He took her hand, rubbing his thumb along her knuckles, “Good.”
When they got to the bar, they walked right in. Claire had told Logan that she and Clay were coming tonight; Logan put them on a list, which allowed them to skip the line. Claire noticed Clay didn’t reach for her, except when he placed his hand on the small of her back to let her walk first. She was starting to wonder if he was more nervous about being in public than she was.
“Let’s get a drink.” Claire suggested, hoping it would ease both of their nerves.
He placed his hand on her back again, “Ok. Lead the way.”
She leaned on the bar, on her tippy toes looking for Logan, “What are you drinking?” She asked Clay.
“Whiskey-water. I’m only having one since I’m driving you.”
She smiled. Clay was the opposite of Jason in every way, which made her like him even more. A bartender walked up, “What would you like?”
“Vodka, sprite, and whiskey, water, please.” She said for both of them. She looked at Clay who was watching her, “You know those cheesy movies where the man orders for the girl? I always wanted to do that.”
He laughed, “Why?”
“Because, it’s like I can read your mind.”
“But you just asked me what I wanted?”
She giggled, “But the bartender doesn’t know that. Now I’m a mysterious, all knowing, stranger.”
“I don’t think he thinks that, but I’ll let you believe it.”
“Good,” She smiled, taking her drink from the bartender. Clay handed him his card. When Claire turned around her stomach dropped, the girl from the first night that she ran into Clay at Tenpenny's had just walked through the doors, Natasha. She remembered how territorial Natasha was over Clay, running her hand on his neck and shoulders. It made Claire’s skin crawl just the thought of her hands on him. She was never jealous when it came to Jason, but in this moment when it was Clay, she had a sudden sickening feeling rise to the surface. Clay was Claire’s and that was all she knew.
Chapter Fifteen
Claire
Claire watched Natasha walk across the room to a table of people in the corner. Clay’s back was still to the room, as he spoke to the bartender. She was thankful he hadn’t turned when she walked in. She probably would have stridden right up to them, pretending Claire didn’t exist. One thing her mom taught her was to kill people with kindness, but her dad taught her to never lose. Tonight would be a game of which side of Claire was going to come out.
“Shit.” Clay said, which snapped Claire from her thoughts. She noticed he had spotted Natasha.
Shit. She said to herself, and took a sip of her drink.
“My friends are here.” He told her.
Her eyes held his, “Do you not want to see them?”
“It’s not that.” He ran his hand through his hair, turning his back to the crowd, setting his drink on the bar. “I just wanted tonight to be about us. They’ll ambush you if you let them.”
Claire laughed, knowing exactly what he was talking about, “I’m a tough girl.”
He turned, taking her hand, “I know you are. I just wanted tonight to be special.”
“It still is.” She smiled. “I’m with you, remember?”
“Claire Cunningham, you are easy to please if all it takes is for me to be present.” He kissed her cheek, and picked up his drink. “I intend to do better than just be in the room.”
“You don’t realize how much being present means to someone like me.”
“What do you mean?” He asked. They were now sitting on two stools.
“My dad works himself to drink, my mom is always so busy with town functions, and Jason was always busy, which now really meant he was with Jenny. You want to be with me, you choose to be with me. It means a lot.” She had to catch herself from her emotions that were bubbling up. She had only had half her drink, and she was already confessing her feelings that she kept close to her heart.
Clay never let go of her eyes, “I’d always choose you, Claire. Always.”
She felt herself falling for him faster than she could realize. Even in the midst of the crowded bar, he made her feel like she was the only girl he saw.
“Look at you two cuties.” Logan’s voice came from behind them.
Clay laughed, shaking his head. Claire spun on her stool, “I was wondering when you were going to show your face.” She hugged his neck.
“I’m a busy man.”
Clay turned, and shook his hand, “Good seeing you again.”
Logan broke into a cheeky smile, “I see you took my advice.” He pointed with his eyes to Claire.
