One Look Page 9

  I wanted to take today to get a chance to know her, truly know her. There’s only so much you can find out about a person through a text message conversation. Yeah, I know some details about her life now, but hearing her voice and watching her move is doing more to my body than I ever thought possible. If I’m not careful, I’m going to be walking around with a rather painful bulge in my shorts all day.

  “Where to first?” I ask as I open her door and help her down from my truck. We arrived at the Irvine Spectrum just before noon, so I wonder if she’s hungry. “Are you ready for lunch yet?”

  “Actually, I had a late breakfast, so I’m okay with walking around for a bit. If that’s okay with you?”

  “Absolutely.” I open the back door and reach for my hat that fell on the floor in the back of my truck. Placing the cap on my head, I turn around to face her.

  “Man, I kind of enjoyed seeing you without the hat,” she winks, reaching up to pat the hat on my head.

  I laugh. “Yeah, I know. But it’s easier if I wear this. That way, it’s not as easy to be recognized.”

  I watch the smile on her face fall a bit which concerns me.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  She shakes her discomfort off and then comes closer to me as her smile returns. She stands right in front of me, so I instinctually reach out for her hand. Those tingles are back, just like they were when I shook her hand before. Our physical chemistry is combustible, that’s for sure.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I guess I just remembered that you’re quite popular, which means our date will differ slightly from what I’m used to. But it’s okay.”

  I reach out to cup her face as her cheek falls into my hand in the most natural move between us, like we’ve been doing it for years.

  “I promise, I’ll try not to let fans ruin our day, okay?” I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, relishing in the softness of it and the slight moan I hear come from her throat.

  “Okay,” she whispers, smiling up at me again as I take her hand, lock my truck, and we make our way into the mall.

  “But a Yankees’ hat? Isn’t that like a sin?” She asks teasingly as we walk into a large courtyard.

  I chuckle. “Yeah, but it will throw people off,” I wink at her as we continue to hold hands and walk side-by-side.

  The Irvine Spectrum is a perfect blend of mall and park, offering many shops to browse through, fountains and plants around every corner, and a Ferris Wheel and carousel to ride for a small fee. I feel like a grown-up, but also a kid, trying to decide which direction to go in first.

  “Oh! Lululemon! I love that store and could use some new workout gear. Do you mind if we stop inside for a minute?” Danielle looks like a kid in a candy store as we make our way inside and she releases my hand in favor of sifting through racks of spandex.

  My mind instantly gravitates to what her ass and breasts would look like in these clothes as my dick grows hard in my pants.

  “You said you work at a gym, right?” I ask while following her around the store. She grabs a few sports bras and leggings as we pass them.

  “Yes, World Fitness. I work for their marketing and social media branding department, which also means I get a free membership,” she says proudly. “I try to work out at least four days a week, and I kind of have an unhealthy addiction to gym clothes,” she cringes and then laughs, while I join her.

  “I understand. I have quite the baseball hat collection myself, considering I actually do play the game for a living.”

  “Okay, I think this will do,” she states while holding up five pieces of various clothing.

  “You don’t need to try anything on?” I ask, more disappointed than I should be. The images of her doing a fashion show for me flash through my mind.

  “Nah. I know they’ll fit,” she says confidently while she moves to the register and I feel my dick get sad.

  Danielle purchases her clothing, which I really wanted to pay for but thought that might be too much for a first date, and then we make our way back outside.

  I find her hand again as we walk, motioning for her to let me carry her bag as well.

  “Why, thank you, Mr. Calhoun. Such a gentleman,” she teases in a southern accent.

  I laugh at her. “The pleasure is all mine, ma’am,” I respond trying to fake the same accent, but failing miserably.

  She bursts out in giggles, stopping us in our walk as she clutches her stomach, the sound so sweet and sultry, my dick perks back up.

