Laurie's Time (The Fairfield Series) (9 page)

“I hope you have a good time, Rob. I really do,” Carol said sincerely.

Rob smiled down at her, “Thanks, Carol. That means a lot to me. I know you’re worried. It’s just dinner as friends, I promise. For now at least,” he added with a wink.

Right then Laurie walked into the room, and Rob wasn’t sure how the oxygen left so quickly. She was wearing skinny jeans with a soft yellow shirt that wrapped in the front. On her feet were yellow sandals with heels. Her hair was loose, falling down her back, and her makeup was subtle, showcasing her natural beauty. The smile on her face reached her eyes, and Rob wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her.

While Rob was looking over Laurie, she was feasting her eyes on him as well. She stared at his magnificent physique, overwhelmed at the sheer masculinity of him. He was wearing jeans that, as usual for him, were stretched tightly over his thighs and cupped his manhood. Averting her eyes from his crotch, she noted the dark green button-up shirt that also stretched over his chest. The sleeves were rolled up at the wrists, showing his tan skin.

“Ready to go?” he asked, holding out his arm for her to take.

Laurie stepped up to him, looked up into his smiling face, and placed her arm on his. Feeling the sparks again, she looked disconcerted as they headed out of the door.

“Hey guys,” Carol called after them. “I’m heading to Tom’s place, so if y’all end up wanting a place to talk after dinner, you’re free to come here.”

Rob nodded to Carol, smiling down at Laurie as they walked to the parking lot. Reaching the truck, he opened her door, and before she could climb in, she felt strong hands circling her waist and lifting her up to be seated. Before she could protest, he leaned in across her chest to buckled her in.

“I’m completely able to buckle myself in,” she protested.

Chuckling as he closed her door, he rounded the front of the truck to hop in the driver’s side. Starting the truck and backing out of the parking lot, he looked over at her face. “Darlin’, I know you can buckle yourself in, but as long as you’re in my truck, I’ll take care of you.” Knowing she was about to protest further, he quickly added, “That’s what friends are for.”

Driving down the road, she wondered where they were going for dinner. They drove out of town to a nice restaurant by a lake. “Oh how beautiful!” she exclaimed. The sun was just starting to set over the lake and the water glistened with the sparkling colors of the sunset.

He circled around the truck and lifted her out. He lowered her slowly to the ground, keeping his eyes on hers as her feet touched the ground. Continuing to keep his hands firmly planted on her tiny waist, he was unwilling to let go.

She looked up at him. “Are we going in?” she asked with a smile.

Startled out of his musings, he just grinned and offered his arm again. She placed her hand on his arm as they entered the restaurant. They were seated in the back facing the lake, and she was thrilled with the view. The pretty hostess attempted to catch Rob’s eye, but Laurie noticed that he did not pay attention to anyone other than her. In fact, it seemed as though he only had eyes for her.
We’re just friends. We’re just friends,
she kept telling herself.

“So how did you end up in Fairfield?” he asked after they ordered, smiling the dimpled smile that made her heart feel as though everyone in the restaurant could hear it pounding.

Peering into his face, seeing only sincerity in his blue eyes, she couldn’t remember the last time a man seemed genuinely interested in her. She had always considered herself to be very open and friendly, but dating was never something she was comfortable with. High school boys just wanted to see how far they could get, and now that she thought about it, the college boys weren’t much different. Determined to never be anyone’s fling, she realized that she had held herself away from trying to find an actual relationship.
And of course, the first man to make my pulse race happens to be a notorious player. Just my luck.

Returning his smile she noticed how his eyes twinkled as they looked at her face.

“Do you really want to know, or are you just making idle conversation?” she asked, watching his expression. He looked hurt, and she immediately felt contrite. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I guess I’m not very good at this sort of thing.”

A confused look crossed his face. “Not good at what thing?”

“This,” she replied, motioning her hand back and forth between them. “Having dinner conversation with a friend that I don’t really know very well.” She could feel the blush creep from her neck to her hairline, feeling the heat searing her face.

Rob, understanding her discomfort, reached across the table and took her hand in his much larger one, giving it a squeeze. “Hey, this is just you and me, having dinner, getting to know each other. No pressure.” He hesitated until she raised her eyes to look into his once again. “Laurie, I just want to get to know you. I’ve never met anyone that I wanted to talk to, enjoy being around, you know? You’re….different. You make me want to be a better person. And I just…well…I just want to know you. Is that okay?”

She looked up in surprise as this normally self-confident, handsome man sitting in front of her seemed to be humbled. She couldn’t help but smile, thinking how much he looked like a little boy at that moment, unsure, wanting to please. “Yeah,” she said softly. “That’s okay.”

He smiled as though the weight of the world was lifted off of him. “Well, all right. So, how did you end up here?”

She began to tell him about her life, hesitantly at first and what she considered to be the abbreviated version. But the more he listened, the more he asked questions. His interest was genuine, and for the first time in her life, she felt at ease discussing the death of her grandfather and then the accident that claimed the life of her grandmother and mother.

He realized he was holding his breath as her story unfolded, as though he were watching a movie waiting for the climatic ending that always shocked the viewers.
How could she be so positive having so much happen to her?
Wanting to reach across the table and pull her into his lap, he had to fight the urge to blanket her in his arms, keeping everything painful away from her.

Laurie continued her story about her Aunt Emma becoming her guardian, the tiny apartment they lived in, making their way through college, and working at the restaurant. She glowed when talking about those times, as though the joy of those memories resonated with her very being. She even laughed when telling him that the apartment she shared now with Carol was the first time she had a bedroom to herself.

