Undeniably Yours (Bass Cole) (Torn Series) (2 page)

Emma slid inside the booth and I quickly followed suit, comfortable amidst all these strangers already, which was an added bonus.

Cece, who was sitting across from us, got out of her seat and purposely sat next to me. Women like her flooded the city and I could
spot a bitch with an over-hungry appetite for fame a mile away. The woman didn’t even wait a beat until she talked my ears off.

Cece’s
kind were familiar to me, and typically, I could tolerate having them around. Tonight, however, I wanted to speak to Emma alone, but I didn’t want to be rude because I had just met her.

So I had to act like I was interested in Cece’s failed auditions; and it took her what?
Ten minutes
to ask if I could help her get roles? The woman was brazen, I would give her that.

Pretending to be engrossed in my chat with Cece wasn’t a hardship, but what amused me more was Emma’s persistence to pull her hand away from mine. The more she tugged, the harder I clutched our intertwined fingers.

Need I say that I was acting like an irrational man? It disgusted me that a guy like me was too taken by her; to the point where I kept checking the time because I couldn’t wait to get her alone.

Amber and Trista both excused themselves to find some guys. They had been openly chatting about what type they were looking for.

A few minutes later, Lindsey left as well, bidding me goodbye.

It was just the three of us and I could feel—yes,
I fucking
felt
it—where Emma was going with her next move.

Just as Cece thrust her overly sized, hard as rock breasts, Emma tugged away again, getting up this time. “Bass, I have to go to the bathroom.”

I saw something in her eyes and wondered where she was going with this. She couldn’t be seriously trying to hook me up with this plastic injected wannabe? Not going to happen.

“Let me take you,” I offered, wanting to follow her everywhere.

Her stricken expression gave her away. She wanted to be away from me, dismissing me already without giving a proper chance to get to know me better.

I should’ve been ticked off, but alas, it only fueled my determination.

“No, thanks. I’m good.”

Reluctantly, I let go of her hand, willing to give her a buffer from me. I was giving her this tiny space then I was going all out.

It was madness. The only explanation to this was that I could possibly be horny. Which I was, however it was also so much more than that.

My dwelling thoughts were once again casted aside as Cece’s advancement became blatantly obvious. She was now touching my
thigh, rubbing. “You’re wasting your time with her. Why don’t we dance and I can show you a good time?”

Even if I was wasting my time with Emma, I certainly wasn’t going to spare a second with this woman. Her toxic personality repulsed me.

Checking the time again, it seemed that Emma had been gone for over ten minutes. My eyes immediately scanned the crowded club, feeling a daunting feeling sink in that she probably had left already. Or better yet, out to seek her other friends…
or
another man had caught her eye.

Not needing to waste another second with this self-centered chit, I got up and excused myself. “I better go find her, just in case she got lost.”

Cece snorted, offended that I wasn’t accepting her generous offer. “Good luck with that.”

With a curt nod, I left her all by her bitter, lonely self. I was just about to turn towards where the restrooms where located when I saw
her
breeze through the throng of people, aiming towards the entrance. She had this confused frown on her face as she walked about, neglecting the open, appreciative stares she was getting from her male counterparts.

Moving as quickly as possible, I headed towards her. Just in the nick of time, I heard her sigh just as I grasped the side of her hips and pulled us into a darkened corner, tucked behind the bouncers spot and the bar.

There were stacks of empty crates, but I barely took notice because Emma was ready to fight me off.

“What the fu—” she halted mid-sentence when I expertly spun her around to face me and placed a finger on her luscious lips, hushing her.

Her blue eyes sparked at me, ignited by the licks of burning fire; desire and hunger permeated the air. It was thick with it.

Good to know it wasn’t only me feeling this weird connection.

Her lips were partially parted while her hot breath licked my finger, making me beyond aware of the perfervid chemistry that seemed to engulf us, holding us in its trance.

My eyes darkened as I studied those lips.

Her hitched breathing only added to my purpose. The pad of my thumb grazed against her cushioned bottom lip, memorizing it. I agonized with the anticipation of tasting it one day.

My lungs seemed to have some trouble working when her heaving breasts started to press against my chest.

Her breasts… don’t fucking go there man. Her lips alone were doing me in and, if I start focusing on her supple cleavage, I might do something drastic and take her right here, right now, uncaring that we were in some storage area at a nightclub. `

“Call me crazy—call me
anything
you like—but I want to get to know you, Emma. Give me the rest of the night to get to know you. The moment my eyes spied you tonight, I was mesmerized and I can’t let you walk away.”

