"Oh." My shoulders slumped. "Yeah. Who would, right?"
With his gaze glued to mine, he leaned forward and said in a low voice, "You wanna knowwhyI don't like it?"
"Why?"
"Because you deserve better." He reached out and covered my hand with his own. "And, I wanna make sure you get it."
I didn't know what to say. But as it turned out, I didn't need to say anything. After his surprising statement, he deliberately changed the subject, as if he were determined to put all of the ugliness behind us.
And yet, his words haunted me all the way through dessert, even as we discussed things that were a lot less intense – like our favorite foods, local landmarks, and places we'd like to visit.
When I asked him to tell mehisstory in return, he gave me the briefest rundown of details that I already knew.
Maybe that's all there was. Or maybe – and this was my best theory – he'd decided that we'd already had enough serious talk for one evening.
Thinking about it, I actually agreed. And yet, I made a mental note to ask him for more details the next time I saw him, which looked likely to be soon.
After dinner, we spent a couple of hours strolling along the nearby pier, listening to the waves lapping at the shoreline below.
That's when he kissed me for the very first time.
He was a great kisser, and I practically fell into him, savoring the feel of his arms around my back, and later, the sensation of his hands in my hair as his mouth moved against my own.
Yes, it was only a kiss, but it was enough to make my breath hitch and my knees turn to jelly.
All in all, our date was pure perfection, until the moment we pulled up to my apartment.
That's when things went seriously south.
Chapter 50
The car had barely rolled to a stop when I noticed a taxi parked out front. But that wasn't the thing that made me frown. It was the sight of my mom, leaning against the taxi, with a giant suitcase at her side.
I gave Jax a nervous glance. Sitting in the driver's seat, he was looking straight ahead, watching my mom with cold, unforgiving eyes.
I returned my attention to the taxi and was horrified to see that my mom was already hustling toward us, lugging the giant suitcase behind her.
Quickly, I turned to Jax and said, "Would you mind waiting while I talk to her?"
Technically, our date was finished, well, unless I invited him inside, that is. I was seriously tempted, in spite of the fact that I wasn't quite ready to get naked with him, as delicious as that sounded.
For the last hour, I'd had to remind myself repeatedly to take it slow, because I fully understood – mostly from watching the mistakes of my mom – how dangerous it could be to jump in the sack too soon.
But that didn't rule out hot chocolate or a nightcap, did it?
I didn't know. And now, I didn't have time to think – not with a crazy woman rushing toward us.
And she did look crazy.
Oh sure, she was still dressed to the nines in a short red dress and matching high heels. But her hair was a lot messier than I'd ever seen it, and she was yanking at the suitcase like it had done her a personal wrong.
I zoomed in on her face, and felt my eyebrows furrow. Had she been crying? It sure looked like it.
Without waiting for Jax's reply, I jumped out of the car and slammed the door behind me. I rushed forward, meeting my mom just a few paces away, where I asked, "What's wrong?"
She gave a loud sniffle. "Youknowwhat's wrong."
I shook my head. "No. I don't."
