15 Shades Of Pink

by Scott, Lisa

  One of the guys elbowed Tony, who stopped working and looked down at me. I was hoping for a smile from him, but he looked entirely confused.

  I heard some good-natured jeering from the other guys as he climbed down the ladder.

  “It’s a lot easier that way, isn’t it?” I teased.

  “But not as fast as jumping. Looking for some more bad guys to take down?” He planted his hands on his hips and grinned.

  “I wanted to see how you were feeling today. And to bring you this.” I held up a brown paper bag packed with a tuna sandwich, a banana, and a few Oreos. “You said you skipped lunch yesterday.”

  He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “I can’t believe you remembered that after everything that happened.” He took the bag from me. “Thanks. How are you today? I was thinking about you last night.”

  “You were?” My throat tightened and I set my fingers on my neck.

  “I was hoping you had someone to go home to, someone to be with. I think it would’ve been scary for you to be alone.” He fixed his gaze on me.

  I shook my head. “No, it was just me. I live alone. And you’re right. It was a horrible night. I called in sick today.”

  He held up the bag. “This is really nice of you.”

  An older guy climbed down off the roof and walked over. “Tony, take a lunch break. That’s an order.” He clapped Tony on the back. “He’s a good kid. Not surprised what he did for you last night. I knew something was wrong when I saw how slow he was moving today. We forced the story out of him. I was hoping it was something a little more enjoyable though.” He winked at Tony and went back to the ladder.

  “That’s my uncle.”

  “So you really are hurting today.” I reached for his arm and squeezed. “I’m sorry. Why don’t we go over to Brookdale Park and sit in the shade? You need a break.”

  He looked back at the building. “It’s better than sitting here in front of these jokers.”

  “I’ll drive.”

  “Did you notice how sweaty and dirty I am? I’m not fit to ride in a Beamer. Besides, Winston wouldn’t allow it. If you don’t mind the serious downgrade in transportation, I’ll drive.” He held open the door for me

  An old bedspread covered the front seat, dusted with dog hair. Empty water bottles littered the passenger-seat floor, but I squeezed in next to the dog and a big cooler, knowing this was exactly how I wanted to spend my afternoon—in a dirty truck with the ex-convict who saved my life.

  We spread his truck blanket on the ground under a tree and Tony cracked open a cooler full of drinks. He finished an entire bottle of iced tea in one long gulp and smacked his lips together. “Never knew manual labor would leave you so thirsty.”

  There was so much I wanted to ask him about his past, but I didn’t want to pry.

  “Did you reschedule your blind date?” he asked.

  I leaned back against the tree. “No. My sister called this morning and told me the guy was canceling our plans to see Aerosmith this weekend. He thinks I should have come to the bar to meet him anyway. But the good news is, she’s never setting me up on another blind date.” I grinned. It really was good news.

  He shook his head and opened another iced tea. “Sounds like you missed out on a winner. Let me guess, is he a lawyer?”

  “How did you know? Thing is, I really did want to see Aerosmith.”

  “Probably saved you from a boring night with him, though.”

  By this time, I was dying to know what Tony had done to end up in jail. He seemed so nice and polite, so down to earth. But I didn’t want to seem like I was judging him by asking, like his answer would determine how I’d treat him.

  He propped up one leg and rested his arm on it. “It was drugs.”

  “What?”

  “I wanted to tell you why I went to jail.”

  Again with the mind reading! “What happened?”

  He let out a long breath and looked up at the cloudless sky. “I was in college. Cornell, pre-law. I was headed in the same direction of your date last night, I’m sure.”

  “Did you fall in with the wrong crowd?”

  He laughed and shook his head. “No, I just fell. During a lacrosse game and broke my thigh when another guy landed on top of me. That’s one of the most painful bones you can break. Got hooked on the Oxycodone they gave me for pain. My family doctor is my dad’s friend, so he didn’t have any problem writing me new prescriptions when I lost my bottle of pills, or accidentally knocked them down the sink, or when they were stolen. I had a thousand excuses for new prescriptions. My friends wanted them, too. So, I started selling them.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I was so stupid.”

