by Carter Ashby
She smiled, grateful for this. The rest of the evening went much the same. Gary sharing his interests and her trying to be interested. She wished she could delete Rye from her brain because she wasn’t sure how much of the failure of this date was because she wasn’t attracted to Gary; and how much was a result of being distracted by Rye.
When dinner was over, she asked Gary if he might want to go shoot some pool at her favorite bar. He looked uncomfortable. “Well, I’ve played billiards, but not much. I’m not sure I’d be any good.”
“That’s okay. It’s just relaxing. We don’t have to keep score or anything. You guys wanna go?” She looked at Cash and Adam. Adam had clearly given up on her making a good impression. He shrugged like he didn’t care. Cash was giving her a knowing grin. He knew Rye would be at the bar. He knew she wanted to see him. She blushed and looked away.
“I wanna go,” Cash said. “I’m a fish out of water in this hoity-toity place.”
So they all drove over to the bar. Cora spotted Rye shooting pool with Kent across the room. If there’d been an open table, she’d have taken it…or so she told herself. But there wasn’t. So she grabbed Gary’s hand and led him to Rye’s table. “You wanna play doubles?” she asked the two men. Rye was chewing gum, had his ball cap turned backward, and his I-Don’t-Care expression on.
“Sure,” Kent said. “Should be fun with you in that dress.”
Rye slapped him on the arm and gave a disapproving look.
“I don’t care how you look at me, Kent, ‘cause I’m gonna mop the floor with you.”
He grinned real big, and Gary let out a nervous laugh. She sat her clutch against the wall and helped Gary pick a cue. Rye racked the balls and gave her first break. She took her turn and was pleased, when Gary took his, to see that he at least had good form. That was as far as his skills extended, but at least he didn’t look like a doofus while he was losing the game for them.
“Introduce us,” Rye said, as he took his shot, splitting two balls into corner pockets.
“Oh, yeah. I’m sorry. Gary, this is Kent. He’s a manager over at the textile factory there on the edge of town. And this is Rye, my new structural engineer. Guys, this is Gary. Bank manager and chef extraordinaire.”
Gary blushed, and she hoped it was because he felt flattered. She certainly didn’t want to embarrass him. “Nice to meet you,” Gary said.
The other two men nodded. When Rye’s turn was over, he leaned against the wall next to Cora. She tried not to get flustered by his nearness. Rye turned his head to look at Gary. “You tried buying her a drink yet?” he asked.
Gary cleared his throat and shook his head. “No. Not yet.”
“She doesn’t like letting you pay. You’ll have to create a diversion and then pay when she’s not looking.”
“I don’t have a problem with a woman paying her way on a date,” Gary said.
Cora gave Rye a smug, arch look. But her smugness crumbled when she realized that, progressive though it might be, Gary’s statement wasn’t the sexiest thing in the world. She wound up frowning and wondering when she’d changed her stance on that particular issue.
Long before she was ready for the night to end, Gary said he was ready to call it quits. He walked her out to her car, and she wondered if it would be rude or weird for her to go back in and play some more. She decided it would, especially since Gary was standing next to her, waiting for her to get in and drive away.
“I had a good evening, Cora,” Gary said.
“Thank you. Me too.”
“I don’t think you’re quite my type, though. I hope you don’t take offense if I don’t call you again.”
She supposed she should appreciate his forthrightness. But it did sting a little. “Sure. I understand. Thanks anyway.” At that point, she did want to go home.
“We could go back to my place,” Gary said.
She frowned, suddenly extremely confused. “But I thought you just said…”
“Well, we could still end our date back in my bed. I mean, just because we’re not going to be living happily ever after, doesn’t mean we can’t both get a little action tonight.”
Action? Did people really call it action? “Ummm…”
He got in her space, put his hand on her ass, and kissed her.
She shoved him away immediately. “I’m sorry, I’m not going to bed with a guy who just said he wasn’t interested in me.”
“I bought your dinner!” he said, offended.
