by C. T. Oliver
He sits back and pulls me closer to him. “Tell me, why do you love sexy romance books so much?”
“Hmmm, I don’t know. The stories always end with the couple in a happily ever after kind of deal,” I shrug. I don’t want to tell Craig the whole truth that I’m envious and wish for that happily ever after myself. “You know girls are ingrained with the idea of happily ever after since Cinderella.”
“I’m sure these aren’t your average Cinderella stories,” Craig smirks.
“No, no they’re not,” I laugh.
“Baby?”
“Hmmm?”
“Serious question now. Why is it so hard for you to talk about your family?” My body stiffens at his question. He lifts my face so he can look into my eyes. “I just want to understand.”
Chapter 18
I’m holding Amelia in my arms so the second she understood the question, I felt her stiffen. I can see the fear as her eyes flicker back and forth gathering her thoughts.
She shifts to sit back with her legs tucked underneath her and looks at me. “I think it’s hard because I’m—I’m kind of ashamed and embarrassed, and I want to hide from it in a way,” she shrugs and looks down at her fingers toying with hem of her shorts.
“Well, you know what? I don’t see it that way.” My hands reach over to cover her hand. “With the little facts I’ve learned here and there, I think you should be proud of yourself, not ashamed.” I register the shock in her eyes when she finally looks up at me.
“Why would you say that?”
“Because you’re so strong and resilient. You cope and move forward.”
She shrugs. “I do whatever I can to—to be normal, I guess,” she whispers looking back down at her lap.
“Tell me,” I move forward to sit in front of her, “who has hurt you, or what makes it so hard for you to open yourself up to me?” I hold both her hands in mine offering whatever support I can give her.
She looks up with wide sad eyes before looking down at our hands. “I guess, it’s a little bit of everyone in the past.” She quickly looks back at me. “But they don’t mean to, I guess. I don’t know.” She takes in a deep breath. “After my mom died, my father tried to do it all, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t get over losing my mom, so he arranged everything transferring me to my aunt’s custody. He sold half of his security company and gave it to Tim to open the club. He arranged for my trust fund to take care of me. My father bought the house next to my aunt’s so she could keep an eye on me and he just left. Being a teenager, I thought it was the coolest situation. I had freedom to come and go as I pleased, and I was a grown up. My aunts and uncles were always around and they were the best because they were in their twenties.”
She looks up and a lone tear rolls down her cheek. “But slowly they all drifted away. They all moved on with their lives. Better jobs, marriages, and kids. Eventually everyone leaves, Craig.” She wipes the tears coming down her face and straightens up her shoulders. “But I was young and didn’t understand. Now, I know you have to always look out for yourself, and that even the nicest people can walk all over you as they walk away from.”
I reach up and wipe the stream of tears running down her face. I feel as if there is a pit in my stomach and a burning ache in my heart from her sadness. “What happened that made you put up this wall?” I look in her shocked watery bottomless eyes and I ache to protect her from all this pain.
“Well, I told you what my ex did.” She looks over to the wall as anger flashes in her eyes. “I was careless with my emotions and he took advantage of that. I just don’t want to feel the way I felt after I found out. I don’t want to be the fool ever again.”
I reach over and lift up her face so she can look into my eyes. “You won’t. I will never take you for granted. Ever.”
A soft smile grace her lips after she takes a long look into my eyes, and she nods.
“Amelia, I want to tell you something. I want to tell you how I see you.” I reach out and pull her into my lap. “In the short time that I’ve known you, you have taken my breath away with your beauty, stunned me speechless with your intelligence, and shocked me beyond measures with your talents. Most of all, I am in awe of your kindness. You see goodness in people and that’s because you have the biggest heart,” I run my hand down the side of her face. “You give people the benefit of the doubt even though you’ve been hurt. But you shouldn’t hide yourself from other people, or hold yourself back. I can tell you that no matter how much you hold yourself back, some of that kindness will shine through whether you mean for it to or not. Everyone around you sees it. You should use it as a part of your armor. Kindness will always cut through all the bullshit.” I lean down kiss the tip of her nose. “It’s one of the first things that attracted me to you. Your kindness, friendliness, and sassiness.”
