Providence

Chapter Eleven The Hunt

“I’ll be good,” I promised.

Jared came out of the bathroom in only a pair of shorts. He stood several feet from me,

hesitating to come to bed. “Maybe you should take a cold shower, too. I don’t think it I can concentrate with you….”

“Aroused?” I said, quickly pressing my lips together to stifle a laugh.

His mouth fell open in shock and I cackled, too pleased with the reaction to help myself.

Jared smiled and nodded, complaisant to my playful badgering. He crawled into bed and propped his head up with his hand.

I sat against the headboard and sighed. “She wasn’t serious, right? About the half-the-police-force thing?”

His face fell. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said, sliding his fingers between mine.

“Why are they after me?”

Jared cursed in Spanish under his breath resulting in Claire giggling from somewhere downstairs.

“They’re not after you, sweetheart. They’re after something of Jack’s. They just think you know where it is.”

“They’re after the Port of Providence file?”

“Dawson said they want to dispose of the evidence Jack compiled that proves they’re dirty, but they’re looking for something else — something that’s contained within the file.”

“So, we go to my parents’ house, figure it out and get rid of it. Toss it off of a bridge or something.”

“That wouldn’t help us, Nina,” Jared said, shaking his head.

“Why not?” I grimaced.

“Whatever it is, it was worth going after Jack Grey. No one does that unless it’s…it’s something big, Nina. Something we don’t want to be caught without.”

“What are you talking about?” I was frustrated with the circles we seemed to be talking in.

“I shouldn’t tell you this.” He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger.

“Do it, anyway,” I snapped.

A heavy expression settled on his face. “Jack didn’t die from the car accident. He died of complications from a gunshot wound to the chest.”

It took a moment for my brain to wrap around what he’d said, but once I processed the words, I was instantly angry. “What?”

Jared put his hand on mine. “Gabe did everything in his power to try to save him, but Jack was in over his head.”

“I thought Gabe was indestructible. Wasn’t he one-hundred percent angel?”

“They threatened the only thing more important to him than Jack.”

“More important than his own life?” I asked, skeptical.

Jared nodded; the severity in his face was a bit frightening. “My mother. They were in my home the day Jack was shot. Claire and I had taken Bex to the airport, so Gabe had no choice but to leave him. My father knew what would happen if he left Jack alone, but his life meant nothing without my mother. Jack was shot en route to his office downtown. He did crash into a guard rail, but it was the bullet that led to his death.”

“You’re saying the men that want this package murdered my father?” Jared confirmed with a nod and I felt heat burn from every pore in my face. “I don’t care what it is. We’re getting rid of it. They will never get their hands on it.”

“Nina, I know you’re upset, but we need to think about this. They want something in that file so badly they went up against Jack and my father, and they knew what Gabe was capable of. I’d rather have it in our possession so we have something to barter with if need be.”

Tears filled my eyes and Jared wrapped his arms around me. I mourned once again for my father. I kept losing him over and over again, with one horrible truth after another.

I cried myself asleep, and when I awoke, Jared comforted me once again when the news from the night before replayed in my memory.

“I need to do something. I can’t just sit here,” I said, rushing over to my suitcase.

“I’m going to figure this out, Nina. Just give me a day or two to decide our next move.”

“I can’t wait another second,” I said, my mind racing to form a plan. When the idea struck, I paused. “I’m going back to my parents’. The answers are there.” I yanked a t-shirt over my head and the first pair of jeans I touched.

“We don’t have to go now,” he argued.

“Yes we do,” I said, pulling on my shoes while hopping to the stairs.

Jared scrambled from the bed. The hangers in his closet clanged against each other, and within seconds he was behind me, fully dressed. “Not exactly how I wanted to spend the weekend,” he said, frowning.

“C’mon. Let’s go. Vaminos!” I said, rushing him out the door.

In my parents’ home, Jared followed me up the stairs to Jack’s office. He watched me locate the keys to Cynthia’s safe, followed me to her study, and then pulled the plant to the floor without effort. I used the key to gain access to the papers and files inside, placing them in somewhat organized piles.

