Part 3
"What do you mean you think you've got it bad?" Kat imitated his adorably confused expression from earlier.
"Come on Stratford, you know exactly what it means?"
"No Verona I don't otherwise I wouldn't be asking you."
"Jesus, you make everything so damned difficult, why is it so hard to just tell you that I like you?" He'd turned his face up to the heavens wondering if god had the answer, because he sure as hell didn't.
His head whips around to look at her as she takes his hand in hers, with the softest smile he'd ever seen on her face. "So that's what this is all about, bringing me out here, showing me the prettiest night I've ever seen."
"Christ, I feel like I'm in junior high. This feels so stupid." Embarrassment was clear on his warm cheeks, and she wanted to laugh. He wasn't just messing with her, honestly, she'd begun to suspect that on the ride here, but hearing him confirm it made her a little light headed.
"No it feels just about perfect. Verona how is it exactly that you know precisely what to say and do. I find it extremely annoying that you make me want to kiss you." She said frustration clear in her tone.
"Thank god." Relieved he pulled her to him in an attempt to kiss her, but Kat jerked away with a snap, Patrick couldn't help the cocky grin, "Scaredy Kat."
"That was not an invitation." Kat rolled her eyes and put her hand on her mouth, Patrick Verona made her knees weak and she wasn't happy about it. "Are we being completely honest here?" She asked forcefully needing to get control of the situation and her emotions. Patrick nodded so she continued, "Fine then, I want to know why you were blowing hot and cold for the past couple of months. What was that about on the roof at the fire, and why did you take me to the dance. I need some answers, I'm being pushy, but I do not do well with shady underhanded shit, so if you just want in my pants it ends here and now." Kat was a little winded when she was done with her demands, but damnit she had to know. They'd had a similar conversation on the roof after the mind blowing first kiss, but she'd stomped away in fury before letting him explain, she was standing her ground this time.
"I'm much better with the physical expression of what I feel Kat, I'm not gonna lie. I want you a lot, and that makes me a hell of a lot clumsier than I usually am I guess." He ran his hands through his hair with a sigh, "The past couple of months I've been just as pissed and frustrated as you were. Wanting and having other girls has never been this difficult for me. With you, it's so completely unique; I feel like I don't know what I'm doing half the time. Honestly, I can't stay away from you, we tried that and it pissed me off." He ended on a wry note.
Kat wrapped her arms around her stomach, and her face took on a thoughtful expression. "I like the side of you that's unsure Patrick, almost as much as I like your arrogance, because it matches the same in me. You make me nervous which you already know, and that's something that I'm extremely uncomfortable with, in fact it makes me unbelieveably angry."
A little confused, he asks, "At me?"
"No no no, it's more like the unsurity of it all leads to the nervousness, which then leads to the angry at being nervous, and then just angry at myself for being so much of a twit. You make me feel like an idiot for feeling the things I feel, because I can't control it. I don't like being out of control."
Patrick nodded in complete understanding, "I know exactly what you mean, but I think if we just move slow we'll have the time to figure it all out." Feeling the need to touch her he put his hand on the back of her neck and drew her into his arms. She came willingly enough, and he started massaging her neck with one hand and stroking her back with his other. "While we were riding up here I had a thought, you interested?"
"Sure go ahead." She whispered, his hands were making her crazy, but for once, she had no desire to move away.
"I had a thought that you are the only person I've ever wanted to bring out here, lay in the grass and ask what your favorite color is. I don't think shit like this. Never have and it's making me nuts, I want to do dopey ass stuff for you, and you're the type to take advantage of that, because you're a lot like me and I'd sure as hell take advantage. But, I'm not going to be Cameron, I refuse to allow you to turn me into a marshmallow. So with that said, I'd like to give dating you a try. If you, ya know feel the same or whatever."
"Just when I think you might be a poet." She grins in exasperation.
"It's called charm Stratford, something you know nothing of." He tugged the ends of her hair, and she pinched his side lightly.
"Seriously, you want to date me." Surprise laced her voice.
