Discipline (16 page)

“Hi.” I tucked my hair behind my ear as the
breeze blew it forward. My eyes dipped briefly down to his hand on
my waist. “I see you’re letting yourself touch me tonight.”

“Well.” He tilted his head. “I lasted about
fifteen minutes with that rule last time. I figured I’d modify
it.”

“Oh yeah? What’s the new rule?”

He laughed. “There isn’t one. I’ll play it
by ear and probably have a hard time all night.”

“Sounds good to me.” His hands in my hair
now, we started walking up a path of dusty wooden planks that led
toward the shack and its dilapidated looking stairs. “So, care to
tell me about this pick?”

“It’s a place I’ve been meaning to come back
to, but I never found the right time.” He smiled. “Or company.”

I blushed. “I have to admit, this is my
first time in Red Hook.”

“Really? Never even came to the IKEA here to
furnish your apartment?”

“My apartment came furnished because it was
my grandmother’s, so no. All I had to do was take the plastic off
the couches.”

Daniel laughed, his blue eyes crinkling in a
way that made him look too adorable for words. “There’s always
method to grandparents’ madness.”

“Exactly.”

He gazed up at the front of the shack when
we reached it. Hung between two awning windows was a faded red and
white lifesaver, the words “
since 1968
” spray painted across
it in blue. “My grandpa was actually the one who introduced me to
this place.” Letting me up the shaky steps first, he walked right
behind me, guiding me with an attentive hand on my lower back. “It
was already a weird, rickety building when I first came here twenty
years ago, so I didn’t have the highest expectations.”

“But he proved you wrong?”

“No, this place was pretty terrible when I
first came here,” he laughed, making me break into a big, quizzical
smile. “The management had just changed and business was on the
decline. But my grandpa had been coming here for awhile and he was
convinced that if we ate here often enough, he’d get friendly with
the new management, and once he got friendly with the new
management, they’d listen to his recommendation for a great new
seafood distributor.” He laughed. “That distributor was his best
friend who was in need of business. And he got it.”

I raised my eyebrows, genuinely impressed.
“Your grandpa sounds like a good friend to have.”

“He was. Those two were more like family
though. They grew up together in Red Hook.”

“Here? Really?”

Daniel nodded. “My dad grew up here too. He
ended up the first of five generations of Coles to leave Red
Hook.”

“Wow.” Genuinely surprised, my eyes
fluttered as we were seated. I’d for some reason imagined the Coles
originating straight out of Woodhill, possibly because I knew
Daniel’s father had taught before at the high school. But that was
obviously not the case at all. “So your origins are in Brooklyn.
Didn’t know that.” I was charmed as I played with a seashell on our
picnic table. It was the same as the ones that hung in nets from
the ceiling above me.

Daniel watched me with a little smile. “I
wouldn’t expect you to know something like that, I don’t talk about
it much.”

“I figured the ladies of Woodhill had dug up
every fact about you already.” And by “ladies of Woodhill,” I
mostly meant “Kelsey.”

“Well. They didn’t dig up the important
ones,” he laughed as our server poured our water. “Important to me,
at least,” he said just as we were interrupted with a list of
specials.

I let Daniel do the ordering since he knew
the menu well enough not to have to lift it once. When he finished,
I eyed him curiously. “This place means a lot to you,” I said,
barely able to finish my sentence before breaking into a huge smile
since his own couldn’t be contained. A sweet, adorable smile on a
devastatingly handsome man was, I decided, the most breathtaking
combination in the world.

“Yes, I came here every summer up until
recently.” Scanning the deck, Daniel leaned forward, treating my
eyes to the sight of his flexing shoulders. “My dad and grandfather
were really close so growing up, I visited a lot. I’d stay for
weeks over the summers. It was rough back then but everyone knew my
grandfather, so if I was walking next to him, I was good. More than
good.”

Enchanted, a grin spread my lips as our
Mason jars of cider arrived. “What did your grandfather do?” I
asked, taking a sip.

