by Steph Nuss
“I’ve never had a problem with my body; it was never about being skinny for me. Some people think eating disorders are all about body issues and an obsessive need to be thin, but that’s not always the case. For me, it was a way for me to relieve the stress in my life. I’d get stressed out, binge eat, and then purge. But then Camille died, and I knew it was because of her bulimia. So, I entered rehab because I didn’t want to end up like her, and that’s where I learned how to deal with my stress the right way, without making myself sick.”
When I finished, his hands cupped my face and before I knew it his lips were on mine and he was kissing me. The kiss was soft at first. No tongue, just sweet, soft lips brushing up against each other, tasting a hint of garlic here and wine there, making me crave more of him. He moved his hands into my hair, and I easily opened up to him. His tongue skated across mine, evoking a throaty moan from me, and we both grew needier, lusting after a different kind of hunger than the one we just satisfied over dinner. He turned me inside out with one simple kiss, one swipe of his tongue, something no man had ever done, and in that moment, I wanted so much more from him than just a kiss. I wanted everything.
I broke away first, completely out of breath, and he looked at me like he couldn’t wait to kiss me again. I stroked his sexy stubble and sighed.
“I’m not sorry I kissed you,” he said breathlessly.
“My turn,” I said, smiling back at him. I sure as hell wasn’t sorry he’d kissed me either, but it was my turn to ask something personal.
He swept his lips across mine chastely and linked our fingers together again. “Ask me anything, baby.”
I drew my legs underneath me and nervously bit my bottom lip. I wanted to know what kind of future he wanted. After a kiss like that, I needed to know if he wanted the same things I did. Except, tonight was our first date and the question on the tip of my tongue wasn’t really first date material. Still, the almost-thirty-year-old inside of me didn’t care. I needed to know before I put my heart in his hands … even though, after that kiss, I was pretty sure it already was.
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath before asking him the million-dollar question. “Do you ever see yourself getting married and having kids? Like, is that something you want?” He smiled and looked away for a moment, so I anxiously continued rambling. “I know that’s really personal and not really first date material, so I get it if you don’t want to answer, but I—”
“Harper,” he said, tightening his grip on my hand.
“I just need to know,” I said softly.
He swallowed hard and kissed my forehead before relaxing back into the couch. “I grew up with parents who didn’t love each other. They constantly fought. My dad cheated on my mom all the time, and she cried herself to sleep over it. He missed all of the important things in my life because he always had to work, and when I got older, I realized work meant banging the newest paralegal at his firm. They’re divorced now, but I promised myself a long time ago that I’d never become like my dad, that I’d never let someone treat me the way my mom let him treat her.
“So, do I want a wife and kids? Of course I do, because I want what my parents didn’t have. I want someone who will love me unconditionally. I want to be the dad who doesn’t miss any basketball games or graduations. I want to be the husband who makes all his wife’s dreams come true; someone who will always be there for her. It would be easy for me to sit here and tell you that I don’t want those things because of the people who raised me, but it’s because of them that I do. I just thought you should know why, so you’d know that I wasn’t just telling you what you wanted to hear.”
“Maybe I don’t want a husband and kids,” I laughed lightly, brushing away the tear that had slipped from my eye. He did tell me what I wanted to hear, but he told me so much more and I loved him for that.
“Yeah, right,” he said teasingly. “You’re almost thirty, your brother’s getting married and talking about popping out babies. You want a husband and kids or else you wouldn’t have asked.”
“Guilty,” I said, resting my head on his shoulder. “But I’m glad you want those things, too.”
“Well, I’d rather have a wife than a husband,” he said.
“You know what I mean!” I slapped him playfully on the chest and he grabbed my hand and held it there, against his strong chest where I could feel the beating of his heart. “I’m sorry about your parents, though.”
“It’s okay,” he said, brushing his lips across mine. “They taught me what not to do.”
“I’m glad,” I said, pressing another sweet kiss to his lips before moving off the couch. “Can you point me toward your bathroom?”
“First door on the right just past the kitchen.”
“Be right back.”
I made my way into his bathroom and again admired how tidy everything was. There wasn’t stubble covering the sink and the toilet seat was actually where the creator of the toilet seat intended it to be: down. He didn’t have toothpaste stuck to the sink, and the mirror wasn’t dirty with dried water spots. He was so clean and organized that it made me want to throw out my first date rule and take him to bed. I smiled at my reflection and ran a hand through my hair. He wanted everything I wanted, and hearing him say he wanted to make his wife’s dreams come true made me giddy. He could be the guy to make all my fantasies a reality; maybe even the ones in the bedroom.
When I walked back into the living room, he was standing, staring out the window. I wrapped my arms around his waist and looked outside. “Wow, I knew we were supposed to get snow, but not like this.”
“Yeah, it’s coming down pretty good,” he said, worriedly. He turned toward me and reached for my hands. “Stay here tonight.”
