CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Tim
The next night at the Orchid Ball, I was wearing an old-fashioned tux that was supposed to give me vampire vibes. I wasn’t sure I was pulling it off. I looked more like a lumberjack stuffed into a really old tux.
It was Halloween weekend, so Carrie had worked it into the theme. Everyone wore formal wear that could also technically be some sort of costume. I couldn’t wait to see what Natalie was wearing.
I hit the bar kind of hard, my eyes glued to the entrance. I was waiting for Natalie to come through with her surgeon.
God. Why did he have to be a surgeon? I knew I was an engineer and that was nothing to sneeze at, but still. Plus, Harrison, who had a luxury car dealership, said he’d sold the guy a ridiculous number of cars over the past few years.
I drove a Ford F-150. It was nice. But it wasn’t a Maserati or whatever the hell Heath drove.
“Can I get you another, handsome?”
I turned to see a very busty, very pretty bartender. “Yes, please,” I grinned at her. I totally wasn’t going to hit on her, but it was okay to flirt. I could appreciate beauty without wanting to get with her. I took the drink, stuffed a twenty in her tip jar, and turned back to watch the door.
And I perked up. Natalie walked in with Heath.
I didn’t see Heath after the first seconds because my eyes were glued to Nat.
She looked gorgeous. Her long, dark hair was pulled into a complicated twist of some sort.
She never wore much makeup, but she was tonight.
Her eyes popped, and I could see their intense color from here.
And her lips—the dark raspberry color had me wanting to kiss her senseless.
I wanted to taste her. No—I needed to taste her.
She had on a shiny light blue dress with a low, tight bodice that was doing very naughty things to her cleavage.
The skirt of the dress was full and covered in little crystals that caught the light every time she moved.
She had on elbow length gloves, and when she lifted her skirts to show Alexis her shoes, I saw that they were ‘glass’ slippers.
Ah. She was Cinderella. Or at least had a Cinderella vibe. It was then I turned to Heath to see what he was wearing assuming he was her Prince Charming. And I saw that he’d caught me staring at Natalie. His eyes were slightly narrowed, and I saw that pleasant, friendly Heath could be… less so.
I gave him a chin nod and held up my glass to him. He gave me a terse nod, purposely gave Nat a kiss where I could see, then moved his hand to the small of her back to guide her towards the dance floor.
I had just gotten another drink when Carrie came up and asked me to dance. I tossed back my drink. “Gladly, my dear.” I gave her a stiff bow, and she laughed at my impression of a vampire.
I danced a couple of dances with her, and a few with Sadie’s other friends. I even danced once with Gemma Reardon but avoided her after that. If I’d ever worried about myself being too handsy during a dance, I was nothing compared to that woman. My God. I felt somewhat violated.
I hurried away from her and almost ran right into Natalie. I gave her my deep vampire bow. “A dance, dear lady?”
She tried to hide her smile. “Are you trying to be a vampire?”
“You got it! You’re the first person to get it right.” I swung her onto the dance floor, my hand firmly at her back, pulling her as close to me as I could get her.
“You would have done better imitating the Count from Sesame Street.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re kind of mean?” I faked a hurt look, and she laughed.
“Only you.”
I swung her around and around the floor, and we laughed and talked about everything we’d missed out on for the past week since we hadn’t seen each other that much.
I happened to notice Heath standing across the room with an attractive, wealthy-looking older couple that must have been his parents. “Don’t look now, but are those Heath’s parents over there?” I swung her around where she could see without being obvious.
“That’s them,” she said.
There was something in her tone that had me looking down at her. “What? You don’t like them?”
“No, I do. Of course, I do. They’re just a little… intense.”
“What do you mean?”
She looked uncomfortable. “I worried that they wouldn’t like me because I’m not as wealthy as they are. I thought maybe they’d want Heath to be with someone more like them… but that hasn’t been the case at all. They act like they adore me. It’s kind of overwhelming.”
“You’re easy to adore,” I shrugged. It was just true.
“It’s just that it seems as if they’re waiting for Heath to ask me to marry him and wondering what’s taking so long.
I almost tripped over her. “What are you talking about marriage for?” I was horrified. “It’s way too soon, right?”
She shrugged. “They don’t seem to think so. Including Heath.”
I looked around. “Hey, have you been out to the haunted garden yet?”
“No. What are you even talking about?”
I swung her expertly around the crowded dress floor until we reached one of the back doors that led to the riverwalk and gardens behind the country club. I pushed it open and hurried outside with her.
We walked around in the haunted maze Carrie had spent a lot of time on. It was only haunted by dry ice, but still, it was fun. I waited until I got her in the center of the maze.
“You’re not going to marry him.”
“You say that like it’s not a question.”
“It’s not. He’s not right for you, Nat.”
“Why not?” She put her hands on her hips, offended. “Because I’m not fancy enough for him?”
“Not at all. It’s because you’re not yourself with him.”
She looked at me sharply. “You’ve noticed that? You’ve only seen me with him twice, Tim.”
“That’s all it takes. I know you. Maybe better than anyone else.”
“Natalie!” a male voice called out in the distance.
I exchanged a glance with her. “Is that Heath?”
“Natalie!”
“It is. I better go. Are you coming with me?”
I shook my head, knowing it would make him mad at her if we came out of the maze together.
“Okay.” She picked up her skirts and started to walk away, when I reached for her and pulled her back in my arms. My eyes moved between her eyes and her lips, and I saw hers doing the same to mine. Finally, I lowered my mouth to hers.
As soon as our lips met, it was like it had been the first night we’d gotten together.
It lit a fire inside me, and all I wanted was to push her back up against the box hedge and have my way with her.
Her fingers tightened almost painfully on my shoulders.
We got closer and closer, kissing more and more wildly until we were dangerously close to the point of no return.
“Natalie!”
The sound of her boyfriend calling for her did it. She broke away from me, and we stood there staring at each other. We were both breathing heavily. “Don’t marry him, Nat.”
She studied my face for what felt like a long moment, then she took a deep breath. “I have to ask you something.”
“Anything.”
“I’m thinking of going back to Baltimore when my contract is up. What do you think of that?”
I grinned and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, I guess I’d start looking for a job there, too.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Really? You’d leave your family and your job for a woman you’re not even dating?”
I held her by the shoulders and forced her to look in my eyes.
“Natalie, I’d move anywhere for you. You’re my best friend.
Do I want to date you? I’m telling you now that yes, I’d very much like a second chance to prove to you that I’m not the asshole manwhore that I was more than a year ago.
But even if you said no, I’d never want to stop being friends with you. Never.”
She was a little breathless as she looked up at me. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “I would’ve moved to Baltimore right after you left except I was scared you’d file a restraining order on me. And… I knew I had some work I needed to do on myself before I was fit to be with you, either as a friend or something more.”
“Natalie!”
“I have to go.” She got a pained look on her face, then turned and ran from me, the fog of the dry ice swallowing her almost completely within seconds.