Bed of Thornes (Bed of Thornes Trilogy Book 1)

by Angel L. Woodz

  "I look at it like this, if I put you in the position to come out somewhere that requires a certain look, the least I can do is provide the dress for you to wear. Besides, I figured you would enjoy something new for yourself. You're always working so hard, I'd be surprised if you take the time to go shopping." He says as he looks me up and down.

  I feel somewhat offended, but so flattered from his gesture, that my emotions are a complete mess. To be sure I don't show the offended side, I force a smile and take a deep breath.

  "Well, Adrian, I appreciate you thinking about me and making sure I have the proper attire."

  He laughs. "It's not that you don't dress nicely, but all I've seen you in so far is your work clothes. I wasn't sure if your closet came equipped with a dress that would be fitting for the venue. I don't mind treating you, regardless."

  Before another word can be exchanged, the blonde comes back to the front of the store. In her hand is a zipped garment cover. My curiosity rises.

  "Here we go." She says and hands it over to Adrian for him to hold as she unzips it to reveal what's inside.

  My jaw drops open and I put my hands over my mouth. It's stunning. Red, blood red, with a rose outlined in black along the right side including a stem with leaves and thorns. The fabric is smooth. Form fitting. Mid-thigh length. Ties around the neck like a halter top. Low neckline. The sexiest color and dress I have ever laid my eyes upon. The blonde walks behind the counter, Adrian continues to hold the dress up for me to see and steps closer to me. He removes the garment cover so I can look at the back.

  "You like it?" He asks.

  "This is gorgeous, Adrian, I love it!" I grab the sides and feel the softness all the way down to the bottom of the dress.

  "I can't wait to see you in it." He winks. I think I may just go ahead and fuck him now. I mean, he is so asking for it.

  "I can't wait to wear it!" I exclaim. I stop and think for a split second. "Wait a minute, how did you know what size to order it in?"

  "I called the gallery last night and spoke with Jenna. She was kind enough to share your dress size with me after I explained why I needed to know."

  Oh god, Jenna! I haven't heard from her at all since this morning.

  "Excuse me for a moment while I make a call?" I motion towards the door.

  "Sure, no problem." He says. "I'll take care of the bill while you use the phone and I'll meet you outside."

  I step out into the cool, crisp air and slide my phone on. I got so wrapped up in the accident and Adrian that I forgot to call and check on Jenna. I select her number and hit call. It rings about three times and goes to voice mail. This isn't like her, I hope everything is okay. I try calling again, straight to voice mail. Maybe I'll have Adrian drive me over to her house to see if she's there.

  He walks out of the shop, dress in hand, and comes up to me. "You look worried, is everything good?" He asks.

  "I'm not sure, I haven't heard from Jenna and she's not answering her phone. Would you care to drive by her place so I can see if she's at home?"

  "No problem. Here, let me put this in the backseat before you get in and we can head out. I'm sure she's fine, but we will make sure of that before the night's over. I don't want you to be worried."

  "Thank you, Adrian, that means a lot. She's my best friend, I'm used to talking to her daily, it's not like her to not contact me somehow."

  He slides the dress inside of the car, holding the door open for me to get in, and closes it when I'm seated. When he climbs in and starts the car, he looks over at me, grabs my hand and squeezes it as if to say 'I got you.' We pull off, and I watch Darius Cordell's disappear in the side mirror. I can't believe how thoughtful he is, I would have never guessed he had a dress special-ordered for me. This man is quite a catch. Too bad I'm not looking for love.

  The street lights glare along the windshield with each passing one, the wind softly breezing through the open windows, it's a peaceful night here in Dallas. I look over, realizing Adrian's hand is still clenching onto mine. I don't want him to let go. His touch is rough but gentle, a contradiction that I can't get enough of, I want more.

  We turn onto Jenna's street, I see lights on in the house and the front porch. "Right up here at the yellow house on the left." I tell him, and we pull into the drive. I get out and let him know I will be right back, but he climbs out of the car to follow. His concern is warming. I get up to the door and knock a couple of times. No answer. I knock again. This time I hear footsteps nearing the door. Jenna opens the door wide and practically jumps into my arms.

