The Carol Wyatt Collection

by Carol Wyatt

  “I'm not sure that I can afford-”

  “It's on me. Like I said, I'm grateful... You kind of brought Elle out of her shell. She's always so wrapped up in her job. She forgets to do things for herself. Anyway... When do you want to meet up?”

  “Well, I'm free tonight... Elle canceled her lesson.”

  “She did?”

  “Yeah but that's probably not enough notice.”

  “No. Tonight's fine. I'll think about where we could take these photos and text you later. Is that okay?”

  “Yeah. Of course. Thanks.”

  Hailey hung up and took a sip of her iced coffee. That was strange but nice... She'd only spoken to Matt once but if he was willing to do this for her, why not?

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Elle closed her front door behind her, glad to be home after a long day at the office. She left her bag on the narrow wooden table inside the door. She could hear voices in the living room, so she padded down the hall, ready to keep going into the kitchen and give Matt and his model some privacy.

  When he'd called her this afternoon, asking if he could use her apartment for a photo shoot, she thought it was a bit odd. In all the years she'd known him, he'd never asked her that, but she was staying late at the office, so she didn't mind.

  Elle stopped in tracks when she heard a familiar voice drifting down the hall.

  “Wow. I wouldn't have even recognized myself.”

  Elle stood in the doorway, her eyes widening at the sight of Hailey looking over Matt's shoulder, both of them engrossed as they flicked through the photos on his camera. He never said who he was going to be taking photos of.

  “Wait until I send you the final versions,” Matt said with a smile. “A few lighting adjustments and these photos are going to pop... Oh hey, Elle,” Matt said when he looked up and saw her leaning on the door frame.

  “Hey.”

  “Sorry,” Matt said, leaving the camera down on the coffee table. “I didn't think we'd take this long.”

  “It's okay. Take as long as you need.”

  “I should have known,” Matt said, gently elbowing Hailey. “Some people are just made for the camera. I had to get her from every angle.”

  Hailey smiled back at him. “Stop. I'm just glad that you offered to do this. You have no idea.”

  “Can I get either of you a drink?” Elle asked from the doorway.

  “No, I'm okay,” Matt said. “I'm going to start packing up my gear.”

  “Hailey?” Elle asked, finally letting her eyes rest on her. “I'm opening a bottle of wine for myself. Will I pour you a glass?”

  “Sure,” Hailey said, following her down the hall and into the kitchen. “I hope it's okay that we turned your living room into a fashion shoot.”

  “Of course... It's not a problem, even if I wasn't working late,” Elle said as she poured her a glass of wine.

  “Thanks.”

  Matt appeared a few seconds later with his camera bag slung across his body. “I have to get going,” he said to Elle. “I'll see you next week. Thanks Hailey,” he said turning his attention to her as she took a sip of wine.

  “No,” Hailey said with a smile. “Thank you.”

  “I'll send you those photos,” Matt said as he left, giving them both a wave. “Night.”

  “Do you mind if we go out on the roof?” Elle asked after a moment. “I've been stuck inside all day.”

  “No. Not at all.”

  They climbed the stairs in silence, and Elle wondered if she'd done the right thing. Maybe she shouldn't have canceled their lessons. She just wanted to put some space between them, to see if she could forget about Hailey.

  “I love this time of year,” Hailey said as they walked out onto the roof. “Just before it gets too hot.”

  “Me too.”

  “Elle, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Why did you really cancel our lessons?”

  Elle took a drink while she tried to put on her best poker face. “Work... Like I said in my text, things are crazy right now, with the launch and everything.”

  “Okay... It's just that Matt gave me the impression that you're always busy.”

  “I am...”

  “And he was surprised to hear that you canceled our lessons. Look, what I'm trying to get at is, I know you're extremely talented, and I won't be offended if that's why you wanted to stop... Because we're not really a good fit, for lessons I mean... We're equals. We just play different genres. Plus, you can read sheet music, so you don't even need me.”

  Elle left her glass on the wooden table that was beside them and ran a hand through her hair. She took a deep breath. “Okay, fine,” she said with a sigh. “It has nothing to do with my schedule.”

  “Okay,” Hailey said with a nod. “I don't even think I'm very good at it... Teaching someone, I mean, so-”

  “You are. I just... I should've called it off after the first lesson.”

  “Really? Why?” Hailey asked, bringing her glass to her lips.

  “Well, Matt was the one who suggested it...”

  “You were never really that interested in playing again...”

  “No, but then I was having such a good time with you...”

  “What changed?” Hailey asked, leaving her glass down next to Elle's and folding her arms across her chest.

