by Montes, EL
Proceeding through the crowd, I led her through to the back. She covered her eyes with her free hand, blinded by the hallway light. As I continued down the hall, I could hear the loud clumping noise of her heels and feel her swaying side-to-side. “You can’t even standup straight on your own, and you want to get in a cab? Haven’t you heard about those four females in Boston within the last year? All four were too drunk and were driven home in a cab alone … but never found again!”
She tried to pull away from my grip again, but I restrained from her doing so. “Yes, I heard! And I can’t stand straight because my heels are too high, thank you very much!” Oh, she’s feisty. I wonder where she’s from. She doesn’t sound like she’s from Boston. I kept myself from laughing.
“I don’t understand why women put themselves through that torture …” Glancing over my shoulder, I slowly eyed her up and down, tracing her entire body with my stare. Shit, I don’t want her to think I’m trying to get in her skirt. Think of something quick, DeLuca. “…and you’d look just as good in that dress in flats.” She would—hell she could wear a trash bag and still pull it off.
After grabbing my car keys and giving advice to Vinnie about dealing with the meeting tonight, we walked out the door. Once we got to my car, I settled her into the passenger seat and she fastened her seatbelt. For the twenty-second walk around the car to the driver‘s side, I had the fucking biggest smile on my face, and I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why.
As soon as I stepped into the car, I put my game face on. “So where to?”
“You don’t know where I live?” she mumbled.
“Why would I?”
She rolled her head and stared at me with those big beautiful eyes. “Do you know where Jeremy lives?”
“Yeah.” I answered captivated by those eyes.
She yawned, and her small round nose and eyes squinted; it was adorable. “We’re roommates.”
Huh? That caught me off guard. “Oh, he didn’t mention that.”
“I can tell.”
Nodding, I put the car in reverse and managed to keep my eyes on the road. It was difficult to do. My car filled with the scent of cherry candy, and I breathed in the fragrance peacefully. At one red light, I chanced a quick glance at her, and she was passed out. She even slept beautifully: her face content, her head leaning against the headrest facing me. Her arms were crossed over her lap. I looked down at her bare legs and fought every impulse to trace my fingers along her thighs. If she could have read my mind, she would have clearly thought I was a fucking pervert!
I finally approached her building and found parking directly in front of it. After turning off the ignition, I stared at her for a few minutes. She looked so peaceful I didn’t have the heart to wake her, but I couldn’t sit in here forever. Well I would, but when she woke up and caught me staring at her, she’d think I was some type of weirdo.
Forcing myself out of the car, I made my way to her side and opened the passenger door. She didn’t move an inch. Kneeling down, I gently shook her. She moaned, rolling her head against the headrest in my direction. Her eyes popped open, and she smiled at the sight of me. I couldn’t help but smile back. I lifted my hand and touched the side of her cheek. Skimming my thumb along her cheek bone, I noticed that her skin was so soft and delicate. “How you feeling?” I asked.
“Like crap,” she mumbled. I laughed, stood up, and reached my hand out for her to take it. At first she was hesitant, but eventually she took it. Once on her feet, she stumbled forward into me. My quick reflexes prevented her from falling. Lifting her head, she giggled … it was the most engaging sound I’d ever heard. I would do anything to hear that sound again. Her hands were pressed against my chest, and my body began to tremble. What are you a little bitch now? You’ve been touched by plenty of women before … but not this one.
“Well are you just going to stand there or lead me to my room?” She flashed a flirtatious grin. I lost my breath for a few seconds, and then before I could blink, I quickly helped her up the stairs and to the front door of her apartment. She removed her keys from her clutch and sloppily made her way through the door, throwing her clutch on top of a table.
I follow closely behind her with my hands held up near her back in case she fell. She was mumbling something while pulling on her dress. “Shit, I can’t get this thing off, could you unzip the back for me.” She whimpered when we entered what I think was her room.
Licking my lips, I inched closer. Her long, wavy hair was in the way, so I brushed all it over to one shoulder, sweeping my fingertips along the back of her neck. I had to bite my bottom lip down to hold my composure. Taking a deep breath, I swallowed hard. Very gently and slowly, I pulled down on the small metal zipper, tracing my finger all the way down her back. I smiled when small round goose bumps formed against her skin. Once her entire back was exposed, she turned around.
Smiling, she slowly slid her dress down her curves allowing the fabric to fall on the floor. My heart raced, watching her stand there in nothing but a lace strapless bra and matching undies. She was without a doubt the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her eyes traced down to my visible hard-on, and she smiled. Lifting her gaze back to me, she attempted to move forward but lost balance and fell back into her bed, laughing.
I rushed over. Grabbing the dress she just took off, I threw it on the bed and kneeled before her. She sat up and stared at me as I took one of her legs and rested her foot on top of my thigh. When I yanked off her heel, she moaned with pleasure. I smiled. I still don’t understand why women put themselves through the pain. I yanked the other shoe off and began to rub her feet. I’m not sure why, but the small moaning sounds she made turned me on.
Pulling her feet away, she leaned forward and ran her fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes, feeling an electric sensation pulse through my veins at her touch.
