Road to Reason (8 page)

“And taught you how to flirt and ask men to sleep with you?”

“Ha, ha, not funny. But, hey, it did get us dating now, didn’t it?” she said, proudly.

She had a point. He mused for a minute, “Okay, enough about friends for now.” He realized they had been sitting at the table, their meal long since over with, along with two empty glasses of wine. “Why don’t I help you clean up here?” He stood up with his plate and glass and went to the kitchen.

Together in the quiet, they put her kitchen back to rights, both content to let the silence lapse between them. 

Once they were done, she turned to him. “Now what?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle.  “Now we go make out on the couch,” he offered.

“Really?” she asked cheerfully.

He hadn’t been serious, but he wasn’t going to say no now.  “Sure, why not? Practice makes perfect, right?  Not that you need much practice in that area. Pretty darn flawless if I do say so myself.”  Now he was serious. Everything about her was just about perfect.

She led him back to the couch, where they sat down next to each other and she leaned into him. “Then I guess I can make the first move this time,” she informed him.

Placing her hand on his cheek, she caressed his whiskers. “I can’t see them, but I can feel them.” She continued to rub her hand up and down over the light blonde hairs.  “Soft,” she murmured. “I expected it to be a bit rougher.”

“It can be rough.  Just give it time,” he whispered back and lowered his mouth to hers.  Soft at first, gently testing her again, letting her decide the pace.

And she did, keeping it slow and steady, but it didn’t take her long to deepen the kiss.  Opening her mouth to taste more of him. He tasted the wine on her tongue, drank in her favor, while she consumed him.

He was having a hard time with his restraint.  She wasn’t acting like a virgin right now. She was all but swallowing him whole and he was letting her, happy to just hang on for the ride. 

Moving his hands to her hair, he held her head in place and took control of the kiss. He had to. Otherwise he wouldn’t be able to hold back.

Pacing them, taking it back a bit, he placed his lips on the corner of her mouth, nipped her a few times, then moved his lips across her cheek, to her neck, up further to her ear, drawing her lobe into his mouth. “You taste so good, feel so good,” he whispered.

She was putty in his hands; he knew it. He could mold her the way he wanted, bend her to his will and she wouldn’t stop him.

With his mouth back on her neck, his hands moved to her waist, then under her shirt, over her flat stomach, up her ribs and cupped one soft breast in his hand.

It overfilled his hand with her softness. He loved how she felt.  Real, nothing fake about her here.  His fingertips grazed over her hardened nipple, her back arched, pressing into him more.

“Ryan,” she breathed out. “Now? Will you take me to bed now?”

He stilled, moved back, and dropped his hand. What was he doing? He told himself he wasn’t going to go that far this soon. He wasn’t going to rush. He wanted to do it right, and doing it on the first night wasn’t right. Not for him and absolutely not for her.  “Sorry. Got a bit carried away there. Just give me a second,” he told her, then took a few deep breaths.

She sat there dazed, not understanding what just happened, he saw. He also saw how turned on she was, her nipples pushing through her shirt, the light flush across her face, her dilated eyes.  “You didn’t get carried away. Isn’t this all part of it?” she asked.

“Yes. No. I mean yes, but not now.  I’m not doing it this way.  We’re dating. We are taking it slow. I want you to make sure it’s what you really want.” And he hated to admit he didn’t want to give her a reason to stop seeing him once she took care of her little problem.

“It is what I want,” she told him earnestly.

It was all he could do not to wince. “I get that, but be reasonable. Let’s take it slow.  I don’t want regrets, from either of us. Doing this tonight, the first night, could lead to some. On both our parts.”

He stood up, looked down at her, her lips still swollen, her eyes still dark, filled with passion, all but pleading with him. It was the hardest thing he had done in a long time, but he knew he needed to leave.  “It’s best if I go right now.”

She sighed, remorse filling her face. “You’re right. I hate to say it, but you are. I’ll walk you out.” She followed him to the door.

