Any Way You Want Me (4 page)

Chapter
5: It's Written in the Stars

           
"Well, I'm getting my cocktail dresses ready for the inevitable parties,
dinners and social invites to come," Kylie said as she held the manuscript
in her lap. "You're going to be the next literary star in the crime
world," she said to Gatlin as he sat down next to her on the sofa in her
living room.

           
"Kylie you don't have to say …"

           
"Be quiet you handsome, talented, brilliant writer," she said,
pressing her fingers to his lips. "Because I knew you wouldn't accept mere
praise — even though  it's well-deserved I might add — I made some notes
throughout. Take them or leave them. I just jotted down my thoughts as I read
along. It's a excellent book Gatlin. It really is," she said, making a
point to look him straight in the eye so he could see her sincerity.

           
"Thank you," he said. He exhaled. He hadn't realized how much her
opinion of it meant to him.

           
Gatlin picked up the manuscript off her lap and read through a couple of her
insights. "It's funny you should say that," he said, pointing to the
second note he ran across, "I was thinking the same thing, but I didn't
change it. Now, I'm definitely going to."

           
Kylie was moved. He trusted her — enough to take her advice on his first novel,
with no ego attached.
This man has it right on so many levels
, she
thought. She fell a little bit more in love with him as she sat beside him
silently as he read through her notes.

           
Kylie got up, went to the kitchen and opened a bottle of wine. Going back into
the living room, she wordlessly set a glass in front of him, kissed him on the
forehead and went to her bedroom.

           
A few minutes later, Gatlin stood in the door, watching her remove the earrings
from her ears.

           
Kylie saw him in the mirror on her dresser as he moved silently across the
room, grabbed her from behind and hugged her.

           
"I'm sorry," he said.

           
"For what?"

           
"For coming in and so rudely and immediately focusing on the book. I
really did come over here to see you, not just discuss my book," he said.

           
"I know," she said, turning around in his arms, "But I don't
mind at all. I was just going to take a long shower, then take my time getting
dressed so we could go. That would give you time to run through my notes if you
want."

           
Lowering his head to nuzzle her neck, he said, "How about if we ordered in
this evening?"

           
Kylie knew exactly what he was asking.

           
"I thought you'd never ask," she said, reaching up to press her lips
to his.

.
. .

           
"Yes," Kylie panted as Gatlin's warm lips closed over her right breast.
Needing something to hold on to to keep from spiraling out of control, she
sinuously slipped her fingers through his rich, dark hair.

           
Gatlin sucked on her right nipple, bringing it to a wet stiff peak, then
continued his onslaught on the left one. His tongue was lovingly persistent.
His mouth was endlessly pleasure-giving.

           
The blood drummed in her ears, racing throughout her body to her chest, legs,
feet and waist area.

           
He moved one hand to the center of her, prodding her clenched thighs apart to
slide his finger up and down her womanly slope. The slow, lazy motion drove her
crazy as his mouth continued their assault on her fully erect breasts.

           
"That's it Kylie. Open up to me baby. Give me all of you," he coaxed,
his voice low and full of passion.

           
At this, Kylie's legs slowly opened, allowing him full access to the most
precious part of her.

           
"Oh Gatlin, I want you so much. I need you so much," she said, eyes
closed as she gave in to the spasms of pleasure spreading from the center of
her body to every corner she possessed. Her back arched off the bed as she
spread her legs wide, convulsing and calling out his name.

           
"Gatlin, oh Gatlin. Gatlin," she cried over and over.

            Kylie
grabbed his head with one hand and plunged her velvety tongue into his mouth in
a deep kiss. Her other hand sought the ultimate prize, his manhood.

            As she
slid her tongue in and out of his warm, willing mouth, she guided his shaft to
her opening and raised her hips up, practically begging him to take her.

            Gatlin
needed no further urging. There wasn't an inch of her he didn't taste, touch or
reach. She tangled her fingers in his hair as she arched her hips over and over
again, meeting his hard strokes time after time with her own fierce need.

            As their
bodies moved together in this age-old dance, he was shaken to his very soul at
how intensely he felt inside this woman. He'd never had any one match his
desire stroke for lustful stroke. He'd never had a woman match his soul —
emotion for powerful emotion.

           
This was different. He knew it as he moved insider her, touching her core over
and over and over again.

           
"Kylie, my beautiful, beautiful Kylie," he said as she tightly wound
her legs around him. Winding her hips in a circle, she held him close, giving
him access to the deepest part of her.

           
With one last, deep thrust, Gatlin buried his face in her neck, taking them
both over the precipice.

.
. .

           
Gatlin looked at the sleeping from of the beautiful woman next to him. Her hair
was spread out on the pillow, just like he'd imagined it so many nights as he'd
lain awake, anticipating the first time he'd make love to her.

