Refusing to Fall (Dennison Series Book 3)

by Ferraro, W

  “Yeah. I fucked it up,” he answered; the most honest he’d been in four weeks. He stopped his pacing and stared out the window, seeing nothing.

  “So fix it.”

  Mason said it as if it was the easiest thing in the world to do. He couldn’t even get her to look at him, let alone talk to him. Hell, he didn’t sleep here in his office for comfort or convenience, but rather because his bed smelled like her. Because whenever he was in his room, he thought about what they did, and how it wasn’t just sex and the physical sharing of bodies but more of him knowing he was completely in love with her. Yet he continued to make her conform to fit his selfish needs.

  His beautiful one-of-a-kind woman did it without question because he asked her to.

  What did she get for her selflessness? A virtual face-slap because he wasn’t willing to gamble with the intrusion into his private life during the campaign.

  He deserved to be alone. He deserved to see her run off with the likes of Dustin Poirier and be treated like the queen that she was.

  Such thoughts made the hollow feeling in his chest throb in pain.

  “Reed! I’ve never known you to give up on anything you wanted. So why should Colby be any different? Do something about it and fix it, before it’s too late.”

  Moving his head away from the window to stare at Mason across the room, he knew his brother was right. “I’m afraid I’m too late, Mason. You said she’s already moved on. I’ve caused her enough hurt. If he is who she wants, then I should respect it.”

  The thought of Dustin knowing Colby the way he did had bile rising in his throat.

  “That is bullshit, and you know it,” Mason yelled back. “Don’t pick now to be the step-aside guy. You never have before, and you certainly aren’t going to start.”

  The brothers’ eyes met, and the need to get to Colby overwhelmed Reed. To see her, smell her, wrap his arms around her and know she was safe and where she belonged tore through him.

  Mason went on to fill Reed in about all the details of tomorrow night. Telling him where and when to be there.

  If tomorrow was her special night, then dammit, he was going to be there to share it with her. Reed just hoped that in the end he wouldn’t be destined to pay the price he should for wronging the woman he loved.

  The last week had been nothing short of a whirlwind. From Colby’s insane agreeance to doing the show and the outpouring of support from not only her friends, but the town she had come to love as well, she hardly knew which way was up.

  Molly insisted she take the last few days off to prep for the show, promising that she was closing Molly’s early on Saturday so not only could she and Hunter attend but also Greg.

  With her days suddenly empty, Colby hoped to help wherever was needed, yet she was told all was under control. Bree and Delaney went as far as insisting Colby not have to lift a finger and denying her access to the venue before her arrival for the event, leaving her to focus on her art.

  Much easier said than done.

  Flyers were hung all over town, and a huge mailing was sent not just to the residents of Clearwater Falls, but also to many of the surrounding towns. Everyone who had crossed Colby’s path in the last ninety-six hours had told her how thrilled and excited they were to attend. This of course only caused her nerves to skyrocket.

  So the very same night, her friends arrived at her apartment with wine. They went through each one of Colby’s paintings, descriptively cataloging each one before making notations of Colby’s favorites or any she shared which had particular meaning to her. Soon the bottle was dry, and a knock sounded on her door. Paige opened it, allowing six extremely physically fit firefighters in who were in charge of transferring the paintings from her place to Sanctuary.

  Finally, Saturday night arrived, and Colby was petrified. Paige had driven her to the venue, where the two were ushered out of their car so a private valet could park it. Colby tried to move from where she stood on the walk, willing her body to walk up the six stairs that held the entrance to the gorgeous wide doors of where her art was on display. But it just wouldn’t comply.

  Colby went to pull down the hem of her dress but found her hand slapped away.

  “Leave it alone. You look incredible!” Paige said, joining her frozen-in-fear cousin. Linking their arms, Paige led the way up the stairs and through the doors. Once inside, a man so nicely took their coats from them, offering them a ticket in lieu. The calmer of the two, Paige led the way farther into the room.

  Colby wanted to mention how unfair it was how beyond fetching Paige looked in her large floral printed halter maxi dress. The print itself looked almost like a watercolor as the teal, green, and yellow swirled into each other on the cream-colored background of the dress. Her lean and long body allowed the dress to drape as designed, reaching almost the yellow pointed toe stilettos she wore. The comfort such a design offered was something Colby was without.

  “Remember, you can’t leave without me noticing, so you might as well get any such thoughts out of your head and enjoy yourself.”

  Colby grumbled, “Easy for you to say. You aren’t the one on display tonight.”

  This response had Paige laughing. “Neither are you. Your art is, and don’t worry, it is going to be fabulous! Just you wait and see.”

  Colby knew what Paige was trying to do, what she had been doing all day, but the fact remained that Colby couldn’t help but feel that everyone would be judging her and not her canvases.

  Looking around at the mostly elegant and casual choices of attire for those in attendance, Colby was suddenly extremely nervous about her choice of dress. Once more, she pulled at the hem, wishing such actions would lengthen the material.

  “I told you to stop! You look fantastic! Trust me; no one could hate anything here with you wearing that.” Paige pointed at Colby’s dress.