Those gorgeous eyes looked into me, seeking answers, seeking reason.

“I don’t know about that, Bass.”

“Tonight,
just tonight…
that’s all I ask, Emma. I know you barely know me, but I give you my word, I will not do anything you don’t want me to do, I promise.” I gave her my assurance, meaning each word.

As much as the thought of sex with her appealed to me, the need to get to know the woman behind the small, unsure smile intrigued me even more.

“Why? What do you have in mind?” she asked, still contemplating.

I understood her reluctance and I was glad that it was there to begin with. It proved what type of a woman she was, and it pleased me to no end.

“All I want to do is talk and enjoy your company, nothing more.” I used my pleading voice to sway her decision and I was happy when it worked.

“Fine, as long as you
keep
your promise, okay? No sex of any kind or shit will turn very ugly.” She was warning, though her cuteness got to me and I simply had to give a mega-watt smile. The need to kiss her nose was tempting, but I didn’t dare do it.

I knew my limits, and certainly, that gesture would be pushing it.

“Thank you, Emma Anderson. I promise you won’t regret this.” My finger traced her bottom lip again with excruciating slowness, fighting off the urge to taste her.

“You better,” she croaked back, breathless.

Her ragged breathlessness made the rush of my blood head downwards, diffusing my brain as I held her tighter. Pressing my hard, muscled body against her own, I lavished on her heat, merely satisfying the animalistic hunger she evoked in me.

When she shivered against me, I almost lost it.

“Exquisite beauty,” I rasped out, staring at her with hunger, ready to suck on her sweet lips.

My fingers trailed down, caressing her neck, and then her jaw with soft, gentle strokes. Her delicate skin was like velvet to touch.

Something about this woman held me captive. The more time I spent with her, the more the feeling intensified.

It was beyond baffling.

Emma looked so entranced, ready to be savored by me, ripe to my touch… but I wasn’t going to take us there. I needed more time.

Pushing against her breasts, cheek to cheek, I murmured into her ear. “I told you we would have our first date tonight.” My hot breath brought a soft moan from the beautiful siren herself.

Her moan
did strange things to me.

As much as I liked this electrified, sensual foreplay though, it wasn’t my intention with her.

The night was young.

Besides, for the first time in months, I looked forward to something bright.

Maybe it might even turn out to be extraordinary…

Glimpses of The Woman Underneath

When Lou, my driver, bid us goodnight and left my driveway, I took hold of Emma’s arm and guided her towards my home. She remained silent as I opened the door and deactivate the alarm system before the lights immediately flickered to life.

Silently, I studied her reaction as her eyes took in her surroundings. An entire glass wall panel was made into a waterfall. The open space was done elegantly in black, white and silver with cerulean blue accents that jazzed up the space.

My home was the ultimate man’s pad, although it held something warm and didn’t give out that hard, cold feeling.

Emma cocked her head to the side, biting back a playful smile. “I want to tell you that your house is gorgeous, but you probably hear that all the time.”

She was mesmerizing to look at. She was talking about my home, but my eyes were trained on her face, captivated. Beautiful, I wanted to say, but changed my mind at the last second. “Thank you. I do, but it’s a first from you. So, it counts.”

With my arm loosely around her waist, I playfully nudged her forward. I needed
any
excuse to touch her. Each time I did, the whole bizarre feeling set in again and I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. Even with my indecisiveness, though, I knew one thing, I wasn’t about to stop.

Her sexy heels echoed loudly against the black marbled floor, hips swaying as she did so. “Come on, I want to show you the view from the patio.” It was one of the reasons why I had bought this house.

Situated on a hilltop, the bright lights of Los Angeles sprawled before our eyes, vast and mysterious. It was completely captivating with the famous Hollywood sign seen in the distance.

Her eyes took in the sight before us, twinkling with great fascination.

Coming up behind her, I brushed the tip of my nose against her hair, getting high off her scent. “It’s marvelous, isn’t it?” I asked, referring to this thing between us and not the view.

Emma merely nodded in agreement.

Could it be possible to feel this distracting kind of closeness towards someone I had barely met? Even with the women I’d had before, it took me a few times to engage with them until I could feel comfortable. However, with Emma right now, everything felt new, while, at the same time, it felt as if I was meant to feel this way.

