Love's Fate (Love Trilogy #1) (14 page)

Finally the day did come to a close. Amy had a big dinner planned with Dan so she was out the door almost as soon as the closed sign had been turned. I heard her talking with the painter in the front lobby and my pulse quickened. Was I just excited that the mural would be complete tonight? It seemed a little silly to be so worked up over a painting.

Regardless of the source, known or unknown, I was on pins and needles. I went into the bathroom and cleaned up. Running a brush through my hair and trying to dust off as much flour as possible. I wasn’t really sure what all the prep was for. I just felt anxious and it was calming to feel like I was preparing for something, even if I didn’t know what it was. When I felt reasonably presentable I walked out of the kitchen to introduce myself to the painter.

“Michael?”  T
he name poured from my lips as soon as my mind registered who was standing in front of me.

I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I couldn’t breath
e
, couldn’t move. I was still standing in the doorway holding the doorframe for support. My knees felt like they were going to buckle. Michael was standing in front of me. Staring at me.

“How?”  I couldn’t finish the question. I was breathless.

“Katherine?”  H
is expression mirrored my shock.

“How do you know my name?”  It seemed like the most trivial of all the questions filling my head, but it was the one that came out first.

“The wedding. I saw you at the wedding talking to Charlie and Claire, I asked them who you were.”  He closed his eyes as he spoke which gave me a moment to compose myself and remember how to breathe. 

“You saw me at the wedding?”

When? How? I was sure he hadn’t seen me. He had been with her. A sharp pain shot through my chest as I thought of her. I glanced quickly down at his left hand. No wedding ring.

“That wasn’t the first time.”  He said and something in his voice brought my eyes back to his. His deep blue eyes were smoldering. I forgot how to breathe again.

“The coffee shop.”  I whispered realizing that he remembered that night too.

“You remember?”

“How could I forget?”

“Is this real?” He spoke my thoughts.

“I don’t know. I hope so.” I replied stepping closer wanting so badly to reach out and touch him, to know that he was real.

“That night in the coffee shop I wanted to meet you.” He said

“I wanted to meet you too. Have wanted to ever since.”  I couldn’t believe I just said that. I could feel myself blushing

“Do you believe in Fate?”

“
I do now.”

This was real. Not a dream. Michael was here with me now. I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to, and suddenly I wanted nothing more. I reached for his hand surprising myself with my boldness. His hand was warm and rough. Tingles shot up through my arm as I touched him and the confirmation that this meeting was real gave me the courage to be even bolder.

“Would you like to sit and have some coffee?” I asked leading him toward a table before he could even respond. He followed wordlessly.

It was hard to pull away from him even if only momentarily to get us each some coffee. I was afraid
that
as soon as he was out of my sight he would disappear and I would wake up. But when I returned with the coffee he was sitting at the table waiting for me. I studied his face as I put the coffee on the table and sat across from him.

He ran his hand through his dark hair pushing it out of his eyes. He had strong brooding eyebrows with a nearly permanent crease in between them as if he’d spent a lifetime worrying. His deep blue eyes absolutely glowed framed by thick dark lashes. His face was almost perfect except for the small scar on his chin and slight crook in his nose, as if those small imperfections were necessary to assure that he was real.

As I stared at his beautiful full lips and wondered what it would be like to kiss them he brought me out of my reverie with a startling revelation.

“The first night I saw you, in the coffee shop, I wanted so badly to meet you, but then my father called and told me my mother had died. I had to leave.”  He almost sounded like he was apologizing.

I felt shocked and saddened to know that he’d lost his mother and almost guilty that he might feel sorry for allowing that to interfere with our introduction.

“I’m so sorry. That’s horrible.” I said and suddenly the memory of his beautiful face crumpling in pain flashed before my eyes. I had known he was in pain that night, I had wanted to comfort him then. It was years ago, but still I wanted to comfort him now.

“I left after that.” He continued. “I moved to Europe for a
while. The wedding where I saw you again that was the first time I’d come home.”

“I saw you at the wedding too
.”
I admitted

“You did? Why didn’t you say anything?”  He
seemed startled, almost upset “
I mean if you’d wanted to meet me too…”  he started to qualify as if feeling like he’d assumed too much.

“I did!”  I assured him “After that night in the coffee shop I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”  I couldn’t believe how much I was telling him. It was like I had no filter on my brain, my thoughts just poured out to him.

“When I saw you at the wedding I was thrilled! Until I saw her…” I remembered the pain I had felt that night seeing him with that beautiful woman. It brought me up short.

“She was nobody. I mean we aren’t together anymore. We barely were then.” He explained and I was flooded with relief.

“
Where did you go after that?”  H
e asked suddenly.

“What do you mean?”  How could he know I went anywhere?

“I didn’t go back to Paris after the wedding.”  He paused as if deciding how much to say.

“I moved back and I called the catering company looking for you but they said you quit. I couldn’t find you.”  He was looking down now as if he wished he hadn’t said so much.

I reached over and touched his hand. His eyes immediately came back up to meet mine. My heart fluttered as butterflies battered my rib cage. When his eyes met mine like that it left me dazed.

“When I saw you with her.” I took a deep breath to compose myself before continuing. “It was too much for me. I left.”

I wished desperately that I had the ability to think before I spoke. I knew I was the one saying too much.

“Is that why you looked so upset that night?” he asked.

“Yes
.”
I whispered.

I was the one looking down now, too embarrassed to meet his eyes. He reached across the table and lifted my chin. My face felt hot where his hand touched it. I felt the same electric tingles that I’d felt when I first touched his hand. I looked back into his eyes and felt confident again.

