The Game Has Changed (16 page)

She stared at him. “I’m sorry,” she said,
quickly and repentantly as she took a deep breath. “If I can help
you in any way . . .”

Evan was surprised. He was certain that it was
a slip of the tongue, but he intended to take full advantage of it.
“You can help me.”

She gave him an inquisitive look. He hesitated
for only a minute or so as he really didn't want to manipulate her.
Granted, he had made that an objective early on in her abduction,
to make her a willing participant in this venture by any means
necessary. “Tell them you came with me willingly, that I didn't
take you by force,” he whispered quite alluringly.

She sighed deeply, taking her time before
responding, “I know that's the only reason you want to be nice to
me, so that I'll say that. It's probably the only reason you
rescued me the other day.”

Evan shook his head quite adamantly. “Oh, no,”
he whispered. “I rescued you for much more than that reason. You
know that already, Luv. Don't try to turn that against me. I
couldn't bear seeing you hurt, you know that.”

She shrugged and tears burned her eyes.
I so want you to really love me! I love you! I
want you to feel the same for me!
she
thought.

“Jaime, don't do this. Don't make yourself
miserable because of me. Things will be better for you very soon.
You'll see.”

“How will they? I have nothing to go home to. I
have nothing at all!”

He sighed. “Is that why you don't want to give
this up . . . this adventure? Because you think there's something
here for you?”

“I already know there's nothing here for me,”
she moaned softly. “There's nothing anywhere for me and there never
will be.”

He didn't know what to say anymore. He wasn't
used to the kind of demeanor she possessed. Every girl he had ever
known seemed upbeat, happy, confident, and in love with life. She,
on the other hand, was throwing a major curve at him. Yet it was
his own fault, he knew. He had dragged her into this whole mess and
was now responsible for getting her out of it undamaged and
hopefully changed for the better.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “I promised myself I
wouldn't do this anymore. To give you reasons to want to abandon me
at the side of the road. I'll try not to be a whiny baby anymore.
I'll try to be good. I'm so sorry.”

“Stop it,” he berated, the gruff sound of his
voice taking her by surprise. “You know full well I'm not gonna
abandon you. This will all be over soon, trust me.”

“Why do you think that? Do you think you're
going to be arrested soon?” she asked, a tad fretful. “Why do you
say that?”

“I just know it,” he replied, unwilling to say
more. “Why don't you go to sleep now?”

She pouted as she glanced at the clock. “It's
only eight!”

“I want to get an early start tomorrow,” he
said pointedly.

She watched as his tee shirt slipped over his
head once again. She trembled at the sight of his firm, bare chest.
He noted her dreamy gaze and couldn't help but to smile a little as
he brushed his hair back down with his fingers. He was more than
convinced that she wanted him, but there was no way that she was
prepared for what he could give her. And that, in itself, would
frighten her right out the front door.

To tease her further, he stood up and dragged
his blue jeans down in front of her. Though she had seen him in his
underwear before, he suspected she might have had a peek when he
showered or urinated in the past. He thought she might appreciate
it if he pointed out the birthmark he’d spoken of
earlier.

“Did you see my cherry spot before?” he
blatantly inquired.

“No, of course I didn't!” she cried out with
surprise. “I didn't look at you at all when you took a
shower!”

“Well, come have a look, then.”

She shook her head, mortified.

“Nothing to be afraid of, my love.
Honest.”

Standing in between his bed and hers, he
dragged the left side of his boxer's waistband down just enough to
show her the half-dollar sized red splotch on his upper and inner
thigh without exposing anything else except a touch of dark pubic
hair. The sight sent Jaime into hyperventilation mode.

He covered himself back up and smiled. “Pretty
color, isn't it?” he asked

Jaime clutched her chest and
wheezed.

“You all right, then?”

“Um . . . sure,” she breathed.

“You want to shower first, or should
I?”

She shrugged bashfully.

“Well, if you're leaving it to me, then ladies
first.” He chivalrously held out his arm toward the
bathroom.

She nodded, standing up slowly. Her cheeks were
flushed with color.

“Would you mind terribly if I used the sink
whilst you're in the shower? Promise I won't peek.”

She was trembling as she hesitantly
agreed.

“I need a shave badly.” He smiled, rubbing a
hand across his stubbled chin.

He gave her a moment or two to collect her
belongings and make her way into the bathroom. She hurriedly
undressed and dove into the shower as he strode into the bathroom,
her heart pounding erratically the entire time.

CHAPTER 18

She ran the hot water through her long hair,
aware of the fact that he was just beyond the shower curtain,
standing in front of the sink. He was using a cheap safety razor
they had bought not too long ago and she could hear him cursing
under his breath as he shaved. Every once in a while, she heard him
utter a softly spoken, “Shit!” She soon realized that it was
because he’d nicked himself repeatedly.

Bravely, after the fifth time he’d cursed, she
pulled the shower curtain back just enough to peer out without
exposing herself. “What's wrong?”

He turned to her with a slight frown creasing
his brow, pressing the tip of his finger against a spot he’d nicked
on his neck. “This sort of razor is a dangerous weapon in my
hands,” he laughed softly. “It's like a hacksaw. I'm used to an
electric razor.”

“Well, it's cuz you should use some sort of
lubricant, I think. Like lotion or something,” she suggested. She
let go of the shower curtain and reached for the small bottle of
conditioner the motel had provided for them. “Try this.”

The shower curtain slipped momentarily as she
held it out to him. She boldly met his inquisitive stare, uncaring
of the fact that he was getting a fleeting glimpse of her naked
body. After all, he had carried her to the car when she was in only
her panties after the attack. Surely, this time was no different?
Deep inside, she hoped that he would see her differently. That
perhaps he would take notice of her this time around.