For two hours we searched the documents, separating what we thought would be useful. One photo caught my eye. I held it out in front of me, staring at it, hoping I would recognize what it was that drew me in.

“He looks familiar to you?” Jared prompted.

“Something about his eyes…I can’t put my finger on it.”

Jared pulled a black wallet from his jacket pocket and tossed it into my lap; it was the one he had taken the night Ryan was stabbed. I took a closer look at the metal object embedded into the black leather. It was a badge.

I gasped, pointing at the picture. “This is the man that wanted my ring. This is Grahm.”

Jared nodded.

“They were all cops?” I said, shaking my head in disbelief. “But why would they…?” My eyes wandered to my hand.

Jared stared at it as well. “The ring must be the key to something.”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” I whispered. I looked at the papers for a moment and then rifled through them.

“What is it?” Jared asked.

“There’s a receipt in here for the purchase of my ring. I didn’t think about it before, but there has to be a connection,” I said, impatient with the endless stacks. “Why else would it be here with important business documents?”

My eyes widened with excitement when I found the thin carbon copy. Jared leaned over my shoulder to take a look for himself.

“There’s an engraving charge,” he pointed out. “Is your ring engraved?”

“No. I don’t…Jack never said anything, I’ve never noticed,” I said, looking at my ring.

Slowly pulling it off my finger, I held it up, rotated it, and narrowed my eyes, looking for any words. “There’s nothing,”

Jared held out his hand, and I handed it to him. My finger felt naked in its absence. Jared lifted it up, looked at it from every angle, and then returned it to my finger.

“There’s nothing,” he confirmed. He eyed the receipt once more. “I say we go to the designer. Maybe they have a copy of this receipt.”

I nodded, prompting Jared to gather the information and return it to the safe.

Jared and I drove to the address on the receipt, and I nervously twisted the ring around my finger as we pulled to a stop beside the curb. At first glance it appeared to be a typical jewelry store, not the underground, surreptitious establishment I had expected.

The bell on the door announced our arrival and a short, pudgy, elderly man with round glasses greeted us. Jared took my hand as we walked toward the glass display cases the man stood behind.

“Good morning. I am Vincent! You like diamonds? Sapphires? Rubies? Emeralds? Semi-precious stones? I have them all,” he gushed with a thick accent.

Jared squeezed my hand and introduced himself. “This is Nina…I’m Jared.”

Vincent didn’t skip a beat. “I’d be happy to help you with anything you need.” He paused to look at our hands intertwined and smiled. “Could I interest you in our exquisite line of engagement diamonds? I designed most of these,” he said, pointing out a long row of extravagant rings. “I can design one customary, if you wish.”

Jared looked at me with a soft expression, and then reluctantly turned his attention back to Vincent. “Not yet.”

Vincent smiled at me, and I felt the blood rise to the surface of my cheeks. “Ah, well, then. Another time.”

“You are the owner?” Jared asked.

Vincent chuckled, patting his protruding belly. “I am. Thirty-six years, now.”

Jared raised my hand, resting it on the surface of the glass encasement. “Do you recognize this ring?”

Vincent leaned down to get a better look. “Yes…yes…,” he hummed, elongating the words. “It has been awhile, has it not?” he asked, looking to me.

“My father purchased this from you three years ago,” I reminded him.

Vincent lifted my hand and angled it several different ways, proudly watching it sparkle in the bright lights above.

“Your father was a man of vision,” he said, smiling in approval.

Jared slid the receipt in front of Vincent. “This paper includes an engraving fee.”

“Yes, yes. I remember,” he said, pinching his bottom lip with his thumb and forefinger. “I don’t ask questions, you know. I just make the customer happy.”

“But…there is no engraving on the ring,” I said.

He bellowed out a cheerful laugh. “There is, kisa. But it’s hidden, you see.” Vincent opened his hand, prompting me to give him my ring.

