See Her (Turn it Up #1)

Chapter 8

8

JACK

M ayzie doesn’t mention our mutual silence. In fact, we spend several minutes watching the sun sparkle on the water, neither one of us feeling a need to break it. Occasionally, we glance over at each other and exchange a smile before looking back out at the river.

This sweet girl… woman , she got my attention the other day with her laughter and smile, and now she’s bringing those things out of me. I don’t know how else to explain why I’m feeling the way I am. It’s just there .

The sun changing position in the sky is almost symbolic, like it’s telling me Mayzie and I have stepped into a new phase. I feel like some kind of bond has been formed between us, and it happened while neither of us was speaking.

The crisp spring breeze pulls a strand of her brown hair free from her low knot, and she gives me an easy smile as she pulls it from flying in her face. I swear to God, I hear a few chords ring to life in my head just from that.

Any other girl I would have kissed – and quite possibly more – by now. And every other girl I have moved that quickly with, it never lasted long .

With Mayzie, I know I’ve got to do things differently. I’m not ready to say goodbye to her and the way I feel right now. I don’t think there will ever be a time.

But, fuck, do I ever want to kiss her, and the moment I do, I know I’ll fall in love… if I haven’t already.

On our walk back to the bike, I have the strongest urge to take her hand, but there’s no way I’d be able to stop there.

When I fire the Harley back up, we’re treated to more companionable silence, minus the puttering roar of the engine.

The ride back to her car is bittersweet in comparison to the day, and I find myself already not wanting to drop her off.

I hold back my hand over my shoulder for her to hold onto, and I feel her absence immediately when she swings her leg off the bike and climbs off, like part of me has been pulled away.

Being with her is so easy, and I’m getting to know her so much better than if we’d already kissed and/or had sex by now. I’m using this time to get to know her, and I’m not spending time with anyone else.

She pulls off her helmet, and before I know what I’m doing, I yank my own off as well and cut the engine.

She looks questioningly at me as I reach for her hand and pull her to me.

What the fuck I’m doing, I don’t know.

“Are you seeing anyone?” I hear the words leave my mouth as if I’m a bystander that didn’t actually speak them.

I see the surprise in her beautiful grey eyes before she looks down at our hands and then back up at me.

“No,” she breathes, and a nervous smile spreads on the soft pink lips I want to kiss so badly. I want to ignore that annoying inner voice that reminds me what will happen if I rush it with her like I did with all the others. But I want her more.

“Why?” she asks, still adorably timid all of a sudden. I want to tell her because she’s seeing me now, but am afraid it would sound too dominant, far too soon .

“I… just want to manage my expectations,” I decide to go with instead.

“What about you?” she asks, starting to relax. “Are you seeing anyone?”

I lean forward and kiss the corner of her mouth because I can’t fucking seem to help myself. “Only you,” I answer as I lean away and give her hand a squeeze before releasing it.

I watch Mayzie as she gets into her car and feel my phone go off in my jacket pocket as she pulls out of the lot. I reach for it to find a text from my buddy, Tyler, who I work here at The Cedar with, letting me know there’s a private party happening in the bar tonight and we’re being asked to play.

Though she’ll be in my fantasies as I lie down tonight, right now, I already miss her.

Mayzie

“I’m seeing someone, kind of… maybe… I don’t know,” I confess to Annie as I get undressed after my magical day with Jack.

“Whoa, slow down,” she admonishes from my phone’s speaker that lies on top of my dresser as I wrestle my bra off. “Back up. What are you talking about?”

“I deleted the dating app because I met a guy,” I tell her, pausing to pull a loose t-shirt over my head.

My revelation is met with a long pause as I undo my jeans.

“Okay, so when, who, and why is this the first I’m hearing of it?”

I huff out a sigh, laced with anxiety and a small dash of guilt. “I didn’t want to get too excited about it,” I admit, tugging my jeans down and kicking them off.

I go through the whole story with Annie as I finish changing into my lounging clothes, taking her through all of our interactions.

“And you’re the one who approached him,” she states out loud, and I can hear the amused approval in her voice. “I knew you had it in you.”

“Go me. Now what?”

“Now see where it leads. And if it leads nowhere, you’ve given yourself an experience, and next time you won’t be such a damn chicken.So… is he a good kisser?” she asks, switching gears.

“I don’t know. Probably. He looks like he would be.” With all that sexy confidence, pheromones, and that full looking bottom lip, he has to be.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“We haven’t kissed.”

“You spent a day on a motorcycle where he was literally between your damn legs, and he hasn’t kissed you?”

“Just on the cheek.”

“Oh,” she pauses. “This changes things…”

No shit.

My heart finally starts beating again as I read the text over two more times. It was short and sweet, but still. I’m freaking reeling over the idea he was thinking of me at this moment.I need to get a grip,but I can’t ignore this, I have to text back. I’m not going to play games by leaving him hanging. I carefully consider what to say before deciding to go with answering him in the same tone with which he texted me.

Jack: I had fun with you today. Just wanted to say goodnight and I’ll talk to you soon.

My heart finally starts beating again as I read the text over two more times. It was short and sweet, but still. I’m freaking reeling over the idea he was thinking of me at this moment.I need to get a grip,but I can’t ignore this, I have to text back. I’m not going to play games by leaving him hanging. I carefully consider what to say before deciding to go with answering him in the same tone he texted me.

Me: I had a really good time too. Goodnight

I set my phone down and try to get back into my book, but the words of his text are floating around my head and glowing like a neon sign.