Cake: A Love Story (18 page)

“Hey, it was worth a shot,” I said shrugging.

A wide grin broke out across his face. He leaned over like he was going to kiss me but instead he playfully slapped me in the face. I slapped back and we started rolling around trying to slap each other. I got up and straddled him as he tried to protect his face. We were both breathless from laughing. I leaned down and kissed him. It was just a quick kiss but Jake drew me in and before long we were making out.

After a couple of hot and heavy minutes Jake rolled out from under me. He turned to his side and swore, “Okay. Shit. Stop already.”

“It’s okay…,” I puffed. “I want to.”

“Do I need to remind you that you don’t sleep with guys on a first date? Your words…not mine.”

“Well technically this isn’t even a date so the rules don’t really apply.”

“Oh now you tell me,” Jake grinned.

“Sorry. I don’t mean to be leading you on. I just wish we weren’t so rushed. I want more time with you but that isn’t going to happen.”

Jake smiled, “I want more time with you too.”

“You do?”

“What part of tonight makes you doubt that?” He questioned.

I smiled at his answer. He definitely acted like he was enjoying every minute as much as I was.

“Um, let me see…probably the part where you were ignoring me.”

“Oh that,” Jake shrugged, grinning. “I already explained that I was an idiot. What more do you want?”

I leaned in and kissed him. “Nothing, actually. I really like you Jake.”

“I really like you too Casey.”

We lay on the bed for a while not really talking just enjoying each other’s company.

I broke our quiet reflection. “What do you look for in a girl?”

“I don’t know.”

“I mean women are throwing themselves at you. They go to your concerts. You are their fantasy. All you have to do is show interest and they are basically yours. I have to assume there are a lot of hot girls throwing themselves at your feet so how do you choose?”

“Whoever is the hottest,” Jake grinned.

“So what do you find hot? Do you like big butts?”

“I like a shapely ass,” he replied as he slapped mine. “But not so big that you can set a soda can on it.”

I laughed. “Boobs?”

“Yeah…she has to have them.”

I laughed. “Obviously. I meant real or fake?”

“Real, of course.”

“Even if they’re small?” I asked.

“Even if they’re small,” Jake replied. “They have to move.”

“Good call. Hair: long or short?”

“Long. I like pony tails.”

I giggled and flipped mine in his face.

“Oh and most importantly, I like a girl who has a little crinkle on her nose when she smiles,” Jake smiled as he flipped to his side and traced the crinkle on my nose.

“Wait a minute…are you describing me Jake McKallister?” I teased.

“Maybe,” he flirted back, flashing me his most charming smile.

“God you’re cute…and you know it!”

Jake shrugged and gave me his adorable lop-sided smile.

“Don’t look at me like that?”

“Like this?” He replied as he repeated his smile.

“Yeah, like that.”

“Oh sorry. Being delightful just comes so naturally for me,” Jake smirked.

He was so funny. I laughed then leaned over and kissed him. He pulled me down on top of him. I smiled mischievously just before my fingers went into his side, tickling him. Jake grabbed at my hands as I tore into his side with my fingers. He twisted away as best he could before flipping me over on my back and getting on top of me in one swift move. He started tickling me. Then it became all out war. We were rolling around on the bed laughing and wrestling. Soon the tickling stopped and the mashing started. He was licking my neck with his tongue. I felt wildly out of control. My hand snaked its way down his stomach and found his erection straining through his jeans. Jake groaned. I stroked him for a moment before he pulled back panting. He put his hands up as if to stop me. “Okay…okay, you…that’s…”

Chapter Eleven

Jake

I pulled myself out from under her and sat up, panting. I groaned in frustration. I wanted her so badly. “I’m really trying to respect your wishes but you aren’t making it easy.”

“I know, I know…sorry,” she apologized.

My head was spinning and I was trying to calm my body down. A few more seconds and I would have been beyond control. This girl did things to me that I never could have imagined. Spending this time with her had been beyond all expectation. It was, hands down, the most fun and most connected I’d ever felt with a girl in my entire life.

