Wrong Number

by Laura Brown

  Me: Move your hand lower.

  Wrong Number: That…doesn’t work for me.

  Me: Not even imagining me?

  Wrong Number: I don’t know.

  Me: Try it.

  I wanted my hands on her, discovering the feel of her skin. I wanted it to be me running my hands down her stomach, to the treasures below she’d reveal to me. I couldn’t think of anyone else I wanted as much as this mysterious woman. In this fantasy, I could almost feel and taste her, and it warmed up to be the single most erotic moment of my life.

  Me: Survey says?

  I needed her with me, even in this virtual game we played. I wanted to make her feel good.

  Wrong Number: It’s…better…

  I slowed down.

  Me: What does that mean?

  Wrong Number: More sensations, not the same as partner led.

  Me: I really wish I could fix that for you.

  Wrong Number: Me too.

  Me: You going to come?

  Wrong Number: Not likely.

  Me: Shame. I am. Would pictures help?

  Wrong Number: Next time.

  Me: There’s going to be a next time?

  Her words threw me off my game. I let myself go, more wrapped up in the woman on my phone than the fantasy we created.

  Wrong Number: I’d like there to be.

  Instead of my hands on her, I now wanted her hands on me, picking up where I stopped, raising me to her lips to wrap her hot mouth around me.

  Me: Me too.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Avery

  “Where are you off to?” Hannah’s voice stopped me as I headed for the back door. Exhaustion begged me to ignore her, keep going, and not stop until I lay in bed. After spending the previous day driving back and forth to New York to drop off my busted hearing aid, bed called me in the worst way, and I didn’t give a damn if I managed to sleep or not.

  I stuffed my exasperation inside. “Home. Why? Did I forget something?” I hoped not, my feet wouldn’t last too much longer.

  “No, nothing like that. I thought today would be a good day for Jake and me to show you around.”

  I shifted my feet and thought longingly of my bed and TV. Then I glanced behind Hannah and caught Jake in the customer area. He leaned over the counter, showing off his broad shoulders, as he chatted with the staff working out there. The sight of him, looking strong and sure, made my knees threaten to crumble in ways that had nothing to do with my exhaustion level.

  A flush soon followed, one that I hoped like hell Hannah didn’t register. The other night, I had used Jake’s image while dirty texting Dick Guy. I shouldn’t have done it, especially now that those texts clouded my image of Jake, someone I barely knew.

  He glanced my way, still chatting with the staff, though his eyes were glued to me. A toothy grin stretched across his face, the kind where a cartoon would add in a twinkle of light off his white teeth. It should have been corny. It wasn’t. The flush traveled from my cheeks down to my chest and any tired feelings vanished.

  “Umm, sure.” I had to get my head on straight. Jake seemed like a nice guy. I had to get this fantasy out of my head. And unlike Dick Guy, he was real and local. Besides, I needed this, a chance to be social in my new location. In ways that didn’t rely on my phone.

  I followed Hannah into the customer area, where Jake bent in front of the display case. Clearly, my texting was getting the best of me, because my gaze went to his round ass stuck in the air, lovingly molded by his jeans, and my fingers itched to touch him.

  This was a bad idea. I needed to beg off and go home, ignore my phone, and take a cold shower.

  Then Jake turned his head in my direction, and I got lost in the light stubble on his jaw and how it would feel against my skin. “Which one should I try?”

  It took me far too long to register he referred to my cupcakes. My brain took a dirty spin that wasn’t nice to Jake or my cupcakes.

  “Whichever one you want. They’re all good.”

  He studied me for a minute, then turned to the display case again.

  “Just pick one,” Hannah said with her hands on her hips. “It’s not brain surgery.”

  “But what if I miss one that won’t be here tomorrow?”

  Hannah’s foot tapped an impatient beat, and I needed to do something to intervene between the siblings. Plus, I required fresh air, the closest thing to a cold shower I could get.

  “Take the chocolate raspberry then,” I said. “I won’t be making it tomorrow.”

