He chuckled, a low, sexy rumble that silenced me. But his smile took my breath away.
“Your perception of things blows my mind sometimes.” He brushed his hand through my hair, and I leaned into his touch, beyond my control.
Music vibrated through the wall he was leaning on and the smell of sweat filled the air. We were in a club full of people, but all I could see, hear, and smell was him. When we were this close, he filled my senses and everything else faded away. The way he looked at me made me think it could be the same for him.
His hand stopped at my hip and balanced there lightly. “I only stopped because you weren’t ready. You pulled away.” He squeezed my hip when I was about to interject, silencing me. “I want you. You might have convinced yourself you wanted to sleep with me, but you pulled back, and I knew you weren’t a hundred percent into it. I won’t settle for less, not with you.”
I was stunned. I couldn’t deny what he said. When he’d unbuttoned my shorts, I pulled away because a part of me wasn’t sure, but I had gone so far. I was scared to stop him. I hadn’t even admitted that to myself till now, but he knew.
I let my head fall to his chest with relief. “How can you do that? Know me so well, when I barely know myself?”
His arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace. “I just pay attention. Your actions speak louder than your words. Are you done ignoring me now?”
I leaned back to see him and nodded.
He dipped his head and our lips met, gentle and sweet. This kiss didn’t ignite passion like his previous kisses. But it was slowly taking down the wall that had been restraining my feelings, brick by brick. And surprisingly I wasn’t scared.
He pulled back. “I could kiss you all night, but we should get back to the group.”
Instead of going back to the dance floor, we went to our table. Taylor was sitting on Liam, and Chelsea sat with her legs propped over Brody’s lap and his fingers drew circles over her thighs as they all listened to Liam’s story.
“His boys aren’t going to do shit now. They know who runs this. Once they realized who they were fucking with, they backed off real quick.” Liam laughed.
Taylor leaned in and kissed him.
Ethan sat down and pulled me next to him, sliding his arm over my shoulder.
Chelsea removed her legs from Brody and sat up in her seat, arching a brow at Ethan. “He’s telling us about Tristan’s friends. I guess they’re pretty pissed about last week.”
I stiffened and Ethan pulled me closer into him.
Taylor looked over at us and smirked. “I didn’t know you were so protective of Sydney. From what I hear he was just dancing with her.”
“I’m sure there’s a lot you don’t know,” Ethan replied coolly.
“Well, you don’t need to be a dick about it.” Taylor leaned forward on Liam’s lap. “I was just curious. Are you watching out for Sydney right now? Where is she?” Taylor made a show of looking around the area.
Liam patted her hip, laughing. “We get the point.”
Brody pointed the neck of his beer at Ethan. “Whatever the reason, it took some serious balls to get in Tristan’s face. I mean, damn, he’s a big dude. And he always rolls deep.”
Liam leaned back in his chair, his hand still resting on Taylor’s hip. “Tristan’s friends will get over it. It’s their boy’s stupidity that got him in trouble. Who the hell brings that much coke into a club, gets into a fight, and threatens the bouncers when they kick him out? A hot boy. He was too cocky for his own good.”
“I’m confused, I thought he was your friend? But you were part of the fight?” Chelsea asked Liam.
He shrugged. “Ethan’s family. Nothing comes between that.”
Ethan moved his arm from my shoulder and fist bumped Liam, and then they raised their glasses in salute to each other.
“Your bromance makes me sick.” Taylor stuck her finger in her mouth and made choking noises.
Everyone around the table laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Sydney asked, returning from the dance floor with Sonja and Shane. She sat in the open space next to Ethan.
“Mm, just Ethan and Liam’s love story,” Chelsea said as she scooted over to let Sonja sit next to her.
Shane signaled the server over and ordered a round of shots for the table.
Laughing, Chelsea leaned forward, “What was that handshake you two use to always do? Remember that Taylor? They thought they were so cool.”
Taylor nodded, wide-eyed, with the memory. “Ooh, do it.”
