Leather, Love and Tattoos, page 7
Knowing her friend was a drama queen, Amy rolled her eyes. “What’s your plan?”
“I haven’t thought of all the details just yet, but it’s going to be so epic that Cole won’t know what hit him!”
“Cole! Easy with the hands! What’s the matter with you?”
“What’s the matter with me? What the hell is the matter with you? You show up almost topless, flaunting your tits and ass in front of these men, and you wonder what’s wrong with me?” He knew he was ranting and sounding like a jealous boyfriend, but he couldn’t seem to calm down. She wasn’t his, and he had no right feeling this way, but he feared for the trouble she may get herself into. Knowing that every guy in that bar was staring at Abby and making her the star of their disgusting fantasies sent him over the edge because one of them may take it upon themselves to act on it.
Abby loved the way he’d reacted when he’d first laid eyes on her. He was protective and a little jealous of the attention she got. His reaction was perfect. Her evening started out exactly the way she’d dreamed, but then it changed. He didn’t sweep her off her feet like she read in her romance novels. He didn’t hold her in his arms telling her how much he loved her. Her happy-ever-after ending wasn’t coming true. He was yelling, aggressive, insulting and once again pushing her away. Abby was tired of being rejected and shouted back, “I’m not topless.”
“No? You might as well be. Every guy in here wants to get you fully naked and do bad things to you.”
Completely fed up with his behaviour, Abby shot back, “What about you? Do you want to do bad things to me, Cole?”
Of course I do. I want to do all kinds of dirty things to you, Cole thought but didn’t say the words out loud. “You don’t belong here, Abby. This is not the right place for you. You’re not safe here!”
“So you keep saying but it’s not a bad place. In fact, I really like it here. So why are you allowed to come here, and so can your dates, but I’m not allowed to?”
Ignoring the question, Cole grabbed Abby’s arm and walked over to her car. “Just go home, Abby, and stay away from here!”
“You know what, Cole? You’re a major asshole! I try to get to know you better. I learn about your hobbies so we have common interests and you brush me off. This was worse than every other time you turned me down. This time you embarrassed me in front of your friends. You made me feel unwanted and ugly. I used to think you were a nice guy—sweet and caring. I guess that was all a facade because tonight I saw the real Cole and he’s a dick. Thanks a whole hell of a lot, Cole.” Abby flung his arm off her. “Do you think this was easy for me? I was nervous getting ready and then coming down here, but I wanted to show you that I could be the right woman for you, and what do you do? Once again, you send me away. Well, screw you, Cole! You’re not going to make me feel horrible about myself anymore. You’re finally getting your wish. I’m not going to bother you anymore. I’ll leave! Goodbye!”
Abby turned on her five-inch spiked heels and got into her car, slammed the door and sped off. Cole couldn’t help but feel disgusted with himself. Abby was right. He was an asshole! It was only when he headed back towards the bar that he noticed his friends had come out and watched the drama unfold. Actually, everyone from the bar had made their way out for the show, and was that Sarah? Great, now he’d probably have to deal with her. That was all he needed.
Scott knew he was more than partly to blame for Cole’s outburst. He’d wanted Cole to come to the realization that he had feelings for Abby, but it went too far. He also knew he would likely get a punch in the face if he made any comment about the evening or his behaviour but he took a chance and spoke up first. “She’s right! You acted like an asshole. Maybe Tim and I took the teasing too far but…”
Tim interrupted. “What do you mean, Tim and I? I didn’t do anything to cause this clusterfuck.”
Scott looked at Tim. “You knew what was going on and didn’t stop me, so you’re also partly responsible.”
Tim nodded at Scott and accepted his role in the scheme. He went back to being the silent one, as he didn’t want to say anything to cause fists to fly.
“Anyway, seeing you act like the jealous boyfriend was funny, and I’m sure she probably thought it was flattering at the beginning but then it wasn’t. You blew things way out of proportion. You freaked out. You probably scared her half to death with all the screaming and bullheaded behaviour. If you ever wanted a chance with her, you may even have closed that door. Cole, you hurt her feelings.”
Tim took a chance and added his two cents. “Scott’s right, Cole. She didn’t deserve that treatment. We were the ones giving you the gears and working you up and then you took it out on her. You need to find her and apologize.”
Scott chimed in, “Apologize? Hell, that won’t cover it, bro. You need to get down on your hands and knees and grovel. You’re right, she’s a nice girl. She didn’t get all dressed up for anybody else in the bar. She came down here for you and you alone. You were the one she wanted to turn on, no one else. Man, if you’re interested in her at all, you need to beg for her forgiveness.”
Cole knew his friends were right. He’d been fighting feelings for Abby for a while now, but clearly his actions in the bar tonight brought those feelings to the surface. He needed to resolve this issue with her sooner than later. He said goodbye to his friends and got on his bike and headed straight home. He just hoped he hadn’t messed things up too badly and he could mend the friendship he’d once had with her. He knew Abby was a reasonable person. If he explained his feelings and why he couldn’t act on them, she would understand. She would realize he wasn’t a good choice for her and move on with someone else. He only hoped she still wanted to be friends.
