by Naomi Niles
“Incentive? Like a candy bar if you make it to the end?”
“I don’t eat candy.”
“Oh, well what then?”
I took another step. “Dinner?”
“You want me to buy you dinner?” I laughed and took another step. My fucking leg felt like it weighed a hundred pounds.
“No…I’ll buy…you just eat…with me.”
“Oh, like a date?”
Another step, I was almost halfway there. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t date my patients.” She was killing me. I took another step.
“Okay…no date. Just…celebration.” I was sweating as I took my next step.
“Where would this ‘celebration’ take place?”
“Abacus?”
She laughed. I took another step and estimated I had about five more to go. “Abacus is kind of expensive for a celebration. It’s more of a date place.”
“Oh…McDonalds?”
She laughed again. “Okay, tell you what. You pick up that foot on each one of the next four or five steps to the end and Abacus it is.”
Shit. “Okay.” I stopped talking and poured everything I had into it. I even blocked out the fact that she was watching me with those incredibly sexy green eyes. It took me a good fifteen minutes, but I did it! I looked up at Amber. She was clapping. I was cocky enough to try and take a bow and nearly fell on my face. She caught me, and I suddenly found myself with the most beautiful creature on earth in my arms. I lost my mind a little bit – I couldn’t help it. I brought my lips down and I kissed her. She didn’t move and if I had to swear to it in a court of law, she kissed me back. Then, she pulled her head away and gave me one of those looks Sarah reserves for when I’ve done something bad. I just grinned. I kissed her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
AMBER
I stood in front of the mirror and wondered what the hell I was doing. I moved out of Dylan’s house less than a week ago. Kyle is a patient and no matter what we called this, it was a date. I fidgeted with the bracelets on my wrists. I’d put foundation over the yellowing bruises there and the bracelets were thick enough that I was hoping they’ll keep them covered. It’s eighty degrees out, so I thought I might look a little stupid sweating at Abacus in long sleeves.
“Amber?” Marlene was tapping on my door. She’d sat up with me late last night as I agonized over whether or not I should do this.
“Yeah, come in.”
She stepped in and sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, honey, you look gorgeous.”
“Thank you. I’m a nervous wreck.”
“Why? You said he’s a really nice guy, right?”
“Yeah, but it’s so soon…”
“Are you kidding? That so-called ‘relationship’ you were in with the cowboy was over a long time ago. He fell in love with a whiskey bottle and nobody will ever come before that. You deserve so much more.”
I smiled. I wasn’t sure why I should deserve more, but it was a nice thought. “Well, here goes then. This is the first date I’ve been on without Dylan since I was fifteen years old.”
“Good. Go and see what it’s supposed to be like.” She kissed my cheek, and I grabbed my bag and headed out. I told Kyle I’d pick him up at seven. He offered to drive and I laughed. I did hope he was kidding. I put his address in my GPS. He lived on a quiet little residential street at the end of a cul de sac. It looked homey and inviting, with a neat and tidy front lawn. With butterflies taking flight in my stomach, I knocked on the door. It was pulled inward by the big man I’d seen at the hospital. His dad, I presumed.
“Hi, is Kyle here?” I felt like a teenager. He smiled…I think.
“Yes, come in.” He closed the door behind me and said, “Have a seat, he’ll be right out.” I thanked him as he disappeared down the hallway.
I sat down in the comfortable little living room and thought about running away – right up until I saw the most beautiful sight I may have ever seen. Kyle came out of the bedroom in his chair. He had on a brown silk shirt and a nice pair of tan slacks. He was wearing brown cowboy boots and for the first time since the hospital, he wasn’t wearing a ball cap.
“Hi,” he said with that smile that sets my insides on fire.
“Hi. Wow…you look…”
“I’m the one with the speech problems.”
I laughed. “Not tonight, apparently. You look amazing.”
