by R. Linda
“Okay, enough,” I said. “I need to get ready for my date.”
Indie grinned at me and bounced excitedly on the bed. I may have squealed a little.
I was excited.
Ryder and I hadn’t been on a date in forever, unless you counted our Friday lunches at the Coffee Pot. But alone time.
Alone.
Just us.
No Jack.
That was what I was most excited about. I didn’t care what we did or where we went. I’d be happy to just go straight back to his room, throw on his shirt, and watch movies all night.
Alone.
“Okay, show me what you’re wearing.”
I opened my bag and pulled out a red, black, and orange printed dress that fell to mid-thigh. Indie’s eyebrows shot up.
“What? No good?”
“What are you asking me for? Last date I went on, the dude took me to the skate park to watch him skate. We were sixteen. Like I know what’s a good outfit to wear on a date with your boyfriend who wouldn’t care if you dressed in a garbage bag.”
“Then what was with the look?”
“That top is really low-cut.”
I looked at the dress and frowned. It was really low. I hadn’t noticed it before because I’d never worn it.
“Too low?”
“Psshhh. Is there such a thing?”
“For Ryder? No. For me to wear in public? Yes.”
“Good point,” she laughed. “Have you got a jacket?”
I dug around in the bag again and pulled out my cropped denim jacket.
“That’ll work. What about shoes?”
I looked down at my feet and wiggled them. “These.”
“Sandals, really?”
“What?”
“No.” Indie rolled over the edge of her bed and pulled a box out from underneath it. “These.”
“What are they?” I stared at the box.
“The heads of seven black cats.”
“What the hell, Indie? That’s gross and disturbing on so many levels.”
“Well, ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer. They’re boots, Bailey. Cowboy boots, to be exact.”
I laughed. “Why do you have cowboy boots?”
“Because my mother likes to shop for me and refuses to buy me any more Chucks.” She opened the box and pushed it over to me.
Indie was certainly not the daughter her mother imagined having. Her room back home had been pink and girly, filled with lace and frills, all at Mrs. Kellerman’s doing. Indie added her own twist with posters of rock bands and shirtless surfers. Same with her wardrobe. Mrs. K bought dresses, and Indie wore them sparingly with leggings and Chucks.
She wasn’t girly, so the unworn gorgeous cowboy boots in a dusty box made sense.
“Uh, the stuffing is still inside. These are brand new, Indie. I can’t wear them.”
“You can because they are not brand new. I’ve had them for over a year. All that box is doing is collecting dust and making me sneeze at night.”
“You’ve never worn them?”
“Do I look like a cowgirl to you?”
I took in her appearance. Ripped jeans, black Chucks, a leather cuff on her wrist, and a vintage band tee. Her golden-brown hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders. To be honest, it looked like she raided Ryder’s wardrobe.
“No, you do not.”
“Well, there you go. Now, hurry up and get changed. Loverboy will be here soon.”
“I have until six. That’s plenty of time.”
“That’s fifteen minutes, Bailey.”
“What? No. How?” I lifted my wrist and looked at my watch. The battery had died, and the time was stuck at 4:40.
I was going to run out of time.
I quickly stripped out of my clothes and pulled the dress over my head, tossing my worn clothes back in my overnight bag. Socks.
“I don’t have socks for the boots.”
“Gotcha covered.” Indie threw a balled-up pair of socks at me, and I caught them just before they smacked me in the face. “Makeup?”
I slid the socks on my feet and slipped into the black cowboy boots. They looked perfect with my dress. Just as I was about to answer, there was a knock at the door.
I picked up my jacket, adjusted my bra and the top of my dress to hide my cleavage better, and reached for the door.
“Wait!” Indie jumped off the bed and pulled the hair tie out of my hair. “Shake.”
“I’m not a dog, Indie.”
“Just do it.”
I shook my hair out and let it fall down my back just as there was another knock at the door.
“Ready?” Indie asked.
I nodded and placed a hand on my stomach to try to tame the butterflies as she opened the door.
Holy hell.
He looked gorgeous. Edible.
My favourite ripped black jeans, with his black boots, hair slicked back, white t-shirt, and a blue checkered shirt with cut off sleeves thrown over the top.
Indie was wrong.
It was Ryder who would look good in anything, even a garbage bag.
Chapter Thirteen
Ryder
I was blown away. She looked incredible. Perfect. I mean, she always looked perfect, but there was something about her tonight that made the breath catch in my throat. I smiled a lazy smile. “Ready?”
Bailey nodded, twisting her hands together at her waist. Was it possible she was as nervous as I was?
God, why was I nervous? I didn’t know, but it felt like a first date all over again. Like that time I took her to the drive-in. I smiled at the memory and hoped she enjoyed that night as much as I did because we were totally reliving it tonight.
I was such a fucking romantic.
I held out my hand for her to take and tugged her to me. Pushing a piece of hair behind her ear, I cupped her cheek and whispered, “You look beautiful.”
She smiled at me. “Thank you. So do you.”
“I look beautiful?”
“Yes.”
My heart warmed, and I pressed a kiss to her nose before calling over her shoulder to Indie, “Bye.”
