Bedmates

by Nichole Chase

  “You probably know all of my embarrassing stories, that’s my point.”

  “Then we can skip that part.” He held out his hand to help me off the couch.

  “Good, because I think there are a lot more embarrassing stories about me than about you.” I slipped my feet back into my shoes and looked up at him. “Pretty much everything I did was embarrassing.”

  “That’s not true.” He tucked his phone into his back pocket.

  I picked up my purse and frowned. “Pfft. You never had anything go wrong. I on the other hand trip all over my words and had a seagull poop on me in Florida.”

  “Puz, be good. I’ll be back later.” Jake reached down and scratched the dog behind his ears. The fondness in his eyes made my heart light. I liked seeing the two happy together.

  “’Bye, Puz.” The little dog disappeared before we were out the door and I had a feeling he was reclaiming his spot on the sofa.

  “You might have had a hard time then, but you don’t any longer.” Jake opened the front door for me and I went out ahead of him. Tony was standing at the SUV with the door open and I noticed another black Suburban behind the one I’d been in earlier. Thankfully most people wouldn’t blink an eye at a security detail in this city.

  “What do you mean?” I slid into the backseat and waited for him to get in too.

  “People love you. They think you’re refreshing.”

  “Pfft.” I waved my hand in the air as if that got rid of what he said. “You still know all my embarrassing stories.”

  “Do you remember when we were late for the interview at my family’s estate? I told everyone that I lost track of time while I was riding?” He slid in next to me and I tried to not think about how close he was.

  “I’d forgotten about that.” I shook my head. “I’d gotten a thorough verbal dressing down for being late.”

  “Sorry for that.” He looked at me with a sheepish grin. “I didn’t want to tell anyone that I’d lost my horse.”

  “You lost your horse?” I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Remember when we were racing and I told you guys to go ahead?” He ran a hand through his hair.

  “Yeah. I just figured you needed to go to the bathroom.” I shrugged. Guys were lucky in that sense.

  “Bax wouldn’t cross the stream so I tried to force him.”

  “He threw you?” My eyebrows rose in surprise. Jake was a superb horseman. Everyone in his family was brought up on a horse.

  “Knocked me on my ass good.” He shook his head. “Hurt like a motherfucker and then he made me chase him down. I couldn’t sit for a month.”

  “Is that why you insisted on standing behind the chairs?” I chuckled. “I just thought you were being arrogant.”

  “It’s so refreshing to hear how much you thought of me.” He frowned and rubbed a hand over his jaw.

  “You made it easy,” I explained.

  He chuckled and bumped his shoulder into me.

  “Wasn’t it raining that night?” I asked.

  “I looked like a swamp monster when I finally got back to the barn.” A wide grin split his face. “I had to bribe one of the stable hands to trade clothes with me. That’s another reason I didn’t sit down. His pants were about three sizes too small and I’d busted a seam. If I’d sat down my balls would have been on display for 20/20.”

  “Now that would have been amazing.” I laughed. “Do you realize how much slack I would have gotten if you’d free-balled it on national television? I’d be an entirely different person.”

  “Then I’m glad I stood arrogantly behind you,” he joked.

  “Why’s that?” I swayed as the car moved through traffic.

  “I happen to like who you are now.” He stared down at me with serious eyes and my stomach did a flip that had nothing to do with the car and everything to do with the intense gaze focused on me.

  “Good to know.”

  The rest of the ride was quiet and I tried to not squirm. I still wasn’t sure how to act around Jake. There was this sense of history that made me want to relax and just fall into him. But there was also this new facet of sexual tension and intrigue that we’d never shared before and it made me feel like an inexperienced twelve-year-old.

  Our SUV stopped in front of a small park encircled by vans and trucks of different sizes and colors.

  “Shade owns the pasteis truck under the large tree,” Jake said.

  I looked over at the long line that stretched out from a teal-and-orange truck with a bright green canopy.

