"Hilarious," he says. And I can see that despite himself, he's laughing.

"That bird was trying to move in on my territory," he says deadpan. "I know a brazen male threat when I see one."

I laugh out loud at him and he's trying not to laugh too, but he loses in the end as he grins at me, showing those perfect, white teeth.

"You're ridiculous," I say. But I sit down on his lap and grab his gorgeous face in my hands and we're both smiling. But then we're both serious and he's staring at my lips and I can feel his c**k swelling under my ass.

"Jake - " I start

"Evie - " he finishes.

Then I'm kissing him, hot and wet, right in the middle of the zoo, as our ice cream melts.

I pull away and rest my forehead to his. "I had a really, really nice day, Jake," I say.

"It's not over yet, baby," he says, taking my hand and pulling me up off his lap. "Let's go see the tigers."

**********

We leave the zoo at almost five o'clock, thoroughly exhausted. As he pulls out of the gate, I look over at Jake, feeling happy and sleepy. He grabs my hand and holds it as he drives with his left. We drive in silence, listening to the radio and I close my eyes a few times, feeling completely safe and at peace in the warmth of his car.

He pulls into a parking lot and I note that it's a small, italian restaurant. He comes over and opens my door and helps me out. He leads me into the restaurant and I look around, noting that it's quaint and adorable, almost full even early on a Sunday night.

The mâitre d' rushes up to us and with a warm smile leads us to a small table in the back. Once we’re seated, the waiter comes up to our table quickly and Jake orders a bottle of red which the waiter is back with before I've even read down two items on the menu.

"The eggplant parmesan is really good," Jake offers and so I close my menu and raise my glass to his. "To hot peacocks!" I say, grinning.

"Hmmph," he snorts, teasing, then grinning at me and clicking my glass. God, he's so adorable.

We order dinner and chat easily as we're waiting for the food, holding hands across the table.

"What shift do you work tomorrow?" Jake asks me.

"Ten to seven all week."

He looks at me thoughtfully for a minute and then asks, "Ever think about doing anything else?"

"You mean do I have ambitions to be more than a maid?"

"Yeah, I mean, you know I don't think there's anything wrong with what you do. You're just so smart, you could do anything. I was just wondering if you think about it."

I sigh. "Yeah, I do, actually. I'd love to go to college but that takes money. Money that right now, I don't have. But what I'd really love to do is write. I have this idea for a book… " I trail off, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Do it. Why haven't you?"

Because it's out of my realm of "safe."

"Well, I need a computer to be able to write. I brought a flash drive back and forth to the library for a while, but it's just too impractical. And when I was feeling inspired, the library was closed… you know. It just didn't work."

The waiter brings our dinner and we dig in. It's rich and delicious and I can't help moaning after I take the first bite.

"Good?" Jake asks, his eyes darkening as he watches my mouth.

"Mmmm," I say, nodding.

"Will you stay with me again tonight?"

"I can't, Jake. I need to get ready for the week. I need to go home and get myself organized."

"Tomorrow night?"

"Can't tomorrow night either. I have a catering job that'll go late. I don't usually do them on Monday nights but it's some sort of art showing at a gallery downtown." I look at him suspiciously, "You won't be there, will you?"

He grins. "Wasn't planning on it but maybe now I'll have to see what I can arrange."

"Don't you dare."

"I have to travel to my office in San Diego on Tuesday but I'll be back Wednesday evening. Will you stay then?"

I smile at him. "Okay." He smiles back.

We eat in silence for a minute and then I ask, "I'm assuming you went to college?"

"Yeah, I went to UCSD. I was in school and also working with my dad, learning all about the company since the plan was for me to start working there when I graduated. We just had no idea at the time that I'd be running the damn thing. That's when my dad and I finally formed more of a relationship than we'd ever had. I had moved out of our house and that was really the thing that allowed us to start over. It was the first time I was really something close to happy in a long time, being away from my parents, just 'finding myself' to use a clichéd expression."

I nod. "You're not close to your mother?"

He makes a scoffing sound, "Close?" He cringes and is silent for a few seconds. "No."

I keep looking at him but he doesn't go on and I don't know what to say and so I pick up my fork and continue eating.

After a minute, he says quietly, "I want to pay for you to take classes, Evie."

I blink at him. "What?" I bristle slightly. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I believe in you. Because I think you're smart and I think you just need a small break to be able to reach for your dreams."

I shake my head slightly, "Jake, listen, that's a nice offer, but I've worked really hard to get where I am. I know to you my life probably doesn't look like a raving success story but I do okay and I'll find a way to go to school at some point… I mean we just started sleeping together and I don't really know how all this works but maybe we should wait to see where this goes before you start offering me large sums of money."

His face is hard now, clearly not happy with what I've just said. "First of all, I thought I already made it clear that, actually, I do consider your life a raving success story, all things considered. And secondly, do I need to remind you what you told me in my bed not 24 hours ago, Evie?" Yikes. He's pissed.

I blink again because I said a lot of things, most of them having to do with my approval of what he was doing with his hands and his mouth and… God, now I'm turned on again.

"Um - " I say.

"You told me you were mine, Evie. This is not some fun f**k. This is not casual to me. I thought I had conveyed that to you."

"So, what? You're like my boyfriend or something now?"

"Boyfriend, man, lover, whatever label you like, you can use it, but what it means is that we take care of each other in and out of the bedroom. And part of me taking care of you means me offering to give you the money it takes to make your dreams come true."

Oh wow. Okay, then. "Jake - "

"Just think about it okay?"

I stare at him for a second but relent, "Okay."

