“So what’s going on with you and Carver James?”
“Nothing.”She replied simply with a shrug of her shoulders. No explanation.
“Nothing?”I quirked an eyebrow at her impersonating one of her‘tell-me-now’looks.
“Nothing.”She nods her head as if that’s enough.
“Oh no you don’t Brooklyn Littlefield. You don’t get off that easy spill it! I saw the way you two looked at each other last night and I’ve seen the way you two look at each other at work. You told me last night he’s a member at your club.”
Brooklyn sits back in her chair as she takes a healthy drink of her mimosa.“I really don’t know. He flusters me and that’s not something I’m used to. Sometimes, at the club, he will come and talk to me. Sometimes he’ll sit and watch me while I hang out at the bar. It’s never gone past the normal small talk. Though sometimes when he watches me I feel like he’s studying but not in a creeper way. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, it makes sense. I’ve seen him watch you like that. B. I think he’s interested in you. Are you interested in him?”
“I really don’t know. Even if I was I don’t think I could do anything with him. He’s just too…I don’t know…unexpected for me. I could see myself losing control with him.”
“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing, Brooklyn. You could be missing out on something really great if you don’t lose a little control once in a while.”
“Hayden!”Brooklyn said a little sharper than I think she meant to. She gets nervous and defensive when she feels she’s losing control. I know it stems from the loss of her parents and brother, but I worry she’s going to lose out on something great because of her fear of losing control. I watch her close her eyes and take a deep breath and release it before she spoke again.“Hayden, control is what I know. I’m not giving it up. Period.”She was much calmer but her tone was still stern telling me to drop the discussion about control and that’s exactly what I did. With Brooklyn you have to take baby steps. I actually think Carver has already figured it out and that’s what he’s doing. Only time will tell.
“Ok, I’ll drop it but I have one more question. Will you at least answer it?”
Brooklyn sighed with aggravation,“I guess.”
“I heard him ask you‘why orchids?’You said,‘Because of the beauty it possesses.’I saw him lean over and whisper something into your ear. What did he say?”
“Hayden Sanders,”mimicking the use of her full name earlier,“were you spying on us?”
Psh,I scoffed at her,“Of course I was. Now stop acting offended and answer the questions.”I rolled my eyes at her because, sorry, but that was a stupid question. We stick our noses into each other’s business all the time. It’s really become an art form for us.
“Fine! He whispered in my ear‘I think it’s more than that. I think, like the many different blossoms of an orchid, you have many layers you refuse to let anyone see. Be assured, Brooklyn Littlefield, I willpeel back the layers to find the real you whether you like it or not. You can count on that.”She released a long breath as I sit in shock. Damn! He does like her.
“So what are you and Gavin doing the rest of today?”This is Brooklyn’s way of telling me the subject is closed.
“We’re going to hang around the loft and relax for the afternoon. This evening he is taking me to that new fondue restaurant for my birthday dinner. It sounds pretty good. I can’t wait to try it.”We spend the next hour talking before I head back to my loft.
Chapter 20
Gavin
Today is Hayden’s actual birthday. I decided to spend the afternoon relaxing. It’s not often we have time to lie around on the couch together. Especially with everything that has happened over the last couple of weeks; we needed some down time. Hayden laid with her head in my lap most of the day while we each read. Damn it is hard not to mess with her when her head is that close to my dick. Don’t get me wrong, we messed around some but with the plans I have for tonight I need her hot and wanting. Hayden loves romance novels. She seems to favor erotic romance novels, which works for me. I get the benefits of her being all worked up after she reads one. I can tell every time she gets to a steamy scene in her book. She starts squeezing her thighs together, slightly moving her head back and forth. Even reaching back, softly rubbing the inside of my thigh with her fingertips. It made for some pretty intense moments on the couch today but I stopped it each time just shy of getting her off. She even growled at me twice which was pretty freaking hilarious, though she didn’t think so.
