Waves of Reckoning (The Montclair Brothers) (16 page)

“Oh, Baby…I intend to.” He moved slowly to the music, and it didn’t take long for her body to begin to sway in his arms. Vincent closed his eyes, so he could take in every second of this moment. All of a sudden, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Excuse me. May I cut in?” The man nodded ever so slightly at Vincent, as his eyes roamed up and down Carrie. He felt her tense up.

“No, I can’t let that happen. She’s mine.” Vincent smiled at the guy, and then slowly moved Carrie over to the other side of the dance floor.

“Thank you for saving me!” Carrie let out a long sigh.

“You saved me before, so I only felt it was right to return the favor. And,” added Vincent. “I meant it.”

“Meant what?” Carrie asked quizzically.

“You’re mine.” He moved his head back and looked into her beautiful eyes.

“Yep! Friends forever!” she laughed.

Before she could move her head to rest it back on Vincent’s shoulder, he lifted his hands to her face, held it softly, and moved his mouth to hers. It was nothing he had planned, kissing her in a room full of people, but with many eyes upon them, he gently parted her soft, full lips with his warm tongue, and kissed her slowly. When a moan escaped her mouth, she stepped back and looked at him.

“I don’t want to just be your friend, Carrie. This is a
date,
remember? If the guy likes the girl, he asks her to go out with him again. Well, I like…” he smiled as he leaned in to kiss her again.

“Vinnie, this isn’t me. This dress, the shoes, my hair, nails, and makeup, isn’t your everyday Carrie. You might like me tonight, but when I’m back in my jeans and t-shirt, you’re going to realize that this night, the girl in your arms right now, isn’t what you’ll get come tomorrow.” She smiled, but the sadness in her eyes was evident. “You didn’t like me one bit when I first got to your house, remember?”

“I did. That was the problem. For once I think I was feeling something besides lust, and it was scaring the hell out of me. Since then, I’ve let my guard down. I wish you knew how much you’ve grown on me.” He pulled her close to him again.

“I’m glad you like my outfit,” she laughed.

“Did you like my kiss?” Vincent looked into her eyes again.

“I haven’t been kissed quite like that before,” she whispered.

“Did you like it?” He watched her face redden.

“I thought it—” He quickly stopped her.

“Please tell me you’re not sure, so I can kiss you again.” Vincent placed his hand under her chin and tilted it towards him.

“I think if you kiss me again, we’re going to get thrown out of here.” Carrie chuckled and turned away. She headed back towards their table and sat down.

They listened to the band for a few more songs, and when Vincent saw her trying to hide a yawn, he asked her to dance again, but she declined.

“I’m getting sleepy, Vinnie. I feel kind of bad, but I’m not used to staying up this late.”

“Let’s go home.” He thought about what he’d just said. It was the first time he’d ever uttered that phrase to a woman.
Let’s go home.
Vincent couldn’t wait to have her all to himself.

As he drove, Carrie rested against the seatback and closed her eyes. When he asked her if she’d had a good time, he got no response. She’d fallen asleep. Though he’d wanted her to stay wide awake, he could tell how exhausted she’d become while at the club. By the looks of her, she must have worked all day long to perfect every detail. And she’d done it, just for him.

Carrie startled when Vincent opened her car door at the house. “Vinnie! I fell asleep! I feel so horrible,” she frowned.

“Nonsense. Let’s get you in to bed. Come on, Beautiful.” He took her hand and walked with her into the house. Once inside, she stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned to face him.

“Thank you for such a wonderful evening, Vinnie. You treated me like a princess, and I’ve never had that before.” She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Goodnight,” she said quietly, before climbing the stairs.

As she disappeared down the hall, Vincent panicked and ran up the steps, two at a time. “Carrie, wait!”

She paused outside of her bedroom door. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not ready for this evening to end,” he blurted. He wanted to hold her again, kiss her again, and stare at her for a few more hours.

“It’s pretty late, Vinnie. You should get some sleep too. I have to get up early and help Elissa with the boys. Hopefully we didn’t wake them up.” She glanced over at their bedroom door.

