by Tia Lewis
I was coming undone listening to her tease me. My expression darkened, narrowing in on those fucking gorgeous lips.
At her words, I felt the arousal I’d been keeping at bay cut loose.
I stepped closer to Jade, keeping my eyes on those luscious lips as I wrapped my hand around her hip to pull her closer. “What was that?” I murmured.
My other hand cupped her cheek, thumb swiping across her soft, dewy skin. I felt her body tremble, and I felt my already hard cock grow even harder.
She started to speak, but I tugged her against me, pressing our bodies flush against one another. I held back the groan that was rumbling in my chest.
“I think I like you like this,” I murmured, running my nose along her jawline slowly, teasingly. I began kissing her neck. “I was trying to cook you dinner. I even bought wine.” I whispered, my arousal evident.
Pulling back, I looked down at Jade, gazing intensely at her lips. “But I think I want to change our date. I like you like this, shaking for me.”
She thrust against me as she reached for my lips, making me want to strip her bare. But I held back. I needed to know she wanted this too. She tried to kiss me, but I pulled back first.
“Tell me. Is that okay with you?”
“What?” she was looking as distracted as I felt.
I clenched my jaw and swallowed hard. “Is it okay if I change our plans, Jade?”
“Yes,” she nodded once.
I gave her a slow, sexy smile. “Good.”
Suddenly, my hands wound themselves in her silky black hair, scraping my fingers against her scalp and sweeping away the tendrils of hair to move her mouth closer to mine. I was going to own her with this kiss. It was hard and demanding, unlike the other kisses. We were fighting for dominance. It was intensely hot, and I slid my tongue between Jade’s lips, sweeping into her mouth and dueling with her. She kissed me back hard, ready to give herself over to me.
She pulled away, breathing hard. Both of us were. My lips were tingling, wanting more. She pushed at my shirt, tugging it off my shoulders as I wrestled with my sleeves to pull it off. My heart was pounding in my ears. Licking my lips, I reached for Jade’s shirt, plucking at the buttons to undo them. When I finally reached the last one and pulled her shirt open, my breath stopped for a few seconds.
She was wearing a plain white bra, but I couldn’t have cared less. I felt my jaw drop open in awe as I took in her luscious body. She was exquisite, like a fine wine waiting to be savored.
“If I had known—” I started to say, my voice low and thick. I stopped, swallowed, and then spoke again. “Damn, I knew you were beautiful, Jade, but if I had known this is what you were hiding, I would have tried to get you into my bedroom a long time ago.”
Jade squirmed under my intense scrutiny.
I felt the excitement of impending pleasure. But I also felt something else—something I hadn’t felt for anyone else. A feeling of euphoria washed over me—a connection with Jade that made me feel like I was home. It was powerful and heady, and I didn’t know what to do with these feelings.
She leaned in and kissed my neck, making my cock stir and fight for release.
“God,” I groaned, dropping my head back, wanting more of her sexy little nips and licks on me. I wanted her lips everywhere. My hips had a mind of their own, thrusting against Jade’s body as she worked her way down my body.
I pulled away and pushed her gently, so she fell onto my bed. I leaned down to kiss the soft, sensitive skin of her belly, reaching for her jeans.
The sound of my phone ringing from my dresser interrupted my progress.
“Ignore it,” Jade gasped, pressing her hands on my shoulders to keep me from getting up. I met her stormy green eyes, and I was sure her feelings were mirrored in mine. We started at each other as the phone continued to ring. It stopped, and I reached for Jade again, only to hear the ringing start again.
Through the foggy haze of desire, I wrestled for control. Shit, it was probably Chris calling. I had completely forgotten that he was due back today.
“Damn it,” I muttered, dropping a quick peck onto her mouth before lunging for the phone, yanking it from its charger. “What?” I snarled, beyond annoyed.
“Grayson, it’s Chris. You were supposed to meet me tonight. You going to make it?”
“No,” I snapped, closing my eyes. Fuck, I wasn’t ready for tonight’s date to end.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, shaking my head in irritation. “I’m busy.”
