He couldn’t have gotten too far because the door opened all at once. He looked startled to see her, as if expecting someone else. “Sonya.”
“I thought you had to work?”
“Lunch.” He stared down at her, then blinked and took a step back. “I forgot my phone so thought I might as well grab a bite while I’m here. Besides, I’m making beef stew tonight for Jamie and I, and it’s probably a good idea to get the slow cooker going.”
“Jamie’s coming then?”
“Yes.” He glanced behind him then gestured for Sonya to follow. “I’ve only got a short time before we need to get back.”
She followed him into his apartment. “We?”
“Jamie’s waiting down in my car.”
This caught her attention. “Really?”
He didn’t hear or bother to register what she said. His mind seemed to be focused elsewhere. Sonya could only bet. Time to do her neighborly duty. “Actually, Daniel, I wanted to talk to you about tonight.”
“Hmm?” He disappeared into his spare room and Sonya trailed behind him.
“I know you’re the most responsible guy around but sometimes things can get out of hand and the most astute minds can go to mush.”
Daniel glanced up from a desk he was rummaging through and pushed his glasses up his nose. He stared at her blankly as he if was replaying her words in his head. Finally, frowning, he shook his head and asked, “I’m not following. What are you talking about?”
“Well, I think you probably covered the basics in junior high, but I wouldn’t doubt it’s been a long time since you’ve had a refresher.”
His brows drew even closer together. “I really haven’t a clue what you’re getting at, but could you do me a favor and start looking through that cabinet.”
She glanced at the cabinet he pointed to and nodded absently. “What am I looking for?”
He sighed, and repeated, “My cell phone.”
“Right.” She nodded and got to work hunting absent-mindedly in the appointed cabinet as her focus was entirely on her own objective. “Anyway, I thought I would return the service you always provide me with before a date.” She didn’t see any phone in the bookcase so she turned back around to give him her undivided attention.
He too had stopped looking and was staring at her with an odd look in his eyes. “Date?”
“Yes, Daniel, that’s what we call it.” She smirked at his innocence. It really was too sweet. “Tonight, when you bring Jamie back here for dinner you should really have some wine ready and play some soft music on the stereo. It’ll help create a romantic static in the air. It’s rather nice, quite like magic really. It’s amazing what can transpire when you remove all that work fuss and concentrate on what’s really lurking beneath the surface.”
“Romantic?” He seemed to be losing his train of thought. Or rather hers.
Sighing, Sonya dug into the back pocket of her jeans and retrieved a small packet and held it out for Daniel. “You’re too decent of a guy to think this far, so I’m doing the honors for you. This is one field, Daniel, where your brain matter can’t help you out. But this little guy can.”
Daniel reached out in confusion and took the condom from her hand. Then looking back into her face, asked, “What am I supposed to do with this?”
Sonya couldn’t prevent the chuckle. “Use it, silly. Tonight when you’re with Jamie you may have an overwhelming urge to vent your male needs.”
His eyes popped out of their sockets and he literally took a retreating step backwards. “I don’t think so.”
Sonya found herself pleased by his sudden aversion to the idea, but then just as quickly pushed the feeling aside. “Don’t be so old-fashioned. It’s perfectly all right to feel—”
“Just wait a second!” He exploded, holding up his hands. “I am not having sex tonight. Especially with Jamie.”
“Why not? I assumed you must like her an awful lot,” she stated. “You’ve been spending so much time together.”
He stilled then and stared blankly at her for the longest time before finally saying, “Let me get this right. You’re encouraging me to have sex with Jamie?”
“Well, not exactly encouraging. More like, supporting.” She grinned. Yes, it was high time she repaid the favor.
Still speaking slowly, he told her, “Tonight would technically be considered a first date. Call me old-fashion, if you like, but I don’t believe in taking advantage and manipulating my dates into submission.”
She didn’t like the small flicker of pride his words invoked. Daniel had to stop thinking so noble. The world was moving fast and if he didn’t pick up speed he would be left behind.
“Fine. But you do plan on kissing her goodnight, don’t you?”
Daniel really wanted to see where she was going with this, but he glanced at his watch in exasperation. The network reconfiguration at the Institute was on a program. He and Jamie needed to get back soon. Brushing past her, he smelled the scent of incense candles in her hair and wished his apartment wasn’t so small. He had a feeling it would take the width of a warehouse in order to leave him unaffected by her nearness.
Sonya followed him into the outer room, undaunted by his tight schedule. “What type of kiss you share makes all the difference in the world.”
“Type of kiss?” He couldn’t resist asking, lifting his brows in disbelief.
“Of course.” She looked at him as if he were from another planet. “What have you been doing all these years?”
“Apparently not kissing.” He told her as he pulled out a drawer in a table in the living room. “All right. What type of kisses are there?”
“You have the emphatic-no-kiss, which is a quick peck on the cheek out of politeness but in no uncertain terms will this go any further.”
“So why bother in the first place?”
“Out of—”
“Politeness.” Recalling her words. “Right. What else?”
“The friendly-and-sincere-kiss. Which is a gentle but an out-of-service kiss on the mouth.”
