Fantasy: A Modern Romance Inspired by Cinderella (Seductively Ever After)

by Kim Carmichael

  Though she still kept hold of him, she turned away. “I came back, didn’t I?”

  “Took you four days.” He leaned in, the scent of her shampoo wafted around him, lavender and lilacs. “I know, I came everyday to check. Couldn’t miss my Petals.”

  After a pause, she faced him. Her wet, deep brown eyes staring into his. “Every day?”

  “Of course.” With his free hand he gently wiped her tears away. Her soft skin warmed him and he felt the weight on his chest lighten a little. “You know what happened today?”

  She shook her head.

  “Today I told myself I wasn’t going to check, but I couldn’t stop myself, and there you were.” Unless he was hallucinating, his Petals was here and now nothing else seemed to matter. Strange. He didn’t even know her.

  “I didn’t know if you were real. I tried to tell myself you weren’t and I tried to stay away, but then today I had to know.” As if to touch him, she reached up, but then stopped, leaving her hand in mid air.

  “Go ahead.” He prodded her to act and held his breath.

  Her cheeks took on the most amazing red glow. She licked her lips, giving them a little shine, then at last combed her fingertips through his hair. “Oh.”

  “May I return the favor?” At her light, innocent touch his whole body heated, he needed to keep himself in check.

  “Yes, you may,” she whispered.

  “I suppose we would call this a reality check.” With a feather light touch, he brushed her wispy bangs away from her face. “How many people tell you how beautiful you are?”

  Her blush intensified. “You’re the first today.”

  “So what brought you back here? Something troubling you?” He skimmed his fingertips over her cheek. Dared he say, she leaned into his touch?

  “Ever feel like you don’t belong to yourself?” With her question, she tightened her hold on his hand.

  He couldn’t stop a laugh. “I think everyone feels that way. Though I think the real issue is who your life belongs to. If you belong to no one, I think life is empty. If you belong to the right person, your life feels like your own, if it’s to the wrong person, you feel owned.”

  “That’s it.” She nodded. “It has to be the right person.”

  “Someone owning you, Petals?” He glanced down at her hand. There was no ring there, but that didn’t provide a definite answer, as there were many ways one human could own another and not be married or engaged, something he knew first hand.

  “All my life.” She scooted in closer to him. “Nothing feels right until now and I don’t really even know you.”

  “I think the fact you came back here tells you all you need to know about me.” He took his chance and pulled her a bit closer.

  “Why do I feel safe with you?” Her voice took on a faraway tone.

  “Maybe because I don’t want anything from you except this.” He nudged her head down on his shoulder and wrapped his arms around her.

  When she relaxed, let her body melt against his, he closed his eyes. He didn’t remember the last time the simple act of holding someone was satisfying. If he rewound his memories five, ten years, he couldn’t remember the last time he and Laura sat in easy silence together. Last time he saw her, their silence was laced with finality, a goodbye he didn’t want to hear.

  “Knight.” Her soft voice brought him back to the here and now. For the first time in a long time, it was a much better place than the then and gone.

  “Yes, Petals.” He stared out on the water.

  “Maybe we need a more definite meeting time.” She toyed with the skull ring on his finger, twisting and turning it and giving him an incredible case of welcomed shudders.

  Her asking for a schedule meant she was coming back. “I think that would be a good idea.”

  “If I told you I would be back on Saturday, right around this time, would you be here?” she asked.

  “Are you asking me out on a date?” He couldn’t stop a smile.

  Her eyes narrowed and she lifted her chin. “Knight or not, I don’t do the asking.”

  The fire in her words and expression stirred him. “Remember who came here.”

  Now her lower lip pursed out, perfect to take a taste, but he needed to resist such a tempting treat.

  “If I asked you out would you accept?” He had to tease her a little bit.

  “Are you?” Petals straightened up.

  What would going out on a date with her be like? In a normal setting, would they have done the restaurant, club thing then ended up back at her place where he would have his way with her? Maybe this was better. “I’m asking you to come here and meet me on Saturday right here, same time.”

  “I was picturing more of an exchange of cell phone numbers, a real name, and a destination other than a rock.” Her voice took on the authority of a CEO.

  All right, she wanted more, and she would have accepted a date. At present, he had to keep things this way. Once she figured out who he was their relationship would change. He wanted to be Knight a little bit longer, see what developed. “I think a destination is what you make of it. What if I promise you a date you’ll never forget right here?”

  She paused, and he tensed. What if he lost her? Did he give in and reveal all? He wasn’t ready.

  “Maybe it’s time to try something new.” A smile fluttered over her lips. “I accept your invitation.”

  Once more, he wrapped his arms around her, and together they looked out over the lake. Also, he had no idea if she belonged to someone else, even if it were for the wrong reasons. No doubt she was enchanted with Knight, but Nash the wounded rock star may not fit her.

  Chapter Eight

  Ryane entered her home away from home. Well, maybe her personal office was her home away from home. She pursed her lips, actually maybe her favorite store, The Glass Shoe Boutique, could be considered her home away from home. Then again, she had another home besides her father’s home. In fact, her family owned several homes.

