by Pamela Ann
Bass took my hand, placed it inside the comforter and held it against his chest. I didn’t mind it because it felt, comfortable? It was as if we had done this before, it was an odd feeling really.
After the sunrise, we were still cuddling and I wondered why I didn’t feel a bit sleepy. “Aren’t you tired, yet? Don’t you have a movie to shoot or whatever things actors do?”
“I just finished filming two weeks ago and got back in L.A. about a week later. I have no plans on this very bright, sunny Sunday. Feel like joining me on my lazy day off?” he invited.
As tempted as I was, I should say no. I barely knew him. Surely, spending too much time with him so soon would be a bad idea? “I don’t think so. I bet my friends are wondering where I am.”
“Don’t worry. They know you’re with me. I told Cece I was taking you somewhere.”
Oh. He was that sure I was leaving with him?
“Are you always this forward? Towards women, I mean.” I wanted to figure him out, to find out what his motives were.
“Of course. I don’t have to work all that hard to get women, to be honest, but you’re the only one I’ve had to chase after. When I noticed that you had been gone for a long time—too long to use the bathroom—I realized you had ditched me and dumped me on your friend, Cece. I had to find you. I couldn’t let you walk out of the club without me. I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t. That’s crazy, isn’t it? There I was, I had barely spoken a few words to you and yet I was captivated.”
His words… made me feel something. Scared wasn’t the word, no, it was more like… safe? Yeah, along the lines of safe.
“Could it be your rejection or aloofness that made you different? No clue. One thing I do know—your pure beauty compelled me to seek you out. Your honesty and depth pushed me even further. It’s frightening and at the same time, fascinating. Knowing that, I couldn’t let you walk away.”
Oh my God, what a fucking speech! Who said those things? An Oscar winner, perhaps?
“What do you want from me, Bass?” I asked, eyeing him as he silently studied me. His azure eyes locked with mine and wouldn’t let me go, their powerful intensity pulled me while their spell weaved through my defenses.
“I want to get to know you, Emma.”
Okay, that was easy. I could work with that.
“So, you want to get to know me only, right? And this is not some ploy to get me into bed?” I turned to my side, looking at his face that was inches away from mine. My eyes studied his profile. And what a fucking profile! His face was perfectly sculpted. Each curve was honed to perfection. His full lips, straight nose, perfect brows. He even had thick, long lashes. I even thought they were a tad longer than mine! How annoying was that?
If there were a man who could make me get over “The Carter Mason Fever,” Bass was it and I knew it, too, but that would be using him, wouldn’t it?
People do it all the time— Yeah, but why question the dating karma cycle? Good point.
Bass cleared his throat before he spoke, “Hell, I do want you in my bed, but I wouldn’t want to insult you by trying to get you to sleep with me. Not only that, the idea that you might be on a rebound doesn’t sit well either. Apart from that, I do want to get to know you. The real you; what makes you tick and stuff. Simple as that—nothing scary or anything.”
“Like friends, then?” I double checked.
“Sure, as friends, for now. My intentions are much more geared towards another path, but if that’s what you want to start out with as a platform—a common ground—then so be it. Whatever makes you feel comfortable, Em, and I really mean that.”
How was it that I didn’t have to explain myself fully to him? He seemed to just know and get it.
It was disconcerting to say the least.
“Good. I’d like that very much, Bass.” I glanced at him as he stifled a yawn. “You should sleep and I should head back to my hotel,” I suggested.
Bass shook his head. “No. I love having you here with me and I like holding your dainty hand very much. Don’t go yet.” He tried to hide another incoming yawn.
Gosh, he even makes yawning look sexy. “All right, I’ll wait until you’re passed out and then I’ll leave.”
He handed me his phone. “Program your number, please, and set the alarm two hours from now? I promise I will call my driver to come get you and take you back to your hotel.”
I consented, “Two hours. Tops.” You sure you’re not just staying because you don’t want to leave his side?
“Thank you,” he murmured and finally closed his eyes. Since my hand was on his chest, I felt his heartbeat slow down.
With one free hand, I programmed my number in his phone. I didn’t dare browse through his contacts. I was tempted, but willed myself not to.
Whoa! I didn’t even think about Carter over the past few hours. How the heck did that happen? I thought happily. Bass Cole’s charms were amazing, indeed!
I studied his striking profile and wondered how such a fucking beautiful man like him could see something in me. How the hell did I get myself into more trouble? Carter was enough of a problem as it was. Now I had added another man into the mix. This shit could get complicated as hell, I thought as my heavy eyes closed.
Untitled
“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.”
~Jean Shinoda Bolen
Chapter Ninety-Six
I could feel the heat of the sun starting to scorch my back. I groaned and tried to rollover to my other side, but my hand was tucked somewhere. Bass was still holding it. Slightly opening my dreary eyes, I squinted at the bright surroundings. I shifted a bit and heard Bass grunt something as he started to wake up.
“Good morning sunshine.”
“Good morning…” I said in between yawns then stilled. Shit, what time was it?
