Well Built
Page 16
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The best part was, she believed him.
Chapter Five
On Friday nights, Moretti’s Pizza was always packed, so Kyle was glad he’d set up reservations while Ella had been making her call home earlier in his office. Since he and the guys came here often for beer and pizza after work, he knew how loud it could get, so he’d requested a booth in the back of the restaurant and away from the bar area so the noise level wasn’t insane, and the hostess was happy to accommodate him. After what had just happened with Ella and her anxiety attack, he knew she’d appreciate the quieter, more private area, as well.
After a quick discussion on toppings, Kyle order their pizza, along with a beer for himself while Ella requested a glass of Moscato d’Asti—a light, sweet Italian wine that was a house favorite. The waitress returned with their drinks, and he sat back in the booth across from Ella, watching as she took a sip of her wine. He tried not to give too much attention to those soft lips pressed against the rim of the glass or the pink tongue that peeked out to sample the Moscato. Because that only led to thoughts of that incredibly hot and intense kiss they’d just shared, which had only served to whet his appetite for more of her.
Now that she was out of the harsh and raucous city elements, she was much mellower than she had been during the tense walk over to the restaurant. Her adverse reaction had surprised the hell out of him. He’d truly had no idea how sensitive she was to the hustle and bustle of Chicago, or that it could trigger such fear and panic. Then again, other than their preferred pizza toppings not changing since high school, there was probably a whole lot he didn’t know about her anymore. But he wanted to find out.
He was mostly curious why Tucker Barnes hadn’t fought harder for someone like Ella and why he’d let her go so easily, even though, according to his mother, she’d been the one to end the engagement. It was like calling the kettle black, Kyle realized, and he hated to admit that his own reasons for letting her go all boiled down to immaturity and sheer fucking stupidity that had only morphed into a wealth of regrets over the years.
But now that a decade had passed, their lives had clearly veered off in different directions. He’d gone to college, and she’d lost out on the opportunity to further her education because of her father’s stroke. He was rooted and established in the city, where he lived, worked, and owned a thriving business with three other good friends, while tonight had proved that she was one hundred percent a small-town girl who preferred the quaint, cozy, and familiar. She was the responsible woman who wore jeans and T-shirts and ran the family market and still lived at home so she could take care of her father.
No, his Ella wasn’t city sophistication. She was sweet, ingenuous simplicity. Always had been, and it appeared she always would be. Mixing their lives now would be a complete and utter clusterfuck.
City vs. country aside, there was not a doubt in Kyle’s mind that her father despised any man with the last name of Coleman, and in some ways, he couldn’t blame him. It didn’t matter that Kyle wasn’t the brother who’d hurt and betrayed Charles’s elder daughter and lied about being the father of Gwen’s baby. Kyle had been involved with Ella, and he’d delivered a different but equally devastating kind of pain that any good, protective father would still hold against him.
“You look so serious,” Ella said, clearing the disheartening thoughts from Kyle’s head and bringing her back in focus. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m here with you,” he said without bothering to censor his words. “I’d say this evening couldn’t get any better than that.” Okay, that was a blatant lie. Taking her back to his place and continuing where that kiss left off would elevate the night to damn near perfection. Yeah, dream on, Coleman.
“Still flirtatious as ever, I see.” The corner of her mouth twitched with a humorous smile. “I bet you say that to all the women you date.”
“Actually, you’d be the first I’ve ever said that to and meant it.”
Yes, he’d wined and dined other women, but he’d never truly been content to just be in their company without any other expectations for how the night would end. With those dates, the final result was always sex. Casual and mutual. After he fed Ella, there would be no trip back to his condo. They’d go their separate ways, and he was already dreading the separation because of how much he was enjoying this time with her, just the two of them. He was pretty sure dinner with Ella, or being alone like this with her, for that matter, wouldn’t happen again anytime soon.
She bit her bottom lip for a moment, then gave in to the curiosity touching her features. “So, has there been anyone serious over the years?”
She was trying to act casual, but it was evident that she was just as interested in his relationships as he was about hers with Tucker. “Define serious,” he said, and took a drink of his beer.
Her shoulder lifted in a shrug. “Being committed to one woman for more than a few weeks?”
“Not since you.” He deliberately held her wide-eyed stare, wanting to make sure she knew what she’d meant to him. That seeing her again, being with her, made him realize why no other girl had ever compared, and that was because none had given him that complete sense of acceptance he’d felt with her or the certainty that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with them—as he had with Ella.
She ducked her head and laughed a bit self-consciously as her fingers played with the stem of her wineglass. “I certainly hadn’t expected that answer.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t been a monk,” he clarified, because he’d had his share of hookups, just not long-term relationships. “But right after leaving Woodmont, I came to the city and got a job working for a small construction company as an apprentice making minimum wage. I needed the money to help pay for the college and living expenses that my scholarship and tuition didn’t cover. Honestly, between working my ass off nearly every day and on the weekends, going to school, and studying for exams, the last thing I had time for was a steady girlfriend.”
“And once you graduated?” she asked, still fishing to know more.
He shrugged. “There just hasn’t been anyone who’s made me want to settle down for the long haul.” He allowed a faint smile to appear. “I think maybe I’ve set my expectations too high.”
