by Bella Grant
After paying the bill, he held his hand out to me. “Shall we walk on the boardwalk for a few minutes before returning to the plane?”
“Um, not to be a party-pooper, but what time is it?” I asked, concerned. I wasn’t the least bit tired, but I didn’t like missing sleep. It made me grouchy.
Eliot smirked at me as he glanced at his watch, an expensive Tag Heuer. “Ever the responsible one. It’s 9:30.”
I pursed my lips and tapped them with my finger, pretending to think. “Well, my usual bed time on school nights is 10:30, but I guess I can stay up a little later tonight. It’s a special occasion, after all.”
“A special occasion?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow at me.
With a put-upon sigh, I shrugged and said, “First date.”
“Hopefully with many to follow,” he replied as we stepped out and walked around the building to the boardwalk.
“As of right now, I’d agree to a second date. But the night isn’t over yet,” I joked. I wanted to hold his hand, but he wasn’t making that move. Tentatively, I reached for his hand. He smiled down at me and squeezed, and we walked silently down the boardwalk.
The ocean moved gently against the pier, almost soundlessly, and because of the late hour, the area was nearly deserted. A couple passed us, completely absorbed in each other, and two teenage girls sat on a bench, one comforting the other who sobbed loudly, disrupting the serene atmosphere.
Eliot glanced at her and leaned down to whisper to me. “Boy troubles?”
“I hope that’s it,” I whispered as I looked over my shoulder at her as we continued our silent walk.
He stopped and stood against the rail, looking out over the ocean. “Gorgeous night.”
“Yes,” I murmured as I joined him at the rail. Our hands were clasped, and he lifted mine to his lips as he turned to me.
“A hesitancy I sense in you.” His Yoda impression was dead on, and I choked with laughter.
“Brilliant!” I laughed.
“But seriously, I do feel a hesitancy in you,” he hinted. “I hope I haven’t caused it.”
“No, no,” I assured him, looking up at him. “I haven’t been on a date in… gosh, I don’t even know the last time. I’m not good at it, you know.”
“I think you’re pretty good at it. I’ve had a wonderful time with you this evening,” he replied, his gentle smile and eyes calming any nervousness I felt over the subject.
“I’ve had fun too. You’re easy to talk to,” I told him, smiling.
He looked down, as if suddenly shy, and asked quietly, “May I kiss you?” His eyes moved to mine, twinkling. “I’ve wanted to all night, and really since that night at Burlesque.”
The first time he’s mentioned it, and not at all crudely, I thought. “Since then? I thought you weren’t interested.”
“Distracted is the right word. And honestly, I’m more interested in you with your clothes on,” he murmured. His finger brushed my cheek to the corner of my mouth.
“Um, wow,” I stuttered, completely incapable of rational thought as his finger played near my lips. I wanted to kiss him, so I stretched my neck, reaching for his lips with mine. He cupped my cheek and leaned down the few inches that separated our lips.
The moment our lips touched, electricity bolted through my body, and shocked, I stepped back and touched my lips with my fingers. He looked equally surprised by the reaction. His hands dropped to my waist to pull me closer, and without thought, my arms wrapped around his neck. I tilted my head to the right, and he kissed me again, a real kiss that I could feel in my toes. If I was a Disney princess, my foot would have popped up.
When we parted, he was a little breathless, which I thought was encouraging. He felt the same as I did. His smile was brilliant, engaging, and magnetic, pulling me toward him for a second kiss. Our mouths met again, and my tongue, of its own accord, slipped between his lips to play with his. A quiet groan vibrated in his throat, and mine matched his. A tightening in my chest and stomach, a softening of my loins, was my brain telling me to enjoy this man.
I leaned away, ending the kiss. “Eliot, that was amazing.”
“Yes,” he whispered, his eyes glazed with pleasure. He shook his head as if clearing it. “I think a second date is mandatory now.”
I chuckled and kissed his chin playfully. “I guess so.”
