Page 22 of Finding Romance (Romances in the Building #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Kasen

I don’t know what it was about spending an hour discussing my darkest, worst moments with a stranger and then telling one of them to Piper, but I wake up feeling renewed. And then I remember that I have to plan the perfect third date and…shit, I need help with this one.

A smile comes to my lips as I recall that it’s men’s book-club night. Yes, this one will take a village. I’d never normally go to the guys for dating advice, but I absolutely cannot fuck this up.

So, I grab a protein shake, hit the gym, and then spend my day attempting to focus on a project for a client’s new server. When I finish, I shovel down some cold pizza and head to the bookstore.

Hutch and Bray are sitting in the corner, sipping beers and debating whether girls prefer licking or sucking nipples.

“I’m sorry, what?” I ask as I sit down on a chair opposite them.

“Oh, in the book we read, you read it, right?” Hutch asks.

I nod but don’t elaborate or tell them I read ten others. I feel like my reputation would be ruined if they found out. Or would it? I had no idea the guys were this into romance novels.

“Well, you know that one scene in the kitchen?” Bray asks.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” I state as I try to remember it.

“He sucked on her nipples, and then in a scene later, he licked them, but the character really didn’t explain which felt better, so now we’re discussing what we think,” Hutch elaborates.

“Isn’t it…subjective?” Gray asks as he walks into the back of the store.

“I mean, sure, but…Roxy, we need input,” Hutch calls out and Roxy walks over from the front desk.

“Guys, I’m not Dr. Ruth. Please try out whatever you like on your own partners and then ask their preference or ask their preference first, even better,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “Now, can we talk actual plot?”

Everyone grabs a drink and we set up in our book club corner.

I’m not nearly as weirded out as the last time I came to this, but it still feels a bit awkward.

I decide I need to get over feeling self-conscious and just get their opinion.

I hate feeling this way. I’ve worked hard my entire adulthood to appear calm, cool, and collected, to never need any help.

“Can I ask a question?” I say, raising my hand, then dropping it immediately because I feel stupid.

“Of course, Kasen,” Roxy says with a warm smile. “I’m glad you’re joining us again.”

OK, now this does feel like group therapy.

Pushing aside my feelings, I sit down and turn to everyone. “Can we, uh, talk about the dynamic of the relationship in the book?”

“Sure. Did you like the story?” Roxy asks as she picks up a wineglass and pours herself some more.

“I did. I wasn’t so sure about the age-gap part and the part where she was his goddaughter was a little weird, but I ended up really liking it,” I state as I look around. The other guys nod their agreement.

“I wasn’t sure if the way he chose to take her virginity was realistic,” I say as I recall a scene about it and how frenzied they were to be with each other physically.

“Weren’t you in a frenzy your first time?” Hutch says with a laugh.

Roxy looks around at all of us. “Did you all lose your virginity in high school?” she asks. We all nod except Bray.

We turn to look at our friend. “Freshman year of college,” he says with a shrug. I can tell Hutch was unaware of that but I had known this after Bray told me three drinks into a guys’ night a few years ago.

“So, you probably were more focused on your pleasure. How many of you lost it to another virgin, like your first girlfriend or something?” Roxy asks.

Hutch and Gray raise their hands. My high school girlfriend had a boyfriend before me, and I know Bray’s college girlfriend had dated before him.

“What? I’m missing virgin talk!” Drew says from the door.

I groan. “We’re talking about the plot,” I say with a clenched jaw.

“Oh, I mean, I thought it was pretty realistic,” he says with a shrug.

I turn to him. “When did you lose your virginity?” I ask.

“Damn, Kase! Let me have a drink first,” he says with a smirk.

I glare at him as he pours himself some of Roxy’s wine and sits down next to her. “Believe it or not, I didn’t come out till college. I dated one girl in high school and we were each other’s first.”

I raise an eyebrow. I hadn’t known that about Drew, but then again, like a dick friend, I never asked him.

“OK, we’re talking about the virginity aspect of the book, and I think Kasen had questions,” Roxy offers as she motions for me to continue.

“Do you guys ever think about if you had to do it over, what would you do differently?” I ask.

There’s silence for a few seconds. And I wonder if my friends can see through me. Do they know I’m about to sleep with Piper? No, they wouldn’t, would they?

“Well, I wish I had been more attentive and not so rushed,” Bray says with a shrug.

“Shit, I think we all feel that way. I wish I had lasted longer than thirty seconds,” Hutch says with a laugh.

“Same,” Gray says.

“I wish I hadn’t imagined my best friend the entire time,” Drew winces.

“Damn, Drew, that’s fucked up,” Gray says as we all laugh awkwardly.

“Yeah, it sort of was, but the guy turned out to be a prick, so I suppose I dodged a bullet with that,” he adds with a shrug.

There are some grunts of understanding from the other guys. A silence follows as we all take sips of our drinks.

“I think,” Roxy begins and she has our full attention. “That a woman wants to feel special. So, the main character probably just wanted her love interest to treat her like she was the most precious and important thing in his life. And he did, in his own way, so I guess that’s what counts.”

I half listen for the rest of the night as Roxy’s words reverberate around my brain. A woman wants to feel special. She wants to be treated like she is the most precious and important thing in his life.

Even after the book club ends and I’m back in bed, I don’t read, I just lie there thinking of what I can do to make Piper feel special.

It’s around three in the morning that the idea hits me, and after I carefully plan out Saturday’s date, I fall asleep, where dreams of a gorgeous woman with different-colored eyes have me wishing Piper was here in my bed now.

