Kiss Me in Silicon Valley: The Juliette Trilogy (The Princesses of Silicon Valley - Book 2)

by Anita Claire

  Giving him a flirty smile, I say, “I think you were warming me up.”

  He stares at me for a couple heartbeats, then says deeply, “Yeah, warming you up.”

  My brain sort of short circuits as I look at him while all I manage to sputter is, “I think I’m starting to warm up just sitting here.”

  Chuckling, he nods as he rubs the back of his neck with his hand.

  “Sweet view, I bet at night the Bay Bridge lights look cool from here.” I say as I feel myself start rambling from nerves finally settling in, “How did the other docs like the wine we chose?” This might be a subject that can bring the temperature down or at least keep me from stuttering.

  Nate stares at me and then smiles, and replies, “I don’t think it was one of the wines we drank, but I think it was still appreciated.”

  “I take it this is a nice practice? The other docs are cool?”

  He nods. “It’s a respected practice; it will give me what I need.”

  “Your boss in Minnesota didn’t try to keep you?”

  “Yeah, I’ve worked for him for a number of years. He knew this time was coming. I met you when I was interviewing. I like the Midwest, there’s a good chance I’ll move back. I just wanted to try some place else out. Once I move into a practice, there’s a lot less mobility. I figure this is my chance.” He stops and looks at me again. “What about you?”

  “You mean living in California?”

  “Yeah, you said you lived here your whole life. Ever want to try some other place out?”

  “I lived in Spain my junior year of college, which was great. And I just got back from three months in London—an internship, which was sweet. So, yes, I have considered living someplace else. But, Silicon Valley’s where it’s happening job wise. It’s also where my friends and family are, and it doesn’t hurt that the weather’s great. If my company offered me a temporary opportunity someplace else in the world, I’d take it in a heartbeat. I’m twenty-four, I haven’t planned out my life. I’m content just planning out the next couple of months.”

  He gives me another inscrutable look.

  “Have you ever thought of doing something like Doctors without Borders?” I ask.

  “My parents are both doctors, we spent every Christmas on a medical mission. Residency just doesn’t lend itself to anything but survival. Yeah, once I establish myself it would be cool to do some international volunteering.”

  The server is back with our drinks. My drink tastes great, warming me up from the inside. About five minutes later, she brings over a great big platter of oysters on the half shell—all laid out pretty on a bed of dry ice. Our conversation gets a lot less personal as we joke and eat oysters. We each get a second drink. When we’re done, Nate pays the bill even though I offer.

  As we head out I ask, “Now, where?”

  He replies. “I have no idea. Don’t you have friends on social apps telling you what’s happening?”

  Laughing, “No, my friends create social apps, there’s a big difference between the people that create them and the people who use them. The people that use them are the cool kids; the people who create them are sitting in their bedroom writing apps.”

  Nate just shakes his head at that stereotype.

  The air is changing, and I can feel the nighttime closing in, Nate puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me close as he says into my hair, “We’re near the Ferry Building, let’s take a ferry over to Sausalito.”

  Looking up at him, I say, “That sounds great.” As I reach my arm around his back, resting my hand on his hip. Our bodies are close as we walk to the ferry building.

  The schedule shows a ferry leaving in ten minutes. This will give us about an hour and a half in Sausalito before the last ferry leaves.

  Nate buys our tickets and grabs my hand. “Let’s run for it,” he says as he pulls me along.

  We walk fast to the dock so that we don’t miss the ferry. Once inside, we choose a bench located in the prow, before a large window, giving us a good view. The ferry’s not crowded; Nate stretches his right arm around my back, puts his hand on my upper arm, and pulls me close. My hands are together, placed between my knees. His leg feels warm against mine; his fingers make lazy circles on my arm sending a shiver up to my jaw. Naturally, I find myself snuggling into him.

  We watch the city move farther away as the boat angles past Angel Island. The group of people sitting near us gets up and leaves.

  Once they’re gone, Nate slowly turns his body, in his deep voice he quietly says, “Juliette.”

  Looking up at him, I’m mesmerized by his lips. They look really nice. He leans in, my lips part slightly, my eyes close.

