Beautiful Mess (8 page)

A
jolt shot through her as his lips touched her skin.  A wonderful, warm sensation
spread through her as his lips lingered for a moment, before he pulled away.

“Thank
you.”

“You’re
welcome.”  Needing to get out of there before she did something crazy, Bri
started the car.  Her body was responding to Cole’s kiss, wanting to find
out what those soft, luscious lips would feel like on hers.  It was about
to highjack her brain and take over.  But what really shocked and scared
Bri was the fact that her brain wasn’t putting up much resistance.  She
had to escape, and fast.

“Bye,
Cole.  See you Saturday.”

“I’m
looking forward to it,” he smiled as he stepped away from the car.  Bri
practically spun out in her attempt to get away.  Looking in her rearview
mirror, she saw Cole laugh as he walked back inside.

As
she drove home, Bri had a terrifying revelation.

She
was falling for Cole Marra.

She
was in serious trouble.

Saturday
came, and Bri was a nervous wreck.  Not only were her emotions all jumbled
and confused, but she wasn’t sure how to act around Cole, or what to say to
him.  Worst of all, she had no idea what to wear.  Nothing in her
closet seemed right, so she headed off to the mall.

After
spending the afternoon shopping, she settled on a flowy, pale yellow dress and
a gray cardigan, and a pair of gray velvet pumps.  She curled her thick
auburn hair, and applied some smoky eye shadow and liner.  Looking at
herself in the mirror, she was impressed with the results.

She
and Cole had decided that he would come pick her up.  Having Cole finally
meet her dad was another factor in her overall nervousness.  The doorbell
rang and her pulse quickened.  She dabbed on some perfume, threw on her
jewelry, and went out to meet Cole.

Her
dad had just let him in, and Cole was standing in the entryway, looking a bit
nervous himself.  His mouth dropped open when he saw her.

Her
reaction was about the same.  He was looking particularly hot in a pair of
dark jeans, a black, body hugging t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. 
His gray eyes took her in and she felt herself flush.

Connor
looked between the two gaping teenagers and cleared his throat.

“Well,”
he turned to Bri,  “are you going to introduce me?”

Snapping
out of her daze, she blinked.  “Yes, of course.  Dad, this is Cole
Marra.  Cole, this is my dad, Connor.”

“Mr.
Donnelly,” Cole shook Connor’s hand.  “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,
Cole.”  Connor scrutinized the boy in front of him.  “So, where are
you kids off to tonight?”

“Dinner,
and maybe a movie or something after,” Cole replied, shoving his hands in his
pockets.

“Oh,
so is this a date then?”

Cole’s
eyes widened, and he didn’t seem to know how to respond.

“Because,
I thought you said you’d decided to just be friends?” Connor eyed his daughter
meaningfully. 

“Dad!”
Bri hissed, completely embarrassed.  Shaking her head, she moved past her
dad and out the door.  “I’ll be home by midnight,” was all the reply she
gave before marching off to Cole’s truck.

“It
was nice meeting you, Mr. Donnelly,” Cole smiled before following Bri.  He
had to jog to catch up to her, and barely beat her to the truck.  He
opened the door for her, and they were both very conscious of Connor’s eyes
watching them from the doorway.  Cole climbed in and pulled away.

“So,”
he hedged, “your dad seems nice.”

“I’m
sorry if he made you uncomfortable or embarrassed you.  Sometimes I think
he takes pleasure in making my dates squirm.”

“Oh,
so this
is
a date, then,” he grinned wickedly at her.

“Oh,
no, not you too!  Do
you
think this is a date?”  She decided
to put him on the spot for a change.

“Well,
I picked you up at your house, met your dad, you’re wearing a dress... it kind
of feels like a date to me.”

“Do
you want it to be a date?”  She asked tentatively.

“I
think you already know that answer,” he glanced over at her.  “The
question is, do
you
want this to be a date?”

Bri
turned and looked out the window, not sure if she was ready to answer that yet.

Deciding
not to push her, Cole changed the subject.  “So, where did you decide for
dinner?”

