The Fine Line Book One Between Worlds Series (6 page)

For Robin, the silence was
nerve-wracking.

“
Can I kiss you?” he
whispered his nose nearly touching hers.

“
I was beginning to wonder
when you were going to,” she replied.

He leaned in and touched her lips with his
as delicately as possible. Her hands cupped his face. A giggle
escaped before she could control herself.

He pulled away quickly. “What?”

“
You’re chin tickles,” she
commented as she touched his perfectly groomed goatee.

“
My goatee?” He rubbed his
whiskers, too.

He leaned in once more, their mouths open
with expectancy. Tenderly, they kissed again. He took her hand in
his and pulled her closer. She felt him stop and so she opened her
eyes.

With their faces still close together, he
said,

“
As much as I’d love to
stay out here and keep going with this, we need to go in and meet
Bill and Leah.”

She nodded as she bit her bottom lip. He let
go of her hand and then held out his free hand waiting for her to
take it. Happily, she put her hand in his and walked to the ticket
counter.

Bill stood at the entrance with his
girlfriend, Leah Wilson. Taller than Bill with long, straight
blonde hair, her large blue eyes gleamed with confidence.

Once introduced, the couples found a nice
spot on the lawn. Bill and Matt spread the fluffy blankets onto the
grass. Robin sat down and pulled her knees to her chest. Her arms
wrapped around her legs. She felt awkward yet comfortable at the
same time; a perfect oxymoron.

Matt crouched in front of Robin on his
knees. He put his palms on her knees and smiled affectionately.

“
I’m going to go grab a
beer. You want anything?”

“
If they’ve got Mike’s
Hard Lemonade I’ll take one.”

He leaned in and kissed her lips
quickly.

“
I shall return M’Lady,”
he whispered as his eyes opened.

“
I’ll be waiting, M’Lord,”
she said, her breaths coming shallowly.

She watched him walk with Bill until they
were out of sight.

Leah stretched out on the blanket as Robin
glanced over at her.

“
You two make a cute
couple,” Leah began.

“
Thank you.”

“
Bill is always talking
about how Matt needs to get involved with someone nice.”

“
Everyone needs that I
think,” Robin generalized.

“
You seem like a good
person. God knows it is about time Matt found someone who wasn’t a
barracuda. His ex-wife was a nightmare; a maniac.”

She felt her stomach drop to her knees.

“
Was she?”

“
God, yes. I used to see
them at the café. Disrespectful doesn’t even cover it. Have you
seen his little girl? Looks nothing like him. I’m guessing she’s
not even his.”

“
Really?” Robin’s voice
shook.

The line at the concession stand was long.
Crowds swarmed around Bill and Matt as they tried very hard to be
patient. They heard guitars tuning up and the sounds of laughter
and conversation filled the air.

Matt’s cell phone interrupted the serenity
with the “Jaws” theme. He took it out of his jeans pocket, but
didn’t even have to look at the call ID. It was Sheryl. He clicked
the ignore button and put the phone back into his pocket. Bill
shook his head. “You need to squash that, amigo; nothing but
trouble there. She’s going to do what she always does. Once she
catches wind you’re seeing someone, she’ll work her magic and there
you’ll be.”

“
I don’t think so; not
this time.”

A perplexed expression covered Bill’s
face.

“
What’s different about
this time?”

“
It’s just something I
know. I can look at Robin… and I see... I just don’t think I’ve
ever felt like this before.”

“
Take my advice then, if
Robin is as cool as we both think, you better not do anything
stupid.”

Robin watched the men as they fought the
crowd around them. The amphitheater continued filling with patrons.
Cautiously, they made their way up the hill, drinks in hand.
Politely, Matt handed her the drink and then sat down beside her.
He leaned over and kissed her cheek sweetly. She turned her face to
him and smiled.

“
That was unexpected,” she
began. “You’re the affectionate type aren’t you?”

“
Guilty,” he answered as
he held up both of his hands. “I take it you’re one of those types
that don’t like that, right?”

“
On the contrary, I love
it,” she concluded as she reached over to touch his
face.

The events of the evening went by quickly.
The concert was over and the couples moved onto a night club in
Oxford. It was filled to the brim with college students, all of
them dancing and drinking.

Easily, Robin saw how popular Matt was. It
seemed he knew everyone in the club. He said “hi” to at least a
half dozen people before they even made it to the corner booth. His
good looks and exuberant personality undoubtedly attracted
interest.

Robin sat quietly in the booth contemplating
what a horrible dancer she was. The expression on her face couldn’t
be ignored.

“
If you want to go…” Matt
began.

“
It’s fine.” She lied. “I
just suck at dancing.”

“
I won’t let you fall,” he
said assertively.

Turning to look at him, she smiled. She
suddenly realized that the word “fall” meant so many things to her.
In this case, she felt herself falling for Matt regardless of her
best efforts to resist him. She came to her senses and replied to
his firm statement.

“
You say you won’t let me
fall? I’ll hold you to that.”

A waitress dressed in a short black mini
skirt and spaghetti strap sequined top arrived at the table to take
drink orders. The entire time she stood at the table, she stared at
Matt, her fierce green eyes filled with lust. Robin ordered vodka
and Coke. She knew she needed to get much drunker to counteract her
timidity.

The waitress came back quickly with the
drinks.

Robin looked at the glass of dark liquid and
sighed.

“
I have to warn you,” she
began as she took a drink, “I’m a cheap drunk.”

“
It’s okay. You’re in good
hands. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you,” Matt
replied.

They sat contentedly beside each other while
Bill and Leah escaped to the dance floor. Soon, another woman
appeared scooting into the booth beside Matt. This one was tall
with short red hair.

“
Doc Gregory! Haven’t seen
you here in a while,” she squealed as she threw her arms around his
neck.

