Chapter 25
Kyle
She didn’t even look surprised at my suspicion. I knew deep down, just like she did, that she did love me. Getting her to say the words was a different story. “Talk to me, Nessa, please.” The fact that this poor woman had been through hell—a hell I couldn’t even bring myself to imagine, pained me.
Her red-rimmed eyes met mine. “When Robert died, not only did I lose him, I lost a part of myself. Getting through a loss like that was something I promised my heart I’d never force it to do again. The only way I could ensure that was not to fall in love.” She sniffed. “Then you came along. Your charm, wit, and the ability to make me forget. That’s what you did. When we were in California, I was so happy. Not just because I was able to see things I had always wanted to, but because I was seeing them with you.”
That last comment triggered something inside of me. “Did you feel guilty because you were experiencing things Robert never would?” When she shrugged, I knew she did. “Baby, don’t you think he’d want you to love again? Maybe Robert was the first note in your life. The one that taught you how to love and to be loved. But, you need to allow the rest of the notes to breathe—you need to allow yourself to love again.”
“I know that now. I’ve been so scared, Kyle. When I thought about how great it would be to fall in love again, fear hit and I pushed back…”
“And you asked for space?”
“Yes.”
“Do you still want it?”
She tucked her hair behind her ear and shook her head from side to side. “No, I don’t think I do. It was futile anyway.” A half chuckle/half sniff escaped her. “All I did with my space was think about you.” I quirked a brow and smirked. “You know, for the most part.”
“Are you saying you love me?” As soon as that question flew from my mouth, I stopped her. “Wait, don’t answer that yet.” I shifted my body and gently slid out from under her.
When Jude called to tell me about Brae’s plan to get us together tonight, I made sure to bring what I made for her. I worked on it before we left for California, but it needed something. Then when we got back, I perfected it.
I walked to my blazer that was draped over a dining room chair and pulled the gift I had for her out of the inside pocket. It wasn’t wrapped in any fancy paper, just a no-frills blue box.
She looked at it curiously when I handed it to her. “What is it?”
“Open it.”
When she flipped the top up and pulled out the green tinted elongated bottle, her tear-stained face brightened. “Nessa?”
I took the bottle from her, untwisted the top, and put a bit of it on my finger. When I looked to her, she licked her lips. Of course, my first instinct was to drag it between her breasts, and taking it upon myself to assume she had thought the same, I merely said, “Later.”
With a coy smile, she extended her right arm. I dabbed it on the inside of her elbow before sliding my finger down to her wrist.
She brought her nose to her wrist and sighed. “Wow, it’s beautiful.” Just like you, I thought but kept my comment to myself. Her swallow was audible. “You made this for me?”
I knew that question was redundant because she was the only Nessa I knew. But, I humored her anyway. “Yes.”
Vanessa sat back on the couch, staring at the bottle in her grasp. The seductive scent lingered in the air which started to feel thick. I snapped my fingers to break the tension. “I know what I forgot to put in it.” When I went to snag the bottle from her, she jerked her arm back.
“What?”
“Phenylethylamine.”
“What-a-what-a-mean?”
“It’s a chemical that is supposed to help people fall in love. It releases…”
She stopped my words with a raised hand. “I don’t need the explanation any more than you needed to add it to this perfume.”
“Vanessa Monroe, are you saying that you are in love with me?” I asked with a smug smirk.
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re going to make me say the words, aren’t you?”
“Damn straight I am.”
“Fine, Lyle Cleary, I love you.”
“It’s Kyle. Ky… with a K… Kyle.”
“Whatever.”
We both laughed at her dumbass Lyle joke, which was the name she had mistakenly called me the first time we all hung out as a group.
“Nope, still not satisfied.” I took the bottle and placed it on the table. Without warning, I then flipped our bodies until she was flat on her back and I hovered over hers on the couch. “Say it again.”
All humor from her expression evaporated. “I love you, Kyle.”
“I know,” I said with a smirk. “And I love you, too, Nessa.”
Our mouths fused together in a not-so-gentle kiss. It was evident how much we missed each other’s touch and taste. “I want to make love to you, Kyle.”
I could have easily taken her right here on the Sorens’ couch. But not only did the thought of them coming home make me rethink that decision, so did the fact that I wanted to wake up with her in my arms.
“Come home with me.”
Vanessa
All of this was so different to me. Even saying those three words, which I had said before, had new meaning now. When we walked into Kyle’s apartment, a warm feeling settled in my heart. It may have been nerves or the fact that we were a couple now… I suspected it was happiness.
I thought we’d burst through his door in a frenzy, but it wasn’t like that. Of course, we’d have to be sure that passion we shared since day one didn’t fizzle out. And knowing Kyle, that would never happen. We’d have plenty of time for the raunch. This moment, however, needed to be special.
“Can I please use your bathroom?”
Kyle lowered his brow and laughed. “Sweetheart, you don’t need to ask. You can use the one in my room. I’ll wait for you on my bed… naked.”
I needed to buy some time to put my plan into action. “Can you please pour me a glass of wine? And since we never ate all that food Brae had for us, do you mind if we order something?”
My stomach rumbled at the mere thought of eating. “Of course. Anything in particular?” He walked into the kitchen and pulled out an array of menus, fanning them like a deck of cards.
“How about Mexican? I remember you telling me it’s your favorite.”
Kyle nodded with an electric smile. I rolled up on my toes, circled my arms around his neck, and pulled him toward me. Our kiss was slow, gentle, and if I didn’t release him, my plan would be for naught and we’d never have dinner.
When I walked into his bedroom, every one of my senses were assaulted. I loved his room and the tranquility of the space. His bed was perfectly made, there wasn’t an article of clothing to be found—unlike my room where last night’s clothing was still on my bed. But my favorite thing was the way his cologne permeated the air and forced me to take a deep breath. I’d say he should bottle it, but he already had.
