Red Hot Rose Boxed Set (23 page)

“Well?” he prompted.
 
“Yes or no?”

“Yes or no what?”
 
My face turned red.
 
I could feel the heat rising up my neck.

“Do you like the wine?”
 
He got a bemused smile on his face, probably wondering what the heck my problem was.

“Yes.
 
It’s very … fruity.
 
I like that.”

“It’s great on warmer days like this.”
 
He looked around.
 
“I love it when the sun stays out later in the day like this.
 
It feels like summer can last forever.”

Rays of light were shining through the massive oaks, leaving dappled spots of sun on the ground around us.
 
“Wouldn’t that be nice?
 
No more winters, no more rain, no more going back to school.”

“No more going back to school for you after a few weeks, though, right?
 
Or are you planning on going for your masters?”

“No.
 
I’m done for now.
 
I need a break. Besides, you said you were going to hook me up in New York, right?”
 
I looked at him, wondering if now was when he was going to tell me he’d only been joking or that he’d changed his mind.
 
I could hardly blame him for thinking that way if he did.

“Yes, I did say that.
 
And I meant it.
 
But I’m hoping I can convince you to stay here.”

I frowned.
 
“Why would you want to do that?”

He tipped his glass back and finished off his wine, setting the glass down on the blanket when he was done.
 
Lying back on his folded hands, he stared up into the tree branches and answered me.
 
“Because I like having you around.
 
I like spending time with you.”
 
He turned his head and looked at me.
 
“Maybe I’m just fooling myself, but I thought I was getting the impression that you enjoyed being with me, too.”

I shrugged and looked away, reaching out to grab a long dry pine needle to wrap around my finger distractedly.
 
“I do like spending time with you.
 
A lot.
 
I just don’t think it’s something I should get too used to, you know?”
 
I turned back to him, trying to read his expression.
 
My heart spasmed painfully in my chest.

He rolled over onto his side, propping his head up on his hand.
 
“No, I don’t know.
 
Why can’t we let ourselves get used to it?
 
Explain it to me.”

“Because we’re just … too different.”
 
I couldn’t think of anything more convincing than that.

“How so?
 
We both like picnics.
 
We like good food, wine.
 
We like politics and the fine art of seducing the public over to our way of thinking.
 
I’ll bet you like to travel.”
 
He leaned over and tickled my leg once before taking his hand back.
 
“And we both like sex.”
 
He winked.
 
“See?
 
We’re compatible in all the right ways.”

“I hope there’s more to me than that just stuff.”
 
Hearing it made me feel kind of shallow.

“I’m sure there is.
 
And I’m betting I’m going to like getting to know more about you, about what makes you tick, what you like and don’t like.
 
But I can’t do that if you don’t let me in.
 
And I can’t do it if you disappear to New York.”

“I don’t understand.
 
Are you asking me to stay?
 
Why would you do that?”

He tipped over onto his back.
 
“Argh,
yes
, I’m asking you to stay!”
 
He was staring up at the trees.
 
“Why?
 
Why is she making this so difficult?
 
I’ve asked her several times, I’ve made her offers I thought she couldn’t possibly refuse, and yet here she is, asking me this question.”

I leaned over and shoved his shoulder.
 
“Shut up.”

“And now she’s telling me to shut up, too.
 
The abuse I take from this woman …”

I couldn’t help but smile.
 
“I’m not abusing you.
 
I’m just confused about this whole thing, and honestly …” I hesitated because I was about to bare my soul and I fully expected it to hurt. “… I just don’t understand why you’d want to be with me when you have people like Jaqcueline at your doorstep all the time.”

Alex rolled back over to his side and place his warm hand over my foot.
 
He massaged it lightly as he explained.
 
“I was with Jacqueline for only a short time before I realized what kind of person she is.
 
She’s much like many other women I’ve been with: shallow, materialistic, out for themselves.
 
I knew she’d only want to be with me as long as the money and prestige were there.
 
And I admit, having a person like me for those things is an ego boost.
 
But every guy gets to a point in his life when he looks around and asks himself if this is what he really wants … if this is all life has to offer.”
 
He squeezed my foot once and then stopped moving his hand altogether.
 
“I did that.
 
I did that just after I broke things off with her, and then I met you.”
 
He leaned over and kissed my smelly foot.
 
“What can I say?
 
You got me.
 
Hook, line, and sinker.”
 
He fell onto his back and put his hands behind his head again, back to staring up at the trees.

I was more than a little shocked at his confession.
 
I didn’t know that much about men; my experience was limited to guys in their late teens and early twenties and he was almost in another generation.
 
But still, it made sense, especially when I took his personality into consideration.
 
A guy like him could never be content with faking it.
 
He was all about feeling genuine emotions and not being afraid of them either.

“What did I do to make you feel that way?” I asked.
 
I wasn’t fishing for compliments.
 
All I could think about was our first meeting.
 
How does an easy escort convince a guy he’s ready for a more “real” relationship?

He looked at me, upside down, and smiled.
 
“I think about that night a lot, you know.”

“You do?”
 
My face got hot again.

“Yeah, I do.”
 
He looked up at the sky.
 
“You were standing there, looking so nervous, wearing that dress.
 