  I reached over and rubbed his arm. “You were young. Stupidity is a side effect.”

  He looked at my hand and I pulled it away. “How did you get caught?”

  “Sold to an undercover officer at school. It was in the newspaper. My parents were humiliated. My father’s a lawyer here in town and was disgraced. They wouldn’t even bail me out before the trial. Haven’t talked to me since.” He closed his eyes.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He sighed. “Don’t be. It was my own damn fault. But I’m trying to get my shit together now.”

  “Have you thought about going back to college?”

  “With what money?” He shook his head. “No, I’m too old and roofing suits me fine. I don’t mind being out in the fresh air on top of a roof after spending a few years under one. My life’s on a different path now.”

  I reached for a drink from the cooler and sat closer to him. “You’re not the only person to ever disappoint their parents. Mine have pretty much given up on marrying me off. I’ve broken off three engagements, all very close to the wedding. Cost my father thousands. He says if I ever do get married, I’m paying for it myself.” I shrugged.

  “Do you think you ever will?”

  I looked down, embarrassed by my admission. “Not for a long time.”

  He propped his hands on his knees and swung the empty bottle between his legs. “So, what’s the deal with that?”

  Our conversation was becoming much more personal than I had imagined. More like a fourth date than a first. This isn’t a date. I plucked a tiny daisy from the grass and twirled it in my fingers. “I guess I’m afraid of making a mistake.” I looked up at him. “What if I pick the wrong guy?”

  “Then you start over again. Sometimes you have no choice.”

  We were quiet for a while, watching kids zoom down the slide at the other end of the park. With a tentative finger, I traced the tattoo of a chain on his shoulder. “Did you get this in prison?”

  He looked over at it. “No, when I got out. As a reminder not to screw up again.”

  “Are you staying out of trouble? The cop said you’ve been in fights.”

  He nodded. “I’ve got some stupid friends who get themselves in bad situations.”

  “Maybe you need to find new friends.”

  “Not everyone can overlook a person’s past. You probably think differently of me now that you know. And forget trying to get a decent date. Once a woman finds out, she’s not interested.” He frowned. “Or her friends interfere to protect her.”

  I shook my head. “You’re a nice guy who made some bad decisions. I think if you hadn’t broken your leg, you’d be practicing in a law firm right now.” I pointed my daisy at him. “A bad decision doesn’t make you a bad guy.”

  “You’re more open-minded than most.” He packed up the trash from lunch. “And my uncle will only put up with so much, so I’ve gotta get back to work.” He stood up and offered his hand to pull me up.

  I took his hand, and when I stood up we were closer than I realized. I looked up at him and my mouth was inches from his. I smiled. “This was nice.”

  He was still holding my hand, but his fingers slipped from mine and he stepped back. “Nicer than I deserve.”

  I was finishing up a property search for a client later that night w
hen I was surprised by a phone call from Tony. Had he changed his mind about going to the doctor?

  “Still want to go to the Aerosmith concert?”

  I turned off my computer. “Not with the lawyer.”

  “I’ve got a buddy who works at the arena. He hooked me up so I could buy a pair of tickets.”

  I gripped the phone. “I’d love to go.”

  “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at five.”

  And that left me a long time to wonder, What’s this all about? He certainly didn’t owe me any thanks. But my heart pitter-pattered at the thought of seeing him again.

  With fresh clothes and a shower, Tony was even hotter than the first time I saw him. I could easily imagine him in a suit, with close-cropped hair and a clean-shaven face, arguing a case in front of a jury. The long hair and goatee was probably a nice disguise to keep him from seeing what he could have been. But I liked the Tony standing in front of me with a bottle of wine.

  “We’ve got time for a drink before we have to leave.” He stood in the hallway, looking me over.

