CHAPTER TWELVE
BAILEY
We park in front of a single story brick building on what looks to be a main street. It has black awnings with an elaborate black and gold framed glass door. There are several cars out in the lot and a fairly large group of couples standing near the front door. They are all very well dressed and it doesn’t escape me that this place is for the town’s elite. Talon comes around and opens my door for me reaching his hand down for me to take. I slide my hand in his and relish at the fit of our hands together and the feeling it sends all the way through to my core. I slip out of the seat and he places his hand on the small of my back. The touch is such an intimate maneuver that it causes a hitch in my breath. Talon looks down at me and just smiles sheepishly. We walk closer to the group of couples and their heads turn to us. A few of the men call out to Talon and the women stare me down. They don’t even try to hide it; they don’t like the fact that Talon is in a small way claiming me as his. He lets go for a few seconds at a time to shake a few hands with the men and give the women a quick side hug or accept a kiss on his cheek but after each one his arm slides right back around my waist. After he has said all of his hellos we make our way inside.
“I never should have requested that damn dress,” he whispers in my ear.
“What? Why? What’s wrong with it? You said I looked fine in the house.” I feel quite offended and confused that he is just now telling me this after we have already arrived. He lets out a little laugh and shakes his head a few times before answering, not caring who hears him this time.
“Actually, in the house I said you look hot as hell. And you do.” He drops his head and his voice again so only I can hear. “You have every guy that we pass gawking at you and I’m finding that I don’t like that one bit.”
“Oh,” I state breathlessly. I don’t know what else to say to that. He laughs again then looks up at the hostess.
“Good evening Talon, it’s nice to have you back in town. I’ve missed you around here.” She looks a bit too young to be missing Talon, but who I am I to judge? She obviously knows him better than I do, since she’s been missing him for longer than I have even known him.
“Hi Missy. Do you have our reservation ready?” She eyes me. Nope, definitely not just an acquaintance. This girl is shooting daggers at me! To break the intense gaze she has on me I look up at Talon who is standing so close I can smell his incredibly sexy cologne. He pulls me closer and smiles down at me.
“Of course, you know I always have you taken care of.”
Wow. The girl has some balls, I’ll give her that.
She throws a couple more daggers at me with her dark eyes and a knowing smirk on her lips before turning around and telling us over her shoulder to follow her.
After following Missy to a quiet table in the back of the restaurant, Talon orders us a bottle of wine to share over dinner. Sitting with him in such an intimate setting feels so normal, so right. We talk a little about his work, family, and things he enjoys. I go along asking questions and try to keep the conversation focused on him. I really don’t want to get into my life; past or present for fear that he will see me as too damaged or feel sorry for the mess that is my life.
We have just finished our dinner and declined desert when Talon asks me to dance. The dance floor is small and there are only a few other couples out there dancing under the dim overhead lighting. I remember dancing with him that first night we met and I can’t wait to get back in his arms. Of course this dancing will be much different, slower and intimate rather than sexy but I can hardly contain my excitement to get out there.
Talon pulls me close with one hand and grabs my other hand to hold in his as we sway together to the sounds of Frank Sinatra. “You are so beautiful,” Talon whispers close to my ear causing me to shiver. He pulls back from me and grins. “Did I just cause you to shiver Bailey?” I can tell he’s holding back from laughing at me.
“Are you laughing at me? You whispered in my ear, what did you expect?” I’m trying real hard to be super serious but the smile I can’t hide is a dead giveaway that I’m not the least bit mad at him.
“I am not laughing at you; I just have never made a woman shiver before just by the sound of my voice. I like it.” Now he’s all confident and maybe even a bit smug while still whispering in my ear and I am making a vast effort to keep from sighing. I decide quickly to even the playing field some. So I slide my hand out of his and slowly run it up his arm, over his shoulder, and gently grasp the back of his neck. While playing with the small hairs on his nape, I pull his head down so I can reach his ear since even in my heels he is several inches taller than I am. “Can you honestly say that me whispering in this way does absolutely nothing… for you?” I pull back to look him in the face and I see his eyes are heavily lidded. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.
“Nope, I can’t honestly say that. But you’re not playing fair.” He’s smiling happily at me and I love that I’m the one who made him so happy.
“Oh, I think I’m being plenty fair.” My voice is still low and sensual.
Talon chuckles softly as he steps back from me and grabs my hand. He leads me from the dance floor and back to our table before speaking.
“I need another drink. You?” he asks as he pulls my chair out for me. At the same time Missy comes to our table.
