Ch 4
Jake and Atticus spent the weekend in Attleboro. It was the best reunion. All four of them were together but without the threat of being shot, stabbed, chased, kidnapped or publicly humiliated on TV. Amy made them a giant breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausages and toast. They must have eaten two dozen eggs; she had forgotten how hungry three boys could get! Jake helped her clean up the dishes while the boys ran upstairs to change into their suits. The day was shaping up to be a hot one and they couldn't wait to swim.
"What do you want to do today?" Jake said, bumping his thigh against hers as he rinsed dishes she passed to him.
She had to smile, she really did miss him. "I don't know, spend it with you I guess," she said playfully. "We could go swimming with the boys?"
"Nah, I have a better idea. I want you all to myself today. I think we've earned a little alone time." Jake said smiling as he rinsed the last dish and turned to her. Without bothering to dry off his hands, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him. She could feel wet through her T-shirt.
"What did you have in mind?" she said, taking her equally wet hands and placing them squarely on his chest. Now he had two wet handprints where her hands had been.
He looked down at his shirt, then looked up at her through the tops of his eyelids and gave her his best smolder. "You'll see." Then he kissed her.
Half an hour later, they were in the Mercedes SUV Amy had customized with added security and bulletproof glass. Even though it was a tank, it had a few fun perks too. She had sprung for the top of the line JBL sound system and a huge rear video player. She knew Dan had wanted that. Jake slid behind the wheel and pulled on his Ray-ban sunglasses. He gave his perfect hair a ruffle and looked over at Amy, silently asking her if she was ready. She pulled on her sunglasses, flipped open the sunroof and gave him a thumbs up. Jake hit the 'carplay' button on the wheel and within a few seconds AC/DC came blaring through the car stereo. He gunned the engine and they shot off up the driveway. Amy wasn't sure where they were going, but she didn't care. It was so wonderful to not have to be in charge and just blindly trust Jake to have a plan. The sun was shining, the wind was whipping through her hair and she found herself singing along. She looked over at Jake, he was doing the same thing. He caught her looking at him and he flashed her a smile. He was so gorgeous; it was almost like she forgot how beautiful he was until he was right beside her; she could just study his face all day long.
The funny thing was, Jake was thinking the exact same thing. He loved looking over at Amy, seeing her completely relaxed. She had her hand on the window frame of the car, her hair a complete mess as the wind whipped her brownish-red hair all over her face. She didn't care, she occasionally tried to tame some of it back but it just came loose and whipped around her. She was so pretty. She had delicate features to her face, and when she wasn't trying to save the world she looked angelic. He could make out the curve to her upper lip, her pronounced cheek bones, the ivory of her skin and her deep green eyes. It was the face he dreamt about as he fell asleep each night. He caught her looking at him and he flashed her a giant smile. This summer was going to be so much fun.
Jake headed north on 495 toward Franklin State Forest. He always liked hiking here in the summers when he was in scouts as a kid and he thought he and Amy could spend the day pretty much alone with nature there. He parked the car and Amy looked around,
"Are we hiking today?" she asked, getting out of the car.
"Partly," he said, getting a blanket out of the back of the car and tucking it under one arm. He grabbed her hand and they made their way to the trailhead.
"I don't think I've ever been here before," Amy said, looking around.
"I want to show you the overlook, it's a longer walk, but, it's pretty remote and we'll be alone," Jake said, giving her a wink. Amy thought she might melt. She gave him a long look, her desire for him was growing stronger. She could keep it in check pretty easily when he was 7 time zones away and they only talked over the phone. So much of Jake was physical; his smiles, nods, winks, and general flirting which didn't come through over a phone line. This summer would be very interesting to see where they ended up by the time school started in the fall.
They hiked for nearly an hour before he stopped suddenly and veered off the path through virgin forest. "Come on, it's this way," Jake said offering her his hand.
"I don't think we're supposed to go this way, there's signs all over saying to stick to the path."
"Just trust me Ames, I've been here before," he said, proffering his hand once again.
Amy put her hand in his and he gently helped her over the worst of the branches and logs blocking their path. If this were anyone other than Jake, Amy would have been afraid she was going to be murdered. They were so far off the path now they couldn't even see it. She slowly followed him. He stopped every few feet to turn around and check to make she wasn't tangled up in brush. He was so gentle with her. He was just like she remembered, he could be so brash and overpowering, but when he wanted to, he was gentle. She had seen him like this with Atticus so many times she lost count. Just when she thought they were going to be lost in the forest forever, Jake stepped out into a tiny clearing bordering the smallest cliff edge known to man. It was only big enough for the two of them, but it was magnificent. Jake stood there overlooking the forest far below them as Amy came to stand next to him.
"How did you find this place?" Amy said in awe, taking in the view of the state park.
"I use to come here with my scout troop when I was a kid. Our leader was a real mountain man and he didn't believe in camping in ready-made sites. One of us found this ledge and he made us clear all the brush around it so we could set up camp. I haven't been back in years. Do you like it?" Jake said unfolding the blanket under his arm and spreading it out in the tiny clearing just barely large enough to hold it.
"I do, this is amazing." Amy said, taking a seat next to him.
Jake's hand came up and caressed her right cheek as he leaned in kissing her. Her right hand found his bicep and let it linger there. The next thing she knew, she was laying back on the blanket with Jake half propped up on his elbow above her. They kissed for a long time, his hand, like a whisper, slowly roving over her body, it was glorious and Amy couldn't get enough. Neither could Jake. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Amy made to sit up and catch her breath. She was afraid if she didn't, things would get pretty serious, quick.
