“You mentioned before that you volunteered at Agape House. How long have you been doing that?” I wasn’t sure why I was so curious about the man, but there was something about him that intrigued me and I found myself wanting to know more.
“I’ve been volunteering there for several years now. Landon got me involved when we became friends and I fell in love with the place and what they’re doing there. It’s hard not to, you know?” he answered.
“Makes sense,” I told him. “After just one visit, I’m already thinking about ways I could help out.”
“You should. They always need extra hands and you have a lot of skills you could offer.”
“What do you do there?” I asked.
“Lots of things. I tutor the kids after school, I help them fill out applications for work and practice questioning them before they go on job interviews. I’m pretty much up for anything they need,” he explained.
I listened as he told me about some of the kids he’d gotten very close to as well as the ones he worried about. As he talked, I realized that there was a lot more to Akio Forrest than I’d realized. If you spent any time with him at all, it was clear that he was considerate, caring, and highly intelligent. How in the world has he not been snatched up already?
“I feel like I’ve been doing all the talking. Tell me about you. You grew up in Tennessee, right?” Akio asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
I nodded my head. “Born and raised in the same small town all my life. Our house was an old barn that someone had converted into a home. We had ten acres with a creek to play in and plenty of trees to climb,” I told him.
“Yeah, I heard you were quite the daredevil,” Akio said with a laugh.
“Oh, that’s right, you were asking about me.” I arched my eyebrow as I glanced at him. I already knew he’d been asking Landon about me, but I couldn’t resist teasing him. His skin turned a pretty shade of pink as he realized he’d been caught, but he quickly recovered, rolling his eyes and turning to look out his side window.
“I spoke to Landon about you, but Landon doesn’t spread gossip so I think it’s safe to assume that you would only know this if you had been asking about me as well. Am I right?” I could hear the challenge in his voice and it made me smile.
“Yes, your assumptions are correct. I found out that you two had talked about me after I began asking about you,” I admitted. Akio turned his head in my direction and I took my eyes off the road long enough to meet his gaze. He looked shocked by my honesty.
“Why were you asking about me?”
“Why did you want to know about me?” We both said at the same time. We chuckled and then I spoke. “You first.”
Akio was quiet for several minutes and I began to wonder if he was going to answer the question at all. It wasn’t until I pulled into the parking lot where he’d left his car and turned off the engine that he finally spoke. I twisted in my seat, giving him my full attention and I could see the vulnerability in his eyes. Maybe it was just because I was looking so closely, but behind the designer clothes and the camp attitude that he projected to the world, I caught a glimpse of the gentler side he kept hidden. Akio was obviously a proud man and I doubted that many people were able to rattle him, but for whatever reason, I made him nervous and damn it if that didn’t make me happy because just maybe it meant I wasn’t the only one feeling completely unbalanced when we were together. He cleared his throat as he turned to face me too.
“I asked Landon about you because it made sense to get to know the man I’d be working with over the next few months,” he answered simply. I arched a brow at him, challenging him to continue. Akio rolled his eyes in that adorable way that told me I was annoying him and blew out a breath. “Fine, I was curious about a man who could be so sure I would hire him before I’d even met with any other contractors. You were very cocky in that first meeting and I wanted to know why. Your turn,” he demanded.
“Okay, your attitude intrigued me, I found your intelligence captivating and I thought you were sexy as hell. Of course, I wanted to know more. I still do.” Akio’s eyes widened at my admission. I’d always been a very honest person. I spoke my mind and appreciated when others did the same, but in this case, I may have gone too far. I held my breath as I waited for his response. The air in the truck was thick as the electricity that seemed to always be present between us gained strength.
“I may have been attracted to you when we first met too,” he said quietly.
“And now?” I pressed. Like magnets being drawn together, we had begun leaning in towards each other until there was barely any space between us. His tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip and I followed the movement with my eyes, wanting nothing more than to discover what he tasted like.
“Now, I think I’d better go,” he said. It wasn’t until he began to back away that I realized what he’d said.
“Wait!” I said as he opened his door and turned to get out. “I can’t tonight, but could I take you out sometime?”
“That depends,” Akio said, looking at me over his shoulder.
“On what?” I asked.
“On how my date tonight turns out,” he said with a wink. He had shut the door and was climbing behind the wheel of his car before I could respond. I knew he had said it in a teasing manner, but fuck if it didn’t piss me off to think of him spending time with another man. The question was, why?
Curtis had sounded nervous on the phone so I suggested that we ride together to the restaurant so he wouldn’t have to arrive alone. He picked me up at six on the dot and I told him how handsome he looked in his khaki pants and white dress shirt. We’d agreed to dinner and a movie, that way if either of us ended up having nothing in common with our dates then we wouldn’t have to make conversation during the movie.
Curtis offered to drive and I suspected it was to give him something to do with his hands. I’d never seen him so nervous and as much as I’d been dreading the evening, I was glad that I had agreed to help him out. He was a really nice guy and a good friend. I hoped that he and Jakob would be able to hit it off because he deserved to be happy.