  At first, his lips are soft as they touch mine. Then it feels like he’s crushed into me. His hand grasps my knee pulling me closer; both of my hands clasp his thigh. Our lips continue to crash together. The kiss is as jarring as it is warm and deep. He flashes his tongue against my lower lip, it sends a spiral of energy down my arms, then he kisses my lip gently entering my mouth and grazing my tongue with his. He tastes good, like beer, the ocean, and sex. His hand flexes around my knee causing a tingle to run up my thigh making my groin pulse. Our breathing gets short and deep as we continue our boundless, probing kiss.

  My brain can only process how amazing this feels—there’s too many details to keep track of. Suddenly we are interrupted by screaming. From behind us two kids run past and plaster themselves to the window. Simultaneously, Nate pulls away from my mouth, releasing my knee. Looking down, I see my hands still on his thigh as I shyly smile. My breath is short, my whole body is buzzing with desire. Moving one of my hands off his thigh and back between my legs, I tilt my head up as we both smirk at each other. With his arm still holding my shoulder, he pulls me in a little closer. My heart is beating so hard, while I can feel his pulse racing. I’ve kissed three different guys since Wednesday, from that limited data set I can honestly say that Nate’s a great kisser. I want more.

  We don’t say anything, just look out the window as the parents meet up with the kids. A few more people come up to this deck; Nate continues to gently draw circles on my arm as I match his movement on his thigh with my thumb. Shit, when did I become this kind of woman? One who dates one guy on Wednesday, hooks up on Friday, and is sitting on a ferry making out with a third? Damn, this is quite a weekend for a geeky girl engineer from Silicon Valley.

  For the rest of the ride our bodies remain silently together as we lightly touch one another, focusing our energy by looking out the window. I try to keep my mind from spinning and just focus on who’s touching me now. Sausalito slowly gets closer; the sun leisurely begins to dip behind the mountains as evening approaches. Neither of us says a word. When the ferry finally docks, Nate stands as he extends his hand to help me up. He continues to hold my hand as we head to where we debark. As we wait in line, he stands behind me with both arms casually wrapped around my chest holding on to my upper arms. His chest feels warm against my back. The crowd dissipates up the gangway. He drops his arms from around my chest while snatching my hand as we follow the scattering passengers. At the top of the deck, we continue along the sidewalk until we reach the street.

  Finding my voice, I joke, “For two people who are not that into shopping, it seems like that’s all they have here.”

  “I guess we can walk up and down the street, looking at stuff.” He says, surprising me with the gravelly tone to his voice.

  Looking across the bay, I can see the sun setting on San Francisco, turning the hills of Angel Island from gold to blue, as dusk causes the lights of the city to become a dominant feature in the skyline.

  Smiling up at Nate, I say, “Yeah, let’s just check out the shops.”

  We walk down the street, popping in and out of shops. All the shops are small, one-of a-kind boutiques with unique merchandise. Our mood is light as we playfully look at and talk about the different objects. We head into a gallery filled with Dr. Seuss illustrations and sculptures. As a kid, I lo
ved Green Eggs and Ham with the fun rhyming Sam I Am verses. As I find myself drawn to that illustration, Nate looks up from his phone, joining me by wrapping his arms around my chest, gently pulling me close.

  “You remember when that Senator filibustered against health care?” I say, with Nate murmuring agreement into my ear. “During the filibuster he read his kid’s the Green Eggs and Ham story. I never got that. He went to Princeton and Harvard, how could he have failed to get the point of the book was ‘to open up, to try new things.’”

  Nate holds off for a beat, and then says, “I thought the point of the book was the power of perseverance in the face of stubborn resistance.”

  “Even so, that wouldn’t have supported his argument, since it’s all based on your point of view—regarding who’s being set in their ways and who’s persevering? Wouldn’t he have done better if he had read Horton Hears a Who? That’s about those in power listening to the powerless.”

  “Didn’t that happen a while ago?” Nate asks.

  “Yeah, but it drives me crazy when someone uses the wrong analogy. Now, every time I look at Green Eggs and Ham, I think of that guy.”

  “Like irony, instead of, what did you say, oxymoron?”