* * *

I knock on Cornelia’s door and Piper answers it.

After making sure Cornelia would be alright without her, I told her we were going to have an overnight adventure.

She is standing there in thick tights, a short skirt, boots, and a sweater that hangs off her shoulder.

Her long hair falls in waves down her back.

She’s fucking gorgeous. Her lips are glossy and it draws my eye to them.

“You ready?” I confirm after taking her in for a beat.

“Yep, let’s roll,” she answers. “Bye, ladies. Behave!”

“You kids have fun,” Cornelia yells.

“Hope you’re taking her somewhere good,” Margie says from the kitchen.

“I am. She deserves a night away and I guarantee she will enjoy it,” I say as I wink at Piper and she turns beet red.

“She does. She’s been such an angel,” Cornelia says with a sigh. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“Oh, Aunt Cornelia, you know I’d do anything to help you,” Piper says, and I see her eyes mist over. I had no idea that her great-aunt meant that much to her, but it’s evident now as I watch her reaction to the kind words.

“I know, sweetheart. Now, go have fun,” Cornelia replies, and I swear I hear emotion in her voice, which is very un-Cornelia-like.

I hold out my hand and Piper takes it. Shaking my head, I motion for her bag. She hands it to me and I sling it over my shoulder and then hold out my other hand. She entwines her fingers with mine. I rub my thumb over the smooth skin on the palm of her hand as we walk out to my waiting car.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” she asks.

I shake my head. “It’s a surprise.”

I open the car door for her and she gets in as I lean toward her. “There’s only one rule. If you don’t like something this weekend, you have to promise to tell me, OK?”

“OK,” she whispers, her big multicolored eyes searching mine.

“Good,” I state as I close her door and walk around the car, tossing her bag in the back with mine as I hop into the driver’s seat.

I drive us out of the city a ways until we reach the exit for our location. The roads narrow and there’s hardly another car. We finally come up on a giant farm property. There’s a vineyard in front, but it’s the building in the back that I stop at and park.

“Where are we?” she asks.

I walk around the car and open her door. She exits and looks around us.

“Come on, I have arranged for an activity before dinner,” I explain as I motion for her to follow me into the building.

We enter and she gasps. I may have had to pull a few strings, but in the end, the look on her face is worth every conversation I was forced to have for the last seventy-two hours.

“I…what?” she stammers as she looks around us.

A man crosses the room and extends his hand. “Ms. Dawson, I’m so pleased to have you join me tonight. Mr. Saddler said you are looking to illustrate books. So, I offered a lesson,” he says. “I’m Buckley Sullivan, but please, call me Sully.”

“Y-you’re, like, wow. It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. Sullivan, I mean, Sully,” she stumbles over her words as she releases his hand.

“Have a seat. This is a lesson for two,” he says with a grin. He’s set up two canvases in front of one for him.

And just like that, one of the world’s most famous children's book illustrators gives us a private lesson on his farm. He praises and encourages Piper and I’m so grateful that Al offered to call his old friend.

“Thank you, Sully. This has been a dream come true,” Piper gushes as we wrap up our lesson.

“Happy to have met you, Piper. Here’s a card with my number and email, feel free to reach out anytime,” he says and then points toward the road we drove in on. “I think the guesthouse is all ready with dinner when you are.”

“Dinner?” Piper asks.

“Yeah, when my wife wanted to buy this place, I had no idea the plans she had for it. She and my daughters run the vineyard, and last year, they put two guesthouses out by the lake. But you’re the only ones out there tonight.

We were going to close them for the season, but Al talked me into taking one last booking.

My daughter Jessica is a great chef, she’s prepared your dinner on the veranda. ”

“Thanks again, Sully,” I say as I shake his hand.

He waves at us. “I’ll have Martha drop these on the front steps of the cabin tomorrow before checkout.”

I nod and place my hand on the small of Piper’s back, ushering her back to the car. I drive us a mile down the road where it ends at a lake. There’s an A-frame building and another one a little further down the path.

I park in the nearest one where I can see a candlelit table on a deck overlooking the water.

“Holy shit, Kasen. This is amazing,” Piper says excitedly as she gets out of the car before I can open the door for her.

She’s already walking to the deck.

I jump out and take her hand, dragging her back against me. “Slow down there, illustrator. Let’s get our stuff and then we’ll change for dinner.” I had told her to pack a nice outfit.

She nods and I take our bags. We get settled in the house. Everything we need is there. The loft master suite looks out over the lake. It really is gorgeous.

“Go ahead and change. I’ll meet you on the deck,” I say. She nods and heads into the bathroom. I throw on a suit and walk downstairs, stopping in the kitchen to grab the ice bucket with the champagne inside and two champagne flutes.

I set them on the table outside and take a seat to wait.

A moment later, Piper walks out onto the deck, and I nearly stop breathing. She’s beyond beautiful. Her hair is pinned up on top of her head. Tendrils hang down her long neck. She’s wearing makeup and her lips are bright red. She has on a red dress that hugs every curve on her body.

Fuck me.

“I sort of was hoping that is what you would do to me,” she says with a smirk.

I realize I said those words out loud and I grin. “That’s the plan,” I reply.

I stand and hold out a hand. She takes it and I twirl her in a circle. She giggles.

“You’re stunning,” I manage.

“Thank you,” she says quietly.

I pull out her chair and she sits.

“Let’s eat and enjoy the evening,” I say, but I’m not sure I can, because all I want to do is take her up to that giant king-sized bed and make her mine. I want to ruin her for every other man forever. And that thought both makes me terrified and also exceedingly happy all at once.