I pull up in front of Evie’s apartment building and sit in my car for several minutes. My body is humming with the thought of her being less than a hundred feet away from me, waiting behind her door. Heat builds in my chest and I know I have to kiss her, to taste her, before we get back in my car. I’ve never been much for kissing. Too intimate. But I want to kiss her as if feeling her lips on mine is necessary to life itself. I don’t know how she’ll react, but the deep need that fills me propels me out of my car and with single-minded determination, I pull open her broken front door and stride through. I called her landlord from work yesterday and that shit better be fixed in the next day or I will be on his cheap, lazy ass.
I knock on Evie’s door, and I hear her moving around inside before she pulls it open. And suddenly she’s standing in front of me, her long, dark hair hanging loose around her beautiful face and her eyes zeroed in on me. Then her eyes roam over me, and the appreciation that I see in them seals the deal. I am physically unable to resist touching her. I move forward and cup her jaw, pulling her into my body. I feel a growl moving up my chest like a f**king caveman. All I am is pure want, a possessiveness I haven’t felt for almost a decade washing through me, sending waves of testosterone surging through my body.
I dip my head and settle my mouth on hers. I sweep my tongue inside and as her tongue meets mine, I almost groan at the taste of her. Heaven. My heaven.
She whimpers and lifts her arms around my neck, pressing her soft body into mine.
I’m like a starving man who is finally sitting before a banquet table of the most delicious food on earth. Ecstasy courses through my body as her tongue meets mine stroke for stroke.
I vaguely note that her hands are running through my hair and when I bring my hands down to cup her ass, she whimpers into my mouth and I can’t help groaning back. This is the second most incredible kiss of my life. The first one was with the same girl.
My erection is straining against my pants and I know I need to cut this off before I come on myself like some over-eager teenager. Or before Maurice gets wind of this and crushes my ass like a bug right here in the hallway.
Reluctantly, I break away, breathing hard and forcing myself to step back. She makes a sweet little whimper in her throat and I can’t help grinning as I say, "Damn, you can kiss." But, I already knew that.
She blinks up at me. She was as caught up in that kiss as I was.
She smiles sweetly. "Wow."
"Yeah," I agree, still grinning. I might never stop grinning again. "Hungry?"
She looks confused for a minute, but then says, "Yeah."
As we’re walking to my car, she asks, "Doesn't the norm dictate that you were supposed to kiss me after our date?" She’s smiling.
"Couldn't wait," I say, smiling back and winking. "It was either kiss you, or go insane." And damn if it isn’t the truth.
Once we’re settled in the car and I’ve pulled out of my parking space, I grab her hand and hold it between us. I’m having a hard time keeping my hands off of her, as if she might disappear into thin air, like a misty dream if I don’t keep her attached to me in some physical way. Plus, the soothing effect of her warm, soft skin on mine is like a drug. I’m hooked. My confidence in who we are together is growing by the minute. Our chemistry is undeniable.
She shakes me out of my reverie with her words, "So, Jake, do you date a lot?" She’s biting her lip as if she’s worried about what my answer might be.
And here we are. I can’t lie about this. I’m not even sure why I feel compelled to be completely honest about my past in this regard, but something in me feels that it’s crucial and so I answer her honestly. "No. There have been a lot of women, Evie, but no, I didn’t date many of them." I glance over at her to see her reaction but she’s staring ahead, not giving me any clues. Not only do I want her to know that she’s different, but I want her to know that I’m not that man anymore, and so I go on, "I’m not proud of that, but it’s the truth. Does that bother you?"
She’s silent for so long that my stomach starts knotting. Finally she says quietly, "Jake, I can’t be your f**k buddy."
I have to keep staring straight ahead at the road not to burst out laughing. Is that what she thinks? Let me make this a hundred percent clear. "I don’t want that with you, Evie."
"Oh. I just thought… I mean, I… Because…"
Shit, I didn’t phrase that properly. Let me make this a hundred and ten percent clear. "What I mean is, when I f**k you, you’re going to be mine. Is that clear enough for you?"
She keeps staring straight ahead, but I see her squeeze her thighs together in my peripheral vision. I almost groan out loud.
"Evie, look at me. You feel this too, don't you?"
She hesitates for just a second before she looks over at me, nods, and whispers, "Yes."
I smile at her as I pull into a parking spot in front of the "Chart House."
I need to ask her about her past too. I’m sure she’s dated. How on earth could a girl who looks like her not have gotten lots of male attention over the years? The very thought of it turns my stomach, and I feel disgusted not only by the thought but also with myself for having the thought. I don’t have the right. I should have been here making sure no other men so much as looked in her direction. I should have… I should have… stop. This isn’t productive right now. Work with reality, not what ifs.