“Honestly, I could stand here all evening and kiss you, but responsibility is forcing me to remind you that it’s getting late.”
“Ugh! Just once, I wish I could be irresponsible,” I joked.
He turned and grabbed my hand, leading me away from the ocean and toward the car. “Me too, but now is not the time. However, when we get on the plane, I would love to spend a little time making out.”
“If you don’t make out with me, there will be no second date.” He laughed, a sound I really liked.
My fear had attempted to interrupt the kiss, and a quick snapshot of what I’d seen as a child had entered my brain. But Eliot’s presence had pushed the ugliness out of my head, and I wondered if he were the person who could finally help me heal completely. I shook my head at myself, drawing his attention, though he didn’t ask. I had to heal myself. Another person could help the process, but the choice was mine. Eliot, though, was a good start because he was the first man I had actually wanted to kiss, to make out with. Excitement filled me as we climbed into the car, and half of that was because I wasn’t afraid.
Eliot
Her kiss was like a lightning rod to my soul, filling me with electricity. As a scientist, my brain wanted to find the logic behind this need I felt to be near her. I heard Art’s voice in my head: Stop being an asshole. You like her! I chuckled mentally at the truth in the statements.
Once in the car, we sat close together but didn’t kiss. Drivers could be notorious gossips, I’d whispered to her. With a giggle, she had taken my hand in hers and held it throughout the ride, maintaining contact with me. We behaved ourselves, for the most part, but my free hand fell on her knee, and as we drove the twenty minutes to the airport, it slid up until it rested comfortably on her thigh.
I’d felt her stiffen a little when we kissed and wondered why, but her body had relaxed quickly. She had enjoyed the kiss as much as I had, and her flushed skin led me to believe she was excited as I was to make out on the plane.
I leaned towards her and whispered quietly, “I can’t wait to get to the plane. I feel kind of like a teenager.”
She winked at me. “You’re acting like a horny teenage boy.”
I chuckled. “Um, thanks?”
“Definitely a compliment. I thought you’d be all boring and science-guy-nerdy,” she teased.
I poked her side, causing her to jump and giggle. “Nerdy?”
“Oh, yeah,” she laughed, grabbing my hand before I could poke her side again. “But it’s a nerdy I like.”
“Well, that’s good news. You know, since you kissed me,” I told her, nudging her hip with mine.
“I feel a little like a teenager myself,” she said, a small smile on her face.
I didn’t want the thought of her parents to dampen the evening, though I understood her feelings. “You know, my mom died several years ago, and she was the inspiration for my work.”
Her eyes widened a little at my confession, and she squeezed my hand, her caring nature revealed in the small gesture. “What did she have?”
“Alzheimer’s. The medicine I created, thanks to your gyrating hips”—I winked at her when she rolled her eyes—“will slow the debilitating effects of the disease. Won’t cure it, but it will help.”
“Is your next step to find the cure?” she asked, her head tilted perfectly for a kiss. I restrained myself, though, and answered her question.
“I’m certainly going to try,” I told her. “Cures are difficult to come by.”
“Yes, that is true,” she murmured, watching me. “So your dad is still alive?”
“Oh yeah. Alive and married to a woman only a few years older than
me,” I sneered. “I’m not real crazy about her.”
“That must make Christmas awkward.” She giggled.
I waved my hand, dismissing her concern. “We travel to an exotic location for Christmas. I find several things to do and spend very little time around her. Dad and I play golf or do things she doesn’t want to do. If I’m lucky, I see her for one dinner.”
Randi shook her head, laughing quietly. “That sounds kinda awful.”
I shrugged. “You do what you gotta do.” I gestured out the window. “We’re here. Hope this downer of a conversation hasn’t killed the mood.”
“Well…” she said, looking away. I sighed, and she smacked my arm playfully. “Maybe not. You’ll have to convince me, though.”
“As badly as I want to kiss you, I’ll be able to convince you,” I promised her. She flushed beautifully, and I ran a finger down her cheek and throat. Goosebumps pimpled her arms, and her eyes drifted closed. She hummed her pleasure, and my cock reacted instantly.
