“Toby,” Dusty said with a warning glare.
“I didn’t mean nothin’ except to ask. I’m not tryin’ to butt in. Just that he keeps starin’ over here but pretending like he’s not.”
Shea glanced over, and sure enough, he caught Jake eyeing him, then quickly looking away. With Jake leaving tomorrow, tonight would be the last shot for them to see what, if anything, they could do about the crazy surge of electricity between them every time they came near each other.
“He leaves tomorrow.”
On the ride home, Jake chose to go with his friends in the pickup Craig and Johnny drove. Shea drove the rest of the Precision people, arriving several minutes after them. Upon arrival, most of the people went to bed, but Shea noticed Jake disappear into the kitchen. He followed and watched his tall shadow slip out onto the back porch, where he leaned against a post at the top of the steps to stare out into the darkness.
“Nothin’ ventured, nothin’ gained, as Daddy loved to say,” Shea muttered to himself and followed Jake. He stood on the opposite side of the stairs. “Nice night.”
“Yeah.” Jake didn’t even glance his way.
“What time’s your flight tomorrow morning?”
“Around nine.”
“I can drive you to the airport.”
“It’s fine. I’ve arranged a car. I don’t want to take you away from your duties and get you in trouble.”
“Jake, it’s okay. Really.”
“No, not really.” With a sigh, Jake sat on the top step and propped his chin in his hands. “Did you ever wish things could be different?”
Shea sat by Jake’s side. “Depends on how you define different.”
“I’m thinking that before I came, I resented the time away from my child. I didn’t want to be here. I hate leaving her with a babysitter.”
“Lotsa parents I know feel like that. You shouldn’t feel guilty.”
“I don’t.” Jake huffed his impatience. “That’s the problem. Tonight I’m sitting here with all this peace and quiet around me, and I don’t want to go home. I’m so tired of being the bad guy at work and then coming home and being the sole support…” He sucked in a harsh breath. “What kind of a terrible father am I that I wish I could hide away here and not go home?”
He dropped his head in his hands, and Shea, hating Jake’s obvious distress, scooted closer and put his arm around Jake’s shoulders.
“You’re not a terrible person. Sounds like you’re overwhelmed. But you gotta have help, right? Someone’s watching her when you go to work and after school?”
“Yeah, of course. I have a great person. It just wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
“Well, my daddy used to say, ‘One thing about life you can count on is not knowing what’s gonna happen next.’”
The leaves rustled in the trees, and the occasional hoot of an owl mingled with the other night sounds. Jake settled into his side, and it was peaceful sitting there in the dark with him. He played with the ends of Jake’s hair.
“Was that guy at the bar an ex-boyfriend?”
“Guess you could call him that. He and I got close when my father got sick, and he was there for me. It was really more like friends with benefits, but I let it go on too long, even knowing Toby had caught feelin’s.”
“But not you.”
“No. Not me.” His fingers tangled in Jake’s hair, and his lips hovered by Jake’s ear. “Especially now.” He let the tip of his tongue lick around the shell of Jake’s ear, and Jake shook beneath him.
Jake tilted his head so his mouth met Shea’s, and they fell into each other. Shea pushed his tongue past Jake’s lips, licking at the smoky bite of whiskey, then sucked hard, drawing out a groan of pleasure so deep from Jake, Shea knew he’d remember it for years. He nipped at Jake’s mouth, their tongues dancing and rubbing in a wet, silken slide.
Jake broke away, breathing heavily, and captured Shea’s face between the palms of his hands. “Come to my room?”
As much as he wanted to, Shea still hesitated. “I don’t ever do this. Never.”
“I don’t either. Be with me, please. Give me something to remember.”