She laughs and run her hands down my cheek. “I guess I didn’t try very hard to hold back from you, huh?”
“Oh baby, I think you held back enough.” I nuzzle my nose in her hair and hold her tighter to me.
She lets out a sigh of pure contentment. “I trust you,” she whispers, shifting so she can look into my eyes. “And I like you, too,” she grins widely at me.
“Thank goodness or else it would just be awkward me crashing here with you,” I chuckle.
“And here I thought I was just messing around with the hot guy next door.” She teasingly runs a hand back and forth on my chest.
“My beautiful neighbor thinks I’m hot.” I shift the both of us so she’s cuddling her back to my front and I reach over to turn off the light.
“Craig, tell me about your favorite places in Austin.”
I hold her to my heart and we talk well into the night, learning all the random details about each other.
Chapter 19
I nuzzle my face into the warmth and feel a tickle on the tip of my nose. Wet breaths are raining down my neck as smooth soft skin rubs against my other cheek. I momentarily open my eyes to see Larry’s puppy paws over my left eye as he pokes his wet nose into my ear.
“Come on, Larry. It’s so early.” I reach up and try to catch his squirmy body but he is too quick for me.
My body pillow rumbles with laughter underneath me. “Baby, I think he wants to go out.”
I wrap my arms and legs tightly around Craig. “It’s so early,” I moan.
“It’s past 1100.” I lift my head to look into his beautiful masculine face. His eyes are slightly glossy and his chin is covered in stubble. He has a sexy grin in his lips as he runs a hand up and down my back. “Come on, I’ll make brunch and you can nap in the sun. It’s a pretty day out.”
I sigh and turn to nuzzle my face back into his chest. “Can’t we just stay in bed all day? We already slept half of it away.”
“Come on, if you sleep anymore, I bet your body is going to ache and then you’ll hate yourself.”
I sigh heavily and roll onto my back. “Yeah, but I’m so comfy now.” I look around the bed to see all the pillows are in their places and Craig actually has a pillow of his own. “I didn’t steal your pillow,” I say in a triumphant voice.
Craig smiles and turns over on his side, resting his head on his raised hand. “Yeah, because you held on to me the whole night—and morning.”
I smile picturing the image in my head. “When did you get up?”
“0600. I like watching you sleep. You make expressions on your face while you dream, I think. It’s adorable and entertaining,” he chuckles.
“You’ve been watching me sleep for five hours? Why didn’t you wake me?”
Craig leans forward and kisses my forehead. “Because you were tired and needed your sleep. We were up late.” He reaches over and runs his hand up and down my stomach making me catch my breath in surprise. “So, I know your friends are here and everything, but I want to take you out to dinner tonight.” He tilts his head over and gives me a quick kiss on the lips. “It will be our first date.” His grin gives me chills down my spine while h
is touch is blazing my skin.
“Oh, okay,” I whisper, trying to mask my excitement. I’m feeling really joyous at the idea of going on a date with Craig. I the girly urge to jump up and down and do a little dance on the bed, but decide to play it cool.
“Good.” He leans in and kisses the side of me face. “I can’t wait for tonight. Pick you up at 1900, that’s 7:00 PM for you.” He plants a big, wet, curl your toes kiss on my lips while his hand roams over one of my breasts making me lift my hips towards him. I want to feel the tingling sensation when his fingers rub over my nipples and throb between... He breaks from the kiss with a big smile on his face. “Tonight, baby.” He brushes his thumb over my nipple a couple of time before he grabs Larry and hops out of bed leaving me all hot and bothered.
“Tease!” I yell at him as he leaves the room.
I enter the kitchen to the sight of Blu with his head hanging low while sporting his Ray-Ban sunglasses and a tequila sunrise his in hand. Someone is hung over. Pen is perched on a stool next to him enjoying some granola and yogurt while having a conversation with Craig. Larry and Mozart are running around the kitchen yelping puppy barks at each other.