To her astonishment, he did take notice. He was
further surprised to find that his heart leapt at the sight of her
glistening wet and beautiful body. He blindly took the bottle from
her and watched as she pulled the curtain back into
place.

“Ta,” he whispered, his voice a tad
hoarse.

Jaime couldn't help but to giggle when he
unexpectedly dropped the bottle. She knew, then, that he had taken
notice of her and the thrill of it reverberated through her entire
body. She crossed her arms about her chest as the water rushed down
upon her and silently prayed.
Please, love
me!

Shortly after, she wrapped a large white towel
around herself at the conclusion of her shower and stepped out to
find that he was still shaving. This time, though, he was having an
easier go at it. He’d taken her advice into consideration. She
smiled at him in passing as their eyes met within the mirror. He
nodded and gave her one of his devastatingly handsome smiles in
return. She laughed softly and hurried into the adjacent room. His
smile quickly disappeared.

He gazed at himself within the mirror, feeling
both confusion and a little concern.
Don't
start feeling something for this little girl!
he
berated himself as a mournful sigh escaped him.

***

Jaime sat at the head of her bed in her
sleeping attire and was combing through her wet blonde hair when
Evan walked into the room. He wore only his boxers and was rubbing
at his wet hair furiously with a towel. They exchanged quick,
embarrassed glances and refrained from speaking for a moment or
two.

I love you so much, Evan!
Jaime thought. She watched as he tossed the towel aside and
ran his fingers through his shaggy brown hair.
I would give anything to have you love me in return.
Anything! I would quit school. I would leave Philadelphia with you,
if it meant I’d get to stay with you forever. I'd give you my
virginity and have your children, too. Anything you ask of me!
Please!

She wished that she could say all those things
to him for real. Why did it have to remain a school girl fantasy?
She already knew that were he to ask the one thing he’d already
asked of her, she would readily comply. She would tell the police
that she had wanted to go with him. That she hadn’t been forced to
do so and, therefore, had not been kidnapped in the first
place.

***

Jaime lay astride her bed in the darkness,
listening to the sound of the violent rain and crackling thunder
outside. Flashes of lightning peeked through the edge of the
curtain, lighting up the sky so vividly that, at moments, it
appeared as if it were daylight outside. The heavy wind pelted the
rain against the motel window in torrents making her feel afraid as
she lay alone.

Evan was asleep in the other bed, oblivious to
the storm brewing in the distance. She heard his gentle breathing
change as the loud thunder woke him. She wanted so badly to talk to
him, to be near him. Yet she felt too timid to say anything to that
effect.

As the thunder continued to rumble and the
lightning flickered every now and then, she slid out of her own bed
and pulled back the covers of Evan's bed to quickly climb in beside
him. To her absolute delight, Evan immediately pulled her against
him in a wonderful and warm cuddle. It felt lovely to Jaime and not
sexual at all, just incredibly comfortable to both her body and her
mind. It was like the time he had comforted her after the assault.
She felt true contentment again.

Yet, as Evan felt her warm body cuddled against
his, as he tenderly caressed her hair back from her forehead, he
felt almost the complete opposite of what she was feeling. He felt
heavily conflicted.

CHAPTER 19

It was still raining quite heavily when the sun
finally rose over the small town of Loogootee, Indiana. Jaime
awakened first and relished the warmth and closeness of Evan
sleeping beside her. His arm was curled limply around her shoulder,
her face pressed into his armpit.

He had a musky male smell about him, she
noticed, that was currently unclouded by the scent of cigarettes.
Granted, the scent of tobacco dissipated not long after he stopped
smoking. It was then that his warm smell became apparent, an
inviting one that she couldn't quite place her finger on. He didn't
use any cologne or after-shave since they’d been on the road, so
she assumed the scent was his natural body odor. One she found she
adored greatly.

Evan awakened, moments later, groaning softly.
He stretched, staring at the window as he heard the heavy rain
still pounding against it. Sleepily, he glanced down at Jaime as
she lay wedged against his bare chest.

“You alright, Luv?” he asked, his voice soft
and drowsy.

She nodded with contentment. He ran his free
hand through his hair and then stretched the same arm, yielding
another groan as he attempted to jolt himself awake. She observed
him doing so, smiling with delight.

“Not gonna be much fun driving today with that
rain,” he replied and snuck another glance at the
window.

“We could stay here for awhile, then,” she
offered, enjoying the prospect of remaining exactly where she was,
cuddled within his arms.

“Jesus, it's gonna take me forever to get to
California,” he complained. “At this rate, anyhow.”

In truth, Jaime didn't want him to make it to
California. She wanted to stay on the road with him forever. “What
will happen when we get to California?”

Evan sighed deeply, unsure as to whether he
wanted to tell her the truth about what he suspected would happen.
He knew he'd most likely be arrested anyway, thus nullifying the
sole reason that he was traveling across country in the first
place. Yet he didn't want to think about that yet. He wanted to
cling to his freedom for as long as he was able.

“When we get to Los Angeles,” he began
thoughtfully, “we will first do whatever it is you want to do. If
you want me to put you on a plane in order to head back home, then
that's what we'll do first.”

“
I don't mean what will happen to
me. I mean, what will happen to you?” she prodded.

Evan groaned inwardly. He couldn’t deny her
persistence. She wanted answers to the very questions he didn’t
want to answer. At least, not yet. “I don't know exactly,” he said
vaguely.