Icing

by Jami Davenport

  “It’s true.”

  “Yeah, right. You’re pretty damn opinionated.”

  “Opinionated, but only when I’m right and you’re wrong.”

  “I’m never wrong.”

  I rolled my eyes, truly enjoying our bantering. One thing I’d say, hanging out with Steele was usually invigorating even if it was frustrating at times. I’d pegged him as boring, but he wasn’t. His gray eyes sparkled with mischief, rather than disdain. I liked this Steele. This Steele was fun and sexy and intriguing. Not that the brooding Steele didn’t have his advantages. He was sexy no matter what and all that dark energy made for hot sex.

  We shared a bottle of red wine and an appetizer of artichoke dip with fresh bread. It was yummy. So was the wine. Cost wasn’t an issue with Steele, though I suspected he was tight with his money, except for his clothes, because he did like to look good.

  I was feeling comfortable and laid-back. The nerves I’d experienced before the date were long forgotten. I was having trouble remembering why I’d regretted accepting his somewhat forced invitation for a date. By his relaxed posture, he appeared to feel the same way.

  “So,” I asked after we finished off the appetizer and waited for our main course, “tell me about your childhood, your family, that kind of stuff.” Personal background information was stuff I usually avoided with the men I dated, because then they wanted to know about me. Yet I was willing to take a chance with him because I genuinely wanted to know more about him.

  His smile crinkled the corners of his eyes and showed bright white teeth. I’d heard hockey players usually lost a few teeth a season and wondered how many were original and how many were implants, but I wasn’t going to ask. Steele was a tough player, but from what I understood, he wasn’t a fighter in most cases, though I doubted he’d back down if there wasn’t another option.

  “I was raised by a single mother in Chicago.”

  “Divorce?” I assumed because that was the safest, most obvious reason.

  His mouth turned downward, and he swished his wine in his glass, studying it intently. I’d assumed wrong. I could tell.

  “I’m sorry,” I rushed to add. “Wrong assumption on my part.”

  “My dad was a cop in Chicago. He was gunned down by an irate ex during a domestic dispute.”

  “Oh, Steele.” I reached across the table and grabbed his hand. He didn’t pull it away. Instead he held my hand tightly.

  “I was three. An only child. My mom never remarried. She worked for the police department too. After that she got a job with the Department of Defense in Chicago.”

  Wow, he had cops in his blood. That explained a lot about where he was coming from.

  “Are you close to your mom?”

  He finally lifted his head and met my gaze. He smiled with pride in his eyes. “Yes, very close. So close that some of the guys used to call me a mama’s boy.”

  “You’re the furthest thing from a mama’s boy I’ve ever met.”

  He shrugged like it didn’t matter to him if he was branded with that title or not. I admired his self-confidence. Most guys I knew would be too busy posturing and putting on a macho act.

  “What does your mom do for the DOD?” By the look on his face, I’d said something wrong again. My question appeared to be sensitive, though I had no idea why.

  “I…I don’t really know. She has a lot of connections, and she’s in DC now.”

  I opened my mouth to give an incredulous response and snapped it shut. I’d already had two strikes; I didn’t want a third. Now I understood why the guys were always joking that Steele’s mother was a spy. I thought he was purposely mysterious about his mother just to piss them off, but that wasn’t the case. He was sincere. He didn’t know.

  “Do you worry about her?”

  “I try not to. She loves her work.”

  Whatever that was, I thought to myself. How odd was it that a son, and an only child at that, didn’t have any idea what his mother did? I recalled that his mom helped Kaden’s girlfriend, Delaney, reunite with her parents. Delaney’s dad was a powerful US senator. Steele’s mom had connections, whatever she did. Maybe she was Secret Service?

  “I know what you’re thinking,” he said, interrupting my musings.

  “What?”

  “Give it up. Like I said, my mom won’t even tell me what she does. You aren’t going to figure it out.”

  He was more perceptive than I gave him credit for. Steele never ceased to amaze me, though I’d never seen him as a shallow guy. He was too much of a thinker and a planner. If anything, he overthought the simplest things.

  Our dinners arrived. We both appreciated good food so were silent as we dug in and enjoyed the incredible meal before us. It was delicious, with great flavors and a wonderful presentation.

  I wasn’t a slow eater and finished before Steele. I watched him, unknown to him. He was an efficient eater, just like he did everything else. Every movement had a purpose; his manners were impeccable. When he finished, he placed his fork and knife on his plate, wiped off his mouth with the cloth napkin, and met my gaze.

  “Were you staring at me while I was eating?”

  “Maybe.” I cast my sassy grin in his direction, and he rewarded me with a broader smile, showing those perfect white teeth. “Are those all your original teeth?”

  He chuckled, not offended by my nosy question. “They’re in my mouth so they’re my teeth. That’s all I have to say on the subject.” He topped off our wineglasses.

  “Trying to get me drunk so I’ll do your bidding?”

  “Is it working?”

  “It might be.” I winked at him, and he laughed, a deep, from-the-belly laugh.

  “You should laugh more. You have an incredible smile and a great laugh.”

