Layla (5 page)

“You only have yoga on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” I said.

“Well, they changed it this week,” she said with red cheeks.

“And I have to meet my mom for dinner,” Cassie explained.

They were the worst liars I
’d ever met. I glared at them both as they walked out.

“I like your friends,” Kyle said.

“They are bitches.”

“Why?”

I shook my head. “I know what they are doing.”

“And what is that?”

“Trying to get me alone with you.”

He drank from his beer. “That means I have their approval.”

“They just want me to get laid.”

“Do you want to get laid?” he asked with a smile.

“I’m not that kind of girl.”

“That didn’t answer my question.”

“No,” I said.

He shrugged. “It was worth the shot.”

“Have you slept with anyone from the office?”

“Wow. That’s a personal question,” he said with a laugh.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Why?”

“There’s no one I like,” he said. “And I’m very professional. I don’t like to mix business with pleasure.”

“But you want to date me?”

“I
wanted
to date you. You made it clear that’s never going to happen.”

“Yet, here we are, having a drink together,” I said.

“Which means you want to be here.” He gave me an intense stare, looking into my eyes with his beautiful blue ones. Kyle adjusted his tie while he looked at me. It was amazing how intimidating and powerful he could be so quickly. Sometimes it was a sudden mood swing. “Even though you hate me.”

“I don’t hate you,” I said with a laugh, trying to diffuse the tension.

“Really? Because I’ve never been so insulted and rejected in my life.”

“
That’s only because you didn’t accept my first rejection.”

He drank from his beer again then watched the television. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“I have season tickets to the Yankees. You want to go?”

“They’re playing the Giants tomorrow,” I said with wide eyes.

“
Which is why I’m asking you.”

“That would be so awesome!”

He smiled. “Good. I have some good seats. We’ll have fun.”

I clapped my hands together. “I’ve never been to the Yankee
s stadium.”

“You’ll
love it. They have amazing chili dogs.”

“I’m going to be craving that until tomorrow.”

Kyle dropped his arm from my chair and leaned back in his seat. “Do you have any questions about work?”

“No. It’s pretty straight forward. But am I going to be editing the magazine at all?”

“You will. I just wanted to start you off slow. If you make any mistakes, only I will see them. If you work on the magazine, everyone will see them.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

“I got your back.” He winked at me.

“So, what did you do last night?”

“I went to the gym.”

“How often do you go?” I asked.

“Every weeknight.”

Do you go alone?”

“I usually go with my brothers or my friends.”

“And that’s all you did? That sounds pretty lame,” I said with a smile.

“I made dinner.”

“You can cook?”

“Why is that so surprising?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know a lot of guys that can cook.”

“If I didn’t cook, I’d starve. I had to adapt.”

“Tell me about your family.”

He smiled. “I thought we were just out for a friendly drink, not a date?”

“You got to ask me persona
l questions. Now I want to ask you.”

“Okay,” he said. “I have two
brothers and one sister. I’m pretty close with my family. My brother is getting married soon, actually. I thought that would never happen. And his fiancé is a catch. I’m not sure what she’s thinking.”

“Well, that’s mean.”

He laughed. “He’s my brother. I have to pick on him,” he said. “My sister has two kids, and a third one on the way.”

“You’re an uncle?”

“Their favorite uncle.”

“Do you have pictures?” I asked excitedly.

“Of course.” He opened his wallet and showed me a picture of a woman with two young children. They were standing outside in the snow.

“They are so beautiful.”

“I know.”

“And your sister is gorgeous.”

“Yeah. I tell her she’s ugly so it doesn’t go to her head.”

I hit him lightly on the shoulder. “Don’t be a jerk.”

“I’m not,” he said. “She knows I love her.”

“What about your parents?”

He was quiet for a moment. “They passed away a few years ago.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

I wanted to ask what happened but I decided not to.
“Your favorite movie?”

“The Godfather.”

“That’s so cliché. What about your favorite band?”

“I love Elton John.”

“Really?”

“He’s the inspiration to my music.”

“Oh, you play the piano. I forgot.”

He nodded. “I love it.”

“I would love to hear you play.”

“You would?” he asked with a smile.

“Yeah.”

“Come over for dinner sometime and I’ll give you a show.”

“Dinner too?”

“Yep.
I’m a man of many talents.”

I smiled at him, watching the excitement in his eyes. Kyle was easy to talk to and be around. The longer I was around him, the more I liked him. He seemed like a nice guy, but I’d been wrong before. Now that he finally stopped asking me out, I felt myself grow
more fond of him. It was a stupid reason but that’s how I felt.

I turned away and looked across the crowded room. When I saw a familiar face, one that I loathed with every fiber of my being, I wanted to vomit. It was John, standing with two guys while they waited for their drinks. Now I was getting worried. Was he following me? My palms started to sweat again and I felt faint.

“Layla, are you alright?” Kyle asked.

“Uh-huh.” My blood was pounding in my ears. I didn’t know what to do. John would
approach me and I knew he would be angry after the way my friends treated him the other day. I wished he would just leave me alone. I ran all the way from New York just to get away from him. Didn’t I make my feeling perfectly clear? Kyle was the only person I had to help me. And actually, he was probably the best choice.

