Spring Into Love

by Chantel Rhondeau

  “What the hell? A little warning next time would be nice.”

  His hand was still on her waist. “I tried, you didn’t hear me. Sorry, I just wanted to let you know we’re having a cookout in the courtyard tonight. You should come hang out.”

  Tori recoiled from his touch. “I don’t think so. I have to work early tomorrow, but thanks.” She didn’t give Cole a chance to respond. She pressed the earbuds back in her ears and sprinted away.

  Cole was a nice enough guy, but she didn’t want to lead him on. He had asked her out a few times, and she had always managed to come up with an excuse. He was a dancer at one of the local exotic male clubs. There was no doubt he was good at what he did. His body looked like it had been photo shopped. He was tall and built like a Mac truck. He and his dancer friends made a makeshift gym in the complex laundry room. The hours he spent on the machines paid off. His dark, chiseled arms looked like something out of a movie, and she had spent way too much time thinking about his sculpted chest.

  His dirty blond hair was buzzed short on the sides, with short, spiky tufts on the top. His slate gray eyes appeared sad. There was something going on there, but she didn’t know what. His sensual lips were mesmerizing, with the bottom slightly fuller than the top.

  Not that she was paying attention or anything.

  Honk

  The squealing tires sent Tori backwards onto the pavement. Shit! That was twice she had landed on her ass today. The driver yelled a few obscenities and sped away. Irritated with herself for thinking about Cole, she turned up the volume on her phone, allowing Korn to propel her motivation.

  It wasn’t the first time she couldn’t get his lips out of her mind, but there was no way she was going to date a stripper. Forget about the fact that her dad would hit the roof; Tori didn’t want to fall into a relationship that was solely sexual. She craved having someone to talk to, but it needed to be actual conversation. There wasn’t much of a chance that she and Cole would have anything in common.

  A good lay wouldn’t last forever.

  Her feet pounded against the pavement while she sang to the songs that filled her ears. An hour later, she jogged through the courtyard on her way to her apartment. The pool was already packed with people. The cookout looked to be starting early. She didn’t want to run into Cole, so she sprinted up the stairs. Once inside she couldn’t help herself. She separated the blinds to take a quick peek.

  Her face tightened when she spotted Cole in the pool. He wasn’t hard to recognize since he had a busty groupie wearing a skimpy bikini on his shoulders engaging in a fierce game of chicken. The entire pool area looked like it was a Playboy shoot. She would never fit in with Cole and his friends. There was no way she was inserting herself into that humiliating scene.

  Cole

  “Hey, guys! I’m gonna go get the grill started. Carry on without me.” Cole hopped out of the pool, promptly followed by Kendra. She had obviously promoted herself to be his sidekick for the day since she tried to attach herself to his junk.

  “Come on baby, stay and play. We’re having fun,” Kendra said, coming up behind him and stroking her fingertips along his hard chest.

  Cole peeled her hands away. She was good looking, but annoying as fuck. Always hounding him and trying to ride his dick. Such a turn off. “I’ve got some shit to do before I start the grill. I’ll be back. Go hang with Jellybean.” He waved his hand in the direction of the pool where his friend, and fellow dancer, was trying to untie all the bikini tops in the pool.

  “Fine, but you better hurry that fine ass up!”

  He raced up the stairs two at a time. His apartment was next to Tori’s. That girl was a damn mindbender. They had lived next door to one another for almost a year now, and she still wouldn’t give him the time of day.

  She was hot as hell. Her long, toned legs went on forever in those tight running shorts. She had curves in all the right spots, a tight little stomach and perfect tits. He tried not to look, but he couldn’t resist those revealing sports tanks she wore all the time.

  He didn’t know much about her because she never said more than one or two sentences to him. Something was going on in that pretty, little head of hers. She wasn’t like the locals that he ran into every day. Being a dancer at Teasers, he had his pick of dozens of girls.