  Tony opened the door to our vehicle and we climbed out. “You certainly can’t miss it.”

  “You’ll understand when you meet Shade.” Jake chuckled and put a hand on the small of my back as we walked toward the group of people.

  I recognized several people in line, politicians and well-known lobbyists all waiting for their pasteis. The smell drifting from the truck made my stomach rumble.

  “Hungry?” Jake asked.

  “I didn’t eat much at breakfast,” I answered. One of my heels stuck in the grass and I shifted my weight to my toes.

  “I had half a cup of coffee. I can’t wait to dig into some pasteis.”

  “Might be a while with that line,” I pointed out.

  “Nah.” He waved at a small woman at the woman who pointed at the tables near the trees. “May won’t make us wait.”

  “May?” She must’ve been the tiny woman that waved at us.

  I sat down at one of the picnic tables and picked up one of the leaves that had floated down to land on the planks.

  “His sister. She’ll send someone out with food for us.” He sat across from me and leaned his arms on the table. “It’s one of the benefits of knowing Shade personally.”

  “Am I going to meet this infamous Shade eventually?” I spun the maple leaf between my fingers.

  “Infamous is a good term.” Jake shook his head.

  “You keep making this guy out to be some kind of over-the-top phenomenon.”

  “Phenomenon. I’ll go with that.” A deep gravelly voice had me twisting in my seat and I watched as every single Secret Service guard put a hand on their gun.

  As I met the eyes of the mountain-sized man standing next to our table I could understand their anxious frowns. The man that must be Shade was taller than Jake by a few inches and was bald as a cue ball. Scruff lined his jaw and heavy black eyebrows lined his large strikingly green eyes. Tattoos curled down his gigantic arms ending with dragon heads on his wrists. His black shirt looked a smidge too tight under a dirty apron.

  “Shade.” Jake stood up and slapped the massive man on the back. “I wasn’t sure if you were working today.”

  “I work every day.” The large man set down the tray he was carrying and wiped his hands on the apron before extending one to me. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “And you.” I shook his hand, marveling at the sheer size of the man. If you were to throw a bucket of green paint at him, he could pass as the Hulk. An extremely hot Hulk.

  “Shade, this is Maddie McGuire. I’ve been bragging about your pasteis. Maddie, this is Gabriel Silva Vitriono.”

  “Call me Shade and they’re all right,” he said. With a shrug he pushed the tray closer to me. “I know Jake likes them spicy but May said he had someone with him so I brought an assortment.”

  “They smell delicious,” I said. “I didn’t realize how hungry I am.”

  “You’re not going to be disappointed.” Jake picked up a pasteis and took a big bite. Some of the sauce seeped out the side of his mouth and he caught it with his thumb.

  “You were always a slob, man. Don’t embarrass yourself in front of your date.” Shade’s deep voice rumbled across the table. “She looks classy.”

  I inhaled to laugh and accidentally sucked in a piece of lettuce. Shade slapped my back with one of his ham-sized hands until I could breathe again. I couldn’t imagine Jake as a slob, but maybe he’d been more relaxed around the guys while on tour.
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br />   “You’ve got a nice laugh when you’re not choking on lettuce.” Shade smiled at me and his intimidating face transformed into something more than handsome.

  “Back off, Shade.” Jake mock glared at his friend.

  “Can’t hurt me for having eyes, my friend.” Shade raised his hands in the air but winked at me. Heat rushed to my cheeks and I looked down at my pasteis. He stood up and rubbed his hands together. “I’m going to go back to work before May comes out here and drags me back by my ear. I’ll send some more napkins for the Neanderthal and some drinks in case you choke on more lettuce.”

  “Thanks, Shade. It was nice to meet you.” I smiled up at him and realized why he was nicknamed Shade. He was so large he literally cast a shadow that you could take shade in.

  “My pleasure, bela. Come see me anytime.” He shifted his bulk so Jake couldn’t see his face and wiggled his eyebrows.

