Chapter 19 December 19th #5
After a few laps, I snag my phone and call an Uber.
I can’t sit around waiting; I’ll talk myself out of this.
I grab my purse, and leave, and as soon as outside comes into view past the glass door, I stop and look down at my cream suede shoes.
They’ll be ruined before I even make it to the curb.
“Damn it.” I hurry back to my apartment and get my wellington boots, removing my heels and slipping my feet into them.
I catch a full-length reflection of myself in the door when I make it back there—a gold dress and wellington boots.
“My God,” I mumble, passing through and trudging down the path.
Headlights glow at the end of the street, and my ride rounds the corner a second later as I tread the snowy ground to the curb, my toes already icy given the lack of socks.
“Camryn?” the driver asks when I open the back door.
“That’s me.” I settle in the seat and call Dec, but it rings off and goes to voicemail. I don’t leave a message, deciding to wait for him to call me back instead.
I’m only five minutes from his place when he finally does.
“Don’t tell me you’re calling to cancel,” he says before I’ve had a chance to even say hello. “I’ll be devastated.”
“I’m not calling to cancel. I was ready early and was hanging around so thought I’d head to your place to save you coming to pick me up.”
“Or you missed me and couldn’t wait to be back in my arms.”
“And that,” I admit, unabashed.
“What’s your ETA?”
“Four minutes.”
“See you in four minutes.”
“Okay.” Smiling, I hang up and mentally count down those four minutes until the driver pulls up.
“Thank you.” I hop out and take my time up the steps to Dec’s house, then swap my wellies for my heels when I’m at the door, setting my boots to the side and unfasten the belt of my coat before I reach for the doorbell.
My finger doesn’t make it to the button. The door swings open, and it’s all I can do not to faint on the spot when I see him, his trousers half fastened, his shirt hanging open, his hair still damp from his shower. I drop my gaze down the entire length of his tall body. Bare feet.
“Look at you,” he whispers, reaching for my hand and tugging me inside, slamming the door.
He pushes my coat off my shoulders and inhales as he drinks in the dress.
“Wow.” Feeling awkward, I shift on the spot, my gaze dropping.
But not for long. He slips a finger under my chin and lifts my face again, finding my eyes.
“You’re very beautiful,” he says gently.
“And I’ll keep telling you that until you start believing it again.
” Sweeping one of the many loose strands off my face, he moves in and kisses me gently, and I close my eyes, absorbing his softness, breathing him into me.
He doesn’t advance the kiss—there’s no tongues—but the impact is still so powerful and devastating.
He totally overwhelms me.
“I need to finish getting ready,” he murmurs as he pulls away.
“What a travesty.”
He grins. “Come.” Pulling me along, he leads us into the kitchen and sits me on a stool, pouting down at my dress again. “Totally made for you.”
I put both of my feet on the footrest and watch as he goes to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of wine.
“Just a small one,” I say, making him turn as he grabs two glasses from the glass cabinet that’s dedicated solely to glasses of every variety.
“I want to remember today.” It’s a first—for me to want to remember any day—and his small, understanding nod settles me more.
Dec pours just an inch and brings it to me, perching on the stool next to me.
I accept, struggling to keep my eyes to myself when his shirt’s open like that, revealing a slither of his lovely chest. But then he takes a small sip, tilting his head back, and my eyes have something else to stare at.
He’s trimmed his scruff. “You’re very handsome,” I muse, reaching for his face and feeling.
And he lets me, still and quiet while I smooth my palm down his cheek, until it reaches the corner of his mouth and he turns into it, keeping his eyes on me as he kisses my palm.
“I better finish getting ready or we might not make it out.” He sets his glass down and stands, leaning into me so I’m forced to bend back on my stool. “Give me a sec,” he breathes.
“Okay.”
The moment he’s gone, I take a breath and face the island, holding on to my glass as I take in his kitchen again. Spotless. Not a crumb littering the work surface, and no dirty glasses or plates in the sink. Even the dishcloth is folded neatly and draped over the huge nickel shower tap.
I hear movement behind me and turn to see Dec’s back, his hands full.
He puts his shoes and socks on the island, along with a belt, a jacket, and a blue tie that has delicate white polka dots on it.
He starts fastening the buttons of his shirt, and I secretly sulk at the loss, pouting harder when he undoes his trousers to tuck it in.
I peek up at him and find his eyes shining, hinting to an invisible grin.