“We were supposed to—” Chris began.
“No, no, listen, I’m busy! It doesn’t matter with what…”
“Is everything ok Grayson?”
“I’m—Fine, fine. Okay.”
Chris continued, “Well, if you are fine, then you should have no problem keeping out meeting. Nothing is as important as your career.”
“Whatever, yes. Yeah. I’ll see you soon then. Goodbye, Chris.” I knew if I didn’t meet Chris, he was liable to show up here, and I didn’t want him anywhere near Jade tonight.
I hung it up, slamming the phone down hard on my dresser. Sighing, I turned to Jade. She had sat up and was frowning in concern.
“What’s up?” she asked, her sexy voice was tinged with worry, and I wanted to reassure her.
“My manager,” I said shortly, shaking my head again as I looked toward the ceiling, then back at her. “He’s in town.”
She nodded in understanding. “Oh,” she said. “That guy who you came to the diner with, that one time?”
I nodded. “Yeah.” I sighed and sat down next to her on the bed. “I’ve got to go meet him.”
She looked as crestfallen as I felt. “Okay.”
I nudged her gently with my shoulder. “I’m sorry.” You have no idea how sorry. I didn’t want to leave her and our time together, but I couldn’t risk Chris coming here and causing damage I couldn’t repair. I couldn’t let my career taint what we had.
She shrugged, giving me a small smile. I loved that smile. I had grown accustomed to seeing it these past few weeks, and I had wanted to explore all her many other facial expressions tonight. Fuck.
With a big sigh, I stood, holding out my hand to help her stand up. I glanced at her lips then met her eyes with a resigned smile of my own.
“You’ve got to go now, then?” she asked. Nodding, I raked my fingers through my hair.
“I’ll make it up to you,” I promised.
The smile she gave me was radiantly beautiful. “I’ll hold you to that.”
I leaned close to her until our lips were just barely touching. “Good.”
Jade
Walking home after our interrupted date left me with an aching chest and a bad taste in my mouth. I felt the disappointment rolling inside of me, thin liquid that seemed to be staining my every thought and move. I should probably have taken a cab, but I needed the time to clear my head.
I waited until just after midnight, but Grayson never called, and eventually even the coffee I was drinking couldn’t keep me awake any longer. Madeline patted me on the arm when she eventually heaved herself off the futon, muttering something about sleeping.
“He’ll call tomorrow,” Madeline said, nodding. She looked very sure, and I smiled. Even through my sleep deprived haze, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling immensely grateful to my roommate. She always knew how to make me feel better, starting with horror films and coffee and ending with assured promises.
I hid my yawn behind my hand, stretching as I popped my back. We really needed to just shell out the money for a real couch. “Thanks, Madeline. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I smiled at her quickly before turning my attention back to the TV.
Finally, too tired to stay up any longer, I stumbled to my room, checking my phone one last time before sighing and setting the alarms for the next morning. I’d be working all day, and Alana would only be there for the morning shift, so I really shouldn’t have stayed up so late waiting for a phone call I never even go
t.
I told myself I shouldn’t be mad. It wasn’t like Grayson said he’d call or owed me anything; he had to meet with his manager and he’d probably gone to sleep hours ago like a normal person. I was the one who was still hung up on our quasi-date, wishing we could just pick up where we left off when he got done with his meeting.
I’d just have to find a different evening that worked for him, and the two of us could resume our date. After all, he promised he’d make it up to me for leaving early.
I shuddered, my heart beating a little too rapid as I thought about what that promise would entail. I’d never felt this way about someone before. It was like every bit of me was a wick and he could ignite me into a fire with a mere look, let alone a kiss.
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do when he left. I felt like I was falling for him.
As I fell asleep, I couldn’t help but imagine impossible scenarios where he stayed.
The next day passed uneventfully. I burnt two batches of hash browns before Alana switched places with me and I jumped each time the door opened, but other than that, the day went smoothly. Business, as usual, was busy and consumed most of my thoughts. Luckily, there wasn’t much down time, and I didn’t have to spend too much time pondering why Grayson wasn’t stopping by.