"Well yeah, you don't think I'd go to all this trouble just to get in your pants do you?" He asked with a laugh.
"Guys will do anything to get in a girls pants, the question is Verona would you go to all this trouble if you were serious about dating me?" Kat snapped.
Patrick rolled his eyes and gently grabbed her face in his hands so he could look into her dark brown eyes, hoping the sincerity in his would make her understand. "I'm serious, more serious than I've ever been before, got it." He never raised his voice he didn't have to.
Kat knew she was in trouble, big trouble. Patrick wasn't playing around, and she was afraid she wasn't either. Bianca was going to be over the moon, her father was going to….her father holy crap. "Verona there'll be some rules if this is what you really want."
"I really want, so hit me with your best shot Stratford, we'll see if I'm still standing when it's over." He grinned, for some reason he relished a good challenge, had to of gotten it from his mom. His arms had slipped back down to her waist, and he pulled her a little closer, letting his chin rest on top of her head.
"You've met my dad; I don't think I have to tell you he's going to blow a gasket." She said into his chest.
"Nah I could tell, he hates my guts, but I've got charm he'll come around." He mumbled against her hair.
"Yeah he does, and not as much as you think you do." She takes a deep breath preparing herself, "are you ready for the list." Her arms had come around him at some point, and she found herself gripping his shirt for comfort.
"Go ahead, I knew there'd be something along these lines, you like your rules." Rolling his eyes, he shifted his position and cuddled her closer.
She sighed and began, "Yeah well we know each other so well I guess. So first stipulation is no cheating, I don't care if you think you love me or if you hate me, while we are dating you won't be with anyone else and neither will I. Second stipulation, is that at no time will you ever…and I do mean ever…try to push things to a level I don't want to go, and third and final stipulation you have to tell me if it's not going well because I can't read your mind and you can't read mine. So just promise me that you'll talk to me before it all blows up in our faces, because when all is said and done Patrick I don't hate you, and I don't want to." She finished in a rush and waited for his response. Her dating experience was not extensive, but she knew for a fact that this was not a typical beginning of the relationship conversation. Saying everything out-loud and in such a concise manner made her feel at once really great for being honest, and horrified that he wouldn't agree.
"So no cheating, no sex til your ready, and communication is key…got it." He ticked off her points succinctly.
"Christ it's creepy how much you just reminded me of my dad. Don't do that again." She shuddered.
"Damn speaking of your dad we'd better get you back to your car, don't wanna break your curfew or your dad will kill me. We should really start this off on the right foot. Oh and about that last rule, I don't want to hate you either Kat."
"Dad doesn't know I'm with you." Kat frowned, she kind of wanted Patrick to kiss her, but then she kind of didn't. If he did, it would kind of seal the deal a bit, but if he didn't then maybe he didn't really want to, and he was just feeding her a line of crap. Maybe tomorrow he'd be back to the whole, "I don't have to be your prince charming" bit. The insecurity was building out of nowhere and she couldn't seem to stop it, she was starting to feel foolish again, but surprisingly Patrick shook her out of her mental musings and made her laugh.
"So you're saying that you came with me tonight knowing that I could be a cannibal and you didn't tell your dad? Bet he never dreamed it wasn't pregnancy he'd have to worry about, but whether or not you came back with all your body parts attached." Patrick said with a grin.
"Haha very funny Verona, you're not getting anywhere near my body parts with your teeth." She countered.
"That's what you think." He snatched her wrist from the tree branch she'd had it resting on and then gently nipped the skin on the back of her hand. Jerking her hand back with a surprise laugh, she attempted to hit him, but he caught her fist. "Watch it Stratford I might file assault charges."
"You'd be too embarrassed; your bad boy reputation would crumble around your ears if anyone found out, besides you bit me." She said with exasperation.