He stood up and looked across the room at her. “Out of service?”
“Not open for business. A closed mouth.” She supplied. Then, “Here, let me show you.”
Before he could fathom what she meant to do, she closed the distance between them in a few short strides, reached up and cupped his face between her hands. Her lips covered his in a warm and soft touch, but far too quickly.
As she stepped back, he blinked and had to clear his throat before asking, “And that would be to imply—?”
“I had a really nice time but we have nothing in common. We can only be friends.”
“Right.” The irony of her words gave a painful twist inside. Daniel had to strain his voice to a normal pitch. “That would be because the pheromone receptors used to act as an aphrodisiac are unavailing in their attempt to trigger a chemical response—“
”Rrrr-ight,” she interrupted him with a sudden grin. “No chemistry.”
“Is that it?”
“No, there’s the final kiss.” She licked her lips, nearly driving him insane, then continued. “The hot-on-the-burner-kiss.”
All right, this sounded a little more interesting. He raised his brow and encouraged her to continue.
“I’m very much interested in pursuing this relationship and am willing to consider exploring its advantages in your apartment.”
“And,” he began, then stumbled over the frog lodged in his throat. “Is that with a closed mouth as well?”
“No, rather with an open mouth. Like this.” Once again she advanced on him, capturing his face between her hands as she had done before. Their lips came together as naturally as the earth and the sky, but this time she delighted him even more when she used the tip of her tongue to push his lips apart and explore the interior of his mouth.
The smell of incense candles surrounded him and filled his senses, while with expertise she devoured his mouth, drawing and sucking the very air from which he
breathed. Her lips were soft and moist and explored every inch of his mouth. A cascade of warmth engulfed him yet sent a shiver of delight down his spine. His male response was swift. A burning ache shot through his veins toward the center of his being. Restrained emotions were released at last. His passion for this woman would not be held in check any longer.
Her kiss all at once changed. No longer was she bestowing him with practiced kisses but with a hungered frenzy. Her hands slid from his face to around his neck and shoulders drawing him closer until he could feel the heat of her pelvis pressed wantonly against his. Both their breathing became fierce and jagged as their lips clung desperately to each other.
Daniel’s arms, which had hung limp and stupefied at his side, now came up and captured her around the waist drawing her closer still. He relished the taste of her lips and the feel of her body. His fingers unfolded and expanded across her back, touching as much of her as possible.
Then, through the thick fog of desire he heard the sound of a knock. At first it didn’t register. But when it did, Sonya, who must have also heard it, began to pull away. He immediately resented whoever was on the other side of that door.
They stood there staring at each other with complete looks of bewilderment across their faces, yet lust still burned so clearly within their eyes. When the knock came again, it was Daniel that blinked first, drawn grudgingly back to reality.
“I think my preference is the third one.”
Sonya watched him walk toward his apartment door hardly believing what just happened. Was that Daniel she held in her arms and kissed so passionately? Lord, she had no idea he possessed so much ardor.
Behind her Daniel entered the room followed by another man she did not recognize. Looking slightly sheepish, he offered, “This is my neighbor, Sonya.”
The younger man stuck out a hand and gave her a wide grin. “Nice to finally meet you. Daniel talks about you all the time.” Then held out a cell phone to Daniel. “It was down in your car the whole time.”
She offered the beginnings of a smile but turned to Daniel inquisitively.
“Sonya, this is my intern.” He startled her by announcing. “Jamie.”
“Oh.” Her face dropped completely, the shock evidently revealed on her face. This was Jamie? That couldn’t be. There must be some kind of mistake. Daniel’s Jamie was a woman. Daniel had a date with a woman tonight. Possibly a redheaded woman. She stared at the man who still grinned at her from ear to ear, then her eyes grew wide all at once in understanding. “Oh.”
Daniel frowned. “What?”
She blinked at him and felt an overwhelming sense of depression wash over her. “I completely understand. There’s nothing wrong with that. Truly.”
“With what?” His face was beginning to look strained. Then his eyes grew large in comprehension. “No.”
“No, really. It’s all right.” She began to walk backwards towards the exit. “That explains a lot.”
“Wait, Sonya,” he called after her but she was already in her apartment and shutting the door behind her, a sense of gloom washed over her for no reason. Then, before she had a chance to explore this emotion, the door to her apartment swung back open. Daniel sailed into her apartment uninvited and looking rather irate.
“Daniel, you don’t need to explain. This is the twenty-first century. Anything goes. Things are different, times are changing.”
“Nothing is changing.” He bit out.
“It’s perfectly acceptable for you—for Jamie—”
He swore, which surprised Sonya since she couldn’t recall ever having heard him swear before, then was startled when he reached out and seized her by the shoulders. His mouth came crashing down on hers. This time he held nothing back. His kiss was fierce and demanding. He ground out a response from her just before he let her go. “Was that the kiss of a man interested in the same sex?”
She shuddered, taken aback by his forceful onslaught then sudden release. Touching her lips, she slowly shook her head. “No.”
He stared down at her. “Good.”
