Bella came over the following night to help me get ready for my date, carting her makeup bag and a red dress that she swore would look perfect on me. It was pretty sexy; showing only a hint of cleavage at the front, but dipping very low in the back.
"I'm not sure," I said, looking down at my legs. The dress was very very short. "Doesn't it make me look a bit too tall?"
"It makes you look like the supermodel you could have been," she argued, and I rolled my eyes. God, I'd forgotten all about that. I was scouted once years ago. Mom had nixed the idea immediately, and in any case, the scout, who'd thought I was a lot older, hadn't been interested after learning I was only fourteen. That had been the start, and the end, of that short career opportunity. Bella had never stopped lamenting it. She waggled her eyebrows at me now. "In that dress you'll draw every eye in the restaurant."
"I don't want to draw every eye," I said, but the fight drained out of me. Bella was as stubborn as a mule. And she was usually right about what looked good on me. "Just one eye will do. Or two. One pair of eyes."
It was her turn to roll her eyes. "Don't move while I put on your lipstick." She carefully applied the crimson red color to my lips, while I tried to stay as still as possible. She was also dressed up for a date with Finn tonight, though her mom believed she was spending the evening here working on a school project. She'd been grounded for two months after last Friday's fiasco.
Mom was outside, puttering around in the living room. She was not at all happy about tonight, but she had - reluctantly - relented on me going out. Kane had texted me yesterday - not even an hour after we'd left the coffee shop - about tonight, and I'd agreed, not remembering that I was still technically in the dog house. That's how dismal my social life was; I hadn't gone anywhere since the party, so Mom hadn't had cause to bring up my grounding. The only reason she'd agreed to tonight was because she'd been feeling guilty over how much I had on my plate.
"Do you think he'll invite you back to his apartment afterwards?" Bella asked, her eyes gleaming wickedly.
I shrugged, my stomach fluttering at the thought. "I don't know. He lives just down the corridor. I have no idea what the protocol is in this kind of situation."
"You'll figure it out," Bella said.
"I just wish there was a way to put off introducing him to Mom. She wasn't exactly thrilled the first he came up in conversation, remember? What if she starts giving him the third degree?"
"Make sure you beat her to the door," Bella suggested. "I'll help distract her."
"It's a plan," I said, hoping it worked. While Bella finished getting ready herself, I stood up and stepped into my shoes. I was thrilled to wear heels. I'd never been able to previously; I'd have ended up being taller than my date. That wasn't a remote possibility with Kane.
At seven, Bella and I decided to move into the living room. Thankfully, Mom was in the kitchen. Otherwise, I was sure she'd have started in on the questions about tonight. Barely a minute later, there was a knock on the front. I shared a glance with Bella, who nodded back at me.
"He's here," I called out, rushing for the door. "Bye-gotta-go-Mom-don't-wait-up."
At the same time, Bella hurried to the kitchen, saying, "Mrs. Chambers, I wanted to ask-"
I opened the door and stepped into the hall, my first glimpse of Kane making me catch my breath. He was dressed all in black, his eyes looking darker and more alluring than ever. As he ran a hand through his hair, I caught the subtle scent of his cologne. It was divine. Letting the door shut behind me, I exhaled.
"You look... beautiful," he said, his eyes smouldering.
"Thank you." My cheeks burned.
His lips quirked, his eyes softening. "Are you ready to leave? Good news; the elevator is finally working."
"You're joking," I said. Stepping away from the door, I realized that I'd been clutching the handle for support. I straightened, smiling up at him. "I thought they'd never repair it. Let's go."
At the end of the hall, he pressed a button for the elevator, and sure enough, the doors opened. I stepped inside, bouncing on my feet a little.
He laughed, looking amused. "You are too happy about this."
"Hey! It's not easy carting groceries up all those stairs. We don't all have your brawn." Without thinking, I put a hand on his arm to emphasise my point. It was a lot harder than I'd expected, and my pulse fluttered slightly as a muscle in his arm jumped in response to my touch. I cleared my throat, gesturing to my feet. "Besides, climbing all those sets of stairs in these shoes wouldn't have been easy."
His eyes followed my hand, scorching my skin on the long path they took down my legs to my feet. "I'm glad the stairs didn't deter you," he said in a low deep voice.
"Even the thought of your bike didn't deter me," I said, thinking the look in his eyes was well worth it.
"I actually borrowed my uncle's car for tonight," he told me, and I felt my lips slip into a pout.
"I was looking forward to riding on your bike. I've never ridden on one before."
