I nodded wordlessly like the idiot I didn’t want to look like. This was definitely not your average connection. It was more, I thought, my hands absentmindedly moving across the planes of his back. Finally finding my voice, I pulled my head away from his a fraction and admitted, “I’m not sure what you’re feeling, but if it’s half of what I’ve been fighting these past two weeks … oh yeah, I’m feeling it.”
My words earned me another kiss as he mumbled, “Thank God.”
Giggling, I kissed him back. Moments later, his hold on me loosened, and I unwrapped myself from around him. It had felt so natural to have my leg there, I’d forgotten it was there. A little embarrassed by my actions, my cheeks immediately flushed. Both of his hands were back to cradling my face, and he smiled down at me. “I really need to bring us back into the crowd before I get us arrested for indecent behavior or something.”
“I can’t say I’d complain, but you’re probably right.”
“Good … glad to know you’ll keep us on the straight and narrow,” he stated with a laugh, taking my hand and leading us back toward the vendors. “Now, what would you like to eat?”
Even though I wasn’t molesting him with my nose anymore, I could still smell him. He was on my skin. Trying to decide what we should eat was difficult since he was my only focus. I kept wondering what he meant by indecent behavior and exactly how indecent he was thinking. Shaking my head, I took in the numerous food sources around us. Putting food in our mouth was a good idea. It would take my focus off putting other things in my mouth.
“Um, did you want to sit down to eat? Or walk and eat?” I inquired. Proud of myself for saying something that didn’t come out at all inappropriate or full of innuendos.
“I generally prefer to sit when I eat. That way I can take my time and thoroughly enjoy what’s spread out in front of me.” Jonathan smirked. I just shook my head.
“And here I was thinking how proud I was for not saying something loaded, and all I did was set you up to serve one of your own.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He pulled me against him and kissed the top of my head. “Now pick. How do you like your meat? In a bun or standing upright on a stick?”
Shocked at his words, I fought to hide my laughter. Then I looked at his straight face, acting all innocent. “What? They have sausage dogs and kabobs over there?”
I slapped his shoulder playfully. “You are too much, you know that?”
He pulled me into a hug. “Nah, it’s just part of my charm. In time you’ll see that you just can’t get enough of me.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I whispered under my breath before saying, “I’m thinking that Mexican café sounds good. I love chips and salsa.
“Great! They have a patio with heaters, so we can sit outside and see all the goings-on with the festival.”
I smiled. “Sounds perfect.”
We spent a few hours enjoying each other’s company and stuffing our faces with chips and salsa. When we finished there, we wandered around the festival for a while before Leeann declared we take a break—she said my knee needed the rest. The fair was winding down, and vendors were packing up, so we grabbed a hot chocolate and made our way to my car. Sipping my drink from one hand, I held her hand firmly in the other.
We talked, we laughed, we teased each other, and I even managed to steal a kiss here and there. Before I knew it, I was walking her down the hall to her door and counseling myself on how I was not going in. Even if she invited me. I’d already pushed the limits more than I should on a first official date, so I had to rein myself in. I knew if I went inside, I wouldn’t be coming out for a while, and that wasn’t what I wanted to do. Well, I wanted to. I really fucking wanted to be inside her place, doing everything I could think of with her. But I reminded myself that Leeann was different. She was more.
Standing in the hall outside her apartment, I stopped her from opening the door and said, “I know as far as first dates go, I’ve probably maxed out on the allowable times to kiss you. But if it’s okay, I’d like to steal one more.”
“It’s not stealing if you ask for it … besides, you might’ve maxed out, but I haven’t.” And then she kissed me. Her slender, slightly chilled hands cradled my face as her warm, soft lips found mine. I could taste the hot chocolate lingering on her tongue. As good as it tasted, I couldn’t help but think how I preferred her cherry taste instead. The kiss was another sweet, sensual one that showed she clearly had more self-control than I did. It was also a kiss that confirmed the two of us had some off-the-charts chemistry, regardless of how intense the kiss was. Hot and heavy, or soft and sweet, this woman had the ability to set me on fire, then put out the flames.
