Opposite Attraction (15 page)

He nodded. "I did. "

She looked down at her hands. "What an idiot I was. "

"
You were scared. "

"
I am still scared. "

"
But you 're here. " He let his hand drop and gathered hers in his. "I 'm not going anywhere. I 'm here and now so are you. We can try again. "

"
You really care about me that much, after what I did? "

He took a deep breath and made sure his mind was clear. What he was about to say wasn 't anything he 'd said to anyone else before. "Simone, I forgive you. "

Not many people surprised Simone Pierpont, except her father when he 'd banished her from his office, and now Curtis Keller.

She 'd been taught to remain in control no matter the situation, but what was she supposed to do when everything fell into place?

Her throat went dry and the pace of her heart ramped up. "You forgive me? "

"
I can 't say I 'm not pissed that it had to come about this way. But I forgive you for leaving me. "

"
Oh, Curtis. " Why couldn 't she control her tears?

He scooped her up in his arms and held her against his chest. "I didn 't think you were this girly, " he chuckled and then kissed the top of her head.

"
I want this to work. I really want this to work. "

"
Then we have to work at it. "

She nodded and sat back to wipe her eyes.

"
Now, " he brushed her cheek with this thumb, "are you going to let me stay the night to make sure you 're okay? "

Through her tears she shook her head. "No. I am fine and I want our next time to be special. "

"
You 're killing me. "

"
I know. " She took his hands in hers and held them tight. "Let me make dinner for your tomorrow. "

"
You cook? "

She didn 't appreciate the tone in his voice. But then he couldn 't have expected anything else. And no, she didn 't know how to cook, but she 'd figure something out. She 'd do anything to impress him. Cooking for him might have the opposite effect, but she 'd call for reinforcements if she had to.

Simone lifted his fingers to her lips. "I will make dinner for you tomorrow. And I will make it very special. "

"
I suppose I 'm man enough to wait o1ne more day. But I 'm also man enough to still ask one more time, can I come in? "

She smiled as she eased her hand toward the door handle. "Tomorrow. Seven o 'clock. Dinner. "

"
I 'll be here. "

Simone opened the door and eased out of the seat just as Curtis opened his door. "No. I know you are a gentleman, and my father would kill us both is you did not walk me to the door, but I am asking you to stay. " He eased back in his seat and her heart began to ease its pace. "Goodnight, Curtis. "

"
Good night, Simone. "

She shut the door and hurried up the stairs, her mind already flooded with the night she 'd plan for him tomorrow. He was right where she needed him. Forgiveness had been passed to her, the word love flowed between both of them, and kisses had been had. There would be no turning her away when she told him about the baby. By tomorrow night, Simone would have everything she never knew she 'd wanted.

Curtis didn 't sleep as soundly as he 'd hoped he would. Thoughts of his arms wrapped around Simone at the club had his mind drifting further back to them making love under the star filled sky, alone, on the yacht. He also considered that his mind was completely lost and giving Simone a second chance to break his heart was just asking for her to do so.

And yet still there was the whole fact that Simone had moved to the states, landed a data entry job of all things, and now lived with a man she 'd only met -something had happened in her quaint little life and before he had dinner with her he 'd head to Zach 's and see what he 'd found out.

Later that morning when he pulled up in front of his sister 's house he noticed the familiar extra
car that was always kept in their garage. His sister Adrianne must be in town, as that was her ride when she 'd come back home.

Before he even reached the front door he heard the distinct laughter he 'd grown up with and found he missed dearly. It came from the back of the house. He walked around back and there sat his sisters, still lounging in their pajamas on the back porch drinking coffee.

"
I hope that 's decaf, " he called out as Regan took a sip from her mug.

She turned to see him walking toward them. "You worry too much, and if you must know, yes, it 's decaf. "

Arianna stood fro1m her seat and started down the back steps of the porch to meet him. She wrapped her arms around him and planted a noisy kiss on his cheek. "I miss you, criss-cross-eyes. "

He chuckled at the childhood name she would still call him in the confines of family. "I miss you too blueberry-head. " He reached up and mussed up her already tussled hair. "Why did you always call me that? "

"
It pissed you off. "

"
As an adult I completely understand the logic in that. "

He followed her up the steps and took the vacant chair next to her.

Regan was examining him. He could feel her eyes on him long before he looked up at her. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Something is up with you. "

"
Usually. "

"
You and Simone worked things out didn 't you? "

Curtis laughed, reached over, and took her mug of coffee out of her hand. He took a sip and handed it back. "Why do you put that crap in your coffee? "

"
Cheaper than Starbucks. "

"
Hmmm, I suppose. "

Arianna nudged him in the arm. "Stop skirting the question. Did you mend things up with the princess? "

He nudged his sister back and looked at Regan. "You didn 't tell her? "

"
She got here at midnight, and here you are interrupting my gossip session. How was I supposed to tell her? "

Curtis laughed at his sister who did enjoy gossiping with her sister and their sister-in-law Madeline, but who wouldn 't take gossip out on the street. It wasn 't her style.