  Jake flashed me a grin and I had to lock my knees.

  He got his cupcake and we all piled out into Hannah’s car. I ended up in the back, which meant I’d be lost on communication, but I wasn’t about to fight the brother for shotgun.

  Jake went to bite into the cupcake before Hannah started the car. She pointed her keys at him. “You’re not eating that here.”

  “The hell I am. This is too good to wait.”

  “I don’t want crumbs in my car.”

  “You think I’m letting a single precious crumb of this cupcake go to waste?” He sunk his teeth in before Hannah could protest.

  She turned to me. “You see what you’ve done?”

  Jake turned as well, looking rather pleased with himself. No doubt these two were siblings, though their noses were the only feature I could pin as the same.

  “I take it as a compliment. I don’t think anyone else likes my cupcakes as much as Jake.” I had no clue if the warm feeling had anything to do with his appreciation of my food, or my messed-up hormones. For my sanity I blamed it on the food.

  He said something, but his mouth was full, so I missed it.

  Fortunately, Hannah did too. “Chew and try that again.”

  Jake licked his lips and swallowed. I followed the bounce of his Adam’s apple, struggling to hang on to the warmth being appreciation and nothing more. “I said, then she hasn’t been paying attention. These are too good. It’s not just me.”

  A burst of pride floated in my chest that had nothing to do with my attraction. I wanted to hire him as my personal ego inflator. There were certainly times I needed it.

  The car started, the resulting sound acting as though a glass partition had been raised. No longer could I make out more than the light murmur of Hannah and Jake’s voices.

  Hannah pulled onto the street, traffic and environment sounds increasing, ensuring I wouldn’t hear a damn thing. She and Jake pointed in different directions, mouths moving and some vocal sounds wafting into the back. I waited for the car to stop, for us to get out, stretch our legs, and to be included in the conversation.

  We kept driving. Hannah turned on the radio, cutting what I could hear down to one percent. I caught maybe ten words, tops. Hearing people. They didn’t get it, thought hearing aids fixed things, never realizing what environments created barriers or even how to check in. Granted, Hannah barely knew I had a hearing loss, and since my voice wasn’t obvious, I was used to situations like this. I deflated, pushing down the stinging in my eyes, wishing more than ever that I had gone home like I originally wanted.

  I placed on my mask, my brave hearing face, resorting to my usual fake-it behavior. I nodded and made reassuring sounds at appropriate pauses in voices. Jake I had in profile so I went by his facial expressions whenever possible.

  Mostly I looked out the window, the seconds crawling past, feeling even more alone than if I hadn’t come with them at all.

  At one point, they broke into an argument. Their voices rose, and I grew hopeful I’d catch a few words. Nothing. From the gesturing, it appeared they were arguing over where to take me next. I nearly told them it wouldn’t matter since I couldn’t hear them but kept my trap shut. Not their fault my ears didn’t work.

  Not my fault, either, but that was the way my cookie crumbled.

  The argument stopped and Hannah slouched down in her seat as Jake smiled wide. We got on the highway for a few exits, then down a winding road until we pulled into a four-car parki
ng area surrounded by trees.

  Hannah turned off the engine and all the noise that had prevented me from understanding went quiet.

  “What do you think?” She glanced at me through the rearview mirror.

  I looked around. The trees sported greens and yellows and reds. So many trees. I hadn’t seen this many since I moved. I now worked and lived in an urban area, filled with people and buildings and not a lot of greenery. This felt a bit like I was back home. “It looks nice.”

  Hannah scoffed and Jake faced me. “So, you’re up for a hike?”

  A hike?

  Hannah poked her brother. “I’ve been on my feet all day, and I know Avery has too. How is this a good idea?”

  Jake moved to get out of the car, and the little hearing I had managed vanished when his voice rang out to the sky and away from the car.

  I fumbled with my seat belt, all but falling out of the car, needing to stretch my legs and hear something for a change.

  Hannah popped her door open. “Seriously, you’re up for hiking?”