  She shrugged. Either way, the West Oak Country Club was also a home away from home.

  “Miss Windsome.” The woman at the reception desk waved to her.

  They even knew her name, and probably somewhere in their files they noted her dress size and food preferences. It was as close to home as her homes.

  Ryane went to the desk. Her normal trips to the club included spa treatments and lunch with her friends. Today’s festivities didn’t include anything quite that enticing. Instead, she was here for another one of her father’s matchmaking endeavors. This time, with a businessman named Jerold Cunning. At this rate, her father would have her dating everyone in greater Los Angeles. On a positive note, she could either earn the reputation of being a slut and all these upper crust gentlemen wouldn’t want her, or in a pure numbers game maybe she would end up back with Knight and know his name.

  Knight.

  At the mere thought of his name, she felt her cheeks heat. It had only been two days since she last saw him, and tomorrow night was her date.

  “Miss Windsome?” The woman gave her a cardboard smile.

  “I have a meeting in the café. Perhaps he’s already here? Jerold Cunning?” At his name, she wrinkled her nose. She may call it a meeting, but it was a blind date, one set up by her father. What did the man tell these potential suitors? Pathetic didn’t accurately describe her situation. At the moment, her only choice was to go along with her father until she could prove him wrong.

  “I haven’t seen him check in yet.” The woman furrowed her brow.

  The woman seemed to know him, what if she saw him here and didn’t realize it? Obviously, the man never caught her eye. A feeling of dread worse than walking into The Crown without a cocktail dress encompassed her. “I’ll go take a seat.” In her whole life, she never waited for a date before.

  At the café, she was instantly guided to a table by the window overlooking the golf course. “May I have an iced tea please?” She glanced out over the grass. Off in the distance, all
the men and women were in their requisite uniforms playing their game. They all had a strategy, an agenda, a reason.

  She shook her head. What was Knight’s game? Why was she drawn to him? Everyone wanted something, but all he wanted or said he wanted was for her to lay her head on his chest. Lord, he felt good and right, his soft hair, soothing tones and light touches a complete contrast to the hard muscle hidden underneath his clothes. The scent of his leather jacket combined with clean laundry, a cologne she couldn’t place and something edgy. He was forbidden, yet accessible. If he would have tried to kiss her in the forest, she wouldn’t have stopped him. No way.

  “Ryane Windsome.” A harsh male voice laced with the inflection of the frat boys she encountered in college intruded on her thoughts and she turned.

  Well, she was wrong. She had seen this man before. In fact, the few times she caught sight of him, he was either at the bar with his friends downing drinks, or messing around on a golf cart and not doing any actual golfing. This was who her father set her up with? Really? The man personified a get-rich-quick mentality crossed with a toddler, with slicked back dirty blond hair, unspectacular features, and dripping in overt designer clothes. In a word, he was garish.

  “Jerold Cunning.” He pointed at her and without any niceties plopped down in the seat across from her. “I’ve seen you. Have to say I’m glad your father made this introduction.”

  The waiter came over and went to set her iced tea down in front of her.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, we’re on a date here.” Jerold held his hand up. “Get rid of that, and bring us a bottle of your best tequila and a plate of limes. We have to juice things up if we are going to get to know each other a little better, right?” He winked at her and made a little clicking sound.

  “I’m fine with the iced tea.” Again, her cheeks heated, and not a blush from the wanted attention of her Knight, but in humiliation from a man acting up at a club she frequented.

  The waiter put the drink in front of her and promptly left.

  Jerold leaned over the table. “I know your type. Daddy’s girl, all sweet and innocent. Have your tea and let’s get out of here. We can drive into Hollywood where no one knows us and you can be a bad girl. I know your type.”

  At feeling his hand on her knee, she shot up, knocking her drink and her chair over.

  “Do you want to leave now?” He stood, came around the table and put his arm around her. “You don’t have to play shy with me, beautiful.”

  “I agree, she is beautiful.” Patrick, her date from The Crown joined them. He bowed at her. Still in golf clothes, his hair a little bit of a mess, and carrying two iced teas, he joined them. “I saw you from across the room, I had to come say hello, and deliver this to you.” He held out the glass.

  Apparently, bowing and handing her a drink was Patrick’s signature move, but at the moment she would take it. She widened her eyes at him wondering if he would take the hint and help her. “Thank you.”

  “We don’t need any more of this brown water.” Jerold shook his head. “We were just ready to get out of here.”

  “Actually, I wanted to talk to you. I made a note in my calendar to contact you tomorrow. I deemed that the appropriate amount of time to wait to call.” Without acknowledging Jerold even spoke, Patrick stepped closer to her. “I was thinking about the Los Padres property we spoke about the other night. I did a little research.”

  Work? The man wanted to talk about work?

  Wait! The man wanted to talk about work. “Oh, that must be an emergency. I think we should talk about that right now.”

  “Baby, we don’t have time for a talk, we have to get out of here.” With his arm still around her, Jerold pulled her in tighter. “There’s time for work and time for play.”

  Patrick blinked, his brow furrowed slightly.