  True, she loved the mini dress when she saw it while shopping online with Delaney, and once more when she tried it on in her apartment when it arrived. But now that she was outside the safety of her apartment’s four walls, she was starting to have second thoughts.

  It hit her mid-thigh, with a high conservative neck in the front, the color of molten metal shimmering to black depending on how she turned. Its short sleeves gave it the look of casual and fun, but when she turned around, it was anything but casual. From the shoulders in back, the material evaporated leaving a graceful cut while exposing her entire back. A small amount of material pooled just below the dramatic plunge at the beginning curve of her ass. The material was not clinging yet, but it hid nothing. The four-inch black glitter heeled Mary Janes gave her height that had her a lot closer to looking people in the eye than ever before.

  Twenty minutes in, and she was already craving her ballet flats or, even better, her sneakers.

  Afraid she was going to sweat through her makeup, Colby began to fan herself.

  “Relax,” Paige whispered before stepping away to grab the two a drink.

  Colby hoped she would fade into the shadows as she waited for Paige. While she waited, she unzipped the small black wristlet that Delaney had insisted she carry and withdrew her compact. It was still hard to believe it was Colby staring back through the small mirror.

  Bree and Paige insisted on playing doll with her when it came to her hair and makeup. Paige styled her hair. She had wisped the long layered front to the side, giving the effect it was sheer chocolate satin while the crown and back of her head was spiked in complete disorder, giving her an edgy look.

  Bree practically burst through Colby’s door with the earrings she wore. She said she found them in a local shop and knew they would go perfectly with Colby’s dress. The sterling silver long feather earrings brushed her shoulders in the most elegant of ways.

  In addition to the incredible earrings, Bree was also responsible for her over-the-top makeup. Her lids were smoky with a thick black line that followed her lashes but ended with a dramatic wing. Her bottom lashes had a much thinner black line than the top, bu
t both were curled dramatically and each naturally long lash was covered in black mascara.

  Her short nails were freshly shaped and buffed, although you couldn’t tell due to the ebony satin lacquer Paige had painted on her. The last cosmetic enhancement was Colby’s own choosing, her favorite scarlet lipstick. In her current getup, her lipstick was the only thing that made her feel like her. She closed the compact and placed it back in the wristlet along with her tube of lipstick, some Tic Tacs, and her apartment key.

  Wondering where Paige had disappeared to, Colby finally got a chance to see the absolute splendor of the room, and the place looked incredible. The wide-open space had a countless number of stained glass windows on each side, refurbished and brought back to such beauty. Unlike in their original time, modern arches and stylish blunt cuts of wood were now mixed in. All trimmed in molding so light it looked white. This was in such a harsh contrast to the almost black stained wood floor that was polished to a high shine giving an almost mirror reflection to above. Recessed lights in the restored cathedral ceiling by the architectural spider web designed drop ceiling lit the room, not to be outdone by the white twinkle lights that were woven but ten feet above the floor.

  Spread across the expansive room were stands and easels, each draped with either black or a deep crimson red fabric with its own individual museum styled light highlighting the piece below; her pieces. Some big, some small, all tastefully displayed with their own music stand next to it with an engraved wood description about each piece.

  As her eyes scanned the room, no one was laughing, and no one was pointing at her screaming obscenities. Every person she could see seemed to be getting great joy out of observing each piece.

  “You look beautiful,” a deep voice said from behind her.

  Teetering on her heels, Colby turned to see who had joined her to find a roguishly handsome friendly face smile back at her with bright twinkling green eyes looking at her adoringly, before leaning down and kissing her for a moment too long on the cheek.

  “Thank you, Dustin. I couldn’t have done this without you and your generous uncle. Not to mention thank you for the breathtaking flowers you sent this morning. I thought for sure the courier had the wrong address,” Colby said, placing her hand on his arm.

  “You are very welcome. After all, if you can’t help a friend, what good are you? As far as the flowers go, I wanted you to have something special to mark the occasion.”

  “Well, those roses and stargazer lilies certainly did that. Thank you, Dustin.”

  They both had smiled at each other before Dustin said again, “You really do look absolutely beautiful tonight, Colby.”

  As she stared at him, she could see his feelings for her clearly in his eyes, and Colby couldn’t help but smile.

  Perhaps it was time to move on from him, and she knew she could trust Dustin to take things slow. He had been incredibly patient with her ever since she moved to town. Never pressuring her, yet still always there to help in any way that he could. He was just a beautiful soul looking for his match.

  They walked around, arms linked together, stopping at each piece. When in front of one, Colby would ask him what he thought, and then she would explain what really was represented. They shared many laughs and interacted with everyone who crossed their path.

  Colby was stopped time and time again to receive congratulations not to mention to finalize a sale. By her calculations, she had sold at least twenty pieces with additional orders for at least the same amount.

  With Dustin at her side, she finally felt relaxed enough to concede to Bree, Paige, and Delaney as she passed by that this was, in fact, a great idea and thanked them endlessly.

  Somewhere along the way, they came upon space designated for a dance floor as music drifted through a state of the art sound system.