The kiss slowly ended, and I relished in the feel of her thumbs moving against my face. I momentarily wondered if she liked the skin of my face smooth or if she liked facial hair.
I stole one more gentle kiss of my own before her lips were out of reach. Her hands left my face, landing on my chest. She sighed and looked up at me with a relaxed expression. “Thank you for tonight … I had a great time.”
Giving her a teasing look, I said, “Yeah? You think I’m worthy enough to go out with again?”
“Like on a date?” she asked. The way she emphasized ‘date’ had me feeling like I needed to address some unknown issue. So I did.
“Yeah, I think it can be classified as a date. Is that okay?”
“Of course it’s okay. I just wanted to make sure.”
“Was there something confusing about what we we’ve been doing?” Suddenly, I was self-conscious about anything and everything from the past two weeks. In my head, we were dating, and if she wasn’t on the same page as me, apparently I was doing something wrong.
“No … it’s just that last night you made sure to say that wasn’t a date.” She ducked her head, hiding her face from me. I was certain I caught the flush of her cheeks.
Tipping her chin up, I replied, “Hey, I’m not sure what exactly is going on, but know this. I want to be with you. You overwhelm me.” The corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly, so I continued, “You have me thinking about salads, and sending you pictures of food. I’m kinda crazy about you.”
“You are?” The shyness was there again, and it was endearing to see someone who came across with such confidence show her vulnerable side. It made me want to protect her.
I held her tighter. “Yeah, silly girl. Call this what you want. A relationship, dating, a commitment, a prelude to more … call it anything, just don’t stop it from happening.”
“Wow. That was … wow,” she said breathlessly. I smiled and kissed her again. When we came up for air, I asked, “Do you have plans for tomorrow? ‘Cause I’d really love to spend some time with you.”
“I do, but I’ll see if I can change them,” she said with a smirk. Her confidence was shining again, and I was glad I could clear up whatever misconceptions she’d had.
“Great. It’s a date,” I declared.
Nodding with a smile, she agreed, “Yeah, it’s a date.”
She leaned in to kiss me again, apparently as hungry for me as I was for her, but I stopped her. “Wait. I just had a crazy thought. Do you have one of those crazy rules about no sex until the whatever number date?”
She laughed. “No, why?”
I let out an exaggerated breath. “Okay good, ‘cause if you had one of those rules, I’d have to declare we started dating back on the night of my soccer game. You know, to get us closer to that number of dates.”
Leeann slapped at my shoulder. “We didn’t even meet that night.”
“I know, but something tells me if we had, I would’ve asked you out on the spot.”
“You’re pretty good with words, soccer player.” Her voice was playful and sultry, and it turned me on even more.
I waggled my eyebrows at her, matching her playful tone, and admitted, “That’s not all I’m good with, Leeann.”
Rolling over, I threw my
arm over my eyes and groaned inwardly. “It can’t be morning already.”
My amount of failed attempts at falling asleep last night had to be a record. A rather uncomfortable record at that. At one point, I feared my discomfort would require medical attention. A guy could only tolerate a hard-on for so long before sanity came into play, and last night was definitely a test in that. Blueballs? I think not. By early morning, I gave up and took matters into my own hands. Literally. Exhaustion quickly followed my release and allowed me to finally pass out.
My lack of sleep wasn’t all torture, though. It’s just that every time I closed my eyes, I would see her. Those wide eyes and their swirling chocolate pools were staring back at me, telling me to kiss her again. They were begging me to touch her. They were fucking beautiful, and damn did they have me under some kind of spell. My body reacted every time, and that was just from her eyes. I could think, in detail, about her long, slender neck and that curve where it met her shoulder, and how it enticed me to lick it. Then there was the way her breath hitched when I kissed her just below her ear. Oh, and how could I not think about the way that tight sweater clung to every curve of her upper body. Fuck, I want that woman bad.