  Ryane huffed. If this were Knight he would have swooped in, picked her up, flung her over his shoulder and saved her. The only problem was Knight wasn’t here.

  “Well, this does throw off my schedule a bit.” Patrick lifted his phone and studied the screen. “However, since we are here now and I don’t have to call you tomorrow, I think it would be all right if I switched some things around.”

  “Jerold, I’m sorry. I have to work on this project.” With no Knight and only a sad excuse, she would have to save herself. She gently pushed the distasteful man away and went to Patrick. “Perhaps another time.”

  No sooner did the words leave her mouth than Jerold lifted his arm and waved to someone else. “No worries sweetheart, I think I just found myself another opportunity.” Without even glancing down at her, he dashed away.

  Ryane watched him go up to some redhead. He put his arms around her, bent her back, and kissed her. The woman giggled and the two of them walked away.

  Both she and Patrick faced each other. In truth, she had never been more mortified. Not only was she seen with that horrible man, but in front of another man she was supposedly seeing. A strange hollow sensation settled right in her chest. If she coupled that with the fact that the man she wanted to see didn’t even know her real name, and she didn’t know how to contact him other than trekking through the forest, she realized what a disaster her life had become.

  “Well, why don’t we go have that talk? I have some time before I have to get back to the office.” He motioned her over to a table.

  The waiters scurried about getting a fresh table set up and they sat with their respective iced teas.

  Ryane took a long sip of the cool liquid. She went from the weird creep to the vanilla ice cream. Was Knight the only man on the planet who provided the perfect combination of sexy, sinful and sweet? She had to be only looking for an escape. Instead, maybe she needed to look at what was right in front of her. “What did you want to talk to me about?” She flicked her hair over her shoulder and smiled.

  “Anyway. I would rather have my notes with me, but I was looking into that Los Padres property, and I noticed that there is a couple of acres right south of Windsome’s that may be going up for sale.” He stared down at his phone. “There’s a little cottage on the land, but nothing valuable. It’s something to investigate. Apparently, there was a death in the family, but in less than three months it should be available. If you were able to secure that, you would have the whole Southern hillside secured and could develop anything.”

  “Is that all you wanted to tell me when you put me in your schedule to call?” In any effort to get this man to stop concentrating on his phone, she let out a low, flirtatious chuckle.

  After a pause, he put the phone down and looked up at her. “I thought it would be time to ask you for another date.”

  The way he asked, it sounded as if this were only another thing to check off on his to-do list. Apparently, he wasn’t sitting around pining away if he could time his phone calls to her. Then again, neither was she. Was it better not to have the intense feelings?

  Something about accepting a second date when all she could focus on was one date with Knight almost felt as if she were cheating. “Is it time for a second date or do you want a second date?” What she wanted was to feel the drop in her stomach like when Knight looked at her. What she wanted was to drive away and have him in her thoughts. In all honesty, she barely remembered Patrick until he showed up at the club at the right time.

  “I think it goes without saying I want this date or I wouldn’t have asked.” He stirred the straw around his iced tea. “I think we fit.”

  Yes, they fit. No doubt. All except for one thing. That same thing that made her want to run to the forest to see a man and not care there wasn’t a cell site, or if she didn’t know his real name. Maybe those feelings were too intense, not made for the real world.

  Still, how could she go with Patrick, when tomorrow she was going to rush to another man?

  Before she had the opportunity to answer, her phone vibrated in her purse,. At seeing her father’s name on the screen, she snatched up the device then without even excusing hers
elf, answered. “Hello, Daddy.”

  Patrick sat up straighter.

  “Princess, how are things going with Jerold?” His voice boomed into the speaker.

  “Well, though I met him, I’m actually now having a tea with Patrick.” She wiggled her fingers at her replacement date.

  “Oh, good, good.” A little bit of confusion laced her father’s voice. “Well, that is good. Also, keep tomorrow open, there is a cocktail party and there are several eligible men I want you to meet.”

  Her father’s words may as well have slapped her in the face and kicked her in the stomach all at the same time. Tomorrow she wanted to be with Knight, wanted to be off the grid, wanted her night with the mystery dream man. “Actually, Daddy, I’m going to be going on another date with Patrick.” She counted each word making sure that in no way did she actually lie to her father.

  Patrick nodded.

  “Oh, so you like him, do you?” Her father asked.

  She glanced over at the man. Like was a strong word, at least when it came to Patrick. She didn’t mind him. “We fit.”

  “Very well then. I will let the two of you be alone tomorrow. We will have our dinner Sunday night and catch up,” her father said.

  “Thank you, Daddy. Bye.” She hung up and assessed the man she'd accepted a second date with in order to have a first date with another man. When did life get so complicated?

  “Well, then I suppose I have my answer.” Patrick sat back with his phone in front of his face. “Tomorrow night then?”

  Ryane took a sip of her tea. “How about Sunday brunch?”

  He nodded, typed something into his phone and stood. “I’ll pick you up at 10, but right now I do have to get to work. Would you like me to do more research on that other property?”

  “Sure, sounds great.” At least, her father would be happy.

  “I’ll see you Sunday then.” He walked over, bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek then walked away.