“That was kind of hot,” Lily whispered, and I looked at her with a huge grin on my face.
“Tell me about it.”
“I’m sorry about all that,” Aaron whispered.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. You’re allowed to date.”
“Yeah, but the accusations that were—”
“That’s all they were. It’s not my business. It’s not like we were together at that time in your life.” Even as I spoke the words that’s not how I felt. At all. The jealousy that bolted through me was insane when I realized there was a connection between Nina and Aaron. That kind of connection.
“And according to your plan, it’s not like we’ll be together anytime soon…” his voice broke off.
“People are allowed to change their mind,” I whispered, sliding closer to him.
The night’s temperature was dropping quickly, and I heard the loud shouts from the nightly poker match beginning, which meant it was midnight.
“You tired?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Not at all.”
“That’s good.” He stood up from the steps and grabbed my hand, hauling me to my feet.
“What are we doing?”
“You’ll see.”
“I don’t think we should…” My heart rate accelerated at the thought of where he was taking me, and I couldn’t finish my sentence. I didn’t want to finish my sentence. I wanted him to take me anywhere he wanted, do anything he wanted.
Aaron held me close as he led me away from the house toward the wooded area along the lake. Darkness led the way as the houselights reduced to nothing, and the moon’s glow was our only splintered source of light through the trees.
“Where are we going?” I whispered.
“Far enough away where we won’t be bothered.” He stopped and stared down at me, his fingers tracing along my cheek as my pulse quickened. “But we’re not quite there yet.” His voice was so low, seductive. Just as I had imagined it so many times before. The images of him this afternoon cascaded through my mind as he began leading me deeper into the woods. Normally, I would have been panicked. But somehow being with him made it all right.
He led us down closer to the lake to a small clearing where the moonlight splashed more freely. There was a blanket rolled up and tucked underneath a thicket. Confused, I pointed at my find and he smiled, reaching for it. “You’re not the only planner.” He unrolled the blanket and tucked inside were two plastic cups and a bottle of wine.
“I saw this place when we were on the Jet Ski and had to check it out,” he said, handing me the cup. “It was a good diversion to cool off from Cole.”
“Thank you for that, by the way.”
I took a step closer and tossed the cup onto the blanket.
“I can’t keep fighting the feelings I have for you,” I whispered.
His mouth parted slowly, and all I could imagine was his lips on mine.
“Then don’t.” He placed the unopened wine back on the blanket and drew me into him.
I looked into his eyes and saw the passionate, kind soul I wanted to unravel, and my insides were barely holding on for the ride. I leaned up against him as he kissed my neck, sending waves of heat rippling through me.
“I’ve been dreaming about feeling those lips on me since last night,” I murmured, feeling the moistness along my flesh.
My body shuddered as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his firm body.
“I’ve been dreaming about it since the moment I saw you at the winery,” he said, his eyes locking on mine. “And every time after that.”
I ran my hands through his hair and brought his mouth closer to mine.
“Feeling your body wrapped around mine on the water…” His lips trembled as I softly kissed his lips. It felt amazing knowing I could do this to him. I felt his hands slowly glide down my sides, resting on my hips as our bodies pressed up against one another. An uncontrollable heat ran through me as his mouth parted and our kisses deepened. Feeling the warmth of his lips on mine became my drug, but as our kisses deepened, the warmth was traded for the cold flick of his metallic tongue ring, sending my insides into a spiral.
Better than I imagined!
There were no words for what he was doing to me with each kiss. My legs weakened as his tongue dove deeper. I leaned into him more as my body failed me and felt his firmness press against my stomach.
My breathing caught as his hands worked their way up my back, skating over the bikini straps that he quickly released. I felt my bikini top fall to the ground, but my t-shirt was still on.
“We should wait,” I murmured.
“For what?” he asked, his breathing ragged as his fingers traced along my shoulders.
“Until we’re sure about us.”
“You have doubts?” his voice lowered.
“A few,” I confessed and saw his expression fall. I backed away and sat on the blanket where he followed soon after.
I leaned my head against his chest and felt the beating of his heart begin to steady as I wondered what I was trying to stop between us. Or maybe that was the problem. There was no us, but I desperately wanted there to be. Falling asleep in his arms, I dreamed of a carefree relationship with Aaron and hoped that when I woke up, I’d be able to remember some of the pieces to make it a reality.
Curled up by the fire in our condo, I was reading over the differences between real property and personal property. It had been so busy at the office this week I could barely believe I’d ever been on a weekend trip. It was almost like the entire weekend escape never even happened. And regardless of my drunken “buddy only” proclamations to Aaron, it was really nice to get to know another side of him. He still vowed that he wasn’t the one who sent the flowers or chocolates, but I had my doubts. I was so excited to tell him about the lessons I had signed up for. I doubt he’d even believe it. The truth was that I was somewhere between terrified and elated at the thought of my first motorbike lesson on Saturday, but after getting a taste of riding the Jet Ski, I wanted to face my fears and take some motorcycle lessons. I even got Jason on board, and he’s building me a small bike to begin on, and he swore he wouldn’t tell anyone.