Shifting my legs off the side of the bed, I was cautious with the left one, bringing it slowly to the floor. Sitting there for a moment, I glared down at the once again uncomfortable erection tenting my flannel pants. If this was what using my imagination did to me, I was so screwed when I finally got to see all of her. A cold shower was definitely in order this morning.
Focusing on my leg for a moment, I braced my weight on the nightstand to get up. It felt a little stiff this morning, probably from all the walking last night. I was certain the cold weather played a factor, too. Grabbing a towel from the hall cabinet, I held it in front of my waist. Last thing I needed was to run into my mom or little sister. Talk about awkward.
“Get up woman! You’ve kept me waiting long enough!” Mari yelled right before I felt her jump onto my bed. Thankfully she didn’t try to keep quiet when she came in or I would’ve squealed like a little girl, which would’ve given her way too much satisfaction.
I hugged my pillow tighter, fearing she’d steal it from me, and asked, “What time is it, you crazy freak? It’s my one day to sleep in!”
“Friends who threaten friends don’t get to sleep in, so suck it up.” Mari snickered while bouncing again. “It’s almost eight by the way.”
I tried shoving her off the corner of the bed with my foot, but she countered my move with a quick jump to the other corner.
“What the hell are you doing up already? Isn’t this your catch-up-on-beauty-sleep day?” Opening only one eye, I peeked at her. She was wearing pink leggings and an oversized brown sweatshirt with the neckline cut out. It exposed the strap to her pink tank underneath, and she wore brown socks with pink polka dots on it. Mari even dressed up for bed sometimes.
“That’s what naps are for. Now get the hell up. I want details!” Mari’s voice was increasing in volume each time she spoke. If I didn’t give her some juicy details soon, I’d need her noise-cancelling headphones.
Sighing, I resolved to the fact she wasn’t going anywhere. Leaning on one elbow, I propped my head in my hand and gave her a grumpy glare. It did nothing but make her smile. And that was when I noticed she was wearing makeup. Not her Saturday-night-we’re-clubbing-makeup, but her I-woke-up-next-to-a-guy-and-don’t-want-him-to-see-my-morning-face-makeup. This was new information, and, wide-eyed, I sat up straight. Add the fact that she was wearing cute pajamas, and I knew she had someone over last night. She dropped to her knees at the foot of my bed and waited for me to talk, but I wasn’t talking about my night until she spilled about hers.
“Mari Bella Delgado, you’re wearing morning-after makeup and matching pajamas!” I exclaimed.
“Oh, we’re using full names today, are we? Okay, Leeann Michelle Bradley, don’t try and change the subject. This is about you and your date, so spill,” Mari said, maintaining her relaxed posture.
“I’ll spill about my date, if you spill about your date.” I raised my eyebrows in question.
“Deal,” she said with a smirk. That should’ve tipped me off, but it didn’t, and I spilled. I provided her with the minor details I knew she’d love. Like how he dragged me into the shadows away from the crowd and overwhelmed me with his kisses. I made sure to include how I wrapped my leg around his and proceeded to basically rub on him like an animal in heat. And also how we ate and talked for hours before strolling around the festival and finishing it with hot chocolate. The icing on the cake was my recount of the things he said to me at the end of the night. Just thinking about those words had me smiling like a fool.
“When he said, ‘Call it anything, just don’t stop it from happening,’ I almost jumped him right there in the hall,” I admitted with a small sigh.
“Shit, I’m thinking of jumping you when you say it. I can only imagine how hot it was when he said it,” Mari said with closed eyes as she fanned herself.
I snorted. “Really? Sending off the lesbian vibes so soon after having sex, Mari?”
She seemed to snap out of her lust-filled state at that. Mari stood to leave the room, saying, “Well, what can I say, you bring it out of me.”
“Um, what about your date?” I probed, waiting expectantly as she reached my doorway.
Mari glanced over her shoulder with a smirk. “I didn’t go on a date, so there’s nothing to tell.”
“What? You obviously woke up with someone this morning.” My glare once again had her smiling.
