“I was glad to see you too, and I would have happily run around like that if I thought I was going to get all of that affection. Come on, Sam. Let’s escort our guest into the kitchen and pour her a glass of wine. It’s never too early to learn to be a good host.”
“That would have been a sight to see. Kyle Lewis prancing around like a puppy.”
Uncorking the wine, I smirked at her suggestion. “Worse things have been said about me.”
Her smile dimmed and her expression turned into a frown. “How do you deal with all of that?”
“I don’t.” I handed her a half-full glass. “I don’t read what people write about me. Most of the time. Everyone has an opinion. If I let all the negative press get to me, I’d never do anything. I just keep my head down and focus on the work. I have a public relations firm that handles the rest.”
“Are they handling people like me?”
Astute question. I should have anticipated that Ashlyn would ask it, but I had no problem answering it honestly.
“Yes, to a certain extent. There is a small percentage of the population that is sure that I’m going to bring on the robot uprising and the fall of humanity.”
“The fall of humanity? On one man’s shoulders? That seems unlikely. There are others out there doing what you’re doing.”
“They’re not thinking with logic. This is all about emotion. Don’t get the two confused.”
Something flitted across her face, quick but it was there.
“Do you think I’m doing this out of emotion?”
“A little bit. Yes.”
Guess who might be eating dinner all alone tonight? Me. But I couldn’t lie.
“A little bit,” she repeated. “That sounds like a cop-out to me.”
“I think it’s the truth.” I took a gulp of wine that I desperately needed. I was hoping for romance but this had taken a turn. “There’s emotion behind your plea to save those houses because you love and respect the past. Those are emotions, Ashlyn. If you were making decisions based on logic you would have advocated for those houses to be bulldozed years ago and put in a parking lot. I’m kind of hoping that we can have some sort of compromise.”
It was the first I’d mentioned it because I didn’t know if it would even work, but I didn’t want her to think that I was some mindless robot raping the land for fun and profit.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Compromise? You think that there’s a compromise?”
Another gulp of my wine. “I didn’t want to mention it until I knew something for certain – which I don’t yet – but I am trying to see if any of those houses are salvageable. If so, I was thinking that maybe I could save one or two and turn them into residences for visiting academics.”
I should have braced myself because Ashlyn launched herself into my arms, almost knocking the wine out of my glass and onto the floor. Pressing kisses all over my face, I suddenly knew how Sam felt.
Pretty damn fine. Lucky dog.
“Wait,” I cautioned, placing my glass on the kitchen counter. “Hold on a minute. I said I was looking into it. I don’t know if it’s even possible. Ashlyn, those houses are in terrible shape. A real hazard. There may not be any saving them.”
I didn’t want her to get her hopes too high and then have them come crashing down to earth when reality set in. I was trying to save a house or two, but the odds were against me.
“But you’re trying,” she said, pressing another kiss to the corner of my mouth. I wanted to take these accolades but I hadn’t earned them yet. “You’re really trying and that means the world to me.”
“George is talking to a structural engineering firm about it. They’ll be the final decision makers,” I warned. “If they say no, then it won’t happen. Can you live with that?”
She’d calmed down slightly but her color was still high with excitement. I shouldn’t have opened my big fat mouth, but I wanted to make her feel better. And yes, I wanted her approval.
“I can. I just means so much to me that you’re even exploring this.”
“You made a good case at the city council meeting.”
“I did, didn’t I?” With a wide smile, she sniffed the air. “Is that chicken and…garlic? It smells delicious.”
“It is. How about you relax with your wine and I’ll set the table? It should be ready in a few minutes.”
“I wouldn’t say no. Is there anything I can do to help, though?”
“Everything is under control.” Except my libido. “Seriously, just put your feet up and relax. I’ve got this.”
“A handsome man and dinner. What more could I ask for?”
This woman could ask me for anything and I’d move heaven and earth to get it for her.
I’d fallen that fast and that hard.
* * *
Ashlyn
Dinner was delicious. When I’d praised Kyle for his culinary prowess he’d laughed and told me that he had an extremely limited repertoire. The garlic chicken was his mother’s recipe and he was more than happy to share it with me.
There was something about a man cooking for me that had me all aflutter. I’d spent most of dinner with flushed cheeks as my mind went to places it had no business being.
At least this early in the evening.
Kyle was the whole package. Handsome, intelligent, funny, sensitive, caring, and a great lover. I’d been thinking about last night all day, and any doubts that I’d then were pushed away by just how wonderful this was between us. I was happy. Really happy. There had been fear this morning, but it didn’t stand a chance against this man in full romance mode.
By the end of the meal, I was full and had imbibed two glasses of wine leaving me a content and a little sleepy. I hadn’t brought up the whole text thing because I hadn’t wanted to ruin the comfortable vibe we had going tonight. Plus, I was beginning to wonder if I was making a big deal out of nothing. This was the twenty-first century and texting was a major mode of communication. Just because it bothered me didn’t mean that he’d been rude or had to stop doing it. Maybe I needed to change.