Ethan hung his head in embarrassment but stood up at Liam’s coaxing.
“We didn’t think, we knew we were cool. We still are. Come on Ethan, show them.”
They did a pattern of hand slaps, elbow bumps, and twisted handshakes that ended with them leaned into each other and then jumping back as if something exploded.
I was in tears with laughter.
It was something I could picture young boys doing, and it was sweet to see these two men remembering.
“Aw, you two are cute together,” Sydney said in a baby voice and pinched Ethan’s cheek as he returned to his seat.
Ethan ducked his head, embarrassed. He bumped into my shoulder as he ducked away from Sydney’s hand. Turning towards me he smiled like he’d forgotten I was there but was relieved I was. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed my head.
Sydney froze mid-laugh as she watched Ethan, her eyes narrowing.
“Shots,” Shane yelled to the group as the server returned with a full tray of clear shots. “Come on, stand up. Let’s get this started.” He handed each of us two glasses. When we were all standing in a circle, he lifted one glass and winked at Sonja. “Sunshine, this one’s for you: Here’s to being single, shooting doubles, and seeing triple.”
~Carly~
“When Mr. Baycroft recommended you for my team, I was skeptical, especially when I saw your lack of experience. But you’ve shown an innate style, very much like my own, and proved to be a quick learner. You’ve had an impressive first week. Thank you for proving me wrong.” Eileen Chen handed Carly her portfolio back. “These ideas are good. I especially like the orange print fabric. Order a hundred yards.” She smiled a genuine smile and then walked back into her office.
Carly, for once, found joy in her work. She’d been devoting all her free time, which was a lot now that Connor was avoiding her, to researching design and finding items based on Mrs. Chen’s ideas.
When given a job, she always gave it her all and took pride in the results. But this week was different. She enjoyed the work, and she respected her boss. Carly had never worked for a female that she looked up to and got along with.
Mrs. Chen commanded attention but not in an intimidating way. She had a quiet confidence and treated those around her with respect. Her expectations were high, but she lifted those around her so they could reach them. She made others better, simply by expecting better. Carly had never met anyone like her; it excited her to work for such a woman. And it had only been four days.
Monday morning, Connor had pulled Carly aside and told her she no longer worked for Mr. Goldstien. Instead, she would work for Mrs. Chen’s design company.
Connor contracted Mrs. Chen’s company to aid in the design and decorations of his hotels and real estate. Now Carly no longer worked within Connor’s company. That scared her at first but was proving to be the best thing for her.
She went back to researching provincial decorating style with an excitement she didn’t know work could cause.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The fate of love is that it always seems too little or too much.
Philip James Bailey
“You could’ve saved yourself a shitload of trouble if you’d just answered his call on Monday,” Lexi pointed out as she rubbed suntan lotion onto her legs.
I raised up to my forearms on the chaise lounge. “Will you talk to your patients with that mouth?”
She stuck her tongue out at me as she laid down
on the lounge next to mine. “Just my hard-headed best friend,” she teased. The large bun on the top of her head bounced as she rolled onto her stomach.
“Save me the ‘I told you so’ speech. I already know I was being silly. But it all worked out.”
“Silly? No, you were being scared. But any-fucking-ways, how are you feeling? Hangover better?”
I laid my head back down on the towel. “Hm, it’s getting better. Poolside therapy is just what I needed.”
I drank beyond my limit last night. After Ethan and I talked, the rest of the night was a blur of dancing and shots. But from what I remember, everyone seemed to have a good time, especially Sonja. By the end of the night, she was hanging on me and telling me how much she loved me. When the night was over, Ethan made sure I made it into my bed before he said goodbye with light, lingering kisses.
I woke up with the worst headache but at least I didn’t have to go to work.
“Yeah, I love your place. We need to do this more often. You’ve lived here for a month, and this is the first time we’ve just relaxed by the pool,” Lexi said.