I’d gotten spoiled, having him all to myself. He didn’t really know anyone else here, didn’t want to get spotted by fans, and was dedicating all of his time to me. It really shouldn’t bother me that he was busy now. I myself was usually busy, and he never complained.
Still, when the dinner shift ended and I still hadn’t heard from him, my stomach plummeted.
I sent the cook home after I cleaned off the grill and did the dishes, even if I kind of wanted the company. I dwelled a bit in the disappointment that was still curled inside of me, frowning as I swept and mopped, stomping a little as I wiped down the tables and put the chairs away.
I spent a little longer at the diner than normal, cleaning and recleaning the appliances. I didn’t want to see Madeline and have her sympathetic eyes follow me as I grumbled around the room, essentially pouting. I knew I was being ridiculous. I just couldn’t seem to help it.
Eventually, though, the night was dark, and I had to admit that there was nothing left to do at the diner, save making a mess on purpose to clean up. The idea briefly appealed to me, but I discarded it quickly and grabbed my coat and keys from the back. I’d just go home and mope there. Maybe, if I went to bed early enough, Madeline wouldn’t feel the need to say anything at all.
I was almost to the apartment when my phone rang. I jumped, grabbing at it quickly. I nearly dropped it when I read Grayson’s name on the screen.
“Grayson,” I answered my voice a little breathless. I pretended it was because of the walk.
There was music playing, low and distracting, in the background where he was. His voice was almost too low to hear. “Jade,” he drawled.
I stopped walking, frowning as I plugged my other ear and tilted my head to try and hear better. “You alright?”
“Perrrfect!” he replied, his voice a little slow. “I’m perfect, Jade.” He laughed, but it was off. Too sharp. Not like Grayson at all.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Um, you sure?”
“Yes.” The word was slurred, and I realized with a start that he was drunk. I pulled the phone away from my ear and checked the time. 9:35. “Perfect.”
I crossed one of my arms across my chest, leaning on the wall of a building, so I wasn’t directly in the middle of the sidewalk. The music seemed to be getting louder from the other end of the line.
“What are you doing?” I asked unsurely, biting my lip. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say.
Grayson, though, didn’t seem to mind. “Drinking!” He laughed.
I smiled a bit. Maybe nothing was wrong, and he really was just drunk. It wasn’t like it was an unheard-of event. “Sounds like it.”
I heard Grayson sigh heavily. “I miss you. I want you to be here.”
My heart started racing. God, even sloppy drunk that man could break me. My mouth dried at the picture of Grayson, gleeful from a few drinks, laughing and cheeks burning red from the alcohol. He would be too handsome with flushed cheeks and glassy eyes.
“But Chris,” he spat the name, “said you can’t come over.”
I raised an eyebrow. “That so?”
“Yes,” he said quickly, “I already asked. Chris is an asshole.” I heard someone talking away from the phone, too far for me to understand any of the words. I imagined it was Chris, defending himself. He let out another breathy sigh.
“Chris is an asshole,” he repeated, but this time he laughed a little.
I wasn’t entirely positive Chris couldn’t hear me, and while Grayson probably wouldn’t mind if I didn’t mince my words, I thought his manager would. “Maybe,” I said diplomatically. “But I’m sure he’s not that bad.”
Grayson didn’t say anything, but the phone shuffled, a sound like fabric over the microphone breaking through. I could see him shrugging, lips pursed.
I wanted to see him. “Will I see you tomorrow?”
He was still quiet. I frowned. My heart stuttered. “Or, well, you don’t have to or anything, obviously, I was just—”
“I want to!” he interrupted. “I want to; it’s just Chris.”
I thought maybe I was too hasty to defend Chris. Maybe he was an asshole.
“I might be busy. But I’ll call you. I’m coming by Monday no matter what,” he seemed to be saying the last part away from the phone as if it wasn’t directed at me at all. Which was fine by me. I was glad Grayson was willing to defy Chris if he tried to keep us separated for a third day in a row.