I sighed and looked to Jared, who offered a comforting smile. He took my hand and slowly pulled the ring off of my finger. Once Jared placed it in his hand, Vincent turned the ring upside down.

“He had it marked into the pavilion of the stone. The underbelly,” he explained, “very tiny…I had to send it away to a gentleman I know with a laser. I don’t have one of those here, of course,” he chuckled, shaking his head.

“The engraving order has been covered. Do you have the original receipt?” Jared asked.

“No, no. I would have total in my books, only. If I remember correctly, it was letters and numbers. Gibberish that only made sense to your father, I assume.”

It seemed to be too easy. I felt I was in the middle of a cloak and dagger movie, happening upon the perfect clues at the perfect time, watching it come together in front of my eyes.

Jared tucked my hair behind my ear with an apologetic expression. “Vincent?” His eyes were hesitant to leave mine. “Can you remove the stone from the setting?”

I jerked my ring from Vincent’s open hand. “No!”

Jared pulled me out of ear shot. “Nina, if you want to see what Jack had put on this ring — and what Grahm wanted — we have to remove it from the setting to read it. He can reset it as if it were never touched.”

I pressed my lips together in frustration. We would have to see what was etched into the stone to make progress, and there was only one way to do it.

“There’s no other way?” I asked, knowing the answer.

Jared shook his head and opened his hand. I placed my ring in his palm and chewed on my lip.

“Can you do it?” he asked, setting the ring on the glass.

Vincent’s eyes moved from Jared to me, unsure of how to proceed. “I could remove the stone, but there is no guarantee we will be able to read what is there, you see what I say?”

Jared nodded. “Remove the stone.”

Vincent seemed suddenly disinclined. “It will be a few days before I can get to it. Write down your number and I will call you when—”

“I realize you’re busy, forgive me,” Jared said, pulling out his wallet. He set a small stack of hundred dollar bills on the glass, and Vincent’s eyes widened, jerking his head back up to Jared. “That is in addition to your fee, of course,” Jared added.

“You wait here…I’ll be just a moment.” Vincent gestured for us to sit on a short couch by the door, and then hurried to the back.

We waited together on the couch. A strange calm came over me, and I sighed when Jared began lightly caressing the top of my hand.

My eyebrows pulled in and my smile faded. “Jared?”

“Yes?” he said, playing with the strands of hair that had escaped my ponytail.

“Vincent called me kisa. It doesn’t mean ‘stupid’ or anything, does it?”

Jared burst into laughter. “No, sweetheart. I would never let anyone insult you that way.”

“What does it mean?”

Jared kissed my forehead. “It’s Russian. It means kitten.”

“Oh. That’s a relief.”

The minutes ticked by and I became increasingly anxious. I began pacing, and Jared watched me walk the length of the floor. A door shut behind me, and I flipped around. Vincent cupped the remnants of my ring in his plump hand.

Jared stood up and joined me at the display case. “Did you find anything?” he asked.

Vincent flattened a piece of paper in front of us with letters and numbers scribbled across it. He handed Jared a loupe and held out his hand for Jared to take the stone from his palm. Jared looked through the loupe at the stone, but pulled it away from his eyes, shaking his head.

“I can’t see anything,” he said, holding the peridot in front of him. Jared periodically looked down to the paper and back at the gem, placing it back into Vincent’s palm.

“You could see that without the loupe, eh?” Vincent chuckled. “These old eyes aren’t what they used to be.”

Jared took the paper and handed it to me. “What he has written is what is inscribed in the stone.” He looked to Vincent, then. “I’ll need that reset immediately, please.”

Vincent nodded and returned to the back, taking the pieces of the ring with him.

“Now what?” I asked, looking down at the paper.

825 2TR2TL223TR05

“Does it mean anything to you?” Jared asked, grimacing in thought.

“Eight twenty-five is my birthday…August twenty-fifth, but other than that…no.”

Within ten minutes, Vincent had returned. I sighed as I slid it back to its rightful place on my finger, looking exactly the same as it did before.

