“Okay.” Sign me up, I almost blabbed.
“But we live together,” he reminded me, but I was too lost in his eyes and the way he was looking at me and felt to see the red flags.
“Okay.” This one was slower to spit out.
“I like you. I want you to know I respect you.”
“What?” I asked, slightly confused.
I just wanted to get laid. I didn’t need any of the other things. Liar, a voice chimed again in the recesses of my mind.
“So, we’re going on a date, sharin’ a meal, hanging out, and then we’re coming back here.” He didn’t suggest; he told me, and I fought from rolling my eyes.
“So chivalrous.” The words came out sassier than I had planned, but his lips moved up and I felt like I deserved a trophy for making him smile like that.
“I can be.”
“Is this your thing?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“My what?”
“Your MO? You know, how you, umm, bag chicks?” I asked with a slight shoulder shrug.
“Bag chicks?” Amusement hit his eyes and I rolled mine.
“You know what I mean. How you get laid.” How weird was it that I was in the position I was in? Sitting on his lap more than comfortable? Me! The girl who was never comfortable around men, yet it was like second nature with him.
Being this close to him, this vulnerable and not a Nervous Nelly or fake, overly sweet version of myself with hopes that he would like me. I was just being me.
It was cozy and felt right.
“I don’t date. I told you I was married. After that ended, I... hung out with women.”
“Hung out?” I asked, now feeling amused at the way his cheeks went a slight shade of pink I could make out even under the moonlight. My hand came up to trace it.
“Yeah.”
“You mean hooked up,” I clarified, and the pink went a little brighter. I couldn’t contain my own grin.
“Well...”
“Wait.” I put up a hand, and he lifted his head up, giving me a little space. “Do you like, go out and HOOK UP or hook up?”
“What’s the difference?” He raised his eyebrows with curiosity.
“Well, do you get laid here and there, or are you like, a walking STD with how much you get laid.”
“Do you really want to know?” he asked, amusement shining bright.
“Yes,” I immediately answered without hesitation. His eyes searched to see if I was lying.
“Will it make you change your mind about me?” he asked. His question caught me off guard, but I had to be honest.
“I don’t know.”
He pulled me up so I was standing in front of him and he could bring me close, making me straddle him. “I told you I married my high school sweetheart?”
“Yeah.” He had; he just hadn’t shared why they ended. I wanted to know but felt like it was too soon and probably rude to ask.
“She was my one and only. For a long time, even after the divorce was final, she was all I knew.”
“Okay.” Does that mean he is still in love with her? Is that why he doesn’t want to give me what we both want?
“That being said, about six months after the divorce was final, I got back on the horse, so to speak. I’m not a choir boy, Blondie. But I’m not a, what did you call it? A walking STD?” His hands caressed my face.
Then he kept surprising me. Out of his free will and without me having to coax it out of him, he kept sharing, “I haven’t been with anyone in three months. Not for any particular reason. I just haven’t. And to answer your other question, no, I don’t normally date. But I’ve never wanted to get to know my roommate the way I want to get to know you.”
“Well, that’s good, since you only lived with men, most of whom you were related to,” I mumbled, and his body shook with quiet laughter.
“Go out with me,” he whispered, his breath covering my now tingling lips. God, I want him. I want to squirm and rub myself all over him.
“One date?”
“For now.” His eyes glittered dangerously. A glitter full of promise and one I liked way too much.
“What does that mean?”
“It means we’re obviously attracted to one another.”
“Cocky much?”
“You’re not attracted to me?” he asked, raising a manly eyebrow, and I bit the inside of my lip because I couldn’t outright lie to him. Before I could answer, he shifted his body, bringing his hips up. The sensation of his hardness touching just the right spot made me gasp. “You have to know by now, baby, I’m fucking attracted to you.” His voice was deep and rough. I could get lost in his eyes and voice.
So incredibly lost I knew I wouldn’t find myself ever again.