  "Ronni!" She exclaims. "I was so worried about you!"

  I hug her tight and the smell of her short blonde hair gives me a burst of happiness. I'm so happy to see her, but confused at the same time.

  "I've tried calling you." I tell her, with worry in my voice.

  She pulls back a little from the tight hug, "I'm so sorry, it took me all day to get my car unlocked, my purse and phone were inside of it. Needless to say, by the time I got into my car, I drove to the hospital and you were already released. My phone was dead, I got home and put it on the charger. I'm sorry I missed your calls though, I was in the shower. I was just about to try to call you when I got out."

  "It's okay honey, I was just worried about you since I hadn't heard anything or seen you all day."

  She smiles crookedly, "Worried about me? Hell, you had me devastated! I thought I'd lost you!"

  "Well I'm not going anywhere just yet." I smile back at her and hug her again.

  I let her go, and step back. She notices Adrian standing there at the bottom of the porch. She motions for him to come up and join us.

  "I can't thank you enough for taking care of my girl." She says to him with a big sincere smile.

  He grins at her and nods, "Oh, it was definitely my pleasure. I'm just glad she's good. Had all of us scared to lose her." He looks over at me and presses his lips together like the thought of me dying would have torn him into pieces. I still can't believe this man that doesn't even know me cares so much.

  "Yeah, he came to my rescue, he's my hero." I say and wink at Adrian.

  Jenna breaks the moment, "Alright you two, knock off the cuteness." She laughs. "For real though, I'm happy the two of you have this connection thing going on, but that's enough of all that in front of miss lonely tonight." She points to herself and chuckles.

  I begin to blush.

  Jenna clears her throat, "Well look, I don't want to hold you up tonight, but I'm so glad you're still here with us and thank you for coming here to let me see you still intact. I love you, Ronni, you know you're my bestie. Go enjoy what's left of this night and get yourself some rest." She comes in for another hug and squeezes tightly.

  "I'm glad you're alright too, Playmate." I giggle at her. "You sure you don't want some company?"

  "Yes, girl go get your time in with your hero and rest up. You've got a big date tomorrow." She grins playfully at both Adrian and me.

  We chuckle at her adorable way of telling us to get lost.

  "Okay, doll, I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning to have our pamper day."

  "You got it." She says with a quick wink.

  Adrian gives a goodbye nod to Jenna and turns away, grabbing my hand in the process, and we walk off of the porch to head to his car that's parked still running in the driveway. I turn back to look at Jenna, she remains watching us leave, I blow a kiss her way and she returns one.

  I tilt my head back as we walk towards the car and look up at the stars, they're so bright and the sky is incredibly clear tonight. I take in a deep breath in, the air feels brand new to me. I assume my near death experience has opened my senses, taking it all in. Those small things most people take for granted, are precious to me. This air I'm breathing, the stars I'm seeing, the hand that has a grasp of mine.

  We reach the car, Adrian makes sure to open the door for me again. I feel tingles all over my body when I see him coming around to the driver's side. I have no idea where the rest of th
is night is leading, but if my body felt better, I wouldn't control the urge I have to fuck the shit out of this man. He sits down, glances at me with a smile, and starts the engine. As we pull out of Jenna's driveway, he suddenly stops.

  "Veronica, I don't want you to leave my sight, but I know you need your rest... I'm going to take you home, make sure you're comfortable for the night, and will see you tomorrow evening. Are you straight with that?"

  Inside, I'm slightly disappointed. I don't want the night to end, I wish it could last longer. I know I need to shower and sleep though. I nod at him and smile slightly.

  "Let's get you to your spot. I'll even tuck you in if you want." He smiles gently.

  "That sounds good, but this woman needs a shower before she lays her head on the pillow tonight." I smile at him.

  "I can help with that too if you'd like." He winks.

  I swear, he's got so much fucking coming to him when I'm back to normal.

  "I'll manage this time, but I'll keep that in mind for the near future." I wink back at him.

  "Promise?" He asks with a sexy smile across his face.

