Fated to be Yours (14 page)

“No, we don’t have the money for the sports fees to play at school. But that’s okay. We enjoy playing here with everyone else,” James says.

My heart breaks a little as they talk about the lack of funding for them to pursue their favorite pastime sport. But they don’t seem down about it. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The beaming smiles they have on their faces tell me they’re not going to let it stop them from doing what they love.

I don’t hesitate when I lean over and kiss both of them on the cheek. It’s hard to tell if they’re blushing due to my kiss or from the exertion of the game, but their faces are definitely red. Andrew comes up behind me, his hand gently placed on my hip, pulling me into his side. Without thinking I wrap my arm around his back as if it’s the most natural thing to do. James and Peter take a step back as Andrew bends down, grazing his lips across my temple.

“Well done Tessa. I would never have guessed you were a basketball player,” he says, amusement lacing his voice.

I pull back slightly from him with a raised eyebrow. “Are you saying that I’m not a sporty type of girl?”

“No, I never said that. It’s just that you don’t see many women play basketball in their bare feet while wearing a dress,” he laughs.

I join him in his little joke at my expense. “You’re lucky you’re so cute. I will take that as a compliment then.”

He reaches down and brings my free hand to his mouth, gently kissing each of my knuckles.

“And you should.”

He helps me put my stockings and boots back on, holding me up as I hop from foot to foot before zipping them up. We turn to the five teens that haven’t stopped staring at us. I shake each of their hands, giving a wink to James and Peter.

“Thank you for the game. I had a lot of fun.”

“You can come back anytime, Tessa. We’ll always be ready for you,” James says.

I give them a final wave goodbye as Andrew and I start to head to the door where the other three are waiting for us.

He leans down and whispers in my ear. “I definitely think you have a few admirers now my sweet Tessa.”

My head tilts back as I trace his features with my eyes. He truly is quite handsome.

“They’re just little boys. It’s only a crush. I’m sure they’ll get over it.”

His eyes dilate as his chest expands and his nostrils flare slightly. His voice drops low, deep and seductive. “I think it’s more than a crush.”

I pause, halting our progress across the gym floor. “Why do you think that?”

He stares at me and the familiar pull to him draws me closer to his side. “Because I recognize the look they’re giving you and the feelings it evokes. It’s the same way I look and feel every time I see you. Maybe it’s a little more than their crush. Maybe it’s a lot more.”

My eyes search his, finding that he’s speaking the absolute truth. A new wave of emotions falls over me, ones that I’m still not quite ready to address just yet. But the pull he has on me is so strong and I know in my heart it’s more than a crush between us.

My eyes fall to the floor in an attempt to hide the emotions I don’t want to show. But he won’t have it. He tilts my chin up with his knuckle, looking deep into my eyes before dropping his lips onto mine. It’s a chaste kiss, but it definitely doesn’t lack the usual fire that’s always burning between us.

A clearing throat sounds behind us, drawing our attention to Charles tapping his watch to Andrew.

“Yes, of course,” Andrew says. I can’t tell if he’s slightly embarrassed or ashamed of our public show, but that doesn’t stop the heat from crawling up my neck as well. Once again, I’ve made a spectacle of myself, letting my guard down and allowing myself to throw caution aside. I can only imagine what they’re thinking of us now. I try to pull my hand from Andrew’s, wanting to put some space between us but obviously he’s not having it as he tightens his grip. Charles looks between us and smirks.

“Well played Tessa. You definitely gave those boys a run for their money. But now it’s late in the afternoon and we must be going.”

Only then does it dawn on me that it’s a weekday as we walk toward the front doors of the building.

“Don’t the children have school today?”

“The children have a holiday from school this week. It was the most opportune time to meet with you and allow us to show you what the children do while they’re here,” Priscilla says.

“Well, I’m glad for that. These are all wonderful kids and they are so fortunate to have a place like this to come to,” Kara says. I nod my head in agreement, thankful I don’t have to try and talk again.

Andrew and I fall into step with everyone else, but he puts some distance between us and the rest of the group as we cross the parking lot. His thumb continually runs across the back of my hand and I don’t know if he’s trying to soothe me or soften a blow.

“Andrew, don’t forget we have a board meeting at four,” Charles says as he stands in the open door of his car.

“I just need to drive Kara and Tessa back to their hotel first since we arrived together. I’ll do my best not to be late.”

We say our goodbyes to Charles and Priscilla, agreeing to meet up for another tour tomorrow. Always the gentleman, Andrew opens the door for Kara as she slides into the back seat of his car. He quickly rounds the vehicle to open my door as I reach out for the handle. Once I’m safely folded inside, he climbs into the car and we head toward our hotel.

He seems distant as he navigates the streets though I’m not sure why. Perhaps it has something to do with our little public display of affection in front of his superiors. That really was quite stupid on my part, allowing myself to carry on like that especially in front of the kids. But every time I’m with him, all reason just leaves me. For the first time in my life, I’m acting on instinct instead of hiding away in the shadows, hoping to blend into my surroundings so I won’t be noticed.

Then the ugly face of doubt confronts me. What if Charles spoke to him when I was playing basketball with the boys, advising him it would not be in the Foundation’s best interests to be involved with me? Or he’s probably wondering how to soften the blow when he cancels our dinner date for tonight. I worry my bottom lip between my teeth as I stare blankly out my window.

I listen as Kara talks in a hushed whisper on her phone in the back seat. More than likely she’s talking to Christopher, giving him an update on our day so far. Hopefully, she leaves out my embarrassing gymnasium display from the conversation.

