by Dani Rene
Tipping my head to the side, I regard her with a vested interest. “So, you’re not looking for tall, dark, and handsome?” I challenge.
A laugh tumbles from her lips, and I can’t stop staring at her mouth. The thoughts racing through my mind have turned filthy, and I’m tempted to lean in and kiss her. But I have a feeling Violet is someone who needs to take things slow.
“For me, I want someone who I can get along with on a personal level,” she discloses, completely oblivious to how intriguing she is. Just how much she’s captured my attention.
“Someone you can have good banter with, or chat with,” I finish her thought without realizing it. Because what she’s just described is me. It’s what I want from a relationship as well.
“Yes.” The one word is a whisper. Our eyes lock, hers shimmering with excitement, and I know mine only reflects what I see in her stare. “tell me about that tattoo,” she quizzes me slowly, “it’s rather feminine.”
“It is. There’s a reason for it. When I was little, I used to suffer from bad dreams. My mom bought a dreamcatcher and told me that it would always keep me safe by catching the nightmares and keeping them from haunting me.”
“That’s sweet, I like that a lot.” There’s a wistful smile on her face, which, in turn, makes me grin.
“Didn’t think I was such a catch, did you?” I wink playfully. “The tattoo just reminds me that she’s always there, looking out for me.” Violet opens her mouth to speak, but we’re interrupted before she can say anything.
“Can I get you, folks, anything else?” The shrill voice of our server breaks the connection, but I know it’s there. I felt it; I saw it. Violet can’t deny she wants me as much as I want her.
“No, we’re still good, thanks.” Violet finds her voice before I do because I don’t want to look away from her. Once we’re alone again, she asks, “How did you get into modeling anyway?”
With a smile, I sit back and answer, “When I was about seventeen, I got approached by an agent who had been scoping out new faces in the city. I was on my way to school, but he gave me his card and told me if I wanted to become famous and make some money, I should give him a call.”
“Sounds dubious,” she teases.
“I thought he was a dodgy fuck too.” I chuckle when I recall telling Simon about it. We had a good laugh, but then curiosity got the better of me, and I did end up going. “But when I called, it was a real agency. I did research for a couple of weeks before actually heading to their offices.”
“Was it something you always wanted to do?”
“To be honest, no. I never thought of myself in that way. I mean, I was a party animal, but I never thought I’d be making money by taking my kit off.” I sip my drink before continuing. “But I realized soon enough there are challenges that come with this career.”
“I think most careers come with challenges, but being in the public eye can be difficult.”
Nodding, I add, “It is. Everything you do or say gets scrutinized. And even though we’re pretty to look at, we make mistakes.”
“You’re pretty to look at?” she challenges with a grin, lightening the conversation.
“Easy there, love,” I cajole as I arch a brow. “Be nice.”
“I’m always nice.” Her retort is hot, burning me with want to see just how fucking nice she can be. “Don’t look at me like that,” Violet bites out.
“Like what exactly?” This time, I lean forward, needing to be closer, to inhale her scent, to listen to her words without the noise of the restaurant in the way. Her gaze locks on mine, and I know exactly what I’m doing to her when she shifts in her seat.
14
Violet
“I don’t know.” Shaking my head, I turn my attention to my empty glass as I attempt to play off what he’s making me feel. The hunger in his eyes is dangerous, fire burning in my gut, reminding me it’s been too long since someone has looked at me the way he is.
I can’t get swept away by the fantasy of him actually being something long term in my life. Even though he wants me to believe it, I can’t. He’s a man who can have any woman in the world, and yet he’s sitting in a small pizzeria with me.
“Look at me,” Colton commands in a gentle, yet firm tone. Lifting my eyes to his, I find those teal pools of need locked on me. His hot gaze trails my face, from my eyes, over my nose, all the way to my lips, where they linger for a short while before flicking back to my stare. “I don’t want you to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Hide.”
“I wasn’t hiding,” I refute, shuffling in my seat. “When you spend your life in the shadow of a sister who’s perfect and successful, you tend to want to skulk in the background. It’s an innate need.”
“Well, she’s not here, and I’m looking at you,” he retorts, his jaw ticking with frustration. I get what he means. She isn’t here, but still, when you grow up always being second best, it’s difficult when suddenly the spotlight is on you.
“I just …” My words filter off into the air between us. I don’t know what to say to him. I honestly have no clue how to be around him, and it’s scary. My stupid heart races every time he looks at me, and my body responds to him in ways I’ve long since forgotten.
Colton doesn’t answer me; instead, he calls for the check, and soon enough, he’s paid the bill, and my hand is in his once more. The car is waiting when we exit the restaurant. He pulls open the door and allows me to slip inside. But when the driver glances at him, he doesn’t offer my address; instead, he asks for us to be taken to the park.
“Why are we going to the park?”
“We’re going for a walk,” he announces seriously. He doesn’t look my way, just slips his fingers through mine, and holds my hand. I inwardly do somersaults at the contact and admonish myself for being so insecure about the date. And I don’t deny it’s a date anymore because that’s exactly what it is.