Now I’m standing in my khaki pants and dark blue dress shirt waiting on her to come out of the bedroom. I am taking her to dinner at a new fondue restaurant Jeff and Amy said we needed to check out. They said it took them three hours to have dinner but they were seated in a private booth that only the waiter could see into. This will work perfectly with my plans for Hayden.
Hayden’s been trying to drop subtle hints lately about seeing my bossier side. It’s not that I haven’t shown her some of it but she’s new to sex and relationships in general. If she feels like she’s being backed into a corner she tends to come out swinging and even runs. So I’ve been trying to ease her into it slowly. However, after how hard she got off last night at the game when I drug her to my buddy’s office I think she’s ready for it.
Hayden walks out into the great room and the sight of her makes my mouth go dry. Her hair is down just the way I like. She’s in a green halter dress that matches her emerald eyes. The dress shows just enough of her perfect breasts without them hanging out. My eyes follow the curve of her gorgeous body, the dip in her waste, the curve of her hip to where the dress stops just below the knee. My mouth waters looking at her curves. I continue down legs to the fuck-me heels she is wearing. I’m pretty sure my mouth is hanging open and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it. Hayden is beautiful. My eyes slowly wander back up her body when I hear her giggle and ask if I like what I see.
She’s stopped in front of me now. I reach out and take her hand pulling it to my mouth. Grinning I kiss the back of her hand and then the palm before tugging her to me as I lean against the island. I place her hand over my heart,“Beyond like. You. Are. Stunning.”I tell her punctuating each word with a kiss to her lips.“I love that you still blush when I tell you how beautiful you are.”I brush a few fire-red curls off her face. I lean in and kiss her cheek then move to kiss down her neck, across her collar bone and back up the other side of her neck to her ear. Whispering in her ear I say,“I have plans for you tonight. Come on lets go so we aren’t late for our reservations.”Hayden shyly peaks up and I place a kiss on her temple.“Remember, only the special ones.”I say, my lips still on her temple.
I grab her hand and lead her out of the loft to the elevator. Once we are inside and the doors close I stalk towards her backing her against the wall. My hands land on the wall on each side of her head trapping her in. Her breathing increases. She stares up at me and I slowly lower my lips to hers.“I love you”I whisper before pressing my lips to hers for a slow passion filled kiss. Seriously, every girl wants to be kissed like that in an elevator. Her hands come up and fist in the sides of my shirt as she pulls my body toward her. I break away from her when the bell dings alerting us we have reached the parking level.
“You’re going to kill me tonight, aren’t you?”She groans as I pull away. I simply smile and take her hand leading her to my SUV, which is parked in her second parking spot.
We arrive at the restaurant a short time later.“Reservations for Dr. Hudson”I tell the blonde hostess who is dressed in black pants and a black button up shirt that is showing quite a bit of cleavage. She smiles and blushes a little as she bats her eyes at me.
“Yes, I see your reservations right here. Are you celebrating anything special?”
“Yes, my beautiful girlfriend’s birthday today.”I say placing my arm around Hayden’s shoulder.
“Very good.”Her smile fades slightly as she looks over at Hayden bu
t expands wider when she looks back at me. I laugh to myself. This is going to get Hayden all riled up.“Dr. Hudson, if you’ll follow me right this way.”She turns to lead us to our table. I look over at Hayden as I move my hand to the small of her back to lead her through the restaurant. She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. I can’t help but laugh quietly. She hates it when girls flirt with me in front of her.
The hostess shows us to a table in a private row known as‘Lovers Lane’. There are five private booths only big enough to seat two people. Each booth is surrounded by three full walls offering privacy. The booth is an L-shape covered in leather and a marble table top attached to the wall. A ceramic single burner sits at the end next to the wall. There is soft classical music playing in the background. I direct Hayden to move in first, trapping her between the wall and me. I lean over and kiss her softly on the lips after I sit down next to her.“I like having you trapped.”
“I’ve noticed.”She giggles, her lips still pressed to mine.
