Something Unexpected by Vi Keeland
CHAPTER 17
Nora
“OH, SORRY. I didn’t see you there.” An adorable young guy flashed a dimpled smile and thumbed over his shoulder. “I think I might be in the wrong hospital room. But…” He shrugged and raised one of the Starbucks cups in his hands. “I brought you coffee.”
I chuckled. “You brought me coffee, yet you’re in the wrong room?”
“I brought it for my brother, but he won’t appreciate it as much as I’ll enjoy having coffee with you.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the unappreciative brother comment, or the happy-go-lucky, hot-guy attitude that tipped me off. “Oh my gosh. I bet you’re Jake?”
His dimples deepened. “You’ve been looking for me all your life, too?”
I stood and extended my hand. “I’m a friend of your grandmother’s. Nora Sutton.”
“Oh shit.” He put down both coffees and surprised me by engulfing me in a big hug. “The woman who wing jumps and doesn’t jump at my brother’s command. It’s great to meet you, Nora. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I laughed. “If it’s from Beck, I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
He picked up his coffee again. “Seriously, have the other one if you want. I only brought it to butter him up because I screwed up something at work.”
“Thanks. I think I will. The coffee here is godawful, and it’ll taste better knowing I deprived Beck of it.”
Jake’s grin was infectious. The two brothers resembled each other, both gorgeous, yet somehow still very different. Beck was broad shouldered, angular, and impeccably dressed. He was buttoned up and commanding, while Jake was leaner, with slightly softer features, and it looked like he could use a haircut and shave. Yet I’d bet my last dollar that women ate up his look just as much. Especially those cavernous dimples.
He lifted his chin to the empty bed. “Where’s Gram? She make a run for it already?”
“They took her down for radiation a little while ago. It usually only takes about a half hour, so she should be back soon.”
“How’s she feeling today?”
“She’s not too happy that the doctor said she can’t go to the Harry Styles concert tonight.”
“I love Harry!”
I smiled. Yeah, these brothers are sooo different. “Anyway, it’s funny you mention her making a run for it, because she’s trying to get me to sneak her out for a few hours. I keep telling her I can’t. We might want to put the nurses on alert when we leave though.”
“Well, if you need a replacement date for the concert tonight…” Jake rocked back on his heels and slipped his hands into his pockets. “I can cancel my plans.”
I was half tempted to take him up on the offer, just because I thought it might drive Beck nuts, but I’d already given the tickets to him to sell online for me. “Sorry. I think the tickets are sold already.”
“Damn.” He grinned. “Next time.”
Jake slipped off his shoes and hopped up on Louise’s bed. Spreading his long legs and making himself comfy, he locked his hands behind his head, elbows out.
“So…did you hear the story about why Gram’s dog hates Beck?”
I smiled. “I don’t think so. Although I have seen all the nip wounds on his fingers. The first time I met him, I think he was wearing four Band-Aids.”
“Yep. Dog hates him. He likes to tell people it’s because Gram talks to Bitsy and he doesn’t. But that’s not the reason at all.”
“What’s the real dirt?”
“Bitsy’s gotta be eight now, but she was only about a year when Beck picked her up from grooming one time. Gram was away for the weekend, and she asked him to watch her. She’d dropped Bitsy off at the groomer, and Beck was supposed to pick her up.”
“He forgot?”
“Oh no, he showed up. And he took a little dog home, too. It just wasn’t Bitsy.”
“Oh my God. Didn’t he take the wrong baby carrier once and leave you at daycare?”
Jake’s smile widened. “He did indeed. For a guy who doesn’t miss a beat, he can be pretty inattentive at times.”
“I’d say. How long did it take him to figure out he didn’t have Bitsy?”
“He had the wrong dog in his apartment for two full days and never even noticed. And just in case you’re thinking Oh, all Pomeranians look alike, so that can be easy to do, don’t. Because the dog he brought home from the groomer was a Yorkshire terrier.”
I laughed. “You’re kidding me?”
“Nope. He had no clue that the dog our grandmother had owned for the last year wasn’t the one he’d dognapped. I was only a teenager at the time, so I was still living with her. But he stopped by a few times a month.”
“What about the Yorkie owner? Didn’t they notice?”