“You make me all hot and bothered. I’m having trouble controlling myself. I’m sorry,” she kept apologizing.

Heat rose through my body and I felt flushed.

“This is only going in one direction,” I revealed. “Maybe I should go.”

“No. Don’t. I like the direction we are going,” she pleaded, looking all disheveled and vulnerable.

“I don’t want you to regret this in the morning.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

“It’s really late, Casey. I won’t be able to function tomorrow if I don’t get a couple of hours of sleep.”

“You can sleep here,” she said, sounding so desperate. “We can just lay on the bed. I just…I just don’t want this to end.”

God she was the cutest, sexiest girl ever. “I don’t either,” I admitted.

“Please stay,” she begged.

I hesitated. I wanted to stay; I really did, but my brain was telling me to go.

“Pretty please with sugar on top. I’ll give you the good pillow.”

I smiled. I loved when she said stuff like that. “Oh well why didn’t you say that in the first place? The good pillow makes all the difference.”

“Yah!” she squealed then hugged me. “I’ll be good. I promise.”

I grinned. I liked this girl so much.

We both got off the bed and pulled down the sheets.

“So where is my good pillow?” I asked.

Casey picked up all the pillows and stacked them on my side of the bed.

“I don’t need that many,” I smiled.

“I know but you can have first pick.”

“Christ, how many pillows does one bed need?” I laughed.

Casey crawled onto the bed, making a point to show her ass to me. She smiled. I smiled back and shook my head.

“Are you okay if I take my jeans off?”

“I’m okay if you get butt-ass naked,” she responded with a smile.

I raised one eyebrow up at her and then she started backtracking.

“But that’s probably not a good idea, is it?”

“No probably not,” I agreed, trying to keep the smile off my face.

I pulled off my jeans.

“Yep I pegged you for a boxer kind of guy the minute I saw you,” Casey grinned as I climbed into bed.

“Uh…huh. And what are you? A thong girl?”

“No…I’m more a granny-panty kind of girl myself,” Casey stated.

I choked on my laugh. “Let me see!” I demanded, grabbing for her.

“Oh no you don’t,” she laughed. “If you want to see what I’m wearing under these Lulu’s then you have to come back and find me after your tour ends.”

“Fine,” I said, pulling the sheets up. “But I know you are wearing thongs because I’ve been checking out your ass all night and there have been no granny-panty lines, whatsoever.”

Casey laughed out loud. “Oh you’re an observant guy. I like that.”

“Only observant when it comes to your ass,” I countered.

I found a couple of pillows and piled the other four on top of her head. She giggled and threw all four onto the ground before turning to me and nestling into my body, her head resting between my arm and my chest. Normally I hated this. I was definitely not the cuddling type. It usually made me feel claustrophobic and intensely uncomfortable but with Casey it felt amazing. It was like she fit right into the nook of my body.

We lay there a few minutes before she said, “Can I ask you something?”

I tensed immediately. All the sudden I wanted to jump up and bolt out of the room. I knew what she was going to ask. That was how people always started the conversation when they wanted to ask something about the kidnapping or about my scars.

“What?” I responded solemnly. Why had I thought Casey would be any different? Anger and indifference spread through my body like fire.

“You could have anyone. What…what do you see in me?” Casey asked in a vulnerable voice.

I was shocked. It was not the question I was expecting at all. Suddenly I felt bad for the way I’d assumed the worst of her. My heart softened and my body relaxed once more. I didn’t respond right away. I wasn’t sure exactly how to answer her question. A pang of guilt gripped me. She thought I was some great prize. God, if she only knew. Was it fair to drag her down with me? Or maybe, Casey could lift me up. Maybe this girl was brave enough to save me from myself.

Finally I spoke the only word that came to mind, “Everything.”

