Road to Reason (7 page)

“Agreed.  We are consenting adults and answerable only to ourselves.”

“I’ll tell my family when I’m ready that we’re dating. And when I tell them, I’m going explain that I approached you.”

“No,” he told her. “No one is going to believe it, for one thing. And second, it’s not the truth. I don’t like to lie.”

“It is the truth. I did approach you weeks ago. Not about dating, but I approached you all the same. So it
is
the truth. We wouldn’t be lying.  I don’t like to lie either. And why wouldn’t they believe it?” she asked, suddenly annoyed.

“Because your family knows me, and they know you.  Do you really believe they’re going to think you approached me?” he asked curiously.

“I don’t care what they believe because I
did
approach you. So that shoots your theory right down,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest again in a huff.  Just because she was a virgin didn’t mean she didn’t know how to ask a guy out.

“Point taken. But I know your brothers are going to give you grief, and I don’t want you to take it alone. I want to know when you are going to tell them, and I want to be there if I can.  We’re in this together,” he said.

She didn’t know why that statement caused her heart to bang loudly inside her chest, but it did.  “Deal. Now what is your last condition?”

He took a deep breath, looked at her seated across from him in old clothes and messy hair, arms crossed—she’d bet there were even a few cobwebs still on top—and smiled. A wickedly charming smile, causing chills to race up her spine. “First part, we need to be attracted to each other. Otherwise it won’t work.”

She blushed, but refused to confess her attraction first.

His eyes bored into hers, then traveled from her head to her red painted toenails on the floor. “I’m very attracted to you,” he said in a slow drawl, that dangerous wicked smile and gleam still in his eyes.

Her blush deepened. “Same here,” she mumbled.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear that,” he said, laughter mixing in with the wicked gleam.

“I said. The same here. I’m very attracted to you. What, am I dead?” she said sarcastically, making him to chuckle.

He stood up and walked over to her, reached for her hand and pulled her up. “Second part of my last condition.  Chemistry.”

“Chemistry?” she said with a shaky voice. “We just agreed we were attracted to each other.” She was watching him carefully now; he was like a hunter going after his prey.

“Being attracted doesn’t guarantee chemistry.”

She looked into his eyes, saw they turned a darker shade of a blue and knew he was going to kiss her.  She held her breath and closed her eyes when his lips lightly touched hers.  Nothing more than a touch. Gently at first, then a little bit more pressure.

Her body relaxed, a sigh escaped her lips, and she had all she could do not to devour him right there.

But he took it slow.  His tongue came out and traced the edge of her mouth, urging her to open for him. When she complied, he slid in tasting her slowly, coaxing her to join him. 

The room started to spin, she imagined herself falling. Grabbing his shoulders, she held on tight, not even realizing her nails were digging into him.  There was a roaring in her ears she had never heard before.  A tingling in her body she had never felt before.  If this was chemistry, then sign her up for more. 

She pushed her body closer to his, felt his arousal against her stomach, and couldn’t hold the whimper back. 

Sliding his fingers through her hair he held her head in place, deepening the kiss. Pulling her tongue into his mouth, he sucked on it, then released it.  She thought she died and went to heaven.

He pushed her away quickly and looked at her face. She’d barely registered that she had been all but plastered against him.

“I’d say we’ve got chemistry,” he whispered.

Her eyes widened. “Yeah.”

“So I guess we’re dating?” Kaitlin asked, stepping back, he didn’t miss the trembling of her legs.

Frankly, he was glad for the distance. He needed to compose himself, and fast. He had no idea he could be so shaken from a simple kiss.  “Not yet,” he said, coyly.  “But we will be after tonight.”

“What does that mean?” she asked, frowning.

“It means we haven’t gone on a date yet.” He chuckled at her pout. “Once we go on a date or two then we could be considered dating.”

“I guess that makes sense. If you want to be literal.”

“I’m always literal.” He tilted his head at her, the lines crinkling around his eyes. She was just so cute when she was all flustered.

“So when’s our first date then?”

“You aren’t going to be one of those women who has to know everything in advance, are you? Someone who has to plan out all the details?”

She huffed out a breath. “I don’t know. Are you going to be one of those guys who has to call all the shots?”

Good for her. “Not at all. I’ll let you call as many shots as you like.”

“Okay, so explain your comment then.”

He sighed. Must have been too subtle for her. “Romance. Spontaneity.  All those types of things. It keeps things exciting,” he informed her.

“I’ll take your word for it. All my dates had been planned way in advance. I guess everyone in Manhattan is too busy to be spontaneous.”

She was so clueless. He was going to have so much fun educating her.  More fun that he’d ever had before. Starting with right now. “Go get changed, because as much as I like looking at you in those clothes, I don’t think you’re the kind of person to go out in public dressed that way.”

