“It’s OK.”
“I, so, the thing is, Violet…” I looked up at her again, and it was hard not to reach out and touch her. Standing so close, I could catch the slightest hint of her scent, that lightly feminine floral musk. I wanted to bury myself in it, in her.
“You shaved.” She looked up at me and moved her hand as if she were going to bring it up to touch my cheek. But then, thinking better of it, she dropped it back by her side. No, it’s OK, touch me, I wanted to say, but I didn’t.
“Yeah.” I touched my check with my own palm, instead, still getting used to the smooth feel. “Seemed like time for a change.”
“It’s so different,” she marveled.
“Good different? Or…” I shouldn’t be asking that, I should be apologizing and explaining myself, but a man had to know.
“Yes, good different,” she gushed. “I mean, I liked you with some beard, too, but this, you just look, you look really—”
I didn’t let her finish, I had to touch her and before I touched her I had some things I had to say so I resorted to getting it out all in a big rush. “I’m an ass.” I started there and went on to explain how I’d gotten a call from Sam and learned that he’d been the one to pitch the exposé. He’d been the one to trick me into to signing the consent forms.
“I swear, I didn’t know what he was up to,” she insisted and that was it. I wrapped my arms around her.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t give you more of a chance to explain,” I apologized. “That I didn’t believe you.”
“No, I should have known something like that could happen. I should have been smarter. There was no way that network would ever have gone for any of my ideas.” And better yet, her arms came up and wrapped around mine, her hands resting on my shoulders.
“I still should have listened to you,” I insisted.
“Well, you might have if I hadn’t started calling you a liar.”
“And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you more about my background, my family.” I shook my head. “It was stupid to think I could just walk away from it all.”
“I said such awful things.” She reached her hand up to my cheek and touched my face.
We had a lot more to say, but not just then. What I had to do then was kiss her, sink down to her, melting my lips to hers, feeling her moan into my embrace.
“God, I’ve missed you,” she whispered through our kisses and I felt a tear on her cheek. I kissed it away, sitting back on a kitchen chair and bringing her onto my lap. I couldn’t stop kissing her. I never wanted to stop again. She tasted like honey and sunshine and fresh starts and I sipped and licked and kissed her over and over again, my hands threading up through her soft hair, down along her slender waist.
“Violet, is there…?” I managed, kissing, nibbling her ear, tasting her down at her neck. I felt her shiver under my hands. I wanted to make her shiver more. “Can you…?” I brought my lips down to the hollow of her throat and she tilted back her chin, giving me access. I sucked, licked, bit her slightly on her tender, sensitive skin and she gasped, her hands coming up to my broad shoulders to clasp me there, hard. She looked at me, heavy-lidded and gorgeous. I rested my forehead to hers, trying to catch my breath, trying to remember what I wanted to say.
“Can you forgive me?” I asked.
“Heath!” She threw her arms around my neck, burying her face in the crook of my shoulder. “I can’t stop thinking about you! I’m so crazy about you! Of course I forgive you!”
There was nothing for it but more kissing. Her limbs twined around me like a vine as we drew closer and closer together. Her tongue, her skin, the soft sounds from her mouth, the sweet taste of her lips, I was drunk off Violet and I never wanted to sober up again.
“But, Heath.” She pushed away from me slightly, creating a small gap I instantly hated. “I said some awful things. Can you forgive me?”
“Mmmm.” I savored her scent, breathing in her hair as my hands wound their way lower, lower until I cupped her buttocks. I pressed her against my groin as she straddled me on the chair. She gasped as she felt me hard, bulging and pressing against the seam of my jeans. “I forgive you,” I murmured. “But I may need to punish you a bit first.” My large hands gripped her ass cheeks firmly.
Her eyes flew open, and she laughed breathlessly.
“I won’t do it in your mom’s kitchen,” I promised her, moving my hands back up to safer territory around her waist. Only a little bit safer, though. She felt so good under my hands I itched to get her naked, run my fingers along her curves, bare for me every inch.
“No, not in my mom’s kitchen,” she agreed. And did I detect a slight waver of disappointment in her voice? Oh, I’d give her what she wanted. She didn’t have to worry about that.
“Can I take you out, Violet?” I whispered, kissing her lips again, then down along her jaw.
“You mean, like, a date?” she asked, breathless again. I licked her ear, enjoying the way I made her breath hitch. I could see her nipples pebbling through her shirt, and I longed to reach my hand up and play, tease, torture her just the way she liked. But there would be a time and a place. Soon.
“Yes.” I brought my hands sedately to her hips, quieting myself. Down boy.
“Sure,” she said, looking eager and delighted. “There’s a great pizza place right down the block.”
“Violet, I have something else in mind.” I smiled at her, bringing my thumb to caress her bottom lip. I knew we’d both have a good time at a pizza place. But after what she’d been through, she needed slightly more special treatment. Plus, my brother’s fiancé had given me strict instructions on how to do this right. I didn’t want to fuck things up again.
“Tomorrow night, are you free?” I asked.
She nodded, her tongue flicking out briefly to touch the pad of my thumb. My gaze instantly narrowed to that one spot, fixated on her pink tongue and red lips and I could imagine that tongue doing so much more, licking and sucking me so good. But I had plans and I would see them through.
“Good,” I nodded, moving my finger away from her gorgeously distracting mouth. “I’ll come by around seven o’clock.”
“What are we going to do?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“Oh, you’re not, are you?” She raised her eyebrows as she looked at me.
“That’s right.” I wanted to keep it a surprise.
“Who are you? Clean shaven and taking me out for a night on the town?”
“I’m a man of mystery,” I told her, giving her a wink. She laughed and smiled, and it was about the best thing I’d seen in weeks. Since I’d last seen her, to be exact.
§
I’d never been the type of guy to spend time sprucing up for a date. But I had to admit, that night I wanted to look sharp.
“This one? Or this one?” I asked my audience. My brother and his fiancé sat on the couch watching me hold up two pairs of shirts.
“You’ve got to try them on, big guy,” Ash told me. I grumbled like a little kid getting dressed by his mom for Christmas dinner. “Hey,” he admonished me. “Do you know how much crazy shit I’ve worn for photo shoots? The costumes I’ve put on for shows?”
“That’s your own damn fault,” I told him. No one had forced him to be a rockstar.
“Try it on for us, Heath,” Ana asked nicely, trying a little sugar with the growly bear. “We’ll make sure you look amazing for your night out with Violet.”
They’d hooked me up with prime time reservations at one of the hottest restaurants in the city. All it took was one drop of Ash’s name and—bam—we had a table for two. I guessed the least I could do was let them play dress up with me.
By the time I was ready to head out, I was glad I’d let them have their way. They’d done a better job with me than I ever could. I wasn’t exactly a good judge of fashion, but even I knew when I looked in the mirror they’d cleaned me up good.
“You look so handsome!” Ana squealed, clapping her hands tog
ether.
“He is a strapping young lad,” Ash agreed, wrapping his arm protectively around his fiancé’s waist.
They let me wear some dark jeans, but insisted I pair it with a fitted collared shirt and a casual jacket.
“I can’t believe these fit me,” I marveled, pulling on the lapels of the jacket, pleased with my ability to move my shoulders and arms. Ash and I were not exactly the same size. “Wait, why do you have clothes that fit me?” I turned to him. Ash conveniently excused himself because he heard his phone ringing. I did not hear any ringing.