Chuckling at the thought, she looked up into his face, and immediately the smile left hers. He was staring at her as though she were some alien creature, one he couldn’t comprehend. Embarrassed, she looked back down at her food.
I shouldn’t have talked so much. I shouldn’t have told him about my life.
Her embarrassment quickly morphed into anger.
Well, screw him if my life seems weird! It was my life.

Realizing that she was now feeling awkward, he cursed himself for making her feel that way. He reached over the table to grasp her hand, desperate for the contact. She tried to pull it away, but her smaller hand was no match for his much larger one.

“Oh no, babe, you don’t stop now,” he said. “That story was incredible. You have so much to be proud of, so much you’ve done.” He gently rubbed tiny circles on her hand, willing her to feel what he was feeling.
I’ve had everything given to me. She’s had to work for everything. I’ve never known living without. She’s never had a bedroom to herself.

She raised her eyes back to his warily. “I probably bored you. I did most of the talking during dinner.”

He shook his head vigorously. “No, babe, I wasn’t bored. Amazed, impressed, awed, proud. But bored? Never.”

Smiling up at him again, she noted the way her body was reacting to what he was doing to her hand. He’s barely touching me. How is it that I can feel it all the way through me? The electric current running from his hand through hers continued its path right to her very core. She could feel her panties getting wet and her nipples hardening, and all she could think about was ….
Stop!
She jerked her hand away from his, needing to be back in control. As soon as she did though, she felt the loss and found herself wanting to reach back out and grab his hand again to reconnect the current.

Rob grinned, knowing what was going through her mind.
She does feel it. She’s as affected by me as I am her. Thank god. But go slow. Go slow.

Knowing that she had shared more than she was comfortable with that evening, he steered the conversation back to general subjects. She asked him about growing up in Fairfield, so he regaled her with tales of him, Jake, and Tom as boys. She laughed at their antics, thoroughly enjoying herself. As he settled the check, she excused herself to go to the ladies’ room.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she wondered what he thought of her.
Just friends. Just friends, s
he kept telling herself.
It doesn’t matter what he thinks, we are just friends.
Raising her eyes back to the mirror, she realized,
Oh yes, it does matter. I wish I didn’t care, but I like him.
Sighing to herself, she left the ladies’ room and walked back toward the table.

Approaching the table, she saw the hostess leaning over, her pert breasts perilously close to Rob’s face. Disappointment flooded her as she realized that he couldn’t even stop being a player for one night.
Friends, we’re just friends. It doesn’t matter if he is scoping out Miss Perky Tit of the Year!

Determined not to be affected, she made her way over to the table coming up behind them. She could hear his voice, speaking softly, but with an edge.

“If you don’t back away right now, I will report you to the manager,” he was saying. He turned his head to the side, and Laurie could see that his eyes were on the woman’s face, not her tits. And he looked…embarrassed. “And furthermore, you should have more pride than to come onto a man who is so obviously with someone else. Someone so beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. So take this check, keep your goddamn phone number, and count yourself lucky that I don’t report you!”

Laurie came to a stunned halt, frozen in place by his words. The hostess, glaring back at him, stalked off, her heels clicking on the tiled floor.

Rob cursed as he turned looking towards the ladies’ room afraid of what Laurie might have seen and misinterpreted. He was startled to see her so close, standing anchored to the floor.

He jumped up from his chair, ready to defend himself, but before he could speak, she ran the few steps separating them, threw her arms around his neck, and squeezed as though her life depended on it. Stunned, he wrapped his arms around her lifting her feet off the ground.

Pressed tightly together, her face was tucked into his neck, and she could feel his heartbeat against her breasts.

His massive arms wound around her tiny body, and he was filled with a sense of rightness. He wanted to protect her, keep her safe, take care of her.
So this is what it means to crave more than just sex.

He could feel her arms starting to slip from his neck, and he gently set her down. Keeping his eyes on hers, he smiled. “Let’s get out of here, okay?”

Smiling shyly back at him, she just nodded. He reached down, grabbed her hand, linking their fingers together as he led her outside to his truck.

This time she did not protest as he assisted her up into the seat and buckled her in.
What am I doing? It just feels right. Friends? Or more?
Shaking her head to clear her whirling thoughts, she watched him lift his muscular frame into the driver’s seat.

Looking over at her, not wanting the night to end and praying she felt the same, he asked, “Where to?”

Laurie looked down at her hands, unsure of what she felt but knowing that she was not ready for the night to end. Raising her eyes to his, she said, “We could go back to my place.” He raised his eyebrow at this suggestion. She quickly explained, “I mean, Carol is gone, and we could…keep talking…I mean, that is… um, if you wanted to.” Heart pounding, palms sweating, she felt the words stick in her throat.

“Babe,” he said softly. He held her eyes as he reached over to cup her face with his massive hand. “There’s nowhere else I rather be than with you.”

Leaning her face into his hand, she could feel the current that was becoming familiar when he was around.

*

Back at her apartment, he hesitated at the door. As she entered, she turned questioningly. “Don’t you want to come in?”

Running his hand through his hair, he suddenly felt as awkward as a teenager, fumbling on his first date. Giggling, she grabbed his hand and pulled him in. She led him over to the sofa, sitting on one side tucking her legs up under her. He sat on the other end, twisting his body to face her.

“You haven’t told me about being a fireman,” Laurie inquired. “It seems exciting and yet dangerous. Have you always wanted to do that? And work with your dad?”