Waiting for Romeo (15 page)

I follow his eyes and see Chloe and Tyler, looking quite caught up in each other. I notice she even has her hand tucked in his back pocket of his jeans. Chloe is smiling, her usual animated self, and Tyler looks like he’s hanging on her every word.

“Sweet.” I smile up at Logan.

“Are you sure about that?” He asks and raises a brow.

“Yes. I’m sure about that.” I give him a-don’t-be-ridiculous look. “They make a cute couple…I just hope he doesn’t start talking to her about Shakespeare.”

“Oh?” He asks, confused.

“Didn’t you hear her in class? She’s miserable…she thinks it’s all dreadfully depressing.”

“Oh. Right. I did hear some of that.” He smiles that sweet smile and I melt.

“Why? What did you think I meant?”

“I thought you were saying something about my Shakespeare quotes to you…that’s all.”

“You know, I love your Shakespeare pick-up lines, Logan. You had me at
Nothing can come of nothing
.” I reference the line “You had me at hello” from the movie,
Jerry Maguire
.

“Did I now? Well, we can go back to my place now and I can practice some Shakespeare terms that we’ve been studying…maybe some double entendres.”

I laugh at his reference to the term that means “double meaning.” Shakespeare deliberately uses it all the time with either an image or a phrase that usually involves a humorous meaning or more commonly, a sexual meaning.

“Yes. I know you are quite fond of those…especially with surfboards and pretty much anything else that pops into that dirty little mind of yours.”

“I can’t help it if you have that effect on me.” He pulls me tight against him and resumes his kissing.

I’m thinking now might be the right time to throw in the white flag of surrender when we are suddenly interrupted.

“Hey, you two lovebirds.” Chloe smiles and hands us both shots of jagermeister. Bryn, Josh and Tyler all have shots in their hands as well.

“To senior year.” Chloe holds up her glass. We all clink our glasses together and throw them back. She immediately orders another round…and another…and another until we are all way beyond tipsy.

The room starts to get hot again with the combination of Logan’s amorous affections as well as way too many shots. Logan’s hands haven’t paused from my body all night…making me feel completely safe.

Five minutes later, “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke bounces of the walls and I hear Bryn shouting we all need to dance. The club is so packed it’s impossible to make out where the dance floor begins and where it ends. We all sort of bounce and move, in one herd, towards the dancing.

Feeling Logan’s hands on my waist, I place mine over his for fear we’ll get separated in the crowd. When we are all in the midst of the dancers, I guess it’s the middle of the dance floor, but it’s impossible to tell at this point, we move to the beat of the music.

Logan’s hands are wrapped around my back, pulling me tight against his hard body. Hooking my fingers behind his neck, I lean into his chest and breathe in his cologne. He leans closer so his lips nuzzle my ear.

“We’re dancing, your friends are fine…can we go now?” He whispers.

My hands slide to his biceps and I gaze up at him, but in the distance I catch someone staring at us. Dizzy from the shots, it’s hard for me to see, but the person is alone that’s what sets them apart. It’s so crowded in here but this one person is somehow isolated and staring directly at us. It’s an eerie feeling and I try to shake it. As I follow Logan, my body pressed against his, I quickly lose sight of the person.

“What’s wrong?” Logan whispers. “It looks like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I blink at him. “I think I’ve had too much to drink. I’m seeing things. I thought someone was over there staring at us.”

“What happened to not giving a shit?” He caresses my cheek.

I laugh, despite the feeling that this staring was something different from the usual gossipy looky-loos.

“You’re right.” I say, trying to hide the worry in my voice.

“My place?” He whispers. “There’s something I want to show you.”

“Okay…this something isn’t something for me, is it?”

He barely brushes his lips against mine, making me want him that much more. Then whispers in my ear: “It’s something for me.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE WALK TO HIS PLACE takes about fifteen minutes. We probably could have made it in ten minutes, but I’m wearing two-inch heeled boots and for someone that lives in either running shoes or flip-flops, walking is a difficult task. My feet throb in pain, from the combination of tight leather, dancing, standing, and now walking, but the effects of the jagermeister make it somewhat tolerable.

