Bet Me Something (Something Series Book 3) (10 page)

“You know if you
didn’t want to do it, you could’ve simply said no.” I wiped my mouth with the
back of my hand.

“What are
talking about?”

“You making the
kiss awful on purpose.” A prickling sensation of awareness started to work
itself up my neck on its way to my brain. I realized I was missing something
when I saw he stood there stunned.

“Are you being
serious? You thought it was bad?”

Holy shit. Colby
Singer—ladies’ man, hot as sin, man of my dreams, who I’d pledged I would marry
at six years old—had to be the worst kisser in the history of kissing. It was
unfathomable. “I, uh, kind of.”

His mouth opened
and then closed. Finally, he looked suspicious. “Are you angling for another
one? Is that what this is about?”

I let out a
frustrated huff, crossing towards the bed in the spacious room and slipping off
my shoes. “Believe me when I say one was plenty. When is the last time you
actually kissed a woman?”

He had to think
about it for a moment, which spoke volumes. “I’ve kissed plenty and haven’t had
any complaints.”

“Did you think
they’d leave you an online review? Rate you with a number of stars?”

“Funny,
smart-ass. It’s only normally I get onto the good stuff. See, that’s the
problem. You didn’t get a chance to see that part.”

Translation: he
didn’t bother to kiss the women he fucked. “Alright then, show me.” It was too
easy not to mess with him.

His panicked
face was priceless. “I didn’t mean that we should. I—Shit. You’re screwing with
me, aren’t you?”

I nodded.

“Look, I’m only
saying kissing is overrated.”

“Says the guy
who sucks at it.”

His jaw ticked
in response to my flippant answer.

“I happen to
think the kiss sets the tone and should hold a promise of what’s to come.”

He shook his
head. “I would argue it’s more like an appetizer. If you know the main course
and dessert will be amazing, why bother with the soup?” He looked way too
pleased with his metaphors.

“Clearly, we
have a difference of opinion, then. Soup is much more than an appetizer; it’s a
representation of the type of food that’s coming out of the kitchen. And frankly,
if it sucks, why would I want the next course or believe you when you say it’s
amazing
?”

He grinned. “I
can think of a lot of dirty metaphors in response. How do you know it’s not you
who’s the bad kisser?”

My face flushed.
“You’re the one with all of the experience.”

“Maybe it’s
because kissing someone like my little sister didn’t do it for me.”

I inhaled
sharply, trying unsuccessfully to hide the hurt. “Point taken for the zillionth
time. Look, I’m tired...”

“I’m sorry. That
was a crappy thing to say.” He paused, searching my face. “Are we okay?
Nothing’s changed?”

He seemed so
sincere, it was impossible to stay mad at him. Plus, other than bursting my
crush bubble with a Mack Truck, what damage had really occurred? It had only
been a kiss. “We’re definitely fine. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He hesitated
before leaning in for a hug. “Okay. ‘Night, Kenz.”

Giving him a
small smile, I watched him walk out the bedroom door.

All that
buildup, years of fantasies, and now…huh. Well, now it turned out he wasn’t as
perfect as I’d made him out to be. I grinned at the irony. In taking him down
off the pedestal I’d put him on many years ago, I oddly felt relieved.

At noon the next
day, I met Sasha at her office to start our spa day together. I’d enjoyed a
morning at the hospital, visiting and even getting to hold Josh and Haylee’s
baby girl. But with the revolving door of friends and family dropping by to see
the new parents, I tried not to overstay my welcome. Instead I’d returned to
the apartment, used the treadmill to run seven miles, and then mapped out my
commute route to my internship starting Monday. I hadn’t seen Colby since last
night. He’d opted to go into the office to take care of some things for Josh,
which had left only Mark and me for pancakes this morning.

As Sasha and I
sat in our pedicure chairs, both of us with our feet in the water, she looked
over. “Your brother said you didn’t notice that I’d left your party, but I apologize
for doing so. Then having him take off early, too…”

I waved her off.
“Please don’t feel bad. I promise you didn’t miss anything, and neither did
he.”

Relief washed
over her face. “Thank you.”

Clearly she
didn’t want to talk about what had caused her to leave and I didn’t want to
bring up a sore subject especially since she and Brian seemed to be good now.

 “So, what else
do you want to do for your spa day?”

I’d been
contemplating something for a while. “A haircut. It’s been long—” I motioned to
the small of my back. “—Forever. Time for a change.”

“Long layers
would look good on you. Any reason for it?”

I shrugged.
“Guess it’s time.”

“Everything
okay?”

“Things are kind
of in a weird place. Lots of decisions to make, but I’ll fill you and Brian in
about the family stuff later. Thanks for this, by the way. I enjoy spending
time with you, and I’m glad things are going well with you and my brother.”

“Me, too. How
are things with Colby? I heard he took you to Vegas for the weekend?”