“He was a dockworker. Everyone else before
him too.” I watched a dimple appear on his cheek as a corner of his
lip curled up. His eyes drifted from me for a moment and with a
thrill, I watched a memory sparkle in his eye. “He retired right
around 1960. And right before he did, he found a book written about
dockworkers in Red Hook, so he picked it up despite never having
read a book in his life. He was just curious to see if the details
were accurate.” Daniel rubbed his chin, a finger running across his
smile. “It was a play, actually.
A View From The Bridge
by
Arthur Miller. He read it, loved it, made my dad read it when he
was only about eleven or twelve. But he was good in school and my
grandfather wanted my dad to analyze it for him so he could
understand the story even better, kind of see if he’d missed any
details since he never really prided himself on reading
comprehension.” Daniel glanced at me and shook his head with a
little laugh, as if brushing off his grandfather’s self doubt.
“Anyway, fast forward fifteen years,
A View From The Bridge
is the first book on my dad’s syllabus for junior English at
Woodhill.”

“And it was on your summer reading
requirements for senior English,” I recalled.

Daniel nodded, shrugging one shoulder,
wearing a smile and a hint of guilt on his lips. “Summer reading
because it’s not one of my favorites from Arthur Miller, but I make
everyone read it for my grandfather.”

I feigned shock. “You make students read
books you don’t even like.”

“No, see, I love that book with all my
heart,” he said with a grin. “I just don’t like it that much.”

I tilted my head and laughed. “I understand
what you’re saying.”

“Thought you might.”

“So when was the last time you’d been
here?”

Despite outward composure, something
flickered in Daniel’s eye. “Four years ago this month. Right after
my dad died. To see if I could feel him here even if he wasn’t with
me.”

My heart dropped into my stomach. “I’m so
sorry.” I should’ve known it was a risky question.

He shook his head. “Don’t be. We knew when
it was going to be his last few months and luckily, they fell
during the summer.”

“So you were able to see him a lot.”

“Every day. And he was just… sharp as
hell
till the day he went. Arguing about books with me,
pointing out things I’d never noticed. Telling me I was crazy for
not liking this book, ‘your grandfather would’ve loved this book.’
That kind of thing.”

My heart swelled at the picture he painted.
“That’s incredible.” Jogging my mind, I tried to think of my
fondest family memories and moments. All that came to mind were
gifts. Things that Mom had bought for me. The gypsy horse she’d
rented for my tenth birthday party. It was for the other kids
though — my dress had been too expensive to get dirty.

“Hey, hey, ocean bucket here,” our server’s
voice broke my from my thoughts, as did the tinny clanking of a
bucket on our table.

Daniel laughed at my reaction to the “ocean
bucket” — a massive pail overflowing with crab leg, lobster claw,
clams and shrimp, the sides lined with fat lemon wedges, corn and
red potatoes. I simply stared, my stomach suddenly growling and
overpowering whatever sliver of me hoped to look graceful and
pretty for Daniel tonight.

“This is what we used to order. Two of
them,” Daniel chuckled. I could feel him staring at me. “You ready
to get dirty?” he asked.

I looked up, my face serious. “So
ready.”

“Good, that’s what I like to hear.” He
seemed truly pleased by my answer. Eyeing me, he nodded at the crab
legs and lifted an eyebrow. “Need me to crack ‘em for you?”

I blinked incredulously. “Are you
kidding?”

“Just asking.” He paused before breaking
into a sexy grin that stole my breath. “Had a feeling you were the
one to bring here.”

I tilted my head and after a few seconds,
managed to utter something. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

A light breeze blowing through the deck, we
shared a smile. And then we dug in.

CHAPTER
11

Normally, I needed headphones to survive a
long subway ride, but I’d yet to take them out of my bag this
morning, every inch of my brain still occupied by Daniel.

After leaving the shack, we’d walked
aimlessly for almost two hours. Our feet were craving rest by the
time we stumbled upon the moonlit park. It stretched across so many
blocks that we couldn’t see its end. All we saw was a brick path
lined with unlit street lamps and benches. It was a perfect find so
of course, the place was closed.

But sore feet aside, I had simply liked the
way the park looked. So without a word, I’d hoisted myself over the
gate, Daniel watching me for a few seconds, shaking his head in
disbelief before scaling the gate himself. And so damned easily.
It’d been effortless for his hyper-athletic body.

And after that, we were alone in what was
probably a hundred acres of park.

Curiously, during our walk, we found a
single street lamp lit in a forest of darkness. Under it, we’d
kissed for what could’ve been ten minutes or an hour — I hadn’t
kept track. It felt too good to keep track.