We returned to Jared’s loft for lunch. I sat on the counter staring at the piece of paper, hoping the answer would spontaneously pop into my mind.

“It’s going to catch fire if you keep staring at it like that,” Jared teased, pushing the stir fry around in the wok.

“He put it on something he knew would be safe, the last place anyone would look, that he always knew where it would be….”

“He hid it in plain sight,” Jared nodded. “The question is how did Grahm figure it out?”

I scanned the floor in deep thought. “I don’t know. Maybe an old associate of my father’s?”

Jared shook his head. “Jack engraved a code to something that everyone wants and put it on his only daughter’s finger. He wouldn’t risk telling anyone about it.”

I sighed in frustration. “The eight twenty-five is separate from the other numbers. Think that means something?”

Jared shrugged. “It could. It could just be meant to signify your birthday. It could be an area code, or a flight number…some type of location?”

I thought about the safe in my mother’s office, the files it contained, the photos…I couldn’t make a connection with anything we’d looked over to the number. Shoving myself off the counter, I slammed the paper on the table and walked to the couch, falling over the arm onto my back with a frustrated cry.

“Nina,” Jared said, his voice beside me, “we’ll figure this out. Try not to make yourself sick over it.”

“There’s nothing in the safe; I’ve already poured over my father’s office and searched all of his cabinets, there’s nothing!” I covered my face with my hands.

Jared kneeled beside me and pulled my hands away from my eyes. “We’ll go back tomorrow, look in Jack’s office and take another look at the files in the safe. Why don’t we rent a movie, hang out on the couch…spend some time together?”

“Ugh,” I said, sitting up. “Did I put Jack’s keys in his drawer? I don’t think I did. What did I do with them?” I asked, patting my pants pockets.

Jared grinned. “They’re in my jacket pocket. We can take them back tomorrow.”

I sat for a moment, my eyes unfocused, deep in thought.

Jared touched my shoulder. “Nina?”

I scrambled to the coat rack and shoved my hands in his jacket pockets. “They’re not here!”

Jared eyed me warily. “They’re in the inside pocket. What’s going on?”

“Eight twenty-five!” I yanked the ring of keys from his jacket and thumbed through them. When I found what I was looking for, I held it away from the rest, showing it to Jared. “See? Eight twenty-five!”

Jared looked at the key and then back at me, his eyes animated. “What does it open?”

“I don’t know,” I said, looking at the key, “but it can’t be a coincidence, right?”

“I doubt it,” Jared said, his face twisting into a frown.

“What?”

Jared took the keys from me. “I want you to let me take care of this. I’ve humored you. You’re upset about the way Jack died, I get it. But things could go downhill pretty quickly if we find what they’re looking for. I don’t want you anywhere near me when they figure out what we’ve done.”

“You’ve humored me?” I asked, insulted. “I’m not going to get in your way, I almost have this figured out, I….”

“Did you listen to a thing I’ve said?” he snapped. After a brief moment, Jared closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I know you need this to be over. You just don’t understand what we’re dealing with, here. I can’t let my emotions get in the way of my job, Nina. I’ve already let this go too far. God knows the last thing I want is for you to be angry with me, but you’ve got to let me handle this.”

“But—,”

“No, Nina. It’s too dangerous,” he said firmly.

My eyes narrowed. “I wasn’t asking permission.”

“This isn’t about me telling you what to do. This is about your safety.” He hugged me to him and I reached for the keys, pulling them from his grip. I knew that if he hadn’t allowed me to do it, I would never have gotten the keys from his hand. I hoped that meant a part of him wanted my help.

“I’m going to take another look at Jack’s office.”

I turned to open the door, but I was frozen. Jared held me by my waist. Before I could protest, he exhaled a long, resigned sigh.

“Give me a minute. I’ll go with you,” he said, obviously annoyed.

I waited at the door until Jared finished packing our lunch, and then he grabbed my hand on the way out.

Half-way to my parents’ home he still hadn’t spoken.

“I’m sorry,” I said, placing my hand on his. “I don’t want you to be mad, but this is something I need to do.”