Her eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me? You think I owe you sex because you paid for dinner? No fucking way.”
“You’re a real piece of work. You know you wanna get laid just as much as I do, and I seriously doubt you’re going to do better than me…”
“I’m going to do way better than you.” She turned and marched back into the bar.
She scanned the room and found Adam’s table, where Cash and Rye were sitting, drinking beers. Cash’s arm was slung over Adam’s shoulder. She felt a fleeting sense of happiness for her friend, looking so comfortable in another man’s arms. But then she slammed her purse on the table, sat down, and jabbed Adam in the chest with her finger. “That guy was a complete asshole.”
Rye sat up. “Did he touch you? Are you okay?”
She blinked, surprised. “No. Yeah, I’m fine.” She turned back to Adam.
“Gary’s a nice guy,” Adam said. “Just because he doesn’t share the same juvenile interests that you do…”
“You did not just say that. Fuck you, Adam! We’ll revisit that issue in a minute. For now, let me just tell you what nice guy Gary just said to me. He made it very clear that though he didn’t want to date me after tonight since he did pay for dinner, I should have sex with him anyway.”
Adam’s eyes went wide. “I don’t believe that. He couldn’t have said that. You must have misinterpreted.”
“Those were exact words, Adam. There was no misinterpreting. It was utterly humiliating.”
Adam sat up and took her hand. “Cora, I am so, so sorry…”
“Oh, and what was all this, ‘I’m too grown up to play video games’ crap? If you’re embarrassed by me and don’t want me to be myself, then don’t set me up. In fact, don’t hang out with me.”
“I’m not embarrassed, it’s just first dates are hard. You have to make a good first impression.”
She leaned back and shook her head. “Never again, Adam. I’ll get my own dates.” She glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes landed on Kent. “Is he seeing anyone?” she asked.
Rye answered. “Yeah. He’s got a steady girl. Real heavy relationship.”
She slumped in her chair. Oh well. There were plenty of fish in the sea. Maybe she could wade through the carnage of broken hearts her sisters were always leaving in their wakes and pick out somebody from there. She saw Jack, the owner bussing a table in her periphery. He was very good looking. And quiet. “What about him?”
Once again, Rye said, “Jack? He’s definitely taken. One hundred percent.”
She sighed. But then she noticed Adam and Cash giving weird looks to Rye. And Rye was looking around like he had no idea they were staring at him. Suddenly she caught on. She leaned forward and rested her chin on her fist. “I was wondering about Hector over at the barber shop.”
“Gay. Very, very gay,” Rye said.
She knew for a fact that Hector wasn’t gay.
“Pastor Rick from the Community Church?”
“Also gay.”
She giggled. “Gosh, the pickings are getting pretty slim.”
Rye shrugged. “Don’t know what to tell ya, boss. Wanna go play?”
She smiled. “Sure.” As they walked to a table, she paused by Kent at the bar and put her hand on his shoulder. “Are you seeing anyone, Kent?”
“What, like a girlfriend? No way. You interested, beautiful?”
She giggled and shot Rye a look. He was rubbing the back of his neck and looking anywhere but at her. “Not at the moment, Kent. I was just curi
ous.” She patted him on the back and joined Rye at the table.
“I think you’ve been misinformed,” she said, taking the first shot.
“I’ve been flat-out lying, is what.”
She grinned at him and took another shot. “Well, you hoped my date would go badly, and it has. How do you feel?”
“I’m gonna be honest with you, Cora. I feel pretty good. Relieved, I’d say.”
She shook her head as she leaned over the table. She missed and moved back against the wall so Rye could have his turn. As he played, Cora found her mind wandering, thinking about the way he’d talked to her during their last pool game. The innuendos. The touching. Her face heated at the memory. What’s more, she knew what it was like to kiss him. Knowing that, it was hard not to want to do it again.
Rye finished the game, stood straight, and gave her a cocky grin. “Play again?”
