Someone to Stay Read online

  “Cassie,” he began, and he saw her turn to look at him from the corner of his eye. He gave her a brief smile before going back to the road, changing lanes. “I just want you to be prepared for the possibility that that photo will circulate.”

  “Circulate?”

  “Ah, yes. You know, in the magazines. I can already see the headline. ‘Jake Mason spotted with mystery woman’ or some such thing...”

  “Oh.”

  He wished he could see her, could really look at her. She was so good at closing off, hiding behind a practiced veil of neutrality. He had recognized this in her because he did it himself.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  “Oh. Yes. I just didn’t think of it that way. I mean...do you think it’ll change anything? Will it change...us?”

  Yes, he was about to say, but he stopped himself. That was the wrong answer to her questions. The photo wouldn’t change anything, he didn’t think. Perhaps the paparazzi in town might trail her...sometimes, if they even recognized her. It was dark when the picture was taken, but the man was close, and probably got a good, unobstructed view of her profile and had a good camera that probably had excellent low-light settings. That was his job, what he was paid for. To capture private moments, intimate ones meant to shock and twist and cause undue problems for the subjects in the photo.

  But...did this picture matter? Would it change the way he felt about her?

  “The paparazzi in Kittanning may get the heads up. They may snap photos of you...but I hope that doesn’t scare you off. It doesn’t change the way I feel about you.”

  Reaching his hand out, he lowered it gently against her knee, hoping it delivered some measure of comfort, of reassurance. Once his hand made contact, he heard her breath hitch, the sound making a physical impact in his chest.

  He didn’t have time to dwell on the sound, because she asked slowly, “And...how do you feel about me?”

  Strongly, he wanted to say. I’ve hardly thought about anything else since the night I met you. Shying away from the truth was easier, though, and he struggled to keep a level voice as he responded.

  “You and I, it’s obvious that we click. I have feelings for you. You’re funny and enigmatic and beautiful.”

  Cassie was quiet for a beat after this, and Jake squeezed her knee.

  “You mean that?” she asked finally.

  “Yes.” He saw her nod from the corner of his eye and hesitated before asking, “How do you feel about me?”

  He felt her hand rest on top of his at his question, and he almost let out a little sigh of contentment. Was there anything that felt better than that?

  “I like you. A lot.”

  He wished he wasn’t driving; he felt that this conversation deserved to take place face to face. He wished that damn paparazzi hadn’t ruined their moment...but there was nothing to be done for it now. He could only force himself to move on, to hopefully forget about it, at least for now.

  “I’m glad we’re on the same page, then,” he said.

  “Me too.”

  The heaviness between them was palpable. Cassie’s fingers moved slowly over his hand, the touch sending shivers up his arm, his body responding to her so strongly that he had to remind himself to concentrate on the road. Not for the first time, he thought about taking her back to his trailer, wondering what her kiss would feel like, what her skin would feel like as he traced his hands over her body, imagining how making her call his name would make him feel...

  Arousal flamed through him and he glanced over at Cassie, who was watching him closely. His face was hot but he was certain she couldn’t see it in the dark, but she could surely see his expression, which he hardly masked. Her fingers were still tracing some pattern into his hand, and he had to stop himself from shuddering. Her expression had darkened, her lips curved into a small smile.

  Forcing himself to look away, he asked her silently, What are you doing to me?

  By the time they arrived at her house, Cassie felt like a bundle of nerves.

  The car ride home had been awkward and silent until they started talking. And, like many of their conversations, it had turned profound. Her heart, she was sure, was still trying to return to a normal pace in the wake of his confession.

  Enigmatic? Beautiful?

  As if they were living things that could reach out and touch her, his words had inflamed her, and with them she realized just how strongly she felt about him - something she had forbidden herself to dwell on too much. In her head, she had tried to count down the days until he left - what was it now? Fifty something?

  Those thoughts were not productive, though, and she forced herself to stop. This was meant to be fun, not stressful. She wondered what Sam would think of her mindset and then brushed that aside. Sam had warned her about this.

  Thinking about Sam hurt, though.

  “Well,” Jake said once he pulled into the drive. “We’re here.”

  They met each other’s gaze, then, and Cassie smiled, thoughts of Sam fading away as their eyes met. Despite the hiccup with the paparazzi, the evening had been all around good, and she was sorry it was over.

  “When can I see you again?” she asked, the words tumbling out in a rush.

  “What about Sunday?”

  Her heart skipped a beat - that was just two days away. She nodded. “Yes.”

  “Perhaps we could see a film?”

  He was leaning in, eyes on hers, as he said this. Cassie couldn’t help thinking that she’d go anywhere he asked, if he did it in that voice.

  “Yes - anything you want.”

  She realized belatedly, after the expression on his face darkened, that her response held a double meaning. Looking at him now, she felt a certain heat, and she realized that she had meant what she said.

  “Ah, let’s get you inside,” he said, and the moment was over.

  They both got out of the car, the night air cooler now that it was going on ten o’clock. There was very little residual light in the sky, not like in the city, and she counted the stars above, wondering about the names of the constellations.