"Hmm you're probably right, come here." He pulled her back to the window, "one last look before we go." Putting one arm around her shoulders, and his other around her waist, he figured kissing her would be a bad idea, and fireflies and moonlight were safer. He very much wanted Kat to take him seriously, and kissing her might be pushing it, so if he couldn't kiss her, he could at least hold her. Kat smelled better than any woman he'd ever been around, it was like some kind of fruit and spice, and it made him want to bury his face in her hair and just breathe. Sending her flying down the ladder was not one of his goals for the evening, so he settled for the light embrace, controlling his baser urges with sheer stubbornness.
She sighed, "It really is the most amazing thing I've ever seen." Patrick's embrace seemed to have put her earlier fears to rest. Being so insecure wasn't something she enjoyed, and she tried very hard to push all of her negative thoughts to the back, it was just hard because he really was almost too good to be true. Expecting the worst came naturally to her, and Patrick had the potential to send her into therapy. They were becoming friends, and that was a major plus, hopefully she could get over her past and not hold it against him so much. Sad thing was he didn't even know most of her gut reactions, didn't have anything to do with him. With a mental shake of her head, she decided she'd just have to make her inside confidence match her outside bravado. It would definitely take some work, but she was Kat freaking Stratford. Grinning with her new found purpose she linked her fingers with Patrick's, liking the forward direction of her thoughts very much.
Patrick sighed, "Really we need to be getting back, unless you don't mind getting home late." His tone had turned hopeful.
"Yeah right, then I'd be grounded for eternity, and you could give up the idea of ever dating me." They broke their embrace; each of them disappointed both of them afraid to show just how much. Their new status and feelings were so new and unfamiliar.
They climbed down from the tree house and got back on his bike, this time she put her arms around him right when he started the bike. He got her back to her car on time and she handed him her helmet. "I had an amazing time Patrick, thanks." She said almost reluctantly.
"What was that did I hear a compliment?"
"Shut up. You obviously aren't a complete heathen."
"Oh my god was that two."
"I'm leaving."
"Wait, so as my girlfriend and god I really do feel like I'm in junior high, but anyway, as my girlfriend you have to meet the family, so be prepared for the um craziness."
"Was that what you were asking me at the show, the whole take me out tomorrow night thing?" Kat asked.
"Well yeah, I mean I've met your dad, though I think he's going to want to meet me again when you tell him we're actually dating," said Patrick.
"Yeah you're right, so dinner with your family on Sunday and dinner with my dad on Monday. Is that cool," Kat asked.
"Completely, Stratford we might just make it after all," Patrick said cheerfully.
"I was just thinking that once you get passed the weirdness of it. The idea of us as a couple is actually pretty brilliant. We both want to flip the world off, but now we can do it together." Kat said with a grin.
He had to, she had just mirrored perfectly what he had thought earlier and resisting was not an option, so he pulled her into his arms. Crushing her body up against his he took her mouth, hungrily. Her soft lips moved under his and she opened her mouth, helpless to resist he deepened the embrace. Placing his hands on her waist and tilting his head, he nipped her lower lip. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled her mouth from his with a groan, squeezing his neck to make up for the loss of his lips. He nipped her bottom lip again, and gave her a firm kiss on her ravaged lips.
"You turn me into a complete imbecile." He said in his deep husky voice, his mouth still hovering very close to hers.
She sighed against his mouth tilted her head back a little, and looked at him, "what was that for."
"Being you, being perfect, saying the same thing I thought over two hours ago, everything and nothing."
She kissed him softly and pulled back, "I liked it, and I like you."
Brushing his mouth against her cheek lightly, he said with a sincere smile, "Even if I wasn't so insanely attracted to you Kat I'd like to think we'd still be friends."
"I hesitate to say this, but I think you could be right, however that doesn't mean you're completely safe from the pepper spray and stun gun."
He chuckled, "Fair enough Stratford, I'll call you in a few hours, be prepared to describe what you're not wearing." She giggled and got into her car. She made it home with ten minutes to spare and got ready for bed, fending off all of Bianca's endless questions to the best of her ability, and waiting for a phone call from Mr. Not-so-but-maybe-could-be-Prince-Charming.