Chapter Five
On Friday nights, Moretti’s Pizza was always packed, so Kyle was glad he’d set up reservations while Ella had been making her call home earlier in his office. Since he and the guys came here often for beer and pizza after work, he knew how loud it could get, so he’d requested a booth in the back of the restaurant and away from the bar area so the noise level wasn’t insane, and the hostess was happy to accommodate him. After what had just happened with Ella and her anxiety attack, he knew she’d appreciate the quieter, more private area, as well.
After a quick discussion on toppings, Kyle order their pizza, along with a beer for himself while Ella requested a glass of Moscato d’Asti—a light, sweet Italian wine that was a house favorite. The waitress returned with their drinks, and he sat back in the booth across from Ella, watching as she took a sip of her wine. He tried not to give too much attention to those soft lips pressed against the rim of the glass or the pink tongue that peeked out to sample the Moscato. Because that only led to thoughts of that incredibly hot and intense kiss they’d just shared, which had only served to whet his appetite for more of her.
Now that she was out of the harsh and raucous city elements, she was much mellower than she had been during the tense walk over to the restaurant. Her adverse reaction had surprised the hell out of him. He’d truly had no idea how sensitive she was to the hustle and bustle of Chicago, or that it could trigger such fear and panic. Then again, other than their preferred pizza toppings not changing since high school, there was probably a whole lot he didn’t know about her anymore. But he wanted to find out.
He was mostly curious why Tucker Barnes hadn’t fought harder for someone like Ella and why he’d let her go so easily, even though, according to his mother, she’d been the one to end the engagement. It was like calling the kettle black, Kyle realized, and he hated to admit that his own reasons for letting her go all boiled down to immaturity and sheer fucking stupidity that had only morphed into a wealth of regrets over the years.
But now that a decade had passed, their lives had clearly veered off in different directions. He’d gone to college, and she’d lost out on the opportunity to further her education because of her father’s stroke. He was rooted and established in the city, where he lived, worked, and owned a thriving business with three other good friends, while tonight had proved that she was one hundred percent a small-town girl who preferred the quaint, cozy, and familiar. She was the responsible woman who wore jeans and T-shirts and ran the family market and still lived at home so she could take care of her father.
No, his Ella wasn’t city sophistication. She was sweet, ingenuous simplicity. Always had been, and it appeared she always would be. Mixing their lives now would be a complete and utter clusterfuck.
City vs. country aside, there was not a doubt in Kyle’s mind that her father despised any man with the last name of Coleman, and in some ways, he couldn’t blame him. It didn’t matter that Kyle wasn’t the brother who’d hurt and betrayed Charles’s elder daughter and lied about being the father of Gwen’s baby. Kyle had been involved with Ella, and he’d delivered a different but equally devastating kind of pain that any good, protective father would still hold against him.
“You look so serious,” Ella said, clearing the disheartening thoughts from Kyle’s head and bringing her back in focus. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m here with you,” he said without bothering to censor his words. “I’d say this evening couldn’t get any better than that.” Okay, that was a blatant lie. Taking her back to his place and continuing where that kiss left off would elevate the night to damn near perfection. Yeah, dream on, Coleman.
“Still flirtatious as ever, I see.” The corner of her mouth twitched with a humorous smile. “I bet you say that to all the women you date.”
“Actually, you’d be the first I’ve ever said that to and meant it.”
Yes, he’d wined and dined other women, but he’d never truly been content to just be in their company without any other expectations for how the night would end. With those dates, the final result was always sex. Casual and mutual. After he fed Ella, there would be no trip back to his condo. They’d go their separate ways, and he was already dreading the separation because of how much he was enjoying this time with her, just the two of them. He was pretty sure dinner with Ella, or being alone like this with her, for that matter, wouldn’t happen again anytime soon.
She bit her bottom lip for a moment, then gave in to the curiosity touching her features. “So, has there been anyone serious over the years?”
She was trying to act casual, but it was evident that she was just as interested in his relationships as he was about hers with Tucker. “Define serious,” he said, and took a drink of his beer.
Her shoulder lifted in a shrug. “Being committed to one woman for more than a few weeks?”
“Not since you.” He deliberately held her wide-eyed stare, wanting to make sure she knew what she’d meant to him. That seeing her again, being with her, made him realize why no other girl had ever compared, and that was because none had given him that complete sense of acceptance he’d felt with her or the certainty that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with them—as he had with Ella.
She ducked her head and laughed a bit self-consciously as her fingers played with the stem of her wineglass. “I certainly hadn’t expected that answer.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I haven’t been a monk,” he clarified, because he’d had his share of hookups, just not long-term relationships. “But right after leaving Woodmont, I came to the city and got a job working for a small construction company as an apprentice making minimum wage. I needed the money to help pay for the college and living expenses that my scholarship and tuition didn’t cover. Honestly, between working my ass off nearly every day and on the weekends, going to school, and studying for exams, the last thing I had time for was a steady girlfriend.”
“And once you graduated?” she asked, still fishing to know more.
He shrugged. “There just hasn’t been anyone who’s made me want to settle down for the long haul.” He allowed a faint smile to appear. “I think maybe I’ve set my expectations too high.”