I walk over to Blu and run my hand through his hair. “Morning, sweetie. How did you sleep?” I say brightly just to annoy him. Blu just looks at me and growls. I laugh and go over to the French press to fill my favorite mug with fresh coffee. “When will you ever learn that you’re a lightweight?”
“Am not. I just haven’t drank in a long time. You know how much I love a good brandy,” Blu whispers, laying his head down on the counter.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t love you back,” Pen giggles.
“Whatever… Love, hate relationships are the best,” Blu huffs.
I roll my eyes at my beloved friends and go over to make some toast. “Where are the guys, babe?”
“Gym. Cory is kind of scared that you’re quicker than him, so he’s determined to get into better shape.” Craig is sautéing baby potatoes with rosemary and garlic, filling the kitchen with delicious aromas.
“Scared away another one with your freaky ninja skills, did you?” Blu lowers his shades down his nose to leer at me.
Craig takes the pan off the burner and moves the potatoes into a large bowl. “The impressed one isn’t going anywhere,” he winks at me. “Come on, let’s eat before Cory comes in and inhales it all.”
Craig’s veggie and bacon scramble is now my favorite breakfast dish. The pound of potatoes I ate with the eggs is putting me into a food coma when I step out into the back porch to join Blu and Pen in the sun. The sky is clear and the sun is shining brightly. The salty tang in the air is refreshing, sending a shiver down my back.
In a white bikini top with black bottoms, I settle into a lounge chair with my iPad and a large cup of coffee. Through my tinted shades I can see Craig jogging to the water with his board in hand and Ben and Cory behind him. The sight of him in his tight wetsuit makes my skin tingle while my face sports a gigantic smile making me look like a fool.
“Ohhh man, it’s bad,” I hear Pen giggling to herself.
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I keep my face straight forward to hide the blush I can feel coming up my cheeks.
“Well, I like him!” Pen states with joy in her voice and I feel my smile coming back to my face.
I look over at Pen, sitting between Blu and I. She has a radiant smile on her beautifully tan face. My friend is in a beige vintage style bandeau bikini that makes her Italian heritage glow turning her into an exotic beauty.
“Thanks, me too. I think I like him a little too much to be honest.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Pen looks down at the knitting project in her hand. Knitting is one of the things that connect the three of us. Blu Richman is quite a popular name in the knitting community with four of his own pattern books published in Europe and North America.
“No, I guess it’s not. It’s just, you know, I haven’t been with anyone in a long time. For a while, I just thought I wasn’t ready and then I just didn’t find anyone around me attractive. I just… I don’t know. Meeting him and liking him has just been a little—unexpected, I guess,” I shrug, fiddling with my iPad to hide my discomfort.
“He makes you happy,” Blu states. Not a question.
“Um, yeah.” I wonder where he’s going with this.
“Well, you don’t know a person until you take the time to get to know them, right?” Blu gives me a smile. “I haven’t seen you want to try to get to know anyone in a long time. So, if he makes you happy, explore it. Just be careful, okay Mel?”
I look at Blu and can’t help but love him more, especially at the mention of his nickname for me. In his own way, he has always looked out for me because of my naïveté about people. Out of his buttoned up shirts and dress pants, you can get a sense of the true Blu. The real Blu who has tattoo sleeves on both arms expressing the stories of his struggles to become content with himself. The Blu behind the businessman who the world thinks is strategic, but in reality has only come to be certain about his personality, his likes and dislikes, and most importantly his self-worth just a few short years ago.
“I will, Blu.” I feel lighter now that I have a sense of how my friends see Craig. Since Trey, I have doubts in my ability to see people and their intentions. One of the reasons I find it easier to be a little jaded, until Craig.
“Good. So, I saw that he’s been spending the night…” Blu raises a manicured eyebrow well over the top of his shades.