Meeting Nina definitely wasn’t a highlight of the trip, but if anyone knew he hadn’t been celibate, it was Google and me so I didn’t completely understand Cole’s intentions. But that was his past, not his present, and now I just wanted to focus on the remaining weeks of summer before law school.
I grabbed the fireplace remote and checked the temperature. Even though it was the middle of summer, the weather was as cold and rainy as mid-November. The thermostat read sixty-five, but it felt chillier than that so I grabbed another blanket for my lap.
I was looking forward to meeting up with some of the other students who were entering law school this quarter and had a little bit of time before I had to leave the house. Some of them had gotten a jumpstart on the reading like I did, and a few of them didn’t bother. Must be nice to be so confident. I always got good grades through school, which was why I wasn’t too worried about getting into law school, but I always had to earn my grades. I wasn’t one of those who naturally floated by. I had to study, memorize and study some more.
My phone buzzed, and it was a message from Gabby letting me know she was going to spend the night at Jason’s. I already figured as much and planned on inviting Aaron over tonight. I wanted to cook for him and try to make things as normal as possible for our first official non-date date.
I texted back a smiley face and decided I had completed enough reading. I walked to the kitchen and pulled out the marinating chicken and stirred it once before placing it back in the fridge. I picked a meal that had absolutely no garlic in it just in case I was lucky enough to experience a repeat performance from the weekend. Aaron was working late tonight and had planned on coming directly here from the office so he was probably going to be exhausted but a girl could hope. If this turned into something, I promised myself that I wou
ld tell Gabby. But I didn’t want to complicate anything now. I had done enough of that.
I glanced at the clock and decided to head for the coffee shop. I picked up some of the schoolbooks I’d been reading and stuffed them in a bag. I flipped off the lights and locked the door. As I waited for the elevator, excitement crept over me. I couldn’t wait to see Aaron. The kiss we had shared was impossible to shake and conquering my fear of the Jet Ski was pretty intense as well. The elevator opened into the lobby, and I gave a quick wave to the doorman as I stepped out onto the street. I hadn’t brought an umbrella with me and was thankful the rain had let up on my walk.
The coffee shop was full and I quickly scanned the crowd, trying to find a group of strangers that looked like they were about to enter law school. I had no idea what that would look like but hoped for the best. I saw a woman toting a large bag of books, grabbing her drink off the bar and beelined toward her. She had to be part of the group.
“Are you here for the study group meet-up?” I asked the woman. She had short, wavy blonde hair and green eyes. She had a small frame, and she looked like she was going to be swallowed by the books she was hauling. Relief spread through her face and she quickly nodded.
“I’m Brandy. And you are?”
“Teresa,” she said. “I’d shake your hands, but I don’t have any left.”
I started laughing at the awkwardness of everything and glanced toward a large table in the back of the coffee shop.
“Must be everyone over there?” I asked.
“I think so,” she replied.
“Okay. I’ll be back there in a sec. I’m gonna grab something to keep me going.”
She smiled and nodded before turning toward the group of people. They all looked innocent enough. There seemed to be an equal divide between men and women, and the ages were just as varied. I stood in line to place my drink order and watched a couple of the guys glance in my direction, making me chuckle internally. Not a chance. The giddiness of getting to see Aaron tonight was almost unbearable. I couldn’t imagine this lasting more than an hour. Placing my drink order, I felt the buzz of my phone.
By the time I got to the end of the counter, I felt another buzz.
Looking forward to seeing you I might come early.
Oh, shoot!
I wouldn’t do that. You’d be very lonely since I’m not home. I’m meeting with some class members to form a study group.
The reply was almost immediate.
Well that sounds fun :/
I laughed and texted back.
Law school is known for being a blast. You should stop by and see how the other half lives.
He didn’t waste a second.
Don’t tempt me. Maybe I’ll swing by. Which coffee shop?
My heart started pounding at the thought of him making an appearance, and I had absolutely no idea why.
Fifth and Pine
I shoved my phone in my bag, grabbed my latte and started walking toward the table of strangers. They seemed pleasant enough. Teresa waved me over and pointed to the seat next to her. I smiled and wandered through the packed coffee house, landing my books on the chair with a thud.
“With the sound of those books, you’re definitely in the right place,” a guy at the end of the table said. He stood up and reached over to shake my hand. He had wavy brown hair and hazel eyes, which were a little hard to see behind the glasses. He was dressed conservatively in a pair of khakis and a button-down pink and white shirt with a yellow sweater draped around his shoulders. Just like the movies, I thought to myself, trying not to laugh. I’m sure to some he’d be attractive, but he looked like he took this new world he was attempting to enter a tad too seriously.
“I’m Jeff,” he said, giving me a limp shake.
“Brandy.”
