by Michelle Amy
I sat up. “I don’t mean to sound accusatory, or ungrateful. But I didn’t think you would want to stay. I didn’t think you would even be here this morning.” He wouldn’t look at me as I spoke. “McCoy, don’t misunderstand me, I want you to be here. But why are you… you know, sticking around?”
When he finally lifted his eyes to meet mine I felt the loneliness that I saw in them. “There is something about you. I haven’t had a woman trust me the way you do in a long time. I haven’t had anyone look at me the way you do in a long time.”
“How do I look at you?”
“Like you see me.”
That electric feeling that I had felt last night coursed through me again. It was wild and quick and made me feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy inside. I shimmied off the bed and dressed myself while he sat at the foot of the bed and watched me. The sun was shining outside so I grabbed my favourite pair of white jeans. I threw a printed floral blouse on and slipped into my gold sandals. “Okay, ready. Where are you taking me?”
He was making it no secret that he was staring at my ass. When he stood he grabbed it in one hand and made a seductive sound in the back of his throat. “White is becoming of you.”
“I may have had a suspicion that you would like these,” I snickered. It was true. I had a hunch he would appreciate the way the white pants hugged my curves.
He took me to a bistro that I had walked by many times but never stopped to try. It had glass garage doors as outside walls, which were currently rolled up into the ceiling, making the place glow with sunlight. He walked me to a table near the open front and we sat down. A waiter brought us menus and water. As soon as I started to look at the options my stomach started to growl.
McCoy gave me a knowing look. “Told you.”
“What?”
“That you needed to eat.”
“And you think I would have stayed in bed and starved if left to my own devices?” I asked, cocking my head to one side.
“Who knows. Maybe I want to take care of you.” If that had come out of any other man’s mouth, I would have seen it as a red flag. It would have been a clear indicator that he had control issues, and that I wasn’t the girl for him. I was independent. I was capable of making my own food and taking care of myself. I’d been doing it for at least ten years. When I was with Jason I took care of both of us.
But for some reason when he said it I felt special. I felt protected. “Maybe I don’t need to be taken care of,” I pushed.
“You definitely don’t need it. I just want to. There’s a difference. Don’t get your panties in a bunch about it.”
I looked up from my menu and grinned at him. “I’m screwing with you.”
He analyzed me for a moment before laughing lightly and tossing his menu down on the table. We ordered our food and enjoyed the meal together, chatting about things that didn’t matter. Then he started to ask me about Jason.
“What’s his issue?” He asked as the waiter topped off our waters.
I shrugged. “He’s a jerk. We were together for a really long time. Besides you he’s the only guy I’ve ever… you know.” I expected McCoy to look surprised, but his expression remained neutral. “I found out nine months ago that he had been cheating on me. He’d been having several affairs for the last four years of our relationship, and I never had the slightest clue. I thought… I thought I was going to marry him.”
“How’d you find out?”
“That he was cheating? Carly saw him on a date with another woman. They were in a hotel bar making out and when they made for their room Carly lost it. Went after him. I only heard it from her mouth, but I really wish I had seen it. Apparently she poured her drink on him and slapped him.” I laughed. “His face would have been priceless.”
“I’m sure it would have looked just as stupid as it did last night.”
I nodded. “Definitely.”
“Carly is a good friend. She cares about you.”
“Yes, she does. I don’t know what I would do without her.”
“Does it bother you that she has her reservations about me?” His question was straight-forward, simple, clear. His face remained collected in that calm and cool expression. But something in his eyes was lonely again. Sad.
“Not anymore.”
The sadness evaporated. He looked away from me and nodded almost to himself. “I am glad to hear that.”
CHAPTER SIX
After lunch McCoy and I went to Peace Park. We hailed a cab and sat in the back seat wrapped around each other. He had one arm draped behind my shoulders. His fingers played with my hair. His other hand was across his body and resting on my knee. My cheek rested on his shoulder.
We sat like that for the entire ride and McCoy made small talk with the driver, who we learned was from Canada and had been driving a cab since he was sixteen. Apparently he had been driving people before he was even legally allowed to. McCoy took a liking to him and the cab driver indulged him in funny stories he had from driving for so many years.
When we arrived at the park McCoy took my hand and we made our way down the path and into the treeline. The park was a big place. I used to walk it with my parents and our dog when I was a kid. It looked a lot different than I remembered. The trees weren’t quite as large as I recalled- although, they were still massive. The leaves and branches created a canopy above us as he followed the trail. We passed the occasional other group of walkers and nodded polite hello’s. McCoy never let me go. If his fingers weren’t wrapped around he had one hand resting lightly on my back. Or he had his hand on my ass. Both were frequent. I didn’t mind. I liked it. I knew it for what it was: he was possessive. Another red flag. But I couldn’t help but want him to touch me.
By the time we were half an hour into the trail McCoy pulled me off the path and guided over roots and moss. We made our way over a slight ridge and dipped down the other side of it, out of sight of anyone who may be walking the trail behind us. He turned to me and I saw that all too familiar sparkle in his eyes.
“I can’t control myself around you.” He confessed.
“Then don’t try to.”
To Be Continued…
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