I see her lying there in the sand and it takes everything in me not to crawl back on top of her, to take what she is so clearly offering right now. I know if I do, she will hate me for taking advantage of the small part of the wall that came down since this morning. This woman is different for me. While I want her sexually, unlike any other woman I have ever met, I know I want more than sex. I want a deeper connection with her. As of right now, I am committing to take things slow and allow myself to have the time to get to know her, also to let her get to know me, before anything sexual happens.
It will make it more meaningful when it does happen. Kate has been the only one ever to make me feel like she was the wait.
The boyfriend also has to go before we go further. I won’t share her or be content with only a small part of her.
I want all of her, even her heart.
I hold out my hand to help her up from the ground, before I change my mind. I see confusion in her eyes as I help her to stand. She is covered in sand and I watch quietly as she runs her hands over her body to rid herself of it. I mentally groan inside as she bends and twists, her jeans pulling tight across her ass, the top of her cleavage showing as she bends over causing her t-shirt to gape open at the top. Having to put a stop to this torment, I grasp her hand to lead her to the blanket, to pick it up and walk back to the car.
Popping the trunk open, I lay the blanket inside and look at Kate. She has remained quiet and is no longer meeting my gaze.
"I know of this great fish shack not too far from here if you are hungry?” I ask, breaking the silence. “I know you skipped breakfast.” I hate the quiet Kate.
She meets my eyes, smiles, nodding her head. I let go of the breath I had been holding. I was afraid she would ask me to take her home.
I shut the trunk and lead her to the passenger side of my car and open the door for her. I bring her hand to my lips for a soft kiss before letting it go so she can get in the car.
Rounding the car, I slide into my seat and turn the car on. Turning the car around, I head back the dirt road before continuing on the highway. Kate remains silent beside me. We need no words for me to know she is questioning what had, or rather, what had not happened back on the beach. A few minutes later, I turn off on the road that leads to the fish shack. This little shack, along with my secluded beach area, is my reprieve from my demanding job. The clientele here are an older generation; the fact that I am a today's rock star means nothing to them. Most of them do not know who I am.
The road narrows into a small bridge that has to be crossed to get to the fish shack. On the bridge are three men in their sixties, fishing from the bridge, and they give a wave as we cross. I don’t know the fishermen, but they are friendly and welcoming to anyone visiting here. Whoever came here was welcome. It was why I loved it. I pull into a parking space underneath the sign that says "Papa's Fish Shack" and turn off the car.
Getting out, I walk around to open Kate's door. She has been quiet since the beach and I wonder what is going through her pretty head. I take her hand as I shut the car door and lead her to the tiki bar that overlooks the ocean.
"Hey Harley! Long time no see," says Lucas, the middle aged bartender who I have come to know. He extends his hand to shake mine.
"Hey Lucas. This is Kate," I say as I introduce them.
"Well now Harley. You have yourself a looker there. Nice to meet you Kate," Lucas says while ogling her and extending his hand enthusiastically.
"Hi Lucas," Kate says as she reaches her hand out to shake his, letting go of my hand in the process. I feel bereft at the loss of her hand in mine. To keep from reaching for it again, I busy my hands with pulling out stools for us.
"What can I get you kids?" Lucas asks while beaming at the both of us.
"What is your drink of choice Kate?" I ask, watching her hair blow in the gentle breeze. What a feeling to be right here beside her now.
"I will have a beer,” she responds to me. Turning her attention to Lucas she inquires, “Do you have fish tacos by any chance?"
"Sure do! The best fish tacos in California,” Lucas boasts proudly. “How about you Harley? What will you have?".
"I'll have the same as Kate," I reply.
"Coming right up!" Lucas says eagerly, as he sets our beer in front of us before leaving to place our order with the kitchen.
I can't resist, I take Kate's hand again. She gives me a small smile and my heart picks up its beat. I've got it bad for this girl.
"I like this place. Do you come here much?" Kate asks me.
"Not as often as I would like but I do whenever I can." I am pleased she likes it here.
“Does Lucas know who you are?” she asks.
Nodding, I say, “Yes, he does but he is like you, he doesn’t wear a disguise. He is a truly kind man. He doesn’t care about my career. He is who he is. It is one of the reasons I am drawn here and one of the reasons why I took you here. This is my get away place, where I am a regular customer. I have never brought anyone else here.”
She flushes at my admittance that I took her to my special place.
"So tell me. What else does Mr. Stile like to do?" she inquiries, a small smile across her face. I love that she wants to get to know me.
"I like to fish sometimes when I come here."
Her eyes widen, as she asks, "Really?"
A strand of hair blows across her face and my hand reaches out before I can stop myself to remove it while caressing her face at the same time. I feel another piece of my heart give way to this girl.
I remind myself that she has to ditch the boyfriend before I touch her.
"Yeah, I find it soothing. So now that you know some things about me, tell me about you," I ask.
Shrugging her shoulders, she replies, "There isn't much to tell. I work at an accounting firm, as you know. Nothing as glamorous as your life."
"Oh, come on. You have to give me more than that. You do other things besides work, right? I watched you doing yoga poses on the beach. Tell me what else you like to do. Tell me if you have always lived in LA. Tell me what you wanted to be when you grew up."
Laughing, she says, "Well, you are right, I do other things besides work. I love yoga but my favorite activity is riding my horse, Duke. When I was a little girl, I would dream of owning a stable where I can teach people how to not only ride, but how to handle and care for a horse properly."
"What changed your mind?" I ask.
"When I realized it wouldn't pay my bills," she says as she stops laughing. She has given up her dream because she is afraid of failure. I let the subject drop for now.
"Here you go Harley. Kate, let me know what you think of the fish tacos," Lucas interrupts us as he sets the fish tacos in front of us. I watch as Kate takes a bite.
"Oh my God, Lucas! These are amazing!" she says enthusiastically as she takes another bite. Lucas beams at her praise. She has such a kind heart.
"Knew you would like them! You let me know if you need anything else honey," he says, winking at Kate, before he welcomes the next person to sit at the bar.
"Someone else you have wrapped around your finger already," I murmur before I take a bite. Kate's right. The tacos are amazing.
"Someone else wrapped around my finger?" she questions. "I didn't realize I had anyone wrapped around my finger," she says dismissively as she takes another bite.
"You have me wrapped around your finger," I respond lightly, but with all my heart.
She doesn’t respond immediately, her eyes scanning my face. I decide to finish off my taco, prompting her to finish hers.
Once done, I hear her quietly say, "You must be joking." Her eyes are focused on her empty plate, her finger tracing the condensation on her beer can.
"No, not joking at all. You had me from the first time I saw you at the concert. When you didn't agree to meet me backstage, I thought I'd never see you again. The night of the AMA's I couldn't believe it was you. There was no way you were leaving that night without me meeting you."
I can see that I have shocked her as her gaze moves to my face. I hold her eyes momentarily, letting her see how much she has affected me.
A heavy silence hangs between us as she absorbs my words.
"You want to go fishing?" I ask, wanting to lighten the atmosphere between us.
"Do you have a fishing pole with you?" she asks, laughing.
"Sure do! I keep one in my car," I pull money out of my pocket and throw it on the bar.
I see an expression of pure delight on her face as she walks alongside me to my car, this time her taking my hand, to retrieve my fishing pole.
That is when Kate won the last piece of my heart.