Dangerous Lies(8)

Fuck. I needed to stop looking at his screenshots as if he was a piece of meat. Ever since Stephanie pointed out how nice his butt was, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it

The plane was beginning to descend, and I held my phone tightly in my hand. Once I landed, I was instructed to call Jake, giving him enough time to make it to the pick-up lane and get me.

I asked him how I’d know who he was, he only sent a winky-face emoji and said he’d make himself known. As much as I loved his fun loving personality, his wit only made me more nervous for our meeting. For all I knew, he was pulling my leg and lived in his parent’s basement down the street from me, dragging me along into some weird game.

My heart raced with the thought. What if this was all a big joke? What if Jake wasn’t even a real person? Taking sharp inhales, I coached myself to breathe. Worst case scenario? I was right and would plant myself at some hotel and write. That was the point of this trip to begin with.

The wheels of the plane met the tarmac, bumping along until the plane slowed to a steady pace. Unbuckling my seatbelt before the sign was on, I continued to breathe. I was here, in New Zealand, meeting a longtime friend, ignoring the obvious crush I had developed for him throughout the years.

Taking out my phone, I messaged him.

AuthorCoraKart: I’m here.

NZThrillWriter: I saw you landed. I’ll see you soon. Look for your sign.

AuthorCoraKart: Can’t wait. This better not be a joke.

NZThrillWriter: What?

AuthorCoraKart: I mean, you better be here.

I stared at my phone, waiting for a response. The ding of the seatbelt button interrupted my anxious gaze. Passengers hurried along, impatient to get off the plane. I couldn’t blame them. It was the same plane that took us from the States to New Zealand. We’d been inside these damn walls for what felt like forever. Fortunately, I had my own row for the fifteen hour flight.

Once my carry-on was pulled down from above, I checked my phone again, only to find no answer.

I’d kill him. I swear I’d find where that asshole lived and I’d shoot him.

This place was tiny compared to the monster of an airport O’Hare. I thought I’d get lost, but there was only one place to go, and everyone on my flight was headed that way. I stayed with the crowd, walking down a row of stairs to luggage claim.

My message still only had my response, and Jake hadn’t even seen what I wrote. I began to shake. Did he really stand me up? I’d been dumb enough to stay in an abusive relationship for seven years, obviously I was even more of an idiot for traveling around the world to meet someone I hardly knew.

“Jackass,” I grumbled under my breath, shoving my phone in my back pocket forcefully. By the time I looked up from my phone, I was at the bottom of the steps, anger seeping from me.

Then I saw him, facing the window that lead to the parking lot. I knew that back, a dark gray t-shirt covering a broad set of muscles, his book series logo dead center of his shoulder blades. He wore a black baseball cap with short, dark hair covering the back of his head. One hand was in his front pocket, while the other was holding a piece of crumpled paper—AuthorCoraKart.

I froze ten feet from him, standing still in the madness of travelers. He was right there, no tricks or games, not a completely different person, but the Jake I knew as an associate and a very good friend.

He was taller than I imagined, although still lean, he was big and strong. No one would mess with him if they crossed his path. He was intimidating, yet a calming of comfort washed over me as I examined him. This was the moment; I was finally going to see his features.

Panic consumed me, my hands flew into my hair, running through it over and over, cursing myself for not changing out of my hooded sweatshirt and jeans into one of my new outfits that made me feel girly and confident. I had hardly put any makeup on, only some mascara, and surely my lip gloss had rubbed off by now. I was a hot mess.

I desperately searched for a bathroom before he turned around to find me, but to my horror he took his phone out of his pocket and swiped through it. My own phone buzzed, multiple heads looking my way as it carried on from an incoming text.

I clenched my eyes closed, fumbling with it to turn off the volume, but it was too late. He’d heard it, and the sleek jawline covered in stubble that I’d only seen a fraction of came into full blown view.

Holding my breath, I took him in from head to toe. Typical cross trainers covered his feet with no show socks. Moving my eyes upward, I saw a pair of well-toned and tanned calves from bike riding in the New Zealand terrain. His cargo shorts were to his knees, no doubt hiding strong thighs. He held his sign across his stomach now, shaking it slightly.

“Cora?” His deep timbre distracted me from my perusal.

My breath hitched when I met his gaze. He was even more attractive in person than what I had imagined. His jaw trickled with stubble, arching when he smiled, revealing perfect white teeth against his tanned skin. His hat covered his forehead, but it didn’t hide his beautiful brown eyes, accentuated with dark eyelashes. I’d kill for eyelashes that thick. He squinted when he smiled, a few lines creasing at the edges of his eyes. Even his nose was perfect, not too small or too big.

He cleared his throat. “Are you Cora Kart?”

I nodded my head, licking my lips and swallowing back the dryness that had formed.

“I um… yes. I am. Are you… Jake?” I asked even though I already knew.