  “You think? No one’s ever told me that before.”

  “Really?” I was amazed. He was so strikingly handsome I would’ve guessed he’d been heaped with praise by horny women. Maybe he didn’t have conversations with his “dates,” maybe he just screwed them. I had to know if I was different. “No one’s told you that before?”

  “No, most of the women I’ve been with aren’t interested in talking.”

  Much to my surprise, I was interested in talking to him. I enjoyed talking to him. We spent the next hour discussing all sorts of things, debating different subjects, on which we often took opposing sides, and arguing in a few cases. Steele was thoughtful and well-spoken. He listened to me as if I were imparting the wisdom of the world instead of my usual opinionated bullshit.

  We shared a dessert, which was heavenly. Steele paid the bill, and together we walked to the door. He held it open for me and placed his hand on my waist as we walked into the night. A thin sheen of rain covered every surface, but the night was clear with a few visible clouds.

  Steele reached for my hand and held it in his warm one. “Your hands are cold.”

  “I know. They’re often like that. It was a little chilly inside.”

  “Yeah, it was. Want to take a walk?”

  “I’d love to.” We strolled along the city streets, looking in shop windows and people watching. Only when we felt the first drops of rain did Steele and I turn around and head back to the car.

  We ran the last block as huge drops pelted us, laughing as we raced for the car. Once we were inside, Steele started the motor and cranked the heat. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. My hair hung in wet strands, and he brushed them off my face.

  “I wish I had a towel.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll be fine. As long as you don’t mind me looking like a drowned rat.”

  He turned serious for a moment. “You don’t look like that. I think you look damned sexy.”

  “You do?”

  “Oh, fuck yes.”

  “I’ve had a great time tonight. In fact, the best time I’ve had in a long time.” I’d never been good at playing it cool or coy. I pretty much said what I thought.

  “So have I.” He leaned his head back aga
inst the seat and let out a relaxed sigh. “Tell me, Cin, what do you want out of life? You know what I’ve always wanted—to play hockey—but I’ve never heard you mention how you see your future. Do you have plans to go to school?”

  “No, no plans. School and I didn’t get along. I don’t do well with traditional learning. I hate the structure. I didn’t graduate high school. I have a GED.” If this revelation surprised him, to his credit, he didn’t let on. Only a few close friends knew I hadn’t graduated from high school. I was embarrassed by my lack of a diploma. At least I’d gotten the GED. I tried to tell myself that was something to be proud of.

  “So what do you want? Everyone has hopes and dreams. What are yours?”

  “I want to live in the country. Have a plot of land. Grow organic vegetables. Learn to can my own fruits and vegetables.”

  “None of this surprises me.”

  “It shouldn’t.”

  “I didn’t go to college either, you know. School wasn’t for me. I barely graduated high school. I just wanted to play hockey.”

  “And what does your life look like after hockey? I bet you have it all planned out.”

  He shrugged. “I guess so. My plan was to be married by thirty and start a family by thirty-two, retire by forty, and go into coaching or broadcasting.”

  “So you do have it all figured out.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  I didn’t fit into his plans, and I was wrong to think I ever would. Steele and I were a short-term thing, not a long-term relationship, even if he did ask me on a date. Like most guys, I assumed dinner out would be followed by sex. Not necessarily as a payment for the dinner but because I wanted to have sex with him again.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The Decision

  ~~Steele~~

  Dinner out with Cin was the best time I’d had with a woman as far as I could recall.

  We arrived home and did an abbreviated make-out session in the underground parking lot. I’m not sure how far we’d have gotten if the security guard hadn’t rapped on my steamed-up driver’s-side window and asked if we were okay. The man was grinning evilly at us. He knew what he’d been interrupting. He’d probably been watching us on that camera not too far away until we’d sufficiently blocked his view with those steamy windows.

  We went upstairs to the apartment, laughing all the way.

  Before going inside, I pulled her into my arms for a tender kiss. My world swirled around me, my plan was in chaos, and my heart was heading down a path I’d never taken before. Things didn’t look the same as they had even a few hours ago. They looked better, and I thought I’d had it pretty good previously.

  What had happened to me in one evening?

  What had changed my world? My outlook? My wants and desires?

  Like I didn’t know the answer to those questions. I sure as hell did.

  Cin had changed my life, and I wanted this moment to last forever. Our kisses in the car had been carnal and hungry. This kiss was so sweet and tender and full of promise, not the kind of kiss I usually gave a woman or got from one. Time ceased to exist, and only the two of us were together in this special time and place where the rest of the world wasn’t invited or able to intrude.

  She was one of a kind, and I didn’t realize how much so until this very moment. I had feelings for her, deep feelings growing deeper by the moment.

  As one we finally pulled apart and gazed at each other as if in a mutual daze.

  “I had a good time,” she said.

  “So did I.” With one last quick kiss on the cheek, I turned to the door and unlocked it.

  Ziggy and Cave were there, and they barely acknowledged us, which was weird in itself. I expected to be harassed unmercifully as I rarely dated. I was sure they were saving up for later, probably our long road trip coming up.