“Mmmm… you won’t have any trouble getting me to make out with you.” She opened her eyes, desire flashing at me. “You might feel like a teenage boy, but I bet you don’t act like one.”
“No, no, you don’t have to worry about that,” I whispered as I leaned toward her and kissed her gently on the lips as the car stopped.
“You’re killing me,” she whispered, her eyes glazed.
“Good.”
My door opened, and the driver gestured for us to exit the car. We scooted out, and I held my hand out so Randi could take it as she rose. I thanked the driver, who nodded, and Randi and I hurried to the plane waiting for us on the tarmac.
“Good evening.” The pilot greeted us with a nod as he led us up the stairs. “The flight back should be about an hour, maybe a little less due to the winds.”
“Thank you,” I said, smiling at him. “We’ll make ourselves comfortable in the back. If you’ll please let us know when we can unbuckle, we’d appreciate it.
As we settled ourselves in the plush leather chairs and buckled up, Randi said, “You treat your staff like friends.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
She realized she may have misspoken, so she defended herself. “Well, you know, I’m around all those wealthy men at the club, and… well, they don’t exactly treat me like an equal.”
“I don’t know how to respond to that.” I laughed. “I’m not a member of the club, and I don’t treat people like they’re less than me.”
“I’ve noticed, and I like you more for it,” she said seriously, staring into my eyes.
“I like you a whole lot, Randi.” The need to kiss her overwhelmed me, and I looked around at the seatbelt sign. “Damn! When can we get out of these damn chairs?”
Randi laughed at my explosion. “We haven’t even taken off.”
I glanced out the window and watched the landscape rolling by slowly. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“I have an idea,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows at me as she unbuckled her seatbelt. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t always follow the rules.”
Gleefully, I unbuckled mine as well and led her to the couch bolted to the floor. “I’ve always been a rule follower. You’ll be good for me.”
She giggled as we sat. I kissed her, letting my hands rest on her hips while she placed hers on my thighs. My muscles contracted under her gentle touch, and the desire for her leapt into overdrive. The kiss was heated, long, and wonderfully perfect. She kissed me like I was the only person she wanted to kiss, and I couldn’t imagine being with anyone but her. Frightening thought, usually, for me to have, but I just wanted to kiss her more.
As the plane sped up to take off, natural volition pushed us, and we lay across the couch. My body covered hers, and again, very briefly, I felt her stiffen. I wondered why, but not for long. She relaxed quickly under my kiss, and I let my hands run over her sides. My lips slid down her jaw to her throat, and her hands gripped my shirt and a sigh slipped through her lips.
I let my hand linger against the side of her breast, but I was afraid I was squishing her with my weight. I shifted so that she was against the back of the couch and I was more to her side rather than on top of her. The movement had required releasing her lips, so as soon as we were comfortable again, she grabbed my face in both hands and pulled my lips to hers. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth and tickled my lips, and my stomach clenched with need.
“Damn, woman, you’re killing me,” I whispered into her ear. I lowered my mouth to the sensitive spot where her heart pulsed in her throat, licked it, then blew on it. She shivered at the sensation and pressed her body against mine, completely lost in the feelings. She nipped my earlobe, one of my favorite things, and my cock hardened against her thigh, poking her. She froze and shifted her body.
“Um, Eliot,” she whispered, pushing a little on my shoulders. I lifted to look at her, holding my body up on my elbows.
“You okay?”
“I am okay, and I’m loving this,” she said, though I sensed a but coming.
“But?”
She stared over my shoulder as she spoke. “Um, well, I’m not… really… experienced in the arts of love.”
“What?” Shock reverberated through my mind. This gorgeous woman had never had sex?
“Don’t sound so surprised,” she said, a hint of irritation in her voice.
“I’m sorry,” I replied, a charming smile on my face. “You’re just so beautiful, and kind of perfect. It’s hard for me to believe no one has tried.”