“Oh my God, I have to get back!” I got up and hunted down my purse. When I got to it, I fished out my phone. Carter and Lindsey each called a few times and there were a few messages from both of them. Ignoring Carter’s messages, I scrolled to read Lindsey’s.
Lindsey Mason: Em, I have to get back to SB. Sorry, this was unexpected. Could you get a ride from the girls? Thanks, babe.
Oh, no way. Why did she have to leave so soon? Wasn’t this her bright idea to begin with? No, no, no, no, no!
I was not going to ride back home with the girls. I honestly didn’t feel like being interrogated by them. This totally sucked.
“Is everything all right, Em?” Bass sat up from the lounger and scrambled to his feet.
“I, um…” My voice trailed off as I watched in total fascination as he stretched. His black shirt lifted up, showing off his famous abs.
I licked my lips as I stared.
Why did he have to be so… hella sexy?
“Yes, Emma?” Bass caught me admiring him and now he was teasing the heck out of me.
Blushing and a tad mortified, I excused myself to the bathroom. Once inside the house, I realized I didn’t have a clue where the bathroom was. I quickly turned around to look for Bass and found that he was right behind me—with a massive smile on his face.“Where is the bathroom?” I reddened a little more as I asked the question.
“Come here.” He pulled me towards him and gave me a hug, enveloping me in his large, muscled body.
OH. MY. WORD!
My senses were on full alert as I inhaled the scent of him. Boy did he smell fantastic!
He pulled back a little and looked at me, our faces merely inches away. “You know you look even more beautiful when you blush like that?” Bass whispered.
The cat got my tongue. My mind went blank and all I could see was Bass and his amazing eyes, dilated and very much locked on me.
Compelling me…
Calling me…
I snaked my tongue out to wet my lips and his eyes zeroed in on them. He pulled my face a little closer and I closed
my eyes, readying for his kiss, but his lips landed on my jaw and he nuzzled his nose all the way to my ear then he whispered, “You’re not ready for my kiss yet, my darling Emma. When I do kiss you, I will be the only one you can think of, the only one that can possess you and no one else. You, madam, are certainly not ready for that kind of possession.”
His words weighed heavily on me. Bass was right, though, I wasn’t ready and I appreciated him being noble about it because if he had chosen to kiss me, I wouldn’t have pulled away and I might’ve ended up regretting it later on. He was merely a stranger and yet, he respected me.
He was simply remarkable.
Bass kissed my forehead and squeezed me tightly. “Go freshen up while I make us some breakfast. Take two lefts and the bathroom is on the right. See you in a bit.” With another kiss on my head, he strolled towards his enormous stainless steel kitchen.
I just stood there and watched him walk away.
Oh My God! What was going on? My nerves were all over the place! I was confused as hell. This was like an odd dream or one of those movies where the plot was too good to be true and then out of nowhere an axe murderer joined in and killed the happily ever after.
Mentally shaking my head, I followed the directions he gave me and found the bathroom without difficulty.
“I look like a bedraggled cat,” I voiced out loud as I stared at my reflection.
I fished out my phone and called Amber. After two rings she picked up. “Girl, you are getting it on!” Amber announced happily.
I groaned. Did I expect anything else? They were going to tease the hell out of me until they get some juicy info. Shit. Here we go. “Listen, Linds left and went back to the dorms and I was hoping I could ride back with you guys.”
“Oh no, we left like an hour ago, doll. We’re like around Summerland, babe. Sorry, cupcake.” Amber did sound sorry.
Oh crap, what the hell was I supposed to do? I groaned. Uh, this is what I got for being so idiotic. Why didn’t I figure this out last night? Since when had I ever been so unprepared? The old me would’ve made sure I had a ride before I left the club last night. The new Emma was obviously too star-struck to think coherently
Ugh!
“You know, why don’t you ask the bad boy BC himself? I bet he has a hot ride!” Amber suggested with tons of innuendos in between her words.
Bad boy BC, was that his nickname?
“Emma! Was he good in the sack?” I could hear Trista in the background. I guess the entire car could hear me. Damn speaker phones!
“Good God! I didn’t sleep with him!” I countered back. This was still unchartered territory for me, dating and the like. I was still learning here, I wasn’t going to just start sleeping around.
“No fucking way, why not? THIS is The Bass Cole, Emma! You’re such a bore whore!” Amber sounded aghast.
Thank you, I guess?
“Need I remind all of you that I just broke it off with Carter? Yeah—exactly! I am a bore whore, whatever.”
“Carter’s pissed as shit. You better watch out for the angry monster when you get back in town,” Cece added with derision.
Yeah, because you posted fucking videos on Facebook! Who fucking does that? Of course, she’s friends with like the entire campus. Of course, each person who saw it would mention it to Carter. Carter Mason was like their freaking school hero. They simply loved him.
“Gee, thanks for the heads-up. Anyway, I have to go and look for a ride elsewhere,” I muttered.
“Damn straight! And that ride better be Bass Cole’s warrior! You better tell me the deets and how he is between the sheets. Please, please, please!” Amber begged. She was obviously going bonkers.
“There’s no point in arguing with you, is there? See you later, girls!” I laughed and cut off the call before they threw any more innuendoes my way.
