Train Wreck

by T Gephart

  Oh, and how wonderful that other purpose was. His lips and mouth were demanding, moving all over me in what felt like a calculated dance of domination.

  “I want to touch you.” My hand reached out without waiting for permission, palming his cock as his hand cupped my breast.

  “Eve,” he warned, my fingers working his length. “You keep doing that and I’m going to blow my load in my jeans.”

  “I don’t want to stop.” My breasts rubbed against his chest, trying to remember what time his first appointment was and how much time it gave us.

  “We need to stop.” His hand moved on top of mine, not giving me a choice other than to freeze. “While I still can.”

  His heavy breathing matched mine, our chests heaving as we stood still. It wasn’t easy, not when my hands were still on him and I could feel how hard I’d made him.

  “Does this mean you won’t kiss me again later?”

  I needed to know if the stop was permanent, if he was going to pretend it didn’t happen. Because I will tell you right now, that would not fly.

  “The reason I didn’t want to start is because I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop.” He thumbed over my lips, his mouth curving at the edge. “So, yeah, I am going to be kissing you later. That okay with you?”

  “Yes.” I grinned, wanting to ask how soon later was. “Maybe we can try without the yelling at the start.”

  Not that I cared about it now. If the end result required the verbal gymnastics at the start, then I would happily raise my voice again.

  “Yeah, about that.” His hand moved to the back of his neck, rubbing it as he took a step back, giving me space I hadn’t asked for. Most of all, space I didn’t want.

  “Not my finest moment.” He gave me a tight smile. “But I’ve just spent the last couple of days thinking about you and Matt and it was driving me crazy. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that though, that was out of line.”

  “You were jealous? Of Matt?” A silent thrill ran through me, it hadn’t been my intention but I was sort of glad I hadn’t been the only one suffering.

  “Of course I was. He got to kiss you and I didn’t, it pissed me off.” His thumb traced along the edge of my jaw. “Dallas is probably going to have to do his tattoo if he ever comes back. I don’t trust myself with a machine in my hand.” His lips twisted into a smirk.

  “So firstly, how did you even know about that?” The mystery yet to be explained. “And if you were so worried about it why didn’t you call me? You have my number.” Which might have meant we came to this realization sooner. Like possibly on the weekend, where we could have done something about it.

  “I saw Kitty in the ER on Sunday morning, more like, she saw me. She told she’d been out drinking with you and that you’d kissed Matt. She’d said some other stuff but that’s what stuck out the most.”

  “Waaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiittttt a minute!” I held my hands up, pausing a beat to understand what he had said. That first kiss had been pretty amazing so maybe I was hearing things too. “You were in the hospital? And Kitty was in the hospital? Why didn’t I know any of this?”

  He didn’t look sick or injured and the parts I’d touched felt fine. And Kitty? She’d left just before I had, splitting an Uber with whatever his name was, which I was positive was going to result in sex. I should have checked on her, I was a shitty friend. Although she had sucked my boyfriend’s penis, so I obviously had some leeway on the shitty friend criteria.

  “I’m fine.” He outstretched his arms, displaying the fine in case I wasn’t convinced. “Dallas was an idiot at the bar and ended up cutting himself on a beer glass. He got a couple of stitches, which is why he hasn’t waltzed in this morning.”

  Honestly, I hadn’t noticed Dallas’s absence. Josh had been late and then acting weird and that was where my attention had been directed. Of course then it was all about the kissing and once again, he hadn’t been a priority. We had already established I wasn’t thinking. Although the amount of times he’d interrupted an almost kiss between Josh and I, I had to wonder if he’d been here if it even would have happened.

  “And Kitty?” The other part of the puzzle still not making sense.

  “She was there with the guy she’d left the bar with.” He winced like he suddenly remembered her reason for being there. “Trust me, you don’t want to know why he was there, but suffice to say she was fine, and he was probably going to be singing high notes for a while.” He leaned in closer. “I don’t hold up much hope for their future, both her and Dallas were flirting with each other when I drove her home.”