He looked down at himself and said, “I kind of thought I did – until you got here. You’re beautiful, Amber.” I felt my face go hot. I couldn’t remember the last time a man told me I was beautiful – except for my father, but that doesn’t count. Marlene talked me into buying this little black dress and she loaned me a pair of heels that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk in. I’m glad now that she did.
“Thank you. Are you ready?”
“Yep.” He easily maneuvered himself out the front door and down the sidewalk to the car. “If you open the trunk, I’ll put the chair in-”
“Get in the car.”
“I don’t want you lifting the chair.” His speech was still slow, but it was getting a lot clearer. I was really proud of the progress he’s making, but I was sorry he wasted all of those words.
I laughed. “I’m a therapist. I do it all day. Get in the car.”
“You’re kind of bossy,” he said with a grin.
“Yep,” I said, borrowing his favorite word.
On the way to the restaurant, he asked me questions about my family and growing up on the ranch. Even with his speech impediment, he was a much better conversationalist than Dylan. When we drove up in front of the restaurant I asked,
“Have you eaten here before?”
“Only once,” he said. “For Sarah’s birthday a few years back. My dad hated it.” He laughed.
“I’ve never been inside. I almost feel like I should have rented a nicer car.”
“Stop,” he said, laughing. “The night we came, I was out on a job. I drove the contractor’s pick-up and had the valet park it.”
“You did not!”
He laughed again. “I did. It was the best part of the night.”
I got out and started to get his chair out of the trunk. The valet was suddenly at my elbow to get it for me. He took it around and Kyle transferred himself into it smoothly. Once we were inside, we were shown to our table, which was in a nice roomy spot. He transferred out of his chair and into the seat and the hostess took the chair away. He seemed a lot more comfortable without it. The waiter brought out the wine menu, and Kyle asked me what I wanted.
“I don’t really drink,” I told him.
“Okay, how about sweet tea?”
It was refreshing to be able to say that out loud and not be ridiculed. Dylan always gave me a hard time about it. “I’d love sweet tea, thank you.” We ordered a six course tasting menu and as we plowed our way through the delicious food, we got to know each other a little better. “Have you always wanted to be an architect?”
“Not really. I like to draw…I have…sorry, I always have.”
“So, when did you decide on architecture?”
“Michael and my sister have been together since she was sixteen. He was already in college…he got me interested.”
“And now, you work for him.”
“Right. What about you?”
“No, I never wanted to be an architect.”
He grinned. “When did you want to be a therapist?”
“When I was in high school, my best friend and I were supposed to go out one Saturday night. It just happened that I got the flu and I couldn’t go. She was driving home from a party and she had another one of our friends with her. She was drunk and ran a stoplight. They were t-boned and the girl in the passenger seat died. My friend was thrown from the car and had a head injury. When she woke up from her three week long coma, she had to have therapy every day. I used to go visit her all the time and it fascinated me to watch what they did for her.”
“Wow…you dodged a bu
llet.”
“Yeah. It’s weird because I always felt guilty about that. I went to Bobbie’s funeral, and I kept thinking it should have been me. I would have been in that seat, and I would have been just as drunk as both of them.”
“Is that why you don’t drink?”
“Mostly, yes. So, can I ask you a personal question?”
“Of course.”
“Greg…what’s the deal there? He says he’s your best friend, but it doesn’t seem that way sometimes…”
“Hard one,” he said.
“Oh, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s just a long story. Hard for you to understand me.”
“Well, you don’t have to talk about it-”
“It’s fine…bear with me though.” I liked listening to him talk, even though he was self-conscious about it. He took a deep breath and said, “I met Greg in the second grade. We became buddies right away. From that point on, we did everything together. He stayed at my house, and I stayed at his. In college, I met this girl and fell in love with her. I’d always been kind of a serial dater, so the love thing kind of took me by surprise. We dated for a couple years and I proposed. She accepted, and I asked Greg to be my best man.
