Kiss Me, Chloe
Page 15
“Why get a new one when I have the prettiest one on the planet, given to me by my sweet little sister?”
Cindy grinned at Chloe. “Don’t you just love him?”
Greg interrupted with a loud clearing of his throat. “So where’s the dance?”
Kyle pointed north. “A ranch just outside of town. Cindy knows the way.”
“Let’s go! I haven’t been dancing in ages. Greg, since you’re from Houston, you have to know all the line dances, right?” Cindy went through a series of steps, trying to drag him along, with no luck.
He pulled his arm free from hers. “Sorry. I’ve never been one for dancing.”
“Well, then, I have my work cut out for me, don’t I? Let’s go!” They were back in the car and gone before Greg had a chance to utter another protest.
Chloe straightened Kyle’s tie. “Did Cindy really give you this tie in the eighth grade?”
“Yep. I wear it every time I come to Ouray. If I didn’t, she’d whup me for sure.”
“I’m afraid I haven’t the slightest idea where to start on line dancing. Think you can teach me while Cindy is trying to teach Greg a different kind of two-step?”
“You’ll catch on in nothing flat. Before we go, I have to have some of those pork chops, though.”
“What about the barbecue?”
“An appetizer for the main course. It won’t take a minute to make a quick sandwich with two or three of those chops. Want one?”
“No thanks. I’ll wait for the brisket.”
<><><>
At the dance, Chloe learned quickly how to do a couple of the simpler steps, laughing until her sides hurt when she went the wrong direction and stepped on Kyle’s toes. The fiddler’s music thrummed through her, the beat of the drums matching that of her heart. Kyle twirled her around three times when the fiddler ended the song with a fancy run. Applause rang out through the barn.
Heading for a bale of hay covered with a blanket, Chloe sat down and pulled Kyle down beside her.
“I haven’t danced in years. I’d forgotten how much fun it could be. They weren’t doing line dances when I learned how to ‘do-si-do,’ ‘allemande left’ and ‘grand right and left all the way home.’”
“I kind of thought you might have done something similar before. Thirsty?”
“Dry as dirt!”
Kyle fetched two cups of red-orange punch from a nearby refreshment table and handed one to Chloe. She drank thirstily.
He drained his own cup then leaned back against the wall.
Chloe leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes, her head whirling from the unaccustomed activity. How long had it been since she’d danced like this?
“Want me to wake you up when the next song starts?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“Well, then, that’d be about now.” Kyle pulled her up next to him. “Lucky for you it’s a slow dance.”
Kyle slipped his arm around her and pulled her in close. They swayed in rhythm to a slow, sweet, love song. Greg and Cindy were dancing together, across the room, cheek to cheek. Kyle had noticed Greg sitting out most of the dances, while Cindy went from partner to partner, having a grand time. Greg seemed bored with the whole thing, and that suited Kyle just fine.
Chloe nestled in the hollow of Kyle’s shoulder, following his strong lead, eyes closed, loving the feel of his heart beating against her cheek. She hadn’t enjoyed a day this much in years.
“Are you having a good time?” Kyle kissed the soft skin beneath her ear, ran his tongue around and pulled her earlobe into his mouth.
“Umm, you’re making me crazy, Kyle. You should be able to tell I’m having a wonderful time.”
“Making sure is my job, as a truck driver and a gentleman. Check the barn dance rules. Anyone breaking the rules doesn’t get invited to the next dance.” A shiver ran through her when he moved to the other ear and gave it the same splendid attention.
“If you don’t stop that—”
“I can’t hear you. Music’s too loud.”
The music wasn’t loud at all. She opened her eyes. His green eyes shining, rich brown hair damp and casually out of place from their dancing, and his mouth curved slightly downward brought her a shiver that had nothing to do with cold. She felt warm and secure. Loved. Her heart raced and her throat felt tight.
“I—” She’d come close to saying the one thing she knew he wanted to hear. But she couldn’t finish. She wouldn’t tell him she loved him until she was sure it was last-forever love. Right now, it was easy to love him. But slow dancing wasn’t real life. At dawn, the real world would begin again.
He stopped just short of kissing her and simply breathed softly on her lips, warming them before he caressed them with his tongue.
She felt her stomach going hollow, her body tingling, the warmth of desire spreading through her like warm milk, smooth and silky. She pulled him closer.
Kyle danced them over to the door and led her outside, still teasing her lips, holding her against him, their breaths synchronized into one person breathing instead of two. They made their way across the yard, arms around each other, to an arbor, delightfully private and sweet-smelling with the pungent aroma of mountain grapes. Moonlight sliced through the cold mountain air, bathing Chloe’s face with soft shadows.
“I love you,” he whispered, his hands roaming over her back and shoulders, then around her waist. “I know you can love me, too, Chloe. Just forget about everything except you and me for a little while. Forget everything but how this makes you feel.” She swayed against him. He supported her with one arm so she could relax completely and enjoy the sensations he could tell had filled her, head to toes, as he kissed her over and over.
Kyle’s attentions filled her with exquisite pleasure. Her mind whispered, “I love you.” Yet, she couldn’t tell him. Not yet.