  Crap. Busted. I held up my hands. “I have no clue what’s going on. Why don’t we start from the beginning?”

  Jake came around the car and leaned against the hood. “There’s a trail here that I like to come to, a bit of a break from the buildings and cars with the best view at the end.”

  “A workout. It’s a workout. Jake used to come here as a teen to strengthen his legs. If I wanted a workout, I’d go to the gym.” Hannah crossed her arms.

  “The gym has nothing on the scenery here. Besides, I needed the un-level terrain as a challenge.”

  My feet hurt, but the greenery called to me. Fresh air for a change, without all the exhaust of cars and buildings. I took a deep breath. “I don’t know how far I’ll make it, but this feels good.”

  Jake shot me a winning smile, the kind that made his eyes shimmer like the hints of water I caught between the trees.

  But Hannah still stayed in the car, and even though I didn’t want to go back to missing all communication, I felt bad. “Or we could go someplace else, maybe a coffee shop?”

  She waved a hand. “Nah. You two go. I’ve seen it all before. I’m staying here with my phone. If I go out, I’ll be bitching and groaning in five minutes.”

  Hannah shifted back into the car.

  Jake squatted by her open door. “You’re bitching and groaning now. What would the difference be?”

  Hannah faced me. “When you get to a cliff, you’ve got my permission to push him over. I’ll cover for you.”

  I laughed, until Jake stood inches from me.

  “Avery wouldn’t push me over, would you?” The laughter remained in his eyes, a rich coffee color, and for a moment, I forgot all about the foliage.

  “Guess you’ll have to trust me.” I tried to put a hint of danger in my voice, but I never knew if what I heard in my head matched what came out of my lips.

  Jake turned to Hannah. “If I don’t return in an hour, tell Mom I love her.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes and closed the door.

  Jake held out his hand. “Ready for an adventure?”

  I nodded and pressed my palm against his. The simple touch turned into a chemical reaction. His hand wasn’t as damaged as mine, but it showed of work. I’d bet my last dollar he worked with them. And now those hands, that probably performed some magic of their own, held mine.

  If I thought myself foolish for standing there, I wasn’t alone. Neither of us had a tight grip on the other, yet we both stood there, looking at each other. Whatever I felt, he did too.

  I shifted, he shifted, and he tugged on my hand, setting us both into motion before letting go. We walked side by side for a short while, leaving behind Hannah in the car, until bark and leaves and greenery surrounded us. No other people, no buildings were visible. The branches swayed slightly in the breeze as we walked over roots and branches and kicked up dirt. It was as though I’d stepped off a city street and into a fairy tale.

  As the scenery encompassed me and wrapped me up in its magical world, I focused more on my partner, namely the limp in Jake’s gait.

  “Are you sure you can handle the hike?” I clamped my hand over my mouth. “Sorry,” I mumbled through my fingers. “That’s probably on the list of things not to say to someone.”

  Jake didn’t stop walking. He remained relaxed. Light poked through the leaves overhead, casting him in patterned shadows. “It’s okay, especially if you continue to have that cute reaction.” He reached over and tugged at my ponytail. “And it’s fine. I’m not going to hike the tallest mountain or win a marathon, but I don’t let it slow me down.”

  I nearly asked what happened, then remembered Hannah mentioning the fire and kept my trap shut. Surely, this wasn’t something Jake wanted to discuss while walking on a nature trail.

  I grasped for the next topic I could think of, desperate for human interaction after that long car ride. “What do you do for work? I mean, I assume you do something else besides help out at the bakery.”

  Jake shoved his hands into his pockets, body facing forward, but his head in my direction. The sun filtered through the trees, shrouding his face in and out of leaf shaped shadows. “I’m a hairdresser.”

  I tripped over my feet. “Really?”

  He reached out to steady me. “Why is that a surprise?”

  I took in his hair, the way it seemed to perfectly wave around his head. I had thought he was one of those guys who spent more time in the bathroom than some women did, but now I realized he had a reason for it.

  “I don’t know. I thought you’d do something more…” My hands waved, and I realized I needed to dig a hole and crawl in.

