Smitten by the Brit--A Sometimes in Love Novel

by Melonie Johnson

  Bonnie’s head appeared around the side of the door, cheeks pink. “Could you, um…” she paused.

  “Yes?”

  “Could you bring me my clothes, please?”

  “Oh. Right.” He nodded and stood, gathering up the garments they’d left strewn across the suite last night. Adding her lacy knickers to the top of the pile, he crossed the room and handed them to her.

  “Thanks,” she said stiffly, sliding the door shut.

  Christ, was it him or did it just get colder in here? “You’re welcome,” he said to the door. Theo stepped into the bedroom and tugged on his trousers, maneuvering them carefully over his aching hard-on. He glanced down at his crotch. “Sorry, lad.” Mind whirring, he ditched the robe and pulled on a shirt. His cock wasn’t what was really bothering him, though. The physical discomfort would ease, but honestly, what the hell?

  He emerged from the bedroom just as she left the bathroom. Rather than meet his gaze, she turned and headed to the living room of the suite. He followed, bare feet padding silently on the carpet. “Bonnie?”

  She jumped, evidently unaware he was right behind her.

  “What’s wrong?’ he asked.

  “Nothing,” she snapped, rosebud mouth pinching in a tight little line as she gathered up her phone and purse.

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded, a rosy stain creeping up her cheeks, so dark her freckles all but disappeared. She headed for the door of his suite, and he stepped in front of her, his longer legs giving him the advantage. Placing himself between her and the door, he faced her. Theo knew he should probably leave things alone but couldn’t. “Talk to me. Please.”

  “I have to go.”

  “Now?”

  She bit her lip, brow furrowing. “I’m meeting Ana and Sadie for brunch.”

  “Oh.” He paused, struggling for what to say next. “I guess this is goodbye, then.”

  “I guess it is.”

  But he didn’t move. Didn’t open the door for her. The silence stretched between them. He didn’t want to leave things like this. Strange. Awkward. Uncertain. But what could he do? She wanted to leave. He couldn’t make her stay. And soon, he’d be on a flight back to England.

  A flicker of hope staved off the panic rising in his chest. She would be in England soon too. And not far from him at all. Cambridge was an easy drive from his family’s home. “When do you start your seminar?” he asked.

  “End of June.” She fiddled with her handbag, still not making eye contact.

  Theo used every bit of self-control he had not to demand she tell him what the bloody hell was going on in that head of hers. Forcing himself to keep his tone light, he smiled and said, “Call me when you get to England. Perhaps we can meet up. Catch a meal or a drink once you’re settled.”

  Finally, she lifted her chin and met his gaze. “Sure.”

  Her response didn’t ring with the excitement he could have hoped for, but he’d take it. Opening the door, he stepped aside to let her pass. She started to leave, then stopped. Turning toward him, Bonnie went on tiptoe and pecked his cheek. The moment had a sense of déjà vu about it. She’d kissed him in a similar fashion, brief and grateful, back in London last summer, right before she’d left.

  And now she was leaving again. Theo gripped the doorframe, aching with the need to pull her against him and press his mouth to hers, giving her a proper farewell kiss, full of passion and promise. Instead, he nodded his head. “I’ll wait for your call, then,” he said, keeping his voice light. “Till June.”

  “June,” she echoed, and walked out the door.

  He watched her retreat down the hall, the distance between them growing exponentially with each step.

  June couldn’t get here soon enough.

  * * *

  As Bonnie crossed the street and headed toward the café, she glanced down the block to the old Dearborn Station. Exactly twenty-four hours ago, she’d stared at that clock, the hands in the same positions as they were now. So much had happened since then. With a shiver, she stepped out of the brisk April wind into the tiny elegant foyer of the hotel on the corner. Bonnie adored everything about this little boutique hotel and French café, from the vintage 1920s brass fixtures, to the feathery scroll patterns on the wallpaper, down to the black-and-white diamond pattern on the tiled floor.

  Bracing herself, she pushed through the frosted glass doors leading to the café and inhaled. She’d been worried coming here would trigger painful memories. She’d spent so many lazy mornings in this café with Gabe, lingering over a second cup of tea while he worked on his thesis and she graded papers. But she wasn’t going to give this to him. He’d taken enough from her; she wasn’t giving up this place.

