12. Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Rina
This was a terrible idea.
I don’t want to go out on a fucking date. An impulsive and spiteful decision is biting me in the ass right now. I lost all sense of confidence in this plan about three hours ago when I was trying to find something to wear.
But I feel like I have something to prove to myself.
Now, I’m walking up to Allesandro’s in a pair of black jeans and flowy, sleeveless, maroon shirt with my hair in a ponytail and no makeup. The lack of effort is blinding, but it feels like a test. If Tyler can’t handle me like this, then he can’t handle me at all. Because this is technically dressed up for me, even if it is a shallow attempt.
Screw Arlo for making me feel like I need to go out of my comfort zone just to prove something to both of us.
The closer I get to the front doors, the more I want to turn right around and ditch Tyler.
“Rina.” His voice pulls me out of my musings.
“Tyler, hey.” I stop in front of him. He’s dressed in dark jeans, a blue polo shirt, and a blazer. His blond hair is perfectly coiffed, like it was at the coffee shop. Jeez, he’s like a Ken doll.
“You look sexy as hell.” He smirks, and I can’t hold back the eye roll. He actively chose sexy, not beautiful or gorgeous, to describe me on the first date. I don’t have high hopes for the rest of this evening.
“You ready to go inside?” I deflect.
“Absolutely.” He puts his hand on my lower back and leads me in, and I’m glad he can’t see the cringe on my face.
God, this was a terrible idea. The instant regret pisses me off. This was supposed to be my “fuck you” to Arlo, and I can’t even do that right. It’s becoming very clear to me that I’ve never actually worked through my feelings for the man. I just ignored everything to do with him and moved on like it didn’t bother me. It was mostly because of the responsibility I felt for Willow and Lennox, but it’s very clear I haven’t worked through things as well as I thought I had.
“Reservation. Roberts,” he throws out to the host without a please, thank you, or hello.
Off to a wonderful start.
“Of course, right this way.” The host throws a look my way, and I nod in acknowledgment. Her subtle warning makes me both annoyed and thankful for the unspoken girl code.
We get seated easily, Tyler pulling up the menu to cover his face, so I do the same. I’m not even looking at the menu. I’m thinking about how to get out of this situation. Suddenly uncomfortable, I have this off feeling about Tyler I can’t quite place. He hasn’t done anything wrong, per se, but his charisma from the coffee shop doesn’t seem to be here today.
“I can’t believe what they charge for steaks at restaurants nowadays. It’s highway robbery,” he says with disgust.
Definitely time for an exit strategy.
“Yeah, it’s a high-end product, though,” I mumble .
“Well, I won’t be supporting that. Maybe the chicken,” he ponders.
Who the hell suggests a steakhouse only to boycott ordering actual steak? You can bet my ass is ordering the largest steak I can out of spite now.
A shadow falls over the table, and I put my menu down, excited to piss off Tyler and order a steak, when I see it isn’t a server.
It’s Arlo fucking Steel.
“Can we get a bottle of the Zapata Malbec? And for my entrée, I’ll have the roast chicken with a Caesar salad.” Tyler doesn’t even look at the man as he orders, and I sit there in shock, mouth open and everything. It’s when Tyler hands Arlo the menu that the giggles start.
What an actual shitshow. My date, however horrible he is, is handing my ex-husband a menu and treating him like a server. Arlo’s entire body is clenched tight. I can see the tick in his stubbled jaw as he stares down Tyler.
“Rina, can I talk to you for a moment?” Arlo grits out.
My laughter gains more traction at how ridiculous this all is. Tyler finally takes a look at Arlo and arches his eyebrow.
“Is there a problem?”
“There will be if Rina doesn’t come with me,” Arlo says, and my laughter stops at once.
How dare he come in here and order me around? How the fuck did he even find me?
“We’re on a date, so you can talk to her later,” Tyler says before going back to ignoring him.
“You’re no longer on a date,” Arlo counters.
“I’m right here. You don’t need to talk around me. No need for the dick-measuring contest.” I roll my eyes before standing up from my chair. “I’ll be right back,” I tell Tyler. I know Arlo will stand here the entire time if I don’t figure out why the hell he’s here, so this is the only choice.
“Are you kidding me right now?” Tyler practically yells.
“It’ll just take a minute.” I grab Arlo’s arm and don’t give in to Tyler’s outrage. Yes, this is not normal, but it’s a first date. He doesn’t have any say over what I do either.
