Love Discovered in New York (The Washington Triplets)

by Danielle Allen

And there goes the hair flip, I noted silently as she casually tossed her hair over her shoulder, bringing attention to her double D’s. He couldn’t lean any further over the bar if he tried. She has him exactly where she wants him, I giggled to myself.

  Feeling the effects of the alcohol, I danced in my seat. When the hair on the back of my neck stood up, I shivered unexpectedly. Looking to my immediate left, I found myself staring into the eyes of Colton Davis. He pushed off of the wall he was leaning against and slowly walked toward me. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. Taking him in, I watched his confident walk. His motion was fluid and athletic as he advanced toward me.

  Wearing dark denim jeans and a white t-shirt, the hard lines of his lean muscles stood out on his six-foot frame. The t-shirt allowed me to see the half-sleeve of tattoos that covered his left bicep down to his elbow. His dark hair was cut close and his caramel complexion almost glowed under the dim lighting of the venue. His lips were pressed into a firm, hard line. And his eyes, his beautiful brown eyes, bore into me causing all of the air to escape my lungs. The sexual attraction I felt the first time I saw him was back tenfold.

  I could hear my heart pounding in my chest as he got closer. He didn’t say a word as he stood right in front of the couch I was sitting on. Reaching his hand out, I automatically put my hand in his and allowed him to pull me up. He was so close that when I stood, there was no space left between us. I was frozen in my spot, held captive by his piercing gaze and his scent.

  His soap and cologne mixed with his natural scent and created a heady combination that had me dizzy with lust. Our chests rose and fell in tune with one another as we stood in front of each other. The bar noise faded away and all I could hear was my heart beating a mile a minute. My breathing picked up and I willed myself to look away so I could collect my thoughts. But I couldn’t.

  I’ve definitely found who I’m going home with tonight. If he can make me feel like this from just a look, I can only imagine the things he can do in the bedroom, I thought, staring up at him. I only then realized he hadn’t completely let go of my hand and two of our fingers were still touching. From that seemingly insignificant connection, my entire body tingled.

  “Mya,” Colton whispered softly. His breath smelled like chocolate and mint.

  “Colton,” I whispered back, a smile playing on my lips as I recognized the ingredients of our signature drink. “You tried a Grasshopper.”

  “One of the few new things I’ve wanted to try here.” His eyes dropped down to my lips and lingered before moving down to the tops of my breasts. “You look incredible.”

  “Are you flirting with me?” I smiled up at him as I asked the question.

  “Yes.” A lethal combination of lust and amusement filled his eyes when our gazes met again. “I want to see the back of your dress. Turn around,” Colton commanded quietly.

  “You are so demanding,” I voiced playfully, cocking my head to the side.

  Leaning forward so that his lips lightly brushed the shell of my ear, he responded, “Yes I am. Now turn around so I can see the back of your dress.”

  Breaking our physical connection by moving our fingers apart, I put my hands on my hips. I stared at him, challenging him. “No,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

  He licked his lips and my eyes zeroed in on the way his tongue moved from one corner of his mouth to the other. When he slowly broke into a smile, I realized I was staring at his now moist lips and quickly made eye contact again.

  Leaning his face down to mine, our lips were just millimeters away from one another. I wanted to kiss him so badly that I could almost taste the chocolate and mint. My mouth watered as a full minute passed by with neither of us moving.

  “Either kiss me or I’m sitting down because my feet are killing me,” I said, quirking my eyebrow and giving him a look.

  Colton smirked before giving in to a short laugh. “I like you.”

  “You—”

  Crashing his lips against mine, he cut me off mid-sentence, kissing me with enough passion to take my breath away. Butterflies spread across my belly as his delicious lips overpowered my own. Colton’s tongue grazed mine, sending shivers up and down my spine. His hands danced across my bare back, intensifying the kiss.

  His taste, his scent, and his touch caused me to freefall into sensory overload. Impulsively, I ran my hands down his muscular chest before pulling at his belt loops, forcing his body to be flush against mine. Feeling his hardness through the thin material of my dress, I moaned into his mouth.