  Jake’s hand on her back startled her, as she hadn’t heard him approach her. He was very close, and she turned to face him, his hand never leaving that spot.

  The moment was back. She reached a hand to grip his upper arm, the texture of his shirt smooth against her fingers. For a very still moment, they just stood there, looking at each other; for a short period of time, it was as if they had been frozen in place.

  “Cassie...” he said, and her eyes landed on his mouth. Her name had never sounded richer than when he said it, she thought then, and she squeezed his arm, willing him to say whatever was next.

  And then, softly, “I’d very much like to kiss you right now.”

  Her heart immediately quickened its already fast pace, and she found herself at a loss for words. She struggled to reply - her brain to mouth connection seemed to be temporarily out of order - and instead of words, without thinking, she reached her other hand up, landing it lightly against his jawline; she was startled to feel how warm it was.

  Perhaps it was sheer nerves that forced her to stand on her tip-toes, making her hand move from his face to the back of his neck, applying pressure. He gave in to the resistance at that point and leaned down, and in one brief, terrifying yet exhilarating moment, he hovered there; she could barely breathe for fear that he’d change his mind.

  When his mouth finally met hers, it was as if the world existed solely in that moment; everything else ceased to matter. She thought she was warm before - she was on fire now. The kiss was delicate, gentle, even, but then she felt his hand on her back ball into the fabric of her dress; it was as if it was all he could do to keep himself under control, and that thought heated her even more. She opened her mouth, urging him to deepen the kiss, not wanting his control - she wanted to feel it snap. She craved the passion she felt; she could think of nothing else but to feel his, too. It took all of half a second for him to realize w
hat she had done, what she was asking for, and she felt the warm fluidity of his tongue.

  She stepped closer, eliminating the small space between them, and felt him gasp into her mouth as their bodies touched, and she was ignited even more when she felt how warm he was through his shirt, and she gripped his neck harder. It was turning into much more than just a kiss, she thought, as both of his hands found themselves tangled in her hair, probably ruining her bun. The intense rush of sensation she felt originated where their mouths met, but it ricocheted throughout her entire body with such ferocity she could hardly believe it.

  Without warning, Jake broke the kiss, moving his face back, and Cassie opened her eyes to look at him, dazed by the abrupt end of their kiss. She let out a shuddering breath, her eyes flicking from his, pupils dilated, to his swollen lips, licking her own.

  He was breathing fast. Cassie felt one of his hands disentangle from her hair and reach out to caress her cheek tenderly, and she watched with slight disappointment as he calmed himself down, his breathing returning to a normal pace.

  And because she couldn’t say anything else, she said, “Wow.”

  Jake chuckled at that, and stepped away further, letting go of her entirely.

  “Yes. Wow,” he said, watching her closely. She wanted nothing more than to bring him back, to return to that kiss - but she knew it was for the best that he ended it. She felt herself cool off, calm down, the humming and buzzing in her veins dissipating after a moment.

  He held his hand out, and she took it, and they walked to the porch together. She wondered, vaguely, if her mom was awake and waiting for her. Had she looked out the window and seen them together? She felt herself blush at the thought, and was suddenly very glad he had ended it when he had.

  At the door, she let go of his hand to pull her hair out of its bun, deciding to fix it before she went inside. She pulled it into a high ponytail, not perfect but most likely better than the trussed up mess it had been. Once she was done, she looked at Jake with resignation.

  “Well...” she said, slowly. “I’m not very good at goodbyes. I had a good time and -”

  He cut her off with another kiss - not anywhere near as passionate as the one they had just shared, but deliciously intimate all the same. She was just about to touch his face when he broke away, a coy smile spread across his face.

  “I had to do that one more time,” he said, bashfully. The sincere amount of happiness evident on his face nearly took her breath away - she could see the smile reaching all the way up to his eyes, taking years off his face.

  “You can do that whenever you want,” she replied with a grin.

  “I’ll hold you to that. But don’t be surprised if we never do anything else.”

  “Okay,” she said, laughing. “I like the sound of that. But...I guess it’s time for me to go. My mom is probably waiting for me.”

  “Ah, yes. Tell her I said hullo.” He reached for her then, enveloping her into a hug. “I’ll call you tomorrow, Cassie. Have a lovely night.”

  He let her go and Cassie felt the absence of him so strongly that she could hardly bear it - she watched him walk off the porch and to his car, where he gave her a little wave, his smile evident even in the dark. Reaching into her purse, she pulled her keys out, unlocking the door and stepping inside.

  The door had barely shut behind her when she heard her mom’s voice.

  “I was wondering what was taking you guys so long.”

  Cassie jumped, startled, slipping out of her flats and looking at her mom, who was leaning against the opening to the living room, arms crossed, a look of bemusement on her face. So she did realize we were out there awhile, she thought with embarrassment.

  “Hi, mom.”

  “Hi, yourself. I think you owe me an explanation or two.”

  Right to the point - that was how her mom was, but in this moment, she hated that about her. Shrugging, Cassie set her bag down on the table next to the door, pulling her phone out of it, trying to avoid saying what her mom wanted her to say.