  I can't help but laugh a little, "I couldn't pass it up."

  He puts the car in reverse, gets on the main road and heads to my place. Faint sounds of music are leaking out of his speakers, I lean forward to turn up the volume. I glance over and see him smile. He begins singing softly. I can't hear him, but I get anxious to hear him perform tomorrow night. I turn the music down as we near my road.

  "Turn right here, I'm down at the end of the court on the right." I tell him before he passes the road.

  The closer we approach my driveway, the more I feel sadness, I really don't want to let him go. My stomach begins to churn with butterflies, the home sick type, the ones that make you feel ill. I want to lean over and kiss him, tell him to stay. I resist the urge. We pull in, he puts the car in park and looks over at me.

  "If you need me, call me. I'll be up late rehearsing. Seriously, if you need anything, I'll be here in no time. Thank you for riding along with me tonight, I hope you know that I'm not a psycho now." He laughs.

  I grin at him. "Thank you for taking care of me, and for not being completely crazy." I laugh.

  He takes my hand and places a soft kiss on it. "I'll see you tomorrow, beautiful."

  "I will see you tomorrow, hero." I say as I step out of the car. I step back and watch him back out of the driveway. I wanted to stop him and tell him to come in and stay. Instead, I turn and head towards my front door.

  Thankful for my home, I stand there in a pause appreciating the welcome from it before proceeding to step inside after unlocking the door.

  I wake up to a text alert on my phone, it's Jenna. I sit up from my deep sleep and open the message. 'On my way to your house, get ready!' The butterflies in my stomach flutter instantly. What a wake-up call. I'm a little nervous about tonight. It's been such a long time since I've been out, I have no idea what to expect, and I am being escorted by the sexiest man on the planet. I'm going to need some wine before I go tonight.

  I reply to Jen's text, 'Just waking up, getting dressed now.'

  Before I can get fully dressed, Jenna is knocking. I run down the stairs with my flip flops in hand, open the door and... wait... it's not Jenna. I look around, there's nobody. I look down, a package with a small red envelope tied to it rests on my doorstep. What is this and who left it here? I wonder to myself. I pick up the box and bring it inside, closing the door halfway behind me.

  The envelope has nothing written on it, just blank and mysterious. I open it, remove a small card that reads 'The world would be lost without you, and so would I. Thankful you didn't leave, I couldn't imagine such a lovely life gone too soon. Please accept this gift as a token of your first day at another chance at life.'

  The ideas of who this could be from swirl in my mind, there's no name. I untie the red ribbon that's eloquently wrapped around the rectangular package, in a flowing bow. I tear the white paper and expose a cherry wooden box. As I open the top of the box, my heart races, so unaware of what this is or where it came from, the anticipation makes me grab what's inside as quickly as possible and pull it out to reveal the mystery gift.

  In my hands I hold up a case of paint brushes, carved from cherry wood and engraved is my name, Veronica Thorne. Each paint brush of a different size, made from high quality materials. These are beautiful, and very thoughtful... of whoever is secretly admiring my work, I assume, or my life for that matter. Adrian? He's so sweet and giving, I wouldn't put it past him. It has to be him who sent these to me. I love them, they're perfect.

  I place the set of brushes back into the box, smiling at the thought of Adrian. Another knock at the door, as I turn I see Jenna poking her head in where I left it partially open.

  "Ready to get pampered, princess?" She asks with a growing smile on her face and she steps inside. "You're glowing today, Ronni, this man has you sprung!" She giggles.

  "I'm not sprung, I'm just blessed to be alive! After yesterday, I realized that there's more to life than working it away. It was rushing to work that almost killed me."

  "I know, sweetie." Jenna grabs me and hugs me tight. "Sometimes it takes a tragedy for us to open our eyes. It's time you enjoy your life, and I really think this man is good for you... he's treating you like royalty, you so deserve that." She releases me from her hug.

  "I do feel like a queen when I'm around him, he's spoiling me already. I'm so use to earning my own money and buying anything I need or want, it's something I have to adjust to, a man treating me. I'm pretty positive I make more than he does... yet he doesn't seem to care. I like that, most men find it intimidating. Him being younger is something else I'm not use to, but it poses no issues as of yet." I chuckle. "I can teach him a few things."

