The girl gawked at her for a moment before calling the manager over. He raised an eyebrow at Collette’s request but listened as she explained in further detail. “I’ll take care of everything and inform the staff of your wish to remain anonymous. What you’re doing is really great, by the way. Your drinks are on the house.”
“Thank you,” she eyed his name tag, “Kenny. How nice of you.”
My mouth still hadn’t fully closed by the time we settled into a booth with names and doodles carved into its wooden surfaces. Collette took a sip of her beverage and hummed, as though nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. “This is delicious. It’s liquid happiness. Want to try some?”
“You are something else,” I said slowly, reaching for her hand. “What made you decide to pay for everyone?”
She blushed, dragging her stir stick through the mound of whipped cream covering her mocha. “When I was in college, someone anonymously paid for my drink. It was the middle of finals week, and I was dead tired, in desperate need of caffeine. I had a shoestring budget back then and totally appreciated saving a few bucks. I’ve wanted to do something similar ever since.”
I took a drink from my mug and silently marveled at her logic and generosity.
We sat and enjoyed our coffees, holding hands as one song bled into the next from the guitarist perched on a chair in the corner. A steady stream of customers came and went. Some of them asked for the identity of the person footing their bill, scanning the room when they were denied.
No one suspected the young woman sitting across from me.
Collette gave me most of her attention, rarely glancing at the area where orders were placed and filled. To other customers, she simply looked like a girl enjoying a beverage while hanging out and listening to live music on a Friday evening.
She was a bright light, and I was the moth skittering around her, naturally drawn to her radiance and warmth. I repeatedly fought off the urge to climb over the table and kiss her. She deserved a gentleman, not a horny caveman. With this in mind, I stayed put and held her hand, savoring the way it fit perfectly in mine.
“Whoa,” Collette murmured as the first lines of “Radioactive” filled the room. “This guy is crazy talented. Neil would flip if he heard this acoustic version. He’s a huge Imagine Dragons fan.”
I’d been waiting all evening for an opportunity to ask some personal questions. And since she’d cracked the door open, I didn’t hesitate to push it wider. “Neil seems like a good guy. You must be really close if you share a house.”
“Who said I willingly let him move in?” She laughed and used her free hand to trace the outline of a heart with two names etched inside it on the tabletop. “I’m kidding. He wasn’t sure where he wanted to go when I bought it, and I’ve got plenty of room. We’ve always gotten along well, so it’s no problem. He’ll eventually find a place of his own, and we’ll have to work out how to handle sharing Oscar.”
“I thought he was your dog.”
“He’s both of ours. We found him in the alley rooting through garbage at an ungodly hour. The noise woke us up when he knocked over a can. Neil thought it was some kids and went out there to chase them off and found a puppy instead. He was filthy and so skinny you could see his ribs. He’d found an empty wrapper from the package of hot dogs we had grilled for dinner and was trying to lick the insides. That’s where his name comes from. They were Oscar Mayer wieners.”
I chuckled. “Too funny. He’s lucky to have found you guys.”
“Neil can take Oscar with him. They have a serious bromance I wouldn’t dream of breaking up.”
“Won’t you miss him?”
“A little. Neil won’t go far. He and I are the closest you can get to twins without sharing DNA.” She stiffened, sitting up all the way. “They aren’t really my brothers. Not by birth, I mean.”
I know.
“My parents died in a car accident when I was in my teens. Les’s mother took me in as a foster kid. Neil was her other foster at the time,” she explained, her voice wavering a bit.
“I’m so sorry,” I said softly, saddened by the way her eyes grew glossy, but thrilled with how she had confided in me. “I can’t imagine how hard that must have been for you.”
“It was…” she paused and inhaled sharply, “…awful, but it could have been much worse if I hadn’t gone to Henri. She was my foster mother. Great lady. She adopted Les when he was a baby after the parents who were supposed to adopt him changed their minds. Neil and I came to her within seven months of each other, and she treated us like we were her own kids from Day One. She passed away two years ago. God, I miss her.” Tears trickled from the corners of her eyes, and my heart ached at the sight of her trying to hold her emotions at bay.