"Okay." He takes a couple bites of his dinner and then, "Also, you need to get on birth control. I don't want to use condoms with you."

I pause, a bite halfway to my mouth. Alrighty. "I'm already on the pill. I have bad periods. It regulates it. I've been on it for years."

He stares at me silently for a second and then, "Okay, good. Now finish your dinner."

Totally bossy. But totally sweet. And totally hot. But...

"Um, Jake, if we're not going to use condoms, I should probably ask…"

"I'm clean. I've always used condoms and I get regular check ups. I can show you paperwork if you want."

I'm silent for a second, "No, I trust you."

After dinner, Jake drives me back to my apartment and we make out in his car for a few minutes but then he groans and pulls away, muttering, "Killing me," and comes around the car to open my door for me. I give him one last kiss, open my building door and practically skip inside.

CHAPTER 18

Evie is 13, Jake is 15

I heft my backpack up on my shoulder as I walk down the street towards Leo's foster home. I stayed late for a study group and so I'm not walking with Willow like I usually do.

Leo started high school several months ago and not having him at the same school anymore has been hard. He hasn't had to stand up for me for a while, kids started ignoring me after the Denny Powell incident, but just seeing him in the halls would brighten my day. Sometimes he would reach out and brush his hand against mine, pretending not to see me as we passed in the hall, or he would leave funny little notes in my locker. It made me smile. And I can use all the smiles I can get.

As I turn the corner to his house, I see a lone, familiar figure sitting on his porch stairs. I stop and stare at him for a minute, knowing he doesn't see me, apparently lost in thought, his elbows on his knees, his head bent foreword.

I head in his direction and as I walk towards him, his head comes up and he looks up at me, his face breaking out in a smile.

"Hi," I say, smiling, "What are you doing out here?"

"Just thinking," he says, looking more serious now. "It's so damned loud in there," he gestures backwards with his head.

I take a seat next to him, nodding. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"I was thinking about Seth, Evie." He pauses. "I was wondering where he is, how he's doing… wondering…," his voice breaks and I instinctively reach out for his hand, bringing it to my cheek, rubbing his knuckles against my skin.

His eyes dart to me and his lips part slightly. My eyes go to his mouth and I stare for a minute, wondering what it would be like to kiss him.

Oh my God! Did I just wonder what it would be like to kiss Leo? He's always been like a brother to me. But lately… I think about him in ways that I never have before. I find myself wanting him to hold my hand, to sit close to me when we watch television together at my house in the front room. I shiver when he accidentally brushes against me.

I love him, I already know that. I've loved Leo McKenna for so many years… but am I falling IN love with him?

When my eyes meet his, there is an intensity there that I've seen before but never knew what it meant. I know now. I probably have the same look in my eyes, too. A single thought pops into my head, "Kiss me!"

"Wanna walk?" he asks.

I let go of his hand and stand up, "Sure."

We walk together in silence for a couple minutes and then he takes my hand and looks shyly at me. I smile at him as warmth seems to spread from our joined hands, up my arm to spread through my chest. He smiles back and squeezes my hand tighter.

We turn into the park and walk to the swings. I sit down on one and he pulls it back and lets it go so that I giggle. He leans against the support pole a few feet away.

Leo grins, showing me that adorable gap and says, "I love to hear you laugh."

I tilt my head as my swing slows, "You do?"

He comes closer until he's holding both chains on my swing and I have to tilt my head to look up at him. "Yeah, Evie, I do. It's the only thing that makes me truly happy."

We both grow serious as he gazes down at me and I feel like my heart dips into my stomach. But then he moves back slightly and stuffs his hands into his pockets. I blink and swallow nervously.

"I was wondering… I know it's a girl ask boy thing. But, well, I wanted to know if you'd go to that Sadie Hawkins dance at my school with me." His cheeks flush slightly as he waits for my answer.

"I'd love to go to the dance with you, Leo. Only, I don't exactly have anything to wear. It's not like Jodi will buy me anything for something like that." I look down and my cheeks heat, too.

He nods, looking at me thoughtfully, probably realizing that he didn't think about the fact that we'd need dress up clothes. "Then we'll say we're going to the dance and instead we'll come here and dance under the stars. No dressing up required for that. Our foster parents will never even notice that we're not dressed right for a dance." He smiles a little sadly at me but I know he's right about that. But then he smiles bigger, "I just want to be with you. I want to hold you close."

"Where will we get music?" I ask quietly.

"I'll bring my hand held radio." He grins.

I can't help but to grin back. "We'll probably get arrested and spend the night in juvi."

"I'll risk it."

I tilt my head to the side. "Okay. It's a date." I smile hesitantly as he grins back at me.

He stares at me for a few seconds and then says very seriously, "Someday, I'm going to buy you a whole closetful of the most beautiful clothes money can buy."

I smile up at him. "I don't need fancy clothes, Leo. I just need you."

"You can have both," he says smiling back.

I stare at this boy, my Leo. How did things change so quickly? Did I fall for him so slowly that I didn't even notice while I was falling? As he grabs my hand and pulls me off the swing and we start walking back, my heart starts beating wildly in my chest. I think dazedly that falling, whether to the ground or in love, is always at least a little bit scary, even if you do it slowly.

CHAPTER 19

The next couple of days go by quickly in a flurry of work, laundry and other mundane but necessary activities.

Jake offers to drive me, or have his company driver chauffeur me to and from work but I tell him no. I don't mind taking the bus. I can read while I'm riding and it's convenient for me. He doesn't seem particularly pleased about this but I need to maintain my independence. I already feel like things are moving so fast between us and it scares me to become so wrapped up in someone so quickly.