I led Bailey outside and over to the parking lot where I had borrowed Jayden’s truck again. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing when I opened the door for her and helped her climb in.
“I remember this truck,” she whispered when I got in and started the ignition.
“Yeah? Good memories?”
“Some of my favourite.”
“Good. Because that’s our date tonight.” I reached over the console and dropped my hand on her knee as she twisted around to look in the back.
“You brought pillows and blankets?”
“Wouldn’t want you to get uncomfortable.”
“This was a great idea,” she said.
“What? The drive-in?”
“Well, yes. But I meant the Friday night date night idea and palming Jack off onto Indie. It would probably do her good too, to have some fun.”
“I didn’t do it for them,” I told her, grabbing her hand and bringing her knuckles to my lips. “It was purely a selfish gesture.” I was sick of sharing her with Jack all the damn time.
“About time you were selfish.” She smiled.
It took about thirty minutes to get to the drive-in, and after I backed the truck into the spot, I climbed and ran around to Bailey’s side to open the door for her.
“Such a gentleman. Are you trying to woo me?”
I lifted a shoulder. “Just trying to get in your skirt.”
“Keep playing your cards right, Jones, and you might just get what you want.” She placed a hand on my chest as I leaned in to kiss her. “Tut, tut, tut. It is far too early in the date to be so presumptuous as to expect a kiss. You need to wine me and dine me first.”
She walked off in the direction of the diner, glancing back over her shoulder at me with a smile.
“You coming?”
I ran after her, wrapping my arms around her waist
and lifting her off the ground. She gripped my forearms and threw her head back with laughter.
“Put me down,” she squealed.
“No.” I chuckled as she squirmed in my hold. “Think I’m going to keep you here.”
“With my legs swinging in the air in a short dress?” she teased, but it had the desired effect. I released my grip and dropped her to her feet. I didn’t want anyone looking up her skirt. Only I could do that.
Bailey threaded her fingers through mine and skipped toward the diner. “Is it weird that I’m already having so much fun?” she asked.
“Not at all.” I smiled, happy that she was happy and because I was having fun too.
It had been a long time since I’d see her so carefree. Having the roommate from hell took its toll on her, and I knew she felt like a burden most of the time, but that couldn’t be any farther from the truth. I just wanted to see her smile, see that spark of excitement in her eyes again, instead of the dark circles and forced laughter.
The diner was serving hot food, ice cream, and popcorn, and Bailey looked as indecisive as ever.
“Are you hungry?” I asked as we looked at the board.
“No, I don’t think so. I’m just trying to decide between ice cream and popcorn. Why do they make it so hard? Smell that popcorn. It’s delicious. But they have peanut butter ice creams too.” She groaned and buried her face in her hands.
I chuckled and squeezed her hip. “Relax. I got it,” I said and took my place at the counter where I order two popcorns, two waters, and two peanut butter ice creams.
“This wooing thing is really for working for you, Jones,” Bailey whispered in my ear and traced a finger lightly over my forearm as the girl behind the counter handed over our food and drinks. The hair on my arms stood on end, and goose bumps broke out over my flesh from one simple touch like that.
I steeled my jaw and took a deep breath through my nose as we left and walked back to the car. “I’m invoking the three-foot rule, love.”
“What? You’re not serious.”
“I am. At least for the next couple of hours, while we’re here. You’re driving me crazy. I’m already on edge knowing Jack won’t be home until tomorrow morning, and that dress,” I pointed at her, “really isn’t helping matters. Three feet.”
Bailey leaned against the tailgate of Jayden’s truck and smirked. “I see your lips moving, Jones, but all I’m hearing is you want me.”
“So bad,” I growled, pushing her aside to open the tailgate so I could set up the pillows and blankets. “But three feet.”
“Is that a challenge?” She folded her arms and rested them on the side of the truck, leaning forward so her ass stuck out.
“No. Get in.” I tapped my knuckles on the tailgate.
Bailey sauntered over, a mischievous gleam in her eye, and pursed her lips. “Help me up?”
Jesus, she was good.
“Who taught you to be so enticing?” I asked, coming to stand behind her. My hands on her hips, I lifted her into the bed of the truck.
“You.” She shuffled over.
“Me?” I jumped into the back, pulled the tailgate closed, and leaned against it.
“This is what you do to me, so I may have picked up a few things over the years. Is it working?” She leaned back and propped herself up on her elbows. With her knees bent slightly, her dress slid up her thighs, barely covering anything. I itched to reach across and run my hands along her thighs.
My throat suddenly dry, I tried to clear it, but my voice still came out croaky. “Ye—Yes.”
Dammit. What was she doing to me?
“Good.” She chuckled and sat up, pushing herself against the back of the truck cab so she was opposite me, and opened her ice cream.
“That’s it?” I stared at her disbelief, half expecting her to try to wind me up more. It wouldn’t take much. She brought the ice cream to her mouth and bit through the chocolate coating.
“Yep. Don’t want to torture you too much. I just wanted to see if I could get you all hot and bothered.”
Her tongue darted out and licked the ice cream in long, slow strokes.