  Colton had officially made me feel faint. Between my weakened knees and my tired feet, my legs were unable to hold me up any longer. When they finally gave out, he instantly locked his arms, holding me securely. My eyes fluttered open when I felt him pull away slowly.

  Oh my God, I thought as my heart hammered in my chest. I was winded and my skin tingled with desire. I’d never had anyone kiss me like that before. And it was overwhelming because it felt a little too good, a little too right.

  We stood there, staring at one another with his arms wrapped firmly around me.

  “What’s your last name?” he asked, his voice seducing me with each syllable.

  “Washington,” I answered without hesitation.

  “Do you want to get out of here, Mya Washington?”

  “Yes.” My voice came out breathily.

  “Let’s go,” he said, clasping his hand around mine and squeezing.

  For the first time since we caught each other’s eye, I looked away from him. Breaking eye contact allowed my senses to come back to me and not be consumed by him. Craning my neck, I looked around for Kelsey.

  “I need to tell my best friend I’m leaving,” I said, gently pulling my hand out of Colton’s warm grasp as we headed to the bar. “And I need to tell her where we’re going.”

  Even though I was in front of him, Colton guided me through the bar with his hand on my lower back. “I’m going to take you to an all-night diner so we can get to know each other better,” he said, his thumb tracing circles onto my lower back. My skin hummed under his touch.

  When we reached the bar, Stephen handed two women their drinks. The flirtatious smile that Stephen directed at the women was easily transferred to me. He blatantly checked me out and started nodding to a question I wasn’t asking.

  “Mya…” Stephen whistled.

  Colton’s hand slid across my lower back and gripped my rounded hip, pulling me into him. The slight shift in my body compelled Stephen to look away from me to Colton. Stephen’s smile immediately fell when he noticed Colton’s arm around me. I bit my lip to stop the smile I felt emerging. I didn’t know what was more amusing—Colton’s possessiveness or the look on Stephen’s face.

  “Have you seen Kelsey?” I asked Stephen.

  He glanced at Colton before he answered shortly. “She went outside with Phil. She said she’ll be right back.” His tone held an edge I chose to ignore in lieu of processing the new information I just acquired.

  Phil? Her ex-boyfriend, Phil? No wonder he looked familiar, I realized, kicking myself for not putting it together sooner. Kelsey was on the tail end of an emotional breakup with Phil when I moved to New York two years ago. I’d only met him once and he seemed like a nice guy, but Kelsey said that they were moving in two different directions.

  “Okay, thanks. Tell Nicks I’ll see him tomorrow.”

  Turning on my heel, Colton and I exited Duke & Duchess. The music from the bar was silenced as soon as the door closed behind us. However, the noise level didn’t decrease as we were instantly caught in the middle of an argument between Kelsey and Riker.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, looking between the two of them.

  “Riker is an ass,” Kelsey explained loudly as Riker checked the IDs of a couple who just walked up. She folded her arms and raised her eyebrows. Looking pointedly at Colton, she said, “He’s sexy. Who’s this?”

  Smiling, I made introductions. “Kelsey Stone, Colton Davis. Colton, Ke
lsey.”

  Colton reached his hand out to shake Kelsey’s. “Nice to meet you, Kelsey.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.” She looked at him appreciatively and then winked at me. “So where do you think you’re going with my best friend?”

  He smirked before he responded, “I’m taking her to Andrew’s for a late dinner.”

  Kelsey nodded knowingly. “So is this like a date?”

  “No. When I take Mya out on a date, it will be better than an Andrew’s run. This is a get-to-know-you meal.” He turned his head to look at me before he continued, “And I’m looking forward to getting to know Mya tonight.”

  It was my intention to tell him I wasn’t dating right now, but I forgot how to talk momentarily. My heart rate increased and dinner was the absolute last thing on my mind.

  I cleared my throat and then tore my eyes away from him. “We’re going to leave now,” I notified my best friend as I hugged her. Whispering in her ear, I continued, “I’ll text you if I go back to his place.”

