Until You

by Cristin Cooper

  With a voice so low she could barely hear, he said, “I’m not ready to say goodnight.” She didn’t bother hiding her grin.

  To her disappointment, he opened his door and held out a hand to help her jump down. Neither of them let go. Instead, his hand tightened around hers.

  Katie’s cheeks began to hurt from smiling so big. When she lifted her eyes to look at him, she noticed he had the same sexy grin he had been giving her all evening. When she first met him, she had thought it to be a little cocky but soon found out that his smile was as genuine as him. She followed Eric up the stairs, still holding his hand and when they reached her door, he faced her. “It was nice meeting you, Katie Larson.” She wanted to melt when his smile widened. It was going to be her Kryptonite. Mix it with the way he made her feel like the only person in the room and she was a goner.

  “I’m really happy to meet you too, Eric McHenry.”

  They stood facing each other smiling. Just smiling. If she were thinking straight, she might have been embarrassed. “So, what time do you want me to pick you up tomorrow?” he asked. She had almost forgotten he volunteered to take her to pick up her new car, a gift from Billy.

  “Uh. Well, I’m at your mercy, so whatever time works for you, just as long as it’s after coffee and a maple bar,” she said in all seriousness.

  The idea of spending more time with him made her heart race with anticipation, but at the same time, it made her anxious. She wasn’t supposed to fall for a guy her first night here. Starting her new life was supposed to include dating lots of men without her mother or Billy keeping a watchful eye. Already, she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

  “Good to know. Then I guess I’ll be bringing coffee and maple bars tomorrow morning.”

  Katie slid her key into the lock. “Sounds perfect.” She reluctantly let go of his hand and opened the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow…or later today.” A nervous giggle followed her awkward good-bye.

  He stood staring at her as if he wanted to say something, but instead he nodded his head. “Good night, Katie.”

  “Good night,” she whispered. Her smile fell in disappointment. She stepped inside, closing and locking the door. While slipping off her shoes, she couldn’t help wish their goodnight went a little differently. For a moment, she thought for sure Eric would make a move, but then…nothing.

  “Ugh. You’re going to see him in a few hours,” she mumbled. Katie was halfway down the hall, near her bedroom, when she heard a key in the lock. She turned around, wondering who else had a key to their place. When the door opened, all the oxygen left her lungs. It was Eric. He wasn’t smiling. When she walked toward him to see if he was okay, he met her halfway.

  “I...uh…just wanted to…umm. I just wanted to do one thing.” His voice wavered slightly, and his smiled looked strained. She hoped it was the one thing she wanted him to do. He took another step closer, circled his arms around her, leaned down, and barely grazed her lips with his.

  The tingle that spread through from his small kiss made her want more. His grip tightened around her, and she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck. Their lips met again, but not in a barely-there graze. It was full-on, I want you so bad, and if I don’t taste you right now, I might die kind of kiss. The type of kiss that left her wonderfully blissful, breathless, and needing more.

  He moved his hands from her waist to her hair and pushed her against the wall in one heated movement. Her body came to life as she became aware of his every touch and the way his lips softened against hers as they leaned into each other. The moment their tongues met, Eric moaned into her mouth, causing her heart to race. She met his tongue movement for movement until they heard a cough and an “excuse me.”

  Alexis’s voice was like ice-cold water being dumped on her head. Katie placed her hands between her and Eric and pushed him away. She watched as his chest rose and fell as he tried to catch his breath. She wiped the evidence of their kiss off her mouth before turning to face Alexis.

  “Sorry. I just needed to get some water. You can go back to what you were doing once I’m safely back in my room with headphones on,” Alexis teased.

  Eric’s low chuckle turned into a loud laugh when his eyes met Katie’s. There was no way to hide her blush or her mortification of being caught mauling her new roommates brother. “So, I’ll see you in a few hours, Katie,” he said while still chuckling. She covered her face with her hands, wishing to hide from him and his stupid, beautiful, deliciously, wonderful smile.

  “Yup,” she mumbled into her hands, then rushed to her bedroom and closed the door before having to face Alexis again. She heard muffled goodnights right before the front door closed.

  Once she heard Alexis walk past her door, Katie released a deep breath and fell on her bed in a lusty heap. She wasn’t sure what had gotten into her; it wasn’t like her to make out with a guy she just met.

  When she closed her eyes, she couldn’t help smile, and her stomach did a few flips when she thought about the way he took charge and kissed her. Ravished her senses really.

  Her lips felt swollen, and if she looked in the mirror, she was pretty sure she would see a beard burn on her face. So totally worth it. She had never been kissed like that, and she couldn’t wait until the next time.