Guy Hater

by Sterling, J.

  At least, not tonight. Maybe tomorrow.

  Breaking the kiss took all of my self-control; it was last thing I wanted to do. I pulled away from her slowly and admired the flush of her face, the way her hands gripped me tightly, not wanting me to stop, and the way her chest heaved in and out. I’d done that to my girl, made her breathless.

  “Can we go on that date now?” I asked.

  Her lips widened into a smile. “Now?”

  “I don’t want to waste any more time, Claudia. I want to be with you, and I plan on starting right this very minute if you’ll have me.” I held out my hand and waited for her to take it.

  I’d already planned to take her to Malibu for dinner, followed by a walk along the beach. The optimist in me had hoped that tonight would end well. I hadn’t considered any other outcome, hadn’t even wanted to.

  Claudia accepted my hand and squeezed tight. “Who knew you were so bossy?”

  “There’s a lot we don’t know about each other, but I plan on finding out.” I leaned down and pressed a kiss to those gorgeous lips. My lips.

  “Are we taking your motorcycle?” she asked before I pulled the office door open.

  “Is that okay? I can borrow Ryan’s car instead,” I offered, knowing that he would be fine with it.

  She shook her head. “I’m excited to ride on your bike. I get a helmet, right?”

  “Yep. I bought you one earlier today,” I said with a smug grin, and she swatted my shoulder.

  “You bought me a helmet? You really were quite presumptuous, Mr. Fisher.”

  “Told you I was hopeful.”

  I left out the fact that I’d also bought a new mattress set and had it delivered. I didn’t want Claudia to feel insecure or uncomfortable when I finally had her in my space. I wanted everything to be perfect for that night, and a bed I used to share with my ex-girlfriend was anything but.

  When I opened the door, Ryan and Nick both turned around and focused on our clasped hands.

  “Thank the fucking Lord,” Nick shouted. “Who wants a round on me?”

  The bar erupted into cheers as Ryan walked toward us. “So you two worked it out?”

  I glanced at Claudia, waiting for her approval, and she nodded. “I’m still working on it. I’m going to buy her forgiveness in the form of seafood, and then I’ll be back for closing, okay?”

  Ryan gave me a huge grin. “Don’t come back, come back married, I don’t care. Just have a good time. You both deserve it. I’m really happy for you guys.”

  His happiness for me was so damn genuine, and I was so appreciative, that it never occurred to me to want to kill him when he took Claudia into his arms and gave her a hug. He whispered something in her ear that I couldn’t hear, but planned to ask her about later.

  “I’ll be back.” I clasped his shoulder briefly before walking through a congratulatory crowd, who had no idea what they were congratulating us for.

  “One sec.”

  Claudia squeezed my arm and stepped away from me, headed for Britney, who was sitting at the bar surrounded by guys. The two talked quickly, hugged, and then my girl was back at my side before I knew it. We walked outside and into the warm night air.

  It felt right, having this woman on my arm. Even though part of me felt like I didn’t deserve to be this happy, the rest of me clamored for every ounce of it. Genuine happiness had eluded me for so many years, I wanted to drown in a pool of it and never come up for air. I had been starving—all my own doing, of course, but still starving nonetheless.

  We stopped at my bike, and I pulled out the new helmet for Claudia.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked, her beautiful face frowning with concern.

  How had she so easily read my mind?

  “Just beating myself up a little bit,” I admitted honestly.

  She caressed my cheek, her finger rubbing the scruff along my jaw. “What for?”

  I set the helmet on the seat of the bike and took her hands in mine, then fell into her soft brown eyes. “I was thinking that maybe I don’t deserve to be this happy after what I did to Shelby. That I don’t deserve to feel this good. And I sure as hell don’t deserve you or your forgiveness.” As the words spilled from my lips, the truth of them filled me up inside. It felt really fucking good to say what I meant and to speak without holding back.