  We said our goodbyes and moments later, we hopped in a taxi. The driver was on his phone arguing loudly with his wife. We exchanged glances and listened intently as the driver ranted and raved. We were only in the taxi for a few minutes before we pulled up in front of a brightly lit diner.

  “This was close enough to walk,” I pointed out as he helped me out of the car.

  “Yeah, but you said your feet hurt so I wasn’t going to subject you to that walk,” Colton replied, his hand returning to the small of my back.

  I looked at him, surprised at his thoughtfulness, but I didn’t say anything. Instead, I smiled and let him guide me through the front door of the diner.

  Taking a seat in the first available booth, we were given our menus. As Colton reviewed his menu, I was able to look at him under the bright lights of the restaurant. Even in the harsh lighting, he was just as breathtaking as he was in the dimly lit bar.

  “So what’s your deal?” I asked after deciding to order a basket of fries.

  “How about you ask me what you really want to ask me?” Colton answered, putting his menu down on the table.

  I fought a smile. “What do you think it is I want to ask you?”

  “Hey, I’m Chip. What can I get you two tonight?” Chip, our waiter, asked as he sidled up to the table.

  The interruption was right on time as my mouth was about to get me into trouble. Looking away from Colton, I glanced at the waiter. “I’ll take a basket of fries and a vanilla milkshake please,” I ordered with a smile.

  “And I’ll have the same,” Colton said quickly.

  I could feel his eyes on me so I continued looking at the waiter until he thanked us and walked away.

  “Why were you at Duke & Duchess tonight?” I asked, returning my attention to my dining companion.

  “For you,” Colton answered simply.

  And with those two words, my heart fluttered and I felt a tightening deep inside of me. The confidence rolled off of his body and his eyes pinned me in my cherry-red, leather seat.

  He’s going to make me ride him right here in this booth, I thought as I felt myself becoming even more turned on by him.

  “Why?” I pressed him for more information breathily. I wanted him to say that he wanted to take me home and explore every inch of my body.

  “Because all day at work, I couldn’t get you out of my mind,” he admitted slowly, his eyes still boring into me. I squeezed my thighs together to calm the ache that was building between them.

  We need to get our food to go, I thought, running my bottom lip between my teeth to keep from smiling.

  “And because we didn’t get a chance to finish talking. I know you were flirting with me last night, so I came back tonight to make sure you had ample opportunity to call me handsome and ask me out,” he replied with a comical expression and a definitive nod.

  My head fell back and I laughed loudly. “What?” I screeched in between bouts of laughter. It only took a second before he joined in. People at nearby tables looked over at us curiously.

  When we were able to contain ourselves, he added, “You laughed because it’s true.”

  That’s partially true…But I’ll be damned if I let him know that, I thought, amused by his perceptiveness and borderline cockiness.

  Smiling, I cocked my head to the side, analyzing the perfect symmetry of his face. “So this all started because I didn’t call you handsome?”

  He leaned forward, with his elbows resting on the marble tabletop. “No, this started because I went to get my idiot nephew a beer and saw the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life making drinks,” he replied seriously.

  A shaky breath escaped my parted lips. I swallowed hard and then opened my mouth to speak, but I was interrupted.

  “Here you are… two baskets of fries and two vanilla shakes,” Chip said, popping up out of nowhere, as he placed our food down.

  “Thank you,” Colton said, never taking his eyes off of me. As suddenly as Chip appeared, he disappeared.

  “How long have you worked at Duke & Duchess?” he asked, grabbing the ketchup and squirting it into his basket.

  “Two years,” I said, taking a sip of the ice cold milkshake. “Mmm…this is good.” I waited for him to take a sip of his before I asked, “What do you do?”

  “I’m a tattoo artist. I own a shop here in Brooklyn, near the River. Inkwell. And I’m about to open another Inkwell in Harlem.”

  My eyebrows shot up, reflexively, and my jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”

  He gave me an easy, almost modest smile. “Yes. Have you heard of it?”

  “Inkwell is where I got my last two tattoos! Love that place.”

