Stubborn Love (12 page)

“Colin Bennett, you never cease to amaze me,” I stated, leaning back in the cab with a gleeful sigh.

“It was my pleasure,” he said, smiling.

“What are you doing for dinner?” I asked, not wanting the day to end.

“Ms. Hayes, are you asking me out on a date?” Colin laughed.

“No!” I exclaimed, pushing him playfully. “I simply would like to repay a friend for a wonderful day.”

“I don’t know? A guy could get the wrong idea.”

“Oh my God!” I squealed as the cab came to a stop in front of my apartment. “You’re relentless.”

I watched as Colin’s face twisted. He was staring out the window at something.

“Are you okay?” I asked, concerned by what might have him so perplexed.

Colin leaned forward, handing some cash to the cabbie through the opening in the plexi-glass. As he moved, I could suddenly see out the window behind him, and what he had been looking at. My heart sank as I realized William Stryker was waiting at my door.

“Shit,” I whispered to myself.

“Do you want me to take care of this?” Colin offered, before opening the door.

I thought for a moment. I did want him to take care of it… I wanted him to make the creep leave me alone, but I knew that wouldn’t be right. That wasn’t the job of a friend.

“Nah, it’s my problem. I’ll get rid of him,” I replied.

“I’m not leaving you alone with him. I don’t care what you say,” Colin insisted. I didn’t dare tell him how happy that made me.

With a deep breath we exited the vehicle, and I waited as it drove away. Colin followed behind me, careful not to allow too much distance.

Stryker didn’t wait for us to reach the door; instead, he rushed over to me the moment he saw us approaching.

“Clementine!” His voice made his agitation clear.

“Hello William,” I answered coolly.

“Can we talk?” he asked looking over my shoulder at Colin.

“I’m not sure what we would have to talk about—”

“Alone,” he added, as if it were a command.

“Not going to happen, buddy,” Colin answered for me.

“So, this is why you haven’t been returning my calls?” Stryker asked, shaking a hand wildly in Colin’s direction.

“No, he’s just a friend,” I explained.

“Yeah, right.” Stryker scoffed. “This is bullshit.”

“It was one date, and I figured you would get the point I wasn’t interested when I didn’t talk to you for over a month,” I snarled, deciding at last there was no delicate way to handle this madman. “Now, can you please leave me alone?”

“No, I won’t. Not until I can talk to you alone,” Stryker insisted.

“I already told you, it’s not going to happen. Now please, do as the lady asked and don’t bother her again. Come on, Em, let’s get you upstairs,” Colin said extending an arm and creating a barrier between Stryker and me.

“Don’t you fucking touch me!” Stryker shouted.

“Nobody is touching you, man. She just wants you to leave her alone,” Colin quickly responded to his threatening gestures.

“I’ll leave when I’m damn good and ready.” Stryker was determined to have his say, even if I didn’t want to hear it.

“What is it?” I growled.

“You and I have some business we need to discuss in private—stuff I’m sure you don’t want pretty boy to hear,” he spat angrily in my direction.

“Em, go inside,” Colin interjected. I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to leave him to fight my battles, but I was also quickly becoming terrified of Stryker.

“Jesus, man, this isn’t any of your damn business!” Stryker yelled in Colin’s direction as I ran toward the security door, fumbling for the key.

“It is my business when you’re harassing my friend. Now leave!” I had never seen Colin so aggressive, and no matter how close Stryker came to his face, he didn’t move or shift his eyes.

Before I realized what was happening, the air exploded around us as Stryker reached back, landing a punch on Colin’s right eye. The sound carried up and down the sidewalk as Colin’s head gave way to the violent attack. Stryker wasted no time, using that opportunity to dart in my direction.

Colin, however, also didn’t hesitate, and used the momentum to spin himself around and grabbed a hold of Stryker’s waist, throwing him to the ground and pressing a knee into his chest. A couple swift punches later, and Colin rendered Stryker motionless.