Jared sighed. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I’m beginning to regret telling you anything.”

Those words stung me. “I don’t want to get hurt, either. We won’t have to keep looking over our shoulders if we end this. We can just live our lives normally. Together.”

Jared squeezed my hand as he pulled into the drive.

On a rug in Cynthia’s office I thumbed through papers, looking for anything with numbers. I highlighted anything with an eight, two, or five anywhere near each other.

Two and a half hours later, I had several piles of papers, and nothing that included the numbers we were looking for. I sat up straight to stretch my aching back.

“Let’s take a break,” Jared said. He pulled the highlighter from my fingers and handed me the plastic container with my lunch sealed inside.

I stretched my legs over Jared’s lap and chewed happily on his amazing stir fry, marveling at what an exceptional cook he was. Jared pulled off my boot and began rubbing my foot, and I leaned my head back.

“This is taking forever,” I groaned.

“We could call it a day. I could take you out to dinner,” he offered.

I frowned. “You’re not taking this very seriously.”

Jared let out one shocked puff of air. “On the contrary, I think I’m taking this more seriously than you are. You don’t seem to understand how dangerous this is for you.”

“What could happen to me? My boyfriend also happens to be my guardian angel,” I said, leaning over to kiss him.

“What in the hell is going on here?”

I looked over to the door where Cynthia stood, her hands on her hips.

“Hello, Mother,” I said. “I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow.”

“So is this search and seizure or burglary?” she said, crossing her arms.

“It’s good to see you, too,” I said, rolling my eyes in response. “We’re trying to find something with an eight twenty-five on it.”

“Eight twenty-five?” Cynthia asked, looking at Jared, who stopped chewing for a moment under her glare.

He swallowed the lump of food in his mouth before giving report. “I intercepted Dawson. They’re finished with the pleasantries, Mrs. Grey. They want the evidence Jack collected on them and they think Nina knows where it is.”

“I wonder why that is, Jared? It couldn’t be because they’ve seen you two together.”

“It’s possible,” Jared replied, impervious.

“What does Charles Dawson have to do with the number?” Cynthia asked, closing in on the mess on the floor.

“He doesn’t,” Jared said dismissively, looking over the papers again. I was a little surprised by his impassive attitude at Cynthia’s presence when just over a week ago he balked at just the mention of being in the same room with her.

Cynthia seemed to accept his ambiguity, probably because she was used to being left in the dark by my father. “I trust you’ll take care of Mr. Dawson, Jared. That simply won’t do.”

“It’s already been taken care of, Mrs. Grey.”

Cynthia nodded in approval. I was shocked that she spoke so candidly of violence.

“Keep me updated,” she said, walking out the door.

“That was weird,” I said, shaking my head.

Jared looked up from the paper. “What, sweetheart?”

“She threatened to fire you a few days ago if you didn’t stay away from me. You quit speaking to me because of it. And just now you nearly ignored her.”

Jared shrugged. “My mother discussed it with her. She’s had a change of heart.”

“How so?” I asked, suspicious.

“Lillian’s very persuasive,” Jared smiled.

“Nina?” I turned to see my mother round the corner again.

“Yes?”

“We’re leaving for Nicaragua a week from Sunday. I need you to meet me here early so we can be at the airport by nine. Jared?”

“I’ll have everything ready,” Jared said, distracted by the paper in his hand.

My heart began to pound, causing Jared to look up. I realized that I was going to spend the entire week of Spring Break on a beach with him, and the thought made my cheeks flush red.

Jared smiled, guessing what made my heart flutter. “This might be your first vacation with me, but it’s not my first vacation with you.”

“It’s the first time you’ll sit with me on the plane,” I said a bit too eager, grinning from ear to ear. Jared chuckled at my enthusiasm.

Cynthia’s reaction differed. “He’s there to work, Nina. Please keep that in mind. Jared, make sure she is here on time.”

“Yes, ma’m,” he said, his soft eyes never leaving mine.

With that, Cynthia disappeared once again.