“Hey Talon.” She speaks to him directly, completely ignoring the fact that I’m sitting at the same table. “You guys about all finished up here?”
“Actually we were going to have one more drink before we head out. Could you get that for us?”
“Well, I’m not your waitress, but I suppose I could grab a couple drinks. What’ll it be?”
“Would you like another glass of merlot, Bailey?”
“Actually, I would like a glass of Pendleton on the rocks, please.” Talon lifts an eyebrow in my direction then tells Missy he wants a beer while holding eye contact with me the entire time. I’m sure that pisses her off to no end. She lets out a little “hmmph” before walking towards the bar.
She returns with our drinks and we haven’t said a word to each other. I think neither one of us trusts ourselves to hold a conversation after our little interaction out on the dance floor. After setting down our drinks she speaks straight to Talon again.
“After you drop off your friend you should come meet me at Darren’s. He’s having a bonfire on the beach tonight; there should be a lot of people there, and it’ll be fun.”
Oh, she’s going to love finding out that I’m staying at his house with him. This ought to be good.
“Bailey is here on vacation with me Missy. So I won’t be dropping her off anywhere.” He looks a little irritated but seems to be paying it cool.
“Oh. I didn’t realize. That’s so… unlike you.” She pauses for a minute with her brow furrowed before she continues, “I mean, is your family here too?”
“No, not tonight, Kali will be here tomorrow though. Thanks for grabbing our drinks; you can tell our waiter we’ll take the check now.” He takes a drink
of his beer then winks at me.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
TALON
“
A bonfire sounds fun. I haven’t been to one of those since I left California,” Bailey tells me as we get into my car to head home. I’m not sure if she really wants to go to the party or if she’s just stating the fact that she hasn’t been to one in a while. Honestly, I have no desire to go. I would much rather go home and be alone with her. Whatever that entails is fine by me. Having a drink on the balcony, sitting in the hot tub, or watching a moving while sitting very closely to her on the sofa… We should probably go to the party. Be around lots and lots of people.
“Did you want to go? It’s not far from here.”
“Sure, I’d love to. I know Missy would just love to see me again,” she says flamboyantly with a suggestive smile.
“Missy won’t say anything to you. Let me just give Darren a call to see if there’s anything they need me to pick up. They usually do.” I pull my phone out and hit Darren’s number and glance at Bailey as she checks her lipstick in the passenger visor mirror. “How do you know him?” Bailey asks as the phone is ringing.
“I went to high school with Darren and a few others who will most likely be there tonight. But some of them just spent summers with us since all of our parents have had these vacation homes since we were kids.” After about five rings a very drunk Darren answers.
“TALON!! Heard you were in town man! Bring some beers; I’m running low! You on your way yet?” I have to chuckle at his cheeriness.
“Hey! Yeah, we’re on our way, just going to stop at the store and get a few things. Be there shortly.”
“Whoa! We? You got that sweet little Kali with you?”
“Back off Darren, that’s my little sister. And no, it’s not Kali. I’ll see you in a few.” I hang up as he starts to tell me to chill out or relax or something of that nature I’m sure. I really don’t want to hear about Missy right now with Bailey sitting so close to me. If I were to tell Darren I had another girl with me that’s exactly what he would start in on. Better just to show up with hot Bailey and hopefully everyone will be too distracted to notice that I came to a Hamptons’ party with someone other than Missy or by myself for the first time. Ever.
I pull out of the restaurant parking lot and head to the store. Bailey is looking smoking hot as usual and I’m not sure how I’m going to handle all my friends fawning over her. I could barely contain myself from knocking out the guys on our way into the restaurant who couldn’t take their eyes off her backside.
We arrive at the store and I absent mindedly put my hand on the small of her back as she walks past me and through the door. Thinking twice about that I pull my hand away immediately and she just gives me a small smile before heading to the liquor aisle. I grab a couple cases and walk back up to find Bailey reaching for a bottle. I shake thoughts that I should not be having from my head before approaching her.
“What are you getting?”
“Pendleton. It’s a bonfire must have where I come from.” She gives me a sexy as hell smile and a small shrug of her shoulders before heading to the register. I pay for our alcohol and put the beer and whiskey in the back before getting in and heading to my house to grab a pair of sandals. I tell her I’ll be right back but she says she needs to go inside as well. When we get inside she says she’s going to change quickly and asks if I can grab her a cup she can take with her.
“Sure, but you look great you don’t need to change if you don’t want to.” Still, I’m hoping like crazy she’s going to change out of that skirt and I won’t have to get into a fight tonight.
