Page 14 of Impossible Bachelor (Bachelor Tower 2)
“I can’t believe Penny packed a bag for me. What sister does that?”
“She likes me.”
“She’s probably picturing us double dating with her and Dalton.”
“Would that be so bad?”
She still has those arms folded across her chest—about as tense as a person can get. I wonder if she’s like that for her pilot then regret letting my mind go there. I’m not a jealous man by nature, but the idea of Kylie with anyone else has me clenching my hands on the steering wheel.
“Penny and I have always been opposites. I want to have more common ground with her, but I don’t know if that’s possible.”
“Anything is possible. You look close whenever I see you together. Have you considered that you’re too hard on yourself? She loves you. You love her. With siblings that’s all that’s required.”
She sighs. “I wish I could see things the way you do. When I look at us all I see are the things that are still wrong.”
“I can understand that. My passion is hunting down errors and correcting them.”
“Is that why you’re with me? Do you see something wrong that needs to be corrected?”
This is when I like Kylie the most. She’s lowering her wall and letting me in. “Is that how you see yourself?”
“I’ve been called mean, inflexible, obsessed . . .”
I take one of her hands in mine and simply hold it. “That’s not the woman I see.”
She doesn’t pull away. “Well, you haven’t known me that long.”
“It’s not how Penny sees you, either.”
Her hand tightens on mine. “Ben, if I could, I would—”
“You can, Kylie. That’s what you don’t see yet. You can trust me. You can let me in, and I won’t disappoint you.”
We ride along in silence for several minutes, hands laced, with only the sounds of light jazz and our breathing.
“Why do you sound so sure?”
“I analyze things for a living, look at them from every angle.” I toss her a smile to lighten the mood. “I’m not all muscles and good looks. I’m also fucking brilliant.”
She does smile now. “So sweet—such a big ego.”
“Bigger is better.” I wink.
She chuckles. “Is that supposed to turn me on?”
I bring her hand to my thigh, placing it just below the pulsing edge of my rock-hard dick. “Is it working? Because you have some angles I’d like to analyze.”
She laughs, and I get that buzz that only comes from making her happy. “You’re too nice for me, Ben, but you’ve been warned.”
“You can keep pushing me away, Kylie. But I’m not going anywhere. Save your energy for something more fun.”
“Like this?” Her eyebrows raise high as she slides her hand ever so slightly farther up my thigh. I swallow hard and sweat begins to bead on my forehead. I want to swerve this car to the side of the road and take her right here. She might be game for it, but then what? I don’t want to be the next man she talks about, without bothering to mention his name. I want more of her than that.
I take her hand and lace my fingers with hers. Down, Mr. Closure—we’re in this for the long haul. “It’s a long drive. Do you have any questions you’re dying to ask me?”
“Not really.” She smiles when she says it. Oh, she’s bad. She knows what she’s doing.
I sigh. “That’s a shame. Some people would want to hear about my life, my career, how I see technology changing over the next ten years—but if you’d rather just listen to music.” I reach to turn up the radio.
She stops me by laying a hand over mine. “Okay. I’m curious.”
“My life. My career. My ambitions. I’m a fascinating man. Ask away.” I lace my fingers back through hers. Come on, Kylie. Meet me halfway.
She’s quiet for a moment then says, “I would like to know your story. How did you get your first break? How do you choose your projects?”
My heart swells with pride for her. Some people open up to complete strangers while in line at the supermarket. It’s easy, but not as meaningful as each step Kylie takes with me. “When I was little I used to take everything apart. Everything. I got in trouble a lot because I didn’t always know how to put things back together. I took a coding class in high school, and something clicked—I finally found something I could take apart and put back together without getting grounded. And it made sense. I could see the code executing in my mind when I ran a program, and if I couldn’t I wanted to.”
“That’s amazing.”
“I scored a full scholarship to MIT, and then the real fun began. Suddenly I was learning from people who knew as much if not more than I did. I liked being challenged. As a course project, I came up with a search algorithm my professor thought was marketable. I didn’t have the resources to take it from concept to market, but I patented the idea and found a buyer who could. The money was insane. The people I met were amazing. A whole new world opened for me, and I just kind of stepped into it. One project led to another. I was offered more jobs than any man deserves, but I like the freedom of choosing my own path.”
“Do you ever see your work out there, making billions for someone else and wonder if you should have kept it for yourself?”
“Never.” I meet her eyes briefly. “I have more money than I know what to do with. How about you? You’re highly successful. How much more do you need?”
She attempts to withdraw her hand, but I hold on to it. “It’s not about the money.”
I keep talking, hoping it’ll show her I’m not here to judge her. “For me, it’s about the journey and the people I meet along the way. I’ve been incredibly lucky. I have friends in almost every industry and that keeps things fun.”
“Fun.” She repeats the word as if it’s not one she would associate with work.
“How about you? How did you get your start?”
The flash of sadness in her expression takes me by surprise. “Not the same way you did. Could we talk about something else?”
“Sure.” I ask her what she likes about living in Boston. The conversation turns to an easy chat about the vibe of the city and our favorite haunts.
She traces one of my knuckles with her thumb. “When I graduated from college I used to go to the Museum of Fine Arts and order a bottle of wine and a cheese plate. I thought I was being incredibly sophisticated.”
“I totally get that. I hung out in coffee shops with my laptop and a latte imagining I was the epitome of coolness.”
“I miss those days.”
“So let’s do it. Let’s go to the museum when we get back. You can get me drunk and explain why a black dot on a white piece of paper is art.”
She shakes her head. “It’s not all like that.”
“Prove it when we get back.”
“You’re on.”
The rest of the ride we chat easily. The farther we get from the city the more relaxed she becomes. By the time we pull up to our destination her shoes are off and her feet are resting comfortably on the dashboard as she taps them to the beat of the music on the radio.
“Where are we?”
“In the winter it’s a ski resort.”
“And this time of year?”
“A buddy of mine bought some of the property on this side of the mountain. He’s made some upgrades. He gave me the keys to the kingdom today.”
“Interesting.” As we step out I hand her the bag Penny packed, and I love that she opens it immediately. I bet Christmas at her house tested her patience each year. I hope she brings the same impatience to our bed.
“We’ll change in the bathrooms and then we can start climbing.”
“A hike?”
“A journey with a destination.”
“Mysterious.”
“Like me.”
She rolls her eyes but chuckles. “Sure.”
I can’t wait a moment longer. I pull her to me and kiss her smiling lips. I tell myself to keep it light, but as soon as her body fits to
mine I’m on fire for her. Her mouth opens for mine and I’m lost.
Her hands dig into my hair. I can’t get enough of her. Oh, God, one more minute of this and I’ll fuck her right here. I raise my head. She looks as dazed as I feel. “We should go change,” I say in a strangled voice.
She nods and looks around for the bag she dropped to the ground. I hand it to her and wave toward the building with the bathrooms.
After a quick change, a splash of water on my face, and a stern inner lecture, I’m back outside waiting for Kylie. She steps out in a tight-fitting pair of jeans and a low V-neck sweater that shows just enough cleavage to make me sad she won’t be facing me during my surprise for her. Why the hell did I think we should wait?
“Are we honestly going for a hike? Do you have supplies? A compass? I have hardly any phone service up here. Do you know how many horror movies start this way?”
“I love horror movies. See, we have something else in common.”