Chapter Eleven
Abby removed the knee-high boots, peeled off the sexy clothes and washed her face three—no, four—times to get off all the makeup. She wasn’t ready to go to bed, so she went downstairs, sat on the couch under her favourite blanket and simply cried tears of sadness and embarrassment. The night couldn’t have gone any worse. She was so ashamed for all the times she’d put herself out there with him and was rejected. She was sad that she would never know what it was like to have a relationship with the man of her dreams.
Abby had never been so humiliated in all her life. She’d called Cole an asshole, and that was being kind. He’d yelled at her, and he’d never done that before. Every time he told her she didn’t belong at least he’d been kind, but tonight he was angry and mean. If that wasn’t bad enough, he’d embarrassed her by doing it in front of his friends and what seemed like the entire town. At first she’d loved when he acted jealous. It was very flattering and made her feel special, beautiful, desired. But then Cole turned from fun jealous to just plain mean jealous, and Abby didn’t like it at all. She pulled the blanket up and tried to block out the memories of the night, but they kept flooding back.
Abby wondered why he’d acted like such a jackass but then she realized it didn’t matter why. Cole had done it and that was all that mattered. Maybe he was really bothered by the constant pestering and he’d finally reached his limit. Regardless, it wasn’t right. There were other ways it could’ve been handled, Abby thought. She wanted to hate Cole but was afraid it would take a while to get over her feelings for him. Deep down inside she still loved him.
Accepting reality, Abby dried her tears, got up off the couch and started heading towards her bedroom. She was done crying, at least for tonight. As she was locking up, she heard a familiar and very distinctive rumble of a motorcycle engine coming down the street. In the past she would’ve eagerly run to the window to get that one last look at him before going to bed, but after tonight she wasn’t in the mood. She was too pissed off to make the effort. Besides, she thought, he might not be alone. Abby had no idea if he’d hooked up after she’d left. It’s not like he cared about her. Clearly he didn’t give a damn about her happiness, so he could’ve picked up some random woman for a night of sweaty sex. Her heart sank at the thought. No matter how he’d treated her that evening and no matter how much she wanted him to shove his head up his ass, Abby knew she would be devastated if he was with another woman. The thought of him touching, kissing or caressing some woman from the bar would simply break her heart.
Expecting Cole to go right home, she was surprised when she saw his headlights flash in her front window. She was even more surprised when her doorbell rang.
Standing on her doorstep, Cole was trying to organize his jumbled thoughts. He needed to make her understand the situation, but he was having a hard time forming the words. He kept seeing her sad eyes and knowing he broke her heart … again. He couldn’t think straight, but it didn’t stop him from staying when the door wasn’t answered right away. He may be confused over his feelings for her but at least he still had his balls.
An exhausted, frustrated, sad and irate Abby wanted to ignore the door and go straight to bed, but nice and sweet Abby still lurked inside so she answered the door. But of course she couldn’t stop her angry tone when she flung open the door and stared at the asshole himself. “A little late for a visit, isn’t it?”
Cole heard the heartbreak and anger in her voice, but instead of leaving he moved forward. He knew she might slam the door in his face, but he took a chance. Since the words still didn’t form in his head, he simply blurted, “I’m so sorry for tonight.”
“What for, Cole? For humiliating me in front of your friends or making me feel unwanted and unwelcome? What exactly are you apologizing for?”
Cole wanted to reach out and touch her. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to make her laugh and take that angry look out of her eyes. After the way he’d acted earlier in the evening and, really, since he’d met her, he knew he didn’t have the right. “I acted like an idiot tonight, Abby. I said things I didn’t mean and I’m so sorry.”
“Really, Cole? I don’t think you acted like an idiot at all. I believe I said it right earlier when I called you an asshole. Besides, it’s always been my experience that what people say when their emotions are high is usually the truth!”
“I would normally agree with you, but not in this case.” He stepped towards her, but she put her hand out and stopped him. Cole looked into her eyes. Normally they were the colour of a calm blue sea on a bright summer day, full of kindness and sweetness, which was all Abby, but not now. Right now, her eyes were the colour of a raging ocean during a hurricane. The message they conveyed was clear: Don’t fuck with me! He thought she’d never looked sexier. “You have to believe me when I say I didn’t mean what I said earlier because…”
“I don’t have to do shit!” Abby interrupted.
Cole took a deep breath and looked directly into her angry, hurt eyes. The next moment would change everything between them. He just hoped she would be there when he stepped off the ledge. “You have to, Abby … because I was blinded with jealously.”
His words caught Abby off-guard. What? Did he just say that? Get it together, Abby! she thought. The anger immediately left her like air escaping out of a balloon. She wasn’t sure how she should respond. She just stared at her dream man, open-mouthed and speechless.
Cole’s mouth turned into a sweet smile and he chuckled. “Abby, I think this is the first and only time since we met that you didn’t know what to say to me.” It felt like the pressure that had been weighing down on his heart since he’d watched her drive away from the bar was lifted, and he was finally able to breathe again. “You don’t have to say anything right now. Just let me do the talking, okay?” Cole took her hand and led her to the couch so they could both sit and relax.