Just after the hostess leaves us the waiter appears to take our drink order. I ordered us a taster of select preferred house beers and water. We decided on the cheese fondue, salad, surf-n-turf main course and cooking style along with the chocolate for dessert. I insisted we ordered the chocolate right away so that we are interrupted as little as possible. The waiter leaves and returns quickly with our waters and a dozen black calla lilies. Hayden’s face lights up even more than it already is when she sees her flowers. He sets down our water and hands me the flowers before quickly leaving.
I hand the flowers to Hayden. When she reaches out to take them I lean into her ear and say,“Beautiful flowers for an even more beautiful woman.”I run my lips softly up and down the shell of her ear before sucking her earlobe into my mouth. She lets out a breath and leans into me. She’s looking for more contact but I pull back and pick up my water for a drink. A shy smile forms on her lips. I love that smile. I place my arm around her shoulder and she leans into me placing her hand on my thigh. I run my fingers lightly over the back of her hand and up her forearm. Hayden looks up at me with her big beautiful emerald eyes. I’m having a difficult time sticking to my plan. I lean down and kiss her placing the hand that was caressing hers on the side of her face. Kissing her slowly, I take time to explore her lips before exploring her mouth with my tongue. We are kissing intensely when I hear someone clear their throat. I break away from her but not before I plant a couple of soft kisses on her lips. Slowly, I tear my eyes away from her and feel her body sag against mine. Out of the corner of my eye I see her look down and a flush creep across her body. Oh Hayden, baby, don’t start blushing now there is way more to come, I think to myself. When I look over at the waiter he is setting up our cheese fondue and running through the dosand don’ts. He sets down our first taster of beer and gives us a background on the beer. He asks us if there is anything else we need before leaving us to enjoy.
I pick up my fondue fork and stick a green apple on and swipe it through the cheese. I pull it to my lips and blow on it before holding it to Hayden’s lips. I steal a kiss before she begins to chew. We continue this process of feeding each other throughout the cheese course. Just as we finish the first course the waiter returns with our salads and cleans up our dishes.
During the salad I refrain from talking to, touching, kissing or even looking at Hayden. It is driving Hayden nuts and I love it. I see her keep looking up at me out of the corner of my eye. She looks confused and is starting to squirm around. She does this when she’s nervous. I like that I’m making her nervous. I want her wondering what’s coming next. Setting my fork down on my plate I pick up my napkin and wipe my mouth before taking a healthy drink of my beer. She watches every movement I make; following my fork from my plate to my mouth then back to my plate, the napkin to my lips then back to my lap, my hand reaching for my beer and pulling it to my lips. Once I pulled my beer from my lips she didn’t follow my hand to set it down, her eyes stayed trained on my lips. She has completely stopped eating her salad; the fork handle resting limply in her hand against the plate. Turning to face her, her eyes never leave my lips. I lick my lips causing her lips to slightly part. I smirk at her and ask her if she’s going to finish her salad. This jolts her from the daze she’s in causing her to blink up at me.
“Hmm?”
Scooting closer I lean into her ear and whisper,“I asked if you were going to finish your salad. You’ve only eaten half of it?”I kiss her just below her ear while running my fingers up the outside of her thigh. She shivers as I trail kisses down the side of her neck.“Are you going to answer me?”I ask with my lips pressed to the pulse point in her neck.
“I…oh, I um…no I’m done.”Her pulse is racing as she stutters out her words. I laugh against her neck as I trail kisses across her collar bone to her shoulder. I don’t stop as the waiter returns to collect our dishes and let us know our next course will be up shortly. He quietly leaves and I continue kissing my way back to her lips. I love kissing this woman. She is perfect. My fingers trail down the top of her thigh, under her dress and then up the center of her crossed legs stopping just short of her core. She’s clinching her thighstogether and I want nothing more than to sink my fingers deep inside and feel her body tighten around me but that’s just going too far in public. Instead I rub my fingers back and forth across the apex of her thighs. Her panties are getting wetter as I continue to kiss her lips.