Pushing Stryker deeper into the concrete, he stood and walked in my direction, motioning me to open the door. “Don’t come back,” Colin called over his shoulder.

In a moment we were inside my apartment, blood trickling down the side of Colin’s face from the gash above his eye. I didn’t know what to say… what could I say? Grabbing a washcloth from a drawer, I ran it under cold water and quickly brought it up to the wound. He winced as I applied pressure.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“Don’t ever be sorry for the behavior of other people,” Colin replied. If he only knew. I was always sorry for what I drove other people to do. I had a knack for pushing people over the edge.

Three days had passed since the altercation between Stryker and Colin. William seemed to be successfully scared off, and apparently Colin had been too, since he hadn’t called or shown up since. I had decided, however, this was for the best. It was clear Colin was becoming a distraction for me, even if I had been trying to convince myself he was not.

Today I received some exciting information, and the first person I thought of telling was Colin, which once more proved that some distance between us would be a good thing. Sliding my key into the apartment door, I turned the knob and waited a moment, listening for heavy breathing. Even though Paige had promised to control her and Christian’s escapades, there seemed to be instances when they couldn’t help themselves.

“Is that you, Emmie?” Paige called from the living room.

“Nah, just a robber here to steal your innocence,” I yelled back, closing the door behind me and locking it.

“Too late, that was gone a long time ago.” Paige laughed.

“Girl, you’re not right,” I remarked, walking past her into my room to drop my book bag on my bed. As I walked back into the living room I could instantly see that Paige had been crying. Rushing to her side, genuinely concerned, I asked, “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“Nothing,” she quickly answered, looking away from me.

“Paige, your eyes are all red. Come on… something’s wrong,” I pushed, taking a hold of her hands and encouraging her to sit with me on the couch. “Is Christian all right?”

She sat, at last looking at me, clearly hesitant to talk about what was bothering her. I wanted more than anything for her to open up to me.

“You can talk to me,” I pressed.

“I think he’s lying to me,” Paige said, her voice shaking, her eyes begging me to tell her she was wrong.

“What makes you think that?” I asked, keeping my voice quiet and calm.

“I don’t know… a few nights ago he was out all night. I keep asking him what he was doing, but he’s not being straight with me,” Paige explained.

“Are you sure? I mean, how do you know he was lying?” I queried, remembering what Colin had told me about Christian’s recent sobriety slip.

Paige pulled her sleeve down over her fingertips, using it to wipe a tear away before explaining, “At first he said he was home, and then when I told him I had stopped by his place and he wasn’t there, he got nasty with me. He told I should stop checking up on him and asked why I can’t just trust him. I never brought up trust—I only said I had stopped by and he wasn’t there.”

“That does seem odd.” I had given my word to Colin, so what more could I say.

“He claims he must have just went out for a bite, but I know he’s lying, Emmie. I don’t know what to think. I never thought he was the type, but I think he might be cheating on me.” As she spoke the words, it was as if a dagger was pressing into her heart. I was certain the truth would be better than the things that were running through her mind, but it wasn’t my truth to tell.

“He’s not cheating on you, sweetie,” I comforted, squeezing her hand.

“How do you know? Why else would he lie to me?” she asked, staring up at me, hopeful.

“I just know Christian wouldn’t do that. He loves you, hon. I’m sure whatever is going on is not as bad as you think.” I reached out, giving her a hug, wishing more than anything I could tell her what I knew.

“ I know you’re probably right,” she agreed. “I don’t know what I should think, though; he has seemed so distant this week.”

“Who knows, maybe he’s going through something. You know how guys are… it’s like pulling teeth sometimes.” I offered the small amount of consoling I could.

“That’s true, guys are idiots sometimes. Just look at Colin,” Paige replied.

I stared at her, tilting my head, clearly puzzled by what she might be insinuating. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, come on, you have to know.” Paige leaned back, pushing her head against the back of the sofa.