“She’ll always be with you in your heart and in your memories.”
“Henri used to say the same thing about my parents.” Collette flicked the droplets running down her cheeks with her fingertips. “Sorry for the cryfest.” She gestured at her face. “I didn’t mean to give you my life story, but you’re just so easy to talk to.”
The compliment warmed me from head to toe. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so comfortable, so at ease around a woman this early in the dating process. Then again, this wasn’t a standard-issue first date. We’d tested the waters last week on the cruise. Most couples didn’t have that kind of advantage unless they had been friends beforehand.
We finished our drinks and Collette paid the bill for the charges that had accumulated during our stay. I tried to sneak a peek at the receipt, but she folded it and tucked it into her wallet too quickly. Whatever the amount had been hadn’t fazed her in the least.
While walking toward the intersection to hail a cab, I pulled her to a stop and reeled her in by a wrist until the toes of our shoes touched.
“You’re invading my personal space.” She quirked a delicate eyebrow at me, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
I slid my arms around her waist and lowered my head, kissing the soft patch of skin behind her ear. “I am, but you aren’t pushing me away or threatening me with pepper spray or a Taser, so it must not bother you too much.”
She shivered as I kissed along her jawline. “We’re in the middle of a sidewalk, Ryan.”
“I know.”
“We should go someplace more…private.”
Hell yes, we should. “Taxi!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, making the one that had just rolled past us screech to a halt and fly backward. The driver had just unknowingly made himself a fat tip.
Speaking of fat, my pants felt three sizes too small thanks to the Redwood trying to burst out of my boxers. I all but tossed Collette into the back seat and dove in after her, rattling off my address. “Get over here,” I said, pulling her right up against my side. “Or is this another violation of your personal space?”
“Behave yourselves back there!” the driver yelled, shaking a finger at us. “I just disinfected the upholstery last week.”
“Watch the road,” I fired back.
He grumbled something in another language and hung a left, speaking into the Bluetooth hooked over his ear.
“That had better be why the seat feels sticky,” Collette whispered, setting both of us off into a bout of laughter that made the cabbie give us the evil eye in the rearview mirror. “His cleaning skills must not include removing gum art.” She nodded at a bunch of green lines with pink blobs on top. “Too bad they don’t actually smell like flowers.”
“You smell like flowers. It’s been driving me crazy all night.” I brushed her hair over her shoulder, the soft strands sliding through my fingers, and touched the tip of my nose to her neck. “What is this? Lilacs? Ro-”
“No sex allowed in my cab!” the driver yelled, slamming on the brakes at a red light.
“Relax, we’re just talking.” I showed him my hands. “Last time I checked, humans still can’t have sex by osmosis.”
Collette laughed, and we got
another dirty look. Dude needed to take a pill. I was not opposed to mild PDA, but exhibitionism wasn’t my bag. And God only knew what other people had done in here.
I settled for sniffing her neck and nibbling on her earlobe for the rest of the ride and the short trip up to my condo. We still hadn’t actually kissed, and I wanted to rectify the problem as soon as possible. Part of me regretted not laying one on her before we got in the cab.
She set her bag down and went straight to the huge windows in my living room, bracing her hands on the sill while looking at the lake. “This view is incredible. I’m so jealous. I’d hole myself up and never leave if I lived here.”
I watched her from the kitchen, my hand resting on the half-open refrigerator door. Why did I come in here? Oh, right. To take inventory and offer her a drink, like a good host. “What can I get you? I’ve got water, beer, soda, and orange juice. I think there’s a bottle of wine somewhere, too.”
“I’m fine for now, thanks.” She peered at me from over her shoulder, an angel in red against the dark backdrop of the night sky. “Are you okay? You’ve got the strangest look on your face.”