“I don’t do relationships,” I blurted out loud without thinking, probably in a way to try to keep some kind of control, reminding myself that people only disappointed you in the long run. His hands gently moved into my hair, bringing my front down and closer to him, my face now right in his.
“I don’t, either.”
“We should probably just mess around and not date, then. A friends-with-benefits kind of thing,” I suggested lamely, reaching for anything that could help me stay guarded. Accidentally, at that moment, I swiveled my hips, getting his length to hit just the right spot. God, he feels good.
“Val,” he growled my name like a warning.
Then it hit me. He doesn’t want easy with me. Hope bloomed in my chest, but I wasn’t going to think about it right then and there. Instead, I took a deep breath, falling further into him.
“Fine,” I sighed into his neck. It weirded me out how easy it felt to be physically close with him. “One date.”
“For now,” he mumbled, and I closed my eyes, breathing him in, enjoying how cozy it was. It was more than comfortable; it was safe. Something I was not used to feeling with anyone.
Not even with the only friend I had.
“Let’s get some sleep,” he murmured into my neck, and I held him tighter.
“Okay,” I whispered. Even if part of me was a little disappointed, I was looking forward to going on a date.
Before I could say something, he lifted me up and walked us to the hammock. We settled in, one of his hands under his head, the other playing with my hair, while I laid my head on his chest. Between the warmth his body radiated and how safe he made me feel, I drifted off to sleep quickly.
***
“Val?” a deep voice whispered lightly, and I tried to open my heavy eyes, but it felt close to impossible. I felt too good wrapped up in a hard, warm body.
“Hmm…”
“Baby.”
“Mmm.” My lips tilted upward and the feeling of firm lips gently pressing to mine coaxed my eyes to open. “Hi.” Staring into his eyes, all I could think about was how I really liked waking up next to him.
“You sleep okay?” he asked, and I smirked at him, playfully rolling my eyes.
“My pillow was a little lumpy, but—“
“Lumpy?” he ghastly asked, rolling us over smoothly in a way I had only ever watched in movies. “Lumpy, huh?” He smirked confidently.
“I like sleeping with you,” I stupidly shared, blaming it on my sleepy, hazed-over brain.
What am I doing?
His eyes flickered with hunger, and I watched as he slowly licked his lower lip.
“You should get ready. The HVAC guy should be here in a little bit. Once he gets done figuring out what the hell is wrong with the system, we’ll get out of here, yeah?” he suggested, breaking the silence, his hands on either side of my face, his body covering mine.
“Where are we going?” I asked him, my voice pliant. His face went warm.
“It’s a surprise, but I promise you’re going to like it.”
“I need to know, so I don’t go underdressed.”
“I like you underdressed.” He winked, the tips of his fingers skimming the line from my neck to my shoulder.
“You’re such a gu
y.” I laughed, my eyes still closed, enjoying his touch.
“I think you like that about me.” My cheeks warmed, and his lips kissed mine softly. Pulling slightly away, he whispered, “Jeans and a tee, comfortable shoes,” against my lips. I smiled.
“Okay,” I whispered back, leaning in to return his kiss.
I’d meant it to be a light, slightly flirty kiss, but like it usually did with us, it inflamed into something more. Sexier and more intimate than anything I’d ever experienced. I should have known better. Every time we kissed, we got lost to the pull between us and need burned bright. This time was no different.
His hands cupped my face, while my own trailed down the lines of the outside of his bare-chested torso. Our hips swayed back and forth. His hardness rubbed against my slickness. The thin material between us didn’t stop the ache or the build-up. Our mouths locked together at moments, then at others, we both kissed and explored what we could while in the hammock. The feel of his teeth on my neck, his cock pressing just right, I knew I was close to the brink. Panting and squirming beneath him, I ached for more.
That is until the doorbell rang. Luckily, with the windows open, we heard it, and both our bodies froze.
“I hate that doorbell,” I sighed, my head in the crook of his neck, enjoying the feel of his hand deep in my hair, lightly massaging my scalp.
