“No,” he says with a soft smile. “I’m really not.”
“So I met Selah today.”
Beck freezes with the smoked prime rib sandwich ordered off room service halfway to his mouth. “Did you now?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“That explains it. Between her and Rachel, I’m not surprised you now have a closet to rival a Kardashian.”
I point a fry in his general direction. They’re damn good fries and the burger wasn’t bad either. A blob of ketchup is hanging off a finger so I suck that off quick smart. Yum.
Meanwhile, he sits there, frozen, staring at my mouth.
“You okay?” I ask.
He blinks. “Huh?”
“Let’s discuss you and Selah…because I’m getting the feeling there’s a story there.”
“Why am I always telling you my stories, and you’re never telling me yours?”
“You haven’t told me that many and I’m happy to trade you tale for tale.”
“Deal,” he says. “You go first. I’m still eating.”
“What do you want to hear about?”
He ponders this for a moment. “How about your first love? What competition am I up against here?”
We’re on the apartment’s terrace, sitting opposite each other on couches with the fire going to warm the chill of the autumn air. Our first night alone together in Denver. Stars twinkle overhead and the sounds of the city are far below. It’s lovely.
“My first serious boyfriend was during my last year of college.” I abandon the remaining fries and stack up any empty plates before settling back into the comfy seat. “His name was Paul.”
“I hate him already.”
“You don’t like the name Paul?”
“I have no opinion regarding the name Paul. I just hate this one in particular for reasons that shall remain secret.”
I bite back a smile. “Okay then. So Paul was on the football team. I thought I was so lucky to have gotten his attention. To have such a big man on campus for a boyfriend. He and I spent lots of time together going on drives and watching the stars and hanging out in my room. We both had hormones so sex was soon involved. What didn’t occur to me for a long time, or at least didn’t initially bother me, was that we never really hung out with his friends. Now and then we’d do something with mine, but never his. He made all of the usual excuses. How he wanted to keep me to himself, that we had so much fun alone with no pants on, that his friends were boring immature jerks only interested in keg parties…you know.”
Beck just watches me, his sandwich forgotten.
“But the fact was, he was embarrassed to be seen with me. I wasn’t one of the skinny cool girls.”
His gaze darkens. “Knew I hated Paul for a reason.”
“So that’s the story of my first love.”
“You loved him?”
“No.” I smile. “I just thought I did. Idiot didn’t even give me my first vaginal orgasm.”
“Now that’s a story I need to hear and don’t spare any details.”
I shake my head. “We’re trading tales here. It’s your turn now.”
“Fine. But I would point out that I asked for the story of your first love.”
“Honestly.” I frown in thought. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in love.”
“Okay. Interesting.” He wipes his hands off on a napkin before taking a swig of beer. There’s a masculine grace to even his simplest movements. And the way his throat works when he swallows. I’m more than a little gaga over this man. “Selah, huh? The story of Selah is, my father decided she’d make a great starter wife. Looked good, had a trust fund, came from the right family, wouldn’t give them too much trouble over the prenup. So he talked Rachel into giving her an internship and then set about putting Selah in my path. Like an idiot I fell for it, even bought her a ring.”
“Did Selah know about your father’s plan?”
“That she did. His people had given her all of the inside information. My likes and dislikes. Places I went, things I did, people I’d dated, that sort of thing.”
“Shit.”
“Indeed.” He turns his head, staring out at the city lights and the mountains in the distance. It’s a breathtaking view though it has nothing on him. His expression, however, is a long way from happy. “Selah was all-in for the status and wealth of marrying an Elliot. It was Rachel who put two and two together and started asking the right questions. She and Dad had this huge fight. Then Selah finally admitted everything