“I don’t want to go to work,” she moaned as she took ahold of his hand and moved it away from her tummy. “I just want to sleep.” Rolling onto her side, she pulled his arm around her, which forced him to lie down beside her again. He sucked in a sharp breath and pressed down on her hip to stop her from wiggling. She didn’t stop moving however and continued to fidget into a more comfortable position. When it became too unbearable, Colton pressed his hand firmly against her side.
“Do you want me to have a horrible morning?” he whispered into her ear.
“I want to sleep,” she said.
“Not a morning person, huh?” he asked as she finally went still. “Can I make you breakfast while you get ready for work?”
“I’m taking the day off, remember?” she yawned.
“You have a meeting this morning, Zoe; then you’re meeting me in the Hamptons.”
“Why meet you there when I have you here now?” her fingers intertwined with his. He smiled as she brought his palm to her lips and began to kiss him softly. Her hot mouth traveled along the sensitive skin on the inside of his wrist. He shifted trying to put a little more space between them. “Did you sleep okay, Colton?”
“Very well,” he murmured against her shoulder. “Come on, Zoe,” he drew his arm back and climbed over her with difficulty. He sat on the side of the bed for a minute, tried to collect himself, which was hard when she reached out and pressed her warm hand against his side. He turned and looked down at her. She smiled and pushed her sweaty hair off her forehead.
“I’m hot,” Zoe frowned.
“You’re like a furnace at night,” he said as he twisted around and pulled her close for a long kiss, which was probably another mistake on his part because one kiss wasn’t enough. He kissed her again, enjoying the feel of her body as she arched up to feel him.
“You broke the pillow barrier—it’s your fault,” she started to wrap her arms around his neck, but he ducked away and headed for the bathroom. When he returned to her bedroom Zoe was sound asleep again. It didn’t take him much to wake her this time, although she seemed a little bit more irritated at having to get out of bed.
“You’re not much of a morning person, are you?” He laughed as she sat on the edge of the bed with her eyes half closed. “That alarm clock of yours could wake the dead.”
“It went off?” She asked. “I didn’t hear it.” Colton smiled as she slipped off the bed and walked like a zombie to the bathroom. She was so groggy that she ran into the door jam on her way into the bathroom. She then stood there in the small little room staring at the wall. Colton stepped into the bathroom with her and twisted the shower faucets. Steam quickly began filling the small room. Colton nudged Zoe toward the shower and when she didn’t move he reached for the bottom of her tank top and began to pull it up over her head. But the shirt didn’t travel far before Zoe twisted out of his reach and batted his hands away.
Laughing she shooed him out of the bathroom.
“Do you want me to make you breakfast? Coffee or something?” He asked through the door. After a minute it opened and she peered up at him with a questioning stare.
“Breakfast?”
“You don’t have to, Colton.”
“Sure I do—it’s the morning after we slept together,” he winked. “Eggs and toast?”
“If I have either of those things, sure—coffee’s in the fridge.” Colton nodded and left in search of coffee and hopefully a few breakfast items. He found the canister of coffee grounds on the first shelf of the refrigerator. She didn’t have eggs, but he found a carton of Egg Beaters in the refrigerator door. She didn’t have cheese of any kind, but did have a large assortment of vegetables. He pulled out the fixings for a vegetable omelet and put them on the counter. He started the coffee first and then searched her cupboards for pots, a cutting board, and a knife. As he was chopping green peppers, there was a knock on the door. Zoe wasn’t out of the shower yet, so Colton went to see who it was. He had just peered out the peephole when he heard his sister’s voice.
“Open up Zoe! It’s me!”
Colton cursed and rubbed his face. He wasn’t sure how Minnie would respond finding him in Zoe’s apartment so early in the morning. She’d jump to conclusions, he decided as he began unbolting the locks on Zoe’s door. He pulled the door open, hiding behind it as Minnie swept in.
“I brought bagels—got you one of those nasty all bran ones you eat,” she said.
“I like blueberry.”