“Have a good night.” He leaned in to kiss her once more, meant to give her a brief peck on the lips, got carried away again and pulled back panting minutes later.

Somehow her arms were wrapped around his waist, so she continued to hold him while they both got their treacherous bodies under control.   “Think of me tonight.  I’ll be thinking of you,” she all but purred.

He grunted and pulled away, placed a quick kiss on her cheek and bolted out the door.

Three days later Kaitlin’s cell phone rang, which was located in her purse, inside of her desk.  Digging it out, she saw Ryan’s name appear on the screen. “Hello,” she said cheerfully.

“Hello to you,” he said.  “You sound happy.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked back.  When there was only silence on the other end, she asked, “How have you been?” She leaned back in her chair, the charts and graphs on her computer she was analyzing currently forgotten.  

“Good.  But I have to say you aren’t doing so well at this dating thing.”

She knew he was teasing her and knew why, but decided to let it play out. “How’s that?” 

“Well, I expected to hear from you by now,” he explained.

She couldn’t stop the laughter that escaped. “Oh really. I would say I know exactly what I’m doing.  Daughter Dating Tips 101—never seem too eager, make them come to you.”

It was probably a whole new experience for him, having to make the next move.  But he did it, and she was glad she
had
waited.  Because it was hard. She’d really wanted to call him on Sunday. And Monday and today. In the end she made the right decision.

“Seems to me you were pretty eager yourself on Saturday night,” he pointed out.

She laughed again. “Yes, but you put me in my place.  So now, back to my mother’s advice. It worked.  You wouldn’t want me to smother you, would you?” she said, having fun teasing him. 

Besides, if he was going to make her wait for it, she was going to make him work for it.  Thank you Sophia, Kaitlin thought, and was glad for some of the things she learned. 

She seemed to have gotten the upper hand on him when there was only silence on the other end of the phone.

He cleared his throat. “Back to the dating thing.  How about lunch?” he asked.

She was disappointed. She was having fun bantering with him, flirting back and forth. It seemed to come naturally with him for some reason. Which was odd; it never came off as naturally with anyone else she tried to flirt with over the years.  It was always so hard and so much work to think of what to say and what to do. But not with Ryan.  “Lunch sounds good.  What day did you have in mind?”

“Today,” he said simply.

Looking at the clock, she realized it was almost noon.  That wasn’t much notice. She liked to plan for these things.  “A little short of notice, don’t you think?” she asked.

“Spontaneity, and a little bit of mystery. Where’s your sense of adventure?” he asked, challenging her. “It’s only lunch, Kaitlin. It’s not like I’m asking you to take me back to your place.”

Thankfully he couldn’t see her blush, but if he did ask to go back to her place she wouldn’t say no.  “Lunch sounds good,” she said. She didn’t want him to think she was a coward. “I can be flexible,” she said nonchalantly.

“I would love to see that,” he mumbled quietly.

“What was that? I didn’t hear what you said.” Unfortunately, she
did
hear it but wanted to see if he would repeat it.  He didn’t.

Instead, chuckling, he said, “Nothing, just talking to myself. An hour good? For lunch?”

“That should work.”

“Want me to pick you up? Or meet somewhere?”

“Let’s meet. I’m not ready for this to be public yet,” she explained.  “You’re too well-known in my office. It wouldn’t take long for my father to get wind of it.”

“I’m pretty well-known in Albany in general.  And we will be eating in a public place. It’s a small town for the most part,” he warned her.

“True, but I’m not well-known. No one is going to think twice about you having lunch with a woman in public. Maybe they will think I’m a client or business associate.” She smiled. “I mean from what I’ve seen, I don’t quite fit into the mold of your normal dates.”

Most of the women he dated put on a show for him, she knew. She had done her research.  Dressed it up, acted fake, and let everyone know they got what they worked for. Arm candy, they were referred to. Those were the exact words her brother Alec said a few years ago when Ryan’s name came up once.

“I doubt anyone will think that.”