He leaned back in his seat and looked at Arianna, who with her hair piled atop her head, makeup traces still lingering around her eyes, and a new tattoo on her ankle, looked content in her own skin as always.

"
Simone moved to Nashville a few weeks ago. She decided to shuck the life of an oil heiress, get a job, wear hand-me-downs, and live in a little apartment with a male nurse from th1e clinic she works in. "

Arianna 's eyes opened wide. "Simone is working -in a clinic? "

"
Yep. Cynthia, of all people, got her the job. "

Arianna lifted her mug to her lips. "Cynthia. That 's your safe date right? "

He noticed Regan reached for her cup quickly and lifted it to her mouth to hide her grin.

"
Yeah, real safe, " he said with a shake of his head.

Arianna kicked him with a quick swing of her bare foot. "You still didn 't answer our question. Did you mend things with her? "

He gave some thought to what he wanted to say. There was no reason to get their tongues wagging, but they knew him too well and no matter what he said, they 'd see through it. "We have an understanding. We 're going to work at a relationship while she 's here. "

Regan sat up in her seat. "While she 's here? Is she already planning on leaving? "

"
No, she seems content. But c 'mon. She 's going to give up a lifetime of glamour and glitz to live here? "

"
Why would she do this if she planned to go back? " Arianna asked.

Curtis shrugged. "I just don 't think this is forever. She got scared because we felt things neither of us felt before and she ran off. "

"
And you 're okay with that? "

"
No. " It was matter-of-fact enough, and he was sure he believed it, but his stomach did a little uncomfortable squeeze when he thought about it. "I 've never felt this for anyone else. "

"
Felt what? " Arianna 's eyes narrowed in that
give-me-an-answer
look. She was fishing for what she wanted to hear. Yep, this was how his sisters rolled.

"
Fine. I think I 'm in love with her. "

Both of his sisters giggled and moved in to smother him with hugs and kisses. He 'd known better, he really had.

"
You 'll run him off with that, " Zach said standing at the door.

Arianna sat back. "Eh, wouldn 't be the first time. "

"
Hey, Curtis. Why don 't you come in and have some real coffee. "

"
It 's got to be a better offer than sitting here drinking this frilly stuff and getting mauled. " He stood and followed Zach into the house.

Zach walked to the counter where a fresh pot of coffee finished brewing. He took down two mugs. "I talked to Simone 's father the other day. "

"
Oh, yeah? He wonder when she 's headed back too? "

Zach slid him a look of concern then focused back on the coffee maker. "You sound like you doubt her reasoning for staying. "

"
What I doubt is that someone can change so quickly. I mean why give it all up to move here and work in some menial hourly job? "

Zach picked up the pot of coffee and filled each mug before setting the pot back in the maker. He handed a mug to Curtis. "You don 't think someone can change? "

"
Well sure they can, but… "

"
But why do it? "

"
Right? "

"
Maybe she just wants to be near you. "

Curtis followed Zach to the table and each of them sat down. Curtis sipped his coffee and then set it down in front of him. His hands were trembling and that wasn 't a good sign. It meant she 'd gotten under his skin and he 'd lost more sleep than he 'd thought he had.

"
Simone and I have come to an agreement to work on things. " He let out a breath. "I think I love her, man, and I don 't want to. "

Zach smiled as he leaned back in his seat. "I knew you did. And likewise I 've never seen her as crazy over a man before. "

"
Yeah, and I know she 's had1 plenty. " That sounded rude and he hadn 't meant to be, he was just trying to justify his uncertainty.

Zach must have known he 'd regretted what he 'd said because he didn 't call him on it or his own mishandlings with women. "You 're going to give a relationship a try then? "

"
Yeah. I guess we are. " He chuckled. "She must be pretty serious about doing it right too. She wouldn 't even let me stay last night, even after she got sick. "

"
Sick? " Zach inched forward. "Is she okay? "

"
I think her nerves got the better of her. She 's fine. She 's cooking me dinner tonight. "

That made Zach laugh aloud. "Simone? Cook? She really must be sick. "

"
Well that 's what I thought, but if she 's into changing everything I guess she 'll cook too. "

"
She must have it bad for you. "

Though he thought he was a catch, he didn 't see giving up your livelihood for him. That still didn 't make sense.

Curtis lifted his mug. "Anyway, you said you talked to her father? "

"
I did. I don 't think she 'd want me to tell you what he said though. "

He let the hot coffee sear his throat. "So why bring it up? "