“The other dog happened to have the same name and was there for boarding for the weekend, so the owners didn’t notice until they arrived to pick up their dog. They tried to reach Louise after they figured out what must’ve happened, but she was on her way back home, and she doesn’t answer while she’s driving. So the other owner called the cops. Gram and Beck had to go down to the police station, because the Yorkie owner wanted to press charges for dognapping. It was the funniest shit I ever watched go down.”
I couldn’t stop laughing as I imagined Beck petting and feeding a dog all weekend without noticing it looked nothing like the one he was supposed to be watching. Jake cracked up right along with me. Which of course, made it the perfect time for Beck to walk in.
“Oh shit.” Beck stopped short a few steps over the threshold. He shook his head. “This can’t be good.”
Jake pointed to Beck’s fingers, and there were Band-Aids on three of them. That only made us laugh harder. Tears streamed down my cheeks. “What’s up, dognapper?”
Beck looked up at the sky, shaking his head. “You’re such a dick, Jake.”
“You’re lucky you got here so soon. I was about to tell her about the bananas last week.”
“What happened with bananas?” I asked.
“He gets his groceries delivered. Maddie likes bananas, so he ordered ten, but he didn’t read that they were sold in bunches. He got seventy bananas. He brought them to work, and I ate six in one day.” Jake rubbed his belly. “I don’t advise it.”
Beck put his hands on his hips. “It’s only four thirty. Shouldn’t you still be at work?”
“Nah.” He grinned. “I only work six hours a day. Too much work causes stress, which causes wrinkles. I’m too pretty to shrivel this young.”
Beck shook his head.
The nurse wheeled Louise in. Her eyes lit up when she saw all of us waiting for her. “Three of you at once? Is today the day I’m going to kick the bucket and no one told me?”
“That’s not even funny, Gram,” Beck said.
She waved him off. “Oh…lighten up, tight ass.”
Both Beck and Jake kissed their grandmother, and Beck watched over the nurse as she helped Louise into bed. The man was protective, to say the least.
Louise settled herself in and looked at me. “So you finally met my Jake?”
“I did. He kept me amused while I was waiting for you to get back.”
Her eyes sparkled. “He’s single, you know.”
As soon as she said it, her eyes shifted to Beck. It was clear she was looking to get a rise out of him. Beck kept quiet, not taking the bait, though the clench of his jaw spoke volumes.
“So, my little Jakey.” Louise reached out to her grandson. “You know you were always my favorite grandchild, right?”
“Of course.” He grinned and lifted her hand to his lips for a kiss. “And you’re my favorite girl.”
“Good,” Louise said. “How about you bust me out of here about nine tonight? There’s a man with a boa I need to go see.”
“You’re not going to Harry Styles,” Beck muttered. “I already sold the tickets.”
Louise stuck her tongue out. “I know you only offered to help Nora sell them because you were afraid she’d change her mind and take me.”
Beck shrugged. “Just trying to keep you healthy.”
Over the next two hours, I was entertained by story after amusing story about Jake and Beck as kids. I’d once told Beck that I’d never felt deprived of anything growing up with just one parent, and watching these three interact told me I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
An announcement came overhead that visiting hours in the unit would be ending in fifteen minutes. I looked at my watch, surprised that it was already almost seven.
“Welp…” Jake slapped his hands on his thighs. “I better get going. I have a double header tonight.”
“You hate baseball,” Beck said.
Jake grinned. “Who said anything about baseball? I have two dates. One I’m meeting for drinks at eight, and the other I’m meeting at the club at midnight.”
“And you were going to give all that up to go with me to Harry?” I teased.
Jake took my hand and cupped it to his cheek. “I’d give my right nut to take you anywhere, beautiful.”
“Maybe you should go out with him,” Beck grumbled. “If he has one less nut, he might not be able to procreate.”
After Jake left, Beck and I said goodbye to Louise. “I’ll be back in the morning,” I told her.
“Or…you could park outside my window, and I’ll jump down about nine o’clock. I’m only on the second floor. I think I can hack the jump. We can scalp tickets.”
I kissed Louise’s cheek. “Get some rest. You’re doing great. I’m already plotting our next adventures.”
Beck and I walked to the elevators.