Logan’s hand is around my waist as we near the new condominium complex, just down the street from the house Bryn and I share. The main building appears to be four floors, but it’s hard to tell because the top floor looks twice as high as the lower ones. There are a couple smaller structures that are connected to it by gated walkways. All of the white, modern-looking buildings look out of place amongst the Spanish-style architecture surrounding it. Landscaping is scarce, more than likely because some of the units look like they are still under construction.

“Did you say you leased it?” I ask, gazing up at him.

“Yes…until the end of the year.” He says as he swipes a card that buzzes the lobby door to open. His hand is on my back, leading me to the elevator down the hall.

“Why did you choose this place?” I ask as we walk into the elevator.

He pushes the button for the fourth floor. “I liked the location.”

“It’s close to State Street and the beach.” I say.

“It’s close to
you
.” He takes my hand in his as we exit the elevator and head down the hall. I’m seduced by his words alone, but then the look in his eyes…that all-too-familiar heated look that I’m sure mine reflect back in his. I find myself struggling to keep my breathing steady.

I swallow when he swipes another card, opening the door to the cavernous apartment. The open-floor plan with high ceilings is modern, but elegant and I now see why the fourth floor from the outside looks substantially taller than the other floors. The main floor consists of a living area and kitchen while stairs lead to a loft.

“The bedroom is up there.” He nods in the direction of the loft.

“Oh.” I breathe.

“I’d offer you a drink but it’s three in the morning. How about water?” He smiles.

“Sounds good.”

Glancing around the room, I’m reminded of his old place he shared with Sebastian. The white walls, high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows give it a modern feel like that place. But that’s where the similarities end. This place is warmer to me maybe it’s because of the pale blue furnishings or the distressed pine floors.

Logan hands me a glass of water. “What do you think?”

“It’s lovely. Did you get new furniture? I remember lots of black leather and glass in the old place.”

He laughs. “You make it sound…”

“Creepy?” I finish his sentence and smile.

“I wasn’t going to say that, but sure…I suppose it wasn’t very warm and cozy. You have a good memory…especially for hardly being at that place.” He says, but then frowns before he continues. “I sold that place with the furniture.”

“Oh.” I walk towards the windows. “Another nice view.”

“It’s even nicer from bed.” His voice is husky as he wraps his arms around me.

I turn to face him. “You wanted to show me something or was that just a way to lure me here?”

His eyes, heated, now shine with amusement. “Yes. I do have something to show you.” He takes my hand in his and leads me up the stairs.

“It’s in your bedroom?” I tease as I follow him.

“Pretty brilliant of me, eh?” He smiles when he turns to face me.

The bedroom is dim, only the moonlight illuminates the king-size bed and a large picture adjacent to it. He hits a button and a small dim reading light comes on just above the bed.

“You’ll be able to see it more in the morning.” He says as he takes the glass of water out of my hand, places it on the ground and then pulls me in his arms.

“Oh? The morning? I was just thinking maybe I should go…” I tease, repeating his words from a week ago. But before I can say anymore, his hands are in my hair as his mouth claims mine.

“You live so close…I can just walk home.” I breathe between kisses.

“I want you to stay.” He whispers in my ear as he nuzzles my neck. “Are you okay with that?”

“Yes.”

In a beat, he scoops me into his arms and sits me down on the bed. He kneels on the ground, between my legs, while his mouth devours mine. Leaning back, his eyes never leaving mine, he slides down towards my boots.

“Let’s take care of these.” He slowly unzips both my knee-length boots.

Reaching behind his neck he pulls off his sweater and then the t-shirt beneath, discarding them on the floor. Still on his knees, he leans towards me. His eyes flare and I reach out to touch his bare chest. His skin is hard, warm. Taking my face into his hands, his mouth is back on mine. He moans into my mouth as our tongues move around each other in an erotic dance.