  This time, his eyebrows shot up. His eyes flickered over my upper body, obviously assessing my skin. “You have tattoos?” he asked. His voice sounded both shocked and impressed. “Your entire back is out and your shoulders, arms, and legs… I didn’t see any tats on you.”

  My stomach fluttered with his unintentional admission that he’d thoroughly checked me out.

  “I have three tattoos. I want to get another one on my back, but I haven’t had the time or money.”

  “You have three tattoos?” Colton’s voice was still laced with surprise.

  I laughed, “Yes!”

  His sexy, confident smirk was back. In the same voice he’d used in the bar when he wanted to see the back of my dress, he rasped, “Prove it.”

  That voice, I thought as my belly quivered again. If I could listen to him talk while staring into his beautiful eyes with that body pressed against me, I would—

  Leaning forward, Colton interrupted my thoughts. “So are you going to show me these alleged tattoos? I’d like to see my work.”

  “You didn’t do these tattoos. A woman did.” I leaned forward and continued with a wink, “And anyway, there’s only one tattoo I can show you in public.”

  His eyes instantly clouded with a heated intensity as he shifted in his seat. “Show me what you can.”

  “You are so demanding,” I huffed playfully as I turned my head and bent my ear forward. The sensitive spot behind my ear showcased a small black heart.

  He reached over and ran the pad of his forefinger over the tattoo. I shivered. When he removed his skin from mine, I sat back and took a deep breath.

  “I like it. It suits you,” Colton complimented. “Did you get that one from Inkwell?”

  “No I got this one on my eighteenth birthday.” I shook my head at the memory.

  “Because of that face you just made, you have to tell me the story that goes along with that birthday tattoo.”

  “What?” I asked, taken aback by his perceptiveness.

  He just looked at me, sipping his milkshake, imploring me with his eyes.

  “There’s not much to tell. I’d wanted a tattoo since I was fifteen or sixteen. My parents were against the idea, but I thought if my sisters and I all got one together, it would bond us even closer.”

  “S
o what happened?”

  “Nothing. I was the only one who got it.” I shrugged nonchalantly. “It is what it is.”

  His eyes furrowed briefly. “Are you and your sisters close?”

  “So what ended up happening with your nephew and the cop?” I asked, abruptly changing the subject before taking a bite out of a fry.

  He rubbed his temples. “That dumbass was drunk and hit on some dude’s girl and they got into it. When the guy said that he was a cop, Mike came in to get me. By the time I ran outside, your security guard had handled the situation and the couple was gone.”

  “Wow...” I breathed under my breath, my eyes wide. “Happy Birthday, Vinnie.”

  “Yeah, I had to send him back home to his parents early.”

  “So Vinnie is your sister’s kid?” I asked curiously, sipping my milkshake.

  “Yeah, her birthday’s next month and I was going to visit her. But now that she thinks I corrupted her kid, I don’t know anymore,” he joked.

  I laughed and he joined in. The more I heard him laugh, the more I wanted to hear it.

  “Is there a big age difference between you and your sister? Because Vinnie is twenty-one, right?”

  “Vinnie is her step-son, but she raised him like he was her own since he was four years old. Even though they are only fifteen years apart, it worked. My sister, Corrine, married Tom, Vinnie’s dad when she was nineteen. He was twenty-five, I think. My parents were pissed at first. I mean, who gets married after a few months of dating?”

  My dad’s wedding invitation flashed in my mind and my body filled with anger. Taking a deep breath, I focused on Colton’s lips. They looked as soft as they felt. My lips tingled in remembrance, causing my anger to wane.

  “…They assumed the worst—she was going to drop out of college, get pregnant and then Tom would leave her high and dry. But seventeen years later, they are still going strong. And recently, they moved across town into our childhood home,” Colton finished with a nod.

  I smiled, “Good for them. Where’s back home?” I asked, sipping my milkshake.

  “Chicago.”

  My stomach dropped at the mention of my hometown. The city’s huge and made up of lots of different neighborhoods, but still. The thought of him being from the same city as me blew my mind. “Chicago?” I coughed, choking on my milkshake.