They
had decided that Bri would pick where they went for dinner, and Cole would
choose what they did after.

“There’s
an Italian place close by I heard about, Biaggi’s?  I thought we could go
there.”

“Biaggi’s,
huh?”  His eyes darted to her.  “Yep, it’s official.  This is
definitely
a date.”

“What? 
Why is that?”  She demanded, laughing.

“Because
you’ve picked a very romantic restaurant for dinner.  You don’t take a
friend to a romantic restaurant.”  He grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

Oh,
crap.  Bri had heard her dad and Summer talk about this place.  Of course
it turned out to be some big romantic deal.  Dang it, she
was
on a
date.

“Well,
now that we’ve gotten that established, I hope you won’t mind me buying you
dinner.  Oh, and I hope you aren’t feeling nervous or awkward now. 
First dates can be brutal sometimes!”  He was enjoying this a little too
much

He
continued to grin at her as they drove, but Bri refused to acknowledge him
until they got to the restaurant. 

As
Cole opened her door for her, she decided to give herself up to her fate, and
just go with this whole date thing.  No use worrying over it.  She
might as well try and enjoy herself. 

They
walked in and the hostess seated them.  The place was romantic, with dim
lighting and  private booths.  Bri looked at her menu and
froze.  It was also pricey. 
Really
pricey.  She was
horrified.

“Oh,
no!  Cole, I’m so sorry!”  She whispered urgently.  “I had no
idea it would be this expensive.  We don’t have to stay, we can go
somewhere else.”

“Ambria,
it’s alright,” Cole tried to calm her.  “I’ve been here before.  If
it was a problem, I’d have said something before.  It’s totally fine.”

“Really? 
Are you sure?”

“Completely,”
he smiled, and Bri began to relax.  Cole picked up his menu and let out a
low whistle.  “Although, for these prices, you’re definitely going to have
to put out!” he teased.

Bri
grabbed his menu and hit him over the head with it.

“Hey,”
he protested.  “Alright, you don’t have to put out!  Man, did I pick
the wrong date!”  He put up his hands to block the next whack over his
head, and they both burst out laughing.  They were still laughing when the
waitress came to take their order.

After
dinner they headed off towards Los Angeles.

“So,
where are we going?” she asked, extremely curious.

“A
friend of mine’s dad owns a club.  I thought we could go dancing.”

“You
dance?” Bri was skeptical.

“I
haven’t had any complaints,” he smirked.

“Ah. 
So, seeing as how we’re under age, how exactly are we going to get in?”

“Well,
it’s an 18 an older club, and, like I said, I have connections,” he boasted
with a smile.

Bri
shook her head and watched as the lights from downtown got closer.

Cole
pulled into a parking lot behind a large brick building thumping with
base.  There was already a line waiting to get in.  He reached over
and took her hand.  Bri, surprised, glanced up at him, but didn’t pull her
hand away.

“We’re
on a date, remember?” he said in explanation, before leading her around the
line and right up to the door.  He leaned in and said something to one of
the bouncers, who nodded and motioned for them to go inside.

“That
was impressive,” Bri leaned in and practically yelled in Cole’s ear.  The
music was so loud she had to shout to be heard above it.  “How on earth do
you have a conversation in a place like this?”

Cole
leaned in so close his breath tickled her neck.  She was suddenly very
aware that he still had a hold of her hand.

“You
don’t come here to talk,” he returned, his low voice audible despite the
music.  “Come on.” 

A
shiver raced down Bri’s spine as Cole guided her through the maze of people,
and out to the middle of the dance floor.  He pulled her tight up against
him, his hands winding around her waist.  She hesitantly put her arms up
around his neck, and he moved her body with his to the music.

Bri
was nervous at their closeness.  Her heart beat faster, her face was
flushed, and she became acutely aware of the feeling of his body against hers.

Cole
chuckled and leaned into her ear.  “Relax, Bri.  Let go a
little.  Don’t think, just feel.”