I couldn’t help but think about lying in a hammock with Jared. It already seemed like heaven.

“I am suddenly looking forward to vacation,” I grinned.

Jared leaned over to touch my cheek. “Lying with you on a Caribbean beach at sunset? I’ll have to remind myself that it’s real.”

“What will you have ready?” I asked.

Jared’s attention turned to the paper he was holding once more, and his eyes narrowed. He didn’t make eye contact when he spoke. “Uh…all of my surveillance supplies. We typically bring about fifteen hundred pounds of tech with us, but with Claire going to Tahoe, I’ll be carrying light. I’ll set up a perimeter around the premises….”

“What is it?” I leaned over to see what he was so absorbed in and recognized it was a bank statement. I’d seen it several times before during my search, but set it aside in the scrap pile.

Jared pointed to a section of the statement and I gasped. It was a monthly charge for a safety deposit box. Box eight twenty-five.

“Jared!” I cried, grabbing his arm.

Jared looked at his watch. “The bank is closed.”

I sighed, deflated. “We’ll go first thing Monday morning.”

“I’ll go. You have class.”

I grimaced. “I’m going, Jared. We’re doing this together.”

He sighed as we gathered the piles of papers and photos and replaced them. Jared lifted the plant as if it were an empty cardboard box and returned it to its proper place.

My cell phone buzzed in my coat pocket. The display lit up with Kim’s name scrolling across the screen, and I closed my eyes. “I bet she’s calling about the pub tonight. I forgot all about it.”

“Hey Kim.”

“You’re not backing out, Nigh. Don’t even try,” she said.

“I wasn’t going to, I….”

“Sure you weren’t.”

“I’m sorry, Kim. I forgot,” I said, rubbing my forehead with my fingers, feeling a stress headache coming on. “But I’ll be there.”

Jared walked with me to the Escalade and held the door open as I climbed inside. By his expression I knew he was aware of the dull pain in my head.

“You’re not going to stand us up again, are you?” she scolded.

“No! No, I’ll meet you there around nine.”

“Good. See you then.” Kim said, disconnecting the line.

I put my cell phone back in my pocket and took Jared’s hand. “I’m sorry,” I groaned. “I think I unwittingly double booked myself.”

My head began to throb. It was difficult skipping back and forth between the two lives I was leading. I was the typical college student when I was with Kim, Ryan and Beth, and when I was with Jared, my life turned into this fantastical dream world with angels and demons and secret safety deposit boxes.

We parked in front of the loft, and Jared sighed. Claire’s Lotus was sparkling beside the curb.

“It doesn’t look like we’d have much time alone, anyway.”

Claire was lounging on the couch in stilettos boots and a leather jacket, flipping through channels on the flat screen. “Ryan’s taking a nap. That guy sleeps like a hibernating bear,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Every branch of the military wants me on a special ops team, and God sticks me with the most boring Taleh in the history of mankind.”

I smiled at her observation, and Jared led me upstairs by the hand.

“Ryan is going to the pub tonight?” Jared called back to his sister.

“Yep,” Claire said. “I’ll see you there.”

“You’re keeping Claire company tonight?” I asked, collapsing onto his bed.

“I think I’ll hang back tonight, let you spend time with your friends,” he said, lying on the mattress beside me.

“You don’t want to come?”

Jared brushed his thumb across my sullen lip. “I always want to be where you are.”

I smiled. “Because you have to.”

“You know that’s not true,” he said, trying his best to seem annoyed.

I leaned over to kiss his cheek. “How do you expect me to have fun when you’re right outside and I’m hoping that any minute you’ll just break down and come in?”

Jared grinned. “How can I say no to that?”

“You’ll come, then?” I asked, raising my eyebrows expectantly.

“If that’s what you want,” Jared shrugged. He tried to seem casual, but beyond the cool blue of his eyes was an edge of hopefulness.

“It’s what I’ll always want,” I whispered, touching his cheek with my fingertips.