I could feel her smile on my chest. We didn’t speak after that but about a minute after she asked the question she raised her head and gave me a simple kiss on the cheek before settling back into the crook of my arm. After that we both fell fast asleep.

Chapter Twelve

Casey

The next morning we overslept.

The first word I heard in my sleepy haze was Jake swearing, “Shit!” He jumped out of bed and grabbed his phone.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” He swore again. “I’m in trouble. I have like fifty missed calls.”

“What time is it?”

“10:38.”

“Shit,” I agreed. Jake was expected at a family BBQ in less than an hour and I was working at 2:00pm. I watched him read some text then swiftly answer back. In between texts he was pulling on his jeans.

“I’m so sorry,” I apologized, feeling awful. It was my fault he was late. “I shouldn’t have begged you to stay.”

Jake stopped rushing and looked at me. All the sudden he seemed to relax. He pulled me up to my feet and wrapped me in a warm hug. Then he bent down and kissed me on my lips.

“I wouldn’t change a thing about last night.”

Relief spread through my body and I smiled. “Me neither.”

Jake slipped into the bathroom while I waited on the bed for him. Just as he came out there was a knock on the door.

“Who would be knocking on my door?” I asked, confused.

“My brother.”

“Your brother?” I questioned. “What’s he doing here?”

“Apparently we have a bit of a crowd outside.”

“Are you frickin’ serious?” I exclaimed and grabbed my sweatshirt off the chair. I slipped it on and zipped it up. I followed him into the sitting room. “How would they even know you’re here?”

“Probably the women from last night. Maybe they called their friends, I don’t know.”

“Do you think they have been outside the room all night?” I whispered.

“Probably,” Jake said shrugging nonchalantly.

I stared at him a second in disbelief. He acted like it was no big deal. I laughed. “Okay then.”

Jake turned to me and had a serious look on his face. “Casey?” he said, hesitating. I knew what he was going to say. Some half-assed apology for why I was never going to see him again. I felt a lump form in my throat.

“It’s okay Jake. We had a deal. You don’t need to say anything at all.”

He stood there looking at me. There was another knock on the door.

“Hold on a second, Kyle,” Jake called out. Jake turned to me and gave me a hug. “I’ll call you.”

“Okay,” I nodded, assuming his words were a brush off.

He lifted my chin with his fingers. I looked into his gorgeous eyes and, at that moment, anything seemed possible. Jake said with sincerity, “I promise Casey.”

I smiled at him now. He leaned down and kissed me. Then just as suddenly he pulled away and answered the door. Kyle slipped in.

“How many?” Jake asked.

“Maybe like 10.”

“Any cameras?”

“No paparazzi that I could see but that doesn’t mean they aren’t hiding in the planters. Here,” Kyle handed Jake a hoodie sweatshirt. “I have two security guards out front.”

“Okay, thanks. How mad is mom?”

“She’s mad.”

“Great. I might need to bring the security guards in with me,” Jake only half-joked.

“Well hey there, Casey!” Kyle said to me, grinning.

“Well, hello to you Kyle,” I replied, sticking my tongue out at him. He laughed.

“What?” Jake asked, entirely missing our little exchange because he’d been pulling his sweatshirt over his head.

“Nothing,” Kyle replied.

“Is he giving you a hard time?” Jake asked me.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” I grinned.

Jake looked between the two of us then shrugged and put the hood over his head. “When I leave, lock the door behind me. Don’t answer if anyone knocks unless you know for sure who it is. They should follow me but you never know.”

I looked at him like he was speaking a foreign language. Was this seriously his life? “Why would they knock on my door?”

“To ask questions about me. But it sounds like it’s just fans, not reporters. You should be fine. Text me if you need me to send security before you leave.”

I smiled at him. “I’m a big girl. I’ll be fine.”

Jake shook his head. There was a look of concern on his face. “You aren’t used to dealing with people like this. If someone is out there waiting for you, go back inside and text me. I’ll send the guards. Promise me you’ll do that.”

