Leilani.
"Leilani," Jarek whispered softly, sounding as though he didn't want to be heard… as though he feared I would collapse any moment from now.
I shrugged, half-expecting to appear unbothered but my shrug only came out as a mini seizure. So I stopped.
My body still trembled from the aftershocks. Even my racing heart wouldn't stop pounding against my chest. I swallowed a lungful of air and sighed, secretly wiping off my tears with the back of my sleeves as I raised my head to meet Jarek's scrutinising gaze. "I'm okay."
"You're not…" he drawled in a soft voice whilst carefully draping his arm around my shoulder as he pried the small box off my deft fingers.
I leaned into his hug, dragging in a lungful of his rich masculine scent mixed with perfume. And gosh, he smelled heavenly. I didn't want to ever leave this place.
I didn't want his sweet warmth to stop seeping into my blouse…
Wait, what the hell was that?
My eyes snapped open at the thought and I shook my head quickly, ignoring the burn in my cheeks as I shimmied out of his hold.
Have I ever told you guys that Jarek is part Asian? I guess not.
So now, I am!
His deep dark Asian slant eyes bore into mine as he regarded me in silence.
"What do you want me to do about them?" He asked quietly and this time, when I looked up at him, I noticed him staring at the letter in my hand like it was a formidable piece. He didn't even glance at the bouquet of roses.
His overall expression seemed… uncomfortable.
Like he didn't want to be here.
Like he didn't want to see this…
I didn't spare the objects another glance as well. I whispered; "trash them."
He stilled, and then slowly turned to look at me, his eyes wide. "You're not curious to know who these came from?"
I shrugged dismissively. "No, I am not. If they wanted to be known, they'd have shown themselves to me, and I'm not interested in some dramatic goose chase. So throw everything away please."
Just like typical Jarek would do, he didn't argue. He simply nodded at me and then picked up everything, including the roses, and dumped them into my trash can.
My heart felt heavy as I watched him do that carefully, not missing the way he seemed to be deep in thoughts.
For a very minute second—a very fleeting moment— my eyes snagged on the way his muscles flexed sexily under his suit and the way his Adam's apple bobbed whenever he swallowed.
Jarek was a pretty fine man—no wonder women flocked around him like herds of cattle, but dismissing this thought, I flashed him a grin and waved him over. "I asked you to throw those damn things away, not give me a show!"
He frowned, his tiny eyes bulging. "What?"
"You're throwing those out as if there's a hidden paparazzi somewhere taking your pictures…" I drawled, and then acting as if I was glancing around to check for said 'paparazzi', I stopped and shook my head. "I just double-checked. There isn't. Now, come on!"
It wasn't until then that the frown on Jarek's face finally smoothened out. He flashed me one of his infamous smiles and winked. "Sounds like someone loved the show!"
I made a face. "Eww."
He feigned a surprised gasp, managing to look genuinely disappointed. "Did you just say eww? To me? A whole me?"
"Yes, of course. Eww." I retorted with a smile as he finally walked over to me.
He rolled his eyes. "You're so unbelievably annoying."
And at that, I chuckled, momentarily forgetting about the strange gifts from earlier as I brushed my shoulder against his arm in a bid to annoy him further (that's a lie, I only wanted to touch him… but I'd never admit that.).
"I know."
—
Later that evening, after all the awkwardness had finally worn off, the scent of roasted vegetables filled the kitchen with a hint of olive oil and herbs.
On the table, dishes gleamed under the soft light. Jarek and I had made a feast of grilled salmon drizzled with lemon juice, scoops of fluffy quinoa beside it, and a colorful mix of broccoli, ball peppers, and zucchini still sizzling from the oven.
"Looks amazing," I said, pulling out a chair.
He smiled, setting down two glasses of sparkling water. "Of course, have you seen the person who made them?"
"Oh, please!" I rolled my eyes at his half assed compliment and forked a piece of salmon into my mouth. The outside was perfectly crisp while the inside was tender and rich.
I instantly changed my mind.
"You might actually be right," I admitted, a grin spreading across my face as the citrus and herbs melted together on my tongue.
We ate the rest of the dinner in complete silence and by the time we were done and had cleaned up the dishes used, it was already raining heavily outside. Jarek also was about to take his leave but I didn't miss the worrisome expression he had whenever he glanced out at the rain pelting down my porch.
His eyes occasionally darted between my window and the wall clock over and over again until I sighed.
"There are four bedrooms in this house. If the rain doesn't end anytime soon, you have a place to sleep."
At my voice, he turned to me, his eyes glazed for a moment before he finally refocused and smiled. "Ahh, and I was worried you'd send me off for a moment there."
He beamed a smile at me as he looked up at the wall clock again, and then muttered; "Thank you really."
His voice sounded genuine. But Jarek couldn't fool me.
His gaze was unfocused.
He had retreated so much, the space between us now was as large as an amusement park— and I don't think I am exaggerating.
When I asked us to watch a movie, he begrudgingly walked over to the living room with me—and he loves movies!— and then, he plopped onto the sofa farthest away from me.
I frowned. "Do I stink?"
That made him quickly turn to look at me. "Excuse me?"
"You've been acting really off like there's something on me. Is it the salmon I touched?" I continued stubbornly, ignoring the way his eyes narrowed even more until he shook his head and swiftly rose to his feet.
I mirrored his actions.
"Is something the matter? You've also been really quiet. You've been glancing at the clock like you want to be as far away from here as possible."
He sighed exasperatedly. "No. You're getting the wrong ideas."
"So tell me what is wrong!" I argued, interrupting him quickly. "Is there a problem?"
For a moment, a deafening silence settled between us. Jarek dropped his head, avoiding my gaze, and then suddenly, as if possessed, he began to march over to me.
But because I'd been so stunned by his sudden movement, I didn't get enough time to react. I hadn't even managed to move an inch when his hands closed around my shoulders and his lips descended upon mine.
I froze.
The kiss was short but insanely charged. It made my toes curl. Made my body tingle so bad, I feared I was about to be electrocuted. Jarek kissed me like his entire existence depended on it, his tongue thrusting into my mouth as if to savor my taste.
I slowly began to ease into it, but just as I was about to wrap my arms around his neck, he stopped, leaned away and pressed his forehead against mine.
"I'm sorry." He whispered.
I was stunned. "For?"
"For kissing you. For touching you without your consent. For this."
And with that, he slammed his lips against mine again for a deeper, more crushing kiss.
This one was a little different from the last. It was punishing. Raw. Like there were things he wanted to say to me but couldn't bring his mouth to form the words. Like there were emotions bottled up somewhere that we both tried so hard to suppress.
I moaned, tipping my head back as his mouth slathered kisses down my neck and shoulder.
And then—
His phone began to ring. Loudly.
He froze for a nanosecond and then stopped to fish it out of his pocket. It was an alarm. I frowned, my heart racing as I watched him turn it off, look up at the wall clock again and sighed.
"I'm sorry."
And with that, he rushed out of my house like the devil was hot on his tail, uncaring about the heavy downpour happening outside.
What the hell just happened?