Chapter 16
Sixteen
Tristan
She looked so beautiful, I was having a hard time not staring at her. Telling my travel sob story, hearing her laugh and offer sympathetic words, it seriously did make all the suffering I'd endured worthwhile.
Having someone to talk to at the end of the day, getting it all out, had been cathartic, something I deeply missed in my life. Although how could I miss something I'd never had?
It was just a pipedream, a wild idea that it sure would be fucking amazing to have.
I studied everything about her while she ate, trying not to give her a complex or make her feel self-conscious. She was somehow even prettier than she was in my memories, something I didn't think was possible, her curves shown off to perfection in that dress.
That goddamn dress that hugged her gorgeous body.
And even worse. I knew what was under there already. It was so hard to control myself, but I had to if I had any shot of making this work. She was already skittish around me, and I had no fucking clue why. It was driving me insane.
Archie came out then, yet another balancing act with our precious desserts in his hands. Why didn't he use the tray I'd specifically provided for this evening?
My elusive beauty's eyes lit up at the sight of the dark chocolate cheesecake as he finally set the plates down in front of us safely. He'd even remembered to do the drizzle of raspberry coulis. Although mine was a mess.
"I gave you the ugly one," he said to me, somewhat under his breath.
"Thanks." And I meant it. Hers was gorgeous.
"Ooh, this looks so good," she gushed. "The perfect finish."
I smiled at her, her face all lit up. Her enthusiasm was good for my soul, that was for sure.
"I have to admit, I didn't make this. Dessert isn't my thing. But I do know the best dessert places in the city."
She took a small bite, closing her eyes as she savored it. God, she was stunning. Her tongue darted out to get a bit of chocolate left behind on her pretty plump lower lip. I swallowed hard, the sight like catnip to me.
Archie cleared his throat next to me. "Where's my money, dude?" he asked.
Seriously? He wanted to be paid right this second? "I'll give you your fifty bucks later, bud."
"One hundred."
I gaped at him. "One hundred? We agreed on fifty."
"You're not gonna tip me? And really? You're being cheap in front of your date? Is that really the look you're going for?"
There were smothered giggles across the table from me, making me laugh myself as I dug in my pocket for some cash. I pulled out two crisp hundred dollar bills and handed them over.
"A three-hundred percent markup because I respect the hustle," I told him. "You're going to run Wall Street one day, kid."
Grabbing the money with the world's biggest grin, he quickly pocketed it like I might change my mind, which I wouldn't do of course, and then he ran off once more... probably to dream about ridiculously overpriced gaming skins or other in-game currency he'd blow it on.
"I knew I should have hired a professional," I muttered, hoping to make my date laugh again.
Glancing at her, my comment had indeed hit the mark, her cheeks pink, what I could see of them anyway, her eyes dancing with amusement.
"You're really good to him," she said.
I shrugged, not so sure about that. "I do my best. But I'm not really sure that's enough. You know?"
"I think it is. I can see it in the way he looks at you, the way he interacts with you. He's comfortable around you. I know one thing from being a kid myself, especially a teen, to have one person you can trust, someone you can confide in, it makes all the difference in the world."
I let out a breath, her words like a balm to a niggling worry that was always inside me these days. "That's good to hear."
She eyed me over the rim of her wine glass. "How long has he lived with you?"
"Off and on for years really. But full time... that's a more recent development, maybe the last six months or so."
"I... well, I read about your dad and his ex, I mean, Archie's mom, a little. But what really happened there? If you don't mind my asking, that is."
"I don't mind."
Actually, I was glad she had asked. It meant she was taking an interest in me and my life. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that Archie would be a wingman for me, but it appeared that she was drawn in by the whole situation.
She watched me as I took a sip of my wine, thinking about how much I wanted to reveal. It wasn't something I talked about to many people. In fact, nobody. Who exactly was I going to open up to in my life?
My parents? No fucking way. My basketball buddies? Not likely. My work colleagues? Not a chance in hell. So my opening-up skills were a bit rusty.
"So it's not the most exciting story in the world, not like one big blow-up or something.
It was just my dad and his wife Leona were as mismatched as my mom and dad were, fought all the time, clashed on anything and everything, and ended up hating each other.
Same story as his first marriage pretty much.
I guess my dad is destined to be alone."
It was kind of sad, but that's what happened when you were an asshole and treated everyone like shit.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "That's no life for a kid."
Her words went straight to my chest. She had no idea what they meant to me. "No. It's not. And that's why I intervened and tried to have him live with me, away from all the drama and bullshit."
The smile she gave me was soft, something gentle and warm about it. "That was really thoughtful of you. I'm surprised they let you."
"Ha." The laugh that came out of me sounded bitter. "It was a battle at first. They used him like a pawn in their shitshow of a marriage. But Archie's pretty good at getting his way. And he fought for it just as much as I did. And in the end..."
This part was pretty damn painful to say out loud, to actually admit how terrible my father really could be.
"In the end?" she prompted.
I sighed. "In the end, they were both too selfish to actually put in the work of raising a kid.
They both just wanted to live their own lives and not be bothered with trivial things like teacher night or swim meets or making sure he at least attempts to eat a vegetable once a week.
So sadly, once he'd stopped being useful in their divorce battle, they gave him up without much of a fight. "
"Oh, God."
"Right? Not that he knows that really. Just between you and me."
She nodded. "Of course."
"They put in the least amount of effort possible now, probably only to make themselves look good.