He considered this, his eyes drawn to my lips. "Maybe next time. I wouldn't want you to freeze before we even make it to the restaurant."
Next time, the thought was enough to keep me warm all night. He seemed unaware that he'd said anything interesting as he guided me to where the car was parked.
It was... eventful, getting into his uncle's jeep. The seats were high, and my short dress, and heels left me in a conundrum.
"Here let me." Kane's hands kind of wavered in the air like he didn't know where to put them.
I managed to hop onto the seat by using my hands to lift me onto it. "I'm good," I said with a smile, still facing the open door.
His mouth turned up in the corner, and he shook his head, gently shutting the door for me. "I didn't think about how high up these seats were," he said ruefully, a moment later, as he shut his own door.
"It's okay," I told him, smiling.
I rolled down the window as he drove, my hair blowing in the breeze. Kane glanced over at me frequently, though I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"I hope you like Italian food?" he said, his hand resting lightly on my back as we entered the restaurant.
"I love it," I said, my lips forming a smile. He'd left it a little late to ask, hadn't he?
The restaurant was gorgeous, and bustling inside. There was a delicious aroma in the air, and dim romantic lighting across the room. As we passed a window, I caught sight of our reflection in the glass. Kane was tall, dark-haired, and handsome beside me. Next to him, I was captivating in red. My eyes sparkled enchantingly, my skin glowed. Dark hair fell down my shoulder in long, tousled curls, and my crimson lips looked sensuous and ready to be kissed. I felt sexy, confident, and happy.
"Kane Mathews," he said to the hostess, as she asked for our reservation.
She gaped at him for a second, before stuttering, "p-please follow me."
"Thank you."
As she showed us to our table, she stared at him unabashedly. "Your server will be with you shortly," she said, speaking only to Kane, "if you have any questions, please do let us know." Shooting one last wistful look over her shoulder, she left us with our menus.
Kane, completely unaware of the hostess's blatant lust, looked at me. "So, I'm really glad that you decided to text me back," he said, playfully.
I raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You doubted that I would?"
"I wasn't sure," he said honestly, and I found that hard to believe. Not with the way women reacted to him.
"You're... you." I raised my hand up and down as I gestured at him, and then at the hostess. "You can't be that oblivious to the reaction you get from women."
"I usually am pretty confident," he admitted, looking curious. "But, this reaction you think I get... do you react the same?"
"I never said that," I countered, as the waiter came up to introduce himself. Kane asked him what he recommended on the menu, and we ended up ordering. I went for the ravioli, while Kane chose a meatball pizza.
Kane glared after Lorenzo, our waiter, as he left.
"What?" I said.
"That guy is pissing me off. He kept ogling at your legs-"
"He was not," I said, rolling my eyes.
"-he was one step away from salivating."
"Stop glaring at the poor guy," I scolded, though I couldn't help smiling. "You'll give him heart palpitations."
His eyes moved back to me. "Do I look frightening?"
"No. Not to me." From the first moment I'd met him, he'd been kind, and smiling. Now that I thought about it... with his immense size, and a glare like the one he'd shot at the waiter, I could see how some might find him intimidating. "Not much scares me, anyway," I added.
He smiled, looking interested. "What are you most scared of?"
I thought about it. "I guess... losing my family. That would be my greatest fear," I said, honestly.
He nodded in understanding. "That would be mine, too. What would be your best memory?"
"My fourteenth birthday," I said, smiling at the memory. "We had a barbecue. My step-dad manned the grill, and he was so proud of his burgers, until we started eating, and realized he'd used sugar instead of salt in the seasoning. While Mom and David were scrambling to order pizza, nobody noticed Asher, my little brother, crawling off. He swallowed a rock, and choked on it. We ended up having to rush him to the ER."
"That's your best memory?" he asked. I smiled at his confusion.
"My mom and stepdad had been trying to get my surname changed ever since they got married. I was given my father's surname when I was born, so I was Zoe Turan, while everyone else in my family was a Chambers. My dad wasn't around, and both parents' permission is required to change a child's surname. So, Mom and David had to jump through some hoops and go through the courts to get it changed. They told me, later that night, that they'd finally gotten the deed poll and were getting everything amended so I'd be Zoe Chambers." My smile was sad now. "David died less than two years later, but... yeah, that's my best memory."
His hand moved, almost reflexively, on the table to hold my own. "I'm so sorry to hear that, but I'm glad you were able to get your name changed, and share that with him."
"What's your favourite memory?" I asked him.
