Opposite Attraction

by Bernadette Marie

  When he pulled his lips from hers it was all she could do not to grab him and pull him back into her secluded world in her head.

  His breath was quick too and there was a fog over his eyes telling her he was in as deep as she was. Things were stirring in both of them.

  "Tell me why, " he whispered heavily in her ear.

  "Why? Why what? " She was breathless from his cologne on the air, the spinning dance, the kiss that made her mindless.

  He placed a kiss on her neck and she could feel her own pulse jut up under his lips. "Why did you leave me? "

  Her eyes closed and her breath caught in her chest. "Oh, Curtis, please "

  "If I meant nothing you wouldn 't be here now, right? " He kissed the other side of her neck just below her ear lobe.

  She was pinned there, there was no escape, and she was sure that had been the plan.

  Curtis nuzzled his face next to hers and her mind was cluttering with everything she wanted to say. "You meant everything to me, " she said breathless and on the brink of spilling her secret.

  He rested his forehead against hers again. "I1s that why you 're here? Is that why you came to Nashville? "

  This wasn 't where she wanted to have this conversation, but there didn 't seem to be much choice. "I know you will never forgive me for what I did. But yes. I came here because I knew Zach would help me and I knew that you would be here no matter what. "

  "We can start over, Simone. " His hands moved up and into her hair. His body pressed even harder to hers. "Pretend like the yacht never happened. " He brushed her lips with his. "Let me take you home. " He nipped her lips with a kiss. "Let me stay. " He pushed closer to her and she could feel the heat from his body penetrate through her clothing.

  "Curtis. " She said it without the airy, sexy appeal and he stepped back. "I want this. And you are right, I want to start over again. "

  "Good. " He moved in and kissed her neck again.

  She pushed him back. "When you take me home you have to leave. Let 's do this right, okay? I don 't want to mess it up again. "

  Chapter Nine

  Simone had pulled Curtis in for one more kiss, right there on that dance floor. What her words said and what her body had said were two different things. But as he drove her home, her head rested on his shoulder, her fingers intertwined with his, he knew he could do this.

  For heaven 's sake, he was a man well into his thirties. He 'd spent the night with enough women he knew how it worked. Likewise, he 'd been turned down enough too. This was nothing new -but this was Simone.

  Oh, Simone. Her French accent filled his ears even when she wasn 't near him. Her fragrance tantalized his senses even when it didn 't carry on the breeze. Her hair, nearly black, curtained him as she lay atop him, staring down at him with those deep blue eyes; the memory of it kept him awake at nights. She 'd crept into his subconscious and that had been very dangerous.

  It affected his work, his friendships, and his relationship with his family. There had been a few weeks when he hadn 't even spoken to his sister or her husband because of Simone. That wasn 't right. No woman should come between family. But it had.

  Simone quickly sat up from her position next to him. "Curtis, pull over. "

  "What? "

  "Pull over. " She was frantic.

  "You 're not leaving me from a moving vehicle. " He 'd be damned if she was going to do this to him again. What had he been thinking? Why had he bothered? Why

  "I am going to be sick. "

  Curtis pulled to the side of the road and Simone jumped out of the truck. She made for the first bank of trees and before he could get to her she 'd gotten sick.

  "Sweetheart, are you okay? "

  "Go away. " She wouldn 't turn toward him. "Let me be for a moment. "

  "I 'm a doctor. I 've seen people get sick. "

  She held her hand up to ward him off. "Not me. Now go away. "

  He took a few steps back toward the truck before she threw up again. When she was done she stood there for a moment. She reached into her purse, which hung from her shoulder, and pulled out a tissue. She wiped her face and then ran her fingers under her eyes. When she was composed, she turned back to him.

  "I am very sorry, " her voice shook and she kept her eyes diverted to the ground.

  "It 's really not a problem. Are you okay? "

  "I 'm fine. " She walked past him and climbed back in the truck.

  Curtis followed and stood at the door. "I told Zach I didn 't think you were feeling well. "

  With that she tensed in the seat. "Doctor Keller, I am fine. It has been a busy week. I have not been eating as I am accustomed to. Please just take me home. "

  "I 'll take you home, and then I 'm staying. " He shut the door and walked around the truck. By the time he 'd climbed in behind the steering wheels Simone was sobbing. "Sweetheart, what is wrong? "

  "I left you on that yacht. " She sucked up a breath. "I should not have done that. "

  "No, you shouldn 't have. But I made it home. " He put the truck in drive. "It took me six days, but I made it. "

  There was a slight chuckle that came from the sobbing mess of a woman next to him, but then the tears started all over again.