Obviously
Cole had no idea to whom he was talking.  His advice went against every
instinct she had.  But, as she looked into his sparkling gray eyes, she
found that she wanted to let go.  To stop worrying about, and analyzing
everything, and let her body take over.  It was a risk, but it was a risk
she wanted to take.  Nodding, she shut her eyes and took a deep breath,
letting the music flow through her.  She smiled at Cole, who pulled her in
tighter.

Bri
reveled in his closeness.  All her senses were tuned into him.  His
smell, a mix of his leather jacket and a subtle, but tantalizing,
cologne.  The way the lights danced off his dark hair.  The deep
abyss of his eyes as he looked at her.  The feel of his hands on her back
and hips.  His chest pressed against hers.  It was intoxicating, and
she wanted more.

As
the music switched to a slow song, Cole’s arms circled her waist again and he
pressed his cheek against hers.  Bri closed her eyes and melted into him,
completely content.  As the song ended, he pulled back slowly.  His
eyes held hers, and she couldn’t look away.  For one exhilarating,
terrifying moment, Bri was sure he was going to kiss her.  His eyes
dropped to her lips, and her breath caught.  His eyes returned to hers,
and he began to lean in.  Bri felt her eyes widen in fear, even though a
big part of her wanted this more than anything. 

Seeing
the apprehension in her eyes, Cole pulled back.  He gave her a lopsided
grin, before leaning into her ear.

“Let’s
get out of here.  There’s one more place I wanted to take you tonight.”

Relief
and disappointment flooded through her as she nodded.  Cole grabbed her
hand again and led her out of the club and to his truck.  They drove in
silence, both thinking about what had almost happened.  He parked at the
beach by Bri’s house and turned off the truck.

“Take
a walk with me?” he asked softly.

“Okay,”
she replied.  He came around and opened her door.

As
they hit the sand, Bri slipped out of her heels and carried them as they walked
along the water.

“Bri,”
Cole sounded hesitant.  “If I ask you something, will you give me the
answer?”

She
considered this a moment.  “Yes, if I can.”

“Will
you tell me what happened with the guy who broke your heart?”  Cole kept
his eyes straight ahead.

Bri
was stunned.  She hadn’t expected that question.  She thought for a
moment, and decided that if anything was going to happen with Cole, this was a
conversation they needed to have.  And she wanted to tell him.  She
wanted him to know her.  So, taking a deep breath, she began.

“His
name was Jeremy.”  Out of the corner of her eye, Bri saw Cole’s eyes dart
to her,  as if he hadn’t expected her to tell him.  “He was a year
older than me in school, and was the star wide receiver on the football
team.  I spent my whole sophomore year crushing on him, but I don’t think he
even knew I existed.  Then junior year started, and I was so excited
because Jeremy was in my chemistry class.  Knowing I was smart, he asked
if I’d be his lab partner, of course figuring I’d do all of the work for
him.  I knew that was why he chose me, but I didn’t care.  I was just
so excited he’d asked.

“We
got to know each other, and about a month later, he asked me out.  It was
seriously the best day of my life.”  Bri remembered her excitement and
shock.  “I mean, the guy I freaking worshipped actually asked me
out!  I couldn’t believe it.  We started dating, and pretty soon we
were officially a couple.  And I was oh so blissfully happy. 
Blindly, naively, stupidly happy.  We would hang out at his house a lot,
and we went to a couple dances, but looking back, I realized that he didn’t
really take me out a lot.  Instead we would go to one of his friends’
houses, or, if my dad and Summer were gone, we’d hang out at my house. 
But we didn’t really go on actual dates.  It was like I wasn’t worth the
effort or money, or something.

“Anyway,
we’d been together about three months, and for New Year’s Jeremy and his
friends decided to go to the big party in downtown Dallas.  They’d all
gotten hotel rooms and were going to make a whole night of it.  When
Jeremy asked me to come with him, I was a bit hesitant.  I didn’t want to
stay in a hotel room with him.  He had started getting pushy about the
whole sex thing, and I knew it’d be a bad idea to share a room with him. 
But, he promised he’d get me my own room if I’d just please come with
him.  And since I could never really say no to him, I agreed.”  Bri
paused to take another deep breath.