She blew out a breath, and our faces were so close I felt my hair move. She giggled and smoothed it but didn’t try to move. “Believe me, plenty have tried. I’ve just never been interested.”
“Well,” I murmured. “We don’t have to do anything you aren’t comfortable with. Wait, how old are you?”
She laughed at my change of subject. “I’m twenty-four. And yeah, I’m an endangered species, a person in the US over the age of eighteen who is still a virgin.” She tilted her head. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-one,” I answered.
Her eyes widened. “Oh my God! You’re ancient! Is that why you have to wear the glasses?”
I pinched her ass playfully. “Jerk.”
Her laughter against my chest added to my arousal, and I loved listening to her laugh, loved causing it. I kissed her again, sinking into it with relish. She put her hands behind my head and pulled on the band holding my hair back, letting it fall over her face. She ran her hands through it, mesmerizing me as no woman ever had, and the truth slipped out of my mouth.
“Randi, I don’t want to stop kissing you, so I hope you are willing to date a nerdy guy like me.”
Her smile lit up her face. “Nerdy or not, you sure know how to kiss. So yeah, I’ll date you.”
“See what I mean? Kinda perfect.” I kissed her again, and for the next forty-five minutes, our lips were attached. I worried that, like a teenage boy, I would explode inside my pants, but I managed to control myself. She wasn’t ready, though I had no idea why other than this was our first date, but there was something in her past that caused her sexual restraint. In time, she’d tell me.
Randi
When Eliot dropped me off at my apartment, he walked me to the door. I was so aroused I really had to focus so I didn’t ask him inside to continue the make-out session. He was willing to wait, though, wait for me to be ready. The evening had been so wonderful, and he was so perfect.
“Eliot, do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to let you leave right now?” I asked him as he held me against him. His erection was no longer evident, but I was sure it could reappear at the drop of a hat. Or a rub of my hand. My thoughts made me snicker.
“What’s funny?” he asked.
“I’m being funny in my head,” I told him because I didn’t want to explain. “Thank you so much for a terrific night. I can’t wait for another.”
“Me either. I think this is the best date I’
ve ever been on,” he said with a little chuckle. “I know you work through the weekend, so how about Sunday night?”
“I can do Sunday,” I replied, enjoying again the fact that he treated my job as just a job, not a job where I spent most of my time in nothing but a G-string. “How about a night in?”
His eyebrows lifted suggestively. “A night in? Hmmmm.”
“Yeah, yeah, you might get lucky.”
He laughed. “Even if I don’t, I’ll be okay. Do you cook?”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, I don’t cook, but I have an amazing kitchen.”
“I actually love to cook, I just never do. It’s no fun to cook for one person,” I told him, flipping through recipes in my mind.
“How about this? You send me a list of ingredients, and I’ll go grocery shopping.” He squeezed me closer as he spoke, pressing his hips against mine.
“I can’t think when you do that,” I growled, holding his hips with my hands so he couldn’t move away.
“You know, you can’t call me a scamp when you do stuff like this,” he informed me, and I laughed.
“Whatever, scamp. I’ll text you tomorrow with the ingredients. I have to decide what I want to make.” I stepped back and dug for my keys, which he extracted from my hand to unlock the door for me. I smiled as I watched him when a thought struck. “Are you allergic to any foods?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Oh, Lord, it would be just perfect if I killed the first guy I really liked,” I grouched.
“Really like?” he asked.
I lifted an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, really like.”
“Awesome,” he whispered and kissed me softly on the lips.
I tilted my head so the kiss could deepen and sighed against his lips. I really didn’t want the night to end, but I wasn’t ready to have sex, not tonight. But a few more minutes might convince me, so I ended the kiss and stepped back.
“Eliot, if I don’t stop kissing you now, I won’t be able to,” I whispered.
“Same here, and I’m not the kinda guy who pushes. So, this is goodnight.” He leaned in and chastely kissed my cheek. Smiling, he also kissed my hand, turned, and walked away before we lost our minds completely.