Bookish (7 page)

We walked through a lobby straight out of Architectural Digest. I was silent as we strolled arm in arm, my heels clicking on the marble floors and my feet silently screaming at me for night two of abuse. I was so glad I didn’t slide on my old leather flats though, even in heels and a little black dress I felt shockingly underdressed.

“You look like you’re going to throw up, love,” Isaac whispered as we got into the elevator, “ don’t be nervous, I promise I won’t bite. Much.”

“I’m okay,” I replied, my nervous smoothing of invisible wrinkles in the fabric of my dress must be giving me away.

“Yes, you’re always okay,” he said and smiled. Suddenly he reached out and hit the emergency stop button. The elevator lights went dim and an alarm sounded.

“What are you doing?” I asked breathlessly.

“What I’ve wanted to do since you opened the door,” he replied. He stepped towards me, cupped my face in his huge hands and leaned down to kiss me.

It was one of those god damn feel it from the end of my hair to the tips of my toes kind of kisses. His lips were soft but persistent, his tongue seeking mine and conquering it with ease, I was completely pliant against him and willing to do anything at that point.

A speaker on the control panel buzzed and a voice broke through our bubble to ask, “Excuse me, is there an emergency?”

Isaac didn’t stop his kisses, but I stiffened up, pulled back and buried my head in his chest. He wrapped his arms around me. “They’re probably watching,” I whispered against his broad muscled embrace.

“Let them watch,” he replied and kissed the top of my head, paused and inhaled. “You smell so fucking good I could devour you right now, no matter who was spying on us.”

I felt a jolt of excitement course through me, a small thrill knowing that he didn’t care who might see what we were up to.

Then my good sense kicked in and I said, “I know, but I’m…not shy exactly…a hermit perhaps? That’s probably the best word for it. I’m sorry, I’m just not used to this.”

He touched my cheek with his hand, held it there and looked at me. “I’m the one who should be sorry,” he replied, “I forget that you’re not used to this. I was raised in the spotlight and have lived under the public’s scrutiny since I left home. It’s all a part of life for me, but not for you.”

He reached down and pulled the emergency stop button out. The lights flared, the alarms went off and the elevator started moving again.

He kissed me one more time before we made it to the fifth floor. This time I didn’t notice the doors open until he let me go. I blushed furiously when I caught the angry sideways glance of a beautiful, glamourous older woman. She and her husband pushed past us as we exited, they must have gotten a little show when the doors had opened.

“Such displays,” she muttered under her breath, “so crass.” She nudged her husband and he looked down at her.

“Lucky guy,” he said as the doors closed. Isaac and I laughed and he took my hand in his as we approached the maître d. On the way to our table I had a spare moment to catch my breath and take in my surroundings.

And check out his fine body as I followed him.

And I have to tell you, it was fine indeed.

Chapter Ten

The restaurant was built overlooking the water, the lights from the city twinkled all around us, and our table was close enough to the window that it felt almost dizzying, as though we’d pitch over the edge.

It was a large space, but the lights were dim and the tables positioned well enough that we had some privacy. I looked around and thought I picked out a fairly well known actress as well as a local athlete. No famous authors though, so I couldn’t be completely sure of their names. If they didn’t write books, I probably didn’t pay much attention to them.

“This place is amazing,” I said when I realized Isaac was watching me. I hoped I hadn’t been rubber necking like a country yokel. I felt a little out of my element around him, I had to admit that to myself so I could shake it off and let it go.

“You are amazing, love,” he said and reached for my hand. He took it in his and absent-mindedly stroked my skin with his thumbs. Each pass sent little shivers of sensation up and down my body. My stomach started to flip flop and I felt a tinge of giddiness creep up around the edges of my head.

“So are you,” I replied and smiled at him. He ducked forward for a kiss. We were interrupted by our waiter, so our contact was broken and we pulled back, smiling at each other secretly.

The waiter seemed completely bored of our display and handed us our menus with a slight huff. He walked away and left us to our little corner of the universe.