“We can go back downstairs,” he offered and reached for her hand. She looked so gorgeous. He let his eyes feast on her.

“Vinnie, listen to me. You like me right now because of this dress and these shoes. When you see me tomorrow, you’ll realize that you’re not really attracted to me at all. You’ve never paid this much attention to me before tonight. Don’t you get it? It’s the clothes, Vin. Come tomorrow you’ll be glad that we didn’t do anything you’ll regret. Hopefully you won’t be sorry about that kiss.” She squeezed his hand and then walked inside of the bedroom, closing the door gently behind her.

Chapter 16

C
arrie got up
early the next morning and showered, washing away the final reminders of the night before. There was no reason to lie in bed with the hopes of falling asleep any longer. Once she’d heard Vincent go back down the stairs last night, she allowed her tears to finally spill over. Carrie hated to leave him standing in the hallway, but her eyes were starting to sting. She knew he’d wanted more from her, but she was also aware that he was falling for the woman in red, and not plain, ordinary, Carrie Oliver.

He’d probably apologize today for being so forward and flirty last night. She should have followed her instincts and talked him into going for a burger instead. She let her back rest against the refrigerator door, knowing that today would be a very long day. Her eyes closed when she spotted her red toenails sticking out from the legs of her worn jeans. She moved her hands up to her red and white hockey jersey, which had a number coming unglued on the front. The makeup on her face was gone, the curls were washed out, and the perfume had been rinsed down the drain. Later today, she’d find a way to remove the fake nails, and then get out of the house for awhile.

Carrie had no desire to see the disappointment which she was sure would show on Vincent’s face this morning. By Monday, she’d have a job, even if it was at a fast food restaurant. It was hard not to keep calling herself an idiot for even thinking she belonged on the arm of Vincent Montclair, and she most certainly didn’t belong underneath his roof.

The coffee finished brewing and she heard the boys giggling as Elissa helped them down the stairs.

“Good morning, Carrie,” Elissa smiled, as she removed cereal bowls from the cupboard. “How did your date go last night?” She winked.

“It was nice. The steaks were great.” Carrie plastered on a fake smile. She didn’t want to mention anything about the club, for fear of breaking down in tears. “Are you going into work today?”

“Yep! I need to prepare some documents for Vincent. I have some good news for you though.” Elissa turned around and grinned. “I ran into a friend of mine, who I went to high school with. She runs a daycare in Southfield, so I’m going to drop the boys off today and see how they like it.”

“I can watch them for you. Besides, we have a lot of fun together,” Carrie reached down and held Elissa’s hands. She loved Miles and Noah, but she couldn’t exactly bring them with her on job interviews.

“Carrie, I’m so grateful to you for helping me out, but I can’t expect you to be my built-in babysitter forever. Besides, I don’t have to give all of my money to my parents anymore, so I can actually afford childcare.” Elissa turned to get the boys ready to go.

“I’m going job hunting today. Hopefully I’ll find something.” Carrie shook her head and sighed. “There aren’t any precincts hiring, so I’m going to have to take whatever job I can find.”

“If you need a resume’ typed up, let me know.”

Carrie helped Elissa finish getting the boys ready to go. After they left, she leaned against the kitchen sink and tilted her head back. She’d worked hard to become a cop, and now it all seemed like such a waste. She opened her eyes when she heard Vincent’s footsteps approaching from up the hallway. Carrie quickly turned around and began to wash the few dishes that were sitting on the counter.

“Good morning,” announced Vincent as he pulled a mug down from the cupboard.

Carrie couldn’t make any words come out. She nodded at him, but rolled her eyes at herself while he was pouring his coffee. The first thing she wanted to do was bolt from the room. He was dressed in an expensive business suit and smelled really nice. She looked like a wreck, and her hair was drying in messy strands. She could feel him looking at her.

“Well, I have to go get ready. I plan on finding a job today.” Carrie couldn’t believe she told him that. If she couldn’t find any work, she’d feel like a complete failure. Even if she managed to get an interview, she didn’t know if she had anything decent to wear that’d fit. She had one pair of black slacks, a white shirt and a matching blazer, but that was it. She’d needed one for ceremonies with the police department, but the last time she’d worn it was over a year ago. Carrie dried her hands and turned to leave.