Jared’s expression beamed with adoration. “I knew that if I ever got my chance to be with you, all the waiting would be worth it. It’s as if we’ve cheated the curse, somehow. I’ve never understood how something could be considered a curse that requires me to spend every moment with you, and that grants me the mercy of leaving a world that doesn’t have you in it.”

“There’s nothing for me to say after that.”

“It’s just the truth, sweetheart. You don’t have to try to outdo me,” Jared said, amused.

“I love you…and I will love you forever. That’s the truth.”

Jared’s expression turned intense, as if he was moved beyond words by my simple honesty. He pressed his lips to mine in the same slow, meaningful way he had only once before. It was the sweetest moment of my life.

It occurred to me that the stars had all but lined up for us: Gabe assigned to my father, falling in love with Lillian, and then Jared coming along four years before I did, just in time to be assigned to me — the daughter of a criminal — a girl that would need constant supervision.

I traced the planes of Jared’s torso and pondered how perfectly everything had been laid out for us to be together, and then my mind drifted to Claire and Ryan. If I was going to believe in fate, I had to take into account who Jared said I was meant to be with. I closed my eyes, pushing the thought from my mind. Ryan would find someone else that he would be happy with, and Jared could keep me.

Jared’s voice pulled me out of my daydream. “You were determined today. I’m impressed.”

“Anything’s possible with an angel and a little ingenuity,” I said, settling in beside him.

Jared let me sleep for an hour, and then we left early to grab a bite to eat before meeting my friends. I descended the stairs in a black satin corset and jeans, with a pair of ruffle-toed pewter pumps. To my extreme pleasure, Jared stood frozen by the door, dropping his keys and then catching them before they hit the floor.

“Wow,” he whispered.

“Thank you,” I smiled, letting him help me with my coat.

By the end of dinner, I’d already had three glasses of wine. We arrived at the pub at nine sharp, and the various vehicles of my friends were already in the parking lot. I noticed Claire’s Lotus parked beside the curb down the street.

When Jared and I walked in, my friends cheered and whistled at our arrival.

Kim yelled over the music. “I brought a CD!! We’re going to be dancing queens for the night!”

“Okay!” I yelled over the upbeat song blaring over the speakers.

Tucker brought over shots — all of them different colors — and the group howled. Everyone held up their shot glasses and Chad pushed one full of something green in my direction.

We all yelled in unison, “TO THE BIG BROWN BEAR!”

With that, we all tipped our heads back, killed our shots, and glasses slammed to the table at different intervals. Tucker yelled for Tozzi to bring another round, and everyone cheered.

Thirty minutes later, most of us were on the dance floor jumping around like maniacs. My head felt a bit heavy, already feeling the effects of the wine and whiskey. Ryan and Jared watched us from the table and I waved to both of them as I bounced up and down.

I returned to the table and sat on Jared’s lap. He pulled me toward him to talk in my ear.

“I love you, but there is no puking in the Escalade.”

I laughed and planted a kiss on his mouth. “I’m fine! I’m Irish, remember?”

Jared nodded and leaned into my ear again. “Even the Irish throw up, Nina.”

It seemed like the night had just begun when Tozzi announced last call. I lost count of the drinks I’d had, and my eyes struggled to focus.

Jared supported most of my weight as he escorted me to his SUV. He lifted me effortlessly into the passenger seat, and I leaned my elbow against the console, resting my head against my fist.

By the time we arrived at the loft, my head felt too heavy to hold up. Jared pulled open my door and I slipped in and out of awareness as he carried me up the stairs.

“I’m going to take a shower,” I said, stumbling to the bathroom.

Jared followed me. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I don’t want you passing out in there.”

“Why don’t you join me, then you can make sure I don’t?” I said, steadying myself against the door jamb.

Jared raised an eyebrow, and I frowned at him before grabbing a towel and shutting the door behind me.

I fought with my clothes in slow motion. My eyes wouldn’t stay open, and I was incessantly giggling for no good reason, which made me giggle more. I turned on the shower and stepped under the water, letting it rush over me, plastering my hair onto my face. Every movement I made felt like it was at a snail’s pace, but I managed to exit the shower before my palms pruned.