I thought you were going to fall over in those heels when I walked up to you.”

I laughed.
 
“I probably was.
 
Jessica made me wear them.”

“I could tell it wasn’t really your scene.
 
Something about the way you stood there, your chin up like you were scared but you weren’t going to let anyone take you down, it made me want to go over there and act like Sir Galahad or something.”
 
He laughed softly.
 
“It’s not normally my thing.
 
I used to avoid girls like you on principle alone.”

“Oh yeah?
 
Why?”
 
I wasn’t sure if I should be offended or flattered.

“Because.
 
I’m not the kind of guy normally who has patience for innocence or inexperience.”

“Oh,” I said, dropping my gaze away from him.
 
Embarrassment was taking over now.

“I’m not saying you’re an amateur or anything.
 
Don’t look like that.
 
What I’m saying - pretty badly I know - is that you’re a good girl.
 
The kind of girl you don’t just play around with.
 
Do you know what I mean?
 
I normally only date women who don’t bring complications along with them.”

“Complications?”

“Yeah.
 
Like love and a future beyond the next few dates.”

He said love!
 
But that doesn’t mean that he means me.
 
He’s just speaking in general terms.
 
I cleared my throat.
 
“Oh.
 
But you say I’m complicated?”

He sighed loudly.
 
“Hell yes, you’re complicated.
 
Now my whole life is suddenly
very
complicated.”
 
He sat up and then stood, wandering a few steps towards the water.
 
He looked back at me.
 
“Want to go out in a canoe for a little bit?”

I shrugged, thinking a change of scenery might lighten the mood. His confessions were making me feel so many conflicting emotions, I no longer felt like I could even guess what was going to happen next with us.
 
“Sure.”
 
I hadn’t been canoeing since day camp when I was about ten.
 
I took his offered hand and stood.

I watched as he dragged the canoe to the edge of the dock and then pushed off.
 
It bobbed in the water a few times before settling down.
 
Alex held his hand out to me.
 
“After you.”

I took his hand and stepped gingerly into the middle of the boat, having a minor heart attack when it tipped sharply to the right.

“Get both feet in and squat down.
 
Bring your center of gravity lower,” he instructed.

I did as he said, and the boat calmed down.
 
He stripped off his shirt and got in without any drama, settling himself down on the bench in the back.
 
“Grab that oar up there.
 
You’re going to help steer.
 
I’ll do most of the work.”

I nearly choked at the vision I’d gotten of his half-naked body before he stepped into the boat behind me.
 
I’d kind of forgotten just how beautifully formed he was, and seeing him like that was giving me a minor heart-attack.
 
Breathe.
 
Just breathe.

“I haven’t done this in a long time,” I said, picking up the oar and resting it across my knees.
 
I looked over my shoulder, unable to keep from admiring the bulging of his muscles as he stroked his oar through the water, first on one side of the canoe and then the other.
 
Soon we were moving swiftly away from the dock.
 
I turned back to the front, watching the boat create a small V of ripples as it was powered forward by the strong man behind me.

“I used to do crew in college, but I prefer canoeing,” he said.

I nodded.
 
“I can picture you on a crew team.”

“We did pretty well.
 
I was mostly in it for the workout, though.
 
I’m lazy like that.
 
I hate going to the gym - I get bored.
 
I like to be entertained while I get fit.”

My mind strayed over to our workouts, and I rolled my eyes.
 
Get your head out of the gutter, girl!
 
Just talk to him!
 
“Me too.
 
I run sometimes, but I never get that runner’s high I hear about.”

“It’s a myth,” he said, a smile in his voice.
 
“It’s a grand conspiracy by the running shoe manufacturers, trying to get us to buy their products.”

I nodded.
 
“Yeah.
 
That sounds about right.”

We cruised along the edge of the lake in silence.
 
Several small cranes were in the water, each with one leg bent up.
 
They poked their beaks in now and again, getting whatever they could find out of the water or mud at their feet.

“It’s so beautiful,” I said, not realizing I’d said it out loud until he responded.

“Yes, it is.
 
I think in another life I would have enjoyed working outdoors.”

“Doing what?”
 
I reached over and let my hand trail in the water.
 
It was cool to the touch and smelled of algae.

“I don’t know.
 
Forest ranger?
 
Gardener?”

I laughed.
 
“Yeah, right.
 
I can totally picture it.
 
You in a business suit trimming rose bushes.”

“Hey, I have gardening clothes,” he said in mock offense.

“Sure you do.”

“You’ll see,” he said mysteriously.

“When?”
 
I rose to the bait he’d dangled in front of me.

“When you agree to move in with me.
 
I’ll give you half my closet.”

We’d moved to the center of the lake, and he stopped using his oar.
 
I turned around carefully to face him, only screaming once when I thought I was going to fall overboard.
 
“You can’t be serious about that, Alex.”
 
I was practically pleading with him to be reasonable.

“Why not?”
 
He smiled at me.

“Lots of reasons.”

“Give them to me.”

“You hardly know me, for one.”

Speaking softly he said, “I’d argue that I know you better than anyone ever has before.”
 
He gave me a look that made me shiver with pleasure.

“Maybe in some ways but not others,” I disagreed.

“Well, what better way to get to know you in those other ways than to live with you?”