Just One Kiss

by Baker, Tory

  “I’ll even give you a piggyback ride, if you want,” I say with a smirk on my face.

  We both get up, I grab ahold of her hand, and lead her out the door only stopping to give the valet my ticket, so he can bring my car around.

  6

  Summer

  I giggle the entire time Rome walks me out the doors from the event, I’m sure I’ll get an earful tomorrow from both of my parents. Yet, I just don’t care. I love the feeling of being spontaneous with Rome. He holds my hand the entire time. Even while we wait for his car to be pulled up. At one point he even brings me in closer to his body, with his arms wrapped around me and kisses the top of my head.

  After feeling him, my gaze lifts up to meet his. His eyes are hooded, like he has the same yearning inside him that I have. I’m sure you can see every single thing I’m thinking in my facial expression alone. I slowly lower the lids of my eyes, take a deep breath, and sink further into Rome.

  Our moment is broken when the valet states, “Your car is here, Mr. Carter.”

  “Thank you,” he tells the young man. He exchanges his keys for a tip, and then Rome is opening the passenger door. Our bodies brush against each other and I find myself wanting to soak in his presence.

  After I’m in the seat, he waits until I buckle my seatbelt before heading to the driver’s side.

  Once he’s seated and his own seatbelt is firmly in place, he puts the car in drive, and then places his hand in mine while he’s driving.

  “Where are we going?” I finally ask, not really worrying that I’m alone in a car with Rome.

  “Burger Shack, I saw what they were serving for dinner at the event. There was no way that food was going to be edible. Nothing like spending a fortune on a plate, only to not eat it,” he shakes his head. His eyes never leave the streets as he navigates through a busy part of town.

  “I know what you mean, I was destined to have a bowl of cereal when I got home tonight if we didn’t leave,” I laugh, because I know what type of food it is. It’s always rubbery chicken or some kind of overcooked steak.

  “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea, but if you’ve never been to Burger Shack you don’t know what you’re missing,” he replies.

  It doesn’t take us too long to get there. We pull into a parking spot, thankful that we don’t have to walk too far.

  I grumble, “I can’t wait to get out of these shoes,” as Rome opens the door for me. I look up and blush, by the way he’s smiling I can tell he heard me ranting out loud. I try to talk under my breath, but sometimes my awkwardness comes out and I get caught.

  “This won’t take too long, then we’ll get you out of those shoes, promise.” He takes my hand, it’s a small gesture, but it feels amazing every time we touch.

  7

  Rome

  Fuck, she’s cute, I think to myself as we make our way up to the window to order our food.

  “What do you recommend, I’ve never been here before,” Summer says, she’s on her toes even with her sky-high heels to whisper into my ear.

  “Everything here is great. I’d be here every day if I could get away with it,” I tell her.

  “I’ll have the classic cheeseburger with a strawberry shake then.”

  “Got it, you want to sit in the car while I order this? It may take a bit,” I offer her. I know she’s ready to get off of her feet.

  “Do you mind? I promise I’m not usually this much of a pain in the ass.”

  “Summer, I wouldn’t have offered it, if I didn’t mean it. I can see you’re in pain and this might take more than fifteen minutes.”

  “Then yes, I’m going to be a prima donna and sit in the car. Thank you for understanding, Rome,” her voice has taken on a breathless tone. I’m caught in her sights as she leans up on her toes, trying not to wince, and kisses my cheek.

  It takes everything I have to stop myself from gathering her in my arms and kissing her thoroughly.

  But when I do that, I want to take my time with her.

  “I’ll unlock the door from here, that way I don’t lose our spot, and it take even longer,” I tell her once she leans back.

  “Okay,” the blush that seems to come out whenever it feels like is back at it, this time it’s traveling down to her neck.

  I watch her turn and walk back towards my car. I don’t take my eyes off her, even when I move closer up to the waitress. Until I see that she is safely inside my car. I press the lock button on the key fob and lock it. I don’t want anyone to randomly open the door in case she closes her eyes.

  Ordering our food, then paying for it, I move out of the way until our order is ready.

  It takes everything I have not to go check on Summer while waiting for our food to appear, but I know the minute I leave it’ll be ready, and I’ll have to leave her again.

  “Order 791,” I hear the waitress say.

  “Thank you,” taking our food and shakes from her.

  When I get to the car, Summer is already up and out. Coming to my side to help grab the food.

  “You didn’t have to get up, baby,” I say with a gruffness in my tone.

  “I didn’t want you to do everything,” she responds.

  She takes our shakes, I keep the burgers, and we both get into the car.

  I start the car, after both of our seatbelts are on, and head to the one place we both seem to love the most. I just hope she isn’t upset when she realizes where we’ll be too.

  8

  Summer

  I never thought to ask Rome where we were going after we picked up our food. That feeling of safety and rightness, he just feels right.