Andrew pulls the car up to the front entrance of the hotel, jumping out quickly to open our doors for us. We walk into the lobby, my arms hanging loosely at my sides. We pause at the sitting area as Kara turns to the two of us with a grin.

“Okay lovebirds, I’m heading to my room. Mr. Jameson and I have a date. Don’t keep her out too long tonight Andrew,” she says. I listen to her heels click on the marble floor on the way to the elevators.

Andrew turns to face me and I watch as his face falls slightly.

“Tessa, what’s the matter? You look sad.”

“Are you allowed to carry on a relationship with me Andrew? Is there some conflict of interest here or some unwritten decree that you shouldn’t get involved with someone you do business with? I feel like something is off since we left the Center.” My voice is small as I brace myself for the inevitable.

“What would make you think that? My professionalism and work responsibilities have no impact on my feelings for you. If I want to pursue a relationship with you, then I will. And I’ll be damned what anyone else thinks.” He gently cups my cheek, bringing my face up to meet his eyes. I swallow nervously as he silently beseeches me to listen to his words.

On an exhale, I brace myself for what I’m about to say. “I like you, Andrew. I’ve never had an attraction to someone as I do with you. You make me forget my insecurities and I get to be myself for a while, something that I haven’t done in a very long time. And it confuses me because we barely know each other and that’s when I’m at my most vulnerable, reading into lines that aren’t really there. Does this make sense? I’m not making sense. And now I’m just rambling. I should really just stop talking.”

Andrew’s hands frame my face, his soft touch bringing the warmth I now crave. He bends down and places a sweet, addictive kiss upon my lips. A kiss that I could never get enough of regardless of how hard I try to fight it. He pulls me out of my head, letting my worries drift away and to put my trust in him.

“Tessa, you are an amazing woman and believe it or not you are making complete sense. I don’t understand it either, but I am drawn to you in ways that I never thought were possible. It’s a force that I’m not fighting and I hope you won’t either.” He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me toward him while simultaneously nuzzling my hair. My arms wrap around his back, feeling the muscles beneath his sweater and sigh.

So it’s not just all in my head.

“I’ll be back at seven o’clock to pick you up for our date. Wear some jeans and a sweater if you have one.” He pulls back and looks down at my boots. “And you’ll probably want to wear a more comfortable pair of shoes than those.”

I laugh as he places a sweet kiss on my forehead. It’s not lost on me that he hasn’t stopped kissing me since we’ve been standing here. Once again, I’m caught in a situation where I’m the subject of a little too much PDA. But with Andrew it just can’t be helped.

“Jeans and a sweater it is then. I can’t wait to see where you’re taking me.”

My fingers trail down his cheek, feeling his stubble start to form. He leans into my touch before turning to kiss the palm of my hand. Our eyes lock as I pull away from him.

“I will see you at seven, my lady,” he says with an over exaggerated bow.

I giggle and attempt to do my best curtsy in return. “I shall be waiting with bated breath kind, sir.”

He takes hold of my hand, kissing the top of it before turning to head for the doors. I watch his retreating form and sigh to myself, wondering how I was lucky enough to find him. But now I have something to look forward to and I wonder just what exactly he has planned for us tonight. I have a feeling it’s going to be something fun and heaven knows I could use some of that right now in my life.

T
HERE’S A LITTLE BOUNCE TO
my step as I walk through the door of my hotel room and I know the reason behind it. It’s the same reason why my face hurts from smiling. I have a date with Andrew. An actual date. Not something that was thrown together at the last minute or coerced by my troublesome friend. A date. Him asking me, a nobody, out for dinner. Nothing could break this high that I’m currently on.

I flop onto my bed and close my eyes briefly with the same stupid grin that’s plastered on my face. The faint sound of buzzing has me opening my eyes though and looking around. What’s that noise? I sit up and begin searching for my purse, which I must have dropped by the corner of the bed. I fish out my phone and see a missed call. My heart expands in the hopes that maybe Andrew had called but then I remember that he had a meeting to attend right after he left me in the lobby so that couldn’t be it.

My finger swipes across the screen and I instantly regret looking at my phone. My dad. Perfect. My finger hovers over his number in a silent debate as whether or not to return the call. He didn’t leave me a voicemail so it couldn’t have been that important. Turning my head I look over at the clock and doing a little mental math I determine it must be almost ten in the morning back home. So he either is just heading into court or just got out.

Somehow during my silent debate, my finger twitches and accidentally dials his number. Shit. I can’t hang up now. He’ll see my missed call and then call me back. I lay back down on the bed, the phone feeling like lead in my hands. I listen to it ring on the other side. It only takes two rings before he picks up.

“Tessa,” he says.

I sigh. As usual, no happy or warm greeting from him. Like a typical lawyer, he’s straight to the point.

“Hi, Dad. I saw that I missed your call so I wanted to return it.”

My eyes close and I reach up to rub the spot above my nose, feeling the sudden onset of a headache coming. My dad hardly ever calls me just because he wants to talk to me. No, there’s always some hidden agenda. Either it’s him telling me how my life choices are all wrong and that I should better myself by following in his footsteps. Or he’s berating me about my job, telling me that he can pull his strings for me to be something other than a secretary. The thought leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

“It’s nothing important. Sharon said that you were out of town on a business trip. I was just calling to see when you would be returning home.”

I hear the rustling of papers in the background. The telltale sign that he’s sitting behind his big, important desk, organizing his life and the lives of others. Because life is just that simple right? Everything belongs in a neat, perfect stack.

“Actually I’ll be gone until late Friday night. Was there something you needed me to do when I get back?” The lack of enthusiasm is evident in my voice. I stopped trying to hide it from him a few years ago when I realized he never paid attention to what I said anyway.