  I wanted to break the silence, but couldn’t find the right words; I was too entranced by his gaze, wondering what he saw. I smoothed my hands over the skinny jeans hugging my hips and tried to steady myself on my high-heeled sandals.

  Finally, he stepped forward and handed me the wine. “You look great, Kristen.”

  “Thanks.”

  I walked to the kitchen and pulled out two wine glasses and an opener, exposing my tummy as I reached. I felt him watching me, and wondered what his rough hands would feel like on the soft skin of my belly. I looked over and our eyes locked.

  I quickly looked away. “Let’s go outside.” I led him to the deck off my family room.

  “Nice place,” he said.

  He sat next to me at the picnic table, and our legs brushed up against each other. I didn’t move mine; neither did he. I liked the feel of him against me. “I’ve had the inside scoop on some great deals. Just bought this last year. Do you have a house?” I asked the question before I realized my mistake.

  He shook his head with a soft laugh. “No, I live in a crappy apartment across town. And I was lucky to find it. Not many landlords are willing to rent when you’ve got an arrest record.” He pulled the cork out of the bottle and poured us each a drink. “But I’ll have my own place some day.”

  I took a swallow and willed myself not to say anything else stupid for the rest of the night. “This is good.”

  He swirled the wine in his glass. “I had a girlfriend back in college who was into wine. She thought I was the one, and wanted to be sure I was cultured enough for her standards.”

  “Nice.”

  “Thing is, it didn’t even bother me. I wanted to be like that for her.”

  “Whatever happened?”

  “She broke up with me when I got arrested.”

  “Sounds about right. At least she gave you an education in wine.” I smiled at him over my glass.

  “So, why did you end up breaking things off with your fiancés?”

  I set down my glass and stared out over my lawn. The roses crawling up the arbor in back were just starting to bloom. I loved this time of year. “I was more in love with the idea of getting married than getting married to them.” I shrugged. “It’s hard to explain. I just knew it wasn’t right. Actually, I think I knew that when each one of them proposed, but it was hard to say no. I wanted to believe it could work out. That’s what everyone expected me to be doing. Getting married.” I shook my head, my long crystal earrings grazing my face. “I was young and dumb.”

  He spun the wine glass round by its stem. “I think you were smart, not getting into a situation that wasn’t right for you.”

  I pressed my eyes shut. My voice came out in a strangled whisper. “You have no idea how embarrassing it is to have three broken engagements to your name.”

  He ran his finger down my arm and I shivered. “Probably no worse than an arrest record,” he said.

  I nodded, feeling like a jerk complaining about the love landmines from my past. It was nothing compared with what he’d been through. “We should probably go.”

  We headed for the driveway and he opened the door of his truck for me. “Winston must’ve been mad he couldn’t come,” I said.

  “You have no idea. I expect my couch will be torn up when I get home.”

  We had great seats at the concert, and I hated thinking about how much he’d spent on the tickets. I had no idea how much a roofer made, but it probably wasn’t much. Once Aerosmith hit the stage, the teenaged girls seated next to me were up and dancing, and bumping into me, so Tony pulled me in front of him and set his hands on my shoulders.

  His hands were big and warm. I could feel the hard, smooth calluses on his palms against my skin. If his fingers traveled up my neck, they’d feel how my pulse had quickened. He was a head taller than me, and I leaned back against him, fitting nicely in his arms.

  Despite the thousands of people in the arena and the deafening music, I could only concentrate on the intimate details between the two of us: the way his hands slid down and looped around my waist, how he rested his chin on my head, the way my lips tingled and burned as I thought about kissing him.

  I turned my head and looked up at him. I tried to smile, but I could only part my lips. His pupils widened and he bent down and dragged his lips over mine, turning my shoulders so I was facing him. He ran his thumb along my jawline and then pressed my chin, opening my mouth wider.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck. “That’s better,” I said, taking his mouth in mine.

  He pulled me against him and snaked one hand through my hair.

  “Get a room,” someone behind us hollered.

  I tipped my mouth to his ear. “That’s not a bad idea.”