She looked down at her clothing, remembered what she was wearing, or how little she was wearing, and squeaked while she tried to pull her shirt down a bit past her hips to no avail. Then tried to tug her shorts down, again to no avail.

He laughed at her attempt at modesty. It was a little late for that right now when she had been rubbing up against him like a cat in heat. He kept that bit of information to himself, no reason to embarrass her more.  Soon though. Soon he wouldn’t hold back what he was thinking.

“No, definitely not.  But what should I put on? What are we doing?” she asked.

“Nothing special. Just something to run to the store and get some food. Our first date should be relaxing.  We can come back here and cook dinner, get to know each other a bit more,” he said thoughtfully. Then realized she might not want to do that. “Unless you want to go out?”

“No, that’s fine. But you expect me to cook for you on our first date?” She grinned at him. “This was your idea you know,” she said, teasing him.

She was even more beautiful when she smiled.  Her eyes softened, her mouth curving generously.   Thoughts of that mouth ran through his brain and he realized maybe it wasn’t a good idea to stay in the house with her all day. “No, I’m going to cook for you,” he informed her. “Since you so kindly pointed out it was my idea. Unless, of course, you don’t want someone else working in your kitchen.”

“You cook?” she asked, amused.

“Of course I cook.  I’m a pretty good cook on top of it,” he said indignantly.

“Sorry.  I just don’t picture you in the kitchen working at the counter. I figured you’re more the guy who steals bits of food while someone else is cooking,” she said with a teasing laugh.

“Oh, I do that, too, when someone else is cooking,” he teased right back. “But women like a man who can cook.  At least from my experience. So if you’re going to do something, might as well do it right,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

He watched the heat creep up her neck, assumed she got his double meaning, and winked.

“Um, OK. I’ll go change.” She rushed out of the room to the sound of his laughter.

Teasing her was going to be enjoyable.  Not just verbal teasing either. This whole situation was looking up. 

Who would have thought two weeks ago when his father sent him to her father’s office with paperwork he would be standing here having this conversation? Or contemplating all the things he was planning on teaching her.   

She came back into the kitchen a few minutes later to find him looking through her cabinets.  “Sorry, I probably should have asked, but I was just getting an idea of what I need to pick up at the store.”

“No problem. I’m looking forward to this. I’ve never had a man cook for me before,” she said, a shy smile on her face.

“Seems to me you haven’t had a lot of things before,” he said, his eyes crinkling up at the corners. Then immediately regretted the words when he saw her smile fade. “I’m sorry. That didn’t come out the way I meant. I’m not sure what it is about you that makes me trip up so much. I’m not usually like this with women.”

“No worries. Same here. I mean, you cause me to trip up, too.  I’ve embarrassed myself more in front of you in the last few weeks than everyone else in my entire life.  I’m still a few ahead of you, but you can catch up if you want.” Back to teasing; things were good.

“I look forward to it,” he said, then reached out and placed a kiss on her lips.

She looked startled, her eyes going wide. “What was that for?”

He sighed.  He reminded himself, she still had so much to learn. “We’re dating, or will be soon.  People who date kiss each other, touch each other, hold hands. You know, those types of things.”

“Sorry. It just took me by surprise. I’m not usually a touchy feely type of person,” she said, trying to cover up for her awkwardness over his casual display of affection.

“Well, I am, so you’ll have to get used to it.” He grabbed her hand and gave it a little reassuring squeeze. “Don’t be afraid to tell me if you’re uncomfortable. I don’t want you to feel that way.  But I want you to be yourself, too.”

“I’ll tell you,” she promised. “I’m just not used to it. I might like it though.” She squeezed his hand right back, then let it drop carelessly to her side.

“Oh, I know you will.” He winked.

She blushed. “You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”

He continued to smile, but didn’t respond.

“I may be slow, but I’m not stupid,” she called over her shoulder, his eyes going to the sway of her hips as she walked away.

***

They managed to work well together in the kitchen several hours later. 

First they went to the store and picked up all the makings for a simple quick dish of spaghetti carbonara. Nothing fancy, but tasty just the same. 

It turned out to be a good thing they worked well together, because when it was time to mix the ingredients, more than two hands had been helpful.

He stirred the cooked pancetta, hot spaghetti, eggs and seasonings in the large bowl expertly, while she grated the cheese over the top.  She had prepared a salad, while he spread butter with a mixture of herbs on a large loaf of bread that had been baking in the oven. 

In the end it was a great dinner they managed to prepare without getting in each other’s way.  They worked as a unit, seemingly knowing the other’s moves without speaking. 

“Thank you again for helping me put all my clothes away. Though I don’t appreciate the little joke you played.” She wrinkled her nose at him, then took a sip of wine.

When they had gotten back from the store she had remembered she had half her clothes in boxes and the other half lying on the spare bed. She had told him that leaving such a mess caused mild anxiety attacks.  She hated to leave anything unfinished.  He had gladly offered to help, handing her pieces as she meticulously organized the closet.