  Bonnie scanned the dining room tables. Despite running late herself, she’d still beat Ana and Sadie. She shouldn’t be surprised. As long as she’d known those two, they’d never been on time. Especially when they were together.

  Settling into a booth by the windows, she ordered a tea while she waited for the dynamic duo to arrive. Café Nuage’s gingerbread blend was a special treat, house-made and only available in the restaurant. Another reason Bonnie wasn’t ready to give up this place. She’d tried to replicate the flavor, but it was never quite right. She wondered if it was the water. Maybe the old pipes in this vintage building added a little something she couldn’t copy, and even if she managed to get all the other ingredients to match exactly, it still wouldn’t be the same.

  As she sipped her tea, Bonnie considered that. The idea of trying to replicate an experience when its very uniqueness rendered it unrepeatable. Was that what her night with Theo had been? A unique experience never to be repeated? Don’t forget about this morning. Her cheeks heated. She could add that to her list of firsts today … orgasm by breast play. What happened after … Well, she’d rather not think about that.

  “Oh my, what are you thinking about?”

  Bonnie glanced up, almost spilling her tea across the table. She set the delicate china cup back into its saucer. “Nothing.”

  “You’re blushing,” Ana pressed, sliding into the booth.

  “The tea’s really hot,” Bonnie explained awkwardly, her cheeks rising another few degrees as she said it.

  “I know that look.” Sadie slid in next to Ana. “And that look is not nothing.”

  “Right?” Ana agreed. She paused when a server stopped by to take their drink order. As soon as they were alone again, Ana grabbed Bonnie’s hand. “What happened?”

  “This has something to do with Gabe, doesn’t it?” Sadie demanded.

  Ana held up Bonnie’s hand. “Ring’s gone.”

  Bonnie snatched her hand out of Ana’s grip. “Yes, the ring is gone. And yes, it has something to do with Gabe.” She waited while the girls’ drinks were set down. “I broke up with him.”

  “What?” Ana gasped, blowing a puff of whip cream off the top of her hot cocoa. It landed with a splat on the menus stacked on the table. Ana ignored the mess, leaning across the table to engulf Bonnie in a hug. “Oh my God, how are you? Are you okay? What happened?”

  Squeezing Ana back for a moment, Bonnie finally said, words muffled by Ana’s magnificent cleavage, “If you let go of me, I’ll tell you.”

  “Release the poor girl before your boobs suffocate her,” Sadie chided, wiping a napkin over the menus.

  Bonnie sucked in a gulp of air as Ana let her go and settled back in the booth. “Thanks.” She took the menu Sadie handed her and decided to get it all out in one breath. “Friday night, when I called you? I needed a place to stay because I walked out on Gabe after finding him in bed with someone else.”

  “That cheating dickhead!” Sadie growled. An elderly lady at the next table dropped her fork. Sadie bared her teeth in an unapologetic smile and then turned back to Bonnie. “What does the cheating dickhead have to say for himself?”

  “Not much.” Bonnie shrugged, fiddling with the handle on her teacup. “We met yesterday to talk about it.”

>   “Did he apologize?” Ana asked.

  “Please,” Sadie snorted, voice rising as she poured a sliver of cream into her coffee. “What’s he going to say? Oops, I stuck my man-meat into somebody else. Sorry. My bad.”

  “You’re attracting an audience,” Ana muttered under her breath as several heads swiveled their way.

  Bonnie tugged the menu open and hid behind it.

  “It pisses me off.” Sadie stirred her coffee with brisk, cross strokes. “It’s just, you guys were together for so long, I was starting to think maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was possible.”

  “Maybe what was possible?” Bonnie peeked over the top of her menu, curious at the change in Sadie’s voice. She didn’t seem so angry anymore, but rather … sad.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Sadie set her spoon down. “Turns out, I was right after all.”

  Bonnie would have pressed for more details, but at that moment, the server returned to take their order and deliver a basket of pastries to the table. Another Café Nuage perk she was not willing to give up. She eyed the basket, wanting to eat everything in it, but knowing from experience she needed to pace herself and save room for the main event. As delicious as the pastries were, the breakfast was even better.

