Chapter Fifteen Randall
Her fingers are small and cold, but they manage to fit nicely in my large, calloused paw. Elise walks in front of me as we follow the crowd, giving me a view of the curves I felt at the edges of my fingers while we danced.
My fingers were very well behaved, by the way. I should get a damn medal for not crushing her body to mine. Dancing with Elise was an exercise in restraint. I would do just about anything to be allowed to grab her ass one more time.
Friends without benefits.
Friends without benefits, dammit.
Friends without fucking benefits!
I engrain the mantra in my brain and keep my hands away from my friend. Because we are Friends. Without. Benefits.
Put those words on my tombstone, because they will be the death of me.
Before entering the dining room, she takes a sharp right to exit the event. We find ourselves at the edge of the hotel’s lobby.
“Don’t you have to join your dinner table?” I ask, confused.
“Why did you do that? Why did you offer my mother something so extravagant?”
Despite asking such a loaded question, Elise’s expression is sweet and tender. Her eyes are glassy, lips impossibly supple, and body so damn soft. I, on the other hand…
“Randall.”
That jolts me out of my trance. I blurt the first thing that comes to mind. “My agent is always bugging me about tax write-offs, so—”
“Bullshit,” she mumbles. It’s a harsh word, but she doesn’t look mad. Just curious.
I shrug because she’s right. The last thing I was thinking about when I made the bid was my agent or taxes. There was no intention beyond dropping off the Mavericks tickets tonight, but nothing could stop me once the opportunity presented itself.
Seeing the trip reminded me of Elise. I didn’t want anyone else to win a trip that perfectly fit her interests. In a split second, I resolved to win it. My bid reflected that intention. There was no plan beyond securing the prize. I figured there would be time to think about how to present the possibility.
Possibility of what? Fuck if I know.
However, when put on the spotlight with a room full of people, I remembered how Elise would want her mother to resume traveling. It’s amazing how much she thinks of Geraldine’s happiness and vice versa. I witnessed their closeness firsthand. It felt right to make both their wishes come true.
That impulse was compounded by another realization: my mother would have enjoyed London, I think. She was a simple, stay-at-home mom who lived for her boys, but she also had an adventurous streak.
“You talked about Geraldine missing out on her travels. I figured this is a nice kick start, yeah?”
“It’s too much, Randall. She got carried away by the moment, but I know her. When she gets home, she’ll feel bad about taking the trip from you. Then she’ll have questions about us and…” She pauses.
I have to remind myself to breathe. “And?”
“And what do I tell her?”
“That I’m a nice guy who likes to do things for his friends.”
“And his friends’ mothers? Really?”
I squeeze the hand entwined with mine. How do I express what has been percolating under the surface of my subconscious since they had me over for dinner last night?
Seeing Elise with her mother makes me miss Margaret Haughland something fierce.
“I never got to do anything extravagant for my mother, because she died before I collected my first NHL paycheck.”
Elise’s free hand flies to her gaping mouth. She makes a choking sound and her eyes well up.
“Oh, Randall.”
Her arms wrap around my waist, and she presses her ear against my heart. We embrace quietly for a while, everything falling away as I fill my senses with Elise’s pliant body, her womanly aroma, her red dress. When she looks up at me, her eyes are a somber hue of dark brown.
“Do you really have to leave?”
“I can’t stay for dinner, I’m sorry.”
“I don’t want to say goodbye.”
“Then don’t. Let’s go for a drive.” I light up at the possibility of leaving with Elise. “I can’t be seen partying around town, but I can go for a drive with my friend,” I add to convince her. I don’t sound desperate at all.
“Great idea. Yeah, let’s do it. I’ll text my mom so they start dinner without me.”
“She won’t be mad because I took you away?” I say to be polite. Meanwhile, I’m cupping her elbow so I can lead her to the exit before she changes her mind.
While she’s texting and walking, she says, “Randall Haughland, you just made sure her favorite charity got an expansion for their art room while simultaneously giving her the trip of a lifetime. Nothing impresses Geraldine Chen more than someone who is generous and efficient. You’re in her good books for a long while.”