“One night, we were all at this party and I was the only sober one because I was driving. I looked everywhere and I couldn’t find them. There was this girl there that for whatever reason, she hated my girl. She told me to check the shed in the backyard. I doubted they would be in there, but I’d checked everywhere else. They were in there and they were…pardon my French, screwing their drunken brains out.”
“Oh no!”
“Yep.”
“I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “It was bad. For the first time in my life, I beat the snot out of someone and it was my best friend. I told both of them I never wanted to see them again. I would run into Greg sometimes, but avoided him for the most part. He weaseled his way back in through Sarah when he found out I was sick.”
“Sarah…hmm…”
He laughed. “Hard to believe my sister could be the forgiving one, right?”
“Well, not that I wouldn’t think she could forgive anyone, it’s hard to believe she would forgive anyone that hurt you. She’s really protective of you.”
“Yeah, she forgets she’s not my mother.”
By the time we finished our meal, had dessert, and walked out of the restaurant, it was after ten o’clock. I didn’t want the night to end and Kyle acted like he didn’t, either. When the valet brought the car around he said, “Do you want to see my place?”
“I didn’t see it earlier?”
He smiled. “That’s Dad’s place. I have a loft not very far from here. I’ve just been staying with Dad since I got sick.”
Alone in a loft with Kyle. It was a terrible idea. “Sure, okay.” I’m ridiculous.
CHAPTER NINE
KYLE
Do you want to see my place? I can’t believe that worked. I was just desperate for the night to go on and I couldn’t think of anything else. It’s not like I can take her on a long walk in the moonlight…or horseback riding…or other things that “normal” people do. She seemed okay with it, though. God, she's beautiful.
“It’s the building there on the left.” She looked at me like I was crazy and then thinking it was the brain surgery she said,
“Um…no, that’s the JC Penney/Sears building.”
“Well, technically, it was built in 1913, but it wasn’t used for JC Penny and Sears until much later. First, it was strictly office space and then A. Harris & Co. moved into it in the 1930s. After that came Penny’s and Sears. Now, it houses a few apartments and lofts. One of which, I live in.”
Her mouth was hanging open. “Really?”
I laughed. “Really. Is it my humble background that is confusing to you?”
“No…I mean…isn’t it really expensive? Shoot, I shouldn’t have asked you that…”
“It’s okay, really. The answer is yes, but not for me. The man that owns the loft I live in is a
client of Michael’s. He bought it for his daughter and she ran off to Italy with some rich guy. He rented it to me. Cheap.”
“You’re so lucky!” she said. “I love this building.”
“I do, too,” I admitted, “And yes, I am lucky.”
I held her hand as we went through the lobby. I liked the sound of her sexy high heels on the hardwood floors as we made our way to the elevators. We took it all the way to the top and I realized I missed my home as soon as we stepped off. “You know what; I think I’ll have you leave me here tonight. I miss my home.”
She smiled. “I haven’t seen the inside of the loft yet and I already love it.”
“You can stay here, too,” I told her with a wink. I unlocked the door and flipped on the light. She literally gasped.
“Oh my goodness, I just might stay forever!” She looked around at the hardwood flooring and the brick work, running her hand across the smooth wood of the built-in bookcases along the wall. The ducts overhead were all exposed, too…that was one of my favorite parts. My other favorite part is the big windows that look out across downtown. At night when the city is lit up, it’s gorgeous. “This is exactly where an architect should live,” she said.
“I’m glad you like it.” She almost literally ran to the window and looked out.
“Oh, Kyle…it’s just incredible.”
I thought she was incredible. She was this perfectly professional woman one minute and the next she had this child-like wonder in her eyes as she looked out on the city at night. “Do you want some coffee or…something?”
“I’m good right now,” she said. “Can I see the rest of the place?”
I held my right arm out and said, “That’s the kitchen.” It consisted of a stove, refrigerator, and a stackable washer and dryer. The cabinets were open and cut into the brick. When I first moved in here, Sarah and I found some old 1930s kitchen prints at a flea market and I hung them in there. “This is the living room, and the bedroom is over there.”