Don’t watch her eat.
Don’t look at the ice cream.
Don’t look at her mouth.
I clenched my fingers. “You are a walking, talking torture device, love. You just have to walk into the same room as me, and I’m ready to pin you down and have my way with you, regardless of who’s around.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she gasped.
“Show me.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“I will. Later.”
We stared at each other. Neither of us speaking, neither of us moving a muscle. The tension was thick, suffocating. Why did I think it was a good idea to come here tonight? As if sensing my thoughts, Bailey broke eye contact and glanced over her shoulder at the front of the truck before looking back at me. With the slightest lift of her shoulder, I pushed the tailgate open and jumped out. I grabbed her ankles and tugged her to toward me, pulling her out of the back too. Her hands rested on my chest for a moment, and she bit her lip before pushing me away and racing to the passenger side of the car.
I handed Bailey the drinks and popcorn before closing the back, not caring about the pillows and blankets at all, just wanting to get the hell out of there as fast as possible.
Bailey laughed as I peeled out of the parking lot, getting some strange looks from people walking around. Probably wondering why we were leaving before the movie started. But when I had Bailey looking at me the way she was right then, nothing else mattered, and nothing would stop me from having her.
I would have walked across broken glass and hot coals for that woman. Over and over again.
We drove back toward town, but instead of heading toward the dorms, I turned in the opposite direction and drove until we were on the outskirts of town.
“Where are we going?” She frowned. I knew she was expecting me to take her back to the dorms, but I still had something else planned.
It was our first date in forever. I couldn’t half-ass it. Bailey deserved the fucking moon, and that was what I was going to give her.
“You’ll see, love.”
I was pretty sure she didn’t even know this place existed. I found it by mistake one day after needing to pick up a part for Tony, my boss, and taking the wrong turn. She was going to love it.
“We’re moving farther away from town.”
“Do you trust me?” I placed my hand on her knee and squeezed.
“With my life.” She nodded.
My heart swelled in my chest, and I smiled.
“I had planned to bring you here after the movie, but…” I bit my lip. “I couldn’t wait any longer.”
Bailey’s eyes widened as the road began twisting and turning until we came out on the top of the bluff. It was dark, so there wasn’t a lot to see, but you could see the white peaks as the waves crashed against the rocks of the cliff. Lights from the surrounding towns sparkled in the distance, but up here on the bluff, the only light came from the stars and moon above, and the lighthouse directly in front of us.
“Wow,” Bailey breathed and jumped out of the car before I’d turned it off. She ran to the safety barrier on the cliff’s edge and looked out.
“This is beautiful,” she said. “When we left, I thought you were going to take me back to the dorms and get me naked. But this…this is perfect.” She turned and wrapped her arms around my neck. “Thank you.”
My hands wrapped around her lower back, massaging her skin, pulling her body into mine. “I’m still going to get you naked. Don’t worry about that.”
Bailey chuckled. “Let’s just enjoy this for the moment.”
She turned around and leaned into me. With her head tilted back and resting on my shoulder, she watched the stars. We stood and listened to the waves crashing, not another sound for miles. It was peaceful.
And cold.
Bailey shivered in my arms.
“C
ome.” I released her and held out my hand for her instead.
“Where?”
I pointed up at the lighthouse, and Bailey craned her neck back to look at the top with wide eyes.
She shook her head. She was a little bit afraid of heights. Which was why she looked out to the lights on the horizon, or up at the moon, and not down at the water below.
“You trust me, don’t you?”
“You know I do.” She smiled hesitantly.
“I got you. I won’t let anything happen.”
“Okay.” She slipped her hand in mine, squeezing it as we walked up the path to the lighthouse.
I pushed on the door, and Bailey gasped, pulling my arm back. “I don’t think we should go in there.”
“Tony knows people, who know people, and blah, blah, blah. It’s fine. We’re allowed.”
I stepped to the side and gestured for Bailey to walk in first.
Chapter Fourteen
Bailey
My hands trembled, and a cold sweat broke out across my skin as I stepped inside the lighthouse. It wasn’t that I was afraid of heights. Once I was up there, I was okay. If I didn’t look down. It was the getting up and down part that terrified me.
I was afraid of falling.
To my death.
With a shaky breath, I looked around as Ryder closed the door behind us. The room was circular, no paint, just plain concrete blocks. There were stairs to the left that wound all the way around the walls, and I wasn’t sure how many floors, or rooms. Did lighthouses have rooms? Floors? There was a ceiling above that I assumed was the next floor, but after that, who knew?
“You okay?”
Aside from a little tightness in my chest, I was. “I will be.”
I let Ryder take my hand and lead me over to the stairs. With him by my side, I shouldn’t freak out halfway up. He had a calming effect on me still, after all this time.
“Let’s go.”
Ryder let me move to the side next to the wall because it had the handrail. A little something extra that helped to ease my fear of falling.
My breath shook, and my knees wobbled a few times. I needed to stop the room from spinning. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.
“Dammit,” Ryder hissed. His hands cupped my cheeks, and his lips pressed to my forehead. “Breathe.”