  "Curtis, first, you cannot stay. Those are my rules. Second, " she took another deep breath and paused, causing him to turn his head toward her. "I left you on that yacht because I did not know what to do. I had never been in love with anyone before. "

  Thank God for the stoplight. Curtis jerked the truck as he stopped and turned to her. "Love? " His voice cracked and that alone told him to stop the conversation and steer it in another direction.

  "I know, it sounds silly, really. But yes. " She finally turned to him. Her makeup had smeared, her eyes were bloodshot, and her hair matted to her face. She was beautiful.

  "I fell in love with you, Curtis, and it scared me to death. "

  He 'd like to laugh at her, but he couldn 't. In fact, he understood her completely.

  The light turned green and Curtis eased off the break. For a moment, he had nothing to say, and he knew that was eating her up by the way she tore the tissue in her hand into tiny pieces.

  "Simone, I understand. "

  "You do? How could you? It is quite silly. "

  "I understand, because if anyone else had left me stranded in the ocean I wouldn 't be trying so desperately to spend time with them, no matter how crazy they made me. "

  "Curtis, what are you saying? "

  He glanced at her and then turned his attention back to the road. "I 'm saying, that I felt the same way. " He pulled up to her apartment building, parked the truck, and then turned toward her. "At first I was worried sick about you. I thought maybe you 'd fallen overboard and I 'd lost you. "

  She covered her mouth and the tears were back. "I did not know that. I did not think of that. "

  "I spent two hours trying to figure out what might have1 happened and yelling for you, as if you 'd appear out of the water. I couldn 't quite figure out the radio, but eventually I got it and called for help. I told them I 'd lost you overboard. "

  "Oh, Curtis. "

  "Someone knew where you were because when they got to me and I was frantic. They told me you 'd been taken to the mainland on a private boat. "

  "I am so sorry. "

  "I 'd never been so scared and that should say a lot since I work in an E.R. and I 've seen my sister lying there beaten and undergoing a C-section. But the difference was, I was there and I could help her. I didn 't know where you were and I couldn 't help you. "

  The sobs were stronger now and he hated that he was causing them, but she needed to know what went on while she gallivanted off into her private life.

  She wiped at the tears that kept forming. "How can you even be this close to me? I was horrible. "

  "For the same reason you left. "

  Her head shot up and her eyes opened wide.

  Curtis reached out his hand and caressed her wet cheek. "I fell in love with you
, Simone. "

  Her jaw trembled and a line of worry creased her forehead. "You did? "

  He nodded. "I did. "

  She looked down at her hands. "What an idiot I was. "

  "You were scared. "

  "I am still scared. "

  "But you 're here. " He let his hand drop and gathered hers in his. "I 'm not going anywhere. I 'm here and now so are you. We can try again. "

  "You really care about me that much, after what I did? "

  He took a deep breath and made sure his mind was clear. What he was about to say wasn 't anything he 'd said to anyone else before. "Simone, I forgive you. "

  Not many people surprised Simone Pierpont, except her father when he 'd banished her from his office, and now Curtis Keller.

  She 'd been taught to remain in control no matter the situation, but what was she supposed to do when everything fell into place?

  Her throat went dry and the pace of her heart ramped up. "You forgive me? "

  "I can 't say I 'm not pissed that it had to come about this way. But I forgive you for leaving me. "

  "Oh, Curtis. " Why couldn 't she control her tears?

  He scooped her up in his arms and held her against his chest. "I didn 't think you were this girly, " he chuckled and then kissed the top of her head.

  "I want this to work. I really want this to work. "

  "Then we have to work at it. "

  She nodded and sat back to wipe her eyes.

  "Now, " he brushed her cheek with this thumb, "are you going to let me stay the night to make sure you 're okay? "

  Through her tears she shook her head. "No. I am fine and I want our next time to be special. "

  "You 're killing me. "

  "I know. " She took his hands in hers and held them tight. "Let me make dinner for your tomorrow. "

  "You cook? "

  She didn 't appreciate the tone in his voice. But then he couldn 't have expected anything else. And no, she didn 't know how to cook, but she 'd figure something out. She 'd do anything to impress him. Cooking for him might have the opposite effect, but she 'd call for reinforcements if she had to.

  Simone lifted his fingers to her lips. "I will make dinner for you tomorrow. And I will make it very special. "

  "I suppose I 'm man enough to wait o1ne more day. But I 'm also man enough to still ask one more time, can I come in? "

  She smiled as she eased her hand toward the door handle. "Tomorrow. Seven o 'clock. Dinner. "

  "I 'll be here. "

  Simone opened the door and eased out of the seat just as Curtis opened his door. "No. I know you are a gentleman, and my father would kill us both is you did not walk me to the door, but I am asking you to stay. " He eased back in his seat and her heart began to ease its pace. "Goodnight, Curtis. "

  "Good night, Simone. "

  She shut the door and hurried up the stairs, her mind already flooded with the night she 'd plan for him tomorrow. He was right where she needed him. Forgiveness had been passed to her, the word love flowed between both of them, and kisses had been had. There would be no turning her away when she told him about the baby. By tomorrow night, Simone would have everything she never knew she 'd wanted.