Greetings from around the table circulated as I shoved my bag to the floor and took a seat. I felt Jeff’s eyes on me for most of my chitchat with the others, but didn’t want to think about it.
“Can you believe how many books we have?” Teresa asked.
I shook my head. “I knew I had to get a head start.”
“Me too.”
The group was naturally forming into smaller groups as the discussion turned away from law school and toward summer vacations and interests.
“What is your focus?” Jeff’s voice boomed over the group. I glanced up and realized he was staring directly at me even though Teresa and I were in a conversation of our own.
“Civil Advocacy and Family and Juvenile Law,” I said, turning my attention back to Teresa.
“You’re one of those,” he continued.
“One of what?” I asked. Teresa snapped her head in Jeff’s direction as well.
“A fancy do-gooder who’s too self-righteous to make a penny.”
This guy was a complete prick. I felt my pulse quicken and glanced around at the now silent table as they waited for my reaction. This wasn’t how I wanted to start off the introductions. Growing up with Mason and Ayden allowed me to voice my opinions articulately and perfect how to channel my temper, especially around males. But I didn’t really want to go down that path. Not today.
Instead, I smiled at him, but I knew my expression was full of pity, which only infuriated people like him, men like him.
“Exactly what I thought,” he scoffed.
I took a sip and looked around the table at the shocked faces. They were just as confused as I was about this guy.
“Do I look like someone you dated back in high school who dumped you or something? I’m really not sure what set you off.”
He leaned back in his chair and stretched, smiling.
This was really creepy. I actually did hope that Aaron showed up.
“Hey, man, chill out,” a guy sitting across from me said. I think he said his name was Dan. He looked about thirty and completely unimpressed with Jeff’s attitude.
“I’m just pointing out the obvious. Mark my words. She’s going to be a real pain in the ass.”
My blood was burning, but I didn’t want him to think he had that kind of power over me. As if on cue, my phone buzzed and I grabbed it out of my purse.
“Oh, Jeff. The eighties called and they want their shirt back,” I said, smiling as I glanced over Aaron’s text. He was only a couple blocks away.
The group busted into skittish laughter, but I caught a glimpse of something behind Jeff’s eyes that burned of hollowness and something much deeper. He grabbed his cup of coffee and continued staring at me as he drank.
“You going to be okay?” Teresa whispered, as she turned her head in my direction.
“Yeah. I think so. But it certainly doesn’t give me a warm and fuzzy feeling for when classes start up.”
“Judging by the sounds of it, you won’t have to worry about any of your classes crossing over.”
“Hope not.”
A shiver ran up my spine as I felt Jeff’s eyes still on me. There had to be something more here. And then the thought of the random texts and voicemails entered my mind, but that was completely ridiculous. I had no idea who this person was, and he would have no idea how to get my home and work address. We’d only just met. I was sure of it.
“So I was thinking that with a couple of our core classes each quarter, we could have a Sunday night meet-up for those who wanted to discuss our readings and assignments. Would anyone be interested?” I asked, avoiding Jeff’s gaze.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, doll,” Jeff laughed.
I turned to him, my blood pounding in my ears. “Listen, jerk. I don’t know what your problem is, but I can guarantee that you don’t want to mess with me.”
“Why? Will your two big, bad brothers come and hurt me?”
My blood curdled when the words fell out of his mouth. In an instant I jumped up and darted toward him. Before I knew it, I was fisting his sweater and pulling him out of his chair. He reeked of alcohol so badly my eyes burned.
I felt others congregating behind me as I stare
d into Jeff’s cold eyes.
“I suggest you take your things, go home, and sober up. And when you run into me at school, I don’t want a word said to me and not even a glance. You got it?”
“What’s going on?” Aaron’s voice thundered through the crowd.
My hand unclasped Jeff’s sweater just as Aaron pushed his way through the group.
“This guy’s got some sort of problem with Brandy, and none of us can figure it out,” Dan said, from across the table.
My hands were trembling, and I was forcing the tears away that suddenly wanted to overtake me. My heart still pounding, I turned toward Aaron whose eyes were blazing as he stared at Jeff.
“She’s got it coming to her,” Jeff mumbled, as the alcohol continued to settle into his bloodstream.
“What did you say?” Aaron’s voice was deep and determined as he took a step forward.
“She’s got it coming,” his voice trailed off.
Aaron grabbed Jeff’s sweater and twisted it in between his knuckles, yanking Jeff toward him. Jeff’s body was only inches away from Aaron’s, almost hanging like a ragdoll, when Aaron punched him right in the stomach. Jeff let out a wheeze, and the group quieted as Aaron tossed him back in the chair. The wooden chair skidded backward a foot but stopped with Jeff still eyeing us.
“Let’s get out of here,” Aaron whispered, grabbing my hand.
I nodded quickly, completely shaken, and grabbed my bag. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other guys in the group attempting to pick up Jeff and haul him out of the coffee shop. I hoped they would dump him on the street like the trash that he was.
Beyond Doubt (Beyond Love Series #2) Page 12