“Only a month?” I popped up and regretted the quick action because of the dull ache it caused. “I feel like I’ve had a lifetime of drama.”
“There’s been a lot going on,” Lexi agreed. “My mom asked if you and your mom would want to go out to dinner one night.”
I felt a pang of guilt for not seeing my aunt and uncle sooner. “Oh, I guess we could. I’ll ask Carly; I never know what to expect with her. Count me in for sure though.”
Lexi’s smile was sad. “They’re so similar; it’s easy to tell they’re sisters. I was surprised she brought it up, but I guess she’s feeling confident this week.”
“Ha, I guess we all have that in common.” I eyed Lexi. “Except you. How did you turn out so different? You’re so bold and great at making connections, pulling people in.”
Her smile brightened. “I think that comes from my father’s side. I’m not quite sure that persistence is working with Chase, but he seems to be coming around.” She shrugged one shoulder.
“What’s going on there?”
“Since that night I decided I wasn’t going to chase Chase anymore?” She shook her head, dismissing her stupid joke. “I’m sorry for leaving you that night Kate. You know that right? I’m so sorry for how that turned out, I—”
“It’s okay. I know and I forgive you. Not that you need forgiving; it’s not your fault. Now back to Chase,” I interrupted her repeated apology. Ever since I told her what happened, she’d been continuously apologizing. I hoped it would end soon.
“Well, he’s been calling me, and I’ve agreed to hang out with him this weekend. Took him long enough to ask, seriously, playing it cool sucks. But, well, fuck it, we’ll see where this weekend goes.” She propped her head on her hand. “He’s definitely not at the level Ethan’s at. Tell me again what he said last night.”
“He said he wants me.” My smile stretched across my face as I recalled his words, and I felt like I could explode. “But he won’t accept anything less than one hundred percent. And he could kiss me all night.”
“Damn, that’s sexy. Where are you then? Eighty percent, ninety-eight percent, thirty percent?”
I’d asked myself that same question and shrugged. “I don’t know. We only started hanging out a couple of weeks ago, and we’ve only had one date. I’d like to know how invested he is.”
Lexi lowered her glasses, giving me the full impact of her stare. “Fuckin’ A Kate. I asked how you feel about him, not how long you’ve been dating.” She raised her hand to stop me from interjecting. “Before you explain why all those bullshit factors are important, stop. Just stop thinking about how you’re supposed to feel. There is no normal. It never existed for anyone. Let’s try this again, how do you feel?”
I let my head drop in defeat and covered my face with my arm. “I really like him.” I rolled to my back and squeezed my eyes closed, speaking quickly before my courage dissipated, “I’ve never felt like this about someone, but I don’t have it in me to give a hundred percent. I don’t think I ever will. I should probably warn him about that, about my issues…”
“I think that’s your fear holding you back. And it’s probably a good thing at this point. As you two build trust, it should get easier, but this is a good start.” She shook my arm to get me to look at her. “And news flash Kate, you’re not the only person with baggage. From what I’ve heard of his past, he’s got to be packing too.”
“That’s just it though, he seems so stable.” He hadn’t talked to me about his past besides showing me his tattoo. But I’d heard his story from others, just as Ethan had heard some of my story.
“Holy hell, he fought a guy at a club. And he inserts himself in everything, like helping with Taylor when she was going off on Liam. Now I’m not saying that’s bad, but it sure as hell’s not typical. It’s like you said, you only just started hanging out with him. See what happens; have some fun. No need to parade your stunted emotions around just yet.”
“Parade my stunted emotions around?” I parroted what she said, trying the words out. My amusement bubbled up and escaped in squeaks of laughter.
Lexi shook her head, but her large glasses couldn’t conceal her smile. “You can’t hide your type of crazy.”
“Hello Beautiful,” Ethan said from the doorway. “You ready to go?”
I grabbed my purse off the counter. “I’m ready I guess. I wasn’t sure how to dress, is this okay?” I spread my arms and looked down at my dark denim skinny jeans, black top, and flat sandals.
