Fated to be Mine (14 page)

The music stops and we slowly pull away from each other, making me miss the contact instantly. He grabs my hand and presses his lips against my skin, sending a new round of shockwaves through my system.

“Thank you for the dance, Tessa. I promised I would leave after our dance and I plan on fulfilling that promise. But before I go, I need to know I’ll be able to see you tomorrow. Can we meet somewhere to talk? There’s so much that I need to say.”

Andrew’s eyes bounce back and forth across my face, searching, pleading, begging me to hear him out. I exhale a breath and nod my head.

“How about we meet up for lunch? Let’s say around one o’clock?”

He smiles, cupping my face gently in his hands. “One o’clock it is. Until then, my sweet Tessa.”

His lips slant over mine, allowing me to bask in his taste once again. A taste I have missed for the past week and one that my body craves more than anything in the world. How do you forget the person who gave you your first real kiss, even if he never knew it?

Andrew keeps his promise and leaves me standing on the dance floor with my body longing for his, instantly missing him. My eyes open and watch his retreating form head for the bank of elevators, praying silently that he’ll turn around for a final glance. As if he could read my thoughts, Andrew turns his head and mouths something to me before disappearing around the corner.

I need to improve my lip reading skills if he’s going to continue doing that.

With a swipe of my finger, I wipe away any black smudges of mascara that may have appeared after my emotional dance with Andrew. My body still quakes, still feels his touch over my skin and his warm breath against my neck. I’m not sure how I can continue on with the rest of my night after Andrew’s presence here. So I go seek Michael out, hoping that I can convince him to leave.

Michael stands in a circle with several other men, my father included, all laughing loudly while holding their crystal tumblers filled with an amber liquid. His head turns as I approach, a smile gracing his face. He makes room for me to join them and I flash nervous grins to everyone in the circle.

“And who is this lovely young lady, Michael?” asks one of the men standing directly across from us.

“This is Tessa, who I am lucky enough to be escorting here tonight.” There’s pride in his voice as the men around us all nod their head in agreement.

“Yes, gentlemen, this is my daughter. Michael is a very lucky man indeed.”

Is that another compliment from my dad? This night has to rank high on my weird scale. I brightly smile at him, appreciating the sentiment, strange as it may feel.

“How long was I gone? I guess we got a little carried away, talking politics and whatnot. Hopefully, you’re not too mad at me.”

“No, I’m not mad. But I was beginning to wonder if you had abandoned me.”

He taps the end of my nose and smiles. “Never.”

The light feeling that I held before is gone, leaving me nothing but a pile of nerves and twisting emotions. Michael must see it in my eyes because he reaches out to the surrounding men, shaking each of their hands.

“Well gentlemen, it’s getting late and I must take this gorgeous treasure back home. I wouldn’t want her father getting upset with me for having her out so late.” They all erupt in laughter and my dad claps him on the shoulder.

“It was very nice meeting you, Michael. I hope to see more of you soon.”

They shake hands and then, in a shocking move, my dad leans down and kisses the top of my head.

“Goodnight, Tessa. I’m so glad you came. You really do look lovely tonight. And please, don’t be afraid to bring Michael around. Maybe the three of us could do lunch sometime?”

I repeatedly blink, trying my best not to look shell-shocked. “Um, sure, Dad. That would be wonderful. What about you, Michael?”

“Lunch with the two of you would be perfect. We’ll try to set something up soon. Robert, again, thank you for the wonderful party. I’ll see to it that Tessa gets home safe.”

They shake hands a final time and Michael ushers us back through the doors to retrieve our things that we left at the table. With his hand at the small of my back, we leave the ballroom and head down toward the lobby, eager to get home. Well, at least I am.

He opens my apartment door for me as I hobble inside, dying to free my feet from the constraints of the devil shoes I’m wearing. Trudy and I need to talk about fashion and comfort. There must be a balance between the two.

“Thank you so much for everything tonight, Michael. I really had a lot of fun. And you being there with me made it bearable.”

“It was my pleasure, Tessa. I had fun as well. Met a lot of new contacts and got some pretty great advice from your dad. He’s a pretty cool guy and knows his stuff.”

I lean up against the counter and sigh. “Yeah, one thing he knows really well is work. It’s all he does. I’m glad you were able to meet some people and possibly help your career along.”

Michael steps forward and gives me a giant hug. I return the favor and silently thank whoever placed him in my life.

“Coffee on Monday?”

I smile. “You bet. We should just plan to do it every morning. I seem to function better when I’ve had caffeine that doesn’t come from my house.”

He laughs and mock knocks my chin. “Have a good weekend, Tess.”

“You too.”

Michael slowly backs out into the hallway and I wave at him before closing the door and securing it. With a heavy sigh, I slump back against the door, thankful for the night to be over. My head is pounding and it’s not even from the several glasses of champagne I consumed. No, the pounding is due to the confusing nature of the night.

My dad was outwardly showing me affection, which is strange in its own right. Michael saved me after Sharon showed her true colors in public. And then there’s Andrew, appearing out of the blue, telling me that he needs me, came for me, and still wants me to be his.

I find myself opening the cabinet above the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of vodka, needing the burning shot to calm my nerves so I can sleep. After the second one, the pleasant numbness starts to set in and the jumbled thoughts in my head dissipate slightly.

My phone beeps in my clutch, drawing my attention to it again.

Thank you for the dance tonight, love. You have no idea how happy I was to hold you in my arms again, even if it was just for a short amount of time. Please let me know when you have returned home safe. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. ~A~

One more shot for good measure should do it
. I swallow the liquid, feeling the burn hit my stomach as I limp back to my bedroom, eager to rid myself of the oppressive clothes.