As for my date, I wasn’t harboring any expectations. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Curtis to choose a nice guy for me, it was just that I was very particular with my taste in men. I usually went for tall, dark and handsome with just a touch of scruff along his jaw, bright sea-green eyes and…I forced myself to stop right there as I realized I’d been picturing Morgan Greene in my head.
It was obvious that there was a lot of chemistry between us and I’d been surprised at how much fun I’d had with him. When he’d asked me for a date, I’d wanted to say yes immediately, but I decided to play it cool instead. With as cocky as he’d been at our first meeting, he deserved to wait for what he wanted. I couldn’t very well let him think he was going to get everything he asked for. At least that’s what I had told myself and at the time, it had made sense, but afterwards I’d wanted to kick myself. What if he loses interest and never asks again? What if he meets someone else while I’m off on this unfortunate double date? I sighed heavily at the thought. What was done was done and I was just going to have to deal with the outcome. Besides, Curtis needed this and I was determined to see it through.
“You okay, buddy?” I asked him as he pulled into a parking space and shut off the car.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m not usually this nervous about dating, but I lost some of my confidence after that guy never called. I still don’t get it. We seemed to really hit it off, but I guess I was reading more into it than there was,” he said with a shrug. I hated seeing him so miserable and I was more determined than ever to make this night go as smoothly as possible for him. Jakob was a good-looking guy with a great sense of humor and I was confident that even if they weren’t a match, they would at least become friends.
“Trust me, if he couldn’t see what a great guy you are, then he doesn’t deserve to be with you anyway,” I told him.
“Thanks, Akio. And thanks for
agreeing to this double date tonight. I know you probably have a bunch of other stuff you’d rather be doing, but I appreciate you being here for me,” he said sincerely.
“I don’t mind at all. Now, what do you say we get in there before our dates think we’ve stood them up and leave,” I joked. Curtis chuckled and I was happy to see him looking more relaxed. We checked our phones as we reached the front door. “It looks like your date is here already. He got us a table in the back,” I said as we walked inside.
“Yours just pulled into the lot.” Curtis looked up from his phone with a smile. I was glad to see him finally looking excited about the evening. “Why don’t you go on in and find the table and I’ll wait for your date to come in,” he suggested. After telling him the last name to ask for, I made my way to the hostess stand.
“I’m here for the Gregory party,” I informed the young woman behind the stand who smiled at me like there was nothing in the world she would like more than to help me find my seat. She scanned the list of names in front of her and then looked up at me with her radiant grin still in place.
“Right this way, sir. It looks like we’re still waiting on two members of your party.”
“Yes, they’re here. They’ll be inside in just a few minutes,” I explained.
“That’s wonderful,” she exclaimed cheerily.
Jakob smiled as I walked towards him and I saw his eyes dart over my shoulder. I took the seat directly across from him, leaving room for Curtis to sit in the seat next to him once he and my date joined us.
“Don’t worry, he’s coming. He was waiting for my date to park his car,” I told him. I saw Jakob’s shoulders relax.
“Oh, good! I was afraid for a minute that this was all just your way of getting me to go out with you. I like you as a friend, but you’re not my type, Akio,” he said seriously.
I felt my jaw go slack as shock hit me. I tried to form a response, but my brain seemed to have quit working. I’d known Jakob for several years and never in all that time had I looked at him as more than a friend. Besides, I certainly didn’t need to trick anyone into dating me. I felt myself getting angry and I had just decided to give him a piece of my mind when I noticed the way his shoulders were shaking and the smile he was trying to fight back.
“You asshole,” I hissed. Jakob lost the battle at that point and erupted into a fit of laughter.
“Oh boy, I wish you could’ve seen your face. That was priceless,” he said, gasping for air.
“I’m glad I could be here for your amusement. Are you about finished?” I said dryly, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to mess with you,” he said, finally getting himself under control.
“That’s okay, I’ll get even eventually,” I promised. Jakob’s eyes twinkled with mischief and he opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a man’s voice.
“Jakob?” My head swiveled to Curtis who was staring down at the man across from me with a mixture of disbelief and was that pain? My eyes darted back to Jakob who was looking at Curtis. Shock and regret seemed to be the prominent emotions etched on his face. It was obvious that the two of them already knew each other, but I wondered what had happened to cause such a serious reaction from each of them.
Jakob pulled himself together first and he quickly stood, grabbing Curtis by the elbow and steering him in the direction of the restrooms. It wasn’t until they’d walked away that I noticed the man who had been standing quietly behind Curtis during the confusing exchange. I wasn’t sure which one of us was more surprised as I stared into the beautiful sea-green eyes of Morgan Greene.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. My head was spinning with how quickly the mood of the evening had changed, not to mention the fact that Morgan was right there in front of me.
“Curtis and Caleb coerced me into going on a double date when I stopped by Romero’s for dinner the other night,” he said with a scowl. “They thought I needed to get out and meet people.”
“You don’t seem very happy about that,” I said, suddenly feeling disappointed. His face smoothed out as he met my gaze.