“
It’s been a while,” he
said as he discretely took her hands and put them in her lap.
“How’s that wrist?”

“
Good,” she answered
quickly. “So how have you been?” she continued as she ignored
Robin’s presence.

Robin’s fingers traced the condensation on
the glass as she continually sipped the drink. The chill of the
glass on her skin made her shiver a little. Her thoughts wandered
to places she didn’t want to go. It seemed as if impulse took her
into those dark corners of her mind, filled with doubt, sorrow, and
defeat. The obnoxious red head didn’t help matters either. Still,
she stayed composed and said nothing. Finally, she heard Matt
answer the question.

“
I’m great.”

He took Robin’s hand off of the glass and
held it in his on the tabletop for all eyes to see.

“
This is Robin, Robin this
is Gail.”

Gail nodded at Robin.

“
Pleasure,” the red head
said with venom in her tone.

Robin simply smiled.

“
Well, it was good to see
you again Doctor. Take care and don’t be a stranger,” she concluded
as she made herself scarce.

“
You are popular,” Robin
stated.

“
Na, I just see too many
of these people in the E.R. That’s all.”

Robin watched as he took several drinks from
his beer. Over the sound system a slower song came on. Matt turned
to her.

“
You ready to hold up your
end of the deal?” he asked.

“
What?”

“
To dance?” he said
loudly.

“
Are you sure you’re up to
this?” she asked carefully.

“
Absolutely.”

Matt slid out of the booth and stood beside
the table patiently as Robin slid out on the other side. He held
his hand out and she accepted. They walked to the dance floor then
Robin felt herself whisked into his arms securely. Balance didn’t
seem to be a problem in his embrace.

She rested her chin on his shoulder.

“
You feel so right,” he
whispered.

She felt the same way, but still feared
saying so. Instead, she closed her eyes and basked in the safety
and stability of his arms.

Gently, she put her cheek on his shoulder
and looked up at him. Feeling her gaze upon him, he turned his head
and tenderly kissed her forehead. The fragrance of her hair
encompassed his senses. Drinking her up, he lightly caressed the
exposed skin on her back. He put her hand in his and drew it close
to his chest.

Her heart sat squarely on her sleeve. As
much as she tried fighting against it, she trusted too easily in
spite of the events of her past. Too many times she nursed a broken
heart after her loyalty had been shattered and her trust had been
betrayed.

“
You can trust me, you
know,” he stated bluntly as if he read her very
thoughts.

The confusion in her eyes as she continued
looking up at him gave him entrance to her soul. He knew he would
find himself there among her doubts.

“
You’re afraid to trust
me,” he continued.

Still, she said nothing as her brown eyes
stung and the lump in her throat grew bigger. He smiled sweetly
with an understanding she longed for.

“
Don’t be afraid. I won’t
hurt you.”

“
If I had a penny for each
time I’ve heard that one…”

“
I know. I know. You’d be
rich.”

“
Matt, I’m not one to beat
around the bush,” she began, her head still resting on his
shoulder, “But, you need to know that I’ve been through some very
nasty things. I don’t want to go through those things
again.”

“
You want to tell me about
it?”

Hesitatingly, she sighed.

“
I was involved with
someone. He was very charming, seemingly dependable, and at the
start of our relationship, he was very sweet. As time went on, my
life with him became a complete nightmare. There was a lot of
betrayal and he used to… to… hurt me… physically,” she stammered.
“There were times that I wasn’t sure how violent he would become,
but eventually I found out. At one time, I thought he was going to
kill me. Luckily, he didn’t. Since then, I’ve not been the same.
I’m broken, really; damaged. I will always be broken I think. I’ve
dated off and on, but really the men I’ve went out with have been
losers. And even if they were good men, I don’t think I gave any of
them a fair chance. I don’t want to do that with you because you do
seem really great.”

“
Another problem I’ve run
into involved ex-wife issues, which brings me to my insecurity with
your situation. What about your ex-wife?”

“
What about
her?”

“
Are things over with her?
Does she still possess the power to reel you back in?”

“
First of all, she’s
married and she’s not my problem anymore, thank God. That’s the
beauty of divorce. Second of all, the only person I run to is my
daughter. I don’t have any unresolved feelings for my ex-wife. In
situations concerning my daughter, Sheryl tends to use me and I
know this, but I feel an obligation to take care of my
child.”

“
I don’t think you
understand what I’m asking you. Are you still in love with
her?”

“
Hell no,” he answered
looking her square in the face.

“
Are you sure?”

He stopped dancing and cupped her face in
his hands.

“
Yes. I’m
sure.”

The finality in his expression finally built
some confidence in Robin.

Leaning in, he kissed her thoughtfully and
then began to sway again.

After leaving the club, they went back to
Robin’s apartment complex. As Robin sat in the cab of the truck
staring up at the dark windows of the building, a battle raged
within her. She wondered if Matt had ill intentions; whether he
would push her into physical intimacy.

“
Do you mind if I walk you
to your door?” he asked.

“
Not at all,” she
answered.

He hopped out of the truck and opened the
passenger side door, offering his hand to her.

Slowly they walked up the stairs to her
door.

“
Tonight was great,” he
said.

“
Yes it was.”

“
I’ll be at your next
softball game if you want me to be, but I’ll only be there under
one condition,” he started.

“
A condition?”

“
Yes, a condition. You
have to keep coming to Wednesday night bowling,” he
concluded.

“
Of course I will.” She
said with a smile.

Robin’s nerves overtook her, but not for
long. Matt romantically leaned down and kissed her lips
thoughtfully. The tip of his tongue ran across her lips as she put
her arms around his neck to feel him close to her. Slowly, he
pulled back, her arms still around his neck.