“I said I didn’t go on a date. I had sex. There’s a difference. Our deal was to share about our dates.” The confidence in her statement reminded me of how I needed to be careful when making deals with her. Wording was a big factor, and she always got away on technicalities like that.
“You suck.” Now I was grumpy. I hated being outplayed by Mari.
“Yeah, and you totally love me. But if you use my middle name again, I will throat punch you,” she said in a singsong voice as she waved over her shoulder and left my room.
“Just so you know, singing it doesn’t make you less of a bitch for threatening me!” I called out before flopping back on my pillow to stare up at the ceiling.
A slow smile spread across my face as I forgot my irritation at Mari, and thought about last night. All of last night. What happened, and what I wished would’ve happened. Like Jonathan, I was happy to admit I didn’t have a date rule for sex. ‘Cause Lord help me, there was no way I was going to hold out much longer. The past two weeks were definitely like foreplay. It had been an intense build-up of physical reactions that my body was becoming conditioned to. It reacted in his presence every damn time. He was under my skin.
Maybe when we saw each other today, we could find something to do indoors. Preferably at my place. And that wasn’t because I thought he should stay off his knee a little more after all our walking last night. It definitely had nothing to do with my couch’s proximity to my bedroom either. Maybe I could make him dinner or grab some takeout.
I knew Mari had dinner planned at her parents’ place, so it would be just Jonathan and me here. Excitement began to buzz through my body as I got up and headed to the bathroom. Yeah, dinner at my place tonight was the perfect idea. Now I just needed to call my mom and hope she was okay putting off the tree decorating until another day.
It was about the time I rinsed the shampoo from my hair that the excited buzz faded. I couldn’t cancel on Mom. With Christmas less than a week away, that would be a crappy thing to do. I wasn’t going to pout about it though, so I went about the process of getting ready.
No, I wasn’t pouting when I put my makeup on, or when I left my apartment. I definitely wasn’t pouting when I called Mom to see if she wanted some coffee. And of course I still wasn’t pouting when I said “Good morning” as I walked in the front door.
Mom walked in the room and immediately said, “What’s wrong with you? You look
like someone took away your new toy.”
Yeah, my hot jock toy who had sexy legs, strong arms, and the ability to turn my brain off with just his lips. So much for not pouting, I thought while handing off her coffee with a kiss to her cheek. “Nothing’s wrong.”
She gave me a look and laid her hand on my shoulder. With a gentle squeeze, she sighed, “Oh, my dear, sweet girl…” She paused and kissed me on the cheek before adding, “You’re so full of shit.”
I laughed at how she went from sweet to sassy in one sentence. “Wow, Mom, tell it like it is.”
“Well, what do you expect when you lie? Now help me get the two bins from the garage, and you can tell me what’s wrong. Did Mari hide your lollipops again?”
We walked into the garage, and I shivered. Maybe it wasn’t the cold, but rather the thought of Mari hiding all my lollipops that made me shiver. Just the thought of it had me shaking my head. “No, she didn’t hide my lollipops. She wouldn’t do that again, she knows I’d expect it and have a back-up stash on hand.”
“Good thinking.” Mom chuckled as she climbed the ladder into the attic.
“Let me get them down, Mom,” I offered as I moved closer to hold the ladder.
“Ladders were invented so short people didn’t have to have tall people around.”
Taking the first container full of ornaments from her, I smiled. “Oh, so you don’t just keep me around for the sole purpose of top shelf retrievals?”
“Nope,” she admitted, grabbing the second one. When she handed it to me, she confessed with a smirk, “I keep you around for the windows. You know how I hate doing windows.”
Together we laughed, my mood lifting as it always did around her. We took the decorations into the living room where the tree stood, taking up the large empty space by the front window. It was the perfect spot. I took a sip of my coffee before opening the bins. Mom carried the stepladder in and set it up next to the tree before she began pulling out strands of lights. While she did that, I began the arduous task of pulling out ornaments and making sure there was a hook attached.
Assumptions Page 12