“Know what?” I asked, my heart starting to race.

“That he’s totally hung up on you.”

Paige’s words made my breath catch in my throat. “What are you talking about? Colin is not hung up on me! He can’t stand me; in fact, I haven’t even seen him since he got in that fight with Stryker.”

“Why do you think that is?” Paige inquired, not looking away from me.

“Because he realized being friends with me is more trouble than it’s worth.”

“Oh my God, you really are clueless, aren’t you? You told him the two of you couldn’t be anything more than friends, idiot. He told Christian he realizes he’s falling for you, and he can’t be around you if you don’t want anything more.”

“What? No—” In that moment it felt like a vice was tightening around my heart.

“Yes! He is head over heels for you, girl. How do you feel about him?” she asked, leaning forward, desperate for all the juicy details of my innermost thoughts.

“I don’t know.” I gasped, collapsing back onto the couch cushions.

“What don’t you know? Colin is a great guy,” Paige urged.

“He’s a player.”

“Emmie, give the guy half a chance, and I think he’ll surprise you.”

“I think I like him, too.” I couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of my mouth. Did I seriously just say that I thought I might like him, too?

“Then go tell him!” She jumped to her feet, almost screaming in excitement.

I stood up, looking down at my skinny jeans and blouse. “I can’t… I’m a mess.”

“Oh, shut up, you look fine. He should be working on the loft with Christian.” Paige practically shoved me out the door. “Come tell me what happens as soon as you talk to him, all right?”

“Okay, I will.” My head was swimming. I grabbed my keys from the kitchen counter, not slowing down long enough to even think about what I was doing. If I did slow down long enough to think about it, I would probably chicken out.

“Oh my God! This is so fucking exciting!” Paige was no longer sad; instead, she was running in place, ready to explode.

“Wait, I almost forgot,” I said halting and turning back to look at her.

“What?” She paused, holding her breath as she stared back at me.

“I’m a finalist for the gallery project. I have a real shot at a legit show.”

“Fucking rock star! That’s what you are, my friend.” She pointed at me with a beaming smile. “Now go get that hottie.”

It felt like my heart might explode out of my chest. Was this real? Did Colin actually tell Christian he had feelings for me? And even if he did tell him that, could I really have feelings for him, too? The thoughts were racing through my mind, question after question as I made my way down the sidewalk and into the loft.

As it came to a stop on Colin and Christian’s floor, I thought for a moment I might vomit. Bracing myself against the wall with one arm, I swallowed deeply and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” I heard Christian’s voice from the other side of the door. How was I going to do this? Was I going to talk to Colin right in front of his brother? What the hell was I going to say? I wasn’t actually doing this, was I? Yup, here I go. My hand was really opening the door. One step and then another, and I was inside their living room.

Looking to the right I immediately saw Christian—he was pulling down the upper, mismatched kitchen cabinets. Pausing and glancing over at me, he gave a half smile, “Oh, hey Emmie, what’s up?”

I stood there, not knowing what to say at first as he continued his work. Maybe I should blurt out, I think your brother is amazing, and I heard he might like me, too, so where is that gorgeous piece of ass? But no, that didn’t seem right at all. “Is Colin around?”

“Nope, not sure where he went or when he’ll be back,” Christian replied without looking at me.

“Okay, thanks.” And that was it; I turned around and walked out, with no explanation. What was I thinking? Colin not being there was for the best. I had told myself more times than I cared to count that I was here for art school, not to find some boyfriend. It was quite obvious I wasn’t cut out for love, and I didn’t know how many more ways the world could tell me that fact.

Closing the door to the lift, I decided the best thing for me at this point would be to take my mind off Colin and all the confusing thoughts racing through my mind about him. Pressing the button to take me up another floor, I tried my best to focus my thoughts on the gallery project, reminding myself that was why I was in New York in the first place.