She only hummed low in her throat, choosing not to believe him. “Tell me where you want to meet. I’m not as familiar with the area as you are.”

***

After giving her the address, he hung up and sat back for a minute.  He didn’t like that she knew what type of woman he dated.  It had never bothered him before. But now he didn’t like the way it made him feel.

Almost cheap. That she would know he never really dated anyone quite like her. Someone smart, someone classy, someone who wasn’t trying to sink her claws in him. 

He made those choices in his life for a reason.  And he refused to have regrets now.  It was something he had to do, a protection for lack of better word.

She may not be like those other women, but she did have one thing in common with them: she wanted something from him. 

Only he was afraid once she got it, she would be done with him. Not the other way around, the way things usually ended for him…by him. 

No, he wasn’t ready for the possibility that Kaitlin would end things. For once he was tying those strings a bit tighter. He was unsure why and didn’t like the uncertainty he was feeling, but decided not to fight it just yet. 

So until he could convince her to give it more, he was going to be walking around in a sexual haze that he wouldn’t be able to do anything about.

***

Mid morning Saturday, Ryan rang Kaitlin’s doorbell.  She opened her door wearing a short tan skirt, a printed shirt in soft muted pastels that did nothing to hide her chest—even though there wasn’t any cleavage showing—and a pair of cream and brown print flats.  The perfect outfit for an outdoor outing.

“Come in. Just let me get my purse.  How is it outside? Do I need a sweater?” she said, looking down at his dark washed jeans that he wore with a pair of casual black sneakers and a dark gray distressed shirt. He saw she liked what she was looking it, and made no attempt to hide his pleasure.

“I think you’ll be fine.  But it might not hurt to put it in the car just in case,” he offered.

“OK.” She turned and walked back to her room, came out with a lavender cardigan, picked her purse up, and announced herself ready to go.

“Not yet,” he said, leaning down and giving her a kiss.  He had to lean down a bit further than he did after lunch the other day.  She had been wearing one hell of a sexy business suit and killer four-inch heels. Though she was still easily eight inches shorter than him in them. 

She leaned into the kiss, running her hands up his chest. She was continuing to test his control.  Minutes later, his heart racing, he laid his forehead on hers and laughed wryly. “So much for good intentions. Let’s go before I forget myself.”

“I can’t believe you want to go to the Tulip Fest,” she stated ten minutes later when they were seated in the car and on their way toward Washington Park.

“Why?” he asked, curious.

“Well, because you’re a guy. And this is about flowers,” she pointed out, dryly.

“So a guy can’t like flowers?” he asked.  “Maybe I’ve got a soft side?  Maybe I’m trying to soften you up?” he asked, sending her a devilish grin.

“You don’t need to soften me up.  I’m ready when you are.” She giggled when he failed to stop the groan this time.  

He paused, tried to gather his thoughts. She was dangerous, no doubt about it. And he loved every minute of it. “Well, either way, I like flowers.  You’ve been to my parents’ house. You’ve seen their property.  Lucas, my father and I have done our fair share of gardening. It’s relaxing, to be honest.  And flowers are romantic.  Aren’t I allowed to be romantic?  It’s one of my specialties.”

“Yes, I’ve seen your parents’ house. You’ve seen my parents’ house, too. Our mothers are both avid gardeners. I enjoy it, too. So if you are being honest with me, then we’ve got another thing in common.” She smiled brightly at the revelation.

“I’ll always be honest with you,” he said, seriously.

She looked at him, picked his hand up in hers and gave it a squeeze. “I believe you. Thanks for that. It’s not a quality I’ve seen in a lot of men over the last few years.”

“We’ve already established you haven’t had the best taste in men in the past.  Time you changed that, don’t you think?”

“Oh, no worries there. I’m making a lot of changes.”

He had no idea what she meant by that and was afraid to ask. He changed the subject—something he seemed to be doing a lot with her. “If you don’t mind walking a bit, I’m going to park at Albany Medical Center. It’s probably the closest we would get anyway and then I won’t have to fight much traffic when we leave either.”