“The coercion part, no. How it’s turned out so far, yes.” His lips lifted into a small smile and I felt something stir in my gut. “Do you mind if I sit down?” He gestured to the seat next to me.
“Oh no, sorry. I forgot my manners with everything that just happened,” I said. Morgan sat down, his elbow brushing against mine and my pulse sped up at his close proximity.
“So, do you know what that was about?” Morgan tilted his head in the direction Curtis and Jakob had taken.
“No clue. I didn’t even know they knew each other. Given their reactions, I’d say it probably wasn’t a good idea on my part to set them up,” I said as I cast a worried glance towards the bathroom where my friends had disappeared to.
“Like you said, you didn’t know. Whatever issues they have between them, has nothing to do with you and it isn’t your fault,” Morgan assured me. “Besides, the fact that they’re still in there and no one has had to call the police yet gives me hope that they’re working it out.”
“Thanks,” I said with a chuckle. I appreciated him adding some levity to the situation. “This really sucks though because I’ve always prided myself on my matchmaking skills. I’ve got a perfect record,” I stated proudly.
His smile grew, eyes crinkling at the corners and I thought to myself what a beautiful man he was. The more time I spent with him, the more obvious it became what a genuinely nice guy he was which wasn’t all that surprising, considering he was a Greene. Every member of the Greene family was kind, warm, and accepting. I had often wished that there were more people in the world like them. I was lucky to have them as friends.
Although, if I was being completely honest with myself, the feelings I had whenever Morgan was around, went well beyond the boundaries of friendship. I had a sneaking suspicion that he felt the same way about me, especially given his admission earlier that he’d thought I was sexy when we first met. I’d had to fight the urge to grab him and devour his mouth when he’d told me that. His expression turned serious and his gaze dropped to my lips as we sat there, as if he’d just read my thoughts.
We were so caught up in each other, we didn’t notice Curtis and Jakob approaching the table until they sat down across from us. I turned towards my friends and was relieved to see them both smiling. Their lips looked suspiciously red and swollen which told me they’d been doing more than just talking in the bathroom.
“I take it you two worked things out?” I teased, giving them a knowing look. Curtis turned a bright shade of pink and Jakob chuckled as he looked over at him adoringly.
“Yeah, we did,” Jakob answered. I was dying to know what had happened, but I didn’t want to be rude and come right out and ask. Luckily, Curtis knew I would be dying of curiosity and he didn’t make me suffer for long.
“You remember the guy I told you about?” he asked.
“You mean the one that you liked a lot?” I answered with a question of my own.
“You said you liked me?” Jakob’s entire face lit up as he turned to face Curtis.
“Wait a minute, that was you?” I narrowed my eyes at Jakob. “Why didn’t you ever call him like you said you would?” I demanded, jumping to Curtis’s defense.
“I wanted to, trust me,” Jakob said, holding his hands up in a defensive manner. “I got a call the next day that my mom had been in a car accident and suffered a broken leg. She lives in Wyoming and didn’t have anyone else to take care of her so I flew there to help out. I dropped my phone at the airport and broke it. When I went to get it replaced, I ended up losing all my contacts.”
“So that’s why I didn’t see you at the club for a long time,” I said in understanding.
“Exactly. I was gone a couple of months and by the time I got back, I figured that even if I had Curtis’s number, he probably had already forgotten about me. I mean, if I couldn’t stop t
hinking about him after one night, surely someone else would’ve snatched him up by then,” Jakob said quietly. My heart went out to him. He had to have been going crazy thinking that he’d missed out on an opportunity with a great guy. Curtis reached over and took Jakob’s hand on top of the table.
“I was too hung up on you to even think about anyone else,” he admitted. “I only agreed to this double date because Akio needed a wingman.” I felt my eyes bug out of my head, but I kept quiet when Curtis winked at me. I knew he was trying to assure Jakob that he hadn’t been moving on.
“Well, I’m glad everything worked out,” I said, smiling at each of them. “Things are worked out, aren’t they?”
“Yeah, things are good.” Curtis grinned shyly.
We were all still smiling when the waiter came to take our orders. We quickly scanned the menus that we’d ignored in all the excitement and gave him our selections. He left to get our drinks and we settled into a nice conversation. Curtis and Jakob were excited to hear about Morgan’s plans for Agape House and offered to help with the fundraising.
We continued getting to know one another over dinner and I was surprised at how easily we all got along. There was none of the stilted conversations or awkward silences that were often present on a first date. Jakob regaled us with funny and sometimes horrifying stories of his job as a club bouncer, Curtis told us about his trip to Europe the previous summer where he studied under some of the same chefs that had taught Caleb.
I could feel Morgan’s eyes on me throughout dinner and I smiled as he pulled my chair out for me when it was time to leave. The cinema was just a few blocks away and the weather was nice, so we all agreed to leave our cars at the restaurant and walk there instead. I insisted on paying for our movie tickets and popcorn since Morgan had bought my dinner. He frowned at the suggestion, but nodded his head when he saw how serious I was.
Constructing the Soul Page 6