The lift ground to a halt, causing me to stagger slightly. Pulling up the gate I sighed as I stared at the canvas across the room. The burgundy swirled as it mixed with the teal, looking almost liquid, the white that tickled at the edges exploded into what looked like little bits of foam, reminding me of the ocean. I loved the way my paintings made me feel. That’s enough. Who needs love?

As I walked closer to my painting I gasped when I saw the back of Colin’s head. He was standing at the window, peering out at the street. I loved the way he made me feel. Just a glimpse of him made my heart flip and created an ache between my legs. Why was he here? I was beginning to resign myself to the idea of not telling him about the feelings I had for him, and then he shows up.

“Colin?” I whispered softly as I approached.

When he turned to look at me I felt my stomach drop, the skin around his eye had turned into a dance of blues and purples with a yellowish hue licking at the edges of the bruise. My jaw fell open in shock.

“It looks that good, huh?” he asked, delivering a half smile.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

“I told you, don’t ever apologize for what assholes do.”

“I never got a chance to thank you,” I said taking a few steps closer.

“You don’t have to thank me; anyone else would have done the same thing.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

“Has he left you alone?” Colin asked, studying me.

“I haven’t heard anything from him,” I replied truthfully.

“Good. That’s good. I should have checked in sooner. I’m sorry, I was… I don’t know what I was—”

“Please, don’t worry about it.” The space between us was now only mere inches. He smelled like fresh wood shavings. “I just hope you’re not mad at me.”

Colin’s eyebrows pressed together, a troubled look consuming his face. “Do you really think I could be mad at you for that?”

“I don’t know, I guess. I’m feeling like trouble kind of follows me.” I laughed lightly, trying to lift the somber mood. Sensing my attempt, Colin smiled. “Oh! I got some fantastic news today!”

“Oh yeah?” Colin inquired, tilting his head, still staring at me with great intensity. I could feel his eyes burning into me.

“I found out I’m a finalist in the gallery project.” Actually saying it out loud, I hoped it didn’t come across as bragging.

“That’s amazing!” Colin exclaimed, throwing his arms around me, lifting me off the ground into an embrace. In an instant, I felt like I was soaring, pulling my feet up behind me. As he set me back on the ground, our eyes locked, and I wished the moment would never end. I didn’t want him to pull away, and based on his lingering grasp, he didn’t either.

But it did end. Colin took an uncomfortable step back, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t—”

“It’s okay,” I interrupted.

“No, it’s not okay, Em. It’s not okay because I can’t do this.”

“I don’t understand… do what?”

Colin turned and looked back out the window. “I know something bad happened to you. Some horrible thing in your past that you don’t talk about.”

“How do you—” the words stuck in my throat.

“Anyone who gets to know you can tell you have walls, and there’s only one reason to build walls. Look, I get that, and if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s your choice. What I can’t do is pretend that I just want to be your friend. I can’t be close to you and not want to kiss you. I can’t see the way you light up when you experience things for the first time and not want to hold you.”

My mind was spinning. Was I dreaming this entire interaction? No, he was real, and my next words came out as a whisper, “I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s nothing to say. I came here to tell you that I couldn’t make these feelings go away. I respect you, and I understand you’re not interested in anything more than a friendship, but I can’t pretend, so I can’t be around you anymore. If I’m around you, I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself,” he said, turning back to face me, his gray eyes staring all the way into my soul.

“Colin, please don’t.”

“This was hard enough for me to say, so don’t make it any—” he started, but I cut his words off, lifting up onto my toes, my chest pressing against him as my lips met his. My head was spinning, no questions, no thoughts besides what I wanted in that moment. I wanted
him
.

Colin wasted no time, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me even closer to his body. He thrust his tongue outward, parting my lips with ease. All I could think about was his touch. I hadn’t allowed myself to even admit it, but I had been longing for it since we met. I closed my eyes, the moment enveloping me.