  “That was horrible, huh?” I question through my own laughter as we begin to block the foot traffic around us. I reach for her hand and pull her to the side, up against the wall of a storefront behind us. The space between us has closed just as her breath hitches.

  Damn. This connection between us is electric. Magnetic. I can’t help but feel this pull to her when she’s near me, and we keep closing that distance slightly each time.

  She clears her throat, breaking the moment as we locked eyes and waited for the other person to make a move. She turns her head and smiles before looking back at me.

  “I’m not ready for lunch, but I never turn down ice cream,” she motions with her thumb over her shoulder to the Haagen-Dazs we’re standing in front of.

  “If you want some, go ahead. I’m good.”

  “You don’t want any?” She almost pouts, and damn, I want to bite that bottom lip.

  “I try not to eat poorly during the season,” I offer because it’s the truth.

  “You really aren’t going to indulge in one sweet treat with me today, Jake?” She’s reeling me in with words like sweet, treat, and using my name. It sure sounds good coming out of her mouth.

  I let out a long sigh of defeat. “Fine,” I roll my eyes. “But just so you know, I feel like you’re going to be a bad influence on me now if I give in to you this easily,” I say as I pull open the door and usher her in, taking the opportunity to steal a glance at her ass again.

  The scent of waffle cones and chocolate fills my nose and I instantly know that Danielle might have convinced me to give in, but this smell would have pushed me over the edge anyway.

  “Pick your poison, Jake,” she teases as we browse the flavors. Danielle opts for classic vanilla with hot fudge in a waffle cone. I go for fudge brownie with whipped cream in a waffle cone.

  We place our orders and then find a table outside to enjoy our treats in the warm afternoon.

  I take my first bite and moan, closing my eyes as I savor the chocolate flavor on my tongue.

  “Would you like me to leave you alone with your ice cream?” Danielle teases from behind her mouthful of frozen goodness, which makes me laugh back at her.

  “Sorry. But it’s been months since I’ve had any. I told you, I tend not to touch the stuff during the season.”

  She tilts her head to the side. “That’s impressive. I could never do that. Ice cream is one of many things I can’t give up, nor would I want to. I would choose something else over ice cream, any day.”

  “Well, when you work out as hard as we do and have to perform at your best for half the year, unfortunately, there are sacrifices to be made.”

  “Understood. I just hope you’ll be open to a little adventure with me today, Jake.” She bats her eyelashes at me, but not in a forward way, almost in a thoughtful way, wondering how far she’ll be able to push me today.

  “I’m adventurous,” I say defensively, not sure why I took her words offensively.

  “Really? Tell me the last thing you did that was adventurous,” she challenges before taking another bite of her ice cream, my eyes watching the way her lips curl around the spoon as she licks off every last drop. I notice a dot of hot fudge sitting on the corner of her mouth, just as her tongue swipes out to clean it up. I swallow hard while realizing that I’m not going to be able to stand up for a while now.

  “Well,” I say as I try to discretely adjust myself under the table and then declare confidently, “I moved to southern California four months ago from
the only home I’ve ever known.”

  She shakes her head, grinning from ear to ear. “Nice try, but that was for your job. That wasn’t a choice of your own accord.” She points her spoon at me intensely.

  “It was a choice to play baseball, to sacrifice elements of my life for the love of the game.”

  She nods. “I understand that part. But was it spontaneous? Fun?” She shakes her head. “I think we need to have some fun, and I think we should play a little game today, just to see where the wind blows us… trust the path the universe takes us on.” She reaches up to fondle a necklace around her throat, which I hadn’t noticed until she touched it.

  I feel like she’s speaking to me in some underlying hidden message, but hell if I’m not game. The more I talk to her, watch her, listen to her--- the more I want to follow her wherever she wants to take me.

  I swallow down my last bite, just as she finishes hers and we both stand simultaneously.

  “Alright, Danielle. I’m game. Where do we go first?”