“Good.” I smiled, leaning my head back on the bricks behind me. He didn’t reply, but his breathing was even, and I felt my pulse slow down incrementally. “I’ll be glad to see you.”
He exhaled into the phone. “Me, too,” he said quietly.
I heard the muffled voice of whom I assumed to be Chris again, and then he was grumbling. “I’ve got to go, Jade. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
I nodded before I remembered that he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, okay. Have a good night.”
“You, too.”
I hung up the phone, smiling a bit as I shoved it into my pocket. He wanted to see me. The thought played on repeat during the rest of my walk home, warming me better than the coat I wore could.
I unlocked the door, raising an eyebrow to see Alana laying in the living room of my apartment. Madeline sat next to her on her knees, two sharpies in her left hand and a straw between her lips.
“Is everyone drunk today?” I asked aloud. Alana and Madeline giggled, despite having no way to know what I was talking about.
I shrugged off my jacket and tossed my keys on the desk we kept near the door, dropping the coat to the floor. I’d deal with it later. I threw myself on the floor and grabbed Alana’s cup, taking a swig.
Ugh. Vodka. I passed it back.
“What are you guys doing?” I asked, peering over Alana’s side to see the design that Madeline was coloring on my cousin’s stomach. It looked like a squirrel, maybe. Or a dog. It was definitely brown and probably an animal. I gave Madeline a thumbs up when she gestured to the artwork.
Alana tried to roll over, but Madeline stopped her. When she settled, she blinked up at me. “Coloring,” she replied.
I laughed. “I see that. Why?”
“Because!” Alana grinned, looking a little less drunk than Grayson had sounded, but only by some. “Todd is watching the boys. All by himself. So, I am having fun.”
I sat back up, stretching my arms over my head. “Alright,” I said. “Enjoy yourself, girls.”
Madeline dropped the pens, her arms shooting out as she wrapped her hands around my arm. “Uh uh! We have to talk.”
I pulled back, tilting my head. “We do?”
Alana sat up, crossing her legs and staring at me with wide eyes. “We all do
. You promised.”
When I frowned, Madeline sighed heavily. “Jade,” she spoke slowly as if she was hard of hearing, “in the kitchen. You promised.”
My stomach dropped. “I did no such thing.”
“Did too!”
“No, no way.” I tugged my arm free. “You promised we weren’t done; I didn’t promise to say anything.”
Madeline and Alana exchanged a look, faces scrunching in concentration as if trying to remember if that was the way the conversation had gone. Eventually, Madeline shrugged, and Alana whirled back to me. “Doesn’t matter,” she said definitively.
“I’m not talking.” I put my foot down.
Madeline shrugged again. “Don’t care. Listen then.” Then she started to laugh, and Alana joined, the girls nearly falling over in their giggle fit. She tried to stand again, but this time both of them reached for me, Madeline’s nails digging into my arm while Alana whacked me on the side of the head.
“Ow,” I complained, rubbing the spot. Alana just smiled.
“It’s about Grayson,” she sang, wiggling her eyebrows. They laughed again.
Well. I supposed I wasn’t that tired. I could maybe stay for a little bit and listen to whatever they had to say.
Once it was clear I wasn’t leaving, the girls stopped their giggles and tried, in their drunken stupor, to stare at me seriously. It was interrupted with frequent grins, but I gave them points for trying. Alana always drank hard when she did, and Madeline was a light weight. I was lucky they were even awake.
“We saw him at the bar,” Madeline started.
“Fitzgerald’s! The one we all got kicked out of in high school!” Alana interrupted. She threw her head back, silent laughs shaking her shoulder. “Todd was so scared!”
I smirked at the memory. I was younger than my cousin and her husband, but I remembered I was the only one that the bartender thought was old enough to be there.
“Anyway,” Madeline shot Alana a look, “we saw Grayson at the bar. He was getting trashed.”
I swallowed a grin. “As opposed to you two gentle, casual drinkers.”