Minnie gasped and dropped the very bag of bagels she was talking about. Her hand flew to her mouth as she stared up at him with huge, shocked eyes. Colton bent down and picked up the bag.
“It’s not what you think” he said. Minnie followed him into the kitchen, her hand still covering her mouth, her eyes still big. “I stopped by after I dropped you off last night and we just talked and fell asleep. Nothing else happened. We talked about what could happen though… and we’re not ready. So, you can stop staring at me like that.”
“You spent the night!” Minnie hissed as she slapped his arm harder than she’d intended and rubbed the stinging spot affectionately. “You didn’t have sex though?”
“No, we just slept together in her bed,” Colton answered.
“That’s the same thing!”
“No it’s not—we didn’t have sexual intercourse or do anything that would lead up to it. I just carried her to bed and…”
Minnie gasped, “You carried her?”
“Yes,” Colton frowned at his sister. “What’s the big deal—she freaked out about it too.”
“Ohmigod, Colt,” Minnie sighed, “Zoe’s explained it all to me in the past—that’s a big deal.”
“Being carried to bed?” Colton laughed. “It’s not that big.”
“It is when you’ve always been a little too big to carry anywhere,” Minnie set her tote bag down on Zoe’s table. “Where is she?”
“Showering—so, it was a big deal that I carried her? Cause she sorta cried about it.”
“Aww,” Minnie cooed; her voice sugar sweet. “How cute, you’re making her breakfast too!”
“Well…” Colton stammered. “I’m trying—her cupboards are bare. Doesn’t she eat anything? Should I be concerned?”
“That she’s anorexic or something—nah, she’s just a health nut now,” Minnie crossed her arms over her chest and smiled up at him. “Colton!”
“What?” He laughed. Minnie was brimming over with excitement and it felt somewhat infectious. Colton was surprised at himself too, but more so that he had been able to keep his pants on all night.
“You stayed the night here… this is a big deal.”
“No it’s not,” Colton retorted, “nothing happened.”
“But you wanted something to happen—you slept with Zoe and you’re cooking her breakfast. You stayed here—this is big. So big—this is above and beyond the contract.
Wow, this is huge!”
“No, it’s not.” Colton and Minnie turned at Zoe’s voice and found her standing a few feet away dressed and ready for work. Colton admired the gray slacks and black top she wore; she looked like a young professional. Her hair was still damp from her shower and she had on a little eye makeup. Zoe’s eyes moved from Minnie’s to Colton’s. She smiled and shrugged her shoulder a little, “We’re just friends Minnie and it was late so he stayed.
Honestly nothing happened, so you can quit smiling like you know a big secret.”
“Okay,” his sister held up her hands and then placed the bag of bagels in Zoe’s hand. “I brought you these.”
“Thanks,” Zoe squeezed into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee. She added a few Equal packets and took a sip. “Great coffee, thank you.”
“No problem,” Colton answered. “You look nice—you dress really fast. I’m sure that’s on account of your zombie like nature in the morning.”
“Yeah, I’ve learned to get ready quickly—I don’t need much fuss,” she murmured.
&nbs
p; Colton liked girls who didn’t fuss too much with their appearance and didn’t take three hours just to get ready for something.
“I’m going to finish this for you and then I need to get out of here and head to the Hamptons—what time do you think you’ll be joining me?”
“Um, probably just after noon, depending on my meeting,” Zoe answered. She watched as he carefully folded her omelet. “That looks good too—you really didn’t have to.”
“Sure I did,” he said winking at her. Five minutes later her breakfast was done and Colton showed himself to the door. Zoe followed him while Minnie hid out in the kitchen failing to pretend that she wasn’t listening or watching them.
“Sorry that I was so emotional last night,” Zoe whispered. “I’m kinda embarrassed about that—my life is somewhat embarrassing.”
“Don’t be,” Colton whispered back. “Thanks for keeping me warm.” She blushed and nodded opening the door for him. As he stepped out, he bent his head and brushed a kiss to her cheek. His lips lingered for a moment as he breathed in the scent of her soap and spicy shampoo. Zoe stood up on her toes and pressed a minty-coffee flavored kiss on his lips. Groaning, he swept her up into his arms and pulled her into the hallway so Minnie couldn’t see him kiss her goodbye like a starving man. She laughed as he set her back from him.