No. She didn’t want to play again. She wanted to go somewhere alone with him and feel his big, strong arms around her. Unfortunately, that was as far as fantasy could take her because she couldn’t imagine what the world looked like beyond that first kiss and embrace.
Cora realized she still hadn’t answered Rye’s question. She opened her mouth, and once again, nothing came out. Why did she turn into a stuttering fool every time her hormones kicked into gear?
Rye stepped past her and slid his cue into the rack. He did the same with hers, taking it gently from her hand. He took her hand and led her toward the door. Cora complied, even though the first thought to come to her mind was that this was what he’d done with Erica, his second night here. Cora happened to know that Erica and Rye had had sex in his truck, that night. Was that what he was planning to do with her now?
The night air chilled her skin after the warmth inside of Darcy’s. Of course, nerves were playing a role, as well. They walked to Rye’s truck. He put down the tailgate. “Let’s chat, boss,” he said, before picking her up and sitting her on the edge. He hopped up next to her, and their legs swung in silence for a long moment, which Cora needed to recover from the shock of being picked up like a child.
“So,” Rye said, “I’m going to ask you a question. Then we’re going to sit here for as long as it takes you to actually answer it. Ready?”
She let out a laugh and dropped her head. “Sure.”
“Why don’t you want to date me?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to date you. It’s just…I…you…”
Rye laughed. “I’ve got all night. Take your time.”
With a deep breath, she angled toward him and waited until he met her eyes. Then she blurted it out. “I’m a virgin.”
His eyebrows shot straight up.
“I’ve never dated. You were my first kiss. I have no social life except for Adam, Franny, and Lyssa. I’m scared to death of these feelings. I guess I’m just a late bloomer because I’ve truly never felt this way before. You didn’t change me or anything, but when I met you, I don’t know, I was just suddenly aware of myself. Of my body. I guess…I guess I was a bit of a tomboy and this feeling like a woman thing…it’s new to me.”
He continued to gawp at her.
Cora looked away, thoroughly humiliated at this point. “I’m sorry. But you asked, and that’s my problem. I’m shy. It’s pathetic, but that’s it. I don’t think I could handle dating you.”
More silence. “Wow,” he said at last. “I was your first kiss?”
“Yep.”
His fingertips came to rest beneath her chin, turning her face toward him. “Was it good? Your first kiss?”
She swallowed. “Yeah. It was good. Fun. Light. We were playing, and you kissed me. I liked it.”
He nodded, his gaze dropping to her lips. “I wish I had known.”
She shrugged.
“So…I’m sorry, you’re going to have to explain this to me. How can you still be a virgin?”
The question caused her to bristle. “You’ve seen my sisters.”
“What’s that got to do with you? They couldn’t have literally used up all the dick in this town.”
The crudity of his question was a shock. “Um…no, it’s just, I don’t know…no one ever showed any interest in me.”
“Not in high school? College?”
“No. I mean, I wasn’t really paying attention. I wasn’t looking. When I came back from college, I was busy taking over the company for Dad. There was just never time.”
“God, Cora, there’s always time. So…this isn’t a religious thing?”
“No. At least I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so?”
She shrugged and stared up at him, hoping he might understand.
Rye let out a laugh. “Well, wow. Just wow.”
“Don’t make fun of me.”
“I’m not, Cora. It’s just, I’ve been in hell worried you didn’t like me. Wait, do you like me?”
“Yes,” she said, relieved to finally be able to say so.
He hopped down and turned to stand in front of her, between her knees. His hands were on the tailgate on either side of her. “Then spread those pretty legs of yours and let me show you what you’ve been missing.”
Her breath left her lungs. “Thought you were going to dial it down to half power.”
“I did. Let’s go back to my place.”
“Rye, I’m not ready. I’m so not ready for that. I don’t know you well enough and…shouldn’t we date a while, first?”
He nodded. “Okay, I understand that. Go out with me, then. Tomorrow? Let me take you out. Please.”
She couldn’t help but smile, and when she did, he reached for her, cupping her face and tracing her dimples with his thumbs. “Okay,” she said. “But let’s go slow, all right?”