  Jenna opens her mouth in the shape of an 'O' with wide eyes, "Wow, Listen to you! Get it, Ronni!" She laughs. "Girl, you never know, that young man may just have you learning some things... open you up to parts of yourself you didn't know existed. He might surprise you."

  "Whatever comes from it, as long as I come in the process... I'm good." I say with a sinful smirk on my face. The dirty thoughts in the darker corners of my mind, Jenna has no idea, neither does Mr. Montez.

  "On that note..." Jenna grins wide. She looks over at the counter, where the cherry wooden box is sitting. "What is that?" She asks with an eyebrow raised.

  "Something Adrian left for me on the doorstep this morning." I tell her and bite my lip, blushing slightly. "I told you he is already trying to spoil me."

  "Damn, I was wrong, you got him sprung." She chuckles.

  I scrunch my mouth and poke my lips out at her, "It's not like that, Playmate. You are the one who has guys drooling all over you, that's sprung. Adrian's just a genuine sweetheart guy."

  "Oh okay, so the guys interested in me are all douches, huh?" She sticks her tongue out at me.

  "You know that's not what I meant. I don't get men sprung though, so I don't think it's that. He's just different, and I don't know... we sort of connected from the first time we met the other day."

  Jenna steps over to the box and reads the card that's lying next to it. She looks as though a tear forms in her eye. "That's deep." She says and opens the box to see what's inside.

  I look at her face as she checks out the brushes, "See what I mean? He knows me, yet hardly knows me. I think the fact that he pays that close of attention to detail, says a lot about the type of person he is. It's something special about this one, I'm willing to find out just what it is."

  She places the brushes back in the box and smiles at me. "Let's go get you dolled up for tonight, looks like he's worthy of your precious time and effort."

  I grab my keys and we head out the door. We walk over to Jenna's car, a silver Mustang, and she unlocks the doors with a beep of her key-chain

  "Where to first?" I ask as we both climb in.

  "I was thinking some brunch and coffee, then off to a mani/pedi and facial, with
hair and makeup done last of course." She says with confidence that the day is planned just right.

  "All of which are much needed." I chuckle and point at my hair that's up in a messy bun.

  Jenna laughs and starts the car, "Don't worry, you're in good hands... we'll have you looking like a star, he'll be proud to have you on his arm."

  We both squeal with excitement like teenage girls. It's been too long since we've had a girl's day out, about as long as it's been since I've had a night out with a man.

  She pulls out and heads downtown. First stop, Bistro 31 on Highland Park Village for Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with blueberry compote and their house coffee. They have the best Bistro Chef in the city, David Garwacki. I am in love with his culinary skills, he delights with unique combinations of foods that are in season, and the menu is full of delicious masterpieces. It's our favorite spot, Jenna makes a daily lunch run when we're working at the gallery.

  The gallery crosses my mind, I haven't stepped foot in it since late Thursday night. I'm tempted to stop by there after my day with Jen, but I don't think I need to interrupt the flow of the day, so I excuse the thought from my mind. Then my dad's car envelopes my thoughts. I put my fork down and look at Jenna, who is indulging in her meal.

  "Wish I could see my dad's car, I bet it's really rough. That car meant so much to my dad, I'm pretty worried about it." I say to her mid bite of her pancakes.

  "Hey, stop worrying, today you need to focus on enjoying yourself. I'll take you on Monday to look at the car when the shop is open. We'll get it fixed back up, Ronni, don't let it get to you."

  Her assurance is comforting, but still I have the thought lingering in the back of my mind throughout the remaining of our brunch. I wouldn't dare let my mom see it in the condition it must be in now, it would crush her. Although I'm sure she's more concerned about the fact that I'm not dead, but that car is an important memory to our little family.

  We discuss happier thoughts and finish up our coffee. I bring the cup close to my nose and breathe in the aromatic smell of the fresh coffee before taking another sip, it's so nice to enjoy the simple things in life.