“I don’t like an audience,” he whispered. He touched a curling strand of her hair and smiled apologetically. “Sorry that I have to leave you alone with Minnie—she’ll hound you for details about something that never happened.”
“That’s okay,” Zoe said. “I can handle your sister.”
“Well, let her think what she wants to think,” He kissed her one last time. “See you in a few hours.” Zoe nodded and slipped back into her apartment, but not before glancing over her shoulder at him. Her eyes seemed to hold so much promise, compassion, delight, and uncertainty. Colton waved goodbye and waited until the door was closed before he slapped his hands to his face and moaned.
He should not have knocked on her door last night, he should not have carried her to bed, and he should not have slept over. He should have kept his hands and lips to himself, but he failed miserably. All of the things he did just pulled him deeper and made him feel things and want things that probably weren’t going to work in the end.
--
Lesson Eleven: “It’s okay to have a maddening crush on the first man you deeply kiss.
It’s okay to want his dirty hands all over your body.”
Zoe arrived in the Hamptons by train at around one thirty that afternoon. Her mind was still spinning from her meeting with Lawrence Mallory, a meeting where she had been given an unexpected and amazing promotion to art director, that she didn’t hear her name being called. She didn’t snap out of her thoughts until a hand wrapped around her elbow and dropped away the moment she turned around. She found herself staring at a man wearing dirty coveralls and muddy boots. He was handsome, probably in his early forties, with dirty blond hair and brown eyes. He smiled down at her revealing a charming dimple in his left cheek. Uncertain of what he wanted, Zoe stepped back cautiously and smiled back.
The man seemed kind enough, but wasn’t it the mass serial killers who seemed like pussy cats just before they slit your throat? She stepped back again, pulled the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder, and glanced around at the somewhat empty train depot.
“You’re Zoe Rayne, right?” he asked as he held out his big hand to her. She hesitated before slipping her hand into his and was relieved when he dropped it after a quick shake.
“My name is Chuck Warner, I work for Colton. He asked me to come pick you up—he’s up to his neck in mixing cement right now. I’m glad I got here in time, I was afraid I was going to miss you.” He leaned in, which completely invaded Zoe’s personal space. “And just so you know, Colt didn’t describe you as well as he could have. He told me to look for a beautiful, short, black-haired woman with huge brown eyes.” Zoe blushed.
Chuck grinned and pointed a finger at her, “Who blushes a lot.” Zoe laughed and touched her fingers to her hot cheek. The man obviously knew Colton, but Zoe was still hesitant to go anywhere with a man who she didn’t know—this wasn’t Manhattan, but many places in the world were no longer safe. She didn’t want to live her last moment on earth duped by a charming man in coveralls pretending to be someone he wasn’t. She crossed her arms when he gestured for her to follow him and didn’t move.
“Sorry, but I really don’t know you, Chuck,” she stammered when he gave her a funny look. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Smart girl,” he said as he pulled his cell phone out of his front pocket. “Colton said you wouldn’t come with me unless I called him first and let you talk to him.” He dialed a number and then handed her the phone. It rang twice before Zoe heard Colton’s deep voice. He laughed in her ear when she said his name.
“Sorry I couldn’t pick you up, Zoe, I’m washing cement off my arms as we speak—hey, how was your meeting?” He asked excitedly. “Please don’t tell me you’re moving to London, Zoe, I couldn’t handle that I don’t think.”
She felt her cheek heat again and glanced at Chuck who rudely pointed his finger at her face while snickering. She turned away from him and sighed.
“I’m not moving anywhere, but I did get a promotion, Colton, a big one!” For the second time that day, Zoe began to twitter with anxious excitement. She followed Chuck to his van and climbed into the passenger’s seat. “Mr. Mallory promoted me to Art Director—
do you know what that means?”