  Even Ana held back, slicing a chocolate croissant down the middle and offering half to Sadie.

  “No way.” Sadie shook her head, crop of blond waves bouncing. An actress, Sadie tracked her calories religiously.

  Ana ignored her and slid the pastry onto Sadie’s plate. “You know you want it,” she said, taking a bite of the other half and closing her eyes, groaning softly as she chewed.

  “That good, huh?” Sadie poked at the croissant, considering. “Worth the extra cardio this is going to cost me?”

  “Mm-hmm,” Ana moaned in carnal pleasure, then swallowed and opened her eyes. “That reminds me.” She licked a bit of chocolate from her bottom lip and raised one dark eyebrow at Bonnie. “What were you thinking about when we came in?”

  “Yeah, Bon,” Sadie added, thrusting her finger inside the croissant and scooping out a smidgen of chocolate. “I don’t think it was Gabe the asshole who put that look on your face.”

  Bonnie shook her head and stared at Sadie’s plate, heat creeping up her cheeks again.

  “Bon?” Ana asked, concern creasing her brow. “Are you feeling okay?”

  Sadie stuck her chocolate-covered finger in her mouth and began to suck.

  Bonnie flushed deeper, watching Sadie slide her finger back and forth inside her mouth. An image of Theo before her, robe spread, popped into her mind. “So, uh, have you guys ever … ah…”

  “Stop defiling your food,” Ana ordered Sadie. To Bonnie, she said, “Spit it out, Bon.”

  That had kind of been her problem. She recalled the moment her morning went from delight to disaster. Oh, God. Her cheeks were on fire now. She licked her lips and dove in. “Have you ever given a blowjob?”

  Silverware clattered against china. Bonnie froze in her seat as Sadie and Ana glanced over at the elderly woman next to them.

  Sadie smiled at their neighbor again, adding a little wave this time. Then she eyed Bonnie. “Are you telling me you haven’t?”

  “You’re twenty-eight years old,” Ana added.

  “Twenty-nine,” Bonnie corrected. “My birthday was in February, remember?”

  “Fine, twenty-nine, even better … or worse.” Ana stared at her across the table. “I can’t believe you’re almost thirty freaking years old and have never given a blowjob!”

  “I didn’t say I’ve never given one,” Bonnie whispered, glancing around, convinced every single person in the café could hear each word of this conversation. “I tried a few times.” Bonnie squirmed in her seat. “Just not … successfully.”

  “Holy shit. Poor Gabe.” Ana chuckled. “How many years were you two together?”

  Their food arrived, saving Bonnie from dealing with the direction that conversation was headed. Poor Gabe. “To hell with poor Gabe,” she said, stabbing at a strawberry on top of her Cloud 9 crepes. “What about poor Bonnie?”

  “Whoa, chill.” Ana eyed the massacred strawberry. “It was a joke.”

  “Not a funny one,” Sadie argued. “Gabe’s still a cheating dickhead whether Bonnie sucked his dick or not.”

  Exactly. Bonnie swirled a fork through the mounds of melting whip cream on her plate. “I just want to know how to do it right,” she admitted. “I don’t think I’m very good at it.”

  “Oh, honey.” Sadie reached across the table to pat her hand. “I think any attempt made in that department is appreciated. Besides”—she grinned—“you can always try again. Practice makes perfect, right?”

  “What I want to know,” Ana began, “is where this is coming from? Who are you planning to practice on?” She pinned Bonnie with a stare. “Is it the man I heard on the phone this morning?”

  “Who now?” Sadie perked up, a wicked gleam of curiosity in her violet eyes. “Come on, Bon, spill.”

  Bonnie smiled weakly. “I think your eggs are getting cold.”

  Sadie ignored that and turned to Ana. “If she doesn’t tell us, we can always ask Cassie.”

  “Hey!” Bonnie balked.

  The Dynamic Duo stared at her from across the booth, Sadie’s blond and Ana’s black brows raised in mutual expectation. More like Diabolical Duo. They were tag teaming her. She didn’t stand a chance. Accepting defeat, she decided to tell them everything.

  “It’s Theo,” Bonnie mumbled, sinking low in her seat.

