Love Love (17 page)

“
No, I’m lying to you,” he
says with a teasing smile.

“
Ha ha. I can’t believe you
like them. I don’t know anyone else who does. God, Jason Wade’s
voice...it goes right through me. Plus, he’s kinda hot. There’s
definitely something about a guy who can really sing.”

Brad’s eyes hold a mischievous
sparkle. “I’ve been known to hum a bar or two.”

“
Really?” I ask with an
arched eyebrow.

“
Yup.”

I set my hand on my hips. “Okay, well,
let’s hear it then.”

“
Here?!” His voice
practically squeaks. Apparently he’s not drunk enough to sing in
public.

“
Of course, why
not?”

“
Well…because I usually
reserve it for the shower.” He laughs with that deep throaty voice.
I bump his shoulder playfully and laugh with him. Brad looks over
at me curiously. “So tell me more about what you like to do for
fun.”

“
Well, lots of things,
really.” Let the rambling begin. “I love the beach, hanging out
with friends, reading, parasailing, photography, and then there’s
my list.” That was a mouthful; nice work, Gabby.

Brad puts his fist to his chin, trying
to look as interested as possible. “What kind of list?”

“
It’s sort of like a bucket
list. You know, things I want to do before I kick the
bucket.”

“
So, what’s on the list?”
His eyes light up and I sense he’s hoping he can help me cross
something off.

“
You really want to
know?”

“
Yeah, I’m
interested.”

“
Okay. Things like
traveling. Bora Bora, Italy, Australia, England. Things to do, like
skating at Rockefeller Center, a gondola ride in Venice,
snowmobiling, visiting the Space Needle in Seattle, helping to
build a house for Habitat for Humanity, swimming with dolphins, a
carriage ride in Central Park, jet skiing, going on a whale
watch…and other stuff.”

“
You mean there’s
more?”

“
Yeah. There’s always more,
isn’t there? Trying new foods like duck, octopus, maybe bison. Your
turn.”

“
I don’t have a
list.”

“
That’s okay. We can make
one.” I grab a napkin from the bar and a pen from my purse. What do
you like?”

Brad’s brown eyes meet mine. “I like
you.”

I drop my pen and sip my drink, eyes
to the ceiling, trying to look as innocent as possible.

“
You know, Gabby, you’re
super cute when you’re embarrassed.”

My lips are frozen, so I do the best
thing I can think of. I shut up and drink.

Brad opens up a bit more and tells me
some pretty funny stories about his old girlfriends. “Yeah, I told
Susan my parents wanted to meet her, and she kept telling me how
nervous she was and that she wanted to make a good first
impression. So, you can imagine how surprised I was when she showed
up to my house wearing a ridiculously short skirt and a low cut
tank top.”

“
Oh my God!”

“
I know, right? She
certainly managed to garner a lot of Matt’s attention, but my
parents were mortified. That was the exact point when I realized
she was a complete whackjob. It turned out she was after Matt all
along.”

“
Oh Brad, that’s
terrible.”

“
It’s alright. I’m glad I
found out when I did.”

It’s getting late, and the alcohol is
really getting to me. “Brad, I think I’m gonna get
going.”

“
Would it be okay if I take
you home?”

“
Sure.” There’s nothing I’d
like better right now.

There’s a chill in the air when we get
outside, and I shiver, noticeable goosebumps rising from my skin.
Brad picks up on that right away and offers me his jacket, which is
warm and smells of him. I let out an audible sigh at how wonderful
it feels to be wrapped in his jacket.

The subway and walk to my apartment
pass in a comfortable silence. I’ve had a lot to drink, and at one
point, I almost trip over a crack in the pavement. Brad grabs me
and stops me from falling. Hmmm. His arms feel good. Strong,
supple, and muscular. I can’t help wondering what else is supple on
his body. The thought makes me snort.

“
What’s so funny?” he
asks.

“
Nothing.” I say, but then
I roar with laughter. I’ve had way too much to drink.

Brads return laughter echoes in my
intoxicated ears. “I need to get you home. The alcohol is making
you nutty.”

By the time we make it home, my bed is
calling me. Brad walks me all the way to the door of my apartment.
I’m propped up against it because it’s the only thing that’s
holding me up at this point. Brad leans in so close that I can feel
his breath feather my cheek. God, he smells good. He slides his
hand behind my neck and pulls me close. Licking my lips and closing
my eyes, I wait. And wait. I realize at this moment that I really
want him to kiss me. In fact, I’m silently willing him to kiss me.
I must be really bad at this, though, because he never does.
Instead, he bypasses my lips and leans in to place a delicate kiss
to my forehead before pulling away. Stumbling into my apartment, I
sink to the floor, let out a huge breath I didn’t realize I’d been
holding, and sigh.