  “So, let me get this straight.” The importance of articulating this out loud understated because . . . It sounded crazy. “You’re both in an emergency room but neither of you are hurt, and you talk about me?”

  I wasn’t sure if that inflated my ego—that Josh was obviously thinking about me so much that he hadn’t been able to help but talk about me—yeah, that probably wasn’t it. Or if it made me incredibly tragic, that my name and ER were obviously synonymous because I was such a disaster.

  “I may have steered the conversation in that direction.” He didn’t even try to hide his grin. “Don’t look so shocked, Eve. I’ve been trying to be good but I’m not dead. I was hoping that after you left the shop, we might go out.”

  “You know I’ve been flirting with you, right?” It hadn’t been my best work but it had been an effort nonetheless. “And you were going to wait?”

  “I didn’t say it was a good plan.” Josh laughed. “I just said it was the plan.”

  Thank God, the plan had other ideas. I doubted I would have lasted another couple of weeks.

  “So, how’s Dallas now?” I looked around, no inconvenient interruption breaking up our connection. The man whose head injury contributed to the catalyst was still missing in action.

  “Milking it for all it’s worth,” he groaned. “He is fine, but he needs a day or two. To recover.”

  “Well, that’s good I guess.”

  Was it wrong that I was too concerned about what was happening with Josh and I to care about Dallas’s wellbeing? I know I asked, but once I’d heard he was fine, it wasn’t a big priority for me. I know, I know, I am a terrible, selfish person. But Josh had kissed me, I couldn’t help it if I’d lost the ability to think straight.

  “I’ve got someone coming in soon.” He moved in closer, cupping my face with his hands. “And then after today is over, I’m taking you out on a date.” He lowered his lips and kissed me softly.

  “Just like that, you’re not even going to ask me?” My fake annoyance completely betrayed by my huge grin. “I don’t know, Josh. Maybe I have plans.”

  “If you do, you’ll cancel them.” Another kiss, not as soft and hell of a lot sexier than the first. “We have unresolved issues we need to deal with, and they can’t wait.”

  “I don’t have plans,” I admitted, wanting nothing more than spending time alone with him.

  “Good, makes it easier.” Another kiss, his strong arms locking around me. “Eve.” He pulled his lips from mine.

  “Yes?” I debated not answering, hoping he’d kiss me again.

  “Keeping my hands off you today isn’t going to be easy, try not to torture me too much.” His eyes glanced down to my low neckline, the swell of my breasts peeking out from under.

  “I think you deserve a little punishment.” I took a step, allowing him to get the full effect. My wardrobe choice had been completely accidental, but I wasn’t above using it to my advantage.

  “I suppose I do deserve it. I’ll look forward to the exquisite agony.”

  Josh

  SO MUCH FOR NOT KISSING HER.

  I didn’t even regret it, wanting to immediately do it again. The only thing stopping me was knowing we weren’t going to be alone for much longer, and I would have considered cancelling every appointment I had for the day, if Dallas hadn’t been off sick.

  Coming home after dropping off Kitty had been bullshit. Dallas compl
ained his head hurt—no fucking surprise there—so I pretended I was a good friend and let him hang out in my apartment. Truth was, it had less to do with him and more to do with me not wanting to be alone with my own thoughts.

  Her.

  Him.

  Together.

  Doing fuck knows what.

  The shit rolled around in my head and my gut for two days, knowing I would have to eventually see her. And then when I did, she would be all smiley and satisfied. It stoked an irrational anger in me I couldn’t contain. Because even though she wasn’t with me, I didn’t want her with anyone else. I didn’t even care that it didn’t make sense.

  Which is why I acted like an asshole.

  Which is also why the minute she’d mentioned she’d needed to picture me just to kiss him, I snapped. She wasn’t going to have to do that mental substitution ever again. I was going to let her know exactly how it felt.