“Layla, what’s wrong?” He was staring at my face, seeing it turn ghostly pale.

I turned to him, controlling my breathing. “I know this is going to sound weird but just hear me out. I need you to do something for me but you have to promise me that you’ll never question me about it—ever. If you do, I’ll quit my job and never speak to you again. I’m being serious.”

He stared at me, his eyes wide.

“Please do this for me,” I begged. “And never speak of it again.”

He took a deep breath. “I promise.”

“Thank you so much. Put your arm around me and act like I’m your girlfriend.”

He stared at me for a moment before he turned his head to look at the bar.

I grabbed his hand, steadying him. “Don’t look.”

Kyle stilled then looked at me. He placed his arm around my shoulders then leaned close to me, rubbing his nose against m
ine. For a moment, I forgot it was just an act. His face felt warm against my skin. I loved the way he smelled. His warm breath fell upon my face, exciting me. Kyle looked into my eyes before he pressed his lips against my forehead, kissing me gently. It felt so good to feel such an intimate touch. The only man who kissed me on the forehead was my father. It felt surreal to have a man do it. He brought his face back to mine while he ran his hand up my thigh.

“Can you take me home?” I whispered.

“Yeah.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek. I wanted him to kiss my lips but he didn’t. The heat between us was evident despite the fear in my chest. For a second I forgot about the danger lurking nearby. He pulled away then threw the cash on the table before he grabbed my hand and pulled me to his side, wrapping his arm around me protectively.

We got into a cab and I told the driver my address.

Kyle turned toward me and ran his fingers through my hair. The gentle touch of his fingers made my heart slow down and return to a normal rate. The farther away from the restaurant we were, the better I felt. If John somehow followed me, he would see that Kyle came with me. Hopefully that would make him back off.

Kyle stared at me, concern in his eyes. He kept his word and didn’t question my odd behavior. I closed my eyes and leaned against him, enjoying the protection for a small moment in time. I knew I had to take care of myself and not rely on anyone else, but a short moment of weakness was necessary.

After we came to my door, he stopped and stared at me.

I fidgeted with keys then unlocked the door. I hated myself for what I was about to do, but I had to admit it. I was terrified. What are the chances that John showed up to the same restaurant twice in a row? I didn’t know what to do. I hated being scared but I couldn’t stop myself. I was the worst person in the world. I hated myself more than ever. “Would you like to come inside?” I whispered.

“I do if you want me to.”

I nodded.

“Okay,” he said gently.

We came inside then sat on the couch. Kyle constantly watched me, staring at the fear etched onto my face. I couldn’t hide my anxiety so I avoided his look whenever possible. When I put my purse on the table, Kyle grabbed me and pulled me into a hug.

The feel of his strong chest made me feel calm.

“Breath with me,” he whispered into my ear.

I concentrated on the rise and fall of his chest, staying in tune with it. His strong arms kept me warm. I rested my head against his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist. When I closed my eyes, I started to feel calm.

“You’re safe with me,” he said.

I squeezed him tighter.

He stayed still and held me tightly. Minutes passed but neither one of us moved. Finally, I pulled away, feeling my heart return to a normal state.

“You can go now. I’ll be fine,” I said.

He stared at me, his hands falling to his sides. “I would like to stay if that’s okay.”

“You would?”

He nodded. “I’ll cook us something.”

“A free meal?” I asked with a smile.

Kyle smiled then turned to the kitchen. He looked in the refrigerator for a while. “You have some odd things in here.”

“I do not.”

“Why are there two cartons of expired milk?”

I shrugged. “I forgot to throw them away.”

“Twice?” he asked incredulously. “And what’s vegan cream cheese?”

“It’s good.”

“Then why is there whole block of it and it’s expired? If it was good, you would have eaten it.”

“Okay, stop insulting my refrigerator.”

“I’m not. I’m insulting you,” he said with a
laugh. He grabbed a bag of bread then looked at it. “This is covered in mold.”

“I haven’t gone grocery shopping in a while…”

“Yeah, I figured,” he said sarcastically. He grabbed the trash and put everything inside. “Let’s get to the store.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Fine?” he asked. “You have no food here.”

“Well, I just quit my job and I rely on tip money. It’ll have to wait until I get paid.”

“I’ll cover you,” he said quickly.

“No,” I snapped. “I don’t need you to buy me food.”

He stilled at the venom in my voice. “You can pay me back.”

“I have money saved. I can always use that even though I avoid it at all costs.
”

“So what are you
going to eat?”

I shrugged. “There’s some crackers somewhere.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m buying you food. You can pay me back when we get paid.”

“I said no.”

He marched to me then stared me down. “You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met.”

“I won’t refute that.”

“Then I’ll order a pizza and have it delivered.” He pulled out his phone and ordered it. Then he walked to the couch and sat down. “You’re really annoying, you know that?”

“That makes two of us.” I sat beside him then turned on the TV.

He leaned back and glanced at me every few minutes. “I can sleep here if you want.”