           
It had been so much more. Dreams couldn't do justice to what had just
transpired between them. He was shaken by the intensity of what he felt for
her.

           
She stirred, reaching for him.

           
Gatlin slid down beside her, running his hand across one exposed breast. Her
eyes opened drowsily and she covered his hand with hers, imploring him to
continue his exploration.

           
She started some exploring of her own, caressing his erect manhood as she gazed
into his sinfully tawny eyes. Gatlin's hand went to the place where he never
wanted to leave. Nestled between the soft forest of hairs at her thighs, he
began his magical stroking, his gaze never leaving her face as he lowered his
head to kiss her passion-swollen lips.

.
. .

           
The early morning light of dawn tiptoed into they sky, kissing the bodies of
the lust-filled couple as they slept.

Chapter
6: It's Official!

           
"It's finally official, my book will be on shelves just in time for
Christmas. December 1st."

           
"Oh Gatlin that's great!" Kylie said, jumping up and down and
wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so proud of you!"

           
Gatlin immediately thought of his mother and father. It was the first time in
his life he'd ever heard those words from anybody. "
I'm so proud of
you."

           
"… Now the newest, best-kept, crime writer will no longer be a secret. I
don't know how you managed to stay quiet about it. I would have been shouting
it from the rooftops!" Kylie was saying.

           
"So, what do you want to do to celebrate? Anything. Anything at all she
said … it's my treat and don’t you dare refuse."

           
"Whatever you want to do, really Kylie, is fine with me. I just have one
request. I would like to invite my friend — the screenwriter who introduced me
to the agent. He's going to be in town next week, so if you wouldn't mind
holding off on celebrating for a week or so, that would be great."

           
"Anything you won't. But all that means is that you get two celebrations
mister. … I'm taking you out for dinner tonight. Then, I have a special
surprise for you later," she said seductively.

           
"Well I'd like my surprise right now, then we can go to dinner," he
said, grabbing her and pulling her to him.

           
"It's not that!" Kylie said, playfully batting his hand away from the
opening of her blouse. "But then you are so deserving," she said,
pulling him back to her. "A girl can never celebrate her man's dream
coming true too much, now can she?" she said, sliding her hand between his
jean-clad thighs.

           
This woman, Gatlin thought, had invaded every aspect of his life. Her smell was
on his sheets. Her toiletries were in his bathroom. Her books were in his
living room.

           
Her love was in his heart … and it scared the hell out of him.

Chapter
7: Too Close for Comfort

           
"Gatlin
is something wrong?" Kylie asked. "You've seemed a little bit out of
it all week," she observed.

           
"It's nothing. Just a story I'm working on is all," he said as they
mounted the stairs to his apartment.

           
They'd had a lovely dinner with his agent friend who was visiting from Los
Angeles, and taken in a show afterwards.

           
"Can I help with the story? Maybe a fresh perspective will shake out some
kinks," she said. "I know it helps me when I'm stuck sometimes."

           
"Nah. I got it," he said.

           
"I'm gonna put on the TV. Anything in particular you want to see — news,
movie?" she asked cheerily, ignoring his monosyllabic answers in her
effort to be understanding.

           
They'd been dating for more than three months now, but Gatlin had been pulling
away from her lately, which she wasn't used to. And, when she'd try to engage
him in conversation about it, he just shut down even more.

           
"Whatever you want," he said, taking off his dinner jacket and
disappearing into the bathroom.

           
Kylie grabbed her ringing phone. "I'm already in Brooklyn," she said
to Katrina, who was on the other line.

           
Her friend said she needed someone to talk to and to be honest, so did Kylie.
"You know what, I'll meet you in 20 minutes. Let's meet at that bar in
DUMBO; you know the one with the awesome calamari. I had dinner before we went
to the theatre, but I could go for a late-night snack and that's about halfway
between us," she said, ringing off as Gatlin exited the bathroom.

           
"Hey," Kylie said. "Katrina called. She really needs an ear —
man trouble — so I'm gonna meet her in DUMBO and then go on home tonight, ok?
It's been a long day and I'm wiped."

           
If the truth be told, Kylie was more mentally than physically exhausted. She
was starting to worry about Gatlin's inability or unwillingness to open up to
her.

           
She
could swear he seemed relieved at the fact that she was leaving, which
infuriated her.

           
Controlling her rising temper and hurt feelings, she said bluntly,
"Gatlin, do you want to continue seeing me? Because if you don’t, all you
have to do is say so, you know?"

           
"Why do you ask me that?"

           
A question with a question
she thought. Her reporter's intuition caught
that one right away. People usually do that when they're trying to avoid giving
a straight answer.

           
Up for the challenge of being brutally honest, she replied, "Because you
haven't acted like it lately. You've cancelled dates; you don’t call as much
and when we are together, you're moody, for lack of a better word."

