Page 94 of The Innocent

“Alright, well, you coming back next week?”

“If you want me to.”

Elaine rolled her eyes, “Well, I’m not doing yoga by myself. Saturday morning works best for me. Set it up.” Elaine stood, and Imogene rushed to grab her bag.

“You want me to go to yoga with you?”

Elaine rolled her eyes. “Isn’t that what I just said?”

Yes, but...

“Okay.”

Elaine gave a curt nod, side eyeing Jekyll. “And call the school and set that up for me.”

“I will.”

When Elaine left, Imogene slowly made her way to the bar. Jekyll took a long swig from his beer, placed the bottle down, and side-eyed her as she approached. Seeing him again after screaming out his name while riding the best orgasm of her life had her cheeks heating, but it didn’t slow down her pace. She stopped only a foot away from his stool.

“Hi. What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Heard you were here.”

It was a basic answer, but she had a physical reaction. She pressed her thighs together and rocked back on her heels.

He reached into his chest pocket and pulled out a phone, offering it to her. It seemed odd until she realized it was her phone. What the…

“Hyde said you left it on the table at the gas station.”

Really? She hadn’t even realized she’d taken it out of her bag. Maybe when she was grabbing her wallet? She couldn’t remember. She took the phone, grazing her finger over his knuckles. A small touch shouldn’t have evoked this much desire. But it did. She inched closer, gripping the cell.

“Thanks for returning it to me.”

His gaze scanned her face, and he pointed to the seat next to him. Imogene immediately climbed up and hooked her bag over the back of the stool.

Jekyll lifted his hand, and Barry started to walk over. He pointed to her. “Tequilla and lime.”

He remembered. It was only last night, but it meant something. Or it didn’t. Imogene was in unfamiliar territory. Jekyll wasn’t like any other man she’d been with. His intensity was hard to read. He was an anomaly. His sweet gestures were often disguised. He wasn’t much of a conversationalist, which made him all the more a mystery.

****

Jekyll was only staring at the television screen. He wasn’t watching the game. He was more interested in what was going through the mind of the little redheaded mute seated next to him. Imogene hadn’t said a word since she’d sat down a few minutes ago but it didn’t stop her from staring. He’d mastered the art of knowing when her eyes were on him during his days locked up. He’d always been hyperaware of his surroundings since he was a kid. It’s what kept him and Hyde safe during their adolescence. As he got older, he became more intuitive to people and their thoughts, responses, and most importantly, reactions. Jekyll had a gift of knowing who was in the room, where they were, and their intention.

With Imogene, it was no different. She was easier to read than most of the people he knew. Open book. It was a dangerous trait for someone in his world. But she’s not part of my world. Yet. He grabbed his beer, taking a long swig as Barry set her drink down.

“Thank you.” Her voice was soft and welcoming. It had been the initial draw when he’d first heard her speak.

There was a lot of down time in prison. It was initially Hyde’s idea to make use of the library. Jekyll only joined to break up the day. Then he saw Imogene recommending a book to an inmate. A lot of the volunteers were surface nice but not warm to those incarcerated. But she was. Jekyll kept his distance and rarely spoke to Imogene, but he watched her.

“Can I ask you something?”

Oh, fuck me. Nothing good ever came from that question, in his experience. But…

Jekyll sucked in a breath and gave a curt nod.

“Is this the first or second time you’re showing up at one of my meetings?”

Jekyll grasped tightly on his grip of the bottle keeping his eyes laser focused on the tv above the bar.