“Me too, baby.” His breathing was as off as mine, his voice hoarse, making my nipples strain under my tee. “Go get ready. I’ll take care of this.”
Reality crashed down.
A new AC unit would cost an arm and a leg.
Ones I didn’t have to spare. Even if Vaughn were here, there was no way he would cover it.
“If we need a new unit...”
“Like I said, Val, I got it.”
“Bryan, I don’t think you realize how much a whole new—”
“Blondie, I used to own my own place. I know. Now, go get ready, yeah?”
“But—”
“I’ll settle it with Vaughn,”
“That’s a really bad idea,” I whispered, and his eyes flickered.
“Why is that?” he asked curiously, and I couldn’t help but worry my lower lip.
“Because you can’t count on him,” I honestly answered.
“You can say that about your only friend?” he asked, surprise in his eyes. I shrugged, pushing him off. My feet on land and no longer on the hammock, I stretched.
“I’m just being honest, Bryan.”
“I’ve known him for a while, too, you know?”
“Yeah, so you say.” I shook my head. If he really knew Vaughn, he wouldn’t have moved in. “All I’m saying is, before you tell this guy to go all free willy-nilly on fixing it, let me know. Maybe we can get a second opinion, or I can help with the labor—” The doorbell rang again and he sighed.
“Okay, Blondie, you got my word. Now, will you go get ready?”
“Why are you rushing me off?”
“Because, babe, you’re dressed like you are and I don’t want anyone else to see you like that.” His eyes did that hungry smolder thing, and my body did a full head-to-toe shiver, moisture pooling between my thighs.
“Fine.” I stood straighter, realizing what little I was actually wearing and that I didn’t want a stranger to see me like this, either. “I’ll go shower and get dressed.”
“Good.” He kissed the top of my head before grabbing my hand in his, and as we walked into the house together, my stomach fluttered and my heart flip-flopped.
I had to go get ready.
I was going on a date.
A real one.
My first one.
CHAPTER NINE
VALERIE
“I’m so glad it wasn’t anything major.” I sighed in relief as I sat next to him in his Explorer, my hands on my knees.
“It’s fixed. Though, I gotta tell you, anytime you wanna sleep out in the hammock, I’m more than glad to join you.” He winked at me before his eyes went back to the road ahead of him.
“I might take you up on that,” I told him, and his profile smiled. Sleeping in his arms had given me some of the best sleep I’d had in longer than I could remember. Shaking my head and trying to stop thinking about what it meant, I shyly glanced at him. “So... will you tell me where we are going now?”
“Are you one of those people who are against surprises?” he asked, and I laughed.
“Maybe.” My lips twitched.
“How do you feel about amusement parks?”
“Like Disneyland? I love. Six Flags Magic Mountain, not so much,” I shared, and he nodded.
“What about middle ground?” he asked looking into his mirrors before changing lanes.
“Like?”
“Knott’s Berry Farm?” He glanced over at me. I grinned.
“I haven’t been there in forever!” Excitement was clear in my voice.
“So that’s okay?”
“More than okay.” I beamed, thrilled about where we were going.
On the way, his hand took mine, bringing it between us, as if he needed to touch me. I liked that. Probably because I needed his touch, too.
How can I have just met this guy, yet feel like this?
“I can hear you thinking. Don’t overthink this,” he murmured, not looking at me. I squeezed his hand. He brought it up and over to his lips and kissed it. Just like the hero did in books or movies, and I melted further.
We parked and walked to the entrance, where he insisted that this was a date and he was paying, so I shrugged and let him, mentally taking a note that I should pay for lunch.
Hand in hand, we walked around and decided to get in line for Montezuma’s Revenge. I wasn’t a huge fan of roller coasters, but somehow, knowing he was going to be next to me, holding my hand, I was more than happy to wait in line with him. In the semi-crowded line filled with teenagers on summer vacation, he held me from behind, his hands wrapped around my waist, his head on my shoulder.