"Fishing during the summer months with my grandfather. I loved hanging out at the lake with him, and listening to his old stories. I'll always cherish those memories."
"Me too, I'll always cherish my memories of David. The twins don't really remember much about their dad, though Asher wants to be a cop just like him when he grows up."
"A cop?" Kane cocked his head to the side, interested. "And what about you, what do you want to do? Other than produce the next Shrek, of course."
"I don't know." I smiled, remembering our conversation about digital arts. "I've always wanted to help people."
"That could be a doctor, a shrink, a dentist-"
"Maybe not help them with their teeth," I said, with a laugh. "I was thinking more along the lines of working for a charity." If there was one thing the fire had taught me, it was that there were a lot of people in the world that needed help.
"I could see you doing that." He nodded, and it amazed me that he thought so much of me. I often didn't give myself enough credit.
I had a great evening. The food arrived, looking great, and tasting delicious. But it was the company that really made me enjoy myself and have fun. After our plates were clean and we'd sampled dessert, Kane excused himself to use the restroom.
I took a sip of water, admiring my surroundings. I already couldn't wait to come back here, though I was broke as hell, and somehow doubted that the experience would be the same without Kane.
"I hope you enjoyed your food," Lorenzo said, coming over to clear our dishes. I thought he'd been charming and friendly the whole night, though Kane was adamant he'd been checking me out.
"Oh, it was lovely, thank you," I said, moving my arm out of the way.
"You're a fan of Italian?" he asked, winking at me.
"I love Italian food," I said with a smile. "It's one of my favourite cuisines."
"Then you need to give an Italian man a go, tesoro," he said, with a flirtatious smile. He slid a piece of paper, with a name and number on it, across the table to me.
I glanced down at it, floundering. "Uh, no thank-"
Kane appeared out of nowhere. Picking up the paper, he handed it back to the server. "She won't be needing that. She's with me."
Lorenzo clearly hadn't planned on facing Kane. His bravado fleeing, he soon followed with a muttered apology.
"What a sly sneaky little-" Kane groused, shaking his head. He turned to me, exhaling ruefully. "I can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I?"
I laughed, embarrassedly. "I guess you were right about him."
We left the restaurant after he settled the bill, his hand against resting on my lower back. It seemed unconscious on his part, but its warmth burned right through the fabric of my dress, scorching the skin underneath.
He put some music on when we were in the car, our eyes occasionally meeting as we glanced over at each other during the ride back. When we pulled up outside the building, I saw his bike and said, "you know, I really wasn't kidding about that ride."
He raised an eyebrow. "Now?"
I nodded, hopefully. "Please."
He shook his head, even as his lips remained upturned. "Okay, but I need to get a helmet."
I waited in the car while he jogged up to the apartment. He was back five minutes later, two helmets, and a black leather jacket, in hand.
"I thought the jacket would provide you with some protection," he said, holding it open for me. Turning my back to him, I slipped my arms into the sleeves. Once I'd shrugged into the jacket, I turned around. Stepping back, I imagined I looked odd in his oversized jacket with my red dress and heels. His eyes were dark, his mouth slightly parted as he took me in.
"The helmet?" I nodded at it.
He shook his head, as though clearing his thoughts. "Can't forget that."
He put it on for me, his hands gentle, before he pulled on his own. He swung a leg onto the bike, and I climbed up behind him, my legs pressing against his, and my thighs tights against his waist.
"Hold on tight," he said, and I wrapped my arms around him. He was warm, and he smelled amazing. I was heady being so close to him.
The engine purred as he started the bike. He patted my hand in reassurance, before pushing off and speeding into the night. And it was... amazing. Exhilarating and exciting. He weaved in and out of traffic, his speed increasing and decreasing at intervals. I'd wondered if I'd feel scared, but I felt anything but.
I felt alive.
When we got back to the apartment, it felt like the ride hadn't been long enough. Time had been too short. He helped me take off my helmet, my eyes glowing as I looked up at him. I was euphoric. This night couldn't get any better.
I was wrong.
I saw the intent in his eyes before he stepped closer, and my heart began to race. He tilted my head up gently, and then leaned down to capture my lips with his own. And it was... magic.
It was bliss.
I melted into the kiss, feeling his heartbeat race against my own. My hands moved into his hair. His own moved inside the jacket to rest on the small of my back, and I shivered as his warm hands made contact with skin.
I felt safe and cocooned in his arms. There were butterflies in my stomach, need on my mind, and fireworks in every single cell in my body.
A/N:
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I worked really hard on it. Please leave me a comment, letting me know what you think!