Minutes later, he scoops me up and lies me down in the center of the bed. We roll and now I’m on top of him. His hands are on my back, slowly pulling the zipper down, when he slides the dress off my shoulders. Holding me firmly by my waist, he pulls himself up so I’m now straddling him. His lips don’t leave mine except for the brief moment it takes for him to pull my dress over my head. Moving his lips along my neck and across my collarbone, he unhooks my bra, then slides the straps off my arms.

We roll again and I’m back underneath him as he kisses each of my breasts. I groan and tug at his silky hair. He breaks free as he quickly undoes his jeans and pulls them off. Bending over me, he slowly crawls up and returns his attention to my breasts. He teases my nipples with his tongue and just when I think I can’t take much more his lips move in a soft trail back to mine.

“Just tell me.” He breathes between kisses as his hand slides underneath my panties.

“Please.” I whisper, pleadingly.

He stops kissing and looks in my eyes. “Not ready?”

I nod.

“I still want to kiss you. Is that okay?” He asks.

“Yes…I’m just not ready for…” I say, softly.

“Don’t worry, baby. We’ll take this slow…okay?”

I nod again.

“I meant it when I said I have to earn your trust for us to work.” He wraps me tenderly in his arms as he kisses me again.

We continue kissing and touching, exploring every inch of each other’s bodies until the sky starts to brighten. Lying on our sides, facing each other, we gaze into each other’s eyes. His fingers run a trail up and down my nearly naked body.

“I could stay like this forever.” He says while he continues his delicate strokes.

“Hm.” I say, sleepily.

“I didn’t help you with your sleeping issue, did I?”

I smile. “I’m not complaining. And I have to say your bed is nice…very, nice. Is it like the ones in your hotels that Chloe likes so much?” I giggle.

“What makes you say that?” He asks, bewildered.

“It’s what you wanted to show me, right?” I softly caress his bicep, along his arm.

He laughs. “You’re always assuming the worst of me. You think I would really say, I want to take you back to my place to show you…my bed.”

He continues to laugh and it’s so infectious that I start to laugh with him despite not fully understanding the humor behind it.

“Is that what you really think?” He asks, containing his laughter.

I nod. “You said you wanted to bring me here to show me something, then you said it was in your bedroom and here we are in your bed.”

“No, baby.” He smiles. “I brought you here to show you that.” He nods his head in the direction behind me.

I look over my shoulder and see the picture that I couldn’t see clearly in the dim light is actually a painting. A large painting, about two feet by two feet, of a young girl with pale skin and long dark hair. There’s a small cluster of yellow daisies tucked into the side of her middle parted hair that falls delicately over her bare shoulders. Her eyes stare right at you with her rose-colored lips slightly parted. She has an almost otherworldly look that is soothing and mysterious at the same time.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” He whispers in my ear.

I roll over so I can look at it more clearly. Logan slides closer with his arms wrapped around me. His bare chest is against my back.

“Where?” I ask, confused. I know the painting is of me when I was younger, but I’ve never seen it before.

“Your dad…when I was at your place at Thanksgiving I saw it in his studio. I wanted it the second I laid my eyes on it…a familiar feeling when it comes to you.” He chuckles.

“You’ve had it since then?” I ask.

“No. I couldn’t take it then because we drove back to school together. I wanted to surprise you. I got it from your dad on New Year’s.”

“But we were broken up.”

“Your dad didn’t want me to give him any money, but I wouldn’t take it unless he let me give him something. I think he gave me a bit of a discount because I would have paid ten times more.”

I roll so I face him again.

“But we were broken up.” I say, again.

“It didn’t matter to me. I still wanted it…just like I still wanted you back.” He kisses me.

“So, you wanted me to see the painting, not your bed?” I smile, slightly.

“Well, maybe a little of both.” He smirks as he pulls me tight against him and once again his mouth claims mine.

AS WE WALK UP THE STREET, hand in hand, towards Spyder, just a few hours later, I’m lost in my thoughts thinking about last night and this morning. When I was with Logan, before we broke up, I always felt a certain level of comfort. In his arms, I felt safe…it’s indescribable and I could never put my finger on why I felt that way, but I just did.

