Page 49 of Take Her On

“So, how long were you creeping on me for?” she asked, a teasing lilt in her voice.

“Only a few minutes. I actually heard you before I saw you. You’re like a foghorn.”

“That’s almost a compliment, coming from you.”

“Almost.” Their eyes locked, and they grinned, their feet falling into step. Maya’s scent caught on the breeze, pulling dangerous memories from Jamie’s mind: her teasing tongue; the passionate way she’d touched her; how she’d had Jamie at her very mercy.

The feelings swirling around them were intense, surprising, a combination of emotions Jamie didn’t know what to do with. It was the last thing she’d expected when she moved universities. To feel like this. With Maya, of all people.

Was this casual? Just a one-off hook-up out of nowhere? Could they be more?

Jamie had sworn off women after last year, but this with Maya felt…different. Exciting. The captain’s fiery nature and obvious distaste for Jamie had made the foundation of whatever this was interesting.

When she realised Maya hadn’t said anything for a while, she changed the conversation. “Do you do this a lot?”

Maya gave her a funny look. “Do what a lot?”

“Running.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess so. Helps clear my head.”

“That makes sense.” Jamie kicked a clump of dry mown grass. “I like to drive. Put my music on loud and drown everything else out.”

Jamie used to do that a lot when she lived with her parents. She’d hated being in the house but didn’t really have anywhere else to go at that time. Her car had been a safe haven in some ways.

“That sounds pretty nice, actually,” Maya said.

“One time, I just kept driving through the night. I didn’t know where I was going, but I ended up in Whitby, sitting on the beach and watching the waves rolling over the sea. When the sun came back up, I just dusted the sand off and went back home again.”

A moment of quiet passed between them, the sounds of the park filtering back in.

“I don’t know why I told you that,” Jamie said, feeling her cheeks heat. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” They stopped beside her car, and Jamie dumped her bag on the floor to fish her keys from her pocket.

“Did something bad happen?”

“Ha. Yeah, you could say that.” Jamie opened the boot and swung the bags inside. Rehashing everything that had happened last year wouldn’t just be a casual conversation. Jamie didn’t know how Maya would react. The thought of telling her what her dad had done, what everyone said she’d been a part of, made her feel sick. “We can talk about it another time. Maybe…Erm…” She brushed her fingers through her hair, her gaze dropping to the floor. Then her attention caught on Maya’s leg. “Hey, what did you do to your knee? It’s bleeding.”

Maya waved her away, but Jamie dropped to her knees to inspect the graze. She touched the cut, and Maya winced, taking a step back. “It’s fine. I just tripped. It’s nothing.”

The blood was still fresh. Jamie couldn’t hide her frustration at Maya’s flippancy, but she chose to let it go. “Do you want a ride home?”

Maya nodded, and as they climbed into her car, she caught Jamie checking out her knee again.

“It’s fine,” she insisted.

Jamie held up her palms. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Well, tell your eyes that.”

“Sorry. It just looks sore.” She reached over to open her glovebox and pulled out a pack of plasters. “Here.”

When Maya didn’t move to take them, she sighed, opening the box and pulling one out. She tore it open with her teeth.

“I’m fine—”

Maya flinched when Jamie placed the cute blue dinosaur plaster over her knee. She secured it in place, rubbing either side flush against Maya’s skin.