“Oh, you don’t want me to see the bedroom…”
“Well, if I’m being honest, I’d love for you to see the bedroom.”
She giggled; it was the first time I heard her do that. I thought she was nervous. “Well then, show it to me.”
“Wait a minute…tours aren’t free you know.”
“Oh, they aren’t?”
“No, ma’am.”
“What is it you want? Money?”
“Nah, I have a job.”
“Hmm…jewelry?”
“No use for it.”
“The deed to my car?” I laughed. I didn’t mean to. “What’s wrong with my car?”
I laughed again. “Nothing.”
She narrowed her eyes at me and said, “Well, I can’t think of anything else.”
“Come here, I’ll tell you.” She came towards me. “Closer…closer still…” She was standing next to me and I reached up to pull her down in my lap. She squeaked, and I caught the sound with my mouth. She was a little stiff at first, but she relaxed into me and let her lips part so my tongue could slide all the way inside. I took my time tasting every inch of her mouth and letting my tongue tangle up with hers. Her own tongue was doing plenty of exploring of its own, and her soft, warm hands just made their way underneath my shirt. It was honestly the sexiest kiss I ever experienced.
With her still on my lap and our lips still together, I rolled us into the bedroom. When we broke for air, we were both gasping and panting. She looked around and in a breathless voice I said, “The bedroom.”
“It’s nice,” she breathed out. She sounded like an asthmatic who forgot her inhaler. She pressed her forehead into mine and looked into my eyes. Bringing her hands up, she took my face between her palms and drew me towards her for another kiss. With her lips on mine and her silky hair draped across the sides of my face and my hands on her hips – and her sexy body in my lap – there was no way my cock wasn’t going to swe
ll under all of the pressure. I felt her grind her hips down into me and that’s the second I knew we were going to do this. My heart felt like it was going to explode. I rolled up to the bed and lifted her off my lap and onto the side of the bed. Her cheeks were flush, her lips were red and swollen, and all of that sexy dark hair was in her face. She looked like a model out of one of those fashion magazines.
“Do you want this, Amber?” I asked her in a breathless voice. She nodded. My heart beat faster. “Yeah?” She leaned down and kissed me again.
“Yeah,” she said. She reached down and grabbed the bottom of that sexy little black dress, pulled it up over her head, and tossed it aside. I heard myself make a sound I’d never heard before…it was like a whimper. She had on a black lace bra and her breasts were swelling up over the top of it. Her smooth belly made its way down to a pair of sexy black lace panties, and those thighs –fuck! Those thighs may well be the single most sexy body part I’ve ever seen.
I moved forward again and pressed my lips to the swell of her breast. Her skin there was warm, soft, and fragrant. I kissed across it one way and licked back across the other. I could feel her body trembling, and it turned me on even more to know I was making her feel that good. I brought my mouth back up to hers and while we kissed, she slowly unbuttoned my shirt and pushed it back off my shoulders. I shrugged it the rest of the way off, and then I put my hands on either side of her and pulled myself to my feet. She unhooked my belt and pants and then she held onto me while they fell to the floor. I stepped out of them and my shoes slowly. She wriggled back on the bed as I pivoted and sat down. She reached up and put one of her warm hands on my back and the other on my chest, pulling me down next to her.
I pulled her into my bare chest and kissed her again, hard. While we kissed, I let my hands and fingers play up and down her sides, feeling every curve and undulation. She had plenty of them. Her skin was so soft and she smelled so good. I pulled out of the kiss and brushed the hair out of her face so I could see her beautiful eyes. I saw lust in them and when I leaned back down to kiss her again, she sucked my bottom lip into her mouth and ran her tongue back and forth across it. I moaned into her, and she let go of my lip, but kept her tongue moving in and out of my mouth, dancing against my tongue and then pulling out to lick my lips. God, I love kissing her.