I thought I would never feel that safety factor again with Logan after that dreadful night. Besides not thinking I could ever trust him, this was the other reason why I wanted nothing to do with him. But the feeling of safety never really went away…despite my trust issues. Now as time goes by, I’m starting to feel like I can trust him and this takes my comfort level with him up another notch.

Although I don’t think Logan pressured me before, no doubt, he was definitely more aggressive with his desire. But now, he’s so careful, caring when we are making out. I think of his words: “I want everything to be perfect this time.” “You’re giving me a second chance and I’m not screwing that up.” “I’m thankful we’re moving forward but I also know I need to earn your trust for us to work.”

Last night, he again stopped without hesitation when I said I wasn’t ready. He not only stopped, but he continued to want to kiss me. I admit I’m thankfully relieved that he wasn’t annoyed or frustrated or whatever guys feel when you tell them you aren’t ready for that next step…”to seal the deal” as Bryn likes to say.

After the sun came up, we continued our heated foreplay for another hour or so before returning to my place so I could get a change of clothes and head out for a run. Now that I’ve showered and changed, Logan rejoins me, while I head to work, to join Sam for some surfing.

“So, you liked it?” He asks. I know he’s referring to the painting.

“Yes. I like both…the painting and your bed.” I smile up at him.

He laughs. “You’re welcome to stay in it all day and night…anytime you’d like. You know, you’re more than welcome to be my roommate. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have move in with me.”

“Well, thank you, but I’ve got some place to live right now and I think if I actually did move in with you that you’d get sick of me.”

“I can guarantee that wouldn’t happen.” He says matter-of-factly.

“You know for someone who was very anti-commitment you certainly have changed your tune.” I laugh.

He looks at me thoughtfully. “I think I was more anti-dating then anti-commitment.”

“You don’t make sense.” I laugh. “How can you be one and not the other? It’s impossible.”

He pulls me towards him. “Let’s sit down for a minute. I want to talk to you about this without you questioning me or doubting me. I need to look you in your eyes to make sure you’re understanding what I’m trying to say.”

I nod. “For just a minute…okay?”

“Yes.” He says as we move to a bench underneath a nearby tree.

He answers my previous question. “Just because I wasn’t into or interested in dating anyone, doesn’t mean I wasn’t interested in committing to someone if that someone turned up in my life. You showed up and I knew immediately I had to have you…maybe that sounds selfish, but it’s the truth.”

I shake my head. “You had to have me? But wanting someone is different from wanting a commitment with someone.”

“Not for me.” He shrugs.

“So you’re saying you never wanted someone before me? I find that hard to believe.”

“I’ve told you that before…it’s the truth. I don’t mean to sound like a dick but girls have pretty much just…presented themselves.”

“And, they never wanted something more? More of a commitment?” I ask.

“Doesn’t matter what they wanted…I didn’t want it. Besides, the majority were one-night things.”

“I don’t understand why a girl would be okay with that.” I say, sadly. “Maybe I think that way because of what happened to me.”

Logan caresses my cheek. “I’ve never met anyone I’ve cared about…that’s one of the reasons why I want to make sure you’re ready. I don’t want to pressure you…I think I was a bit before and I’m sorry for that.”

I shrug. “You don’t have to be sorry.”

“I do…especially knowing what I know now. What happened to you was awful. I want you to want to be with me as much as I want you.”

“But I do want you, Logan.” I say, wistfully.

He smiles, slightly…his eyes burning into mine. “You need to want and you need to be ready…and that comes with trust. It’s hard for you to trust. You told me that from the start. Right?”

I nod.

“I think you were starting to trust me…did you feel like you were ready before?”

I know he’s referring to Bryn’s words that night in the hallway: “She lost her mom, she was raped and now the first guy she finally opens up to and you pull this shit. And to think she was planning on having sex with you tonight.”

“Yes.” I breathe.