Baffled as to where my train of thought was going, I cleared my throat and asked, “You’re a new guest in my home, Emma Anderson. What can I get you for refreshments?” It was my excuse to head indoors, hoping to clear my head a bit.

Emma moved sideways, captivating me some more. “Red wine and water, please.”

“Right away, Miss.” I put out a lazy smile. It was idiotic, yet I couldn’t help it. I liked having her here.

Emma decided to follow me inside the house. Her heavy perusal was felt as I moved about, trying in earnest to ignore her avid interest. I almost groaned when I saw her lean over the granite island, watching me closely as I tried to focus on gathering our drinks.

“
So
, where did Cece go?” she inquired, fishing for some dish.

I think I only just failed holding back my smile. “I knew what you were doing, you know. I have to tell you that I feel insulted—truly and deeply insulted—that you would ditch me and hand me over to someone else, but you weren’t that slick.” I shook my head, beaming
like a mad person. “I caught you at the right moment.” I certainly made an emphasis of the word ‘caught’.

Rounding the counter, I handed her a bottle of water then opened a bottle of red wine and took out two wine glasses from the cupboard.

“Whoops. Thought it was a match made in Heaven.”

Heaven wasn’t the word one would associate with a woman like Cece,
but
Emma
on
the other hand
…

“Not even close. Not. Even. Close,” I murmured as I left for the patio, barefoot.

She followed, watching as I placed the items on the table and turned on the huge, outdoor marbled fireplace.

All this time, I was pleased her eyes never left me.

It was definitely mutual.

Emma remained outside as I strode inside again to get some snacks to nibble on.

When I got back out to the deck, Emma looked deep in thought. A large part of me knew that she was thinking of the ex because she somehow looked sad again.

A pang of something ignited inside me, but most of all, I wished to have her sad face erased permanently. For some reason, it seemed to matter a lot.

I placed a tray of food on the rattan coffee table. It consisted of fruits, brie and crackers, cold cuts, black and green olives, cherry tomatoes, dark and milk chocolates, a slice of strawberry cheesecake and chocolate cake, along with a bag of Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream chips.

Her laugh was music to my ears. “This is a very interesting mix you’ve got here, Bass.”

Her teasing tone made me redden as I placed my hands in my jean pockets. “I didn’t know what you wanted so, I, uh, guessed.” I sounded like a fourth grader who didn’t know how to act in front of his crush. It was humiliating, but her smile killed my brain cells, so acting like an idiot all night long should be a given already.

Her eyes lingered on my mouth before lifting them to connect with my hungered one. “So… what do you want to talk about Bass?”

Damn, were those tingles I was feeling? What the fuck?

Shoving all that tingly shit aside; I focused on her and her question; which wasn’t much of a fight really. “You, anything and
everything about you.” My eyes never left her face; I studied it closely, like I would with a beautiful painting.

There was just something about her and I wished I knew… what? Why? How this was happening to me? Fuck, I was so taken with her, it was getting unreal.

Emma took a cautious sip of her wine. I watched in fascination as she savored the vintage. She was now toying with her glass, looking at me with blushing cheeks. “Let’s see, I’m a college student at UCSB, major
undecided,
for now. I love cheesy movies and have a thing for athletes. I get emotional—especially a week or two before my period. I treasure those who are dear to me and eject the people who aren’t. I stock up all of my fortune cookies until I have over twenty of them and eat them all in one sitting. I come from a loving home so I’m not emotionally crippled in that sense. The only issues I have with my parents are their persistent nagging for me to become a doctor. We have a family cat named Tumble, who I am chronically allergic to, but I love all the same. I have a ten-year-old pillow that I wash constantly, mind you, but can’t let go of. And yes, it is a tad ratty, but I just can’t part with it.”

Now that was some introduction.

How could a man resist an adorable, hot, sexy woman who had a special attachment to some pillow?

Chuckling lightly, I looked at her with newfound respect. I was beyond charmed. “Ratty pillow, emotional, undecided and allergic to cats, gotcha. And you have a thing for athletes? Say, David Beckham?”

“Uh, who doesn’t have a
thing
for him?” she quickly countered back, aghast at my question.

Was the ex an athlete then? I would presume so. That made me ponder some more.

Moving on from the ex, I continued with my twenty questions, hoping that she wouldn’t mind. “So, actors… you don’t have a thing for?” I peeked at her, eyes full of explicit intention.

I was fishing, gently implying my interest in her without being too forward and scaring her away.

Hiding a smile, she responded. “No, not yet.”