We talked about little things.
He told me about work, while I told him about what my week consisted of. He asked how I got into nursing and I shared. Talking to Bryan was easy. A couple in front of us turned and asked if we could take a picture of them, and after, they offered to take one of us. Bryan gave them his phone and held me close like he had been, and we both gave the camera cheesy grins. We thanked them and looked at it. It was a great picture. Without really noticing it, that hope that had started to bloom in my chest grew further; I had no way of stopping it.
After screaming and laughing on the roller coaster, we walked around, still hand in hand like we had been a couple for ages rather than being on our first date.
“You should send me that picture,” I mentioned to him, and he nodded.
“What will I get if I do?” he asked. I stopped in my tracks, people moving around us.
“What do you want?” I cheekily asked, knowing I was poking at the bear.
“Val—” But he didn’t say anything else, because I closed the space between us. Standing on the tips of my toes, I kissed him. It was slow and sweet, and such a breathtakingly perfect moment that when I pulled away, my eyes were a little glassy. “Is it bad that we just got here and now I wanna take you back home?” His mouth was at my ear.
“No.” My voice was raspy. “But we should get on a couple more rides.”
“I have a ride for you.” He chuckled. I shook my head playfully, rolling my eyes.
“Come on.” I led the way toward a log ride, looking forward to the day that lay ahead of us.
It went by too fast.
Like a dream come true, the day flew by in a blur of laughter, stolen and not-so stolen kisses, and warm embraces. We’d gone on rides, small and big. We ate lunch; he didn’t let me pay. Snacked on sinfully delicious churros; again, he didn’t let me pay, saying something about his grandmother having a stroke if she ever found out. Then, because Bryan said you couldn’t go out to an amusement park or a carnival and not have a funnel cake,
we shared one of those as well. Who am I to argue about funnel cake consumption? If those were his rules, I was more than happy to oblige.
We made it home after dark, laughing as we stepped into the house. “You sure you want to do a bonfire?” he asked, lugging a bundle of wood we had picked up on our way home.
“Yeah. It’ll be fun.”
“We could make a couple of our own sparks come alive in here,” he whispered into my ear. I shook my head.
The day had been one of the best I’d ever had. Easily one of the top three best days of my life.
That alone should have warned me. Life liked to teach me lessons. I should have known better.
Turning on the light in the living room, I was not prepared.
Not at all.
My body froze the instant I saw who was sitting on the couch.
BRYAN
He had never had a better first date than with Valerie. Last first date, a voice whispered in his mind, the same one that kept saying mine, but he shook it off.
When he bumped into her, his hand on her waist, his eyes adjusted to the man sitting on the couch.
“Victor?” she whispered, and the guy on the couch tilted his head. Dark eyes narrowed first on her and then on him. The hairs on Bryan’s neck stood on end; he immediately disliked the guy.
“Val.” The stranger’s voice was deep.
“What...” She cleared her throat nervously, stepping away from Bryan’s touch, and he didn’t like it. Just like he didn’t like the tension that was suddenly radiating off her. “What are you doing here?”
“Vaughn called. He’s been trying to get a hold of you,” he weirdly told her. Bryan observed the way her eye twitched slightly before her face turned unreadable and cold.
“I forgot my phone,” she lied. He wondered why and who the hell the guy was.
“I see. Who are you?” The ass asked Bryan, and he stood taller, raising an eyebrow at him.
“I think I should be asking you that.”
“Umm, Bryan, this is Victor, umm, Vaughn’s older brother. Vic, this is our new roommate,” she shared in a steady voice, but her hands were clenched at her sides as they slightly shook before she crossed them at her chest.
He didn’t like the way she hid herself away from this guy. A creepy smile appeared on the asshole’s face as he looked at Valerie, eyeing her, his eyes staying on her chest way too long. Bryan felt like pounding the guy.
STEAL (Right Men Series Book 2) Page 9