  He just wasn’t interested. He went on a few dates, but nothing ever panned out. He couldn’t shake the thought of what it would feel like to kiss Tori, more specifically, to kiss her all over that fine ass body of hers. He imagined what it would be like to take her in his bed. To show her exactly what he had been thinking over the last year.

  Cole grabbed the kabobs he had prepared earlier and some store bought potato salad. Everyone chipped in for the cookout, and like usual; he did all of the legwork. He didn’t give a shit. It kept his mind, and hands, busy. It was a nice distraction from the madness of the week. Between dancing, working out, the week’s choreography and studying for class, it was the one time he got to toss it all aside, drink a few beers and cut loose.

  Cole thought about knocking on Tori’s door on his way back down, but decided not to push it. He had already invited her, and he didn’t want to come off overbearing.

  He wasn’t giving up. She was like his very own personal challenge, one he would gladly accept.

  Chapter 2

  Tori

  A bang on the front door caused Tori to jump and drop the newest Sylvia Day book she had been reading. Her mother had always told her she filled her head with entirely too much romance mumbo –jumbo, as she liked to call it.

  She looked through the peephole. Nervous it might be Cole since the party downstairs was in full swing, Tori was relieved to see her best friends Sally and Katie Bell.

  “I had no idea you guys were stopping by tonight. What a nice surprise!” She gave a quick hug to both of the women.

  “You may not be so happy when you hear why,” Katie Bell said. She raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows in warning and tilted her head towards her partner, Sally.

  “Whatever! It’s not that bad. Could you be more supportive, please?” Sally smacked her girlfriend playfully on the backside.

  “Shit, it’s not what I think it is, is it?” Tori poured three glasses of Moscato and took a large sip. She never indulged in more than a glass or two these days, but when that first sip hit her lips; she immediately felt the tension start to ease in her tight shoulders.

  It was a dangerous feeling.

  Katie Bell gave a quick nod as Sally tried to push her aside.

  Sally planted herself in front of Tori, blocking her partner’s view, which wasn’t difficult since she was almost half a foot taller. “Come on, Tori. You have to give this one a chance. He’s a law student, smart as hell.”

  “You know, I don’t go around trying to fix up every single friend I have. Is this a lesbian thing?”

  Katie Bell roared with laughter. “Hon, you just gave us another stereotype!”

  Sally rolled her aqua colored eyes. She was one of those gorgeous, L.A women who didn’t have to put in any effort. Her short auburn hair accented her natural stunning face. “Seriously, he’s super cute and you guys would have so much in common.”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly what you said about the accountant, the paralegal and the cop. If they’re wearing a suit or a uniform, you think we’re a perfect match.”

  “Tori, you haven’t seen how yummy this one looks in that suit.” Sally whistled. “Hot!”

  “Oh, please. What would you know about a guy in a suit?” Katie Bell asked in jest, placing her hand on her flawlessly curved waist. She was equally beautiful, but still insisted on couture clothing and high-end makeup. Never leaving the house without appearing as if she were the perfect package. Opposites on the outside, but they both shared the same mammoth sized heart, and would be lost without one another.

  “Shh,” her girlfriend put her fingers to her lips. “Hell, I’m from L.A. I was born with the acting gene.”

  Tori
couldn’t help but laugh at her friends. They were always trying to set her up. She had to admit, she was a little jealous of their relationship. Ok, a lot jealous. Sally and Katie Bell had been together for over five years, and probably had the best relationship she had ever seen. It even made her contemplate taking the lesbian route, all for about a split second. She had a weakness for big, strong men, especially ones who knew how to use their assets.

  “Oh hon, what if he’s a hunky dreamboat who prances around in suits and uniforms on stage?”

  Confused, Tori looked over to find Katie Bell peering through the blinds with a shit eating grin on her face.

  “What the hell are you looking at?” Sally popped up from her seat to take a peek. “Oh dear God.”

  Tori climbed onto the couch and looked over their heads. The pool party was in prime form, and she quickly spotted Cole manning the grill. He was shirtless and still had water beaded along his sculpted back.