  “Oh, Frank.” She rose to her tiptoes and planted a kiss on my lips that I never wanted to end. “You can’t undo what’s already been done. There’s no point wasting energy on the things you can’t change. The past is over, but the future is wide open. You deserve to be happy as much as anyone.”

  I pulled Claudia against me, needing the physical comfort she provided. Her words struck a chord with me, resonated, felt right. “You’re amazing, you know that? Thank you for giving me a chance to make this right.”

  She huffed against my chest. “I knew that if I didn’t, I’d regret it.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I was having a really hard time getting over you,” she said, looking up at me through her eyelashes. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, no matter how hard I tried. I never believed in second chances before. I never thought that people deserved them, but I was wrong. No one’s perfect. We all make mistakes. We all do shitty things sometimes. But the most important thing is that we learn and grow from them. You taught me that,” she said with a soft smile that I loved.

  “I won’t let you down,” I promised, meaning every word.

  “You don’t think less of me, right?”

  Surprised, I pulled back. “Less of you? For what?”

  “For forgiving you,” she said softly, not meeting my eyes. “You don’t think I’m a doormat, do you, someone you can walk all over? Maybe I should have stood my ground longer, or fought against you harder.”

  I hated how sad and unsure of herself she sounded, like she was letting herself down in some way, and I was the cause for it. Running my thumb down her cheek, I stopped at her chin and tilted her face up to meet mine.

  “Claudia, the last thing in the world I would ever consider you is a doormat. I’m thankful that you gave me a second chance, but I don’t think less of you for it. Hell, I want to worship you even more because of it.” Little did she know, I was willing to fall at her damn feet if she wanted me to. “I completely understand what you’re saying, but I’m never going to tell you that you should have stood your ground longer or pushed me away harder. Because I didn’t want that. I never wanted that. I would have understood if you did, but I wouldn’t have given up. I wouldn’t have stopped fighting for this chance to be with you. And in the end, we’d be right where we are now, going on our first date.”

  “You would have fought for me?” she asked so softly I almost didn’t hear her.

  “I am fighting for you. But, yes, I would have fought until you gave in. I wouldn’t have stopped, Claudia, I can promise you that.” And I meant every word. One of these days, she had to believe that I wasn’t just saying nice things to get another chance with her.

  “Frank . . .” She huffed out a small breath. “It’s like every woman’s fantasy. We all want to be fought for. Hell, we all want to feel like we’re worth fighting for.”

  “You are worth fighting for. That’s why we’re here. We always would have ended up here.”

  She gave me a curious look. “So, the end result would still be the same, no matter what I would have done? Is that what you’re telling me?”

  “Damn straight, that’s what I’m telling you.”

  I smiled before picking her up and swinging her around. The sound of her giggle thrilled me, making me want to keep doing it. When she begged me to stop, I placed her gently on her feet and extended my hand.

  “Hi, I’m Frank. I own this bar here, and I think I started falling for you the second I saw you. I really hope you’re single, because I’d like to take you out to dinner.”

  Her cheeks reddened, but she took my hand and gave it a firm shake. “I’m Claudia, and it’s your
lucky night. I just happen to be single, and my night’s wide open.”

  “Not for long.” I pressed my lips to hers, claiming her again. I didn’t want there to be any question as to whom those lips belonged to.

  I helped her with her helmet, gave her my jacket to wear, and drove us down the Pacific Coast Highway to my favorite seafood restaurant in Malibu. Claudia gripped my waist the entire ride, pressing her body against my back, and I had to keep my excitement in check.

  Focus on the road.

  The restaurant was perfect, even though it was too dark to see the water. Claudia told me she’d never been here before, and I made a mental note to bring her back when she could appreciate the view.