Jake must have been in a trance too; he sat up and stared ahead, but not really seeing. He blinked several times to try and clear his head. Amy gave a big sigh next to him. This struck him as funny and he let out a small sniff. Amy looked over at him and started laughing too.
"I have no idea why I'm laughing right now," Jake said smiling as he looked at Amy. "That wasn't funny at all-it was incredible!"
Amy was giggling now, "I think it's just nervous laughter, I have it too."
Jake leaned back on both hands and hung his head, shaking it while smiling. "That was weird."
Amy leaned back on one elbow, facing Jake. "I'm glad for the giggles, it certainly lightened the mood. It was getting pretty serious around here."
Jake gave her a searching look, "You don't want to get serious with me?" He said with one eyebrow raised.
Amy thought back to how his lips tasted and how his hand had felt as it explored her body and her face blushed red, "That's all I want to do, but I think we better slow down. We've got to pace ourselves. This is the first real time we've been together-ever at least, not without some mad man after us." Amy said with a small smile.
Jake nodded and leaned back on his elbow too. "You're right. We're a marathon, not a sprint."
"Not a sprint." Amy said, staring into his brown eyes. She was getting that feeling deep inside her again. That longing. Jake saw it too. He leaned in to kiss her but Amy beat him to it, she pushed him back on the blanket and now it was her turn to hover over him, locking lips for what seemed like eternity. Jake had both hands free now and they found their way to her butt and up the back of her shirt. After a while, Jake gently pushed Amy off of him.
"What happened to 'not a sprint'?" He said, licking his lips and fixing his gaze on her.
"Right, right," she said pulling herself away from him and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. They both lay on their backs staring at the clouds going by, neither one saying anything.
"I think we better find something to talk about," Jake offered.
"Yeah, good idea," Amy said quickly, completely distracted, "let's find something to talk about."
"I have a question," Jake said, turning his head to look at Amy. "Which, you don't have to answer I guess, at least, not right now, if you don't want."
Amy turned took look at him, curiosity on her features, "What?"
"Did you and Evan-ever…?" Jake spoke haltingly, searching her face for the answer.
Amy's mouth fell open in protest, and her ears began to burn, but then she saw his face. He was serious and not accusatory. He genuinely wanted to know how far she and Evan had gone physically. It wasn't any of his business, but, she figured it would eat him up inside if he didn't know eventually. Why not just get it over with? Amy reasoned with herself.
Now it was Amy's turn to lick her lips. Suddenly her whole mouth had gone dry. "Well, we dated…for a while…" she said, trailing off. She thought back to their time together. They were around each other every waking second it seemed. Most of their dates had been at Grace's mansion as neither of them had their license. Evan lived close enough he could walk over her house. They definitely never took their clothes off in front of each other, but there were a few times they had done a little exploring in the hot tub. She knew she owed it to Jake to be honest, but somehow, she was having a hard time telling him. Amy looked over at Jake. He was looking at her with a neutral expression, but it was one of his intense looks. She had to tell him. "To use the baseball metaphor, I think we made it to third base." Amy said with a swallow.
Jake nodded his head slowly, "ok, ok." He was trying not to picture Evan with his fingers inside of Amy, but that image kept swimming in front of him. Well, she was dating him when you met her, she had every right to do that with him. They did what boyfriends and girlfriends do. It's not like you haven't made it to third base before, Jake thought.
As if Amy was reading his mind she added, "but, it's not like we did that a lot. Most of the time it was innocent, just kissing." Now she was curious, "How about you? Surely you've had your share of girlfriends."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jake asked with incredulity in his voice.
Amy sighed, "Oh, come on Jake. You're gorgeous and you know it! I'm sure every girl at your high school was obsessed with you, probably a few women in Rome too, if I were guessing."
"You think I'm gorgeous?" Jake teased.
"You know I do. I tell you all the time!" Amy said exasperatedly.
Jake leaned in, "well, I have to keep up with you." He said kissing her gently.
"You didn't answer my question." Amy persisted.
Jake sighed and pulled away. "Believe it or not, I never really had a steady girlfriend in high school. I went out on dates with girls, but none of them really were my type. I went to prom and homecoming with girls, but…" Jake shook his head. "They all seemed so…dumb" he finished with a small shrug. "Nobody like you at my high school."
"So, you're saying that you getting to second base with me just now was the furthest you've ever gone?" Amy said skeptically.
"I didn't say that." Jake admitted. He was quiet as he fixed his gaze on a rock at his feet. "I've had sex. Once. It was pretty meaningless to me. I had a lot to drink and to be honest, I don't remember a lot."
Amy closed her eyes, processing this information. She knew she didn't have any right to judge Jake on his past behavior, but it still stung. She tried not to picture him on top of some nameless girl. She shook her head. "We shouldn't hold contempt toward each other for our past decisions. What's done is done." She opened her eyes and looked at him.
"Right, we're together now and you're the only one I want the rest of my life. So, let's start fresh and forget about the past." Jake said, making his way over to Amy again. He hooked one arm under her and bent so their noses were touching.
"Right, we start fresh now. You're the one I want Jake, for the rest of my life. Marathon." She finished.
"Marathon" he intoned and then he kissed her.