“Okay, I promise.”

“Good. Okay. I’ll call you.”

I nodded. Kyle opened the door and Jake ducked out. I heard girls screaming his name. I shut and locked the door like Jake told me to do then looked out the peephole. I could see movement as the women followed Jake. What the hell was that? Did he deal with this on a daily basis? How did he seem so grounded and normal under such circumstances?

I quickly packed my bags and peeked out the window. I took one last look around the room before leaving. No one was outside the door anymore. Jake was right. They had followed him. Poor guy. I drove home in a daze. All I could think about was Jake. I replayed every moment with him. I must have looked like an idiot in my car because I had a gigantic smile on my face the entire way. When I arrived back at my apartment I was feeling tired but giddy. I’d spent the night with the hottest and coolest guy I’d ever met in my life and I just had this strange feeling that, however unlikely, Jake and I would be together again. I could feel the connection. It was raw and powerful. And I knew he could feel it too. Yeah he was a rockstar and yeah he was rich and famous but people like him were still human beings. Was it so crazy for me to think Jake could be falling for me?

As soon as I walked in the apartment my roommate, Taylor, called out, “Casey? Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me. But I’m still not talking to you.” I called out. Her poop and puke debacle was still fresh in my mind.

I heard a laugh and then my roommate came around the corner squealing. She wrapped me in a hug and kissed my ear until I squirmed away laughing. “I’m so sorry. I love you Casey. Please forgive me.” Taylor begged in a cute way. It was always impossible to stay mad at her.

“I hate you, you know that?” I said smiling.

“I know, but I LOOOOVE you,” she replied and hugged me again.

“You only love me because you want to know about Jake.”

“Uh, yeah. I called you over and over. I texted you hundreds of times, literally…look at your phone. Would it have killed you to respond to me?”

“I was occupied the entire time.”

Taylor looked at me with excitement. “Please tell me you were occupied with a certain rockstar that shall not be named?”

“Maybe…” I replied, coyly.

“What?!? No…NOOO! Seriously? Did you sleep with him?”

“That is none of your business,” I replied.

“Casey honestly…don’t mess with me like this!” Taylor demanded. “Just tell me.”

I couldn’t stop the smile that formed on my face.

“NO YOU DIDN’T!” She screamed. “YOU SLEPT WITH HIM, DIDN’T YOU?!!”

“Shhh!” I said shushing Taylor. “The neighbors are going to hear you.”

“YOU SLEPT WITH HIM?” Taylor repeated, making no effort to quiet down.

“No,” I refuted making hand gestures for her to stop yelling. “I didn’t sleep with him, alright?”

“So were you just kidding then?” Taylor asked looking flushed and confused.

“I didn’t sleep with him, Taylor,” I revealed. “But we might have made out a little bit.”

Taylor squealed in excitement. “OH MY GOD! Casey you better spill it! And don’t leave out anything. I want to hear every single juicy detail about our hunky rock star.”

“Me too,” our mutual friend Annie announced from the doorway. Until then I had no idea she’d been there.

“Well, first of all there is no ‘our hunky rockstar’ in this story. I have dibs,” I proclaimed jokingly. “And second, I have to work in a little over an hour. I don’t have time.”

“Five minutes,” Taylor begged. “Come on, you’ve got to give me something.”

I sighed. “Okay five minutes but then I have to get in the shower.”

“Deal,” Taylor said, looking like an excited puppy dog. “So? Spill it!”

“We met at the rehearsal dinner. I was terrified to talk to him but once I did we just kind of hit it off. We hung out at the wedding. Then we hung out after the wedding.”

“No way is that detailed enough,” Taylor complained. “How did you hit it off?”

“I don’t know. We just did. He’s super cool. We laughed so much. Jake is actually a really funny guy.”

“Seriously?” Anna asked. “Isn’t he, like, introverted?”