We studied the menu and I was overcome with the sudden urge to do something I’d never done before. I silently kicked my shoe off under the table, surreptitiously peeked to make sure the tablecloth draped down fairly far, and slid my bare foot up his leg.

He straightened in his chair and shot me a wicked grin. “Hello there,” he said and one hand dropped out of sight. He took my foot in his hand and played with my toes. I was, at that moment, eternally thankful for two things. The first, I had silky smooth feet due to Chloe’s insistence that I follow her to the spa a couple times a month. And two? That I had taken another shower just before meeting him. I hated to think of him bringing up his hand covered in toe jam.

“Are we ready to order?” our waiter asked, making me jump a little. My toes brushed over his form fitting pants and along something that could only be described as gigantic.

He had an erection and I’d just touched it.

My cheeks went furious red and I felt a surge of heat. The embarrassment combined with the fact that I’d touched his dick not once, but twice…or maybe three or four times now and I hardly knew him.

“I’ll get a bottle of your best red,” Isaac said without missing a beat, “and make sure it’s a proper vintage, not any of this local shite. You got that?”

“Yes sir,” the waiter replied and scurried away to pick out a bottle of wine that probably cost more than a semester’s tuition back in college. I’d been on scholarships though, so not like a full semester.

“So where were we?” he asked and flashed me that charming, panty melting smile once again. The world lost focus and all I could see was Isaac, all I could feel was his hot body against me, and all I could hear was my own heart pounding in my chest.

Against every fibre in my body protesting my bold behaviour, I ran my foot up his thigh and found the rock hard ridge. I stroked it with my toes and revelled in the power that coursed through my body. The hottest man in the world had set his jaw and half closed his eyes in pleasure and anticipation, all because of my simply little foot rubbing him through the fabric of his pants.

“I believe we were here,” I replied and bit my lower lip. I was extremely turned on, but mostly I was hiding my natural reaction to situations that caused me anxiety…laughter.

I’m not a guy, and I haven’t been with many (okay, two if you insist on knowing) but I’m quite certain that none of them want to be giggled at when a girl touches their manhood.

“Ah, that’s a good place to start,” Isaac replied and pretended to read the menu while his hand was on my foot and my foot was on his dick. He moved slightly, rubbed himself a little and gave a small moan.

“Too much?” I asked hastily, worried I’d crossed a line.

“I’m okay,” he said and smiled, “so, so very okay.”

“Okay,” I replied and finally giggled, “as long as we know what we’re going to order.”

“Whatever takes the fastest to prepare,” he said and tightened his hold on my foot, his hand was hot and strong and felt as though it was burning through my skin. “I knew I should have taken you to the McDonald’s drive through.”

“That would have been all kinds of classy,” I laughed. “I wouldn’t have minded though, to be honest. I’m not with you tonight because I feel like you have to spend money on me.”

“I don’t mind spending my money on you, love, “ he replied, serious all of a sudden. “Don’t even think that’s an issue with me. What’s the use of having anything if I can’t share it with a beautiful woman?”

“Then you’d better find one!” I said and gave an iron laugh that came out more like a bark. I hated the way I sounded in that moment.

“Stop,” he said and his hand ceased motion on my foot, “I don’t want to hear you talk about yourself like that.”

“I was just kidding,” I replied but felt my face grow hot again. Was I just kidding? I didn’t know really. My entire life had been spent either looking up at my glamourous mother and hearing people
tsk tsk
about the chin I got from my father, or not thinking about my looks at all.

Auntie Abby had never said anything either way, when I was with her I just was. When I was with Chloe or out in the world, I couldn’t help but feel inadequate somehow. The way people turned their heads to watch her walk by, the men full of lust and the women full of envy.

I never really thought about it, but I supposed I should think about it now. Was my pairing with the hottest man in the world an equal relationship? I knew it wasn’t, I mean deep deep down I knew I wasn’t up to his usual standards, but it didn’t feel real to me. I still felt like I was playing at it all, but what if the connection we seemed to have was truly as deep as it felt? What would happen then?