“I’m sorry.” He said, his hand still resting lightly under my chin

“For what?”  I whispered

“For ever making you sad.”  He said and he leaned in to kiss me.

It wasn’t like any other kiss I’d ever had before. I wanted this kiss. Wanted it to my core. His lips pressed softly against mine, almost hesitantly. Then my body responded in a way I never knew possible.

I wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him in more securely. I twined my fingers through his silky hair, as his kiss became more urgent more demanding. I felt his lips part and allowed mine to do the same. I felt his tongue slide across my bottom lip and something stirred inside me that I had never felt before, that I didn’t even know was there. I brought my tongue to meet his and was delighted by the sensation. I never imagined kissing could be like this. I never imagined I could feel anything like this. I never wanted it to stop.

“I’m sorry.” H
e said again as he pulled away too quickly.

“Why?”  I panted breathless.

“I shouldn’t have done that.”  He said, and my heart sa
nk.

Had he not felt what I’d just been feeling?

“Why?”  I asked again, even I could hear the tremor in my voice.

“We just met. I just… shouldn’t have.”

Our faces were still only inches apart. I could feel his hot breath against my cheek and wanted nothing more than to kiss him again, but his sudden restraint made me hesitant. I sat back increasing the distance between us.

“I mean we haven’t even
had an official first date.”  H
e said smiling lightly.

The sudden casualness of his demeanor was such a contrast to the passion he was emanating moments ago it left me feeling confused. I wasn’t sure what to say.

“Do yo
u have plans tomorrow night?”  H
e asked with the same unsettling casualness.

“No.”  I couldn’t manage more than a single word.

My entire life had seemed to lead up to this one moment and now suddenly it felt so anti-climactic.

“Why don’t you let me finish up this mural, so that I’m free tomorrow night too. Then I can take you out on a real date.”  He smiled and something in that smile seemed odd to me as if he was struggling to hold on to this casual façade.

“Yeah, okay. I guess it is kind of late.”

The last thing I wanted was to leave. What if I never saw him again? What if he disappeared? What if this was a dream? If it was I never wanted to wake up.

“I’ll meet you here tomorrow at 3 when you close.” He said and something in his eyes assured me that he would be here.

We both stood and he walked me to the door. When I reached the door I turned to face him and found that we were only inches apart. I could feel the friction between us. I wanted so badly to lean in, to press my lips against his again. But I resisted. I was confused. Things had shifted so quickly between us. One minute we were pouring out our hearts then we were locked in a passionate embrace and now all of a sudden we were making formal dinner plans? It seemed bizarre.

He reached over and brushed a lock of my hair aside. Where his fingers brushed against my face they left a trail of fire. For a second his eyes burned with the same intensity they had moments earlier and then just as suddenly they cooled and he smiled that infuriatingly casual smile.

“See you tomorrow.”  H
e said.

I just nodded and stumbled out the door.

Finally meeting Katherine was the single greatest moment of my life. It all seemed so surreal. Sitting in her bakery telling her how I felt. Hearing how she felt. It was unbelievable. We talked about the coffee shop where we had first seen each other and about the wedding where we had almost met again.

I felt so utterly and completely connected to this woman I was just meeting. I had told myself long ago that if I was meant to be with her she would come into my life again, and now here she was. Fate had brought her to me.

It seemed natural to just lean in and kiss her and it was an amazing kiss. I had never felt anything like it in my entire life. No kiss I had ever had before could even compare. I wanted more than anything to never stop kissing her.

But suddenly I was apprehensive. I didn’t want to scare her. I didn’t want to seem like some crazy stalker pushing myself on her after having only just met. I tried to remind myself that even though I felt like I’d known her for years she probably didn’t feel the same way. I knew that I shouldn’t be kissing her this way that I shouldn’t want to take her in my arms and do so much more. At least I couldn’t let her know that’s what I wanted.

It took all of my self-control to reign in my emotions and reluctantly I pulled away from her. I did my best to seem casual. But inside I felt like my entire life had led up to this moment. Inside I was elated.

All of my dreams were coming true and I wasn’t going to ruin it. I wasn’t going to rush this. Not like I did with Elle. We were going to do this the right way. One step at a time. I owed Katherine that much. She was kissing me back now, but how would she feel later when she realized she’d kissed a perfect stranger. I didn’t want to be that to her, I didn’t want to be a stranger. I wanted to know her, to be with her the right way. So I did what seemed like the next logical step. I asked her out to dinner.

She seemed confused which bothered me. Didn’t she want to go out with me? After everything she just told me. How she’d thought of me, even looked for me. How she was upset when she had seen me with Elle. Upset enough to quit her job and move. After all that wouldn’t she want to go out with me?

Maybe she was already regretting that kiss. Maybe I moved too fast and now she wasn’t sure if she wanted to go out with me, be alone with me. Agonizing seconds passed before she agreed and I promised myself that tomorrow night I wouldn’t make the same mistake. I would take things slowly. I would do this the right way.

After finishing the mural like I’d promised I went home and lay awake all night thinking of how remarkably beautiful she was, she outshined even the way I’d remembered her in my dreams. I imagined how I would paint her. Almond shaped emerald green eyes encircled by dark full lashes. Her lower lip slightly fuller than the top giving her a sensual pout. Her chestnut hair falling in thick waves around her oval face. I realized in that instant that I had found my muse. Would she find it odd if I asked if I could paint her? Would that be too intense for a first date?