  Cin gave me one of those gazes that spoke to my dick and had it standing at the ready. She sauntered down the hallway toward her room, casting another come-hither look over her shoulder. I knew what she had in mind. I’d been thinking about the same thing all night long, but Ziggy and Cave were here, and somehow that cheapened what we’d had together. They would know if we went to her room together. I didn’t want them to think this was only about sex. What we had meant more than that. I had to discover what was here, see if it was as wonderous as I suspected.

  Cin opened the door to her room. “Want to come inside?” She spoke in a low tone with a sultry smile.

  Oh, fuck yeah, I wanted to go inside, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. The reason made no sense while making a ton of sense. Up until this very moment, I didn’t realize I’d make this decision, but there it was.

  I called forth an inner strength born of my legendary discipline and stood my ground, shaking my head. Cin drew back as if I’d slapped her.

  I rushed to explain. “I want to, but what’s going on here is different, and I don’t want to cheapen what’s growing between us. I want to explore this. See where it takes us.”

  “You can still sleep with me.” Her brow wrinkled with confusion. I wasn’t explaining this well, because I wasn’t sure how to explain it to myself.

  “I think we should back up and date for a while first. We’re so different, I can’t see this going anywhere, and yet I can. Sleeping together clouds our judgment. I really like being around you. You make me laugh. Yet I keep wondering if we would last long-term because of our differences. Maybe the differences are a good thing, but we need time to figure that out.”

  Her smile came back full force. “You want to date me and not sleep with me?” She homed in on that one fact.

  “Crazy, huh? I do want to sleep with you, but I want to do this right. I want to date and get to know you. See if we have a future.”

  “Steele, you do remember that we’ve had sex before.”

  “Oh, fuck yeah, I remember, and you don’t know what superhuman strength I’m exerting to resist your invitation, but taking this—us—slow feels right like nothing has ever felt before except hockey.”

  “I’m flattered to be ranked up there with hockey.”

  “You should be.”

  Her soft laughter warmed my soul and gave me the courage to do this thing right. I wanted to date her like I’d never dated another woman. I wanted her to be different because she was special. We might be incompatible on paper but were we in person? We both needed more time to figure things out.

  “I guess I’ll turn in then.”

  I kissed her again, unable to help myself.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Is He a Good Kisser?

  ~~Hyacinth~~

  I’d be the last to admit this truth to anyone, but I was lonely. I was a social person, but I also liked myself and was at peace with myself enough that I enjoyed being alone.

  This was different.

  This was new.

  This was unnerving.

  I missed Steele.

  One date, and I couldn’t wait to see him again, but he was on the other side of the country on a week-long road trip. Herc and I had this big condo all to ourselves. Hell, I even missed Ziggy and Cave. It was way too quiet here. I swore that the place echoed when I talked out loud to Herc.

  Once in a while, my fat dog would get up from his bed or his place next to me on the couch and pad down the hall to check if the guys had snuck home without him knowing it. He missed them too.

  I checked my phone for the date, as if I didn’t know what date it was. Steele had only been gone two nights.

  Tonight, my Green group had called an emergency meeting, and Delaney was picking me up. At least I’d be out of the house and not thinking about Steele. Well, not too much.

  I put on my coat, gave Herc a pat on the head, and hurried down to the condo lobby. Delaney was already parked at the curb outside, being punctual, while I was anything but. One more way Steele and I were different.

  “What’s this meeting about? Any idea?” I asked Delaney as I put on my seat belt.

  She glanced my way t
hen pulled off the curb and drove toward the small Mexican restaurant where we held our meetings in their back room. “I have no idea. Only that it’s urgent.”

  Delaney parked in the parking lot behind the building, and we went in the back door to the private meeting space.

  “It sounds like they started the meeting without us.” Delaney paused outside the room. The door was open, and a lively discussion was going on inside. We walked into the room, and that’s when things started getting weird. The conversations died down to nothing and all eyes were on us. More than a few people had decidedly guilty expressions on their faces, except my mother. Nothing made my mother guilty. Her causes were all she cared about.

  What the hell was going on?

  I’d been a founder of this group, along with my mom, who no longer attended the meetings, having moved on to a more radical group. For which I was grateful. We had our own radical element, and they didn’t need my mom getting them worked up. I’d been there a time or two myself.

  I’d stood beside these people through thick and thin. Some of us had even been arrested and spent a night in jail together after one particularly intense protest where, I had to admit, we did get a little out of hand. I’d been a lot younger then, and my passion for caring for our environment had overruled my head. I’d matured enough to realize more would be accomplished by reasonable discussion and compromise. Some of these people, though much older than I, hadn’t yet reached the maturity level.

  We took a couple empty seats together. When I glanced at my longtime friend and the leader of our group, Chris, he looked away, refusing to meet my gaze.

  “Let’s fill in our latecomers,” Chris said.

  I opened my mouth to protest, ready to chew some ass. For once I wasn’t late, but my group appeared to have started early. Delaney put a restraining hand on my arm, and I settled back in my seat, wisely shutting my mouth. Maybe I hadn’t matured as much as I’d thought.