Undeniably Yours (Torn, #3.5)(6)
Her sexy heels echoed loudly against the black marbled floor, hips swaying as she did so. “Come on, I want to show you the view from the patio.” It was one of the reasons why I had bought this house.
Situated on a hilltop, the bright lights of Los Angeles sprawled before our eyes, vast and mysterious. It was completely captivating with the famous Hollywood sign seen in the distance.
Her eyes took in the sight before us, twinkling with great fascination.
Coming up behind her, I brushed the tip of my nose against her hair, getting high off her scent. “It’s marvelous, isn’t it?” I asked, referring to this thing between us and not the view.
Emma merely nodded in agreement.
Could it be possible to feel this distracting kind of closeness towards someone I had barely met? Even with the women I’d had before, it took me a few times to engage with them until I could feel comfortable. However, with Emma right now, everything felt new, while, at the same time, it felt as if I was meant to feel this way.
Baffled as to where my train of thought was going, I cleared my throat and asked, “You’re a new guest in my home, Emma Anderson. What can I get you for refreshments?” It was my excuse to head indoors, hoping to clear my head a bit.
Emma moved sideways, captivating me some more. “Red wine and water, please.”
“Right away, Miss.” I put out a lazy smile. It was idiotic, yet I couldn’t help it. I liked having her here.
Emma decided to follow me inside the house. Her heavy perusal was felt as I moved about, trying in earnest to ignore her avid interest. I almost groaned when I saw her lean over the granite island, watching me closely as I tried to focus on gathering our drinks.
“So, where did Cece go?” she inquired, fishing for some dish.
I think I only just failed holding back my smile. “I knew what you were doing, you know. I have to tell you that I feel insulted—truly and deeply insulted—that you would ditch me and hand me over to someone else, but you weren’t that slick.” I shook my head, beaming like a mad person. “I caught you at the right moment.” I certainly made an emphasis of the word ‘caught’.
Rounding the counter, I handed her a bottle of water then opened a bottle of red wine and took out two wine glasses from the cupboard.
“Whoops. Thought it was a match made in Heaven.”
Heaven wasn’t the word one would associate with a woman like Cece, but Emma on the other hand…
“Not even close. Not. Even. Close,” I murmured as I left for the patio, barefoot.
She followed, watching as I placed the items on the table and turned on the huge, outdoor marbled fireplace.
All this time, I was pleased her eyes never left me.
It was definitely mutual.
Emma remained outside as I strode inside again to get some snacks to nibble on.
When I got back out to the deck, Emma looked deep in thought. A large part of me knew that she was thinking of the ex because she somehow looked sad again.
A pang of something ignited inside me, but most of all, I wished to have her sad face erased permanently. For some reason, it seemed to matter a lot.
I placed a tray of food on the rattan coffee table. It consisted of fruits, brie and crackers, cold cuts, black and green olives, cherry tomatoes, dark and milk chocolates, a slice of strawberry cheesecake and chocolate cake, along with a bag of Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream chips.
Her laugh was music to my ears. “This is a very interesting mix you’ve got here, Bass.”
Her teasing tone made me redden as I placed my hands in my jean pockets. “I didn’t know what you wanted so, I, uh, guessed.” I sounded like a fourth grader who didn’t know how to act in front of his crush. It was humiliating, but her smile killed my brain cells, so acting like an idiot all night long should be a given already.
Her eyes lingered on my mouth before lifting them to connect with my hungered one. “So… what do you want to talk about Bass?”
Damn, were those tingles I was feeling? What the f*uk?
Shoving all that tingly shit aside; I focused on her and her question; which wasn’t much of a fight really. “You, anything and everything about you.” My eyes never left her face; I studied it closely, like I would with a beautiful painting.
There was just something about her and I wished I knew… what? Why? How this was happening to me? f*uk, I was so taken with her, it was getting unreal.
Emma took a cautious sip of her wine. I watched in fascination as she savored the vintage. She was now toying with her glass, looking at me with blushing cheeks. “Let’s see, I’m a college student at UCSB, major undecided, for now. I love cheesy movies and have a thing for athletes. I get emotional—especially a week or two before my period. I treasure those who are dear to me and eject the people who aren’t. I stock up all of my fortune cookies until I have over twenty of them and eat them all in one sitting. I come from a loving home so I’m not emotionally crippled in that sense. The only issues I have with my parents are their persistent nagging for me to become a doctor. We have a family cat named Tumble, who I am chronically allergic to, but I love all the same. I have a ten-year-old pillow that I wash constantly, mind you, but can’t let go of. And yes, it is a tad ratty, but I just can’t part with it.”
Now that was some introduction.
How could a man resist an adorable, hot, sexy woman who had a special attachment to some pillow?