Clay raised his eyebrow, “I make my own choices.”
“I totally steered you in the right direction.”
Clay looked over at Claire, “I would have found my way, eventually.”
“Um hello, I’m right here. Can we not talk about me?” Claire laughed, rolling her eyes.
Logan placed his hand on her shoulder, “Sorry, Darling. You’re just important. I do have to get back to work though. Someone just summoned me to the door.” He gestured to his ear piece.
Claire sipped her drink, “Don’t kick anyone’s butt out there. Just use the sass that I taught you.”
He laughed, “Doll face, I taught you the sass.” He blew her a kiss, and disappeared into the crowd.
“I like him.” Clay said.
Claire smiled, “Me too.”
Clay turned on his stool, facing the crowd, “I thought you wanted to dance.”
“I do.” She sipped her drink.
“Then let’s see it.” He gestured to the crowded dance floor. The band was playing a true Louisiana tune.
She smirked, “Clay Williams, are you telling me you want me to dance for you?”
“If I am, would you do it?”
She hopped off the stool, and downed her drink, “I dance for myself, but you can watch.” She winked, and walked toward the dance floor. She looked back at him with a mischievous smile, and started to move her hips. Her hands clapping to the music, then her hands found their way over her head, her body loosely moving. She paid no attention to people’s eyes on her. When she danced there were no rules, nothing was planned, and she was free. You could see it in the way her body moved.
A man jumped in next to her, and did a well executed dance, as if challenging her to follow. She giggled as he moved. Somehow they ended up in a circle. Claire clapped as he danced. He then stomped twice, landed on one knee, and gestured for Claire to dance. She licked her bottom lip with a smirk, and mirrored every move he did to a T. The man backed away, clapping, he then bowed to her, and then took her hand, “My beautiful girl, you are a treasure.”
She laughed, pushing hair behind her ear, “Thank you. You were amazing.”
The man disappeared, and she looked back toward Clay. He was still watching her, as he sipped his drink. He leaned back on the bar smiling, when she started walking toward him. She planted herself between his legs, and reached behind him for her drink that had been replaced. “Did you enjoy the show?”
“I thought you danced for yourself?” He said into her ear. It sent shivers down her spine.
She looked into his eyes, “Dancing for you benefits me most definitely.”
He raised his eyebrows, and let out a small laugh. He kissed her forehead, “You’re cute when you’re like this.”
She put her hand on her hip, “Like what?”
“You’re you. No guard up. Just you.”
“Do you like what you see?”
He took her by the chin, “I more than like what I see.” Then he kissed her, taking pieces of her heart. He let go, and stood from the stool. Her heart fluttered. It was so public, but she didn’t care. She loved the way he made her feel when his lips touched hers.
“Clay, what are you doing here?” A male voice came from behind her. She turned to look; Brett was walking up.
“You knew I was going to be here.”
&nbs
p; He laughed, “It’s true I did. I just wanted to meet your girl.” He held his hand out to Claire. “Hi, I’m Brett. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Claire became a little uneasy, was he talking about rumors or Clay; she didn’t know. She extended her hand with a smile, “Nice to meet you. I’m Claire.”
“Do you want to meet the rest of Clay’s friends? They’re dying to meet you.”
Clay gave him a look, “That’s funny; I don’t have any other friends.”
“He’s just being modest. Really, it’s my girlfriend who wants to meet you.”
Claire knew what she was about to commit too. If she went with Brett, Natasha would be there, but she did want to meet Brett’s girlfriend. “Ok. I’d love to.” She smiled up at Clay, who was giving her a warily look.
“Fine.” Clay placed his hand on her back.
“Why do you touch my back when we walk?” She asked Clay, as they followed Brett.
“To make sure I don’t lose you. If I can feel you, I know where you are. We’re in a crowded bar.”
She smiled, biting her lip, moving between two people as they continued to walk. She liked that Clay was constantly making sure she was ok. She wasn’t used to it. When she and Jason would go to a bar, Jason would lose her within the first few minutes.
