Page 70 of Fresh Tracks
I stop and turn to find Tommy looking at me with a humorous grin. “I’m glad you like it, but can you watch where you’re going? I’m going to have a heart attack if you have another near miss with a pole.”
I smile innocently back at him. “Sorry, hard to control my squirrel brain.”
Jake laughs behind me. “Not to interrupt, but before we go in,” he starts, prompting Tommy and I to both look back at him. He points a finger back and forth between us. “How do I know Grace?”
Tommy’s hand finds the small of my back again and Jake must see the look of confusion on my face because he continues. “What I mean is, does anyone know you two are together? I’ve only told people you’re bringing someone that works with us. So if you want to keep it that way, just remember there’s some press here tonight and you probably want to keep the PDA to a minimum.”
“No one else knows. Well, no one that’s here anyway and I’d like to keep it that way, for now at least.” Tommy’s voice takes on that serious, commanding tone I’ve gotten used to. The one that makes my heart skip a beat and my palms get sweaty all at once. The voice that makes it clear there’s no room for negotiation. “She doesn’t need to get hounded by the press or anyone else just because she’s with me. If anyone asks, she’s here to spend time with you and the Sterling brothers to learn about our businesses. That’s why I asked her to come in the first place.”
Jake nods and gives a thumbs up. “Got it. Secret relationship. Just my coworker. Say no more.”
I give Jake a two fingered salute. “And I will not climb him like a telephone pole.”
He barks out a laugh and turns toward the doors, gesturing out with one hand. “Well, shall we?”
Tommy shakes his head. “Give us a minute. We’ll see you inside.”
Jake tips his chin and heads inside the old wooden entryway doors.
“I appreciate you looking out for me, but you do know I can take of myself, right?” I cross my arms and arch a brow.
His head tilts and the tension in his expression slackens. “Sorry. Some of the crowd here tonight can get under my skin. There’s a reason I don’t do this a lot anymore.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m just letting you know. I’ll be fine.” I give him a light slap on the shoulder. “Relax. Have fun!”
He starts to reach for my waist before pulling his hand back as someone walks by the entrance. He drops his head and sighs, looking back at me. “I’m just not used to this.”
“Used to what?”
He shuffles his feet and shoves his hands into the pockets of the perfectly faded jeans, drawing my eyes to how they hug his muscular thighs just right.
“Used to doing stuff like this with someone that matters to me.”
My mouth lifts into a silly grin and I step toward him. I want nothing more right now than to reach out and hug him and wrap myself around him like earlier today. That will have to wait though. “You matter to me too. Now come on, let’s go in, enjoy the night, and then we can finally go back to your place.”
The corner of his mouth pulls up into a mischievous grin and I can see the sparkle in his eyes. “I like the sound of that.”
CHAPTER 26
TJ
TYPICAL CROWD
I’ve been herefor ten minutes and I already want to leave. Unfortunately for me, it takes Miles, Vince, and Stan less than that to find and corner me. So I’m forced to watch Grace from a distance.
To my pleasant surprise, she looks more than happy making the rounds to say ‘hi’ to people and checking out the old building with Jake. Watching her, it makes my heart swell with admiration that she can be so kind to complete strangers with such ease.
Right now, she’s with my brother talking to Slade and Sutton. I have to do a double take because I’m pretty sure she just made Slade laugh with her joke. I love the Sterling brothers. They’re the best kind of people, but I was also pretty convinced that Slade was incapable of laughing given his generally surly demeanor. Instead, she has him wrapped around her little finger cackling like a schoolboy.
It’s also killing me that I’m not owning that we’re dating. I know we both said that we don’t want everyone to know yet until we have a better grasp on where this is going. I can’t help the feeling though that it’s my fault we can’t be more open about it because of who I am. Even now, the press is far too interested inmy life for my liking and I don’t want her getting dragged into that with me. That’s especially true because I want her to tell her family on her terms.
Deep down, I know where I want this to go. Part of me has known it since the day she plunged into my life, splashing color into the still, stagnant waters I was content existing in. I want her in my life — every day, everywhere, every breath.
Vince pulls me into a one armed hug, patting me on my back, and bringing my attention to the trio I knew I couldn’t avoid tonight.
“Look at you. It’s like you hardly age. What’s your secret, man?” Vince asks, taking a sip from his pint glass. I raise an eyebrow when I see that it’s surprisingly filled with water instead of a double Jack and Coke.
“Diet, exercise, and avoiding stress,” I say, playing with the pop tab on my Rainier beer.