“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life, Chloe,” he murmured in her ear, sucking the lobe into his mouth. “I want to devote my life to you, body and soul, to prove my love to you. No excuses, no delays, no empty promises. Pure love and devotion. Anything you want, all you have to do is name it. I’ll scale that mountain, or swim that river to get it for you.”
He closed his eyes and pulled her closer.
She whimpered, wanting the desire to go on and on … to love him … to touch him …
He cradled her face between his hands, tilting her head back until he could see her eyes in the moonlight. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”
She wanted to pretend it was as simple as Kyle had described. Just say yes, get married, and live happily ever after. But life was never that simple and living happily ever after happened only in fairy tales.
Pressure began to build in her chest. An all too familiar pressure.
“Please don’t do this, Kyle.”
“What?”
“You’re giving me an ultimatum. And I’m not ready to answer it. Tonight is like a dream, perfect and simple. But, next week, or in a month, we may not feel this way.” The pain in his eyes almost broke her heart. “I’m falling in love with you. I’m sure of it. But, I can’t make a lifetime commitment based on a single week—or a single day or evening. I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t stand the thought of making another mistake.”
To ease the pain in his eyes, she kissed him, loving the way he groaned in response.
The fireworks began. With the mountains as backdrop, and the amazing echo provided by the cliffs, Chloe gasped with surprise when each new rocket soared into the sky, exploding into a hundred sparkling rays, in every color of the rainbow, booming through the valley.
“That’s how I feel when I kiss you, Chloe. I’m hoping you’ll someday feel that way about me, too.”
“I do now, Kyle. Can’t you tell? This night has been perfect.
When he found her mouth this time, she released all her doubts, and kissed him with no restraint for too brief a time before she pulled away, knowing she might not be able to stop afte
r another delicious moment.
Clinging to each other, holding each other without speaking, Chloe wound her arms around his neck and nibbled the soft skin beneath his ear, awed by the way their bodies fit together, feeling the fireworks in her heart and soul as they echoed through the valley.
<><><>
When they returned to the Nest, Kyle stood at her door just long enough to kiss her good-night.
“Good night,” she whispered.
He smiled and walked away to his own room.
After he closed his door, she whispered, “I think I love you.”
Chapter 16
Lying in bed, Chloe’s body refused to quiet enough to sleep. She ached for Kyle, for his lips to caress hers, for his arms circling her until she felt no worries, no doubts … nothing but desire for him.
Giving up on sleep, Chloe tiptoed downstairs, determined not to disturb anyone, and into the kitchen so no one could hear her talking on the phone. The whole house was dark and quiet. The mantle clock chimed twice in the living room as she turned on her phone and called Fran. It rang four times, followed by a sleepy voice on the line.
“Hello,” Fran said, groggy after being awakened from a deep sleep.
Chloe’s throat tightened, just from hearing her friend’s voice. “Frannie? I need you.” The tears came.
“Chloe? What’s wrong? Is Greg there?”
“He’s here. I’m confused. I need your help to decide what to do.”
She answered Chloe’s plea immediately. “I’ll call Joe and see when he’ll be available to fly. Joe is always looking for an excuse to fly cross country. If he can’t take me, he’ll know someone who can.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Chloe sat in the dark, staring at streaks of moonlight slanting through the kitchen window. If only she could climb those moonbeams, all the way to the stars, maybe things would seem clearer from a higher vantage point.
The vibration of the phone made her jump.
“Fran?”
“He said we couldn’t leave until after ten, but we’ll be in Montrose between four and five. How far is Montrose from Ouray?”
“I have no idea, but we’ll be there to meet you.”
“You and Greg, or you and Kyle?”
“Kyle. Greg and I can’t seem to do anything but argue. He took Cindy, a friend of Kyle’s, to the dance last night, trying to make me jealous. Kyle says he—he loves me.” Her throat tightened again.
“Save the details for when I get there, and try not to worry. Everything will be fine. We’ll hash it out together. I have a few questions I want to ask Kyle, without you there, okay?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
Chloe closed her phone just as Byrdie came into the kitchen.
“Chloe, is that you I keep hearing in the middle of the night?”
“I was talking to my friend from Houston. Fran will be flying into Montrose tomorrow, coming here for a few days. Will there be a room available for her? If not, she can stay with me.”
“There are plenty of rooms, and she’ll be my guest. I’ve made enough this weekend to last me a month.” She filled a teakettle with water and put it on to boil. “Sit with me at the table and let’s talk while the water heats. No matter what you’re struggling with, I’ll bet we can figure it out together.”
Chloe pulled out a chair. “It sounds simple, but isn’t. I don’t want to hurt anyone, yet I seem destined to do exactly that.” The story flowed from her like a mountain stream. Byrdie nodded. “I get the picture. If you go back to Houston, Kyle gets hurt. If you stay here, Greg gets his nose out of joint. But honey, you can’t worry about whether or not you’re going to hurt Greg or Kyle, because then you won’t be able to do what’s right for yourself. You can’t feel guilty about that.”
“But how can I ignore their feelings? It isn’t right to be so selfish. To want what I want, no matter who gets hurt?”
“There are times when you have to decide what’s best for you, and let everyone else worry about themselves.”