The woman had no idea how gorgeous she looked standing there. All I could do was stare. “I’ve never met anyone like you before,” I managed to say in a normal voice, joining her by the glass wall. “I still can’t get over what you did tonight.”
A blush spread across her face. “I just want to keep Henri’s spirit alive. She was the nicest, kindest person I’ve ever known. She denied herself so many things to give us kids whatever we needed. Since I can’t spoil her rotten, I’ll do it to people who have put themselves last to help others. It’s the least I can do. I mean, I have all this-”
I cut her off with a kiss, pressing my lips to hers for a long moment before leaning back to gauge her reaction. She gazed up at me, her eyes dark pools of chocolate-brown. “So beautiful,” I whispered, leading her to the couch. I gently coaxed her down into a seated position and sat next to her, ready to pick up where we’d left off.
She leaned over and kissed me, her small hands cupping my face. Her warm, full lips moved over mine at a leisurely pace, and I liked how she didn’t rush it. Our mouths opened at the same time, and the faint taste of chocolate, cherries, and coffee still lingered on her tongue as it brushed against mine. Her hands moved to the back of my neck, tilting my head for a better angle. Yes, take what you want. Show me how you like it. I had no problem with giving her the lead. She was in control, but not to the point where I felt the need to hold back on my part.
My hands had free rein to do whatever they wanted, whatever felt right. I ran my fingers down the delicate column of Collette’s throat, marveling at the silkiness of her skin. She broke the kiss, moaning softly as I skimmed the top of her breasts while tracing her dress’s neckline. What I wouldn’t give for a taste of them. “How much further do you want to take this?” I asked, kissing the hollow of her throat.
She sat back, putting some space between us. “I like you, Ryan. So much it’s kind of scary, actually. I’m here because I want to be alone with you and, well…I really wanted to see if the chemistry between us is real and not just a figment of my imagination.”
“It feels real to me.”
“Same here.” Collette flashed a smile and ran a hand along the top of my shoulder, her expression growing serious. “I’m going to give it to you straight.” Her dark eyes stayed focused and clear as she spoke. “I don’t sleep with guys on the first date. I’m not a virgin, a prude, or overly religious. There’s no specific number of dates that need to occur for me to be ready. I’ll know when the moment is right, and I think you will, too. If you can’t wait, then it’s time for me to leave. Right now.”
Whoa. I definitely hadn’t expected such an intense answer.
Did I want to get naked and show Collette precisely how much I liked her in a variety of different positions? Hell to the yes. I could picture exactly how she’d look sprawled out on my bed, her dark hair fanned across my pillows, and every gorgeous curve on display with the corners of her lush lips curled into a coy come-hither smile. The mere thought had me rock-hard, ready to strip us down in seconds and take her on the leather cushions.
But I could dial down the lust with cold showers and some alone time to respect her wishes. She was worth waiting for in my book. And besides, it wasn’t as though she had slapped on a chastity belt and swallowed the key. She’d given me some leeway. I was a creative guy with an active imagination. There were plenty of things we could do until sex made it onto the menu.
If anything, my admiration for her had multiplied tenfold. The woman had morals. Only a fool would let her go home for sticking to her guns and hanging on to her beliefs.
And I was no fool.
“I don’t want tonight to end just yet,” I whispered, brushing her hair over her shoulder. “We can talk or watch a movie. Whatever you want to do is fine with me. I’ll drive you home whenever you’re ready. Just let me know.”
Five hours later, I pulled away from the curb in front of her house after walking her to the door, still breathless from the best goodnight kiss I’d ever received.
8
Collette
Nine years earlier
“Hey, Collette. How’s it going?”
I swung my locker door forward…and almost had a heart attack. Josh Butler lounged against the neighboring lockers in all his dark-haired, green-eyed, all-American glory. My eyes swept the area, looking for the bitchy cheerleaders who followed him around like groupies. This had to be a setup. Popular seniors didn’t just talk to lowly sophomores out of the blue unless it was part of a prank or a dare.