I crawl into bed and turn off the light on the table beside me while staring at the phone in my hands. I should reply to him. I don’t want him to worry about whether or not I’ve returned home. I’ve put that man through enough worry for one lifetime already.

I have arrived home safe and sound. It really was nice to see you tonight. Looking forward to tomorrow. Goodnight, Andrew. ~T~

Placing the phone on the table, my mind wanders through the hazy fog of my thoughts. Images of Andrew appear behind my lids, garnering my attention. His hand reaches out to mine, pulling me close and promises to give me the forever I’ve always wanted. Now I just need to know if it’s all a dream or not.

T
HE WAITRESS HURRIES PAST MY
table again, giving another glance at my half empty glass of Diet Coke. My gaze wanders around nervously, even though I have nothing to be nervous about. The noise is a good distraction, though; plates clanging together, the loud murmuring of conversations, and the occasional wail of an unhappy toddler. All of it aids in my distraction as my leg bounces up and down underneath the table.

He’s not going to show.
Another glance at my watch shows only one minute has passed since the last time I checked it and is still showing that it’s not quite one o’clock yet. But I wanted to be early. I wanted to be the one to see Andrew walk through the door, watch as he searches the room until his eyes land upon mine. That’s when the magic happens. Those dreamy blue eyes soften as he smiles; the worry lines across his face ease and fade, making him even more impossibly handsome than he already is. I would watch as he swaggers over to me, pulling me from my chair. Then he’d bend me backward to claim my mouth, his tongue stroking deep and long, hard and soft, possessing, owning, branding me as his, leaving me a breathless mess.

Did I mention I’m daydreaming? Because there is no way that scenario is happening. Life is not a chick flick. Life is messy and filled with many complications. And you can’t get more complicated than fighting your own thoughts, making you believe the one person you want doesn’t want you back.

I glance over the menu again, unsure if my stomach could handle any food right now. The smell of coffee and grease is thick in the air but is suddenly overpowered by an all too familiar smell; one that I can pick out blindfolded and know exactly who it belongs to. My head turns and my breath catches in my throat. There he is, lowering himself into the empty seat next to me, still not wanting to sit away from me. The sentiment is endearing and highly romantic.

Andrew moves his chair so close to mine they’re almost touching. The only thing getting in the way is the corner of the table. His long slender fingers reach out, desperately seeking the comfort of my own. The tips of our fingers play with each other; the slight contact sends warmth through the connection straight into my chest. It’s a simple touch, one typically done by two teenagers trying to sneak around, needing to feel each other but not wanting to make it obvious. Andrew’s larger hand fully engulfs my own and I sigh, not realizing how much I needed the contact.

A light tug sends me forward, the perfect position for Andrew to lean into a kiss. Only he doesn’t. Instead, his big beautiful eyes close as he softly inhales, taking in the moment. I follow suit, allowing the smell of his cologne to swirl into my nose, calming my nerves and stopping the bouncing leg beneath the table. There’s something about his smell that calms me like nothing before. No amounts of lavender or chamomile will ever soothe my senses like Andrew.

His eyes open and I see multiple emotions flash across his face.

Hope … longing … need … desire.

I’m afraid to put a name on the last one because if it’s not true, if he doesn’t feel that way about me then I’ll make a fool of myself again. I don’t want to do that anymore.

The distance closes between our lips, moving slowly over one another, soft and wet, gentle and sure. It brings my body to life, sending an electrical arc to race through my nervous system.

“Hi,” Andrew whispers against my lips, reaching up to cup my cheek in his hand. My shoulders relax with the gentle strokes of his thumb, relieving the tension right out of my body.

“Hi,” I whisper back.

From the outside, this looks like an intimate lover’s reunion, unlike the one from last night. There’s a familiarity that our bodies recognize because they’re drawn together. Fated if you will. He is the matching half of my soul. At least I thought he was, or maybe he still could be. My neuroses could very well be clouding my judgment.

But the closer he stays to me, the more I feel myself falling back into the familiar emotions we draw from each other. The previous sounds I needed to aid in my distraction before have now faded to nothing. It’s as if the two of us are seated in our own little bubble, content on just staring into each other’s eyes. Without thought, my hand reaches up and strokes the side of his face, feeling the day old stubble underneath. How I loved feeling those whiskers against my fingers and other places along the expanse of my body. Andrew must have remembered because he’s usually so clean shaven at this point in the day.

“You have no idea how much I have missed your touch. I’ve craved it daily, longed for it nightly, begged for it every conscious moment. After what happened last week … the way we parted from each other … I wasn’t sure when I’d be able to feel it again.”

My hand falls from his face like a lead weight. Feelings of confusion, betrayal, love, and hurt swirl before my eyes. He winces slightly as if I have struck him. My head fills with the questions I long to have the answers for, wondering what it is about me that makes him not want to return my sentiment.

“If I said I didn’t feel the same way I would be lying.” My voice is scratchy and raw, trying to fight back the emotions I don’t want to show. At least not yet.

“Then please, talk to me, Tessa. What did I do that was so wrong last Friday? Why did you run off and leave me behind without a second glance?”

I look into his tormented eyes, eyes which frequently bring me solace. I lean back and take several deep breaths, thankful that the noises around us are still drowned out by the closeness of Andrew.

“I just felt inadequate. You were preoccupied all morning with several messages and phone calls. I wasn’t sure if you were trying to get rid of me quickly so you could go back to whatever or whoever it was that needed you.”

“Inadequate? Did I make you feel that way? If I did I greatly apologize. There is nothing inadequate about you. You are everything to me, everything that I need and could ever hope to have. I’ve been going over this in my head, taking it apart and piecing it back together. The only thing I can determine is you saw the message from Evie.”