"Depends on what?" I reach out to trace the tattoo on his forearm. He tossed his jacket in the back and rolled up his sleeves once we made it to his truck. His tattoo is an ornate angel or saint of some kind with a spear and a shield. St. Michael, I think. It's beautiful.
"On what you want to eat," he says, sliding his arm back until he catches my fingers with his. He twines them together, holding my hand. "I can cook for you, or we can go out. Your choice."
"You cook?"
He nods, shooting me a smile before he accelerates through a yellow light. "I do. My mama taught me how. She worked a lot, so it was up to me to make sure Jenna had dinner some nights."
"What does your mom do?"
"She's a trauma nurse."
"What about your dad?"
"He was a cop," he says, his voice quiet. His lips turn down, pain flashing in his eyes. He glances at me and then back to the road, weaving in and out of traffic effortlessly. He drives fast, a good fifteen over the speed limit, but I feel safe with him behind the wheel. "He was killed in the line of duty when I was thirteen. A suspect in an armed robbery ran him down with a stolen Tahoe, tryin' to escape."
"That's so sad," I whisper, my heart hurting for him. "I'm sorry."
"Me too." He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles like he's trying to console me even though he's the one who lost his dad so young. I can't even imagine losing one of my parents like that.
I understand why he went into law enforcement though. Why he is who he is. He was raised to be selfless and courageous by parents who worked hard to save lives. I bet his mom is amazing like mine. His dad was probably pretty incredible too. I wish I could have met him because I'm betting Jason is just like him.
"Do you want to cook for me?" I ask instead of pushing him for more about his dad. Talking about him probably isn't easy. He'll tell me all about him when he's ready.
"I want you in my space, pretty baby. I'll make you a five-course meal if it'll get you there."
My heart leaps at his honesty.
"I want to be in your space too," I confess on a whisper.
"Yeah?" He looks over at me again, hope lighting his features. The gray flecks in his eyes seem brighter in the early evening light. Or maybe it's happiness that makes them more apparent. Even though he's looking at me, he manages to stop at a red light. "You want to go home with me?"
I nod.
"You goin' to let me keep you all night?"
"Maybe. Do you want to keep me?"
He smirks, his gaze dropping to do a slow perusal of my body. His eyes heat, turning predatory and hungry again. "God yeah. Been wantin' to keep you since you smiled at me last night."
His honesty takes my breath away. It reflects on his face, his expression so genuine, so earnest, I can't doubt him. My entire body starts buzzing with electricity again, humming like livewires. Sparks shoot through me. I clamp my thighs together on instinct, trying to ease the ache already climbing toward a fever pitch.
"Then keep me, Jason," I whisper. "I'm yours."
He opens his mouth to say something, but a horn blares, startling us both. I jump in my seat like we just got caught having sex or something. Jason chuckles at me before flicking his gaze toward the light. It must be green because he accelerates. I don't take my eyes off him to check though.
"Where's your apartment?"
"I thought we were going to your place."
"We are, but you need clothes and shit. I'm not lettin' you leave again once I get you there." He shoots me another look, this one full of some emotion I can't name. "Might not ever leave again myself."
"We have to work," I remind him…and myself. "And I have school."
He grumbles under his breath like he doesn't like that, but he doesn't argue.
I give him my address. He seems to know his way around the city because he immediately takes a right and heads back toward where I live. "How long have you been here?"
"A few weeks."
"You know your way around."
"I grew up in Nashville," he explains, taking backroads toward my apartment. They're less crowded with traffic. "But my dad's parents lived here. We drove down to spend weekends with them when we were younger, and we always stayed at least two weeks out of the summer."
"I grew up here. Um, on Lookout Mountain."
He grunts but doesn't say anything. Lookout Mountain is…well, it's ridiculously expensive and exclusive. He probably knows that. I relax when he doesn't comment, instead bringing my hand back to his mouth to kiss my fingers.
"What are you studyin', Minnie?"
"Accounting. I'm almost finished."
"You want to be an analyst?"
"Yeah." I cast a glance at him. "I like numbers. They're easy to understand and never make anything less than perfect sense."
"Sounds boring," he says, teasing me.
"Maybe a little." I smile at him and then shrug. "I think it's calming more than anything. A financial analyst gets to work behind the scenes. I like that."
"You don't like attention."
I shrug again.
"Why not?"
"Because people never see me," I whisper, staring at my lap. Hot tears burn behind my eyes, but I don't let them fall. I haven't cried in a long time. I won't start now. "Everyone sees my dad's money. I'm not spoiled or a brat, but people assume I am and that's how they treat me. They judge me before I ever open my mouth, and nothing I say or do ever seems to change their minds."
"Shit," he rumbles.
"When you're rich, your opinion doesn't count for much with most people. If I disagree, they say I'm out of touch with reality or just don't understand. If I complain, I'm ungrateful. If I struggle, I'm mocked as a poor little rich girl. I can't ever win, so I learned early to avoid being the center of attention or telling people who I was."
"Jesus, pretty baby," Jason rasps. "That's fucked up."
"I know." I sigh. "The people who wanted to be my friend were even worse, I think. They usually didn't want to get to know me. They just wanted to be friends with the rich girl. I could have been a terrible person and they wouldn't have cared so long as I kept inviting them over. That's why I love Joey and Lauren so much. They both know what it's like to always feel like an outsider. They're pretty much my only real friends. Well, and Lily. We just met, but I already love her. I think she knows what it's like to be an outsider too."
Jason pulls up in front of my complex. I give him the code to open the gate. Once he locates my building, he pulls up in my assigned spot and then puts the truck in park. He unclips my seatbelt before dragging me over the console into his arms.
I burrow into him, letting him hold me.
"It makes me sad that people treat me differently, but I don't regret the way I grew up," I say after a moment, nuzzling my face into his throat. "I know how fortunate I am to have parents who wanted to give me the world, parents who love me. I just wish people were able to see beyond all that. I'm more than just my dad's money, just like they're more than the way they grew up. Life isn't perfect for anyone. We all go through hard times and struggles that no one else even knows about. People should be kinder to one another. The world would be a lot better if we were."