“I’m sure a lot, but I’m not very familiar with the position,” Colton laughed.
“It means that I’ll have the lead on projects—and I’ll have a staff of people under me. He said I could choose my own people. This is huge, Colton, I mean I’m only twenty-six; I didn’t expect this for another ten years. At first I was worried that it was favoritism, but then he told me that my promotion was based off of the other partners’ decision. He was completely out of the decision process!”
“Congrats, Sweetheart!”
Zoe felt herself blush again, “Thanks.”
“I’m glad that you aren’t moving to London,” Colton said. “That wouldn’t have worked at all, you know. I would have had to tie you up somewhere.” Zoe smiled and glanced over at Chuck who was making no effort to hide the fact that he was listening to her side of the conversation. She straightened up a little and looked out the window. “Thanks, I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay,” Colton said. “Congrats, Zoe, that’s great news.”
“Thanks!” Zoe hung up the phone and handed it back to Chuck who dumped it into his pocket.
“So, you Colt’s new girl?” He asked casually. “He didn’t say anything about it—but Colt’s pretty private really. Anyway—smell that?”
Zoe breathed in the soft floral scent and glanced around her seat to the open space of the cargo van. By the back doors there were two crates of beautiful yellow flowers.
“Daffodils,” Chuck informed her. “You know much about flowers?” She shook her head no.
“Me either until I started working for Colt,” he cranked down the window and lit a cigarette. Soon she could no longer smell the sweet blooms and nearly gagged on the smoke that he blew out into the van. “Daffodils—they mean respect, regard, unrequited love,” he wiggled his overgrown eyebrows at her, “a very romantic flower. Did you know that way back when—not sure of the date—women sent daffodils to their besotted lovers as a way to tempt them to their beds? Not too sure how much I believe that since it’s not written down anywhere, but it sounds pretty romantic, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” Zoe nodded.
“You know…” he continued.
After five minutes of random facts about daffodils, Zoe began to tune Chuck out. The man chatted about random things as he drove her in a van that was slow starting to smell like everything it had ever hauled. Through his cigarette smoke, which was lightly perfume
d by the daffodils, Zoe smelled fertilizer and take out food. Old take out bags and wrappers were strewn about the cab of the truck and crackled under her tennis shoes.
Chuck talked fertilizer, which Zoe cared nothing about, how to properly plant rose bushes, and how a fine stone statue can make any garden or fountain spectacular. When that conversation died, Chuck talked to her about pesky worm infestations, how to get rid of fire ants, and how to humanely do away with wasp colonies. He then asked her what she knew about floral design and landscaping, which was nothing. He didn’t seem to hold it against her; in fact he decided that he’d educate her on anything he could think of.
To get him off the landscaping talk, Zoe asked him how long he’d known Colton.
“Colt and I met through his fiancée Cara, about four years ago,” Chuck said.
Zoe looked over at him and waited for him to correct himself and say ex-fiancée—he didn’t.
“Everything that I know about plants I learned from Colt. He’s got two degrees in the stuff and through his knowledge I’ve probably got the equivalent of one degree, at least. I want to take some of the community classes he teaches in the winter, but they’re a bit pricy and I’ve got mouths to feed at home.”
“I didn’t know he taught,” Zoe said quietly. For some reason, that made her like Colton more than she did presently. He would be the type of professor that all of the girls crushed on, the kind that they daydreamed making love too for a better grade in botany.
“Yeah, landscaping in the winter here is pretty scarce, so he teaches a few night classes—
pretty popular with the ladies, as you probably know,” Chuck winked at her and then pulled off one of the main streets into a ritzy suburb. Zoe stared out the window at the big houses and thought about all of the things she’d yet to learn about Colton.
“I was actually one of his groomsmen,” Chuck said as he pulled up to a gate of a large estate with sprawling green lawns. The driveway ahead of them was lined with beautiful yellow daffodils. Chuck leaned through the open window to press a code into the key pad. He sat back as the iron gate began to open. He left his window down, which Zoe was grateful for; she was feeling a tad suffocated for some reason.
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