Page 19 of Take Two

“You sit right there.” I point at the bench in the middle of Central Park. “I don’t want to hear a word out of you after what you did.” He sits, leans back, and grins at me. “What kind do you want?”

“Chocolate or cookie dough.” He snatches my wrist and pulls me down. “I don’t regret what I did. I’ll do it every chance I get because that’s what you deserve.” He puckers his lips and I give him a tender kiss. I feel his eyes on me as I walk to the ice cream truck a few feet away. I turn, and I’m right. Our eyes catch, and he blows me a kiss.

Yes, so far, this relationship is working out great. I was supposed to buy dinner, but Charlie handed his credit card to the server before I could get my wallet out of my purse. Now, I’m buying us ice cream for dessert. After getting two cones, I turnaround to find him standing and talking to a very tall man. The man has a baby strapped to his chest and next to him is a young woman. He puts an arm across her shoulders, and she goes stiff before she tries to push him away, but he pulls her closer until she stops fighting. After she admits defeat, she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek, and he smiles down at her.

I reach them and hand Charlie his cone.

“Violet, this is Seth Wakowski. He’s one of Colt’s teammates.” I shake his hand, and he nods at me. He looks young, and there’s something playful about his eyes.

“This is my daughter Jasmine.” He points at the baby, and she coos at me. “And this is Layla. She’s my—”

“Say it and I’ll punch you in the nose,” Layla warns. She gives me her hand and gives mine a firm shake. “Nice to meet you,” she says. She’s just as young as Seth, and she’s very pretty.

“We’re just taking a walk,” Seth says. “Have a good night.” They say goodbye and when they get a few feet away, he takes Layla’s hand, and they walk away with their fingers intertwined.

“They’re an interesting duo,” Charlie says while shaking his head. “About as mature as two first graders.”

He gestures for me to sit, and when I do, he sits next to me and puts his free hand on my knee. I put my cone to his face, and he takes a bite.

“Ugh,” he says as he spits it out. “Why do you get these disgusting flavors?”

“What’s wrong with blueberry?” I ask.

“Blueberries taste like little balls of vomit.” I giggle while he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “That’s worse than the peach ice cream you got last time.”

Not believing that it’s that bad, I take a big bite and almost gag. “You’re right. I hate it.” I stare at the cone and sigh in defeat. He offers me some of his, and I take a huge bite. I reach over andthrow my cone in the trash. I cuddle to his side and we share his ice cream cone like two lovers who have been doing this for a lifetime.

Chapter 11

Charlie

It’s after nine when we return to her apartment. We sat on the bench, shared ice cream, and talked about absolutely nothing. The best part was having her cuddled to my side. Whoever knew that having a beautiful woman next to you was better thanany drink.

When she closes and locks the door, my phone rings. I already know who it is before I pull it out of my pocket.

“Yes, Colty,” I say.

“Hey. You okay?” he asks.

“I’m perfectly fine.” Violet takes my hand and leads me into her bedroom. I sit on the bed and start to take off my shoes.

“Are you coming home tonight or what?”

“I thought I’d give you and Vickie a night to yourselves. I’m fine, I promise.” Evan has a sleepover with his cousin, Vincent, tonight, and I know Johnny is going too. Johnny follows Evan around like a shadow, and the sleepover is at Vickie’s sister’s penthouse, which is just a few floors above Colt’s apartment.

“Okay,” he says, sounding unconvinced. Violet surprises me when she straddles my lap. I barely have time to wrap my arms around her when she starts kissing the side of my neck.

“Mmhmm,” I moan before I can think better of it.

“What was that?” Colt asks.

“Nothing. I’ll see you in the mornin’.” I end the call before he can utter another word, toss the phone on the chair in the corner, and wrap both arms around my girlfriend.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since I saw you earlier.” She crashes her mouth on mine, and whatever I was going to say gets swallowed in our hungry kiss. Her fingers glide through my hair and her fingernails graze my scalp. I shudder at the feel of her. “I want to find out what you like,” she whispers against my lips.

“If you’re doin' it to me, I love it.” I capture her soft, plump lips again. She opens her mouth for me, and I deepen the kiss. She starts to grind on my lap, and I cup her butt with both hands.

“I want us to take off all our clothes and explore each other, Charlie. I want you to always remember us.”