  A grin split his face. “Wanna get out of here?”

  My throat was too thick to let the words out, so I just nodded.

  He took my shaking hand and led me down the row, up the stairs, and out of the arena. We ran through the parking lot. “Where to?” he asked, as we approached his truck.

  “My place. It’s close enough.”

  We reached his pickup and he pinned me against the side, taking my face in his hands, then swiping his lips across mine with a teasing lick before unlocking my door.

  His grin was wicked. “Well, hurry up then.” He helped me in.

  He pushed his speed only eight miles over the limit. “Straight as an arrow these days.”

  I squeezed his hand, realizing what he’d risked by punching that guy.

  He flicked on the radio, but it didn’t ease the tension between us—two people who knew what they were getting into, with time to talk themselves out of it. But there was no question—I wanted Tony.

  We were at my house before I knew it. I dashed to the front step, Tony’s fingers wrapped around mine. He rested his hands on my hips as I tried to unlock the door. I dropped my keys, and then fumbled to get the door open.

  We tumbled inside, and his arms were around me again, pushing me back until I was against a wall. He braced his hands behind me. “Are you sure about this?” His chest quickly rose and fell, brushing mine.

  I looked up and gave him a brisk nod. “And don’t make me take you down. You know I can.”

  He lifted the hair off my cheek and curled it around his finger. “Hell, yeah. Incredible turn on.” He gently tugged my hair, pulling my face to his.

  I kissed him again, wrapping one leg around his, realizing I’d better get him to my bedroom, because things were moving more quickly than I imagined. I led him down the hall with no idea where this whole thing was headed—besides my bed.

  I woke the next morning with a smile and sore limbs. Then I opened my eyes and frowned. Tony wasn’t in my bed. I scrambled out from under the covers and pulled back my curtain. His truck was gone. My heart dropped. After hours of wordless, incredible passion, I’d spent the night in his arms, talking about everything from my first kiss to my fav
orite foods.

  I pulled on my robe. I knew we were different in many ways, but when I was with him, it just didn’t seem to matter. In bed in the dark, with his arms looped around my waist, none of it seemed to matter. Our night together had been amazing; and I wanted more.

  But maybe it’d been enough for him.

  I sighed and wandered into the kitchen to make coffee when the front door opened. Tony held up a box of donuts and a travel tray with two coffees. “Powdered jelly, right? I wasn’t sure how you took your coffee, so I got black. Forgot to ask you that last night. I parked on the road, so I wouldn’t block you in.”

  I ran to him and he set down the food and drinks. I grabbed his arms and looked up at him. “I thought you left,” I whispered in a voice that sounded more scared and hurt than I intended.

  “Hey.” He kissed my head. “I’m sorry. I thought I could sneak out and surprise you, and I had to let Winston out.” He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed. “I’m not leaving until you tell me to.”

  I nodded and pointed to the food. “Bring that to bed.”

  He followed me to my room with the coffee and donuts. I dropped my robe and sat on the bed, patting the spot next to me.

  Tony set the coffee and donuts on my nightstand and pulled off his shirt. In a flash, he was back in bed with me. He broke a powdered donut ring in half and held it out. I took a bite, and he popped the rest in his mouth.

  I gestured to his lips. “You’ve got a little powder there.” When I reached over to brush the white dusting off his lips, he grabbed my hand midair and kissed my fingertips, while licking off the sugary residue.

  “Never thought I’d find something I like more than donuts and coffee first thing in the morning.” His lips made their way down to my mouth, where he paused to lick my lips, goosing a round of shivers in me. He noticed and grinned. “But being here with you like this blows coffee and donuts out of the water.” He laced one hand around the back of my head and drew my mouth to his.

  I returned his sweet, sugary kiss, thrilled that the passion we’d shared the night before had meant something to him, too. I glanced at my alarm clock. It was ten minutes after nine. I couldn’t hold back my smile. “Morning lasts another three hours if you like it that much.”