Abby followed him like she was in a trance. She was still in shock. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Cole had admitted he was jealous of other men. Specifically, his childhood friend who was just messing around. Did that mean he was going to profess his love to her and finally kiss her? Wow, this was the moment she’d been waiting for. Sitting next to Cole and holding his hand, she was no longer angry or sad. She was giddy like a schoolgirl about to get an ice cream.
While sitting on the couch and gazing into her eyes, Cole could finally admit to himself that he had feelings for Abby. But it didn’t change anything; she needed to stay a friend. “Before I say what I need to say to you, I have to do one thing first.” Cole placed his hands on either side of her face. He slowly leaned in and did the one thing he’d been thinking about for a while. He kissed Abby. A part of him didn’t want to know how she tasted. Letting her go afterwards would be difficult, but he needed to do this one thing before rejecting her again.
The kiss started out soft and sweet. The soft, gentle sweep of her full lips felt amazing against his own. But then something in him broke, and the kiss turned hot. Now that he had his mouth on hers and knew what she tasted like, he didn’t want to stop. He wanted to keep kissing her, but in more intimate places. His thoughts quickly turned to getting her naked and taking her right here on the couch. But he put the brakes on and stopped before he acted on his lustful thoughts. He leaned back, breaking the contact, and moved away from her to the other side of the couch as he caught his breath. Even there, he was still too close; the need to be near her was still too strong. To avoid any further temptation, he stood up, stepped away from the couch and put his hands in his pockets.
Abby’s lips still tingled from his kiss. She reached up and touched her mouth with her fingertips. She could still feel his warmth and wanted to hold onto the sensation of his lips on hers forever. She looked into his eyes and held his gaze. She wanted to say so many things to the man of her dreams, but she wasn’t sure where to start. Did she shout out with joy that she loved him? Abby paused before saying anything embarrassing. She needed to catch her breath and organize her jumbled thoughts. This was her moment, and she didn’t want to ruin the opportunity. But before she was able to process her thoughts and express her undying love for him, Cole interrupted her.
“Abby, I find you incredibly sexy and I want you so bad. You can’t understand how much I want to be with you right now. But before we take this to the next level, I’m going to have to stop. I know it wouldn’t work out between us, so we can’t be together in any way. There’s no point in even trying.”
This time Abby didn’t have difficulty finding the right words. The fury was back, and she quickly leaped up from the couch. “What? You son of a bitch, you kiss me like that, you admit you find me sexy and that you want to be with me and then you shut me down? Do you know how many times I’ve dreamed of hearing you say those words to me?” Abby paused and looked directly into Cole’s eyes. He looked at her with such longing and sadness she almost broke down and cried—almost. The frustration and anger bubbling inside her wouldn’t allow that to happen. “Too many to count. I finally hear the words and then you say no, it would never work. Once again you’re pushing me aside? What the hell is going on?”
The conversation was quickly escalating, and if he wasn’t careful, he’d start yelling as well. So in a soothing voice, Cole tried to calm Abby down so they could maintain some level of decorum. “Please don’t make this any more difficult than it has to be by getting mad.”
Clearly not wanting to stay calm, Abby interrupted, “Oh well, I guess my feelings don’t matter, do they? They’ve only been dragged through the mud since I met you. So okay, let’s keep it simple.”
Cole ignored the sarcasm. “It’s simple, Abby, we come from two different walks of life. You’re the good girl from a wealthy family and I’m the bad-boy biker from the other side of the tracks. It would never work out between us.” Cole walked over to Abby; although he’d tried to keep his hands off her, he needed to touch her. He wanted to stroke her soft cheek in order to console her, but he never got the chance. He took his hands out of his pockets and reached out to her. Abby slapped his hands away with a little bit of heat. He didn’t think it was possible, but she seemed even more angry than a few minutes ago.
“Don’t you dare touch me! How can you say that it wouldn’t work out between us when we haven’t even tried yet? We should give it a try because we would be awesome together.”
“Do you think your father would be happy with you dating a guy like me?”
A little thrown off by his comment, Abby said, “What? Why are you bringing my father into this? He has nothing to do with us. I’m the one you have to impress, and believe me, sweetheart, you already have. Come on, Cole, let’s give it a try. You may be pleasantly surprised.”
“Sorry, Abby, but your father has everything to do with this. I’m a traditional guy and I believe the girl’s father should always approve of the relationship. You can’t stand there and tell me your parents would be over the moon if you brought me home to meet them. You deserve better than a guy like me. I would spend the entire time we were together feeling guilty that you weren’t living the high-class life you deserve.” Cole got up and headed to the door. He stopped and paused with his hand on the doorknob. He didn’t turn to look at her; he just stared at the door. “I’m so sorry, Abby.”
“Sorry? That’s all you can say to me is sorry? Well, sorry doesn’t cut it. You’re breaking my heart over what my father might think. He has nothing to do with this! I understand you want him to approve. I really do, but don’t you think I should make my own decisions? That I’m old enough to know what is good for me?”
“No, I don’t! It’s very important to me that your father approves. I know he wouldn’t think highly of me, and I know he wouldn’t think I was good enough for you. That’s why we can’t take this any further. I just hope we can still be friends”