  “Manly?” Jake’s eyebrows arched, a teasing glint to his face.

  My cheeks heated. “Yes. And that sounds sexist and horrible. We’re going to forget I said it.”

  I tried to keep moving, but he continued to hold my arm, his warmth mixing with my embarrassment, and didn’t let go.

  “It’s fine. It’s very much a female-dominated field and has a tendency to bring my sexuality into question more often than I’d like. But I always enjoyed hair styling. And after the accident,” he gestured to his leg, “it became more feasible than a soccer career.”

  “You played soccer?”

  “Still do. And I’m pretty good for a guy with a limp.”

  I let my shoulders relax, the first tugs of a smile playing at my lips. “And the sexuality?”

  I pressed my lips together. I needed a filter. Badly.

  Jake laughed. “I’m not one for labels. I think of everything as much more fluid than that. But I mostly date the opposite gender, so take that for what it’s worth.”

  He glanced at me then, a slight hesitance to his gaze, as though I’d have a problem with this. I didn’t. Even if he didn’t like women, I’d still want to be his friend.

  We weren’t walking. Maybe a foot separated us. The clean green scent of the trees surrounded us. His chest rose and fell beneath a fitted T-shirt, proving his leg didn’t slow him down. I could make out the definition of his chest through the fabric, the shirt falling away from what had to be a tight stomach. Something swirled in the air beyond the fall breeze and a few leaves.

  I ran a shaking hand over my hair, flyaway strands wrapped around my fingers, and I wanted to groan. Jake was a hairdresser. The kick-ass styles his mom and sister wore now made perfect sense. And I had split ends trapped in a ponytail. Spell broken. “My craptastic ponytail must be bugging you.”

  Jake began walking again. “I don’t judge. But when you’re ready for a new look, I hope you’ll let me play.”

  “Play?”

  “Yes. I enjoy finding a style to bring out a person’s natural beauty.” He took my face into his hands and I had to fight not to lean into him. “With your high cheekbones and square jaw, a short pixie type cut would work best. And, bonus, it would be low maintenance and off your face for the job.”

  I pulled out of his grasp, fig
hting the urge to clutch my ponytail. “You want to cut off all my hair?”

  He shrugged. “It’s what I do. I could work up something else, but I always share what my gut instinct is.” He leaned in close to my ear, and I thanked my lucky stars it was the one with my hearing aid. “And I’m usually right.”

  We continued walking in silence, the type of silence lit with intimacy. I didn’t quite understand it, we’d barely talked, but the silence bred comfort. As did the slight brushes of his arm to mine, and the way our strides were somehow in sync.

  We hit a clearing and stopped. A pond glistened below, surrounded by trees and greenery. Over the tops of the trees, buildings lurked, along with a glimpse of the highway, and a bit of the fairy-tale spell evaporated. Even with that touch of reality, I couldn’t deny the beauty and peace of the place.

  “Thank you,” I said. This felt comfortable. Finally, a bit of something outside my apartment and work. “I needed this.”

  “Me too.” He faced me. “We’ll have to come back here another time. Whenever you need to, let me know.”

  I smiled, couldn’t help it. Also couldn’t help my gaze dipping down to his lips. The bottom one looked like it would taste just right.

  Jake took a step back. I feared I was too much for him, until I caught the look in his eyes. Namely that they were on my lips. “We should head back before Hannah sends out a search party.”

  I nodded, unable to speak.

  He started walking, and I forced myself to follow, only to have him stop short. I nearly plowed into him and had to brace my hands on his sturdy shoulders to steady myself.

  “Sorry. Do you think…” He ran a hand through his hair, those perfect waves moving with him and falling back into place. He cleared his throat. “Do you think I could take you out to dinner some time?”

  “Did you just ask me out on a date?” One of these days, I was going to buy myself a muzzle.

  Jake smiled. “Yes. You interested?”

  Life held a lot of uncertainty. I didn’t know how my future would play out. But I did know the answer to his question. “Yes.”