“It’s perfect. You’re perfect. Let’s go.” He held open the door and nodded to the hallway.
“Are you going to tell me where?” I narrowed my eyes as I walked past him.
We had plans to go see a rock band later with everyone else but he’d called and asked me to go with him first.
His dimple could be seen through the scruff of his beard. “You’ll find out.”
He walked past me to push the call button for the elevator. Then he grabbed my hand and tugged me into an embrace.
I wrapped my arms around his waist, but before I could relax, he kissed me.
“I’ve been thinking about kissing you all day,” he murmured in between soft, breathy kisses that fluttered over my lips and chin.
I tilted my head back, allowing him access to my neck as the elevator doors slid open, revealing a car filled with several people.
Only our hands touched as we rode the elevator down to the lobby, but his jade eyes trapped mine with intensity more intimate than kisses. I barely noticed everyone exiting around us.
“I thought we could ride on the bike, if you’re up for it?” His question sounded like a challenge as we walked out of the building to the parking garage.
I grinned. “I’ve been wanting to ride your bike.”
He cocked an eyebrow and his lips curled as he looked down at me. “Oh, really?”
I pushed him playfully. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
He raised both hands in innocence. “I didn’t say anything.”
I crossed my arms. “I could tell by that look you gave. Anyway, I thought you were getting a truck?”
“I did.” He stopped walking. “Did you want to take that instead?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I assumed you’d sold your motorcycle to get the truck.”
He shoved his hands in his jean pockets as he resumed walking. “I can manage both.”
I nodded, unsure if I’d upset him and followed his path.
“Besides,” Ethan said when we reached his bike. “I could never sell my STR, we go way back.” He handed me a helmet to put on and then adjusted the straps under my chin, checking that it was secure. “You’re all set.”
It didn’t feel all set, it felt too heavy and too big for my head.
He easily straddled the bike then reached his hand out to assist me.
A jittery nervousness built within m
e as I mounted the motorcycle, and I wrapped my arms around his waist as if my life depended on it, because it did.
Ethan laughed as he patted my arm clamped to his stomach in reassurance. “You’re safe with me. I won’t let you get hurt, all right?”
I rested my helmeted head against his back. “I know. But I’m going to hang on too.”
I’m sure Ethan drove safely, but seeing oncoming traffic zip by us made my stomach dip, and the powerful vibration of the bike sent shock waves through me. I closed my eyes and pressed myself to Ethan’s back. When the bike slowed, and the noise of traffic seemed distant, I risked opening my eyes as we traveled up a mountain.
We rounded a curve and the view of the valley below spread out before us. Awed, I loosened my death grip and sat up. The setting sun cast an orange glow over the sky, city, and water as it hung low over the ocean. Ethan squeezed the top of my thigh and pointed to the side. The Hollywood sign was perched above us, the beacon to dreamers all over the globe.
The parking lot we turned into was full, but it was easy to find a spot for the compact bike.
Before I could undo my helmet, Ethan’s fingers undid the clasp and lifted it off. He unhooked his and locked them on the bike. With a half-smile, he asked, “You all right? If you’re too scared to ride again, I can have someone pick you up when we leave—”
“It’s okay.” I shook my head as I raked my fingers through my knotted hair. “That was just my first time on a bike; I’m getting used to it.”
“Your first, huh, how was it?” He raised one eyebrow again, and his smooth smile made it clear what he was thinking.
I rolled my eyes, and he laughed as he grabbed my hand walking me towards the planetarium.
“This place has one of the best views of the basin, especially at sunset.”
The observatory was a large rectangular building with three domes on the roof. Sidewalk paths crisscrossed a large lawn. A tall monument was in the center of the lawn, but we didn’t get close enough to explore.
He led me around the building and up curving stairs to the roofs viewing deck. At the edge of the platform, I leaned on the stone wall, taking in the panoramic view. The sun was sitting low on the ocean and cast an ethereal orange glow over the water and city.
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