Tempting Him by Isabel Lucero
38
We sitacross from each other in a small booth at a local place called Nicola’s Pizza. There’s a handful of patrons, but Jay asks the guy to seat us in a corner away from most of them, allowing us some privacy.
“Connections?” I ask, quirking a brow.
“Oh, baby. I have connections all over this town,” Jay teases. “But really, I just know a lot of people, plus I come here pretty often.”
I nod and glance at the menu. When my eyes flicker up, Jay’s watching me.
“Don’t need to look at the menu?”
“Nope. I always get the same thing.”
“You don’t want to try anything new?”
“Why stray from something I know I already enjoy?” He cocks a brow, seemingly talking about more than pizza.
“Hmm. Well, just get a large of whatever you usually get, and I’ll share.”
We don’t say much until the waiter’s already taken our order and dropped off our drinks. When we know he’ll be gone a little while, Jay speaks up first.
“So, you in town for the festival?”
“Partially,” I admit.
“And the other part?”
My lips twitch, pulling into a grin. “I think you know.”
“I don’t know anything, if I’m being honest,” he says. “I know what I hope, but considering I haven’t heard from you in almost two months…” he trails off, shrugging his shoulders.
“I wanted to call you. I brought your name up on my phone more times than I can count, but I knew that if we talked, I had nothing to offer you. What could I say?”
“Anything. I would’ve taken anything over nothing.”
“I’m sorry. I wanted to be better. You made me want to be a better person. I had to work on myself, and I still have a ways to go, but I couldn’t let even more time go by. I kept thinking you’d find somebody else soon.”
His eyes widen slightly upon hearing my truth. “You haven’t been dating?”
I shake my head. “No. You?”
“No.”
The sense of relief I feel is immediate and the smile on my face portrays that. “It’s really good to see you.”
His lips draw into a bright smile. “Why didn’t you tell me yesterday that you were gonna be here?”
“I felt like wishing you a happy birthday was a good excuse to reach out, and thought if you didn’t want to hear from me, you would’ve either ignored me or told me to fuck off. When you replied, I decided I’d make contact with you today.”
“You were afraid I was going to be mad at you? Did you forget the last thing I said?”
I shake my head. “It plays over and over in my head constantly.”
“I meant it. I wouldn’t change anything.”
Stretching my arm across the table, I take his hand in mine. “Jay, I’d change almost everything.”
His brows dip in the middle. “What do you mean?”
“When we started, I said everything we’d do would be whatever I’d allow. I never gave you a chance. I was selfish in my refusal of certain things. I should’ve treated you better, even if you were just supposed to be a fuck buddy. You were right. I didn’t treat you like a person with feelings. I was only concerned about myself.”
“Alek,” he cuts in. “I wasn’t aware of why you were the way you were. I wouldn’t have said those things had I known.”
“It doesn’t matter. I was wrong, and every day since I left, I’ve regretted not being better for you. You went above and beyond and I remained stuck in my ways. You’re one of the nicest people I’ve met and you deserved better.”
“You’re acting like I wasn’t happy. I was. I loved being with you. It was the first time,” he pauses, swallowing while staring into my eyes, “I had met someone who didn’t bore me. Being with you was always exciting, even if we were just eating while watching TV. It was the first time I didn’t have the urge to get up and run away, needing to find my friends or something else to do.”
The waiter appears, so we pull our hands back and let him put the pizza on the table between us. “Let me know if you need anything,” he says before leaving.
“Anyway, that’s what I mean when I say I’d change things. I’d want us to be equal and not just me controlling how we do everything. I’d be less afraid. I’d try more. I’d be better.”
Jay rubs a finger over his bottom lip. “Are you saying you want to try again? You want something more this time around?”
I dip my head. “If you want to.”
“How would that work? My dad. Our location.”
“If you want it to work, I’ll find a way to make it.”
His lips quirk up slightly. “Let’s do it.”
My heart nearly leaps into my throat. “Okay.”
* * *
We finish our dinner,and I drive him back to the music festival where his car is parked. It’s cleared out quite a bit, but there’s still plenty of people lingering.
“How long are you in town for?” he asks.
“I don’t need to be back until Tuesday.”
“Okay. Do you want to get together tomorrow?”
“Of course I do,” I reply with a smile. “You’re why I’m here.”
His face lights up. “Okay. Well, I guess I’ll text you tomorrow?”
I nod. “Okay.”
He leans forward slightly before stopping himself. “Um.”
Leaning over, I place my hand on the side of his neck and gently press my lips to his. When I ease back, I stare into his eyes for several seconds while my thumb caresses his skin. “Goodnight.”
“G’night,” he says huskily.
It takes everything in me to not demand he come back to the hotel with me. I’m desperate to feel him, kiss him, and merge our bodies into one as we succumb to our sexual desires. But I don’t want our second chance to be the way it was before. Last time it was only about sex. I want him to know I want and care about more than that.
He looks back at me twice before he gets into his car and drives away.