She lets out a whimper as I break the kiss and remove my hand from under her dress. As I smooth her dress back down she buries her face in my neck. I pull her closer to me with the arm I’ve had resting behind her.
“You’re killing me.”She whimpers into my neck.
“I know.”I tell her smugly. We sit like that not saying anything until the main course arrives.
When the waiter returns with the main course he reviews the safety do’s and don’ts along with cooking times for each item and explains what each of the accompanying sauces are. I back off of her some during the main course. She needs a break and frankly, so do I. We enjoy a general conversation as we eat. There are a few stolen kisses but we focus more on our meal and conversation. We were way too close to losing control only moments ago.
This only lasts until the chocolate dessert course is served. We return to feeding each other. I pick up my fondue fork and place a strawberry on the end. Dragging it through the chocolate before blowing on it to cool it off I take a bite before holding it to her lips. She looks into my eyes, challenging me, as she takes the remaining strawberry covered in chocolate into her mouth then licking her lips. Leaning over I lick off the chocolate left on her bottom lip before sucking her lip into my mouth.
“I’m so ready to get out of here.”She whispered against my lips.“I need you.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”I whisper back. I pulled enough money out of my wallet to cover the bill and stood to help her out of the booth. Once she was out, I placed my hand at the small of her back and quickly led her to the car. Thankfully there weren’t many people on the road or any cops as I raced us home. I seriously need this woman and with what I have planned even my control is going to be tested.
As soon as we enter the elevator to head up to her loft I quickly entered the code and turned to her, hunger blazing in her eyes. I leaned down placing my hands on the back of her thighs before picking her up. She locked her ankles around my back as I pinned her to the wall kissing her with every bit of hunger I felt.
Now in her loft. She’s sitting on the island as I stand between her legs. Her arms are wrapped around me holding me close as we kiss like our lives depend on it. My hands rub up her thighs before I grab her ass pulling her to me. I rest my head against her forehead after breaking the kiss. We are panting trying to catch our breath.“We have to calm down. I’m getting too worked up for you.”
She whipped her head back,“What do you mean‘too worked up for me? I thought you were Mr. Demanding. Are you having second thoughts?”
I start kissing that
spot on her collar bone that turns her into putty.“Baby that side can be intense. I told you, I don’t want to push you into anything.”
“Um, I think I handled it just fine last night.”She said with annoyance.
“Yes, you did”I said against her neck.“Think you’re able to handle more ?”I pull back from her neck to look at her as I taunt her with a self-satisfying smirk. One thing I know about my girl if you issue a challenge she will take it. She can’t resist proving she can handle anything.
She pushed me back.“Yeah I think I can handle anything you throw at me.”A devious smile crossed her lips.
“Let’s see.”I turn and walk over to the stereo and plug in my iPod. I select a song and hit play. Britney Spears‘…Baby One More Time’streams through the speakers. I sit on the couch folding my arms over my chest.“Strip”I say simply.
“To this??? Are you serious?”she squeaks.
“Yeah, why?”I fight to stop myself from laughing at the repulsed look on her face.
“Because it’s Britney Spears and you are nota teenage girl!”She rolls her eyes and I know I’m on the right path. The path to getting what I want…her fulfilling a fantasy I’ve had of her for a long time. And before you start wondering, no I don’t run around listening to Britney Spears. I downloaded it to my iPod today while Hayden was at Brooklyn’s this morning.
“No, baby but you were a teenage girl when this came out and I was a teenage boy. I had all kinds of teenage boy fantasies of you in a school girl outfit stripping for me to this song.”
She starts laughing.“I don’t care. I am NOT stripping to Britney Fucking Spears.”
“Ok well, I told you it was too much for you.”I say with a sigh and shrug. Watch carefully. See that? See the change in her stance. Her arms drop to her sides. She stands up stick straight. Her body stiffens at my challenge. That one statement just got me everything I wanted and she knows it.
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