“I don’t think you were,” he said and gave my foot a squeeze. You are beautiful Aubrey, don’t forget it.”

“I don’t know…”

“That’s part of it,” he said, “because you don’t know. When you fell, you looked so mortified and so utterly helpless I wanted to drop down beside you and pick you up. But when I got closer and saw your stunning eyes, you perfect skin, your luscious…well…body, I was smitten.”

“It doesn’t happen like that, though. Not outside of the books I read.”

“It does,” he insisted, “because it just did.”

And here’s the thing, the absolutely crazy assed thing about what he said.

I believed him.

“Will this do, sir?” the waiter asked, breaking into our conversation at the worst possible moment.

Isaac barely glanced at the bottle and said, “Yes, yes, fine.”

“Shall I pour?”

“Yes, please do,” Isaac replied without breaking eye contact with me.

The waiter poured, Isaac stroked my foot under the table, and he stayed hard and pressed against me.

And I fell a little deeper into the crazy abyss that was becoming overwhelming in its perfection and allure.

For a few crazy days I was allowed to believe that it does happen in real life. That things I read about in the pages of my beloved romance novels could happen to me.

But life taught me long ago that things aren’t always what they seem, and nothing ever seems to go my way.

Chapter Eleven

We left the longest dinner of my life about forty minutes after our arrival. It felt like forty nights, it was so excruciating to sit there and not tear Isaac’s clothes from his smoking hot body.

I don’t know how I did it. And I couldn’t tell you what he’d finally ordered us for dinner after our very annoyed waiter had broken into our bubble for the fifth time.

We pulled up in front of Auntie Abby’s and I was playing the best good girl part I could. And by good girl I meant sitting in his car making out with him in front of possibly my aunt and all the neighbours. I wanted to go back to his place so badly that it ached, but I couldn’t ask.

He finally pulled back after a long kiss, moved my hair off my cheek and said, “I want to take you home.”

“I am home,” I replied, a little confused.

“I mean my home,” he said, “will you come home with me tonight?”

I hesitated. I wanted to, god knows I wanted to. From the top of my head to the bottom of my feet, my body wanted him.

But I’d already recoiled at being portrayed as his one night stand in the gossip blogs, so dare I risk becoming his actually hump and dump? Let’s face it, we all know that most men who hook up with a girl within a couple days of meeting her have one thing on their mind. A quick booty call.

And let’s face it, I was already beyond that with him, and couldn’t risk him being a typical guy. I wanted him so damn bad, but for longer than one night.

“I’m sorry,” he said, sensing my inner turmoil, “I don’t mean to pressure you. I want to be with you, Aubrey, not just for a night, but I don’t know for how long. I’m not saying I want to be with you for a lifetime, but something right now just feels right with you. It feels right in a way that I’ve never felt and I want to see where it can take us. If that’s overwhelming you, we can take it slow. It’s all up to you, whatever you choose, I just want to be with you, love.”

That sealed the deal. I was ready to be with him. I was going to go back to his place and hang off one of his huge biceps until he booted me out. I wanted to taste him, feel him inside of me and lose myself in the craziness of our connection. I needed to stop being so timid and I needed to take a risk. So I was going to take it.

“I want to,” I replied breathlessly, “I want to come home with you. I want to do this, Isaac. I feel that crazy chemistry as much as you do and I want to see where it will take us.”

He kissed me and groaned when I ran my hand up his thigh and along his hard bulge, “I want you so fucking bad,” he said against my lips.

“I need to grab a few things,” I told him and we fell away from each other, flushed and over heated.

“I’ll come with,” he replied, “I don’t want your Aunt to think I’m a heathen.”

“I’m sure she already thinks that,” I laughed, “any man is suspect in her books.”

We walked up the walk, hand in hand, and I felt like I had a boyfriend. It was strange, after reconciling myself to a life of singlehood, especially with Isaac James.

The hottest man in the world had wormed his way into my life and my heart. I still couldn’t fathom that two days ago I had just been me.

We walked through the front door into utter chaos. Cats were racing back and forth and Auntie Abby immediately started screaming for me.