Not yet…
what a bad liar you are Emma Anderson, but two could play that game. For now, I’d let her slide. “You are something else, aren’t you?” I lounged back, placing my hands behind the back of my head, emphasizing my toned arms while my shirt rode up higher, making her hyperaware of me. “Are you dating anyone, Em?”

Her eyes devoured me, just as I had intended. I knew what buttons to push when it came to slow seduction; mind you, this was extra snail paced.

Waiting on her, I took a sip of my wine.

Emma gave a quick shake of her head. “No, not anymore. It ended yesterday actually, if you really want to know.”

Fuck.
Just yesterday?
Shit man. This wasn’t good. She was more fragile than I thought. Fuck.

I was gob smacked. “Oh, wow. I didn’t expect that.” This was a tricky situation.

“Expect what?” She glanced at my boggled state, frowning.

“That you’re on the rebound.”

Emma looked offended. “
Who said I was on the rebound?
”

Let’s pull out the given stats here. “That’s just a given. A person is on the rebound for a month after breaking it off with someone, especially if the person they broke it off with actually meant something, then that’s another shitload of shenanigans.”

Lucky bastard,
I thought, referring to her ex. While looking at her closely, her sad eyes emerged for a few seconds before she was able to mask it again. Ha, I supposed the ex did the leaving? She sure as hell didn’t look celebratory now to be without him. Women I knew pretty well, and this—
Emma
—didn’t look like she had been ready.

I was looking at her in a different light after giving me that essential information. I knew I should back the fuck off, yet I, for some reason, couldn’t fathom doing so.

Where did that leave me? Shit again. That’s right.

“Can I just say that…
you’re weird?
I never thought Bass Cole would be weird until this moment.”

See? How do I walk away from her adorableness? “Ha. You are too cute sometimes.”

Diverging from the touchy subject, I continued on. “What are your favorite films?” I asked, leaning forward as I prepared crackers with cheese and olives on them.

Placing them on a cocktail napkin, I handed them to her, banishing the tempting thought of feeding them directly to her, wanting to taste the olive in her mouth.

Cautiously, she made a small smile before speaking, “
Eurotrip
was a blast.
The Notebook, Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, Kingdom of Heaven, Defiance
and
Closer
to name a few.”

Not bad choices.

“Interesting choices you have there. I like it. So, what did you like about
Closer
?” I watched her eat and talk, however I was more intrigued with her opinion of the film.

She merely shrugged. “What’s not to like? It was a great film with great actors. The story was moving and relatable.”

Relatable?
How?
That was boggling me. “So, you
condone
cheating then?” I continued, pressing further.

“No, I never said that. I don’t condone it. I meant it was relatable in a sense that our society has made it somewhat okay. If a famous celebrity cheats on someone, they publicize it to the hilt and it’s portrayed as acceptable to some, I supposed. I wish they didn’t though because it sets a bad example to others.”

Her answer sent relief. “Good answer.”

“Thank you,” she murmured and downed the rest of her drink.

Onto the next question, “Tell me, why
The Notebook
?”

“Because that movie was hella awesome
!? But to answer your question, I loved how committed the hero was to his love. His unfaltering dedication to the promise he made years back was astounding. I mean, he truly, deeply loved her. It’s that kind of love that stays with you, you know? The kind where it haunts you and there is nowhere to hide…” Emma trailed off, seeming distant, before her blue eyes clouded with grief.

Was that how she felt now? Like she was being haunted by that kind of love? It was a sobering thought. As I had believed before, her ex truly was a lucky man. “Have you had
that
kind of love?”

“I thought I did once, but it was a mirage… there was no point in holding on to it. Maybe one day I’ll get to have it. I would consider myself lucky if I ever did, not a lot of people can say that they have though.” Sad eyes glanced at me, before she asked, “What about you? Have you ever had it?
That kind of love,
I mean.”

Ah, she was curious, a sign that she still held an interest in me. I suppose all hope wasn’t lost after all.

Beaming from her inquisition, I responded, “No, not yet, but if I do, I will embrace it and hold onto it for as long as I can. I haven’t loved a woman before. It’s not that I’m hiding from it, it just hasn’t happened. I do know that once I do, this woman would consume me and I would gladly surrender to it,
to her
. I would be enslaved to it and love her wholeheartedly, no holds barred.” I spoke with utmost depth and conviction.

I had always wanted it—
yearned
—searching for it for years and still to no avail.

But now, it got me thinking again…