  Curtis didn 't sleep as soundly as he 'd hoped he would. Thoughts of his arms wrapped around Simone at the club had his mind drifting further back to them making love under the star filled sky, alone, on the yacht. He also considered that his mind was completely lost and giving Simone a second chance to break his heart was just asking for her to do so.

  And yet still there was the whole fact that Simone had moved to the states, landed a data entry job of all things, and now lived with a man she 'd only met -something had happened in her quaint little life and before he had dinner with her he 'd head to Zach 's and see what he 'd found out.

  Later that morning when he pulled up in front of his sister 's house he noticed the familiar extra car that was always kept in their garage. His sister Adrianne must be in town, as that was her ride when she 'd come back home.

  Before he even reached the front door he heard the distinct laughter he 'd grown up with and found he missed dearly. It came from the back of the house. He walked around back and there sat his sisters, still lounging in their pajamas on the back porch drinking coffee.

  "I hope that 's decaf, " he called out as Regan took a sip from her mug.

  She turned to see him walking toward them. "You worry too much, and if you must know, yes, it 's decaf. "

  Arianna stood fro1m her seat and started down the back steps of the porch to meet him. She wrapped her arms around him and planted a noisy kiss on his cheek. "I miss you, criss-cross-eyes. "

  He chuckled at the childhood name she would still call him in the confines of family. "I miss you too blueberry-head. " He reached up and mussed up her already tussled hair. "Why did you always call me that? "

  "It pissed you off. "

  "As an adult I completely understand the logic in that. "

  He followed her up the steps and took the vacant chair next to her.

  Regan was examining him. He could feel her eyes on him long before he looked up at her. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Something is up with you. "

  "Usually. "

  "You and Simone worked things out didn 't you? "

  Curtis laughed, reached over, and took her mug of coffee out of her hand. He took a sip and handed it back. "Why do you put that crap in your coffee? "

  "Cheaper than Starbucks. "

  "Hmmm, I suppose. "

  Arianna nudged him in the arm. "Stop skirting the question. Did you mend things up with the princess? "

  He nudged his sister back and looked at Regan. "You didn 't tell her? "

  "She got here at midnight, and here you are interrupting my gossip session. How was I supposed to tell her? "

  Curtis laughed at his sister who did enjoy gossiping with her sister and their sister-in-law Madeline, but who wouldn 't take gossip out on the street. It wasn 't her style.

  He leaned back in his seat and looked at Arianna, who with her hair piled atop her head, makeup traces still lingering around her eyes, and a new tattoo on her ankle, looked content in her own skin as always.

  "Simone moved to Nashville a few weeks ago. She decided to shuck the life of an oil heiress, get a job, wear hand-me-downs, and live in a little apartment with a male nurse from th1e clinic she works in. "

  Arianna 's eyes opened wide. "Simone is working -in a clinic? "

  "Yep. Cynthia, of all people, got her the job. "

  Arianna lifted her mug to her lips. "Cynthia. That 's your safe date right? "

  He noticed Regan reached for her cup quickly and lifted it to her mouth to hide her grin.

  "Yeah, real safe, " he said with a shake of his head.

  Arianna kicked him with a quick swing of her bare foot. "You still didn 't answer our question. Did you mend things with her? "

  He gave some thought to what he wanted to say. There was no reason to get their tongues wagging, but they knew him too well and no matter what he said, they 'd see through it. "We have an understanding. We 're going to work at a relationship while she 's here. "

  Regan sat up in her seat. "While she 's here? Is she already planning on leaving? "

  "No, she seems content. But c 'mon. She 's going to give up a lifetime of glamour and glitz to live here? "

  "Why would she do this if she planned to go back? " Arianna asked.

  Curtis shrugged. "I just don 't think this is forever. She got scared because we felt things neither of us felt before and she ran off. "

  "And you 're okay with that? "

  "No. " It was matter-of-fact enough, and he was sure he believed it, but his stomach did a little uncomfortable squeeze when he thought about it. "I 've never felt this for anyone else. "

  "Felt what? " Arianna 's eyes narrowed in that give-me-an-answer look. She was fishing for what she wanted to hear. Yep, this was how his sisters rolled.

  "Fine. I th
ink I 'm in love with her. "

  Both of his sisters giggled and moved in to smother him with hugs and kisses. He 'd known better, he really had.

  "You 'll run him off with that, " Zach said standing at the door.

  Arianna sat back. "Eh, wouldn 't be the first time. "