“But what if I’m not ready to decide? What happens then? Greg has to go back to Houston, or lose his job. Kyle eventually has to get back to his truck. And I want to stay here in Ouray. I can’t imagine leaving and trying to start again somewhere else. Ouray feels like home now, because of you and Kyle and Cindy and everyone else I’ve met.” She shook her head with a half-hearted smile. “I’ve tried not to worry about tomorrow, but I can’t help it. I need to know that I can control my own life, and make my own decisions. I need to know I can live alone if I have to.” That brought the tears.
Byrdie gathered her close, patted her back and laughed in an extremely motherly way. “Alone? Why should you have to be alone as long as I’m around? And Cindy thinks you’re something special. I’m betting you’ll be good friends before long, just like you and Fran are now.”
“I’m surprised Kyle didn’t marry her years ago.”
“You don’t marry your sister, and that’s what Cindy is to Kyle. In high school, when dates didn’t go right, they’d be on the phone to each other, crying, kidding, tilting the world back to plumb again. Kyle loves Cindy, but as a friend or a sister, not a girlfriend.”
The kettle whistled. Byrdie poured two cups full of hot water and brought a basket of tea bags to the table. Chloe picked chamomile. Byrdie chose cinnamon. Fragrant steam rose from the tea when Chloe sipped. She loved the warmth of the cup in her hands.
“You have to remember, Chloe, no matter where you go or what you decide to do, you’ll never be alone, even in rain or sunshine, standing in the middle of the desert without a soul around, on a mountain top, or in Houston, Texas, with so many people you can’t stir them and wouldn’t want to. I’ll be here for you. Kyle, too. And, you have yourself for company. You can be your own best friend, as long as you remain true to your hopes and dreams.”
A feeling of warmth began at the crown of Chloe’s head and filled her all the way to her bare toes. “I guess I want everything to be perfect. And yet I don’t. Greg wants everything perfect, including his perfect wife, entertaining his perfect clients, looking beautiful on his arm, wanting only what’s best for her husband. I never measured up to his expectations. I wanted an easier, slower-paced life. Greg moved faster every day than the day before. His quotas have increased every month. They’ve never been satisfied with how hard he works. Every time he exceeds a quota, they raise it, wanting more. He thrives on the pressure, on the ‘challenge’ of beating everyone, on being ‘the best.’ Being perfect.”
“Perfect is as perfect does, Chloe. You won’t find perfection in Houston, or Ouray, and neither will Greg. Until he realizes perfection doesn’t exist, he’ll never be satisfied with things as they are. It’s all right to want more, but only for the right reasons—to help people, to make life more enjoyable. Just to accumulate wealth and prestige? It will never happen.” She settled back in her chair. “Tell me something. Let’s suppose you hadn’t met Kyle in Albuquerque. Where would you be now?”
“Durango, or somewhere else in Colorado. I decided on the Rockies before I left Houston.”
“So, if Durango hadn’t been what you were looking for, you might have headed north to Silverton, then on to Ouray—”
“And I might have stayed here with you.”
“Exactly. If that’s what you were meant to do, then it would’ve happened.”
“I would’ve met Kyle when he came to visit for the holiday.”
“So things have probably worked out the way they were supposed to.”
“You’re telling me to take it one day at a time and trust that the universe is unfolding as it should.”
“You already knew that. It helps to hear it from someone else occasionally. You’ll find your answers.” She patted Chloe’s hand. “I’m eager to meet this friend of yours.”
“Fran is wonderful.”
“Does she have a family?”
“No, she never married. I guess she’s waiting to find the right man.”
“How do you know?”
“Let’s just say a little bird told me.”
<><><>
The sun hadn’t quite cleared the mountains when Kyle brushed his unruly hair—again. With the natural curl, it was pretty much hopeless. Until he could get a haircut, it would get harder and harder to tame, and wilder with every day that passed. He hadn’t cared that much about his looks for the past two years. Now, though, he wanted to look spiffy for Chloe.
His skin still damp from a shower, he reached for a bottle of cologne and splashed it on his face, scraggly with his untrimmed beard. He liked it scraggly. Softer that way, and not itchy. The cologne burned a little and felt cool and tingly. Pulling on a plaid shirt and a fresh pair of jeans, he pushed his feet into his boots, then examined himself in the full-length mirror.
“You’re one good lookin’ truck driver,” he said to his reflection.
“I agree.” Chloe came into the room and admired his reflection in the mirror above the dresser.
He scooped her into his arms, with her back against him, facing the mirror, then nibbled her earlobe.
The fragrance of him made her knees weak. “Mmm. What’s that you’re wearing? It smells delicious.” He nibbled the other ear. She sighed contentedly.
“The only cologne I’ll ever own.”
“The only one?”
“Well, if you want to try some others, I’m willing, but a reception like this, I think I’ll stick to this one. I just hope they don’t quit making it.”
“I have a feeling you’ve planned something special for today.”
“How did you guess?”
“A little Byrdie told me.”
“She never could keep a secret. Always wants to let everyone know that she knows something they don’t. Part of her charm. She didn’t tell you where we’re going, did she?”