“She’s tolerating the radiation great so far,” I said.
He nodded. “Her spirits are better than I expected, too. But I think a lot of that is because of you. You make her young again.”
I smiled. “That’s sweet. But I’m pretty sure you and your brother are what keep her spirit alive.”
The elevator doors slid open, and Beck and I stepped in. “Did you eat yet?” he asked.
“No. I’ll pick up something on the way home.”
“Why don’t we grab something together? My favorite Italian place is only a block from here. They make the best gnocchi in pesto sauce I’ve ever tasted.”
I bit my bottom lip. That sounded much better than eating half-cold Chinese food straight from the carton in front of the TV, but… “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Beck’s brows drew together. “Why not?”
“I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.”
Beck frowned. “I was looking for dinner company, not to get laid.”
The elevator opened on the ground floor. Beck gestured for me to walk into the lobby first. Then he opened the door to the street. “So? Are you coming or am I eating alone?”
“I suppose two friends having dinner is okay, right?”
“Of course.” He put a hand on my back and guided me to walk to the right. “Besides, once was enough for me.”
I stopped in place. “What did you just say?”
He grinned. “Oh, so only you can decide once was enough, and I shouldn’t be insulted?”
“I didn’t say once was enough; I said it wasn’t a good idea. There’s a difference.”
“Oh, so once wasn’t enough?”
I rolled my eyes. “Just shut up and feed me.”
“Oh, I’ll feed you alright…”
A few minutes later, we walked into Gustoso. The maître d’, an older man with a thick head of silver hair, smiled when he saw Beck and rushed over to shake his hand.
“Ah…Beckham. How are you, my friend? It’s been too long.”
“I’m good, Enzo. How are you?”
The man patted the belly hanging over his pants. “Still fat, so still happy. People are only skinny when they’re sad, right?”
Beck smiled. “You look good. How’s Allesia?”
“Good. She’s off tonight. It’s her book club night. Though I think book is secretly American for wine because she comes home tipsy.” Enzo looked to me. “But enough about my old bat of a wife. Tell me who this beautiful creature is.”
“This is Nora. Nora, this is Enzo Aurucci. He owns the place.”
Enzo held up a finger. “Part owner only now, eh?”
Beck smiled. “That’s right.”
“Give me a minute. I’ll get the best table in the house set up.”
“Thanks, Enzo.”
I looked around the restaurant. Brick walls and ancient beams gave the small place a warm feeling. A big fireplace took up half of one wall, and the dim lighting cast a romantic glow over the cozy setting.
“I can see why this is your favorite. It’s very romantic. Is it your go-to place to warm up your concubines? You must come here a lot if they remember your name.”
“Enzo and his wife are clients,” Beck explained. “They owned a few restaurants here in the city and wanted to partially retire, so I helped them sell to a big conglomerate. Now they go to Italy for two months in the winter and only work three days a week. I’ve only ever brought Jake and Gram here. It’s Gram’s favorite restaurant.”
“Oh…”
“You like to think the worst of me, don’t you? I ask you to dinner, it’s because I want to get laid. I bring you to a place where I think the food is good, and you think they know me because I’m taking women out five nights a week. Maybe you were right… Once was enough.”
Now I felt bad. I was just teasing, but I hadn’t thought about how my comments sounded. “I’m sorry. I’m being a jerk.”
Enzo came back and showed us to a table. It was a high-backed, curved booth seat that faced out to the restaurant, so we sat shoulder to shoulder and not across from each other. Enzo insisted we allow him to bring us his favorite dishes. Then he came back with a delicious bottle of wine and basket of warm bread.
I looked over at Beck. “Whenever I see couples sitting like this, next to each other and not across, it seems odd. I guess usually it’s because there are two other seats and the couple chooses to sit together in one. But this still seems strange to me.”
Beck motioned to the roaring fireplace to the right. “Probably so both people can enjoy the ambiance.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
He picked up the breadbasket and held it out to me before taking a piece for himself. “So I spoke to the oncologist on the phone this morning. He said he’s already seeing some shrinkage, even after only four treatments.”
“I know. He came in to speak to Louise right before you and Jake arrived.”