Clearing her throat, she dropped her hand and straightened her back. “Then why did you lead me to believe that you were having a relationship with Jamie?”
“I never implied any such thing.” He answered without so much as a trace of guilt.
She gasped. “Yes you did. What was all that kissing talk and practice all about?”
“I never instigated any of those kisses, except for this one, and that was because I had a point to make. You were the one who jumped to conclusions about Jamie’s identity. I had no idea you believed Jamie was a female until just now.”
She studied him not pleased in the least. Why, she wasn’t sure. Other than she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Why she would care for his sexual preference should be of no concern to her. But it did.
“Well, I’m glad to hear it.” After all, he really was a wonderful kisser. Looking back at his face, she told him, “I hope you don’t get any stupid ideas from that kiss.”
A rigid expression entered his eyes. “No concerns there.”
“Good.” An unexpected discomfort settled between them. “I was only trying to help you out. I thought you needed the practice.”
His jaw clenched. “I didn’t.”
“I know.” If anything, he could probably teach her a thing or two. “Not to worry, it won’t happen again.”
He stared at her for the longest time before finally sighing heavily and giving his glasses a shove up his nose. “I’ve got to get back to the Institute.”
Her eyes shot to his face. He was mad at her. She hated when he was mad at her. “Daniel, I’m sorry. About everything.”
Again he paused and watched her for the longest time, until he at last said, “I know you are.”
But there was something in the way he spoke that made her wonder if he didn’t either want or appreciate her apology. She would never admit it to either him or herself but she had no regrets over their shared kiss. But to admit as much would risk the fear of wanting more. Or worse, have it mean something more.
* * *
“What do you mean Patrick is coming too?” Sonya stared in disbelief at her friend.
Maura gave a helpless shrug. “I really want him there.”
“But it’s supposed to be an all girl’s weekend.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“We’ve never stated that,” Maura said.
“I thought it was assumed,” Sonya grumbled in response, then glanced over at Audrey who remained silent. She wasn’t being much help. “Are you able to join us?”
The blonde gave a short shake of her head. “I wasn’t able to get the time free. It’s the long weekend and Tristan is already short staffed.”
She sighed. Audrey had seniority over Sonya but when she accepted Tristan’s job offer she reserved the first long weekend in May. It was an annual tradition. She and Maura always spent the long weekend in a tiny rented cottage along the beach in the popular tourist town of Grand Bend. The place was famous for its sand dunes and beaches that went for miles. During the summer and especially on long weekends, the vacation spot became a bustling hamlet. The type of tourists it attracted consisted mostly of young millennials.
During the peak of its season, the place would be entirely loitered with young and firm bodies, exactly why Sonya enjoyed going. The weekend would consist of drinking, flirting, and shopping. Male escorts would surely put a damper on their fun.
Without Audrey’s company meant Sonya would be spending the majority of the weekend in boredom. “I could talk to Tristan, see if he’ll give you the weekend off?”
“That’s all right,” the younger girl said as she lifted her coffee to her mouth. “I really don’t mind.”
Sonya sighed again. She had been so looking forward to the first long weekend of the summer. Granted, it was usually pretty cold but she didn’t care. There were so few pleasures she truthfully enjoyed in life. This was one of them.
For some reason she caught herself thinking of Daniel. She wondered what his plans were for the long weekend. Thinking back to the previous year, she couldn’t for the life of her remember how he had spent it or if he had done anything at all. Knowing Daniel, the latter seemed more likely.
“Sonya.” Maura caught her attention. “I don’t mean to put a damper on our holiday, but this really means a lot to me. I think Patrick may be the one.”
“The one for what?”
Her friend’s face made a mug. “You know, the one.”
She glanced at Audrey who was beaming at their mutual friend. When she needed the girl on her side, where was she? Taking a deep breath she glanced over at the raven-haired Maura. “For certain?”
“I think so.” Her voice began to lift with excitement. “The idea of spending the entire weekend with him is leaving me feeling giddy.”
Sonya frowned heavily. “Giddy?”
For pity’s sake, Patrick’s influence was already beginning to rub off on her friend. “Fine. But you do realize it’s only a two bedroom cottage.”
A wicked gleam lit her friend’s eye. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem. We don’t need an extra room.”
“I wasn’t referring to that.” She pushed her cold coffee aside and dug into her purse for the correct change. “It’s a small cottage and I would prefer not being kept awake all night long.”
It was bad enough that she didn’t have a man to fulfill her raging hormones. That was all she needed, a live sex show in the next room.
Her mind once again drifted to thoughts of Daniel. Angrily, she pushed them aside and leaped to her feet. He, himself, had told her he was not interested in a one-night stand with any woman. She doubted he would approve of such an immoral notion.
* * *
Daniel sat in the computer lab with machines buzzing all around him. He really ought to keep focused. It wouldn’t do him any good to mess up and have to start all over again. But he couldn’t keep his mind on the modules in front of him. It kept drifting back to the other night when he shared that kiss with Sonya. He hadn’t seen her since. More than likely she was avoiding him.
Misunderstood: In Love with the Nerd (The Miss Series Book 2) Page 9