  “Theo?” Sadie asked. “As in hot British Theo?”

  “Mm-hmm.” She sunk lower, wishing she could slide under the booth and slink right on out of the café.

  “I knew it!” Ana crowed. “I shipped you two back in England.”

  “Nothing happened between us in England,” Bonnie protested.

  “Please.” Ana snorted. “I’ve never seen two people eye-fuck each other so much.”

  Bonnie blinked. “Did you just say eye-fuck?”

  “The attraction was pretty obvious, Bon,” Sadie added.

  “Whatever,” Bonnie grumbled. “You’re just saying that because you were flirty with him and he ignored you.”

  “Keep telling yourself that,” Ana teased. “Now then, back to the matter at hand. Or in hand, I should say.” Ana dropped her already husky voice to a seductive whisper. “Do you want some pointers?”

  “Ana!” Sadie snickered.

  “What? I’m trying to help. Good thing I ordered the Elvis French Toast.” Ana smirked, dangling an obscenely long slice of fried banana off the end of her fork.

  Bonnie eyed the banana, cheeks flaming. The idea of trying that again—with Theo—made her feel equal parts mortified and intrigued. She didn’t even dare to glance around the dining room now. “Um, maybe later. He’s headed back to London today.”

  “Too bad,” Ana said, biting off the end of her banana. Gamely changing the subject, she asked, “This is, like, your first time playing hooky from work, right? Tell me, besides attempting a blowjob on a hot Brit and getting sex tips over brunch, what other mischief do you have planned today?”

  Bonnie chugged her tea. “Since I’m already down this way, I thought I’d go over to the apartment, clear out some of my stuff.”

  “Ugh,” Sadie groaned, “that’s not fun.”

  “No,” Bonnie agreed. “But necessary. And since it’s Monday, Gabe will be gone all day.”

  “Are you sure?” Ana asked.

  “Pretty sure.” Bonnie paused. Ana had a point. Who knew how many hours of Gabe’s busy schedule had actually been spent screwing his adviser’s assistant?

  “We’ll come with you,” Ana offered.

  “No, I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “You don’t have to ask,” Sadie said, rearranging the pile of scrambled eggs on her plate.

  “Stop playing with your food.” Ana snatched Sadie’s fork away. “Why did you even order that? You hate eggs.”


  “I need the protein.” Sadie snatched her fork back. “I told you, I have an important audition coming up. I’ve gotta get buff.”

  “Then shut up and eat so we can go.” Ana nodded toward Bonnie. “We’re coming with you.” She hitched a thumb at Sadie. “This one can count it as strength training.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Bonnie smiled, heart lifting a little. She wouldn’t have to go to her apartment alone. She hadn’t really thought about it, but the possibility Gabe could be there, might even be there with her … She recalled those dishes in the sink, the lipstick on the wineglass, and her fingers curled with fury once again.

  Yes, it was definitely a good thing her friends were coming with. Not just for her sake, but for Gabe’s too. Though if Sadie wanted to throw a few practice punches, Bonnie wouldn’t object.

  * * *

  In the end, no punches were needed. The apartment was empty, Gabe was gone, and thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any evidence anyone else had been staying here. Especially anyone female. She shouldn’t care, but Bonnie still felt a pang of relief when she noticed there wasn’t a new toothbrush in the holder next to his.

  In the bedroom, Ana and Sadie stood side by side, double-teaming Bonnie again as they assessed the remaining clothes in her closet before handing them over. Items passing inspection were folded into a storage container while the rest went into a box for donation.

  “Keep?” Sadie asked, holding up a dress. “Or donate?”

  “Keep!” Bonnie snatched the hanger out of Sadie’s hand. “I love this dress.” She slipped it off the hanger and began folding it.

  “It has pictures of birds all over the skirt,” Sadie said, as if that were reason enough to get rid of it.

  “It’s cute,” Bonnie argued. “It’s quirky, like me.” She placed the dress in the container.

  “You say quirky, I say atrocious.” Sadie shook her head. “Speaking of atrocious, where is that teacup robe of yours?”

  “I already packed it.”

  “Too bad.” Sadie grinned fiendishly. “We could have burned it along with those obnoxious teapot slippers.”

  “I love my teapot slippers!”