Out of habit, I instantly thought of my rule. “Mav, I don’t know. We just—”
“I don’t want you going home in this shit,” he said, his eyes searching mine. “Look, this isn’t about sex, okay? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have sex with you, but not tonight. I’m fine with us waiting until we know each other better. You can take my bed and I’ll sleep on the couch, but I don’t want you going home in this. Just call your driver and tell her to take the night off because you’re staying with me.”
“Okay.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands went to my waist and pulled me in closer to him. “But only if you sleep in your bed with me tonight.”
He smirked. “I can’t promise I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
“I’m hoping you don’t.”
“Then it’s getting late,” he said against my lips. “Let’s go to bed.”
“Yes, let’s.” I kissed him hard, pouring all of myself into the kiss, loving him for thinking of my safety first, and he hoisted me up into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me toward his bedroom. I’d never been carried like this before, but it felt like heaven, being in his strong, tattooed arms. I never wanted to leave.
When he set me down on the edge of the bed and started removing my boots, I checked out more of his apartment. His room was simple and all man. A king-sized bed with dark gray and red bedding was centered on the wall to the right, and the dark wood of his nightstands, headboard, and dresser all matched. He had a flat screen TV mounted on the wall opposite his bed, and a red curtain hung over the window.
He opened his dresser as he asked, “What do you wear to bed?”
I was too busy checking out his backside to answer him. I hadn’t had a lot of time tonight to check out how magnificent his ass looked in his jeans, but it made me want to design jeans just for him, that’s how perfect his ass was. I hoped and prayed to god he slept in nothing or just boxers.
He cleared his throat as my eyes wandered up the length of his back and saw his head turned smiling back at me. “Enjoying the view?”
“Very much,” I said, unabashed.
He laughed and nodded toward his dresser. “What do you normally wear to bed, and I swear to god, if you say nothing, I
’m gonna lose it and neither one of us will be getting any sleep tonight.”
“I haven’t gotten much sleep since I met you anyway,” I mumbled to myself, thinking back to all my sleepless nights I’d lain awake thinking about him. I walked over to his dresser and pulled out a Columbia University t-shirt. “This will do.”
He shook his head and pulled out a pair of shorts. “Wear some shorts, too, please.”
I laughed as he left the room for me to change. I undressed and threw on the clothes he’d given me. I drowned in his t-shirt and his shorts went past my knees, but I loved the whole look. Wearing clothes that smelled like him was an added delight. I pulled my hair up into a messy bun so I could remove all my makeup, knowing he didn’t have a problem with seeing me in my natural state. I worked out without makeup, so he’d seen me without it plenty of times.
I leaned against the doorway as he brushed his teeth. He was standing in nothing but a pair of dark green boxers, and everything about him aroused me. He made the act of brushing his teeth look like a sex fantasy come to life, from the way he stood practically naked, to his arm muscles flexing with each of his strokes. Who knew brushing one’s teeth could be so sensual?
I watched his eyes wander over my body in appreciation, and then he spit and rinsed. “You look even better wearing my clothes.”
I tugged on the hem of his shirt and smiled. “I know.”
He turned around to the cabinets on the other side of the bathroom and grabbed a brand new toothbrush. “For the lady.”
I laughed and took the toothbrush from him. “Thank you.”
He kissed my cheek and then exited the bathroom. I washed my face and brushed my teeth. Once I finished and was ready for bed, I found my purse in the living room and sent a text to Imani, telling her I was staying the night. She replied with some vulgar comment about getting booty, but I ignored it and made my way into Maverick’s bedroom where he was already sitting in bed.
“Come here,” he said, patting the other side of the bed.
Quickly padding across the cool, hardwood floor, I slid into bed with him. He put his arm around my shoulders, and I couldn’t help but put my hands all over his sculpted body. From head to toe, the man was all muscle, and there was no such thing as looking and not touching. He had an eight pack carved into his beautiful core from hours in the gym, and a sexy V pointing to everything beneath his boxers, which I suspected was just as magnificent as the rest of him.
He shut off the lamp and grabbed the TV remote. “Would you like to watch a movie?”
“Sure,” I said, as a shiver swept through me. He noticed and pulled the covers up around us.
“What movie?” he asked, smiling down at me.
“I’m not picky,” I said, as he flipped through Netflix.
“Hmm, okay,” he said skeptically. “This is a date, so I should probably try to keep the romance alive.”
I ran my hand over his stomach once again, and the warmth from his body made desire pool in my belly. “Like that’s hard when you have a body like this,” I teased.
He laughed and finally picked a movie. “Okay, let’s watch an oldie but a goodie: Can’t Hardly Wait.”
“I love that movie,” I said, smiling up at him.
We scooted down so that we were lying against the pillows, my head resting on his shoulder. Our legs intertwined beneath the covers and, as the movie started, I glanced up at him to find him staring down at me.
“Hey,” he said, kissing my nose.
“Hey,” I said, turning toward him. I lifted my hand to his face and ran my fingers along his stubbled jaw. “Tonight has been perfect, Mav.”
He smiled sweetly and nodded. “Yeah, it has. Thank you for coming over, and for being so honest with me.”