  “You don’t want to talk about it. Why?”

  Because I don’t know how to explain it without sounding crazy, she thought.

  “What do you want to know?”

  Sighing, her mom uncrossed her arms. “How did you meet him? I didn’t even know you met someone new, let alone Jake Mason. That guy was all over the news last week. I mean, wow, Cassie.”

  Resigned to the fact that there was no getting out of this, Cassie recounted the story from the first night Jake and she met, all the way to the second night when he had come for dinner alone and ended up asking her out. She explained how they had gone hiking at Harrison Hills, skimming over the bit about her dad and his sister, not feeling up to explaining any of that.

  “We get along. He’s a really, really nice guy. He’s...”

  “You don’t have to justify him to me, Cassie. I know you’re not a teenager anymore and you don’t need permission to date, but...a little heads up would have been nice. I had no idea what to think when I opened the door and saw him there.”

  Chagrined, Cassie looked away from her mom at this point. She was right, of course. It was incredibly insensitive to not tell her mom about any of this - there was no real reason to leave her in the dark other than her own sense of uncertainty.

  I wouldn’t get too attached if I were you.

  She almost flinched at the sound of Sam’s voice in her head, her words from the bike ride seemingly always near the front of her mind. She squashed them. Trampled them. They didn’t belong here. She looked at her mom again.

  “Look...I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you about him. Not that it makes it any better, but I wasn’t expecting him to come to the door tonight. I...didn’t tell you about him because, well, I wasn’t sure what to say.”

  “It’s okay, Cassie. I was put off by it earlier...but I understand now.”

  Nodding, Cassie smiled. “I’m glad you understand. I’ll do better at telling you things from now on.”

  “Good. So, tell me about tonight, then. How was it? What sort of date does a movie star take you on?”

  Laughing, but with no small amount of embarrassment, she said, “A nice one, I guess. We went to this Mordini’s on Station Square, and when we were done, walked along the river.”

  She stopped herself before she went further - the paparazzi situation was right on the tip of her tongue, and it was surprising how much it wanted to come out. How strangely cold Jake had turned, how easily an apology had rushed out because of it. She thought of the girl that had stopped him, the one who wanted a picture.

  “Oh, Station Square, how nice. Did you ride in a horse-drawn carriage?”

  “No, we didn’t do that...” Although the image wasn’t a bad one, and perhaps they would have had more privacy within one instead of being caught staring at each other with stars in their eyes by some jerk with a camera. “Although I have to warn you...when we were walking, we stopped to talk a bit and there was a man who took a picture of us, and Jake thinks it’s likely it may show up in a magazine.”

  “Who was it?” her mom asked, confusion clouding her features. “Like...the paparazzi?”

  “Yeah. Exactly like the paparazzi.”

  Her mom opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. There in her spot, she stood quite still, watching Cassie for a moment.

  “Did he catch you two in a...compromising situation?” she asked finally.

  “No!” Cassie said, a touch too loudly. And then, “Well, we were rather close, and his hand was on my back. But we weren’t doing anything other than looking at each other.”

  Her mom nodded. “With any other guy...I’d say it wouldn’t matter. But with this guy...Cassie, you have to be careful. He’s famous, I’m sure you know that. But as long as the picture wasn’t anything more than that, there’s always room for denial.”

  “Jake was furious,” she said then, remembering the stiff set of his mouth. “We high-tailed out of there as soon as it happened
.”

  “But obviously it didn’t damper your date too much.”

  Her mom’s pointed glance caused her face to heat. A nervous hand went to her hair, which had been in a different style before she left, and she knew her mom had probably put two and two together.

  “What does Sam think of all this?” her mom asked, changing the subject.

  Of course...Sam. Her mom had no idea about their argument, about the fact that they hadn’t spoken in days. Cassie wasn’t quite ready to tell her about it, and she was uncomfortably aware she was already going back on her promise to keep her informed about things, but she couldn’t bring herself to spoil her night by recounting that story. She’d already done it more than enough times in her head, and it wasn’t getting any easier.

  “She was surprised at first, but now I think she’s over the initial shock.” And then, bitterly, she added, “She’s probably his biggest fan.”

  “Has she met him yet?”

  “No. Not yet.”

  This conversation, so uncomfortable to begin with, had turned even worse. If her mom could sense her agitation, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she asked, “Are you going to see Jake again?”

  “Yes. On Sunday, he wants to see a movie.”

  Her mom nodded at this, stepping away from the frame she was leaning on, and walked toward her. “Well, I’m glad you could open up to me a little bit tonight. I’m sorry the paparazzi ruined what was probably a nice moment.”

  “It’s okay. It was for the best. I’m just glad it didn’t scare him away from me,” she admitted.

  Clucking her tongue, her mom pulled her into a hug. “That boy would be stupid to let something so small scare him away.”

  Hugging her mom back, Cassie squeezed her eyes shut, chuckling at the image of Jake being referred to as ‘that boy’. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  They broke the hug. “Well, I’m going to bed. I waited for you because I wanted to talk to you, and now I’m beat.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Cassie said, feeling a fresh wave of guilt at that.