When I opened them, she was inches away from my face. Her eyes were searching mine, and I wanted to lunge at her. “Your hair is so soft; it feels nice,” she whispered. I licked my lips in hopes it would control my heavy breathing. Her eyes caught my lips, and she stared at them. “Your lips are nice too … they look soft … I want to feel them.” She inched in a little closer, and her lips just about touched mine when I pulled away.
I couldn’t do it. If she were another girl, I would’ve hit and run, but there was something about her that was different. She made me have fucking butterflies for God’s sake, and when she touched me, a tingling sensation ran from the roots of my hair straight to the tip of my boner. It didn’t feel right to use her. For the first time in my life, I wanted to do something right and get to know her.
Her head cocked back, disgusted with the rejection. Failing desperately to stand, she stormed over to her nightstand and mumbled a few curses. She opened the drawer and reached for something, and then a buzzing noise went off. “Oh screw it, I’m too tired.” She mumbled then the buzzing noise went off, and she tossed whatever she was holding onto the side of her bed. She threw herself in the bed, huffing and puffing.
I held back a laugh. Getting to my feet, I walked over to her bedside. I stood over her, staring into a lovely face. “I’m sorry. I want to kiss you, but …” She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
“Please save your lies for someone else … I’m used to being alone anyway.”
Alone? How could this beautiful, smart, breathtaking woman be alone? She swallowed hard, and at that moment her eyes filled with tears, but she held them back. I wanted to crawl in the bed beside her and hold her. Licking her lips, she tightly shut her eyes.
I watched her for a few minutes until she was fast asleep. As soon as I knew she was completely in a deep sleep, I pulled the sheets up to cover her shivering body. Without a moment’s hesitation, I leaned down and planted a small kiss against her lips. Something happened when I kissed her. It was just a small pathetic kiss, but I felt this pulse against my chest once our lips touched.
Gently rising, I walked backward
s out of her room, watching her and kicking myself in the ass for not staying to watch her awaken. Mmmh, she would be nice to wake-up to every single morning.
Once I reached the living room, I passed the table and spotted her clutch. I needed an excuse to see her again, and I know that this broke every tough-guy man code alive, but I stooped down to the lowest level and grabbed her purse. Yeah, I needed an excuse alright, and what better way than to say she left it in my car.
I have to see her tomorrow. I have to know her: where she’s from, her likes and dislikes. My mind was racing wanting to know who Mia Sullivan is. And for the first time in my life, I was happy to wake up tomorrow to find out everything about her.
Acknowledgments
Mom, thank you for always believing in me and although I’ve repeated several times “You’re just being nice, because I’m your daughter” you’re the one person who always pushed for my dreams. If it weren’t for your continuing to push me, Disastrous would have never been read by others. Also thank you for reading every chapter as it was written. I loved our morning talks about the characters as if they were real because in my mind they are!
To my husband, Babe, thanks for putting up with a dirty house, laundry undone, and take-out food for months. I know it was difficult for you to give up our date nights for my late-night writing. You stuck it out and encouraged me the entire way. What would I do without you? You’re my rock.
Jess, my baby sister, thanks for helping me brainstorm on title ideas and encouraging me.
To my M7, I am the luckiest girl in the world to have such beautiful, extraordinary women in my life. Thank you for always encouraging me.
Thank you to all my family and friends, who didn’t judge me when I finally worked up the courage to tell you about my passion for writing. The love and support I received from all of you pushed me harder to get this done.
Dave Goldhahn, you took my vision and blew it out of the water. The cover is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for being patient with me.
Theresa Wegand, you are truly an amazing and sweet person. Thank you for the advice and the wonderful work on editing, proofreading and beta-reading Disastrous. I was blown away with your professionalism and quick feedback. It would have never been completed without your special touch.
Jenny Aspinall, you have such a big heart, and the love you have for books allows authors like me to write them. I’ve never met anyone like you, and I’m so privileged to have crossed paths with you. Thank you for all of the love, support, and feedback while beta-reading Disastrous.
Sali Benbow-Powers, wow you are such an amazing, sweet and lovable woman! I loved your Google stalking frenzy to find the perfect images that would suit my characters! Thank you as well for beta-reading, the feedback, inspiring words and support.
Lori Francis, I love your sense of humor, though you are also such a beautiful woman. Thank you for the encouraging words, beta-reading and all of the feedback on Disastrous. I take it back: you cannot borrow Marcus, but I’ll think about letting you have Jeremy for a night.
And last but surely not least, thank you to the readers for taking a chance on Disastrous. I hope you enjoyed it!
About the Author
Emmy Montes was born in Puerto Rico but raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She currently resides in Philadelphia with her husband, Alex, and their English bulldog. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Legal Studies. She works full time as a paralegal for a mid-size law firm. Although she loves the legal field, writing was always her passion.
Her first love for books began with the Goosebumps series as a child. After that she read anything and everything from poetry to short stories. She was passionate about the fictional world and intrigued by the way an author could pull you into a story with just simple words. As a hobby she started writing her own poetry, daily journal entries, and short stories.
She actually dreamed of being a journalist and even went as far as researching colleges to earn a degree in Journalism. At the time major newspaper companies and magazines were having budgets cut, and after careful thought she settled on another major. When she finished her degree, she felt like something was missing. She continued to write for several years, working on different story ideas, but never finished. Disastrous is her first novel.
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