“He mentioned maybe extending—”
I put my hand on Beck’s arm. “Do you think we could have dinner without talking about illness and treatment? Being in the hospital oncology ward all this week, seeing sick kids and stuff, I’m sort of in need of something more upbeat.”
“Yeah.” Beck nodded. “I get it. That’s a good idea.”
I tore off a piece of my bread and dipped it into the bowl of seasoned oil and vinegar. “Thanks. Happy topics only. So what should we talk about?”
Beck shrugged. “We can talk about how good I was in bed?”
I chuckled. I’d insulted him earlier, so maybe it was time for a compliment—one that was easy to offer because it was true. “Don’t let it go to your head, but you were very good in bed.”
Beck’s lips curled into a gloating smile. “I know.”
I rolled my eyes. “You could at least be gracious…”
“Nah. Not my style.” He chuckled. “But I do have a serious question. If you had a good time, and there isn’t anyone else in the picture, why are you so insistent it was a one-time deal?”
I sighed. “I’m moving across the country in a few months. Plus, I’m just not in that place in my life right now. I don’t want to be tied down.”
Beck lowered his voice, leaning to me with a purr. “How about being tied up?”
And just like that, my day went from hospital-induced melancholy to all the hair on my arms zinging to attention. “Be good…” I warned.
His eyes sparkled. “That’s the opposite of what I feel like doing while I’m this close to you. By the way, your sundress is my favorite color. Baby blue. Did you wear it for me?”
“Beck…”
“Your mouth says we were a one-time thing, but your body says something very different.” He looked down at my nipples, now protruding through the fabric of my dress, then back up at my parted lips. “Can I touch you?”
“Touch me where?”
He slipped a hand under the table and onto my thigh. I jumped, though it also caused a whoosh of lust to fill my belly. Beck’s fingers dipped down to the inside of my thigh. “Just tell me to stop and I will.”
The slightest contact with this man made me crazy. But was I really going to let him touch me in a public place?
Beck whispered in my ear. “Where’s your sense of adventure? Close your eyes. No one can see. The tablecloth hangs low enough to cover you.”
His fingers slipped beneath my sundress and glided a little farther up my thigh. His hand was still six inches from my apex, yet it felt like he was brushing along my center already. I felt him everywhere. My breathing grew as erratic as my heartbeat.
“This feels good, doesn’t it?” Beck’s voice sounded as strained as my willpower felt.
I swallowed and nodded.
Without warning, his hand moved up, fingers gently trailing up and down my panties. “You’re already wet for me.”
I couldn’t believe I was doing this in a restaurant. I’d never even had sex near a window before.
“Open your legs a little,” Beck whispered into my neck. His hot breath sent goosebumps racing over my skin.
When I didn’t immediately comply, he pushed his thumb down on my clit over my panties. “Let me make you feel good, make you forget.”
I was breathless. “Anywhere but here would be preferable.”
“Then you should have answered my texts this week. Trust me, I’d have chosen somewhere I could hear you call my name when you come, but this is what you’ve given me. So open your legs, sweetheart.”
I knew I would probably hate myself tomorrow, but I wanted it too badly. I let my knees fall shamelessly open beneath the table. I still stared straight ahead, but I saw Beck’s mouth curve to a smile in my peripheral vision.
The air crackled between us as he fingered the edge of my panties, then slipped underneath. He traced a line through my center, dipping inside and making my body quiver.
I hadn’t stopped staring into the restaurant, yet it took Beck’s fingers stilling for me to notice something was wrong.
“Enzo is coming with a plate,” he said.
“Oh my God. Move your hand.”
“Just stay still.”
Enzo smiled as he arrived at our table. “My favorite eggplant parmigiana. Sliced thin, like it should be. With my famous homemade ricotta between the layers.”
“That looks incredible,” Beck said. “Thanks, Enzo.”
To my horror, Beck decided that was the right moment to push one of his fingers inside me. My head snapped to look at him, and he smiled—a calm, cool, and fully-in-control mask in place. “Doesn’t it look great, Nora?”
As soon as he said it, he pushed a second finger inside. And pumped in and out.
I swallowed and nodded, unable to speak.
“Bon appetit,” Enzo said. If he had any inkling what was going on under the table, it certainly didn’t show. “I’ll be back with more in a little while.”
“Thanks, Enzo,” Beck said.