  Barking out a laugh, I defend myself. “Was I wrong, or did I just extend a concept? Isn’t an oxymoron words that mean the opposite, while ironic is the opposite of what you expect?” Feeling him nod in agreement, I continue, “So oxymoron would be a sign on that steep mountain that says easy grade, while ironic would be a guy who rides to the top and then smokes a cigarette.”

  He murmurs agreement into my hair.

  “Does the English language have a word that means conflicting activities?” I question.

  “I think we have two words: conflicting activities,’” he says into my hair.

  Nodding my head in agreement, I continue. “In grad school, I had a friend from Germany. Her English was amazing. She always complained that her vocabulary was limited. We were running up at the Dish during sunrise; she looked at the hills, pointed, and said, ‘In German we have a word: blauschimmer. It means the way the hills turn from pink to blue at sunrise. I don’t know what the English equivalent is.’” Taking a deep breath, I lean back against Nate, “Yeah, it could just be that we don’t have one specific word.”

  We continue to stand in front of the Sam I Am illustration; my back leaning against his chest, and his arms around my chest. It feels good having his body heat envelope me. He murmurs into my ear, “I wondered what you were thinking. I have to say I never thought that this was it.”

  Another comment I need to parse to see if it’s meaning is good or bad.

  As my brain spirals into thought, Nate’s phone alarm starts beeping, he lets go of me, pulls his phone out of his pocket, and says, “Let’s catch the last ferry back to San Francisco.” Taking hold of my hand, we walk out of the gallery. As we head over to the ferry, Nate says, “How about instead of remembering that politician every time you see Green Eggs and Ham you remember this day—the two of us standing in front of the illustration?”

  Getting on the ferry, we find our former seats in front of the large window. The cabin has other passengers; we sit quietly enjoying the view as we watch the lights of San Francisco grow close. My hand gravitates to Nate’s thigh; his arm is extended around my back. Snuggling in, I lean my head against him, finding the welt between his shoulder and chest. The fog has lifted, the air around San Francisco is clear, and the view is spectacular. Nate smells good, like some nice men’s body wash and leather.

  This moment is one I’d like to hold onto.

  Chapter 24 – Dinner

  The ferry docks, we disembark, Nate asks, “Are you tired or do you mind walking a little more?”

  “Surprisingly, I’m not tired; I think I can walk a little more. What do you have in mind?”

  “Are you in the mood for Italian? I’d like to head over to Little Italy.”

  “Sounds good, do you know how to get there from here?”

  He gives me a half smile as he pulls out his phone and points the way. We walk hand in hand.

  “It’s Saturday night; we may have a long wait?”

  He smirks, “I made a reservation while you were looking around the last place. We have about ten minutes to get there.”

  “What would you have done if I said I didn’t want Italian?”

  “You can cancel reservations as easy as you can make them. I just felt that I should plan something today.”

  “I like today, I like that you just had a simple idea and we went for it. Today’s been great.”

  He looks at me appraisingly, “Yeah, today has been great.”

  We reach the restaurant, E’Tutto Qua.

  “And all here?”

  “What?” he gives me a side look.

  “The name of this place, if I use Spanish to translate I think it’s ‘and all here.’ Probably in Italian it means we’re all here.”

  He gives me an appraising look.

  It doesn’t take long for the hostess to seat us at a small table that feels intimate. Nate orders a beer, while I order a Prosecco. Our conversation matches the feel of the restaurant, fun, personal. For dessert we split a tiramisu made with Grand Marnier. Nate pays again, even though I offer.

  After offering to pay, he gives me a hard look with his crystal blue eyes and says, “It’s not a date if you pay, and this is definitely a date.”

  My elbows are on the table, my chin resting on my hand as I appraise him, “What do you mean?”

  “I might be new in the area, but I’m not looking for just another friend.” He says as he reaches over and gently uses his warm fingertips to move a lock of my hair behind my ear, leaving a trail of tingles in his fingers’ wake.

  Wow, this surprises me. Most guys I know work at keeping relationships casual. Am I ready for Nate? Thinking of Amanda and her frustration with Kevin, my mind leaps to Zach. Taking a deep breath to relax, I tell myself to keep cool, take one day at a time. Stop overthinking everything. Let’s just let this play out, see where it goes.

