Page 26 of Take Two

“Violet,” I yell.

I walk further into the apartment and find her on the couch. Her pretty blue dress is bunched around her waist. She has one shoe on, and one leg is hanging off the couch. She has an arm covering her face as she snores softly.

I sit on the end of the couch and put both of her feet on my lap. I take off the one shoe and start to rub her heel the way I know she likes.

“Hmm,” she moans as she stirs. “Charlie,” she moans, and I grin. I lift her leg and kiss her ankle. “Hey,” she says, grinning at me. “Am I dreaming?”

“No, darlin’.” I kiss her ankle again. She sits up and her sleepy smile vanishes. She looks around the room, and instead of coming closer, she inches away.

“I’ll be right back,” she says. She gets up and runs out of the living room. About a minute later, I hear more footstepsfollowed by her shower. While she’s gone, I lean back on the couch to wait for her. Her phone buzzes once and lights up on the coffee table. A missed call from Terri shows up on the screen.

Violet comes out about ten minutes later. I sit up at the sound of her bare feet hitting the hardwood floor. I stand when I see her. She’s in a black silk pajama shorts set. I pull her into my arms and kiss the top of her head. She looks up into my eyes and lets out a shaky breath.

“Um, I didn’t expect to see you tonight,” she says, and my heart drops. It’s been so long since I’ve done this that I didn’t stop to think that maybe just showing up isn’t the best idea.

“I’m sorry. I can go. I called a few times, and when you didn’t answer, I got worried, so I—”

She puts a finger to my lips. “I love that you came by,” she whispers, and I expel a breath of relief. “It’s just that I had a few drinks at dinner tonight. If I knew you were coming, I wouldn’t have.”

I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her, resting my chin on top of her head. “I guess that explains the shower and your minty fresh breath.” I pull away and cup her cheeks. Something inside of me shifts. I don’t know if it’s being here with her or the fact that she’s taking so many precautions for me, but all I know is, I want to hug her and never let her go. “This drinkin’ thing is my issue. You don’t have to make any adjustments for me. This is for me to figure out, not you. Don’t ever feel as if you have to take this on.”

“I know, but since you’re honest with me, I want to do the same with you.”

“I appreciate it. By the way, your mouthwash has alcohol in it too.” I squeeze her body into mine.

“Oh, God. I really fumbled this, didn’t I?” She buries her face in my chest, and I cradle the back ofher neck.

“You didn’t.”

I sit on the couch, and she straddles me. I can push her flimsy shorts aside and slide inside of her right now. Instead, I glide my hand up her shirt and caress the soft skin of her back. She starts to lean towards my mouth.

“I can’t kiss you, darlin’. At least not on the mouth. Not tonight. I don’t want to take any chances.”

“What? Are you serious?” When I nod, she groans and throws her head back. “I’m this close to having a temper tantrum. God damn those French martinis.”

She sighs and drops herself on the couch. She ends up on her back and runs a frustrated hand down her pretty face.

“Can we at least cuddle?” she asks.

I drop myself behind her on the couch and pull her into me. I put my arm around her and hold her close.

“I missed you,” I whisper. “You’ve been on my mind all day.”

“I missed you too.”

Chapter 14

Violet

“For someone who doesn’t remember doing this relationship thing before, you’re really good at it,” I tease. He puts his large palm on my stomach, and I rest my hand on top of his. “You’ve been thinkin’ about me,” I say, doing a horrible job of affecting a Southern accent. “Missin’ me and worryin’ aboutme. I kinda love it. Who knew I was such a narcissist?” I giggle at the thought and he does too.

“You make it easy,” he says. “Colt and Vickie were harassing me about you again. They are a match made in nosey heaven.”

I snort at that. Vickie is nosey. She asks so many questions when we’re working out, but it’s never bothered me. Colt, though, is another story. “Don’t tell them,” I say. “At least not yet. Tease them a little bit. Make them wonder. Mess with their heads.”

He pulls at the neck of my shirt and kisses my exposed shoulder. “I’m pretty sure Colt thinks I’m making you up at this point. Maybe I am because you are too good to be true.”

I playfully pinch his hand. “Nope. I’m real.”

---