  “I’ll reschedule Dallas’s appointments for the day.” Her lips were still puffy, the pink gloss she’d been wearing no longer on them. “Will he be back tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, he’ll be back tomorrow.” I nodded, struggling with not kissing her again. It hadn’t been enough the first time, holding out for later was going to be a challenge.

  “Great, I’ll go get started.” Her smile hinted she knew exactly what was on my mind. “And I’ll send in your appointment when they get here.” She hip swayed her ass out of my room.

  Fuck.

  Between being annoyed, all up in my own head and Dallas’s company, I hadn’t jerked off since Friday.

  It was going to be a long day.

  Lucky for me, business was good and the day was out of control busy, which meant there would be limited time to get into trouble.

  And while I worked, Eve finally took care of the supply closest, which not only meant it was easier to find shit in there but she was too busy to sit in on any sessions in the afternoon.

  Two birds.

  One stone.

  And I was saved from the perpetual hard-on I usually had whenever she was in the room.

  “What do you think?” I watched as Jack checked out the new addition to his sleeve.

  “Seriously, Josh. Not sure how you do it.” He moved and twisted his forearm, the space looking like flesh had been torn, revealing an exoskeleton underneath. “This is seriously badass.”

  “Glad you like it.” I admired my handiwork, happy to have another satisfied client. “If you want to do the other side, it will have to wait a few months. We’re kind of booked.”

  “Yeah, I heard,” Jack laughed, “local celebrities now.”

  “I’m just doing my thing, I can’t help some asshole showed up with a camera one day and all of sudden everyone knows about it.” I finished putting on the bandage to cover up his new piece. “Not that I’m complaining, it’s great but yeah, not a lot of down time.”

  “So, who’s the new Tess?” Jack’s head tipped to the door, the smirk on his face meant he was talking about Eve. “New and improved I might add.”

  Irrationally it annoyed me he’d noticed, and that his interest in her was more than her job description. He wasn’t wrong about her though, and it was more than just her looks.

  Eve was stunning; anyone with a pair of eyes could see that. But she was also smart and confident, and even though I had just started to see it, she was incredibly talented as well.

  “Eve isn’t the new Tess,” I corrected him, reminding myself it was both stupid and unnecessary to get territorial. “She’s just here filling in for a few weeks. She’s actually an artist in her own right.”

  “Really, she tattoos?” His eyebrows shot up his forehead, and if I wasn’t wrong, looked a little more interested.

  “Not yet, but you never know.” The idea of Eve holding one of my machines and permanently inking me with one of her designs, turning me on more than should be normal. “She’s more traditional, the pencil and paper kind.”

  “Is she . . .” He bent his head, lowering his voice. “Single?”

  Of course that would be his next question. And how in the hell was I supposed to answer that. If I said yes, he would no doubt try his luck on the way out. I was fairly confident he wouldn’t be successful, but there were no guarantees considering it had been only a few hours since I’d kissed Eve for the first time. We hadn’t even worked out what the hell we were doing. So, did I roll the dice and hope she turned him down? Or did I lie? Tell him that she was taken and effectively pissing on her like a fire hydrant.

  “Nope, she’s got a boyfriend.”

  Lying it was.

  “Well, that sucks.” He stood up, running his hand along the bandage I’d just finished. “Still, lucky guy, huh?”

  “Yeah, he is.”

  “Hey, how are we doing in here?” The lady in question poked her head into the room, her hand holding the door she’d just opened. “Oh, it’s already wrapped?” Her smile dropped when she saw Jack’s arm already covered.

  “Yep, we’re just finishing up.” I eased back, giving myself a chance to look at her. I didn’t think I’d ever get sick of it. She was really, really beautiful.

  “It looked good, Josh did a great job.” Jack smiled, probably loving the attention. “I’ll email a photo later if you want.”

  “I would love that, then I can add it to the wall in the foyer.” Eve stepped a little further into the doorway. “Do you want me to finish up with Jack?” Her beautiful light brown eyes on me. “Everything else has been done for the day.”