  “Care to dance?” Dustin asked her, and she was happy to accept his offer.

  He led her to a space on the floor, where he happily took her into his arms.

  Colby relaxed into his embrace, not alarmed in the least with his hands resting on her hips or the way he bent his body to her height, aligning their faces very closely. They moved together well to the rhythm of the slow number that played. Colby could smell his cologne and found herself leaning more into his larger body.

  “Colby?”

  “Hmm . . .” she answered, leaning back so she could see his face.

  With a smile that could easily melt a thousand hearts, he shared one with her before saying, “I really like you. Not just because you are beautiful, but also because I have fun when I’m with you. I can’t stop thinking about you, and I’m hoping you feel the same, so what I’m trying to say is . . .”

  The distinct clearing of a throat interrupted them. The couple pulled out of their own private cocoon and looked into the face of a very angry Reed Dennison.

  When Reed had entered the building, he immediately sought Colby out, weaving his way through the impressive crowd and stopping only when required. He didn’t announce his reason for attending but neither did he deny it either. He was here for one reason and one reason only—to see the woman of honor herself. He made sure to wear the very same navy suit she had once mentioned looked good with his eyes as well as a crisp white dress shirt, open at the collar, because that too she said was her favorite.

  He had hoped the opportunity to announce his arrival would make itself known, resulting in nothing short of delusions of grandeur, but so far, he wasn’t having any luck.

  Catching eyes with Mason from across the room, he too didn’t know where she had gone. One by one, he connected gazes with each one of his brothers who were scattered throughout the venue; however, no one could tell him where she was.

  Trying to keep his growing feeling of panic at bay, he took a moment to look around the place and allowed his eyes to take in what minutes ago he’d looked over without a second thought. In every direction was an incredible piece of art that showed a glimpse of its creator.

  Each showed a different aspect of Colby’s amazing eye, including her unmatched beaming personality. Humor, adoration, love, and anger could easily be seen woven into the canvas if one looked hard enough. Each was a facet of the incredible woman who brought them to life; the same woman Reed so desperately wanted to find.

  Whether by luck or by divine intervention, Reed just happened to look toward the darkened area of the dance floor and a flash of silver caught his eye.

  Regardless of the added height thanks to her heels, Reed would know that womanly figure anywhere, despite a much larger and protective body engulfing her.

  His feet carried him with determined purpose. With each step, his heart beat that much faster, and the desire to shove him away from her boiled through him until he was almost upon them.

  All the while, he willed her to look at him until the other man’s words carried to his ears.

  . . . I can’t stop thinking about you, and I’m hoping you feel the same, so what I’m trying to say is . . .

  Reed knew with every fiber of his being that he couldn’t let her go.

  He didn’t know what he would have to do, what he would have to give up, to prove to her that she was his end all be all, but he was willing to give it all up for her.

  He stood so close to them that he was surprised his presence alone didn’t pull them from their moment, but when it didn’t, he cleared his throat loudly.

  The moment was broken, and Reed had never been happier. Both people looked at him, but he only had eyes for one of them.

  To say she looked stunning would be an insult to her. No words were descriptive enough to begin to define how she looked. Her dress was tasteful yet completely sexy. Her toned legs went on for miles, and those shoes were enough to induce fantasies of their own. He wanted to imagine those legs and shoes wrapped around his waist or better yet his shoulders, but there were more pressing matters. Namely, the hold the other man still had on her.

  Reed wanted nothing more than to pull her from Dustin and c
laim her lips right then and there for all the world to see.

  However, he owed her more than some caveman act.

  “May I cut in with the woman of the evening?” he asked smile firmly in place while never letting his eyes move from hers.

  Colby’s face still held the signs of shock at his arrival, while Dustin tried to find a way to deny Reed his request.

  Colby remained in Dustin’s embrace, the action causing a heavy sinking feeling to fill Reed’s gut. Despite such feelings, he remained unfazed; nothing had ever been so difficult.

  The other man looked at Colby for clarification; when she smiled at him and gave a little nod, Dustin returned her smile and kissed her cheek before passing her hand over to Reed with a less than pleased expression.

  Dustin took a step back; with eyes still on Colby, he answered clearly, “I will just be over there.” He stepped away, but not before glaring at Reed and then doing as he said he would.

  The fire had begun to burn inside his chest as Reed watched Colby’s eyes follow the other man.

  Reed was no idiot; he knew the other man remained close enough to hear their conversation.

  With the grace that Bianca Dennison bestowed on each of her sons, Reed pulled Colby into a closer than necessary embrace, leading her away from the brooding deputy. With one of her small hands engulfed in his large one, he pulled so they rested against his chest, as his other hand rested on the small of her back. When that hand encountered her bare skin, he closed his eyes to relive in quick succession memories of them together, naked.

  She was so close that he couldn’t clearly see her face, but her unique scent surrounded him and the thrill that vibrated up his spine at her body in his arms gave him the strength to speak.

  “Hello, beautiful.” He spoke softly, as his lips ghosted over her forehead.

  He watched as she squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Reed, please . . .” Her voice quivered.

  He knew without a doubt that right now he would give her anything she asked for.