Pursing her lips, she huffed an annoyed breath before starting the engine and driving over to the lone man. Rolling down the passenger-side window, she gestured for him to get inside.
“Get in, loser. We’re going shopping.”
Jake smiled at her reference and closed his umbrella, shaking it out before climbing into the passenger seat.
She shook her head at the turn of events.
“I don’t want to hear another word from you.”
“My lips are sealed.”
She rolled her eyes at his response before pulling out of the parking lot, only to realize she didn’t know where he lived anymore.
Glancing over at her passenger, she raised her brows as if to say, “Well, where to?”
Jake mimed zipping his lips and tossing the key out the window. She growled in irritation at him. Jake leaned his head back and laughed. It hadn’t been the response she’d expected from him. His face transformed as he laughed. She stared at him in fascination. For a moment, she saw glimpses of the Jake she once knew. It warmed her heart to see he hadn’t changed too much, other than growing out of his youthful face.
One thing remained the same—his laughter still enthralled her. Still made her ache with a need she’d only found relief from once.
She studied his profile, from his dark blond hair, which needed a haircut, and down the slope of his upturned nose, before landing on his full lips parted in a wide grin. His perfect teeth seemed to glow against the dimness of the car. She watched as the prominent bulge of his Adam’s apple bounced with his laughter.
As handsome as Jake was, his booming laugh made her feelsomething. She could never quite figure out what thatsomethingwas,but it made the butterflies in her belly swarm and flutter round and round. It was a disconcerting sensation. One she hadn’t felt in over a decade.
His laughter was deep, as if it had been pulled from the depths of his abdomen and traveled up his throat to be released by his sinful mouth. It made her feel lucky to cause him delight. Like she was the luckiest person in the world. A warm and tingly sensation made her squirm uncomfortably.
Yanking her gaze away from the confusing enigma of a man seated next to her, Gia drove the car back onto the main road. It was empty this way. No doubt most of the townspeople were busy at work.
“You’re going the wrong way.” Gia jumped in her seat at Jake’s raspy words.
“What?” She glanced over at him, only to see he had been studying her. The warmth of a blush heated her skin in embarrassment.
“You’re going the wrong way,” Jake repeated calmly.
“I knew that,” she retorted and resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her immature response. It seemed she reverted to the teenage version of herself around Jake.
A bend in the road was approaching, so she slowed down and pulled over to the side, looking for any approaching cars before turning the car in a U-turn.
“See. Easy fix,” Gia stated proudly, as if it had been her intention all along. At Jake’s answering chuckle, her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.
The radio was turned down low to the local radio stationplaying the top-requested hits of the hour. The air felt warm and humid from the rain. As she reached a hand to turn on the air in the car, her fingers encountered Jake’s. She recoiled at his touch.
She glared at his audacity in touching the controllers in the car, as if he owned the vehicle. When the air kicked on, she breathed a sigh of relief. The cool air licked across her heated skin. Grateful for the reprieve, she relaxed back into the driver’s seat.
“You’re welcome.”
And just like that, her anger returned at his playful tone.
God, he is insufferable.
Keeping her gaze focused on the winding road in front of her as they headed back into the heart of Willowbrook, Gia wondered, not for the first time, how Jake had gotten up here without a car.
“How did you get up here, anyway?” Her curiosity got the better of her.
“I drove here.” His flippant answer made her want to scratch his eyes out.
What the hell is he talking about?“There were no other cars in the parking lot.”
“That you saw,” Jake said with a smirk.