Standing from the kitchen island, Kyle picked up our empty plates and carried them to the sink. Sam was right on his heels hoping for a handout but he wasn’t going to get one. He had been given some plain chicken earlier, but Sam was adamant about not giving him the spiced version.
“Give me five minutes to pop these in the dishwasher and then I’ll turn on a movie. Anything you want to watch. It’s your choice.”
“Can I help?”
There wasn’t much as he’d cleaned up as he’d cooked but I wanted to be a good guest.
“I’ve got it. Why don’t you pick out a movie?”
He had an impressive collection of DVDs on his bookshelf in the living room, so Sam and I looked through the titles.
I looked. Sam sniffed.
I chose The Maltese Falcon and the canine seemed to approve, giving it a good sniff and wagging his tail. Turning on Kyle’s television, I popped the movie into the player and sat down on the sofa. There was a stack of drawings on the coffee table and I was immediately sucked in, studying them closely and generally being nosy.
“Those are proposals for the technical campus.”
I looked up to see Kyle holding out another glass of wine, which I accepted with a mental note to just sip it. Three glassed was my absolute limit.
He settled in next to me and pointed to one of the drawings. “That’s my favorite so far.”
I had to admit it wasn’t the glass and metal monstrosity I’d envisioned. Several brick buildings all facing a lush green courtyard were the main focus of the design. The courtyard boasted a sculpture garden but didn’t specify what sort of art might be displayed there.
“It’s nice. But none of these have the houses in them.”
A small measure of doubt was creeping into my psyche. Could Kyle simply be paying lip service to my cause? I didn’t want to think so…
“Because I’m not sure we can save the houses. O
nce the structural engineers say we can, I can go back to the competing architects and ask them to include that in their proposals.”
“None of these designs would preserve the architecture of those homes.”
“That’s true. But on the bright side, none of them are modern eyesores, either. Wasn’t that your biggest fear? That the campus would stand out and not mesh into the environment? The architects have worked hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
They had and a few of the drawings were quite impressive. Kyle was going all out for his dream and it showed.
I shrugged, not sure how to express all the feelings running riot inside of me. Hope. Fear. And a few more I couldn’t even identify.
“Some of these are amazing. I guess I’m just hoping that you get good news from the engineers.” I took a deep breath. “And I hope that some of the architectural details from the homes can be saved.”
Kyle tugged the drawings from my fingers and placed them on the coffee table before wrapping an arm around me and pulling me close. “I’m going to do my very best, Ashlyn, but I need to know that you’re going to be okay if I fail.”
There was real fear in his voice and I had put it there. Not my proudest moment. This was a new relationship though, and we had much to learn about each other.
“I will be. I’m just glad that you tried.”
“And you’ll be okay if the engineers say it can’t be done?”
There was a part of me that wanted to ask about a second or third opinion but then I reminded myself that Kyle wouldn’t employ anyone but the best.
“Yes, but I might be sad about it.”
“Then I’ll do my best to cheer you up.”
Time to lighten up the conversation.
“With sex? Because that doesn’t solve every single problem in the world.”
“It doesn’t?” He looked at me with mock horror and I couldn’t stop giggling as he placed his hand over his heart and sighed dramatically. “This is such awful news. Sex can’t solve every problem? Are you sure? Because I’ve been told differently.”
“Who? By your friends?” I teased, sliding a hand up his muscular thigh and feeling him tense under my fingers. “It can solve one problem we have.”
His palm cupped my cheek, sending a tingle through my body and straight to parts in the southerly direction. “What problem is that, beautiful?”
Warmth rushed through my veins at his endearment. I took most compliments with a grain of salt, but he sounded sincere. “The problem of how we could build up an appetite for dessert.”
His smile was heartbreakingly gorgeous and my own stomach fluttered in response.
“I have a few ideas. If you’re game?”
“You are the genius.”
Dessert could wait. I couldn’t.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ashlyn
“I might be in love.”
I made my announcement to Shelby and Emmy at brunch the next Sunday. I didn’t have to go work at the shelter today because Natalie was training a few new volunteers. I might drop in one afternoon during the week though, just to walk a few dogs. But that meant I had the whole day to myself.
I’d met my friends at our usual restaurant and I was planning on ordering everything on the menu. I was starving. My appetite was working overtime this last week.
Kyle was on a business trip to San Francisco which meant I had been able to get a full night’s sleep. Despite the fact that we’d spent most of the last ten nights making love, I didn’t appear sleep-deprived in the least. It was kind of a miracle. I was getting maybe four hours a night – five or six if I was lucky – and I didn’t have the usual hollow-eyed, pasty skin look at all.
I was glowing. My eyes sparkled, my skin was flushed with color, and I was wearing a goofy smile most of the time. Even my regular customers had noticed and remarked that I seemed in a terrific mood. Katie would hear them comment and almost spit out her coffee laughing, but I just thanked them and smiled.
“You’re not in love. You’re getting laid,” Emmy replied bluntly. “Don’t get sex all confused with love. It’s too soon to be in love.”
“It’s not too soon,” Shelby argued. “You can know the first time you meet them.”