“That’s fine.  You’re in control.”

He didn’t like the double meanings she kept throwing out there.  Wasn’t sure if they were even meant to be double meanings, but his mind kept thinking of other things at the moment.

They were having a great time walking around and looking at the tulips in bloom, stopping at the vendors for food and drink.  Just a nice normal date, enjoying each other’s company, holding hands and laughing.  Until they ran into one of his exes.

“Ryan.” They heard a squeal and turned their heads as a tall thin blonde wearing an extremely short jean skirt came running over to him.  She reached up, pulled him into an enthusiastic embrace and placed a kiss on his lips. Not even caring that he was with another woman, whose hand he happened to be holding.  “Oh, I’ve missed seeing you out lately.  How have you been?” she asked.

Uncomfortable, but seeing no way out of the introduction, Ryan turned to Kaitlin. “Kaitlin, this is Lynn, Lynn, my girlfriend, Kaitlin.” 

He wasn’t sure who was more surprised by his announcement referring to Kaitlin as his girlfriend, himself or the two women in front of him. Kaitlin looked shocked at first, but then smiled, Lynn just looked muddled. 

He could understand that; pretty much everything confused Lynn. And he had never called her his girlfriend before.  Nor too many other women either, if he were to be honest.

“Oh, nice to meet you.” Lynn looked at Kaitlin, her eyes traveling the length of her.  “I didn’t see you there,” she said sweetly, but with a bit of bite.

“Guess you should have your eyes checked then,” Kaitlin offered helpfully, even overly polite in his eyes. 

Ryan had all he could do not to laugh at the puzzled look that came over Lynn’s face.  Thankfully though, he was able to steer her away quickly.

Unfortunately that wasn’t the only one of Ryan’s exes they ran into. And Mandi wasn’t much kinder than Lynn. Matter of fact, she was downright rude.

“Really, Ryan,” Mandi said, turning her nose up at Kaitlin during the introduction. “You couldn’t do better than that?”

Before he could respond Kaitlin interrupted. “Oh, I would say he’s doing just fine.  The problem is it was probably the best
you
ever did and you’re just sorry you weren’t enough for him.  Don’t worry, dear.” Kaitlin patted her hand, a sincere smile never leaving her face. “There is always another one out there.  Just keep doing what you’re doing. Someone will fall for you,” she offered helpfully.

Mandi’s face turned red, while Ryan moved them away rather quickly. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for,” Kaitlin apologized.  “I shouldn’t have let my temper get the best of me.  It drives me insane how she could lay claim to you that way.  Like she has a right to criticize who you date.” 

Ryan was amazed. He totally didn’t expect Kaitlin to come to his defense; he actually was ready to come to
her
defense. He was just sorry that Kaitlin got the brunt of Mandi and would most likely be dissed by any of his other exes they might run into. He always knew what to expect. 

“Don’t apologize,” he said sincerely. “She had it coming. Even more than what you said.  She gave my sister-in-law, Brooke, a lot of grief when they first met. Not to mention Jack’s fiancée, Cori.  We didn’t date long, but she thought more of what we had than I did.  And everyone knew it, which only angered her more.” 

“Well, I’m still sorry. It’s not like me to act that way.  I should have kept my opinion to myself.  It makes me no better than her, saying what I did.”

“That’s not true,” he argued. “You are twenty times the woman she is. More than that.  Don’t let her get to you.  I’m just sorry that you were put in that position.” He placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, kissing her forehead.

“I guess I should get used to it though if I’m your
girlfriend
,” she said with a laugh.

He tried not to wince. “It might happen from time to time. Running into my exes,” he clarified.  “They aren’t all that silly or bitchy though.” At least he hoped they weren’t.

***

“I’m pretty tough. I can handle it.  I’ll even try to control myself a bit more, too, when it happens again, because I’m pretty sure it will.” She tried to keep her comment light, teasing almost.