  When we turn into a driveway and Rome places his car in park, I look at what I’m assuming is Rome’s beach home. My family has a massive estate, it’s ostentatious really. Nothing like the house that’s before me. You can tell it’s been recently renovated unlike some of the other homes we drove by, that still appear to be a throwback of the seventies. Don’t get me wrong, they’re cute and appealing to the eye. But, nothing quite like Rome’s home. Even with just the headlights on, you can see the mint green roof, the front porch that is wood with a dark stain. It’s beautiful with the white background.

  “Wow, this is beautiful,” I tumble out. My eyes are probably as wide as saucers. If he’s on the beach, I really hope he’ll let us eat outside.

  “Thank you,” I turn to look at him, he’s just opened the car door and the interior lights are shining brightly. I can see that this time, I’ve made him blush.

  “You’re welcome. It really is stunning.” We both get out and I follow him as he walks up the front steps. Rome unlocks the door, flips the switch and says, “After you.”

  “Mind if I take off my shoes?” I ask.

  “Not at all, in fact I’m going to change up really quick. You want to wear something else?”

  “God, yes. You’d be my life saver forever,” I say as I finish taking off my shoes. I don’t care how expensive they are, shoes should not be that uncomfortable.

  I watch as Rome drops the food off on the kitchen counter, then heads upstairs to what I’m assuming is his bedroom to change.

  I make my way into his kitchen and look around. He has an unobstructed view of the beach. Once I set the shakes down besides the burgers, I make my way to the sliding glass doors and stare out at the ocean. The soft glow from his outdoor and pool lights helps me see the waves crashing on the shore.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Rome questions as he comes up beside me. I look at him and see he’s changed into a pair of shorts and white cotton tee shirt.

  “It really is. I love my condo, but I don’t have a view like this to wake up to,” I reply.

  “You’re welcome to come over any time.”

  “Really? You’d let me come over and use your home and pool anytime? You barely know me though,” I question.

  “I’ve known who you are for a while, Summer. I may not have met you, but your father has been in my office a time or two. When you live
in a small community like this, people talk. Glad I was able to finally put a face to the name though,” his finger traces my jawline.

  I take a gulp of air, not totally knowing how to respond. I think he knows that too. He takes a step back saying, “Clothes are on the chair, there’s a bathroom right around the corner. I’ll plate our food while you change.”

  “Okay,” I reply, walking to where he said the clothes were. I grab them and head to the bathroom before mumbling under my breath, “Way to go Summer, you probably just ruined not only your night but his too. Ugh.”

  9

  Rome

  Fuck, I grumble out after Summer is well out of ear shot. I heard her talking to herself as she left. I hate like hell that she thought she’d ruin our night when truth be told, I was the one that probably did that.

  I pull my phone out and find the group text Mason and Heath are in and type out a message.

  Me: Left the event early, pretty sure I met her. If I didn’t fuck it all up.

  Heath: Your middle name is fuck up.

  Mason: Just fuck and make-up.

  Me: You two are a wealth of knowledge, dicks.

  Heath: At least I know how to use it.

  Mason: Want me to draw you a dick?

  I throw my phone on the counter, not even bothering replying to them. Shitheads, that’s what they are. We talk about finding the one and settling down, too bad I don’t see those two doing that at all.

  Hearing the bathroom door creak open, I hurry up and plate our burgers and fries.

  “I just..uh, I want to apologize for how I reacted,” Summer comes out saying. I stop in my tracks and take her in, she’s wearing a pair of my pajama pants, rolled up at her hips a few times, and one of my cotton shirts that she has tied in a knot at her side. She’s wringing her hands together in nervousness.

  The thought of her standing there and feeling unsure of herself. It gut checks me, especially if it’s something I can fix.

  “You have nothing to apologize for, I was a dick,” I breathe out and come to her. My hands find the side of her face and I tilt her head up, so our eyes are looking into each other’s.

  “I’m sorry, truly. I was gruff and I shouldn’t have been. Not with you, not ever,” I say honestly.

  “Well, I still want to apologize. I kind of accused you of not being genuine, and that’s not fair. Not to either of us.”

  “Okay.” I take in the curves she has in my clothes, finding myself wanting to strip her down to see what she’s hiding underneath it all.

  “Okay then,” she responds.

  “Let’s grab our food and eat. I promised you dinner and a nice evening.”

  “Can we eat outside?” she questions.

  “Anything you want, it’s yours,” I reply. Meaning way more than just where she wants to eat.

  10

  Summer

  Rome’s clothes were loose, way looser than I thought they would be. Especially with my curves. I had to not only roll his pants at my waist a few times, but also cinch the tie too. His shirt was so long it was almost down to my knees. I fixed that too, along with my hair. I took out every bobby pin that was holding my updo in place. I swear, it took the most time just trying to tame it in some kind of resemblance of curls.

  My dress was the type you had to wear spanx with and there was no way I wanted to keep those torturous devices on. Reluctantly, I took them off. Knowing I’d be bare beneath Rome’s pajama pants, the one good thing I did have, was a strapless bra with my dress. Sure, the style is a pain in the ass, but it’s a bra none the less. I’d hate to have to somehow hide myself away from Rome. It’s not like I’m small chested, and if you get cold, well, you know what happens then.