  “I don't know,” Elle said in a rush. She shouldn't have brought this up. There was no anger in Hailey's voice, but her body language was defensive, and Elle didn't know how she was going to back out of this conversation.

  “You're not going to offend me if that's what you're worried about.”

  “It's not that...”

  Hailey dropped her arms and reached for her hand, her thumb lightly running across the back of Elle's hand, sending a tingling sensation up her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps despite the warm night air.

  “You know, I almost canceled on you,” Hailey said with a half-smile.

  “Really?” Elle asked, meeting her sea blue eyes. “Because you don't normally give lessons?”

  “No... Because I couldn't concentrate when I was here... Normally, when I'm playing... I don't know. I get in this zone. My mind can wander and it's okay but when I was sitting next to you... I couldn't think...”

  “Well, you did a good job of hiding it,” Elle said, a smile tugging at her lips.

  Hailey's hand was still holding hers and Elle's heart thudded a little harder when she saw Hailey's eyes flicker down to her lips.

  “The problem was... I kept wondering what it would be like to do this,” Hailey said in almost a whisper as her other hand reached up to cup Elle's cheek.

  It happened in slow motion. Hailey's lips inched closer while her hand gently caressed her cheek. Elle's eyes fluttered shut just as Hailey's lips met hers in a soft, cautious kiss.

  That same tingling sensation was back, radiating throughout Elle's body as she kissed Hailey, parting her lips as Hailey's brushed across her own. Elle's hands moved to Hailey's waist, giving her something to hold on to as their kiss deepened, and Elle was sure the ground beneath them had shifted.

  She forgot about all the reasons why she wasn't supposed to be doing this.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Hailey's hand left Elle's cheek, her fingertips gliding across her neck before she slid her hand through Elle's silky brown hair, deepening the kiss. Elle's lips parted against hers and a soft moan escaped Hailey's lips as their tongues met for the first time.

  Hailey didn't think it was possible to come this undone by just a kiss, never mind a first kiss. She didn't know where she found the courage from to take a step towards Elle and take a chance that she'd been reading this situation correctly, instead of seeing what she knew she wanted to see. But it seemed like Hailey was right. This wasn't one sided.

  Elle's hand left her hip and slid up her ribcage, sending a shiver through Hailey's body even though her top still separated her skin from Elle's touch.

 
; When they'd climbed the stairs to come up to the roof, Hailey made the decision. She had to say something, because after tonight, she had no reason to see Elle again. The fact that she was even here tonight was a stroke of luck. If Matt hadn't offered to help her or if he hadn't suggested using Elle's piano for the photos, Hailey wouldn't be here, and she knew she needed to take advantage of the fact that she was.

  Hailey just hadn't expected things to go this well. She'd prepared herself for complete rejection, or at best, maybe Elle would return her kiss, but end up backing away and politely saying that she wasn't interested. Hailey never expected Elle to be kissing her back, for Elle's hands to be roaming across her body with this much confidence.

  Elle was becoming more daring by the second, her hand slipping underneath Hailey's top, her fingers grazing across her stomach, while Elle's tongue explored her mouth. Hailey sighed into Elle's kiss, knowing her willpower was slowly dissolving. Hailey broke their kiss, coming up for air, meeting those piercing green eyes.

  “I hope I didn't-” Hailey started, panic setting in when Elle didn't say anything as they took a step back, putting a little space between them.

  But Elle smiled. “I've wanted to do that for a long time... Since the first time you set foot in my house. I just didn't have the guts to do it.”

  Hailey let go the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. “Oh... Wow,” she said with a soft laugh. “I uh... I don't even know where that came from. I wanted to talk to you tonight, if I got the chance... But I hadn't planned on this happening,” she said, motioning between the two of them.

  “Well, I'm glad that this did happen.”

  Elle took a step forward, her eyes on Hailey's lips as she slipped her hand behind Hailey's neck, pulling her into another searing kiss. Hailey pressed her body against Elle's as she wrapped her arms around her, kissing her hungrily. Somehow things had escalated from a cautious yet intense first kiss into something so addictive that Hailey didn't know how they weren't going to fall into bed together any second. As much as she wanted that, Hailey knew this was too important. She wanted Elle to know this wasn't a conquest or a fling for her.

  Hailey parted her lips one last time, gliding her tongue across Elle's before pulling away.

  “I think,” Hailey started, taking a deep breath, her hands still on Elle's back and waist. “I think that if I don't take a step back... I won't be able to keep my hands off you.”

  Elle nodded, taking her own step back while she ran a hand through her tousled dark hair. “I know what you mean,” she said with a half-smile. “So... What were you planning on talking to me about?”

  Hailey returned her smile. “I was going to ask you out.”