I’d confided my
feelings to her months ago during Josh and Haylee’s wedding weekend. “You know
the part where a crush inevitably comes tumbling down into reality?”

She nodded.

“That kind of
happened. If I tell you how, do you promise not to say anything to my brother?
If that puts you in too difficult a position, then I’d understand.”

She
contemplated. “I’d never reveal any details. Instead I’d tell him to speak with
you and I’d hope he’d rather have you confide in me than no one at all.”

“That’s fair.
Okay, so I put it out there. The short version is I bet him into kissing me in
Vegas. And I feel a little disloyal saying this out loud, but it was awful.”

She had been
sipping on her water and nearly spit it out with my admission. “Seriously?”

“Shocking, huh?”

“Was it awful in
the sense there was no spark, or was he plain bad at it?”

“The latter. At
least, I think so.” I let out a resounding sigh. “The bizarre thing is it’s
kind of a relief. If the kiss had been amazing, I might have become even more
infatuated, thinking the man didn’t have a flaw in the world. But instead, it
makes me feel more like we’re on equal footing, if that makes sense.”

She leaned back
in her chair, looking thoughtful. “It does. Basically, you’ve traded a crush in
for the real thing.”

I grinned. “I
guess so. It was like a switch was thrown. Suddenly I’m not quite as anxious
when it comes to him.”

She returned my
grin. “That’s the very best place to be in, Kenzie. You aren’t a little girl
with an infatuation anymore. You’re a woman with an attraction to a man who
happens to be imperfect, just like the rest of us.”

“Yeah, it’s
ironic that now that I know he’s terrible at something, I kind of like him
more.”

***

After our spa
afternoon, Sasha and I met Brian for dinner at a restaurant nearby. He had
already arrived and, while standing to give me a hug, immediately noticed what
was different.

“Your new
haircut looks nice. Makes you look older, though.” This last sentence was said
with a slight frown.

I laughed.
“That’s kind of the point, but thanks.” The hairdresser had cut my long tresses
into a style that was still past my shoulders, but had some shape to it with
layers and long bangs. I’d never had hair with style and wondered what Colby’s
reaction would be.

Brian wasted no
time with small talk. “So, Mom called me today and said you’re moving home for
your MBA at Georgetown. It was a shock to me as I don’t remember you mentioning
that.”

I should’ve
guessed she would’ve contacted him. “It was a bombshell to me, too. Luckily,
she agreed to the internship for the summer, but she withdrew me from UCLA and
enrolled me in a school within commuting distance from home.”

Sasha’s face
showed shock, like a normal person’s would upon learning how controlling my
mother could be, however to her credit she didn’t make any comments and only
gulped her wine.

Brian wasn’t as
astounded since he was all too aware of the lengths my mother would go to for
control. “I’d pay for your school out in California, you know.”

It really said
something when I had two people offering to do so. “Thank you, but the common
denominator in trying to figure out what want is realizing what I don’t. And
that’s business school. Not that I’m ready to tell Mom yet, but obviously, I’ll
have to eventually.”

“So you think
this internship will help you decide if you have a career in music?”

“I hope so.” I’d
already confided my anticipation for this position to him when I’d first
applied.

“I’m only
throwing this out there, but if music doesn’t work out, I can get you a job in
the LA office with Gamble Advertising. You could do something in accounting
with your degree.”

“That’s an
option, and don’t take this the wrong way; I don’t think I can see myself
behind a desk or wearing business clothes for a nine-to-five job.”

Brian laughed.
“No offense taken. I have a hard time imagining you enjoying the world of
finance too. You always seemed much more at home on the lacrosse field or
playing your guitar.”

I gave him a
small smile, thankful he got me. He always had. When Sasha went to the restroom
after we ordered, he started on another line of questioning.

“So how was
Vegas?” There was an underlying tension in his question.

“It was fun.” I
took a sip of wine, studying him over the table. “You do know Colby was a
perfect gentleman, don’t you?”

“I would expect
nothing less. Otherwise, I’d kick his ass, and that would be after Josh did it.
I didn’t worry about how he was with you; it was more what he did around you.”

It annoyed me
that Colby was getting an unfair rap. “We gambled, ate great food, and then I
lay by the pool while he worked. I wouldn’t say this in front of Sasha, and I’m
not telling you to make you feel guilty, but he took a really shitty day after
Mom’s ultimatum during my party and turned it into a really great weekend.”

“I knew I
shouldn’t have left the party.”

“Yes you should
have, but I wish you would’ve told me the real reason why.”

He sighed. “Everything
is good now, but I didn’t want to concern you with unnecessary drama.”

Right. Because I
was the little sister. “You know I wouldn’t have seen it as a burden to be
there for you for a change. And if it helped ensure you and Sasha are good now,
then I’m glad you did go.”