“Thank you for dinner,” I tell him in a whisper. “It was delicious.”
This has him turning to regard me with a smile. “It was good to be with someone who’s confident enough to eat carbs in front of me,” he tells me earnestly.
“Who would ever turn down carbs?” I can’t stop the laugh that falls from my lips at the thought of saying no thank you to a pizza.
“You’d be surprised, love.” He winks at me but doesn’t offer any more information than that. We pull up to a parking spot near the entrance to Central Park, where a couple of the horse carriages stand. For a moment, I think we’re heading to one, but Colton bypasses them, and we do end up in the park along with a multitude of other couples and tourists.
Colton doesn’t let go of my hand as we stroll down the pathway. The night is warm, and I’m thankful I wore comfortable shoes. I didn’t expect this, but I’m enjoying just being with him.
“Tell me about your favorite place in the city?” His request is expressed with a smile, and he casts glances toward me as we come to a stop at a bench.
“The center of the park where the pond is situated. In the afternoons, you can sit and watch the toy boats float on the glassy surface,” I reply. It is one of the only places I can come to think. When I’m struggling with a decision or if something is bothering me, I can sit there for hours staring at the water. “What about you? Where was your favorite place in London?”
I glance at Colton. His face is stoic as if he’s right back there, but his hand is on mine, holding onto me. It’s intimate, more so than you’d expect it to be.
“I never really liked London. Never found a place where I could just be. It was always busy, teeming with tourists, business folk. I did, however, love going up to the Lake District, where I could get lost in the middle of nowhere. But I only ever went there in winter.”
“Why?”
“It was the only time I could escape people. Not many tourists up in the Lakes in winter.” He’s silent for a moment before he asks, “What is your favorite childhood memory?”
&n
bsp; I have to think about it. There were never specific moments that stuck out. But I recall a birthday where I just didn’t let anything get to me. I was only twelve, and I just got one of the most thoughtful gifts I ever received. A butterfly notebook with sparkles on the front. It was more of a diary of sorts. But it was mine. New, not a hand-me-down.
“It was more of a gift than a moment, and it didn’t cost a lot of money. It wasn’t a designer pair of shoes or clothing item; it was a notebook.”
“A notebook? Is that where your love of writing came from?” My mouth falls open in shock at Colton, knowing that about me without me having to tell him.
I smile. “Yes.”
“I figured as much. A girl who loves her notebooks is a girl who loves words.” The corner of his mouth ticks upward, his eyes, even in the dark, sparkle as he looks at me.
“You’re very perceptive,” I declare honestly. “Nobody would pick that up from me just mentioning a gift I got when I was twelve.”
“I bet you still have that notebook.”
I laugh while nodding. “Yes, I do, actually.”
“I knew it.” He suddenly lifts his hand, along with mine, and places a kiss on my knuckles, causing heat to sear me from the inside out. Warmth blooms in my chest, along my cheeks, and trickles down toward my stomach. He’s looking at me like that again, and as much as I want to tell him to stop, I don’t because I find I like him doing that.
“I should get home,” I inform him. “I have an early day tomorrow, and my boss is away, so I’m going to have to step up my game.”
This makes him grin. “You have nothing to step up. You’re already a hard worker, and I’m sure she wouldn’t have asked you to do it if she didn’t believe in you.”
“Thank you,” I whisper shyly. “But you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this. I don’t want to disappoint her.”
“I understand, love. And I don’t think you could disappoint anyone,” Colton assures me, but deep down, I know it’s not true. Everyone can disappoint someone. It’s human nature. Nobody is perfect. He pulls me to my feet, and we make our way back to the waiting car. “I honestly don’t want this night to end.”
I glance at him in shock, my gaze locked on his, trying to find a lie in his admission, but I come up empty. It’s flattering. But that makes me nervous.
“I enjoyed talking to you. It’s nice to know what goes on inside that pretty head of yours,” Colton whispers once we’re in the car and on the way to my apartment.
“It was nice to get to know you, too, seeing what lies under that pretty exterior.”
“You’re calling me pretty again. I like it.” He arches a brow at me, the challenge sparking in his eyes. He wants me to refuse him, but this time, I don’t because it’s clear I like him. And with that thought, my heart thumps in my chest.
“I think you’re far too charming.”
“I think you’re far too alluring,” he retorts in friendly fire. The smile plastered on my lips doesn’t disappear the whole drive home. When Colton walks me to the door of my apartment building, he leans in to press a chaste kiss on my cheek. “Thank you for that chance I requested,” he acknowledges.
“Thank you for changing my mind about you,” I respond. He did. I’m surprised at just how down-to-earth he is. And I’m thankful for that.
“May I call you tomorrow?” he asks before stepping away from me. Even though I convinced myself I didn’t want more from him than a friendly dinner, the thought of his lips on mine is at the forefront of my imagination.
“Yes,” I find myself answering. “I’d like that.”