  After the restaurant, we head back to Nate’s car by hiking over to Grant Street, strolling up the main drag of China Town, holding hands the whole way. Heading down into the parking garage, I’m glad I’m with Nate; parking garages are scary at night. Even though the parking garage is full there aren’t many people around.

  Nate automatically leads me over to the passenger door, as he reaches over to open it, he boxes me in against the back passenger door, leaning his hands on the car, each hand on either side of my face. Looking up to his eyes, I can see he is focused on my lips. Reflectively, I lick my lower lip; my breath catches, immediately going deep in anticipation. Swallowing hard, I feel the car against my back. Nate dips his head until our lips are touching. Our lips crash into one another; he releases my lips, then dips in and licks my lower lip, I gasp. He then leans in just a little bit more, his tongue probes my mouth, finding my tongue. Moving my hands, I place them under his open coat, dragging them up his well-developed chest, stopping on his pecs, which I can feel clearly outlined under his shirt. His heart is beating strong and fast. Grabbing his shirt with my fingertips, I pull him closer. His kisses become more solid; he lowers one arm and places a hand on my lower back pulling me closer to his body. My entire core is reverberating with lust; my groin is pulsating.

  A car drives by and a male yells out, “get a room,” breaking our trance, our lips release.

  Nate groans as he touches his forehead to mine. “Juliette,” he whispers in that gravelly voice again.

  My breathing is hard, irregular; I want more, but not here. Whispering, I say, “Nate,” as my eyes flutter.

  He groans again, kisses me softly and then rubs his cheek against mine as he says softly into my ear, “We should get in the car, and we should go back.” He then kisses my ear, my jaw. He rubs his nose along my cheek.

  Reaching up with my lips, I kiss him lightly saying, “Yes,” into his mouth.

/>   He bends just a bit to kiss me back softly, then pulls away, his voice is ruff as he says, “Yeah, we should either get a room or get in the car.”

  This causes me to pause, realizing I’m not ready to go all the way with him. Shit, I just slept with Gray. This is all happening too soon, too fast. I thought I was on team Zach, now I’m feeling confused. I’m definitely still undecided. Things still need to play out. My head is now bent; my forehead’s leaning on his chest. A slow breathy moan escapes from my mouth. Pulling my emotional reserves together, I whisper, “Car, we should get in the car.”

  His breath is hard as he pulls away from me, his cheeks are slightly flushed, and his lips are lightly swollen. He looks me in the eyes. Dropping my hand from his chest, he opens my door. Languidly I get in; reaching for the seatbelt, I slowly pull it over my pulsating body. Breathing low and deep, I attempt to regain control.

  We head back to my place. Neither of us says too much, we just listen to his music. The atmosphere is comfortable, even though there’s a low simmering sexual energy between us. Checking texts, I see my mom has been blowing up my phone, reminding me my sister is leaving tomorrow and I’m required to join them for brunch. I let out a groan.

  Nate breaks our silence by asking me, “What’s wrong?”

  “My sister’s leaving tomorrow, my mom’s requiring that I attend a family brunch. My sister makes Cassie look low maintenance.”

  Nate shakes his head and chuckles in reply.

  We continue our ride listening to music; I don’t think either of us is up for chatting. When Nate pulls up in front of my place, I look over at him and our eyes connect. Releasing my seat belt, I shyly smile, “Today was great, really great.”

  His breathing hitches as he looks at me. Reaching his hand over, he winds one of my curls around his finger—continuing to wind it until his hand is by my face. Running his knuckles along my jaw, he says, “Yeah, it was a great day.”

  We stare into each other’s eyes. He releases his seatbelt. His eyes drop down to my mouth. Hearing a gasp, I realize it just came out of my mouth. Nate stretches his body over the center console of the car, holding my head with his hand, crashing his mouth into mine. We engage in another long, deep kiss that lights up my entire body—running down my core, causing my groin to pulse. Grasping for breath, our tongues align. At some point, he slightly pulls away, kissing my chin, and then he kisses my face along my jaw, sending another round of shutters down my body. Arriving at my ear, he whispers, “Juliette.” His breath causes my entire body to shiver, making my head roll back, which exposes my neck.