           
"I know you've been busy with your book and with work. We're in the same
business, remember, so I get all that. But when I ask you what's wrong, you
won't even talk about it. So, what else am I left to think?"

           
"How about not thinking that it has anything at all to do with us?"
he replied coldly.

           
"How can I not think that when you won't tell me what the problem
is," she replied, still trying valiantly to stay calm. "Look, I've
tried to give you your space, and I've tried to find out what it is so maybe I
can help. But it's like you just shut down," Kylie continued, desperate
for him to communicate with her. "Look — whatever it is, you can tell
me."

           
"You wouldn't understand," he said.

           
"How do you know if you won't even tell me what it is?" she blasted
back, letting the lid off her anger. She'd had it up to here with him shutting
the emotional door in her face.

           
"Let's just say I know you won't understand," he said, his patience
wearing thin with this conversation.

           
"That's mighty presumptuous and sanctimonious of you Gatlin. As a
reporter, you should know better than to assume before you have all the
facts."

           
"Alright, try this on for size," he said.

           
"I saw the body of a 24-year-old woman today. She'd been beaten to a pulp
by her boyfriend. Pretty girl, you could tell, she used to be a very pretty
girl. She left behind a toddler, who's now in foster care unless and/or until
her family can be located. The woman had needle tracks up and down her arm, so
it makes me wonder what kind of family she came from, and if they'll be able to
help her child if they are found. That's what's on my mind," he said
finishing.

           
"I know those kind of stories never get easier, Gatlin. And I'm sorry to
hear that that's what you had to face today. I truly am. But this goes much
deeper. Does it have something to do with your father? You've never told me
about him. You never talk about your early life at all."

           
"And it's not exactly a conversation I want to have right now," he
said.

           
"But how do you expect to ever heal; to ever fix it, if you're not even
willing to confront whatever it is," Kylie said softly.

           
"You know what your problem is?" Gatlin bit out, frustrated that she
wouldn't just let the conversation go. "You're too damn naïve. Not
everything is a bed of roses, Kylie. Life is not all butterflies and
sunshine."

           
"And do you know what your problem is?" Kylie responded, her hurt and
anger getting the better of her. "You're too damn jaded. You wouldn't know
what happiness was if it jumped up and bit you in the ass," she continued.

           
"You're content being miserable — and I'm just going to leave you to that
because it has no place in my world of butterflies and sunshine," she
ended as she snatched up her jacket and purse, and stormed passed Gatlin.

           
His arm snaked out and grabbed her. He needed her.
Dear God he needed her
.
 Crushing her to him, he found her lips and wouldn't let go.

           
"Let go … of  … me," Kylie bit out as she fought against her
rising tide of passion.

           
Gatlin's heat-seeking tongue melted her last bit of resistance. Kylie dropped
her jacket and purse and dug her hands into his thick, dark hair.

           
Oh God I love him so
, she thought as she returned his kiss.

           
Her resistance melted, Gatlin slowed his assault on her mouth, moving to the golden
column of her neck. He continued his trail of desire, unbuttoning her blouse
and taking one enflamed nipple into his warm mouth.

           
"No, no, no … stop. Stop Gatlin," her words slowly penetrated his
aroused state.

           
"This doesn't solve anything," she said, tears rolling down her
cheeks. It's never been our problem … and it won't be our salvation."

           
Shaking off his desire to focus as best as he could, Gatlin responded,
"It's a damn good place to start," and reached for her again.

           
"Gatlin stop!" Kylie yelled. "Don’t you see? This is just
another way for you to
not
deal with your real feelings. … I'm looking
for real, lasting, soul-connecting love; not some casual fuck!"

           
"You know you're not some casual … you mean more to me than just a roll in
the hay," Gatlin said, not able to bring himself to use the 'f' word in
relation to her. "I really care about you Kylie."

           
"I love you Gatlin. Hopelessly, desperately, completely. And I know it's
not something a modern woman is supposed to say so early in a relationship. But
there it is. And I don't expect you to do anything, or say anything. I just
wanted you to know where I'm coming from."

           
"You see, in my world, love is not complicated. Difficult at times? Yes.
But hard? No. It's not some pot-holed filled road to be navigated for miles and
miles and miles on end. You're absolutely right, I do believe in butterflies
and sunshine. I believe in love — and I won't let anybody make me feel bad
about that, or take that dream away from me."

           
"And the thing is, I know you love me Gatlin, or you're on the verge of
it. But you just won't let yourself trust that what we could have is real. And
I refuse to spend my life trying to prove it to you or make you believe it.
Life is just too short for that."

.
. .

           
Knowing she was late meeting her friend, Kylie hurriedly rearranged her
clothing, grabbed her jacket and purse and rushed out the door.

           
"Taxi!" she screamed, wiping tears as a passing yellow cab drove by
and she gathered the long folds of her evening skirt to step into the cab.