  “On a date?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And where would we go?”

  “I don't know,” Hailey said with a soft laugh. “I hadn't thought that far ahead.”

  “I'm free tomorrow...”

  “Really?” Hailey asked with a smile. “I'll have to check my schedule.”

  “I know you're teasing me,” Elle said, moving closer again, her hand reaching for Hailey's.

  “I am... I'm free tomorrow too.”

  “Okay. It's a date.”

  “And I'll figure out what where we're going to go,” Hailey said with a smile, their lips inching closer together again.

  Hailey parted her lips, knowing Elle's tongue would find hers. She moaned softly into Elle's mouth, slowly kissing her back, her hand weaving through Elle's dark hair again while Elle's slid around her waist.

  “I better go,” Hailey breathed between kisses, their foreheads pressed together. “If I don't go now, I won't go at all.”

  “Okay,” Elle said, her lips meeting hers one last time before pulling away.

  “I'll see you tomorrow?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay... I'll show myself out,” Hailey said as she turned to leave, a smile on her face as she started thinking about where they should go for their first date.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Elle pulled back the sheets and climbed into her king size bed, tossing all of the decorative pillows into a pile on the other side of the room. Even though Hailey had left two hours ago, her body was still tingling. She knew she'd never been kissed like that before. The connection was instant and that scared her to death.

  When she had Hailey's body pressed against hers, she wasn't in control. Elle had been drawn to Hailey from the start, but she hadn't expected this... This feeling of complete lust. She wanted Hailey to stay, to be in this bed with her right now, and that wasn't like her. In the past, she'd always been slow getting into relationships, and she'd never had a one-night stand.

  Her ex, Morgan, had left her almost ten years ago when Elle had found out that she was having an affair. Elle had been devastated at the time, but it didn't take long for her to realize that she was better off. She hadn't sworn off relationships after that. No one had been able to hold her attention long enough. When Morgan left, Elle's career took off and she hadn't looked back since.

  Elle closed her eyes, but she knew sleep wasn't going to come that easy. She was restless, and her mind was racing.

  How did this happen?

  She should be happy. Matt would kill her if he knew she was having this conversation in her head, but she couldn't avoid that feeling of dread, of the past repeating itself.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “I have to say,” Elle started. “This is not what I expected.”

  They were walking along, through the grass, between two rows of vibrantly pink cherry blossom trees, on Saturday morning. Birds chirped around them and it was easy to forget that they were still in Brooklyn.

  “Is it too close to home?” Hailey asked.

  “No. Not at all. It's beautiful. I've only been to The Brooklyn Botanic Garden once which is embarrassing consider how close I live to it.”

  “I'm the same. I've only been here twice. Never this time of year though. The cherry blossoms are amazing,” Hailey said, glancing up at the branches and all the shades of pink above them, before returning her attention to Elle.

  This was the most casually dressed Hailey had seen her. She was wearing lightly faded jeans and a black v neck top, her hair straight today. She pushed her sunglasses on top of her hair while they walked through the shade.

  Hailey had spent the night before thinking about where they could go today. She couldn't sleep, still thinking of the way Elle had kissed her. She wanted today to go well, and Hailey thought she could do better than a bar or a restaurant. The botanic garden seemed like the right choice. They'd been walking and talking for more than an hour, getting to know each other better, almost doing things backwards. This date probably should have happened before that kiss on Elle's rooftop, but Hailey didn't think anything about this was going to be conventional.

  If that kiss was anything to go by, it wouldn't take them long to fall into bed together. With her exes, their first kiss had been shy, almost timid, but with Elle, it had been a struggle to pull away. Hailey could have stayed up there with Elle for hours, but she didn't trust herself not to eventually end up in Elle's bed. She didn't need to take it slow. It just seemed right with Elle, and she didn't want to rush into anything. She wanted today's date to go well and with any luck they'd have another. After that, Hailey doubted either of them would be able to put off the inevitable any longer.

  “I probably should have expected it though,” Elle said with a smile as she glanced over at her. “You are quite the romantic.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you. Writing love songs...The way you kissed me last night... And, choosing a place like this for our first date.”

  “I think, maybe, I just found the right inspiration,” Hailey said, meeting Elle's hazel green eyes.

  Elle was the first to break their eye contact, shyly looking away as they continued to walk underneath the cherry blossom trees.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Hailey held the door op
en for a woman and her toddler as she left Starbucks with another iced coffee. This one was for the train ride home. In the heat, her day standing on the upper deck of the tour bus seemed twice as long. She just wanted to get home and relax; maybe work on the song she'd started last night.

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she slid it out of her jean shorts to answer it.

  “Hey, Lauren. What's up?”