Guiding her to the glass doors, I feel the night’s chill. “Should we get your coat?”
“We’re just going for a drive. I’ll grab my coat later.”
Right. A drive. As much as I want to, I’m not taking this incredible woman home. No need to gather her things like she’s staying overnight. I hide my disappointment with a curt nod.
I open the passenger door for her once the valet fetches my car. The tempting rise of her skirt as she slips into my Corvette Stingray is for my eyes only.
When we pull away from the curb, it’s obvious I have no idea what a drive entails.
“Where should we go?”
I honestly don’t care. This is the first time I’m alone with Elise since…well, since. I’d drive across the state, if that’s what she wants.
“Have you been to Bicentennial Park at night? The greenway path gives a gorgeous view of the Main Street Bridge and Columbus’s skyline.”
“Let’s do it.”
She navigates her hometown’s streets for me, offering delightful tidbits about the city.
The bridge’s arch was the first of its kind in North America.
North Shore market has amazing pastries.
University students have an annual drunken dip at Mirror Lake when OSU plays their rival Michigan.
I greedily store the sound of her voice because I am a hoarder of everything and anything Elise gives me.
We’re at a light when she reaches out and runs a finger over the top of my hand that sits on the gear shift. Like she did the first night she sat in my car, Elise lights my body on fire with the lightest graze.
“God, why is it so hot to watch you drive stick?”
I can’t help my smirk. If that’s what turns her on, I’ll drive all night.
“You’re opening yourself up for stick jokes, Elise.”
She ignores my teasing and points to a sign. “Turn right here.”
I find a spot at the end of the parking lot, tucked against a section under construction. With the engine killed and Elise’s downtown tour completed, silence fills the car.
The blue-and-white lights of the Main Street Bridge are reflected on the flowing water of the Scioto River. Its banks are lined with trees that provide shade over a winding walkway. Past the park, there’s a mix of skyscrapers and small buildings that make up Columbus’s cityscape.
I focus beyond the windshield and avoid staring at Elise.
If I turn her way, she’ll see how much I want her. How fucking thirsty I am for her body pressed to me, pressed against my mouth so I can drink my fill.
My eyes stray downward where her upper thighs are exposed. Without my permission, my fingers clench.
Elise reaches out and unclenches them. Her voice is barely a whisper. “I want you.”
The air is vacuumed out of my lungs. Did I hear her correctly? When our gazes snag, there’s no denying the lust reflected back at me.
“Is that OK, Randall?”
Seriously? I chuckle at the inadequacy of that word. OK is for things like movies or dinner plans. Elise wanting me is fucking fantastic.
“If you can’t tell how much I want you, too, you’re going to need glasses.” Her lashes lower, eyes landing on my strained pants.
I thought parking in the darkest corner of the lot would make it easier to hide my arousal. Impossible at the obscene state it’s in. There’s no denying what she does to me.
The sexual tension snaps. We reach for each other. Like magnets, our lips collide.
Kissing her isn’t at all how I remembered. It’s more, somehow. Unbelievably soft lips cushion the frantic dance of our tongues. Tasting. Delving. Seizing. My hands cradle her head and tilt it at an angle that deepens our connection. It’s a kiss of desperation and discovery, hunger and satisfaction.
When we pull away to catch our breaths, words spill out before I can catch them. Our mouths are barely an inch apart when I speak.
“I’m losing my mind with how badly I want you. So bad, Elise. So fucking bad. If we have to stop, we stop now. Do you hear me, baby? Tell me to stop right fucking now and I will.”
“I don’t want you to stop.”
With that statement, Elise becomes my world. Her voice, her aroma, her curves. She’s intoxicating.
“Then finish what you started,” I order. “Get over here and ride me.”
Our faces are so close, I don’t see her expression. But I feel her smile when she says what I’ve been dying to hear.
“Yes, sir.”