***

The
next morning I’m a bit disoriented, and my head is pounding so
loudly I think I hear voices in there. I put my pillow over my head
and try to recall last night’s events. Oh, that’s right. I
remember. Of course I remember. Brad. It makes me chuckle. In a
weird way, I’m glad Dane didn’t show up. I had an amazing time with
Brad. My whole face starts to tingle. I wanted to kiss him, badly.
I still do.

It’s sadly Wednesday, and a workday,
so my daydreaming has to end for the moment. I pick out a black
pencil skirt and white blouse and pull my black heels from the
closet. As I’m dressing, I notice Brad’s jacket hanging on the
chair. I forgot to give it back to him. Letting out a huge sigh, I
walk over and hug it to my chest. It smells like coffee…like
Brad.

I’m looking forward to seeing him this
morning, and of course I need to return his jacket. I smile to
myself. Good excuse, Gabby; like you weren’t going to stop there
anyway. I walk rather slowly on my way to the shop, holding onto
his jacket a little too tightly, my mind on last night and our
almost kiss. There’s a couple on the street corner in a heated
embrace, and for a second, I smile. That is, until I bump headfirst
into a woman on her cell phone and her drink ends up all over her
white dress. I’m mortified. I look up at her with remorse. “Sorry
about that.”

“
Damnit! Why don’t you
watch where you’re going?”

I want to tell her I’m not sure that
would have made a difference, people that spend their time in
faraway lands, like me, are destined to crash into
others.

The door jingles and Brad flashes me
his full-on, no holds barred smile. I don’t know why, but it’s just
what I need, and I smile right back. I make my way through the line
of starry-eyed girls who Brad seems oblivious to and finally reach
the counter.

“
Hey, you,” he
says.

I bat my lashes like a starry-eyed
girl. “Hey.”

“
You’re up early this
morning,” he teases.

“
Yeah, I needed some
caffeine.”

His lips twitch. “Rough
night?”

“
Yes, actually. Some drunk
guy tried to take advantage of me.” I wink conspiratorially. “It
was dreadful.”

“
Really?” He nods as if
he’s listening intently.

Flipping my hair over my shoulder
dramatically, I make my way over to a table. “Yes, it was
absolutely terrifying.”

Brad makes his way over with my drink
and that smile of his. “What a coincidence! The same thing happened
to me, except with a cute drunk girl.”

I can’t help but laugh.

He takes a seat next to me and clinks
our coffee cups together. “So, how’s that head of yours
today?”

I’m liking the table service. “Not
bad, actually. Luckily I drank a lot of water last
night.”

Brad looks over at me with those
almond shaped eyes and I melt just a little. “I had a really nice
time last night, Gabby.”

“
Yeah, I did, too.” I’m
suddenly feeling very self-conscious when I’ve never felt anything
but comfortable with Brad.

“
You’re pretty funny when
you’ve been drinking. I enjoyed the giggling, it was fairly
amusing.”

“
Well, I’m glad I could
entertain you.”

“
Trust me, you were very
entertaining,” he says with a wink.

We chat for a few more minutes and I’m
almost ready to leave when I remember that I need to give him back
his jacket. When I hand it to him, his fingers skim my knuckles and
I feel those goosebumps puffing up my skin again. I quickly shake
it off. “Thanks for letting me borrow your jacket.”

“
Anytime,” he says, smiling
and going back to the counter. “See you soon, Gabby.”

I head towards the exit and try to
look back without being too obvious; he’s staring at me. Turning
around quickly, I walk out the door, a smile completely overtaking
my face.

***

The
more I think about Dane standing me up at the Sky Bar, the happier
I am that he did. It’s been a week since I’ve heard from him. He’s
been traveling for business. He finally calls while I’m at work,
startling me out of my post-it induced coma.

“
Hey, gorgeous! Happy
Tuesday! I’m back from my trip. I’ve been missing you like crazy, I
need to see you.”

For some reason, I’m not all that
excited. Maybe because he didn’t even ask how I’m doing.

“
Can I see you
tonight?”

“
Uh…sure.”

“
Great! How about dinner in
my hotel room at eight o’clock?”

“
Yeah, okay. I’ll see you
then,” I say with a complete lack of enthusiasm.

“
I look forward to seeing
you tonight.” I can practically hear him leering at me.

“
See you then.”

I make my way down the hallway to
Dane’s suite. No more horror flick images; no more knights and
dragons. That’s good, I guess. I knock on his door and he
immediately pulls me into the room, sealing his lips over mine with
a desperate need. I’m blindsided by his smoldering heat. I feel his
tongue wrap around mine, his breath invading my mouth like a
foreign predator. Slowly, he starts to unzip my dress, while I
eagerly pull his shirt over his head and reach for the zipper of
his trousers, setting free his gigantic erection. Our naked bodies
are quickly entangled in one another, turned on and dripping with
sweat, our breath coming in heavy bursts.