“Hey,” I replied cautiously. “Algebra sucks, but otherwise, life is good.” Algebra sucks? Seriously? That was the best thing I could come up with to say? How pathetic. No wonder I didn’t have a boyfriend.
“I hear you. Geometry is no cakewalk, either.” He grinned, and I stared in dumbstruck awe because Lord have mercy his smile was a sight to behold. His perfectly straight white teeth gleamed in contrast to his tanned face. “Where are you headed?”
“Biology with Mr. Douglas.” I crammed a textbook in my backpack and slammed my locker shut. “He’ll talk about the Cubs for half the period, which is a good thing because I can get a head start on my English paper.”
Neil approached as I spoke, his eyes narrowing at Josh. “Ready for a recap of yesterday’s double header?” he asked, giving me a what-is-he-doing-here look.
“Hey…Neil, right?” Neil gave him a nod in response, awkwardly touching his fist to Josh’s offered one. “Here, let me carry this for you.” Josh grabbed my bag from the floor, slinging it over the shoulder of his letterman jacket. “I’m right across the hall for Western Civilization with Mr. Willis.”
Oh my God. He wanted to carry my books and walk me to class. I fought back a goofy smile and tried to act cool. “Thanks,” I said, stepping into the heavy flow of hallway traffic.
Josh ambled along next to me, saying hello and fist-bumping his friends as we worked our way toward the stairwell. He motioned for me to go first and bounced down the steps with ease. Neil brought up the rear, his forehead creased in a scowl.
Outside my classroom, Josh slid my bag off and gently placed it on my shoulder. Neil mumbled something under his breath about barfing and went inside. “Are you coming to the game tomorrow night?” Josh asked, spinning a pen between his fingers.
Duh. What a silly question. Les was a first-string running back, and I always cheered him on from the stands with Henri and Neil. Football was one of Les’s great loves, second only to Candace Schilling, his girlfriend of almost two years. He had fast, nimble feet and magnetic hands, a combination which could earn him a scholarship if he kept performing well this season.
Josh spiraled the ball to Les as often as possible, and as a result, our school was first in its conference. College scouts watched the pair with great interest and took them aside after games to discuss summer camps and t
he benefits of playing for their schools.
“I’ll probably go,” I said, tossing my hair over my shoulder.
He treated me to another dazzling smile. “A bunch of us are going to eat at Helen’s Pizza after the game. If you don’t mind waiting for a bit while I shower and change, would you like to come? With me, I mean?”
Was he kidding? No girl in her right mind would turn down the hunky quarterback. “Sure, sounds like fun.”
“Sweet.” He slowly backed away toward the door across the hall. “You’d better get to your seat before the bell rings. Wait for me outside the locker room, okay?”
“Okay.” I felt dizzy as my fingers curled around the door handle. “I’ll be there.”
“Catch you later, beautiful.” He winked and ducked inside the room.
I floated to my assigned seat next to Neil on cloud freaking nine. One of the most popular, cutest boys in school had asked me out. Me, a geeky nobody who shouldn’t even register as a blip on his radar.
As predicted, Mr. Douglas launched into a tirade about the Cubs’ lackluster performance after a brief lesson on the nervous system of the frog in preparation for next week’s dissection during lab time. A folded scrap of paper landed in the middle of my doodled-up notebook page–Looney Tunes characters were today’s artwork choice–with a soft thud. I glanced at the teacher, who sprayed the unfortunate kids in the first row with spit as he ranted, and carefully unfolded the note.
Why the hell did Tom Brady Jr. walk you to class?
I frowned at Neil and jotted down a response.
JOSH asked me to go out with him after the game tomorrow night. Why are YOU acting like a jerk?
Keeping my eyes on The Sprayinator, I tossed the note across the aisle with a flick of my wrist. Neil’s pencil scratched against the paper as he wrote and I sighed inwardly as the re-folded square plopped onto the best Marvin the Martian I’d ever drawn.
More than Money (Found in Chicago Book 1) Page 6