  I follow Rome and boy do I enjoy the view he has going on from behind. It’s just as spectacular as the front.

  The way his shoulders are broad, but gets leaner in the waist, and the way his muscles flex and pull as he opens the sliding glass door. Leaving it open for me, I’m carrying the shakes he bought for us.

  “Do you want me to shut the door or keep it open?” I ask him.

  “You can leave it open, the air conditioner turns off when it senses there’s a door left open for so long. Plus, it’s a nice night out. Might be one of those where you sleep with the windows open too.” he replies as he sets our food down on the table. I do the same and wait to see where he’s sitting before, I take my place.

  Except he doesn’t, he pulls out a chair for me instead. This man, he’s one of those men you dream up when you’re young and impressionable, but then you realize as you get older there really isn’t someone in real life like him.

  Yet, here he is.

  “Thank you,” I tell Rome.

  “Anytime,” his fingers linger on the side of my neck.

  His stomach growling has me laughing, Rome sits down and we both eat our dinner. I murmur every now and then how good it is. Once my burger is finished, I take the lid off of my shake and proceed to dip my fries in it, it’s the only way I’ll eat French fries.

  Rome’s eyes never leave me. Even as he eats, he studies my every move.

  We finish our food, both of us taking our plates into the kitchen. I get a chance to really take it in, the kitchen is open to the living room and dining room. Dark wood floors are throughout the whole house, white shaker style kitchen cabinets, with white quartz countertops that shine.

  It truly is a work of art. I haven’t even been upstairs, but if it’s anything like it is downstairs, it will be drool worthy.

  “Want to watch a movie or would you like me to take you home?” Rome asks.

  “It’s still early, we can watch a movie for a while,” I reply after looking at the clock he has hanging in the living room.

  11

  Rome

  I thought for sure Summer would say she was ready to go home. It shocked me when she said she’d like to stay.

  We walk our way to the couches in the living room. Mom really helped me pull this house together. It was completely remodeled when I bought it, but me being a man, I didn’t give two shits about the rest of the house as long as the couches were comfortable and the television was big.

  Mom helped me pick out the rest, shit she did it for all of us. After we made our company a success, we tried to buy her a house on the beach close to us. She wasn’t having any of it. She likes the home we were raised in. At least she let us update it a little. She’s in the same town as us, only more in-land.

  Heath and Mason both live in walking distance from here. They drop in from time to time, and I wouldn’t put it past them to meet me as soon as the sun rises in the morning with their surfboards and wet suites on.

  Summer takes a seat in one corner of the couch, and I take my usual spot in the other corner. I want her near me, but I’ll give her a bit to get comfortable, and then I’ll have her next to me, right where I want her.

  I prop my feet up on the ottoman and grab the remote, “Anything you’d like to watch?”

  “I’m good with anything, honestly.”

  I surf the channels until we both see something we like, “Girl after my own heart,” I tell Summer.

  At first, she was curled into herself, but now that she’s gotten more comfortable, Summer has a pillow under her head and is lying down but trying to stay on her side. I grab her legs and place them in my lap.

  Her head pops up, my smile says it all as I pick one of her feet up and slowly massage her instep. The way she settles back down and finally relaxes tells me everything. I’m pretty sure she won’t be leaving my house tonight, and I find I like that a lot.

  I laugh at the ending of the movie, I’ve watched a million times. Only then do I notice Summer is fast asleep.

  “Fuck,” I whisper out. She must have been more exhausted than I thought. I’m not even sure what I should do here. Wake her up, let her sleep on the couch, bring her upstairs and sleep beside her.

  I look at the clock and see it’s well past midnight, I hate to wake her up
, but I know it’s the best thing to do. I may know her dad and know of her, but she doesn’t really know me.

  “Summer, baby.” I say as I slowly wake her up. Hating that I have to do this.

  “Yeah,” she grouses and turns into the couch. It causes me to chuckle.

  I move her hair out of her face and try again.

  “You want me to take you home or sleep here?” I ask her.

  “Shhh, I’m comfortable,” she grouses. It gets me nowhere near the answer I’d like to hear out of her, but I take it as she’s staying here tonight, and if she’s staying here, she’s staying in my bed, where she belongs.

  12

  Summer

  I wake up surrounded by pillows and blankets, that aren’t mine, but I would know this scent anywhere. I’m in Rome’s bed.

  Settling back into the pillow I’m lying on and the one I have snuggled into my body I replay my everything that happened last night. It makes me feel like I’m a character in the romance novels that I’ve read. I should probably get up and go home, but his scent and the comfort of his bed is lulling me back to sleep.

  My eyes pop open with what I just realized, “Holy shit, I cannot believe I spent the night with Rome. What was I thinking?” I sit up, and the blankets drop to my waist. I’m still in his clothes from last night.

  “Rome doesn’t think anything except you were tired, and you sleep like the dead,” He says from the doorway.

  “I’m never going to get away with talking to myself with you around,” I slam my hand across my mouth, realizing I said that out loud.