“I don’t believe in love at first sight,” I replied while scanning the menu. The waffles looked good but so did the eggs Benedict. And some bacon. Maybe a Danish or two. “But I’m definitely not acting like myself. I think about him all the time. It’s crazy.”
Shelby nodded in understanding. “We know. We’ve barely seen you in the last week and a half.”
“You’ve missed yoga three times in a row,” Emmy said. “The instructor even asked me about you, thinking you might be sick or injured.”
“Now you’re just trying to make me feel guilty. It’s just a yoga class, and that instructor is always dramatic. If I tell him that I have a cold, he thinks I have typhoid.”
He was a germaphobe and if anyone so much as sneezed he practically threw them out of class.
I ended up ordering the waffles with a side of everything. Plus a Mimosa.
“What do you two do every night?” Emmy asked as the waitress disappeared into the kitchen. “And please spare me any graphic details. I haven’t had a full cup of coffee yet.”
Kyle and I were having a great deal of sex, but it wasn’t all that we were doing.
“We have dinner. I cook or he cooks or we go out,” I explained. “We watch television or we work. We walk Sam and play with him. Thursday night I helped Kyle give Sam a bath.”
“Very domestic,” Shelby observed. “You’re settling right in. Of course, you know what the book says about that.”
Actually, I didn’t. I’d been so busy I hadn’t finished it yet.
Yes, I felt guilty about it.
“Of course, I do.”
Shelby and Emmy exchanged a glance and then the former gave me a mean-eyed look. “No, you don’t. You haven’t read it all yet. Admit it.”
My friends were beginning to piss me off. Shelby was supposed to be a psychologist, not a mind reader.
“Fine, I haven’t finished it yet. I’ve been really busy. But I think I get where you’re going with all of this. You know…the gist of it all.”
That’s it…the gist.
Shelby sighed as the waitress placed our drinks on the table. “It’s important to read it all. If you had, you would know that I don’t advise all this cozy domesticity until he’s committed to an exclusive relationship. Has he?”
“Is this about cows and free milk?” I asked suspiciously. “Because that’s just sexist. My grandmother would have a stroke if she saw just the title of your book.”
As my close friends, Emmy and Shelby – and Mia too – knew all about my famous grandmother.
“This is not about cows, free milk, or your grandmother,” Shelby said. “This is about making sure that you’re getting as much as you’re giving in a relationship. It’s also about not allowing him to start nesting with you while he’s still out dating around. If he wants Netflix and chill, he better keep it at home. If you know what I mean.”
I knew what she meant and she had a point. But it didn’t apply here.
“Kyle hasn’t had time to see anyone else. He’s with me every night.”
“Every single night?” Emmy asked, her brows raised in question. “You’ve spent every single night with Kyle in the last ten days?”
“Okay, not every single night,” I conceded. “But almost every night. We’re together. A couple.”
Shelby took a sip of her Bloody Mary. “Did he specifically say that you two were an exclusive couple?”
“No, but he didn’t have to.” Their expression said it all. “I don’t have to explain myself here. I just know. A woman knows when a man is still looking. Kyle is not looking, okay?”
Emmy raised her hands in surrender. “It’s not us you have to convince. This is just Shelby’s advice. You can take it or leave it.”
�
�Mia took it and look what happened,” Shelby pointed out, triumph in her tone. “She’s happy and in love.”
“I’m going to paraphrase Emmy for a moment.” I held up one finger. “You have one success story. One. And Mia and Josh probably would have ended up together anyway.”
“Maybe, but they weren’t making any progress until I stepped in.”
“Mia was in that store robbery,” Emmy said. “That changed her, too.”
“All we’re saying is to be careful,” Shelby said. “We love you and we want the best for you. If Kyle Lewis is it, then we’re thrilled.”
“I’m really happy.”
“Then we’re happy,” Emmy assured me. “So it’s time to take the next step.”
I was genuinely fearful to ask what that might be. Kyle and I had only been dating for a week and a half. I wasn’t ready to get engaged or to ask for a key to his house.
“The next step?”
Shelby spread her arms wide and grinned. “To meet us, of course. When can we do it?”
How did two weeks from never sound?
* * *
Ashlyn
Emmy and I ended up at our favorite clothing store after breakfast. She didn’t get too many weekends off, but the dead of winter was a slow time for weddings. She was about to ramp up in a big way as Valentine’s Day approached, though. Since she had the afternoon free, we decided to do a little damage to our credit cards.
I was in the changing room and Emmy was handing me clothes over the top of the door for me to try on. She had better fashion taste than I did, and I wanted a few new outfits to dazzle Kyle.
“So what is your deal?” I heard her ask through the flimsy slats of the door. Passersby could only see the bottom of my legs, thank goodness.
I pulled a gray sweater – that I had chosen – over my head and made a face. It sucked all the color from my skin. Note to self. Don’t wear gray.
“My deal? I don’t know what you mean.”
“I mean why are you reluctant to bring your Prince Charming to meet us? It was obvious at breakfast that you hated the idea. We won’t scare him off. We’re nice people.”
Tease Him (ManTrap Book 2) Page 10