I scowl a little and take my first small sip as Dec perches on the stool again and pulls on a pair of fancy blue striped socks, lifting his trouser legs, revealing his shin, the dark hair thick.
His feet slip into his brown brogues, and he stands and lifts his chin, fastening the top button.
Eyes on me.
I’m coming over all unnecessary, as if he could be undressing, when in fact he’s doing the exact opposite.
I place my glass down, tilting my head when he flips his collar up and slides his tie around his neck.
Long, dexterous fingers fix the knot expertly and with supreme precision.
And the whole time he’s slowly, carefully dressing, he’s watching me.
“I know what you’re doing,” I say, standing and moving into his chest, getting my face close to his as I reach for his collar and pull it down, making Dec’s hands retreat. His palms rest on my waist.
“What am I doing?”
“Trying to tempt me.”
“Just keeping you busy.”
I smile, wriggling the knot of his tie. “And I love you for it.”
“Yeah?” He hunkers down, moving his palms to my bum and pulling me in, nuzzling my face with his.
“Yeah,” I breathe, impatient for the end of today when I can crawl into his bed and let him hug me into tomorrow. “You’ll never know how grateful I am for you.”
“We’ve got a long time for you to show me.”
I nod, pushing my face into his neck and taking a much-needed hug right now. “You smell so good.” Clean, manly.
“I need some cologne.” Turning his face into me, he kisses my neck and gently pries me away. “Be back in a moment.” After one more sip of his wine, he leaves the kitchen, and I slowly work my way through the small amount of wine I’ve allowed myself.
When I’m finished, I take my glass to the sink and rinse it, and just as I’m setting it on the drainer, a sound from the hallway pulls my attention up. The front door closing? “Dec?” someone yells. A woman. “Dec, it’s me.”
I stand up straight, my stomach doing a small flip, as the sound of heels hit the wood in the hallway, getting louder and louder.
“Dec, are you here?”
Who the hell is that?
A woman breezes into the kitchen, a beautiful woman, a pair of keys jangling in her hand, an oxblood Mulberry in the crook of her arm. She’s pristine, in a power suit and a black ankle-length coat, her lips cherry red, her blond bob thick but razor sharp. Christ.
She clocks me by the sink and skids to a stop, looking me up and down. I must look like a deer caught in the headlights. “Oh, hi,” she murmurs.
“Hi.” What the hell should I do? I have no idea, but instinct has me going to her and holding out my hand. “Camryn.”
She looks down at my hand briefly, leaving me hanging, before her lips slightly stretch. It throws me. “Who else would you be?” she asks, leaving my hand where it is. “I’m April. Dec’s sister.”
Oh my God. My body shrinks with the held air leaving me. Relief. I didn’t want to think for a moment this woman could be—
Who? Another woman? His estranged wife? I shake my head to myself, and I’m suddenly hauled into April’s arms, being hugged tightly. “He doesn’t shut up about you,” she says, making my eyes widen more.
“He doesn’t?”
She releases me and holds me at arm’s length. “I’m so fucking excited for you both.”
The oddest feeling comes over me. Shyness? I’m struggling to put my finger on it. “Thank you,” I say, at a loss. “He’s taking me out for dinner.”
“Yes, I know. He mentioned it.” She frowns. “But he was picking you up.”
“I was ready early so thought I’d come here.”
She motions down my front. “You look stunning. I love this dress.”
Do I tell her Dec bought it? Shifting uncomfortably, finding the compliments all a bit much, I move back to the stool and lower but quickly stand again. “Thank you. Do you want me to get Dec?” What the hell am I saying? “I mean, you probably know your way around here better than I do.”
“It’s okay.” She goes to one of the cupboards on the far side of the kitchen, her back to me, and starts rooting through, proving me right. “I just needed to grab—”
“April?”
Her head whips up when Dec walks in, and I get an immediate hit of his cologne. Dizzying. “Oh, hey,” she says, almost sheepish.
Dec checks me by the stool, his face a picture of concern. I shrug. “I see you’ve met my sister.”
I nod, as April gives Dec a guilty look. “I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’m sorry, I just . . .” She goes back to the cupboard and pulls something out, slipping it into her bag as she faces the room again. “I forgot something when I was here earlier.”
“And now you’re leaving, right?” he asks, his voice full of warning.
“Right.” She flashes me a toothy smile. “I’m sorry for gatecrashing.”
“It’s totally fine,” I say. “I don’t know why he’s being so grumpy.”
“We must have dinner soon,” April says.
“I’d love that.”