“Do you think you could give me a moment so I can talk to you?” he asked, reaching for her arm. She couldn’t help but notice that his eyes showed sadness.

“Um…I really can’t right now. Maybe tonight.” She proceeded to take another step towards the stairs.

“No. It can’t wait until tonight.” He gently held onto her arm.

Carrie tried to return to where she’d been standing, while keeping her eyes on the ground. She couldn’t bear to see him look at her with the disdain that she knew would be in his eyes.

“About last night,” he began.

“I know. The kiss had a lot to do with the alcohol. You don’t have to apologize.” She felt the burning in her cheeks; her eyes began to water.

“You aren’t wearing that red dress or the high heels this morning. Your hair isn’t all done up, and you’re not wearing any makeup. Neither of us is drunk, and I don’t hear any romantic music playing.” He still hadn’t let go of her arm. She wanted the ground to open and swallow her whole.

“This is the real me, okay? We’ll just pretend we didn’t go out. Only a few people even know about our date. I’m not going to tell anyone else, so you don’t have to worry.” She rapidly blinked her eyes, while lowering her head even more. This way, the tears would drip from her eyes onto to the floor, instead of running down her cheeks. “I have to go, Vincent. I’m going job hunting today.”

“You found a precinct that was hiring?” Vincent tried to raise her face to meet his gaze, but Carrie kept her neck stiff.

“No, but I need to find work,” she mumbled.

“You should wait until you can find a position as a police officer.” She heard what sounded like, nervousness in his voice.

“I have to go get ready.” She unsuccessfully tried to pull her arm out of his grip.

“Look at me. Why are you crying?” He took a step towards her. She remained as rigid as she could. There was no way she was going to fall apart in front of him.

“Don’t freak out on me, and please don’t slap my face.” Vincent released her arm and held the sides of her face. He placed his lips, softly on hers. “Was that bad? Did I cross a boundary?”

Carrie looked into his eyes. Being kissed by this man again, wasn’t what she had expected. “Why did you kiss me?”

“
Many
people knew that I had a date with you, not just a few. For the first time, I was so excited to go out with a woman who I was happy about spending time with. Not for sex, not to drag to an event to boost my ego, but because I like you. A lot.” He pushed her hair behind her ears.

“We’re not even in the same league, Vinnie. Look at you, then look at me.” Carrie wished she wouldn’t have worn this raggedy jersey, but it was so comfortable.

“Wait right here. Don’t move a muscle.” Vincent hurried out of the kitchen, and went into his bedroom. A few minutes later, he proudly came out with his hair completely messed up, wearing a black t-shirt that had lots of paint stains, and jeans with holes worn in the pockets and knees. “How do I look now?” he smiled.

“I’ve never seen you dressed like this.” Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

“What someone wears, Carrie, doesn’t define who they are as a person. I’ve never seen you dressed up before last night, but I started falling for you way before our date. So, once again, don’t slap me.” Vincent lowered his mouth onto hers, pressing his body against her. “Kiss me back, Carrie. Unless you don’t feel the same way, I’ll understand.”

Carrie held her hand up to stop him. “Just so you know, I’ll probably never wear that dress again. I don’t really like dressing up or wearing high heels,” she said seriously. “I’m not going to camp at the salon again, getting my hair, nails, and face all done up.”

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re definitely eye candy, with or without being dressed to the nines, but what I really want is something more.” Vincent lowered his mouth to hers again.

His kiss melted her before she could comprehend what he’d said, but she wasn’t about to be used. She stopped him. “Sex? Is that what you want from me?” Carrie laughed and tried to walk away again, though she felt no humor in the situation. Pain at learning the truth, was chewing her up inside. She shivered as he moved his hands down to her waist, and lifted her up onto the counter. He slowly put his hands on her knees and separated her legs, just enough so he could move between them. When she looked into his eyes, they were filled with approval and desire. He smiled and pulled her lips down to his. She turned her head and tried to close her legs, but his body wasn’t moving.