  “Shade.” Jake growled. Only this time I wasn’t sure it was so friendly.

  “I’m going, friend, I’m going.” Turning away from our table he headed back to the truck with a deep laugh. “See you around, bela.”

  “That is an interesting man.” I watched him leave and all of the women’s heads turned in his direction. He had a dark aura of danger that was more than enticing. “I’m guessing his name is ironic. A joke?”

  “Oh, he’s a joke all right.” Jake stared darkly after his friend. “But he makes some really good pasteis.”

  “That he does.” I took another bite of my pasteis. “These are delicious.”

  “His one redeeming quality.”

  “I thought you were friends.” I raised an eyebrow.

  “We’re friends. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to wring his neck sometimes.” He glared in the direction Shade had walked.

  “Now, don’t be jealous.” I reached out and patted his arm. “I’m sure you make good pasteis too.”

  I couldn’t keep the smug smile from my face. It was nice to know that Jake Simmon could be a bit jealous over little ol’ me. He looked up at me with sheepish eyes and smiled.

  “It’s not the pasteis I’m worried about,” he explained.

  “The pasteis are the only thing you should be worried about.” I took a big bite of my lunch and sighed. “Because they’re delicious.”

  The rest of our meal was spent stuffing our mouths and listening to the breeze whisper through the trees. After a while we picked up our trash and went back to the waiting SUV’s.

  The museum was hopping as usual. It was a Sunday afternoon and there were a lot of families and tour groups. Our security detail dropped back a little, but there was no missing the fact that they were following us. Considering our late start to the day, we only had a few hours left to peruse the sights.

  “Where do you want to start?” Jake handed me a map.

  Eagerly I opened it up to scan the pictures. I really was excited about seeing the museum. I loved history; learning how things had grown, shifted, and affected the world over time. If you didn’t see how things started and evolved you could look at the end product and think it was magic. It was only with all the little pieces of the puzzle that you can put the whole picture together.

  I looked up at the African Elephant in the middle of the museum. It wouldn’t be long before those amazing animals had disappeared from the Earth and no one would know why unless they stopped and looked at how humans had hunted them and destroyed their homes. This exhibit would be the only chance future children would have to see an elephant.

  Unless someone started speaking up and making a difference.

  “You look upset,” Jake said. He moved into my line of sight and touched my shoulder.

  “What? No. I was just thinking,” I explained. “I think we should start on the first floor and work our way up.”

  “That sounds like a good plan.” He looked at the map in my hands. “The mammals exhibit is over here.”

  I looked at the massive lion up on a pedestal. “Such a magnificent creature. I hate to see it stuffed.”

  “I met one of the curators once. At a dinner or something,” Jake said. “She told me that a lot of the animals were donated after being confiscated from poachers or had died from natural causes.”

  “You’re trying to make me feel better.” I shot him a thankful smile. “But I know that a lot of animals are actually trophy kills donated to the museum.”

  “Maybe,” he agreed. “But a lot of the things in here are also fabricated—re-creations to show what the animal would look like in real life. There are also a lot of children that would never have the chance to see one of these animals without having a museum to go to.”

  I stopped and looked at an orangutan behind glass. I couldn’t help but be amazed at how human-like the animal really was. These animals deserved so much respect. I hoped that this exhibit really did expose children to more of the world so they’d be aware of how their actions affected everything.

  We spent time looking at all of the animals and I read the little signs. Occasionally we would be jostled by children clamoring to get closer to the exhibits, but it never seemed to bother Jake. I guess being the older brother to two younger sisters had increased his tolerance for children.

  It wasn’t until a few adults got near us that I noticed his eyes narrowing and how he seemed to pull into himself, staying close to me as if worried people would try to hurt me. A few tourists pressed close against him to get a picture of a tiger frozen in midleap and I saw his jaw tighten. I looked around to see where every one of our guards were and noticed that Tony was focused on Jake as if he was the current threat.