Dragging Arlo away from the table and outside, I pull us around the side of the restaurant and out of sight for anyone to see or overhear us.
I spin around after I drop his arm. “What the actual fuck, Arlo?”
“You can’t go on a date with that asshole.”
I stare at him in disbelief. He’s got to be kidding right now.
“How in the world do you think you have any say in what I do?”
“Rina…”
“No. We’re settling this right now. How dare you think you have any say over what I can and can’t do? And how did you even know I was here?”
He has the decency to look shameful as his head bows.
“I can’t stand to see you with someone else,” he murmurs.
“Then you should have thought about that fifteen years ago!” I yell. “I’m not having this conversation again. You know exactly what you did and exactly how badly you hurt me. We may have fucked, but that does not mean we are anything more, Arlo Steel,” I say at a calmer level. I’m proud of myself for standing my ground. The date with Tyler was almost immediately a wash, but Arlo didn’t need to know that. He needs to know he doesn’t have access to me anymore.
“I know!” he yells, attempting to pull at his hair. “I know. But my chest…” He pounds it with his fist, right where his heart is. “It fucking hurts thinking of you out with someone. I can’t breathe, I can’t think, and I sure as hell can’t work. I can’t pretend to be okay without you anymore.” The strain in his voice almost has me. It’s like I can see the pain over every inch of his body, and it makes me soften toward him.
“Why now? I just don’t understand why now ? It’s been years since you came back, and you’ve treated me like just another citizen. You’ve never shown an ounce of interest, so what the fuck is going on?" His emotion is breaking through my walls, and I hate it. I hear it in my voice, this ache, letting me know I’m not as far removed as I’d like to be.
"I don’t know, and I know I need to work on that, and figure out all of this shit and why I’ve done what I have. But I couldn’t sit by, knowing you were on a date. I couldn’t sit by, knowing you’re meant to be mine. For God’s sake, Rina, my cock was inside of you less than a week ago!”
Just hearing the words makes my legs clench together. No, I should not be turned on right now.
“And that gives you the right to just come in here and pull me away from a date?” I hold strong.
We stare at each other. The tension, the sparks, are always so prevalent. My skin tingles, the hair standing on end, and the need in his eyes probably matches mine. It pisses me off. I’m not supposed to be feeling this with him still. I’m supposed to hate him—I do hate him—but I can’t deny he does something to my body that no man ever has.
In a flash, his hands wrap around my jaw, and he pushes me against the side of the building as he kisses me. I grip his biceps and do the only thing I can at the moment—hold on tight.
I don’t know why I don’t shove him away.
No, that’s not true. I don’t shove him away because deep down I want what only he can give my body. He can give me the release I have craved since the last time we were together. But that’s all this is, nothing more, nothing less.
It has to be just this, I plead with myself, begging me to not fall for him.
He kisses me like he’s starving for it, like he’s been dying for me, and I melt into it. My brain rebels and I bite his lip hard, just to piss him off. He growls in response as he jerks back. His tongue swipes over the broken skin, and I smirk as his eyes flash to mine.
“Dirty play, Marina.”
“Don’t fucking call me that,” I whisper with less heat than I want.
He leans forward and whispers in my ear, “I’ll call you anything I want while I’m buried deep inside of you.”
Fuck it.
My hands frantically reach for his jeans and pop the button. He shoves my hands and spins me around.
“Hands on the wall.” His voice deepens as I comply subconsciously.
He wrenches my ass back before sliding a hand to my stomach. He skillfully pops the button on my jeans and shoves his hand inside as I moan in anticipation.
The loss of his hands has me pushing my ass back for any touch, but then, this man shocks the shit out of me by yanking my jeans and panties down just low enough to expose me.
I should probably worry that we’re out in the open, that anyone could see us, but if anything, it turns me on more. My clit pulses with need right as his hand smacks my ass. The sting is delicious and melts into pure pleasure. I hear moaning, and I don’t realize it’s me until Arlo leans over my back and puts his mouth right next to my ear.
“Keep moaning my name, Marina. It only makes me harder.”
“Shut up and fuck me.” I push my ass out again .
His deep chuckle reaches my ear as he straightens, the crinkle of a condom the only other sound.
The anticipation of his touch while simultaneously having my legs immobile and my hands on the brick wall of the building makes me crazy.
But he makes me wait.