  I had forgotten how fun it was to take a person somewhere that was new to them. Claudia was appreciative and excited, her face lighting up as she took in every detail. It made me want to take her to every single place in Los Angeles that she’d never been to before, just to see her face as she experienced it. She made me feel young and alive, two things that I hadn’t felt in a long time. And when we flipped through our menus and came up with the exact same appetizer and dinner selections, I took it as another sign that I had done the right thing. Not that I needed any more signs, but still.

  “We can’t order the same meals,” she insisted, pinning me with her stare.

  “Why not?” The reason didn’t matter. I’d do whatever she asked me to.

  “Because I want to try whatever you get. Don’t worry, I’ll share mine with you. But that’s why we need different things, so we can eat more,” she said with an excited smile, and I agreed.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed so much, or enjoyed someone’s company as much as I genuinely enjoyed hers. Being with Claudia was effortless and comfortable.

  • • •

  After eating way more than I should have, I patted my stomach. “Probably not going to be able to fit you on the bike now with this belly.”

  Claudia clutched her own stomach and groaned. “Why’d you let me order so much food?”

  “Oh, that’s how this is going to go, huh?” I laughed.

  “I’m so full.”

  “I know.”

  “Come on.” I pulled her chair back to help her out after paying the bill. She stood up slowly, rubbing her nonexistent pot belly.

  We walked outside, our arms around each other. As I led her toward the bike, she asked, “Is the date over already?”

  I wanted to take her to my favorite beach spot, but it was late. The coastal breeze had kicked in, cooling the night air.

  I stopped and turned to face her. “I’d love for the night to never end, but it’s late and it’s cold, and I’m a gentleman.” I said the last part with a small laugh. “As much as I don’t want to, I’m going to take you home.”

  Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout that I found adorable and far too inviting. I leaned down, taking her lip between my teeth and biting gently before sucking it into my mouth. She moaned, gluing her body to mine as I deepened the kiss and fisted her hair. There was something about Claudia’s long, dark hair that made me always want to get tangled up in it.

  My tongue explored her mouth, loving the taste of her, wanting more. I moved to her neck, licking the parts of her I’d yet to explore, and she moaned softly. If she didn’t stop making those noises, I was going to rip off all her clothes and take her in the damn restaurant parking lot. This was one of those moments I wished I had a car rather than a motorcycle.

  The feel of her nails digging into my back both fueled my need for her and crashed me back to reality. I pulled away, panting. “We have to stop.”

  Her eyes were wild, her lips swollen and wet. I had to look anywhere but at her, or I’d never calm down.

  She put a hand to her chest, her breathing choppy and fast. “Good God, Frank.”

  I swallowed hard and tried to pull myself together. “I don’t have much self-control when it comes to you,” I admitted, showing her my weakness.

  “I beg to differ.” She lifted one brow in disbelief.

  “I want you. I’ve dreamed about this moment, but it was never like this.”

  I glanced around us at the nearly empty parking lot and the orange glow of the streetlights. Then I closed the space between us, not wanting her to mistake my meaning, or my desire for her.

  “Our first time isn’t happening in a parking lot. I don’t care if it is my favorite restaurant.” I took her hand and kissed it, like I always seemed to do with her. “Plus, it’s only our first date. I don’t think sex is supposed to happen until date three.” I gave her a cocky grin, and she laughed.

  “Who made up that stupid rule, anyway?”

  “I think you women did.”

  She shook her head. “That’s definitely something a man would do.” Mimicking a man’s voice, she said, “It’s been three whole dates. I’ve paid my dues, put in enough time. I’ll die if I go one more date without having sex.”

  “We definitely start dying if we have to go longer than three dates,” I said jokingly, and she shook her head in mock disgust. “Honestly, though, I don’t care if it’s on date three or date fifty-three. I’ll wait however long you want.”

  Her eyes widened. “You mean that?”

  She was so serious, I almost felt bad for women for having to deal with us men and our excuses for our penises. But then I remembered that women were a little crazy, so I considered us even.

  “Of course I do.”

  “Such a gentleman.”