After I washed my face, rinsed my mouth out with some mouthwash I found and applied some lip gloss, I came out of the bathroom. How would I bring up my dire ride situation to Bass? What if he has other plans? Maybe I could call a taxi to take me or better yet, I could just rent a car somewhere.
As I entered the kitchen, Bass gave me a dazzling smile. “Come sit and talk to me while I cook. Which hotel are you and your friends staying at again? I’ll drive you there myself.”
I strode towards the kitchen island, sat on one of the stools and watched him master the kitchen. “That might be a problem. It seems that they all left already and I’m stuck alone in Los Angeles.”
“No problem. I can take you back to campus.” He shrugged and continued to chop mushrooms like a Michelin star chef. Impressive.
“Where did you learn how to cook?”
“I was a chef in one of my movies and I had to train with this five-star chef for three months before shooting.”
“Wow, three months? What movie was it?” I hadn’t seen any of his films except for that first vampire movie. Amber and Cece had told me there were two more and another one was in the works.
Bass smirked at my innocent question. “How many films of mine have you seen, Emma?” He cracked four eggs in a bowl, peppered them, added a dash of salt and rapidly scrambled them. His large hands were even nice…
“Knights of Cimmerian.”
“Did you like it?” he inquired as he drizzled olive oil into the heated pan.
“Sure, it was great!” I fibbed.
“What did you like about it?” he pressed on, again.
Shoot.
Your rock-hard abs and that sexy, crazy, erotically charged sex scene that had gotten me so aroused in the movie theater. I clearly remembered how his sculpted, firm ass looked as he made love to the woman in the movie.
“Everything… it was… great.” I bit my lip as I looked at him through my lashes.
He barked out a loud laugh.
And what a… fucking stop it, Emma, I scolded myself as I lusted from afar.
“It’s either you didn’t like it or you weren’t paying attention. So which is which?” Busted! I suck at lying.
“I wasn’t paying attention. Sorry. When you asked, I didn’t know what to tell you to be honest.”
“Don’t worry, babe, I’m not offended.” He winked at me as he prepared our breakfast.
I made toast, coffee and cut up some fruit while he cooked.
We ate at the island counter and I noticed how his eyes looked even more spell-binding in the daylight.
It was past noon when we left his house and drove back to Santa Barbara. His bright blue Lamborghini Gallardo weaved through the traffic and I couldn’t help looking at his hands when he shifted gears. I loved men that could drive a stick.
He looked so fucking edible in his aviator shades, wearing a simple white shirt and dark jeans. He looked like every bit of the heartthrob that he was. I was crushing hard on Bass.
As we got closer to school, my stomach nose-dived at the thought of seeing Carter again. Did he hook up with another woman last night? Quite possibly; it didn’t take him long to jump in bed with me after his conquest before me. It was what? Two days, three maybe? We had sex on our second date. We almost did it on the first date, but we were at a party with our friends and got too drunk to do anything.
Carter didn’t talk about his feelings at all. Instead, he expressed them through his actions, usually during sex. When we fought or he was angry, he would take me hard and fast. When he was happy, he teased me and tickled me and left me begging for him to take me. Yeah, I think I fell hard during his happy phases, sadly.
I still hadn’t read the rest of his messages, but I couldn’t fathom going over them right now. I bet he’s just angry that I was with Bass only a day after I dumped him.
What else would he be so angry about?
Untitled
“Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.”
~Fyodor Dostoevsky
Chapter Ninety-Seven
When we exited the freeway and were closer to my
place, I gave Bass directions to my dorm.
He parked the car and killed the engine then looked at me silently.
The silence stretched for a good minute before I spoke; unsure how to take it from here. “It was nice to meet you, Bass. It really was. I had a great time; bizarre, but enjoyable nonetheless.” I grinned at the studious man beside me. My smile faltered when he didn’t smile back. Why was he so serious all of a sudden? We were fine when we left his house.
“I have this dinner thing on Tuesday night for a film I just signed up to shoot this summer in Greece. Would you come with me and be my date?”
“Oh, don’t you all discuss work details? I don’t want to intrude on that.” Not to mention, I would look like a complete idiot and so out of place.
“You won’t. It’ll be fun. The director is my godfather, actually. So it’s going to be laidback; don’t worry. You’re going to have a blast. Say you’ll go with me?”
“Do people ever tell you no?” I cocked my brow at him. I somehow doubted he ever got a ‘no,’ especially from women.
A lazy, gorgeous smile etched on his face as he responded, “Well, there’s this girl… she’s stunning and funny and she has these beautiful blue eyes and golden hair and she doesn’t seem to be interested in me, not one bit. I, on the other hand, feel compelled to be with her and to see more of her.”
I nudged his arm. “Now you’re just being silly, Bass.”
“I’ll pick you up at five, Tuesday afternoon?” He reached up to my face and his thumb grazed my bottom lip. His eyes darkened as he studied my slightly parted mouth.
Why doesn’t he just kiss me already? He was always looking at them.
Oh, hell yeah, I knew he was staring at me; my skin would prickle every time he did. His gaze was that powerful; it affected me even if I wasn’t paying attention to him.
“Bass…”