He had been impressed and only wished his own closet was half as organized as hers, especially since he was pretty anal about his clothing.

It also gave him a chance to see what her wardrobe looked like, which impressed him even more.  She had plenty of short skirts and fitted dresses in there and he couldn’t wait to see them on her—and take them off her. Not yet though. 

“What?” he asked innocently. “I was just letting you know there was a spider by you.”  She didn’t need to know how much he enjoyed watching her jump up and down swatting it away.  Since he wouldn’t be getting his hands on her anytime soon, watching her body in motion was almost as good. Almost. But not quite. She had one hell of a body, full of lush curves.

“Yeah, well, a real gentleman would have come forward and squashed it rather than just saying, ‘I think that spider might land on you if you don’t move.’ You didn’t even tell me which way to move.” She scowled at him.

He was wise enough to not respond and continued to eat, rolling more spaghetti on his fork.

“So tell me about the last several years of your life,” he said. “We’re supposed to be getting to know each other better.  I think I know the basics.  You went to a private all girls’ high school, then on to Harvard, where you graduated top of your class and received your MBA.” He picked up his glass and gestured toward her with it.

“How do you know that? About graduating top of my class?” she asked, taken back.

“How do you think? Our parents talk. I’m willing to bet my mother has made a few comments about Lucas and me over the years to your mother.”

“You would bet right Mr. Starting Quarterback for Duke,” she said, slyly.

He cleared his throat and looked away, slightly embarrassed.

“What? I heard that you were potentially going to get drafted in the NFL. Then decided to go on to Law School instead.  What happened?” At his frown she added hastily, “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too personal.”

“No, not personal. Not really.  I don’t think I would have been good enough for that level of sport. I know everyone said that I was, but of course they would. No one was going to tell me otherwise. They wanted to build me up to make the school look good. In the end I didn’t want to be a backup, and I’m sure that is what I would have been in the NFL. If I can’t be the best, or at least close to the best, then I would rather focus on something else.  Something I know I can excel at.”

“Do you have to be the best in everything?”

“No.  Not at all. But I have to know I’m good enough. I always give everything I do everything I’ve got. Otherwise, why bother?  But I knew deep down it wasn’t for me. I really wasn’t good enough for that level.” He leaned back in the chair. “Yes, I could have been drafted, but who knows if or when I would have played.  I didn’t want to have my body get so abused for nothing. And it would have been nothing in my eyes. You have to know if you are good enough or not. At the top of my game, I still wasn’t at that level.”

He really did want to play. But he knew in his heart it wasn’t for him. Being a lawyer, working beside his father, that had always been his dream. Football was just a period of time that made his college life more enjoyable.  

“Besides, if it weren’t for football I would have never met my best friend.  We met at a sorority party that his girlfriend at the time was part of, and I was dating another sorority sister.  I would never tell Jack this, but he kind of scared me away from being a professional football player,” he said knowingly.

“How’s that?”

“Jack is an orthopedic surgeon.  So let’s just say I saw some of the things he was studying and doing and it scared me. Scared me to think that could happen to my body. That I might never recover.  He never knew I felt that way and I would never tell him either.  There was no guarantee anything like that would happen to me, but I couldn’t get it out of my head either.”

“So tell me about Jack then?”

He raised a questioning eyebrow at her.

“Shouldn’t I know something about your best friend? Getting to know each other, right? Just sum him up in a few words then. Nothing major,” she added, challengingly.

He thought for a moment. A few words about Jack.  “Big. Bigger than me.” Her snort of disbelief had him laughing. “It’s true.  Two inches taller and easily thirty pounds heavier. And no, before you ask, he didn’t play football. He’s not very coordinated.”

Her lips twitched. “I always figured athletes stuck together.” She shook her head. “So big and uncoordinated. What else?”

“Brilliant,” he answered readily.  “Loyal, shy and awkward.  There, that should do it.  Oh, and soft. He is a big softy, but very few people actually see it,” Ryan answered with warmth in his voice.  “He’s getting married the first week of July, ceremony and reception at my house.”

“Wow. I guess that’s friendship for you.  No big wedding for him, I’m assuming?”

“No,” Ryan’s face turned somber.  “This is his second marriage. His first wife, who was his girlfriend in college that I mentioned, she passed away a few years ago. Cancer.”

He didn’t want to remember that time in Jack’s life, because Jack was a different person now. A better person then he was in college. And Ryan always thought he was great even back then. He had Cori to thank for the change in Jack now.

“Anyway, you’ll meet him soon, I’m sure.  Enough about me. Since we’re talking about best friends, tell me about yours?” he asked.

“Well, you already know. At least the embarrassing parts. Sophia was my neighbor in Manhattan and she took me under her wing.”