“Sure, Cora. I can go slow.” He proved it when he leaned in to kiss her, keeping his hands around her face, keeping the kiss sweet and slow. Cora sank into it, letting herself trust him in this moment. He didn’t betray her trust. He kissed her for a long time before moving away, helping her off the tailgate, and leading her back inside.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“WHAT THE HELL are you wearing?”
Rye ignored his brother. He had a plan.
“Where are you going?” Cash asked.
Rye dug in the couch cushions for his cell phone. “Found it.” He shoved it in the pocket of his jeans and gathered the paper bag he was taking to Cora.
“Rye!”
Rye looked up. Cash was standing at the edge of the hall staring expectantly. “I’ve got a date with Cora,” Rye said.
“Why are you wearing a letter jacket…that…doesn’t belong to you?”
“Got it at a thrift shop. All part of my plan.”
“What plan?”
“None of your business. Don’t wait up.” Grinning all the way, Rye headed to his truck and drove through town. He stopped at the florist for a bouquet of daisies and then drove on to Cora’s house.
When Cora first made her confession, Rye’s brain had immediately gone to work seeking ways to get her into bed. He’d figured the sooner he took her virginity, the sooner she’d relax about it and have a good time with him. But after a while, he’d talked himself down. This was a long game. His best strategy was to forget about sleeping with her and focus on dating her.
How had such a beautiful girl never gotten asked out in high school? That was the question that haunted him. That was why he’d come up with this plan.
He pulled into Cora’s driveway, gathered up his paper bag and daisies, and walked up to her door. When it opened, he slumped. Adam greeted him with a scowl. “She’s getting ready,” Adam growled before turning back to the living room. Rye followed him in and kicked the door shut.
“What are you doing here?” Rye asked.
“Trying to talk her out of going out with you.”
“That’s real nice, Adam,” Rye said, not bothering to disguise his irritation.
Adam slumped into an armchair. “I’m tired of being nice
. You’re an asshole, and this is the stupidest decision she’s ever made.”
Rye pressed his lips together and choked down his anger. He now had two people in his life he cared about, and both of those people loved Adam. “Well, it’s her decision. Maybe you could go.”
“Nah, I think we’ll double date. I’m texting Cash, now.” Adam’s head was down, his thumbs working over his phone.
“Wait, no. I’ve got plans. You can’t…”
Cora came down the hall, then, a smile revealing those pretty dimples, and the hottest little black dress Rye had ever seen. “You ready?” she asked.
Rye’s mouth went dry. He held out the daisies. Her smile vanished as her jaw dropped. She brought the daisies up to her nose. “Flowers? I didn’t know people actually brought flowers on dates. Thank you, Rye.”
“You’re welcome,” he said though she was already walking away from him toward the kitchen. Thank you. Something about the way she’d said it. Something about her sincerity. They were just flowers, yet she’d been as grateful as if they were diamonds.
“Looks like we’re good,” Adam said. “Where are we going?”
Rye just stared toward the kitchen, waiting with his heart in his throat for his date to reappear.
“Rye,” Adam said. “Where are we going?”
“You’re not coming,” Rye said absently.
Cora came back in, tip-toed up, and kissed him on the cheek. Then she stepped back, looking him up and down. “Am I overdressed?”
Rye snapped out of his reverie. “Uh, yeah. As much as I’d love to date that dress, I’ve got other plans tonight. Here, put this on.” He handed her the bag.
She looked into it and then laughed. “What the hell is this?”
“Well,” Rye said, drawing himself up, “since you never got to date in high school, tonight we’re going on a high school date. So I thought we’d dress the part to maximize the experience.”
She laughed again. “Um, I was never a cheerleader.”
“No? Well, I never lettered in…” He looked at the thrift shop jacket. “Football. Wait…I did, actually. Huh.”
Cora laughed. “I’m not wearing this. I can’t.”
“Oh, yes, you can. You have to.”