His face
softened. “I appreciate it. Look I’m sorry for jumping all over you about Vegas.”

“It’s not me who
you should probably apologize to.”

“It’s different
between guys. Colby understands that I’m a protective big brother. Anyhow, do
you want me to talk to Mom about school? She’s being unreasonable, and I hate
the thought of you having to wrestle with this decision. I feel like I should
be doing more for you.”

 Funny how only
a couple days ago I would’ve jumped at his offer, but maybe it was the
internship that had me feeling confident about things working out for my
future. “Brother, dear, I hate to break this to you, but I’m a big girl now.
Not one with a plan at the moment, but definitely one who doesn’t need you to
put me first all of the time. You have your own life. And from the looks of it,
a very good one with someone I happen to really like.”

Perhaps it was
for the best he hadn’t stepped in for me at my party. How many times had I relied
on him over the years, having him drop everything for me?

“I know you are.
Just as I know you’ll figure it out. It may or may not be this internship which
does it; however at the end of the summer, I’ll be supportive of whatever you
decide to do. And if you need financial assistance, I’m there, too.”

“I appreciate
that.” And the thing was I did. But for the first time, I wasn’t looking for
him to fix it or tell me what to do. I was simply asking for him to be
supportive. It kind of felt like something a grown-up might do.

***

When I arrived
back at Josh’s building, Colby stood leaned against the frame of his brother’s
front door, waiting for me to come off the elevator. “You cut your hair.”

Not exactly a
compliment, although he’d definitely noticed. “Yes, I did.”

“You’re home
early. I wasn’t sure if you had plans tonight.”

“I had dinner
with my brother and Sasha. I thought maybe you’d still be out with Mark or your
mom.” I hadn’t thought he’d be home.

“Mark had to return
home to Connecticut. After I had dinner with my mom, we went by the hospital.
Then I figured if you were coming back, we could watch a movie.”

Huh. Was this
his way of saying he was hoping I’d spend the evening with him?

“I have
dessert.”

I grinned.
“Obviously, you have my number. Let me change, and then I’ll be right out.”

A familiar
flutter took root in my stomach, except this time I felt much more confident
about playing it cool. Changing into shorts and a T-shirt, I put my hair up in
a ponytail, deciding to keep it comfy.

When I returned
to the living room, I noticed he was doing the same in gray shorts paired with
a soft black shirt. He was unbelievably handsome, and the thought of him being
a terrible kisser was kind of endearing.

I took a seat on
the plush sofa, appreciating the large-screen television in the living room and
the floor-to-ceiling views of the city. “So, whatcha watching?”

“You pick. You prefer
action, gore, or scary?” He knew I wasn’t much of a chick flick kind of girl.

“Action, please.
Hey, what did you end up getting for a baby gift?” I needed to figure out what to
buy, not wanting to have my mother or Brian put my name on one of their gifts.

His face split
into a grin. “Here, I’ll show you. I had one made up for their place in Connecticut,
too.”

He led me down
the hallway into a room which, when he flicked on the light, showed itself to
be the baby’s nursery. It was beautifully done in pink and gray, all set with
the rocking chair, crib, and changing table. He pointed to the framed quote
above the changing table in matching colors.

“Let her
sleep….For when she wakes she will move mountains.”

“What do you
think?” he asked, looking uncertain.

I swallowed past
the lump in my throat. This was the sweet side of him many weren’t privy to. “I
think it’s absolutely beautiful. They’ll love it.”

“I wasn’t sure
what to get. It’s indescribable to see my brother the way he is, and to realize
that I’m an uncle to that little angel is—It’s silly, I know.”

I put my hand on
his arm. “I don’t think it’s silly at all. Matter of fact, you’re kind of
adorable.”

He frowned,
meeting my eyes. “I’m not sure how I feel about the word
adorable
. It
might be like your aversion to the word
cute
.”

I linked my arm
through his, leading him out of the room. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with
me.”

And I certainly
wouldn’t tell him that, as devastating as his dimples could be on the opposite
sex, finding out he’d given such a thoughtful, beautiful gift to his niece was
the type of stuff that truly got to me.

We settled down
for the movie, and I purposefully took a seat next to him on the couch that was
a little bit closer than usual. Considering we’d shared a bed, he’d held my
hair when I puked, and we’d kissed, I figured sitting only inches apart wasn’t
a big deal. We were both quiet while the latest Expendables movie started.
Mindless explosions with eighties big-name stars, it was perfect.

“Why didn’t you
go out with Will tonight?”

There he went
acting almost jealous again with this question. “He said he had to work, although
I’ll see him in LA in a few weeks.” I turned to face him, which had our knees
touching.

“So the pretty
boy model is your type?”

“Uh, I’m
confident Will could be any woman’s type. But if I’m being honest, normally I’m
more attracted to a different sort.”