The restaurant owner was barely out of earshot when I laid into the man next to me. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
His response was to plunge his fingers deeper. As crazy as it was, I think I got off on the fact that we could’ve just gotten caught. It felt like the adrenaline high of jumping out of an airplane, only better. And Beck wasn’t pulling the parachute strings just yet. His eyes darkened as he continued to pump his fingers. It didn’t take long before I felt my impending orgasm barreling down.
“Beck…”
He growled in my ear. “Kiss me. No one will interrupt us, and it’ll stifle the sound when you come.”
The man’s fingers were inside of me in the middle of a restaurant, and kissing him was what I was second-guessing?
Beck read the hesitation on my face. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Give me your mouth.”
I leaned forward a fraction of an inch, and Beck smashed his lips against mine. As soon as we were connected, he crooked the fingers inside me and his thumb reached for my clit, pressing a small circle. Orgasm jolted through me. Afraid of the sound I might make, even muffled by our mouths, I sank my teeth into Beck’s bottom lip.
He groaned, and it traveled through me like an aftershock.
A few minutes later, I was still panting. Beck cupped the back of my neck and kept me close. “You good?”
I nodded.
He swiped his tongue along his bottom lip and brought it back into his mouth. “You drew blood.”
“Sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
That made me smile. “Maybe you’re right.”
We laughed. And then, it went with the craziness of the last ten minutes that we just started eating after that. I was suddenly starving.
I pointed to the eggplant parm on my plate. “Maybe it’s post-orgasmic high, but this is the best thing I’ve eaten in…maybe ever.”
“It’s delicious. But I can think of one other thing I’ve eaten recently that was better.” He winked.
Enzo brought three more dishes after that, each one better than the last. By the end, as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t eat another bite of the pasta on my plate. I sat back with my hand on my belly.
“I’m stuffed. I’m glad I’m wearing this dress and not jeans.”
“I’m glad you’re wearing that dress too, but it has nothing to do with being full.”
I chuckled. “I still can’t get over I did that. Too bad we didn’t drive here. I’m feeling adventurous now. I’ve never given a blowjob in a car.”
“So not having a car is the only hinderance, not your one-time-only rule?”
I bit down on my bottom lip. “I think we already broke that rule.”
A little while later, Enzo wheeled over a cart full of desserts. I’d said I was too full, but he insisted I at least taste the tiramisu. Beck had a piece of cheesecake and a cannoli. I shook my head watching him finish the last of it.
“I don’t know where you put it.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. “I know where I’d like to put it.”
I laughed. “I meant all the food you ate. Each of your servings was twice the size of mine, and you still had room for two desserts. Do you eat like that all the time?”
“Only if the food’s good. If it’s not, I have just enough to fill me up.” He smiled. “I guess the same can be said for other things. If I like it enough, I want to devour it.” Beck reached out and tangled a lock of my hair around his finger. “You ready to get going? I actually have something to do at ten, but I’ll drop you on the way.”
“Oh. Okay.” The little horns of jealousy wanted to poke out. Did he have a date? I didn’t want to send mixed signals, so I buried my urge to pepper him with questions. “Sure. And you don’t have to drop me at home. I can grab an Uber or the subway.”
Beck peeled a bunch of hundreds from his billfold and tucked them into the padfolio. “Oh no, I’m definitely dropping you off.”
I thought there was something odd in his tone, but he stood and held his hand out to help me from the booth, so it was quickly forgotten. At least until we walked outside.
A super-stretch limousine was parked at the curb, and a uniformed driver leaned against it. He stood as Beck walked over.
“Mr. Cross?”
“Yes.”
The man went to open the back door, but Beck shook his head. “I got it. Thank you.”
I looked at Beck. “This is for you?”
“It’s for us.”
“It’s a little excessive, isn’t it? An Uber would have worked.”
His eyes sparkled. “Maybe. But an Uber doesn’t have a privacy panel. You said you were feeling adventurous, and this, technically, is a car.”
My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped open. “Are you saying you ordered this so I could…”
Beck tapped my chin. “Just like that. Nice and wide.” He opened the back door and motioned for me to get in.
“Are you really this crazy?”
He winked. “I prefer to be called adventurous. Now get in.”