  “I am, but my dick’s another story. He might start crying if we really wait until date fifty-three.”

  Claudia grinned up at me. “Aw, I wouldn’t want to make your dick cry. No longer than date fifty, for sure.” She patted my chest and I grabbed her hand, keeping her close.

  “I’d wait forever if you wanted me to. I don’t want that part to be a joke. I mean it, okay? We don’t have to rush anything,” I said sincerely.

  She tugged her hand from mine and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me down to her waiting lips. “Thank you,” she whispered before kissing me.

  I soaked in the perfection of the moment, wondering if it would always be this good.

  “I should probably get back to the bar and close up. If Ryan even looks at the books, I’ll be fixing that mess for days.”

  She giggled as she nodded. “I can see that.”

  “Come on. I’ll take you home,” I said and reached for her hand.

  When we got to my bike, she grabbed her helmet and tugged it on, fastening the chin strap as she asked, “Do you know where I live?”

  “No.”

  It was hard to hear anything when you were on the bike other than the roar of the engine and the machine cutting through the wind, and asking her for directions while we rode would be close to impossible. So I pulled out my phone and opened the map application, then handed it to her so she could enter her address. When the directions loaded, I made sure her helmet was fastened securely and enjoyed the feel of her body pressed tightly against my back as we headed back down the Pacific Coast Highway and toward her apartment.

  While Claudia and Britney technically lived in Venice Beach, they were right on the border of Marina del Rey. I’d had no idea how close she lived to me this entire time. I could have walked over to her apartment every night if I wanted to. It was probably a good thing I hadn’t known before now.

  I pulled the bike to a stop and waited. Claudia maneuvered her leg around my back and hopped off before I turned off the bike and followed. After removing her helmet, she shook out her long, dark hair and ran her fingers through it with a grimace.

  “It’s a little tangled.”

  “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s not your fault,” she said, then gave me a teasing look. “Well, maybe technically it is.”

  “Is that so?” I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. “Thank you for coming tonight.”

  “Thank you for dinner.”

  “I
had a really good time.”

  “I did too.”

  Pressing my lips to hers, I thrilled at the feel of her melting against me as her mouth opened. The world stopped every time we kissed. All other sounds except the ones coming from her disappeared. Nothing else mattered except this moment, and I never wanted it to end.

  As soon as the thought entered my mind, she broke the kiss. “You should probably go before I try to lure you inside.”

  My body instantly reacted, and I tried like hell to ignore it. “That’s not really a good way to get me to go.”

  “I know, I know.” She grinned. “Forget I said it.”

  “Not a chance. But you’re right, I should go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Her eyebrows flew up. “Tomorrow?”

  “Yeah. For date two.”

  “Oh.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re just trying to get to date three quicker.”

  I bit back my grin, playing dumb. “What happens on date three?”

  “No idea,” she said, laughing as she smacked my arm. “I know what happens on date fifty, but I think date three is fairly uneventful.”

  “Good night, Claudia.” I dropped a kiss on her head before giving her one more on the mouth. God, those lips were going to be the death of me.

  “Good night, Frank,” she said before heading toward the door of her building.

  I watched to make sure she got in safely, but before she reached the door, she turned around and ran back to me. Her arms looped around my neck as she pulled my mouth to hers.

  “I just needed one more kiss.”

  That kiss lasted even longer than the one before, leaving me breathless as I watched her until she disappeared through the doors of her building.

  Shaking my head, I couldn’t remember ever feeling happier and more content. I was one lucky son of a bitch.

  No offense, Mom.

  The Third Date

  Claudia

  Frank called and texted me often when we weren’t together. He was sweet, attentive, and caring.

  Long gone were the days when I thought Frank Fisher was a shy, reserved guy who was afraid to make a move on me. In his place was a man who was in touch with his emotional side and not afraid to show it. He was confident in what he wanted, and was one hell of a man’s man. The many facets of his personality were almost as hot as he was.