“No, I have no intentions of using you. What I want is your heart. I know that I have a reputation for being a playboy, but I’ve never been so serious about a woman in my entire life. I was a jackass when you first moved in, but it was a new experience for me, and I didn’t know how to handle it. I’d like the chance to make that up to you.” Carrie knew he was being serious, but he was right. He’d been a jackass when she first moved in.

“I don’t want to get hurt, Vinnie. Eventually you’ll want someone who looks better on your arm. I’ll never be that woman.”

“I’m not going to pressure you. The ball is in your court now. So if you want me, Carrie, all you have to do is let me know,” he whispered in her ear. Vincent backed away, lowered his head, and slowly walked towards the front door.

All she could do was stare at him in response.

“No,” Vincent blurted. He stopped and turned around. She was still sitting on the counter, and had begun to dry her face. “Would you mind if I stayed home today? I don’t want to leave you like this. You’re hurting and I want to fix it.” Carrie watched in disbelief as he approached her again. “I promise I won’t hurt you. I still want your heart, and I’ll want it tomorrow, next week and even next year.”

“You don’t know that,” she quietly said. Carrie knew she had to change the subject, before she got caught up in the moment, which is all this was.
The heat of the moment.
“I can’t stay home, I have to go look for a job.” She began to slide off of the counter, but he quickly put his hands back on her waist and stopped her.

“You have a job, which is to tear down those walls and let me in.” Vincent lifted her arms and placed them around his neck. “Now let’s go out. Throw some shoes on.”

“Like this? I have another outfit I can—” She was interrupted by Vincent’s lips on hers again.

“You’re not changing anything. I’ll be back in just a second.” He winked at her, before disappearing into his bedroom. As she was tying her sneakers, Vincent walked into the kitchen with his hair combed and his suit back on.

“Wait a second! I can’t—”

“Oh yes you can.” He pulled her by the hand, grabbed his keys off of the table and escorted her out the door.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Vincent pulled into the parking lot of a five star motel, gave the keys to the parking attendant and guided her into the lobby.

“I’m not going to sleep with you!” she quietly protested.

Vincent couldn’t help but laugh at her indignation. The restaurant was very expensive, the patrons were business snobs, but he had to prove his point. As they were being shown to their booth, he pointed to a table in the middle of the room. “We’d like to sit right there.” Carrie’s breath caught in her throat, when she noticed people staring at her.

“Vinnie, they probably think I’m homeless!” She stared down at the ground.

“Then I guess they’ll think I’ve fallen for a homeless woman.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her passionately.

“Oh my God…” She backed away from his embrace. “They’re gawking at us!” Carrie tried to comb her hair with her fingers.

“Sir,” began the impeccably groomed restaurant manager. “You’ll have to leave. We insist on proper attire, and we can’t allow such inappropriate behavior in here.”

“Oh I see,” replied Vincent. He had no intention of putting his tail between his legs and leaving. Wrapping his arms back around Carrie, he pulled her against his body and kissed her deeply once more. When he removed his mouth from hers, she still looked embarrassed and shocked.

“I’m so sorry,” whispered Carrie. “We’re going.”

“Wait!” exclaimed Vincent loudly. “One more for the road!” He pulled her back to him and kissed her again, only this time he made it last a little longer. He laughed as she ran out of the restaurant.

Once they were safely in the car, Carrie turned her face away from him. Vincent hoped his plan would work, but he was pretty sure she’d probably kill him by the end of the day. He headed to Montclair Pharmaceuticals next.

“Where are we going?! I think you should take me back to your house now!” She was looking panicked again.

“It’s called
home
, not
my house.
I have to go in and get some work done. It’ll just take an hour or two.” He smiled at her, and she glared at him.

“You’re going to take me to work…No. Turn the car around,” she demanded.

Vincent ignored her. When they pulled into the lot, he stopped at the security booth. The guards came out and waved at him, and when they did, Vincent leaned over, put his hands on Carrie’s face, and kissed her again.