Undeniably Yours (Torn, #3.5)(7)

Chuckling lightly, I looked at her with newfound respect. I was beyond charmed. “Ratty pillow, emotional, undecided and allergic to cats, gotcha. And you have a thing for athletes? Say, David Beckham?”

“Uh, who doesn’t have a thing for him?” she quickly countered back, aghast at my question.

Was the ex an athlete then? I would presume so. That made me ponder some more.

Moving on from the ex, I continued with my twenty questions, hoping that she wouldn’t mind. “So, actors… you don’t have a thing for?” I peeked at her, eyes full of explicit intention.

I was fishing, gently implying my interest in her without being too forward and scaring her away.

Hiding a smile, she responded. “No, not yet.”

Not yet… what a bad liar you are Emma Anderson, but two could play that game. For now, I’d let her slide. “You are something else, aren’t you?” I lounged back, placing my hands behind the back of my head, emphasizing my toned arms while my shirt rode up higher, making her hyperaware of me. “Are you dating anyone, Em?”

Her eyes devoured me, just as I had intended. I knew what buttons to push when it came to slow seduction; mind you, this was extra snail paced.

Waiting on her, I took a sip of my wine.

Emma gave a quick shake of her head. “No, not anymore. It ended yesterday actually, if you really want to know.”

f*uk. Just yesterday? Shit man. This wasn’t good. She was more fragile than I thought. f*uk.

I was gob smacked. “Oh, wow. I didn’t expect that.” This was a tricky situation.

“Expect what?” She glanced at my boggled state, frowning.

“That you’re on the rebound.”

Emma looked offended. “Who said I was on the rebound?”

Let’s pull out the given stats here. “That’s just a given. A person is on the rebound for a month after breaking it off with someone, especially if the person they broke it off with actually meant something, then that’s another shitload of shenanigans.”

Lucky bastard, I thought, referring to her ex. While looking at her closely, her sad eyes emerged for a few seconds before she was able to mask it again. Ha, I supposed the ex did the leaving? She sure as hell didn’t look celebratory now to be without him. Women I knew pretty well, and this—Emma—didn’t look like she had been ready.

I was looking at her in a different light after giving me that essential information. I knew I should back the f*uk off, yet I, for some reason, couldn’t fathom doing so.

Where did that leave me? Shit again. That’s right.

“Can I just say that… you’re weird? I never thought Bass Cole would be weird until this moment.”

See? How do I walk away from her adorableness? “Ha. You are too cute sometimes.”

Diverging from the touchy subject, I continued on. “What are your favorite films?” I asked, leaning forward as I prepared crackers with cheese and olives on them.

Placing them on a cocktail napkin, I handed them to her, banishing the tempting thought of feeding them directly to her, wanting to taste the olive in her mouth.

Cautiously, she made a small smile before speaking, “Eurotrip was a blast. The Notebook, Gone with the Wind, Casablanca, Kingdom of Heaven, Defiance and Closer to name a few.”

Not bad choices.

“Interesting choices you have there. I like it. So, what did you like about Closer?” I watched her eat and talk, however I was more intrigued with her opinion of the film.

She merely shrugged. “What’s not to like? It was a great film with great actors. The story was moving and relatable.”

Relatable? How? That was boggling me. “So, you condone cheating then?” I continued, pressing further.

“No, I never said that. I don’t condone it. I meant it was relatable in a sense that our society has made it somewhat okay. If a famous celebrity cheats on someone, they publicize it to the hilt and it’s portrayed as acceptable to some, I supposed. I wish they didn’t though because it sets a bad example to others.”

Her answer sent relief. “Good answer.”

“Thank you,” she murmured and downed the rest of her drink.

Onto the next question, “Tell me, why The Notebook?”

“Because that movie was hella awesome!? But to answer your question, I loved how committed the hero was to his love. His unfaltering dedication to the promise he made years back was astounding. I mean, he truly, deeply loved her. It’s that kind of love that stays with you, you know? The kind where it haunts you and there is nowhere to hide…” Emma trailed off, seeming distant, before her blue eyes clouded with grief.

Was that how she felt now? Like she was being haunted by that kind of love? It was a sobering thought. As I had believed before, her ex truly was a lucky man. “Have you had that kind of love?”

“I thought I did once, but it was a mirage… there was no point in holding on to it. Maybe one day I’ll get to have it. I would consider myself lucky if I ever did, not a lot of people can say that they have though.” Sad eyes glanced at me, before she asked, “What about you? Have you ever had it? That kind of love, I mean.”

Ah, she was curious, a sign that she still held an interest in me. I suppose all hope wasn’t lost after all.

Beaming from her inquisition, I responded, “No, not yet, but if I do, I will embrace it and hold onto it for as long as I can. I haven’t loved a woman before. It’s not that I’m hiding from it, it just hasn’t happened. I do know that once I do, this woman would consume me and I would gladly surrender to it, to her. I would be enslaved to it and love her wholeheartedly, no holds barred.” I spoke with utmost depth and conviction.