I ran a comb through my hair and clumsily brushed my teeth. I giggled again at my blundering of the most mundane of tasks and I heard Jared chuckle outside the door in response.

“Everything all right in there?” he asked, knocking on the door.

I giggled again and spit loudly in the sink. “Everything’s fantastic!”

Jared laughed again, and I opened the door and stumbled to the bed.

“I’m going to hop in the shower. Don’t try to go downstairs or look over the railing or anything like that, okay? Just stay put until I get out.” I understood his words, but they seemed to blur together.

I fell onto the bed face down and moaned into the comforter at how perfectly wonderful it felt. “I’m not going anywhere,” I said, my eyes sealing shut.

Jared reappeared in less than five minutes. “Did you plan on sleeping in your towel?”

“Maybe,” I said, feeling melted to the bed.

Jared walked over to his closet and pulled a t-shirt off its hanger. “Okay,” he said, sitting me up, “raise your arms.”

I complied, and he slid the oversized t-shirt over my head. I buzzed my lips as the neck line went over my mouth making Jared erupt in laughter.

“You are something else,” he said, covering my legs with the blanket. He stepped away for a moment and then returned, throwing a piece of light blue fabric onto my lap. It took me a moment to realize that it was a pair of my panties.

“I’ll let you…take care of that.” He started down the stairs, and I spoke up.

“Jared?”

He turned around, immediately catching the panties I clumsily shot at him. I burst into a delighted cackle, knowing if he had been merely human I would have caught him square in the face.

Jared smiled with inexhaustible patience. “These are for you, not me,” he said, tossing them back. They landed perfectly in my lap.

I giggled again as he descended the stairs, feeling exhausted and wide awake at the same time. I could hear every step and movement Jared made downstairs, yet the fog in my head kept the sounds blurred together.

I was already settled on my side of the bed when Jared returned, and he wasted no time nestling himself next to me. Though the rest of my senses were lacking, my skin was aware of the heat created when his skin touched mine. Every part of me felt content and peaceful in his arms, as if I was meant to be there. I kissed his chest, but my lips didn’t want to stop there. I continued until I reached his neck, and Jared took a deep breath, wasting no time to hold my shoulders far enough away to look into my prurient eyes.

“Nina….” Jared warned, but I put my mouth on his to stop any further protesting.

I skipped over our usual cautious beginnings and let go of all my inhibitions. I leaned over him, lifting my knee at the same time to straddle his hips. Jared’s lips were not as urgent as mine, but I persisted.

I felt Jared’s torso rise against my lips as they left his chest to slowly kiss my way up the midline of his throat. When my lips reached his lips again, his mouth was less cautious. He turned, rolling over me, positioning me on my back. I smiled at my imminent victory.

Jared pulled away from me, his breath disparate from just moments before. “Nina, we can’t do this tonight.”

I let out a gush of air I’d been holding in anticipation of my triumph. “Why not?”

Jared kissed my nose and smiled. “Well — although I’m incredibly tempted by the slurring and stumbling — I’d like for you to remember our first time.”

I relaxed my legs, letting them fall to the bed. “Why do you have to be so freaking noble?” I complained, pounding the mattress with my arms for emphasis.

Jared chuckled and curled up beside me. “Yes, I’m so noble that I struggle with it every second I’m alone with you. Don’t give me too much credit.”

“I’m sorry….” I sighed, knowing I would feel guilty in a clearer state of mind.

“Don’t apologize. I can’t say I don’t enjoy it,” he chuckled. “…Nina?” he said, whispering my name.

I could hear him, but I couldn’t respond. I realized just how fast I was sinking when my mind wanted to answer him but my mouth refused to form the words. He kissed my exposed shoulder and relaxed his head on the pillow behind me. As I floated into unconsciousness, I felt his arm tighten around me once more, blanketing me with the warmth of his skin. I thought I heard him whisper something else, but I was too deep inside the darkness to make out the words