  Instinct was to tell her no. That I would handle Jack, process his payment and walk him out. That would also stop that stupid grin he had on his face, which I knew was there because of her. But I didn’t want to raise any red flags or drag this out longer than it needed to be. Besides, Jack might be all smiles but he didn’t seem like the kind of guy to go after a girl who was off limits. At least, I didn’t think so.

  “Sure, I’m just going to pack up. That would be great, Eve.”

  Jack jumped up out of his chair like a dog looking for his treat, tossing a “catch you later, Josh,” over his shoulder as he followed Eve down the hall.

  Predictable.

  Pushing it out of my mind, I packed up my working area and listened to their voices carrying down the hall. I heard Eve’s laugh and murmuring, but nothing I could make out. And then it stopped, the click of the deadlock being engaged as footsteps returned back to my room.

  “How are you doing in here?” She moved slowly, pulling her hair out of the ponytail it had been tied in all day. “Almost ready to leave?”

  I stopped what I was doing and met her half way. “Almost. You have somewhere you need to be?”

  “Hot date.” She slung her arms around my neck and the tension in my muscles bled out. It felt so natural, I had to remind myself it was new.

  “Really. Do you think your hot date will mind if I kiss you?” I cocked my head to the side, pulling her in closer.

  I didn’t wait for an answer, putting my lips where they’d been dying to go all day, holding her while I tasted her.

  She kissed me back, her hands raking through my hair. “He would definitely mind.”

  “God, it’s been killing me.” My mouth begrudgingly moved from hers. “I haven’t touched you all day.”

  “Would you like me to remind you that you used to get through all your days without touching me?” She fluttered her eyelashes, acting cute.

  My hand dropped a soft whack on her ass. “Wiseass. So where do you want to go on our first date? Dinner? Movie?” Back to my place where I can worship you all night?

  “Actually, I wanted you to come back to my place?” She bit her lip suggestively. “There’s something I want to show you.”

  Thank you, Jesus.

  “Oh, I am sooooo there.” I lifted her off the ground, planting a kiss on her neck.

  She rolled her eyes. “No, not like that, although, I think you will probably find first-date rules won’t apply to you.”

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nbsp; “I hope you mean in a good way.” I couldn’t decipher if she meant that despite knowing me, I would not be getting to second base. Or she would go back to rubbing my cock through my jeans and I got to touch her tits. It had been magical the first time but way too rushed. “But seriously, we don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

  “I was rubbing your crotch this morning, are you really worried about what I’m comfortable with?” Her eyebrow popped, her body demonstrating exactly what she was comfortable with.

  “So, would you rather me toss you onto my chair and peel those pants off you with my teeth?” I grabbed her ass, only half joking about the hypothetical.

  “God, yes.” She arched against me, my dick immediately looking for the ejection handle on my jeans. “I would love that, but I still need to show you something first.”

  “So let’s get out of here.” My room wasn’t as clean as I would have liked, but at this point I didn’t care. There was nothing urgent that couldn’t wait until tomorrow. Not unless you counted the rod in my pants. “My car is back at my apartment but it’s walking distance from here.”

  “Oooooo, I get to see where you live?” Her eyes lit up with excitement.

  “Seems fair since I’m going to see yours. And we better go before I change my mind about that chair.” I dropped another soft whack on her ass and spun her around. “Let’s go.”

  She chuckled as I hit the lights, shutting the door to my room as we walked down the hall. She grabbed her purse from behind the desk as I waited for her, my full attention on her as she did one last check around her work area and collected her sketchpad.

  “You staring at me?” She hip swayed over, her sketchpad tucked under her arm. “Sort of creepy if you are.”

  “Then I won’t admit I’ve been staring at you since day one, it can be my little secret.” I unlocked the deadlock and pushed open the door.

  “I said it was sort of creepy, I didn’t say I didn’t like it.” She walked out onto the street and watched as I locked up behind us. “And full disclosure, I’ve been watching you too.”