Like Leona came to visit not too long ago, the first time she's seen her son in months, and my dad takes Archie out to dinner every other Thursday.
" Anger rose up in me at their pathetic displays of parenting, purely for show.
"How nice of them," my beautiful dinner companion said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
She really understood. "My thoughts exactly."
"Well, it's a good thing, what you're doing. And even if he's..." She smiled, looking toward the closed door. "...a challenge sometimes, he'll be eternally grateful for it all someday."
I smiled back, the moment stretching out, our eyes locked, something passing in the air between us.
"This, uh, may seem forward of me," she began hesitantly, "but I keep noticing you stretching your neck."
I was? I hadn't even realized it. "Oh, yeah, well, just a little kink from sleeping weird, and then the plane didn't help matters."
Her gaze went soft. Damn, I could get used to that expression directed at me.
"Would you like me to massage it?" she asked.
Excuse me. What?
"I mean, I'm not the best at that sort of thing," she went on. "But I could... well, I could try."
Fuck yes. "That sounds amazing."
Brightness lit up her eyes even more. "Stay right where you are," she commanded.
Hot damn. "Yes, ma'am."
Scooting back, she got up from her chair and came around to my side of the table. She stood in the space behind me, her proximity palpable before she even touched me.
There was hesitation. No, no, no. Please don't back out.
"I—" she said.
I stretched my neck to one side and made a noise. "Right there, babe. If you could get that one spot, I'll forever be in your debt, and I'll probably reach enlightenment."
Her laughter was like music to my ears and then she placed her hands on me. Yeah, enlightenment was not an exaggeration. The woman had barely touched me and I was already a goner.
And then her hands started to move, kneading the stiff muscles where my shoulders met my neck... oh, right, my traps. God, she had me so out of my mind, I'd forgotten basic anatomy.
Her touch was gentle, a bit tentative. "Is that too much?"
"No," I groaned, leaning into it.
"So harder?"
"Whatever you want. Just as long as you keep touching me."
She laughed again, her hesitation falling away as she continued caressing me, digging in a bit harder now, the feeling beyond heaven.
Her breasts rubbed against me, and ladies and gentlemen, that was the end of this being a PG massage. My cock stirred to life. Oh, who was I kidding? It'd been at half-mast ever since she'd exited the car.
"Oops, sorry," she whispered.
"Don't ever be sorry for that."
"Um, okay," she said with a giggle.
This was swiftly becoming torture... but the best kind of torture. And yeah, I was definitely embarrassing myself now, squirming a bit, dying to adjust myself in my suddenly too-tight pants.
Her fingers moved up my neck and she hit that sweet spot where I was most sore. The pressure was perfect, my muscles melting under her every motion. I couldn't help letting out a sigh.
"Is that good?" she asked.
"Fucking perfection, baby."
Even if it was torture, she could keep her hands on me for as long as she cared to, and I would never complain. This was ten million times more than anything I thought would happen tonight.
What didn't help matters was I remembered every single second of that night we'd had sex, every goddamn thing. Her every touch, every caress, her smooth skin, her tight pussy, her tits that overflowed in my hands, every fucking curve. It was all there in my mind. Crystal clear.
Damn.
My breathing began to pick up. My heart rate too. Getting more turned on than I had any right to be, my dick hard as stone now.
And there were those breasts again, teasing my back. Was she doing it on purpose?
"Whoops." She sighed. "They're so big they really get in the way sometimes."
She said it like it was a burden. "Uh, no problem. Really."
Although it was a problem. Because right at that moment, two things happened at once. It started to snow, and my phone went off.
Snow was good actually. Anything to help cool this burning lust firing through my veins.
But the phone? It was Archie texting me. "Sorry to bug you. But where are some extra towels?"
Ah, shit.
Now, I had to go inside and deal with whatever was happening. Archie was pretty independent and could take care of most things. But extra towels indicated some sort of water issue, and unfortunately, that was something I should probably not ignore or leave to a thirteen-year-old kid to handle.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I need to go inside. There's some kind of water leak."
"Oh." She sounded disappointed, and I was right there with her.
"I'm sorry to cut it short. This wasn't how I planned things."
She came around to the side of the table where we made eye contact. "I'll go in with you. See if I can help somehow."
"Really? You want to help with a possible plumbing issue?"
"Sure. Why not?"
Okay then. She was even more perfect than I thought.
Staring at me expectantly, snowflakes drifting down around us, I realized she was ready to go and probably wondering why I hadn't stood up already. The problem was my dick was still hard.
"Uh, I just need a minute."
Her brows came together, her head tilted to one side in confusion.
Leaning forward, I spelled it out for her. "Your massage gave me a massive erection."
She huffed out a laugh in the cutest possible way, her cheeks turning an adorable shade of pink. "Oops, sorry."
"Don't be sorry. I fucking loved it. Just help me think of gross things."
"Gross things," she repeated. "Like?"
"Like yellow snow, boogers, hair in food..."
"Used band-aids floating in a pool!" she chimed in, oddly excited. "Someone clipping their nails at a restaurant."
"My brother's dirty socks."
That one made her laugh. "Stepping on a snail, stepping in gum, stepping in—"
"You know? I'm not sure I want to hear the end of that. I'm probably about ready."
I wasn't. Things had only improved a bit. But going inside and dealing with whatever was happening would take care of the rest.
And then, I'd see if there was a way to salvage the rest of this once-promising date.