Sliding open his closet door, I pulled out one of his many white dress shirts. Once I was in his bathroom, I clicked the door closed and took off my clothes, leaving just my mint green lace bra and matching thong. I knew he’d love it since it complemented the color of my eyes.
When I looked at the heap on the floor guilt flooded me, so I folded them and placed them neatly on his vanity. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I did so.
Snagging my purse, I slicked some gloss over my lips and applied a touch more of “Nessa” between my breasts and behind my ear. I slid on his shirt, buttoning it up to my cleavage. I stared into the mirror and smiled. If someone would have told me, that I would have fallen in love again, I wouldn’t have believed them. Even less believable was who I ended up falling in love with. We were so much alike, not wanting anything serious, yet there we were. Looking back, the transformation that we made, now seemed so obvious.
Three gentle knocks made my heart race. “Nessa, dinner is on the way up,” came through the door.
“Okay, I’ll be out in just a minute.”
“Are you okay? Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine. I’ll meet you in the living room. Don’t forget my wine.”
“Okay, your wine is poured.” Silence followed so I thought he was gone but then he spoke once more, “Hey, Nessa?”
“Yes?”
“I love you. Don’t make me wait much longer or I’m coming in there.”
My heart flipped, hearing him blurt that out, and not in a bad way. I had no idea why the universe gifted me with two amazing men, but this time around I wasn’t going to take one moment with Kyle for granted.
Not wasting anymore time, I cracked the door open to make sure I was alone. Confirming it was just me in the room, I tiptoed across his floor and slid on my pumps.
I heard voices coming from the other room and smelled our dinner. Once the door closed, I moved to stand in front of the dining room table.
Kyle walked closer, smiled wide, and inhaled. “I love that you’re wearing your perfume.” He wrapped his arms around my waist. “My shirt has never looked so good.”
“I beg to differ, but if you say so.” When I looked up at his handsome face, I saw the man who now owned my heart. “So, should we eat dinner?”
“As much as I want you right now, you look a bit thinner since last I saw you.” His hands trailed up my back until they rested on the sides of my face. “Let’s eat and then go to bed. We have all night.”
“Maybe I should have put something more appropriate on to eat in. I can go change.”
“Don’t you even think about it.”
We sat at the table with an array of Mexican dishes in front of us. Kyle served us a little bit of everything from the white plastic takeout containers. “While you were changing, I sent a text to Soren, letting him know we left together and Brae’s plan wasn’t in vain.”
“Can you even believe those two?” I dug in, savoring the delicious spicy enchilada. “I swear if you would have asked me the night they met if I thought they’d end up blissfully married, I would have laughed at you.”
“If memory serves, you were hooting and hollering when she picked Jude.” Kyle took a few bites, smirking as he chewed.
I smiled at the memory. “You saw me?”
“Of course I did. You were the most gorgeous woman in the room… and the loudest,” he quipped with a raised brow.
“Oh, come on, how could I not? He was the best out of all of them. That’s who I would have picked.” His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “Not that he’s my type, but he clearly didn’t want anything to do with a relationship. And not that Brae knew this at the time, but even you have to admit that the man is gorgeous.”
“I have to do no such thing.”
“Fine, but I call bullshit that you didn’t think Brae was gorgeous.”
“Not denying that. I once told Jude I thought she was hot as fuck, but he didn’t take too kindly to that.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I can only imagine.”
Kyle shrugged. “What did you think of me when you first laid eyes on all of this?” He swept his hand over his body from neck to waist.
“I thought you were, handsome, and sexy. And I was a little bummed you were seeing Brae’s friend, Shelly. I would have totally done you that night we danced at José Ponchos.”
“First of all, I wasn’t seeing anyone when I met you. I had dated Shelly for a bit, but it was nothing.”
“What about me, Kyle? What did you think of me?”
“I already told you I thought you were the most gorgeous woman in the room.” He took a moment, then linked his fingers with mine across the table. “I thought you were feisty and sexy as fuck. Also, you have a perfect ass. Did you know that?”
“Yoga.” How I kept a straight face when I said that was a miracle.
“Well, it does a body good because yours is perfect. But, even if it wasn’t, you’re perfect on the inside, too. Your heart is genuine, and I’m so happy that you decided to share it with me.”
My eyes began to prickle with tears, and crying was the last thing I wanted to do. All I wanted was to be in his arms, to lie next to him in his bed, and love him like I never had before.
“Kyle, finishing dinner can wait. I want you—every part of you… now.”
I stood up, unbuttoned my shirt, and watched it fall to the floor. I allowed him to admire my bra and thong before they also landed at my feet. There I was naked in his kitchen in just a pair of high heels. When I started to reach for my left shoe, he stopped me.
“No, the shoes stay.”
In a matter of seconds, I was in Kyle’s arms en route to his bedroom. He set me down on his plush bed, and my eyes watched him strip naked. When the mattress dipped next to me, he pulled me to my side until we faced each other. “I’m going to love you now.”
“I was sort of hoping you would.”
For the first time since we started this crazy arrangement, I was okay with Kyle making love to me. Every loving touch, expression, and word from his lips was no longer dreaded. In turn, my mind was free of trying to block feelings, my body was free in a way it had never been, and my heart was finally free to accept the fact that I was with my soul mate.
“Kyle?”
He tucked an errant strand of my hair behind my ear. “Yeah, babe?”
“I just wanted to let you know that even if our friends hadn’t intervened tonight, I would have eventually come around.”
A brilliant smile graced his handsome face. “Yeah?”
I nodded. “I don’t want to be without you. You make me laugh when no one else can. You make me relax when I’m tense… thank you, Kyle.”
“For what?”
“For teaching me how to love again.”