They started to approach the table in the corner. Claire’s eyes went to Natasha’s first, then to the girl next to her who she assumed was Brett’s girlfriend. A few other guys sat at the table with the girls. They all stopped their conversation when they walked up.
“Look who I found.” Brett said, picking up the beer in front of Natasha.
The girl next to Natasha held her hand out, “I’m Gloria.” She smiled.
Claire took her hand, “I’m Claire.” Clay was obviously quiet. He clearly didn’t want to be in this situation.
Gloria introduced the other three guys at the table, then she got to Natasha. But before Gloria got out her name Natasha cut her off, “We’ve met.”
Claire forced a smile, “Good to see you again.”
“So is this like a date?” Natasha said, seemingly annoyed.
Claire looked up at Clay to answer. “Yes.” He replied.
“You took her to Tenpenny’s for a first date?” She laughed. “You must not be that special.” The entire table went quiet.
“Nat.” Clay snapped.
“I wanted to dance.” Claire said firmly. “It was my idea.”
Natasha stared up at Claire, “Clay doesn’t dance.”
Brett laughed, trying to ease the tension, “I think Claire knows how to dance enough for the both of them. We all saw her dance off.”
“Let’s go.” Clay took her hand.
Claire wouldn’t budge, she wasn’t about to let Natasha get the best of her, and she wanted it known that Clay was now off limits. “You clearly don’t know anything.”
Natasha stood with an evil smile on her face, “I know Clay’s body inside and out. I know exactly what he likes. Do you?”
Clay tried to yell at Natasha, but before he could get half a word out, Claire snapped back first, “At least I’m not a slutty whore!”
Clay grabbed Claire; Brett stood in front of Natasha who was now screaming obscenities at Claire. “We’re leaving.” He firmly gripped Claire’s hand, leading her toward the door.
They pushed through the doors, and walked through the parking lot in silence. When they reached his truck, she let go of his hand, and covered her face, “What did I just do?” She looked up at him. “I called her a whore. I’m a horrible person. I don’t know what came over me.” She was speaking extremely fast, her breathing rising. “I should go apologize.” She looked back at the bar, then her eyes went back to Clay’s, who was watching her. “What?”
He laughed, opening the truck door, “You aren’t going back in there. Nat is intense when she’s pissed, and you just took her down a notch in front of everyone.”
“But, I was rude. I should apologize.”
He continued to laugh, taking her hands, “I admire how honorable you’re being, but she did entice you. She knew exactly what she was doing.”
“So, we just leave?”
“We just leave.” He put his hand on the door, waiting for her to get in.
She sighed, hopping into the seat. “Ok. It doesn’t make me feel less of a crappy person.”
*
The drive home was quiet. Claire’s arms were across her chest; her attention was on the trees that were whizzing by. She kept replaying the night in her head. Even though she felt bad for snapping at Natasha, she did have a little self satisfaction from it.
Clay held his hand out palm up as an invitation; his dark eyes glanced at her, “Are you ok?”
She placed her hand in his, “I don’t like feeling like I did something wrong.”
“Not everyone is perfect all the time.”
Claire laughed, “Tell that to my parents.”
“I like the imperfect version of Claire. She laughs more.” He squeezed her hand, and she smiled.
They pulled up to Clay’s house; he parked the truck next to her SUV. She hopped out in between their two cars. She looked up at the stars; the air was cool for June. The crickets sang their song of the night.
Clay walked around the back of his truck, “I didn’t think this through. Should I drive you home? I don’t feel comfortable letting you drive.”
It was true. She did have quite a few vodka sprites that she was coming down from. It’s what gave her the courage to snap at Natasha. She twisted her mouth, “I can stay.”
“Stay? How will you explain that to your parents?”
“I’ll say I stayed at Jenny’s.”
“You’re not friends with Jenny anymore.”
“They don’t know that.”
