suddenly sounded insecure, “we’ll order takeout.”
“Jared, I was joking. I know I’ll love it,” I patted his arm.
“Okay,” he let out a gusty breath as he pulled into the driveway.
When we walked into the house, I was immediately assaulted by the scents of garlic and Parmesan cheese.
“Smells delicious,” I removed my jacket and hung it on the hook of the coat rack, next to the door.
Jared guided me into the kitchen and lifted the lid off a pan of simmering fettuccine alfredo. He added some shrimp and let them begin to cook.