And though I’d done a good job surviving
dinner, his lips, his tongue had me aching for him again, taking
his hands and guiding them to the parts of my body that I wanted
touched.

“You fucking love torturing me.” His words
had been more of a groan than a laugh as I’d cupped his hands over
my breasts, inviting him to touch me as he pleased. He did, his
hands stroking, rubbing and gradually kneading so heatedly that two
buttons from my top tore off, bouncing like pebbles onto the ground
before rolling and settling into the grass somewhere.

But we didn’t do anything beyond that.

Whattt I thought he fantasized about having
sex in public. Why didn’t you guys just do it in a tree?

My phone received Adriana’s text as I got
out of the subway on 14
^th
Street. I smirked as I
responded.
Almost did in the field to be honest but no condom
and then he forced himself to go home
. Her reply was
prompt.

Well, great, now I’m imagining him shower
wanking again. Sorry
.

I snorted, in the middle of a response when
I heard a somewhat familiar voice chirp my name.

“
Nina
, oh my God!”

I spun around, feeling a vague sense of
dread despite having yet to pinpoint the voice. But when my eyes
focused on the petite blonde standing before me in one of her
classic Pucci shift dresses, I realized that my senses had been
correct.

“
Tory
, hi.” I blinked, dazed but
reminding myself to give a polite smile. She was Dane’s girlfriend
after all, not Dane himself. “How are you?”

“How are
you
? I haven’t seen you in
too long, I’m getting so bored without you at these things, but Ben
says you’ve been at home a lot or busy,” she said, pushing her
Chanel sunglasses to her forehead as we leaned in to do kisses on
the cheek. “What, did Carlo quit today?” she asked with amusement,
referring to Ben’s driver as she nodded towards the subway station
I’d come out of.

My eyes fluttered, unsure of how to respond.
It took a second for me to realize that I didn’t have to keep his
secret for him. “We’re not together anymore,” I blurted, watching
Tory’s brilliant smile slowly falter, her head cocking as she
adjusted the strap of her Chloe purse around her narrow shoulder.
“Ben and I broke up.”

She blinked for a few seconds. “
No
,”
she finally gasped, her face frozen into a friendly smile of
disbelief though her eyes were glazed with an odd look, as if I’d
just sprouted another head. “But…” Her lips formed several
different words before saying one. “The ring. I know he bought one.
It’s breathtaking.” She covered her face with her perfectly
manicured hands before setting them hastily on my shoulders. “I’m
so sorry to ruin the surprise, but honey, he is about to propose so
whatever’s going on between you two, you gotta figure it out.
‘Cause they don’t all propose. Not this young, at least. I mean
look at
Dane
, he’s got four years on Ben and my finger’s
still naked as the day I was born!” she exclaimed before clasping
her hand over her big smile. “Sorry, hon, I’m just riled up!” she
laughed it off. “I just want you two to be together forever, I
can’t let you do this to him. Or
me!
You’re my girl, Nina!
You’re the only one of the girlfriends I like talking to.”

My smile was horribly awkward, I could feel
it. “I know but I… Tory, I know about the ring. He proposed, I just
said no. I can’t marry him.”
Partly because he offered me to
your boyfriend for a week.
“It’s not right between us.”

Her lips parted and froze that way for a
second. “Oh, see, that’s not true at all. That’s what you
think
, honey, but — ”

“No, I know it, Tory, I don’t like being
someone’s doll,” I insisted, though I felt immediately apologetic,
like I’d just criticized her acceptance of that life. “I… just
don’t like the way Ben treated me.”

Tory’s blonde head shook, slowly picking up
its pace as if I’d just told her the most traumatic news and it was
only gradually sinking in. “Honey, no. You’re not going to find
another Ben.”

“I hope I don’t.”

Insult pursed in Tory’s pastel pink lips.
“What, is there someone else already?” I didn’t respond and
instantly, her doll-like expressions hardened. She crossed and
uncrossed her lithe arms before touching the side of her chignon.
“Well.” Avoiding eye contact, she rummaged through her purse for
nothing in particular. “I’d tell you that you’re making a big
mistake, but I guess it’s not my business. You’re so young, you
just don’t know.”