  Twining my fingers with his I pulled him away from the group and toward another exhibit that was less crowded. The farther we drifted from the large groups the more tension slipped from his shoulders. I’d seen it happen a few times over the last few weeks, when there’d been too many people around. He’d even left the worksite during the drywall installation but I hadn’t realized that it had been for any reason other than to run an errand.

  When his thumb ran over the back of my fingers in a gentle caress I realized we’d moved past the most difficult moment. His expression had relaxed and his shoulders weren’t tight. Guilt flooded my system as I thought about how he must feel being around a ton of people. I shouldn’t have suggested the museum, but it was the first thing to pop into my head last night.

  “What’s wrong?” He leaned down close to me as we peered at examples of early humanoids.

  “I shouldn’t have suggested coming somewhere with so many people.” I frowned down at the plaque in front of me.

  “Why?”

  I looked up at him and saw in his eyes that he already knew the answer. I could also tell that he didn’t want me to really answer. For one of the few times in my life I didn’t blurt out my first thought but took a minute to weigh how my response might affect him.

  “After all of those people last night we probably both could have used a break from crowds.” I didn’t want to lie to Jake. I wasn’t going to, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t temper how I answered questions that obviously mattered to him. “I forgot how pushy tourists could be.”

  “I’m having fun.” He pulled me close and tucked me under his arm. I couldn’t help the goofy grin that broke across my face.

  “I’m sure that learning about Homo Erectus and the different classifications was something you were just dying to know more about.” I poked his side. “Now you know all sorts of details about Eugene Dubois and his expedition to discover our evolutionary ancestors. You’re probably thrilled I’ve filled your brain with all these facts.”

  “I’m spending time with you, I’m happy.” He smiled down at me and my heart fluttered.

  “No wonder you’re such a ladies’ man. Do you say that to all the women?”

  “I’m saying it to you.” His eyes dropped to my mouth. “No one else matters.”

  Heat filled my cheeks and I looked back at the description on the case in front of
us to try and collect myself. “You’ve got a silver tongue, Jake Simmon.”

  “It’s easy with you, Maddie. All I have to do is tell the truth.” Lifting my chin he pressed his mouth to mine, giving me a chance to see just what he could do with his tongue. I’d been kissed before but there was something different when Jake touched me. It was like being plugged into an electric current. Any time our skin met parts of me came alive that I didn’t know hadn’t been working.

  When he pulled away from me I felt as though every cell in my body had been lit on fire and I hadn’t taken a breath in years. I wanted nothing more than to wrap myself around him and dive in for a repeat performance.

  Tony cleared his throat and I looked around confused. With Jake’s hands on me, I’d forgotten there was anyone else around, much less the fact that we were in the middle of a museum.

  I looked around the area we were standing in and saw several people with cameras pointed in our direction. One of the little boys had his mouth wide open as one of the Secret Service guards moved in his family’s direction. Tony tapped his watch and Jake nodded his head.

  “Er, I think we may have just made tomorrow’s news.” I looked up at Jake as I unwound my arms from around his neck. The flash from someone’s camera phone made me wince. I hated being caught unaware.

  “Well, it won’t be the first time.” He wound his fingers with mine as he pulled me toward a door. “Just the first time we’ll be doing it together.”

  “Where are we going?” I lengthened my stride so I could keep pace.

  “You’ll see.” He smiled back at me, his eyes twinkling.

  We took the stairs quickly and it dawned on me that he wasn’t using his cane.

  “You haven’t been using your cane lately,” I mused. “Something new at the doctor?”

  “Working at the jobsite has been better than all of the physical therapy I’ve done over the last year. My doctor has been talking about making everyone do physical labor to speed up their progress.”

  “If anything they’ll probably just double their efforts so they don’t have to spend days digging trenches or running plumbing.”

  “Which is probably his actual intent.” Jake laughed.