I leaned up and our lips connected with ease, like we’d been lying in bed and kissing like this for years. I’d never lie to him, and I wanted him to know it. He broke away smiling, grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me right back in for another toe-curling kiss.
Chapter Six
Maverick
I woke up sporting wood and spooning the most beautiful woman to ever grace my bed. Harper was still sound asleep beside me, my arms around her waist. I brushed a strand of brown hair off her face and kissed her neck. She sighed contently and rubbed her ass up against my cock, and the pain in my boxers intensified. I wanted her, there was no denying that, but I didn’t want to take things too fast with her. She was someone special and different and honest, and I didn’t want to ruin things by thinking with my cock.
I placed another kiss on her neck and slowly got out of bed, making damn sure not to wake her. I wrapped her up in the sheets so she wouldn’t get cold, and then made a trip to the bathroom before making my way into the kitchen. I wanted to make her breakfast, even though I didn’t know what she preferred in the morning. Hell, I didn’t even know if she was a coffee drinker. We’d spent the remainder of our night last night in bed, watching the movie and making out like teenagers whenever the moment struck. Her lips felt perfect against mine. There was no need for any more personal questions once the movie started.
Opening the fridge, I peered inside and thought about what I could do for breakfast. I grabbed yogurt and orange juice, and started a pot of my favorite peppermint coffee since it was essential to start my day. I usually had a bowl of oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, and Harper didn’t strike me as a picky eater. I found the breakfast tray I wanted to use to feed her breakfast in bed and started preparing the oatmeal. While the water heated in the microwave, I added two bananas to the tray, a cup of juice, two mugs of coffee, and a bowl of granola for the yogurt. I added utensils and napkins, and then poured the steaming water into two bowls of oatmeal. Once I was all set, I carried our breakfast into my room where she was still sleeping.
I set the tray on the nightstand and slid back into bed with her. My cock jerked, hungry for a different kind of breakfast with her, but I adjusted myself and wrapped my arms around her sexy body. She moaned softly at my touch, and she turned over and nuzzled my neck. I pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled her closer to me. I’d had the best night’s sleep last night with her curled up next to me. I only hoped she’d had the same.
She nuzzled against me again and then said my name on a sigh.
“Morning, baby,” I said softly, tipping her chin up to kiss her. “Did you sleep well?”
“Best sleep I’ve had all week,” she said, stretching her legs. I couldn’t agree more.
“Same here.” I pulled her hips into mine and pressed my lips to hers. Kissing her was a dream come true. I’d imagined kissing her all week, but nothing compared to the real thing. She had the softest lips, and I loved the way she signaled me for more by tugging on my bottom lip with her teeth.
“What smells so good?” she asked, peeking over my shoulder.
“I made us some breakfast,” I said, sitting up against the headboard. I reached for the tray and set it across my lap.
“Mav,” she said, completely surprised. She shook her head and smiled back at me. “I can’t believe you made me breakfast in bed. Nobody’s ever done that.”
“Well, I’m glad I could be the first.”
She pressed a quick kiss to my lips and smiled. “I’ll be right back.”
I watched her tiptoe out of my room and heard the bathroom door shut. I turned the TV to ESPN, and a few minutes later, she slipped back into bed and cuddled up next to me. “So, what are we having?”
“I wasn’t sure if you were a coffee drinker or not—”
“I love coffee,” she said, taking a mug and lifting it to her nose. “And this smells amazing.”
I watched her take a sip and her eyes widened when the warm, dark liquid hit her senses.
“Ohmigawd,” she moaned dramatically. “What kind of coffee is this? Is it peppermint? It tastes all pepperminty. I like it.”
I laughed. “Yes, it’s peppermint.”
She took another sip and smiled back at me. “
What other brilliant breakfast treats did you bring us?”
“Well, we have oatmeal, yogurt and granola, and some fruit,” I said, handing her a spoon. “It’s whatever you want. I can make you something else if none of this sounds good.”
“Are you kidding me?” she asked, shaking her head again. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and scooped up a bite of oatmeal. “This is perfect. You are perfect.”
I watched her take another bite. I could watch her eat all day, that’s how fucking perfect she looked while consuming food. She looked deliriously happy as she took another sip of her coffee, and my chest tightened at the thought of making her look that way every morning. I took my spoon and mixed the granola and yogurt together before scooping a bite into my mouth.
Harper grabbed a banana, and I immediately regretted adding the cock-shaped fruit to our breakfast. She peeled away the skin and took a bite, and my cock hardened inside my shorts. Before she could take another bite, I took the banana out of her hand and laid it back down on the tray.
“What was that for?” she asked, furrowing her brows. The look she gave me was so innocent and cute that I almost wanted to give the fruit back to her so she could continue torturing me.
“You can’t eat bananas around me,” I said, moving it farther away from her on the tray. “At least, not until we’re having sex.”
“What?” she laughed. “Are you serious? It’s just a banana. It’s fruit. It’s nutrients.”
“It looks like a cock, and it is physically painful to watch you eat it,” I said, taking a bite out of the banana she’d been eating. She stared back at me in disbelief. “You wouldn’t know. You’re not a guy.”