He sighed, “Claire, I’m not going to make you into a liar.”
She giggled, he was always so honorable. She wasn’t sure if he’d ever told a lie in his life. He was good at avoiding answering questions that he didn’t want to lie about, that she knew. She decided to challenge him, “I can drive home then. It’s that, or you let me tell a little white lie that doesn’t hurt anyone.”
“No, you’re not driving.” He placed his hand on her back, as they started walking toward the house.
She looked down at his arm, “We’re not in a crowded bar anymore.”
He laughed, “No, we’re not, but I won’t have you bolting for your car either.”
“Always so cautious, Mr. Williams.” She smirked.
“Just making sure that you’re safe.” He opened the front door.
When they got inside, he tossed his keys on his coffee table, and took his shoes off. She dropped her purse next to his keys, and looked around the room. She wandered around, and eventually sat on the foot of his bed. Her hands felt the softness of the white down comforter. She watched Clay move mail from his table to a spot that was clearly designated for mail; which was disheveled.
He noticed her stare, “What?”
“Nothing. Just watching.” She nervously looked down. “I like this comforter, it’s soft.” She almost cringed at her topic change.
“Speaking of, I can sleep on the couch. You can have the bed.”
“Are you being a gentleman? Or have you suddenly decided that you don’t like me?”
“Do you want my honest answer?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know if I can control myself sleeping next to you.”
She laughed at the thought, but inside she was a little gutted. “Please, don’t treat me like I will break. Everyone always treats me like that.”
He walked closer to her, “What do you mean?”
“You don’t want to have sex with me because I’m a virgin.” She waved her hand. “You don’t want to destroy my perfect reputation.”
He laughed, kneeling down to her level, “It’s not that at all.”
“Then what?” She looked back into his eyes, pleading. “What if I want
it to be you?”
He took in a breath, clenching his jaw. He placed his hands on her thighs, “The fact that it would be your first time; I want you to feel every sensation, in every inch of your body.”
She felt heat between her legs, from his words. She had a knot in her stomach that wanted him more than anything. She wanted to give herself to him, and he was refusing.
He continued, “But, you’ve been drinking, and you deserve to remember every moment.”
She sighed, falling backward onto the bed, “I give up.”
“Don’t be dramatic.” He laughed, standing.
She looked up at him, and put her hands behind her head, her shirt revealing her stomach, “The first time I ever offer myself to someone, and I get turned down.”
A corner smile formed on his face, showing his right dimple. He crawled over her, supporting himself with his arms, “I didn’t say we wouldn’t do other things.”
She involuntarily gasped, and then broke into a laugh. Which he joined her in, “See, this is why tonight will not be your first time.”
Her laugh faded. Having him hovering over her made her notice how fast her chest was rising and falling. All she wanted was to reach out and kiss him, but she didn’t know how to make the first move. She was paralyzed. His eyes studied her, as if trying to figure out what she was thinking; if he only knew her thoughts. She wanted him, all of him.
He leaned down and gave her the most delicate kiss, then pulled back. “Claire,” He said against her lips. “Are you sure you want more than this? More than just a kiss? I’ll stop.”
She shook her head, “Yes.”
He leaned down, his body pressed up against her now; his erection was hard to ignore. His lips found her again, moving her neck. His breath against her skin made her tilt her head back, her hips thrusted up as her body reacted to his. He thrusted forward, pressing her hips back down on the bed. She ran her fingers through his hair, but he slowly moved down her body, pressing his lips to her skin leaving a trail of lust along the way.
His fingers found the button on her pants; he slowly pulled the zipper down, his eyes stayed on her the entire time. He was being careful, which made her feel more comfortable. She lifted her hips, as she wiggled out of her pants. He stared down at her; she held his eyes, and pulled her shirt over her head. Her arms involuntarily covered her chest; she was wearing matching black lingerie. In this moment she was happy that she put thought into her undergarments.
Under the Oak Tree Page 12