  “Yeah, he does look pretty yummy, but too bad there’s nothing in that gorgeous little head of his,” she said.

  “He? Shit, I was checking out the cute little honey in the zebra print bikini.” Sally tossed her head back, snickering.

  “You wish.” Katie Bell rolled her eyes and pouted.

  “Not a chance, baby. My wish came true five years ago.” Sally kissed her partner tenderly on the lips.

  Tori watched her friends. Her parents would absolutely die if they knew she had two lesbians standing in her living room, much less kissing. But she didn’t care. She had spent years being told how to live, what to believe and who to support. No more. Her father was ignorant when it came to homosexuality. She tried not to blame him, telling herself it was due to a lifetime in the military. Of course, that was just making an excuse for him. She was done looking for their approval. It was her life, and Katie Bell and Sally were the picture of healthy love. A claim even her parents couldn’t make.

  Cole

  Shit!

  Cole had done everything he could to dodge Kendra. She was like being in a pool with a fucking octopus. There were at least ten other single guys hanging out, yet she was all over his shit. He thought he had made it clear he wouldn’t touch her with a ten-foot pole. Fake and desperate wasn’t his fucking type.

  He didn’t really think he had a type, not until Tori Altman had moved into the building. He spent entirely too long thinking about her and how she was so damn different from anyone he had ever met in LA. She tried her best to act like a bitch, but it was easy for him to see it was just a front. She was a tough case to crack. Hell, he had been trying for over a year, but he knew she would be worth every second. The thought of her made him hard.

  “Dude, what the hell?”

  A volleyball strike to the head brought his attention back to the game. His roommate, Jellybean, was giving him the death stare for missing the ball.

  “Sorry, man. My head was somewhere else.” He twisted his lips into an apologetic smile.

  His friend chuckled. “Yeah, I know exactly where your head was at.”

  Kendra bounced her way across the pool and latched onto Cole’s arm. “It’s all good. I’ll keep him in line.” She rested her head on his boulder-sized shoulder and Cole shot Jellybean a ‘shoot me now’ look.

  He spent the rest of the night dodging Kendra and her wandering hands. He’d had more than his fair share of beer, spent half the day with a hard on thinking about the girl next door and still couldn’t bring himself to fuck her. Even if he had entertained the idea, she was a sloppy mess by the time the party wound down.

  Cole finished cleaning up the trash and picking up around the pool. Jellybean had gone out with some of the guys, and made it clear he wouldn’t be back before morning. Just as he was getting ready to turn out the courtyard lights, he heard voices and a door open from upstairs.

  He recognized the two women walking down the steps. Both hot, and they were obviously a couple. He had seen them around, and knew they were close friends of Tori’s. He made sure to be extra nice in case they had any pull.

  “Hey, ladies. How’s it going?” Smooth. If he didn’t know better, it sounded like he was trying to creep on a couple of lesbians.

  “Enjoy the party?” One asked. She always looked like the cat who ate the canary while the other one giggled.

  “It was alright. Would’ve been better if everyone who was invited had shown up.” He shot his eyes up towards Tori’s apartment.

  Both women nodded.

  He leaned in closer. “Any tips?”

  They looked at each other. One shrugged her shoulders, and the other one sighed. He would take any help he could get since his own tactics weren’t doing any good.

  “Get some sleep.”

  “Sleep?” He repeated.

  “Yeah, get some sleep because 6:00 a.m. comes early, and that’s the perfect time of day to go jogging.” They both started laughing as they walked away.

  Jogging? Seemed like a small price to pay.

  With his arms full of dishes and leftovers, Cole closed the door behind him with his foot. He dumped the haul onto the kitchen counter and looked forward to having the apartment to himself since his roommate was out on the prowl.

  Cole headed towards the bathroom and stepped out of his swim trunks, tossing them over the shower rod. Snatching a towel from the rack, he wrapped it around his waist and flipped on his bedroom light.

  “What the fuck?” His body tensed and he widened his stance, ready to punch an intruder.