I’m not prepared for the full megawatt smile Colton graces me with when I say yes. “Till tomorrow, Violet.” The way he says my name, the way his accent drips with seductive connotations, makes me shiver. I know one thing for sure — tonight I’ll have pleasant dreams.
I watch him walk back to the car before he waits for me to enter my apartment building. Once inside, I glance over my shoulder to see him slipping into the backseat of the town car.
Inside my apartment, I’m a flurry of excitement and giddy delight. It’s been so long since a guy has made me feel so good, and it’s been far too long since I’ve come home after a date wishing it didn’t have to end.
15
Colton
The moment I step foot into the penthouse, I want to turn around and go back to Violet’s apartment and kiss her properly. I want to steal her lips with mine and make her see just how stunning she is. When I told her about my past, even just the small part of who I am, she realized I’m more than a glossy page in a magazine or a billboard up on the highway.
I have always enjoyed a challenge, and she’s proven to be one. Granted, she isn’t the type of girl my agent would have me dating, but that doesn’t mean it’s what I want. And I’m going to prove that to Violet.
Pulling out my cell phone, I open my messages, tapping out a note to her, and hit send before I think better of it.
Colton: Dinner was delicious, but the company was much more satisfying.
I head into the bathroom. Turning on the shower, I wait for it to heat up before discarding my clothes and stepping under the spray. The warmth prickles against my tense shoulders, and I lean a hand on the cold tiles. Dropping my head under the water, I close my eyes and think about Violet. Her scent, her smile, her laugh. Everything about her is drawing me closer.
Granted, I wanted to fuck her senseless the moment I saw her, but tonight has changed that to much more than just a quick one-night stand. I want to know her. There was pain in her eyes when she spoke about the notebook she received. And when she talks about writing, her face lights up with excitement.
I find myself wanting to see that expression on her face all the time. Every day. And I want to make that happen. The feel of her skin when I kissed her chastely pops into my mind. The smooth silkiness sending thoughts of desire through me, and my hand grips my shaft, stroking slowly. I imagine it’s her delicate, feminine touch. Imagine the heat of her, the smell of her perfume.
I’m hard, throbbing, and I wonder what she would feel like wrapped around me, pulsing with need, slick and warm. My body stiffens as pleasure skitters down my spine. My muscles are tense, my veins corded in my forearm as I wank my dick to thoughts of just how tight she’d be.
It doesn’t take long for my release to shudder through me, and I can breathe again. But I know it won’t last long. I’ll think about her again the moment I’m in bed. And when I wake up.
By the time I get to my bedroom and pick up my phone, there’s a response from Violet, which makes me smile.
Violet: I would have to agree with you. The company was extremely satisfying.
A smile cracks on my face at her words. I haven’t felt any excitement with a woman in such a long time, but with Violet, it feels like being a fucking teenager.
Colton: Is that you agreeing to a second date?
Violet: Perhaps. Let me check my planner.
Colton: I can always buy you a new one. That way, it would be empty, and you can spend every day with me.
The moment I hit send, I want to pull it back. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s fucking cheesy and stupid. But it’s been sent into the nether, and I can’t call it back now. Instead, I focus on the three dots that dance along the bottom of my screen. When they stop, so does my heart.
It’s stupid to feel this for a girl who’s clearly closed off, but I can’t stop myself. I want to break down those walls she’s hiding behind. When she mentioned living in the shadows of her sister, I felt her agony, the frustration of not being seen.
I wanted to tell her I understood how she felt, but something tells me she wouldn’t have believed me. Even being in the spotlight, most of my adult life, I’ve always felt like nobody actually sees me. Not the Colton in the fancy new underwear, or the Colton who’s plastered across billboards, but I believe that over time, Violet will learn to know me.
When my phone buzzes, my chest tig
htens, but it’s only Simon checking up on me. I tap out a quick message that I’ll call him in the morning, but right now, I want to stare at my phone and wait for her to respond.
Violet: Who knew British men were so cheesy
A chuckle vibrates in my chest. Funny, breathtaking, and someone I want to get to know, Violet ticks my boxes when it comes to a woman. And the fact that she can give the banter, without getting angry at me teasing her, makes her even more unique.
Colton: Don’t kid yourself, we Brits know how to woo a lady
I hit send and can’t stop myself from grinning like a lovesick fool. Perhaps I should chat with Blythe tomorrow and ask her where I could take Violet. Somewhere private, so we’re out of the public eye, but I also don’t want her to feel like I’m trying to hide our relationship. If I can ever call it that.
I’m not used to dating someone who’s not in the business, so this is as new to me as it is to her. Picking up my phone again, I swipe the screen and hit dial on Violet’s number. I need to hear her voice.
After three rings, she answers, “Hello?”
“Hi.”
“Are you missing me already?” she teases, but when I don’t answer immediately, a small gasp fills the speaker. “Are you …?”
“What? Missing you?”
“No. But are you?” she quickly asks, and I can hear the smile on her face.
Rolling onto my back, I settle in before answering her. “I was thinking about you, and you didn’t answer my text fast enough.”