“No. I mean I can see why people might think he’s reserved when they first see him but if you get to know him he’s so personable. And he doesn’t take himself seriously at all.”

“Really? I never would have thought that. I mean, that poor guy, I can’t even imagine what he went through with that man,” Anna said.

I looked at Anna with distain. I didn’t like her pitying Jake.

“Jake’s not some ‘poor guy’…he’s funny and sweet and confident and talented. There is no reason to feel sorry for him, Anna,” I replied a bit too brashly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything bad by that,” Anna responded, looking embarrassed.

“To be fair Casey,” Taylor explained. “It’s not just Anna who thinks that…everyone does.”

“Well, I don’t…and neither does he,” I replied, defiantly.

“Wow,” Taylor said.

“Wow what?” I asked.

“You’re, like, defending him and everything,” Taylor observed.

I dropped my shoulders and sighed, “I know. I already feel protective over him. You have no idea what a cool guy he is. It’s just…I wish everyone knew what he was really like.”

“I wasn’t trying to be mean to him Casey,” Anna tried.

“No, I know. I thought the same thing before meeting him too. It’s weird. Jake knows how he’s viewed and it doesn’t seem to bother him at all. He makes jokes about it.”

“Really? Geez, he really seems to have a great sense of humor,” Anna replied, trying to make up for her earlier blunder.

“I don’t care about his personality. I just want to know how hot he is?” Taylor declared.

I laughed. “So hot! You have no idea. He’s totally your type, Tay. Tall, lean, muscled, long hair, tattoos.”

“Are you frickin’ serious?” She whined.

I nodded.

“I hate you,” Taylor said, grimacing. “I mean I really really hate you!”

“And he’s gorgeous too. I mean hands down the best-looking guy I’ve ever met. Jake has the most amazing eyes. And he would look at me with this cute, sexy head tilt and those eyes…I mean, Jesus…I needed to take a shower, more than once. If this whole universal rockstar thing doesn’t work out for him, there is always modeling.”

“Is he a total fuckboy?” Taylor asked.

“I don’t know. He seemed genuine but I’m sure he has had his fair share of fangirl booty. I mean, at the wedding, women are practically throwing themselves at his feet. He could have had his pick of the place.”

“And he picked you,” Anna replied.

“Well, he didn’t really pick me. We were paired together. But he did spend way more time with me than I was expecting, that’s for sure.”

“Was he trying to get in your pants?” Taylor asked.

“I was wearing a dress,” I replied, jokingly.

Taylor rolled her eyes, “You know what I meant?”

“Um…I took sex off the table pretty early on. He knew he wasn’t getting any but he stuck with me anyway.”

“And he didn’t try anything?” Taylor asked in disbelief.

“I mean…he’s a guy,” I giggled. “Jake’s is definitely no saint.”

“Ooh…I like it. I just can’t believe you didn’t sleep with him, Case.”

“You know I don’t sleep with guys on a first date.”

“Well I know but I would have thought you might relax those lofty standards for a guy like him?” Taylor said. “I mean he’s Jake freakin’ McKallister.”

“Trust me, we did plenty. And it’s not like I didn’t want to sleep with him. My resolve was getting pretty shaky there for a while,” I laughed. “He’s a little tough to resist.”

“God damn, I don’t know why you’d want to,” Taylor said, shaking her head.

“I like to get to know a guy before spreading my legs for him. Sorry.”

“I’m just saying that rock stars are usually a one shot deal.”

My shoulders drooped, “God I hope not.”

“I mean you said it yourself, women were throwing themselves at his feet.”

I shrugged.

“It might have been your only chance.”

I sighed. “Maybe, but I know myself Taylor. If I were to sleep with him, I would have fallen hard for him.”

“It sounds like you already have? And at least if you slept with him you’d have that frickin’ awesome story to tell.”

“God,” I groaned. “I don’t know if I made the right choice. I just want to see him again. And he promised to call.”

Taylor raised her eyebrows. “I’m sure he did.”