  “Hey, calm down, baby. It’s just me.” Kendra was lying on his bed with her clothes in a pile on the floor.

  “That’s a good way to get yourself hurt.” He sneered at her and pulled a pair of boxers on underneath the towel before throwing it in her direction.

  “You’re so dramatic. I’ve been waiting up here forever.” She slithered across the bed, leaving the towel behind.

  “Put some fucking clothes on. This is pathetic.” He stormed off to the kitchen and opened a beer. He promptly guzzled half the bottle and waited.

  Kendra came out of the bedroom with her bathing suit in her hand and wearing his favorite shirt. At this point, he didn’t give two shits. He just wanted her gone. She may have a banging body, but everyone he knew had had a turn banging her.

  “I don’t know why you’re being such a dick. I’m not gonna sit around with my thumb up my ass waiting for you to finally act like a man. There are definitely willing participants out there.”

  Cole opened his front door and made a waving motion through the air. “By all means, pull your thumb out of your ass and go find a real man.”

  Kendra’s chin hit the floor before she gave a loud humph and sashayed past him. “Thanks for the good time, baby. Can’t wait to do it again!”

  Confused, Cole stuck his head out the door to find Kendra passing Tori on the stairs. The bitch had the nerve to blow him a kiss. He threw his hands up as Tori walked by, realizing she must be thinking the worst as he stood there in his boxers and that bitch in his shirt.

  He balled his fists as he heard Kendra’s cackle all the way from the street.

  Tori wouldn’t even look in his direction when she passed, but he still saw the way her face twisted.

  Shit!

  Cole took a quick shower and jumped into bed before setting his alarm for 5:45 a.m.

  Chapter 3

  Tori

  That son of a bitch had a set of balls the size of Texas!

  Tori locked her front door and poured a generous glass of wine to drown her blues. Probably not a wise decision. She wasn’t much of a drinker anymore, but it pissed her off that Cole had this effect on her. She had suspected that he was sleeping with the slut who was always hanging around, but this was confirmation bitch-slapping her square across her face.

  Blood rushed to her cheeks and the glass shook in her trembling hands. She had spent a year turning him down, refusing to go on dates because she assumed he was all muscle and no heart. However, she felt herself giving in as eve
ryone around her advised her to give him a chance.

  Shows what they know. He was just like any other guy, a player. Just looking to get into her pants. This is why she didn’t bother dating.

  The skank could have him.

  *

  Tori finished her black coffee and rinsed the mug. She missed the flavor of caramel and whipped cream, but she had given up sugar when she swore off men. She poured her focus into her health and her job. She may have started out as a glorified gopher, but she was quickly advancing within the ranks of a major design house. Kel Reynolds was her idol. She loved the vintage line, and dreamed of having her own in the not so far future, something else her parents didn’t agree with.

  After a night of tossing and turning, thanks to her douchebag of a neighbor, Tori was looking forward to her morning run. It was still dark outside, but the morning was already hot.

  Tori stopped in the corridor of the courtyard to do her stretches, like she had done a hundred times before, when she heard a rustling sound. She was shocked to see Cole doing leg stretches against the wall.

  “What are you doing here?”

  He raised his eyebrows and innocently opened his arms. “What? I heard this was the best time of the day to go for a run.”

  “You’ve got to be joking!”

  “Do I look like someone who jokes about physical fitness?” He did a little dance as he mockingly spun around in a circle.

  Tori planted her hands on her hips. Her blood boiled, sending a flush of red across her neck. “Whatever you’re up to, the answer is no.” She took off in a light jog, with Cole quickly on her heels.

  He sidled up beside her, and smiled. “Well, I suppose since you’re jogging, and I’m jogging, we might as well jog together. Two’s company, right?”

  “Wrong,” she snipped and picked up her pace. She tried to ignore the way his lips curled into a devilish grin. His mouth was perfect, and inviting. She would have fallen for him on looks alone in the past, but not anymore. Life was full of hard, painful lessons; some just took longer than others to sink in, and those fuck me lips didn’t help the situation.