“Well, thanks. But I’m not about to wear this dress and these heels down on the beach; besides the smoke from the fire will never come out of this material.” I am so relieved to hear that. I muttered under my breath ‘Oh thank God.’ Or at least I thought I did. But apparently I said it loud enough for her to hear.
“What was that?” She’s got a strained smile on her face.
“Ahhh. Um, I probably shouldn’t say what that meant in order to not step over any boundaries where you are concerned.”
“What?” She’s taking this all the wrong way.
Dammit.
I let out a big breath before my foot in mouth explanation begins. “I would never have asked you to change, especially since I’m the one who asked you to wear it in the first place. However, my friends would be a little, scratch that, a lot, less subtle about how hot you look in that dress than those guys were at the restaurant. I was just trying to figure out how I was going to deal with them and not cross any boundaries with you.” I can’t make eye contact with her, I know how I sound right now and it’s not great nor is it intelligent. I sound like an idiot who can’t control his hormones,
that
is how I sound. I feel and hear her walking right up to me. So I look up at her to see her gazing right into my eyes as she fidgets with the buttons on the front of her dress. “What if there were none? Just for tonight?” Her voice is low; it’s confident and sure and sultry all at the same time. I’m fairly certain I know what she’s talking about but I’m going to need her to be completely clear where this case is concerned.
“None of what?”
“Boundaries.” She nods at me a couple times then tilts her head with a shrug. “I propose, if you’re game of course, that we have no boundaries between us tonight. No lives in New York, no lines to be crossed. Just us and we do whatever we feel appropriate. Or whatever makes us happy. I could use some careless happiness tonight. How about you?”
What she just said and how she just said it has me feeling too much like a girl in a chick flick. “Um yeah, I could use some careless happiness. Hell yes, I’m game.” With that she laughs a little and heads for the stairs and says she’ll be down in five. I’m left with my head spinning and a stupid grin on my face. I pull myself together to grab a plastic cup and fill a small ice chest with ice before swapping my dre
ss shoes for a pair of sandals.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
BAILEY
I’m not quite sure what came over me to make such a proposition to Talon… Actually that’s a lie. I know exactly what came over me. Talon is freaking beautiful. I’m in such a mess in my real life that this fictional life with Talon I’ve been living since this morning is looking rather appealing; and I don’t know how much longer I can hold out from kissing those luscious lips of his. And did I mention that Talon is
freaking
beautiful? This is definitely not the smartest move I’ve ever made but damn if I don’t feel like a giddy high schooler right now.
I throw on a pair of my favorite jeans with a long sleeve tee, wrap my neck in a warm scarf and knot it just across my chest. I pull on my Uggs, brush my hair back, and try to allow it to hang in front of my face a bit. Hopefully, it will be dark enough that no one will see the bruise. I put in some big earrings, touch up my makeup, and head down to Talon.
“Hi, I’m ready. And in less than five minutes I believe.”
“Nope.” He sighs deeply as his gaze rakes over me. Then his eyes settle on mine before speaking again. “Got anything else? Those jeans are worse than the dress.”
“They are not,” I say to him as I place my hands on my hips and prepare for battle.
“Uh yes, they are. I’m a guy and I’m telling you, those jeans are a no go.”
“Talon! What do you want me in? Sweats?”
“Possibly. Are they sexy sweats?” He is not smiling… at all. His eyebrows are raised inquisitively and he is expecting a serious reply. He’s not getting one.
“You can’t be serious?” I ask incredulously.
“But I am, very much so.”
“So am I, and I. Am. Not. Changing. So, figure something else out.”
“Fine, but you’re staying by me tonight.” He is so serious. I know I should be pissed or offended with him going all caveman on me but I just can’t seem to care. I love knowing that he is so interested in me, and can’t help but notice how he’s seemingly possessive in an ‘I can’t help myself’ kind of way, compared to Hollister’s ‘I own you’ kind of way. The former is so much better in my opinion.
That makes me realize that I haven’t thought about Hollister once since I woke up on the balcony today. Which is probably another factor in my decision making to proposition Talon. After my last encounter with Hollister I do not consider myself in a relationship with him any longer. I know the words haven’t been said and it will not be as easy as to just say it and be done. But whatever happens with Talon tonight is my prerogative, and I will have no hesitations or regrets.
“I was kind of planning on that anyway. So fine, have it your way.” I flash him a big smile and walk out the door. I hear him groan before locking
up and following me to the car.