  The smile that spreads across her face is devious, yet sexy, and it makes me just a little scared, but also seduced to see where this woman is going to take me next.

  Chapter 16

  Dani

  The idea just popped in my mind while we were sitting there, eating our ice cream, and I heard the words in my head.

  Trust your path.

  My gut is telling me that Jake and I crossing paths and finding ourselves on this date is no coincidence. It’s fate. That connection between us is intoxicating and demanding, and it’s making me far more forward than I usually am.

  But I can’t help but want to be this spontaneous woman around him. He makes me feel alive. He makes me want things I haven’t allowed myself to dream about for years.

  And it’s been so long since I’ve had fun that when I had the idea for how we could decide what to do on our day together, I went for it.

  “Okay,” I start as I reach into my purse and pull out my wallet, fetching a few coins from inside.

  “First, when’s the last time you made a wish in a fountain?” I ask, holding up a quarter in between my thumb and index finger.

  He grabs the quarter from me, examining it in his own hands before his eyes return to me. “I honestly can’t remember,” he chuckles, which makes me grin. Perfect.

  “Then let’s do it,” I beam before we toss our cones and I’m pulling his hand behind me as we walk over to the fountain in front of us. I search for another quarter in my handful of change when we take our places just along the brick wall encasing the water.

  “Quarters, huh? Big spender…” Jake teases with a whistle.

  “Didn’t you know, the bigger the coin, the more likely your wish is to come true?”

  I recall my mom telling me that each time we would make wishes in fountains together, her voices filtering in my ears. I can still hear her sometimes, but it’s been so long, I fear I’ll forget one day what she sounds like.

  “Nope, never heard that. Okay, Danielle. You ready?” He asks as I close my eyes and wish for the right path.

  I don’t necessarily believe in wishes coming true, but I do know that our loved ones can hear our words, so I hope my parents hear my plea for guidance.

  I hear the two plops of metal hitting the water as I open my eyes and turn to see Jake standing there with his eyes still closed.

  His eyes flutter open and find mine as we smile at each other.

  “I forgot how hopeful you get when you do that,” he states softly, reaching for my hand. I meet his fingers with my own and then hold out another coin.

  “Okay,” I start by clearing the emotion from my throat. “Now every time we have ideas about what to do next, we flip a coin to see where it takes us. No changing the decision. We trust the universe to guide us… sound good?”

  He chuckles at me. “Okay, whatever you say.”

  “Okay. Now there are two rides here, and I feel we have to at least ride one. So, heads we ride the Ferris Wheel, tails we ride the carousel. Do you agree?”

  Jake is smiling down at me like I just told him the best secret in the world.

  “What?” I ask nervously as his hand releases mine and then moves up to caress my cheek.

  “You sure are something, Danielle. I can’t express how grateful I am that we are here right now,” he murmurs as his thumb finds my bottom lip and tugs it down slightly. My legs feel like jello from his touch and I’m afraid my knees are about to buckle. I reach out for his hips to brace myself for support, but the touch of his abs under my fingertips doesn’t help the inferno burning inside of me.

  “You alright?” His eyes are searching mine for clarification, in which I offer him a nod and then shake off my momentary surge of arousal.

  “Yup. Okay, here goes,” I half shout as I flip the coin in the air and we both watch it coast through the space between us and land with a thud a few feet away.

  I race over to see the result. “Tails! Carousel it is!”

  I reach down to pick up the coin and run back over to Jake grinning from ear to ear, whose hand is outstretched waiting for me. He leads me to the carousel where he purchases our tickets and we decide on the two horses to mount.

  Watching Jake struggle with climbing on his horse provides comedic entertainment, his broad frame far too big for the animal.

  “You can just stand next to it if you want,” I chuckle at him as I secure my lap belt around my waist.

  “No way. I’m being adventurous, remember?” He jokes when he finally gets situated and the ride begins.