“Umm yeah, he has been,” I smile at my friends. There is nothing I have to hide from them, so why am I blushing. “He, you know, keeps me warm,” I shrug.
“A heating blanket keeps you warm, too. I have four, I’ll loan you one,” Blu says.
Pen giggles. “I bet she likes it warm, hot, and sweaty,” she says with her fingers working at lightning speed coaxing the yarn together into a piece of material. She must give great hand jobs, hmm…knitting is a great life skill.
“Calm your faces! Nothing’s happened,” I exclaim, smiling to myself, “yet.”
“Well, I for one, think it’s great at least one of us is getting some.” Blu leans his head back on the lounge chair, stretching out his slim frame across the whole length of the chair.
Pen gasps and then lets out a giggle. Always the conservative one of the group, Pen is still constantly surprised at half the stuff that comes out of Blu’s lips, even after knowing him for over four years. “So, babe, tell us about him,” Pen asks with curiosity in her eyes.
“He’s in law school and retired Special Forces.” At the mention of Special Forces, Blu and Pen give me looks of concern and questioning. “Retired. I don’t think he’s on reserve or anything.” With that knowledge my friends seem to relax a little. “See, that’s the strange thing. Even though he’s military, he’s not like father or Tim, not serious all the time. He jokes, is caring and understanding,” I shrug.
“Well, not all men in uniform have bounties on their heads to worry about,” Blu deadpans.
“He’s patient and smart! But he’s not like Trey where he wants others to know or think he’s the smartest one in the room. Ughh.” I still get disgusted whenever I think about Trey and how I once found him attractive.
“Ughh, let’s not ruin my buzz by mentioning that arrogant bastard,” Blu groans. “I’ll tell you this Mel, Craig isn’t like Trey. He’s quiet and contemplative, it seems, so we may never really know what he’s thinking. But I still want you to try this without any reservations. Try to trust him a little and see where it can take you. The way he looks at you, it’s different. Something’s there.”
“Ditto, babe,” Pen gives me a supportive smile. “You can’t constantly think that he’ll leave, either. From what I saw last night and this morning, I think he wants to stay around for a long time.”
“Thanks guys,” I whisper feeling a bit emotional. I know when my last relationship ended, it was hard, but I hid everything. I didn’t know
I was so transparent with my sadness and loneliness that my friends saw it all.
“Speaking of seeing, Pen has been looking at a certain someone and what she sees, she likes…” Blu trails off the end of the sentence.
“You saw that, too!” I gasp. Thankful for the change in subject before I start bawling like a baby.
“Mozart saw for God sakes! And he spent half the night sniffing his newly dropped balls,” Blu exclaims.
I giggle and look to see a bright red Pen, even through her olive skin. “Babe, come on. He’s so nice. Oh! And he’s super smart and adventurous. He keeps wanting to talk to you about your bookstore.” I’m getting more and more excited about the idea of Pen and Ben together.
“I don’t know what you girls are talking about!” Pen whispers loudly, afraid someone would hear us, which is a tell to Blu and I that we are on the right track.
“Of course, you do! You kept staring at the side of poor dude’s head last night. I’m surprised he didn’t walk in with that side bald today,” Blu waves his hand around gesturing his statement.
I bite my lips together to stop the laugher, knowing Pen is beyond embarrassed. “Babe, just talk to him. It can’t hurt. He loves books from the sound of it and he’s very successful in business. Might not hurt to pick his brain a little.”
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt. But don’t you girls go thinking up any ideas. I have to stay focused on getting the store back in order. The Walters are retiring in two months,” Pen stresses. The worries on Pen’s beautiful face are transparent. The worrying is worth it though, I am proud of Pen for doing something that she truly loves.
“I’m so proud of you. Your very own bookstore!” I squeal triggering a bark fest from Larry and Mozart.
“I know. I keep waking up everyday thinking that something is going to go wrong and things will fall apart,” Pen sighs with a wide smile on her face. “It’s been hard work getting the store to make a profit again. It’s slow, but it’s better than falling back.”