  I throw my head back, my hair cascading down and over the horse's ass as I play up the fun I’m having on the ride. Jake is barking out laughter next to me, and then tries to mimic my move, but fails miserably.

  “Oh God, never do that again!” I shout over our laughter.

  This feels real. Natural. Like I’m just Danielle and he’s just Jake, not Jake Calhoun, the third base rookie for the OC Rays. I’ve never felt so comfortable with someone on a date before, and I’ve definitely never laughed this much either.

  The ride comes to an end and Jake leads me off, but just as a fan recognizes him.

  “Oh my God! You’re Jake Calhoun!” The girl shouts as I wonder how old she is. She can’t be over sixteen and the little boy and the older woman with her, whom I’m guessing is their mother, stop dead in their tracks too.

  “Can we get a picture with you? We love you so much!” The little boy next to her is nodding furiously with a huge smile on his face.

  Jake looks over at me and shrugs, to which I nod my head and offer an understanding smile. This is part of his life and if I’m going to be a part of it too, then I have to get used to it.

  “Absolutely. Maybe Danielle could take the picture for us?” He removes his hat as he hands me the phone the young girl handed him, to which I willingly oblige and snap a few pictures. Jake’s smile is genuine and charming, even as he autographs some napkins for them.

  But soon a small crowd has gathered and I take up shop as an unofficial photographer. I’m surprised at how much I’m enjoying watching Jake in his element, talking to fans, taking pictures, and offering autographs. He’s polite and grateful for these people because, without them, he can’t play baseball for a living.

  I remember being a kid and completely enamored every time I met a player. He’s making people’s days and dreams come true, and it makes me fall for him even more.

  Once the last fan is pleased, he races over to me and wraps his arms around me, holding me tightly to his chest. I circle my arms around his waist, his embrace strong but not overbearing. I could get used to this.

  “Thank you,” he whispers in my ear, then places a kiss to the top of my head.

  “For what?” I ask innocently, backing away from him a bit so I can meet his eyes with my own.

  That look. The look he gave me the first time we saw each other. He’s looking at me like that right now like he’s seeing me for the first time.

&
nbsp; He lets out a long breath. “For being patient and understanding. For taking all of those pictures and waiting for me to talk to every last fan. Most girls wouldn’t do that.”

  I look back and forth between the deep blue orbs staring down at me.

  “Well, I’m not like most girls, Jake. And I kind of like you. I like seeing you in your element. It was hot,” I chuckle embarrassingly.

  He laughs back at me, leaning down to my ear again. “I kind of like you too.”

  He pulls back and I think he’s going to kiss me. I want him too. Even though we’ve only been around each other for a few hours, there’s no denying the spark. The sensation of our skin touching is as poignant as the feel of his hand in mine or when his eyes peer deep into my soul.

  His minty breath flows up my nostrils as I wait for him to move forward, the few inches separating us feel more like a mile as I patiently brace myself for the impact of our lips touching for the first time.

  I feel him start to move in, the chaotic beating of my heart taking on a rhythm all its own, before he pulls himself back, his eyes closed in desperation before they pop open and he starts to look around.

  He clears his throat and distances himself from me, grabbing my hand as we start to walk back to the truck. I try to hide my disappointment by looking in the opposite direction of him, willing my heart to slow down and quell the ache I now feel.

  “Okay, where to now, Miss Adventurous?”

  I channel Taylor Swift to shake off the moment that left me in a head spin and put a smile back on my face. I know he wanted to kiss me, so why didn’t he?

  Reminding myself the date is far from over, I take in a deep breath and switch my attitude around before we get back to his truck. Buckled inside with the engine running, I take out the quarter again.

  “Okay. Each of us comes up with an idea of what to do, and then we flip for it,” I smirk over at him as he narrows his eyes at me.

  “Fair enough,” he concedes. “Well, I think we should go bowling. I haven’t done that in years,” he says as he taps his chin, drawing my attention to the stubble on his jaw and those lips I’m starting to crave.