by Jewel E. Ann
Choking on my words for several seconds, I coughed and shook my head. “A-about construction. Can you teach me how to cut and nail things?”
The grin that climbed up his face made me melt like M&Ms on a hundred-degree day. “We might wait on the cutting, but I think I can show you how I nail things.”
Another gulp clogged my throat. “I’d … um … I’d like that.”
“Oh…” his grin did the impossible and grew even bigger “…I have no doubt you’d like it.”
Oh my gosh …
I didn’t think he was talking about construction. And I wondered if he understood that I was talking about it.
“Well…” I lifted my shoulders and shoved my hands even farther into my pockets “…time to call it a day?”
He eyed me with his signature predatory, ready-to-pounce-on-its-prey look for several seconds. “Definitely.”
When we pulled into the driveway after a ride home with no conversation, only music—his sexually explicit music—I jumped out before he got the truck into Park.
“Goodnight. See you tomorrow.” I ran—sprinted—to the back of the house and fumbled the key with shaky hands. Rocks crushed under big boots—Fisher following me.
“Open!” I begged the key and my hands to work together.
Just as he turned the corner, it opened.
“Are you running from me?”
“Nope.” I slid inside and shut the door behind me, locked it too. On a sigh of relief, I turned and made a straight line to my bedroom.
Click.
The door unlocked and opened. Of course he had a key. It was his house. The door clicked again when he shut it behind him.
“Whatcha need?” I asked with the last little bit of breath left in my lungs. His proximity made breathing so hard. It made my heart work even harder. It made my thoughts cross lines that should not have been crossed.
“Why are you running from me?” He was right at my back.
I forced myself to turn toward him, and it took superhero strength. He stepped toward me.
I stepped back.
We did this dance until a wall stopped my retreat.
He pressed his hands to the wall above my head, and my heart rate spiked a thousand percent. The air exchange in my lungs sounded like that of someone finishing a marathon.
Was I reading him wrong?
It wouldn’t have been the first time I got it wrong and felt like a fool. But that moment felt different.
The look in his eyes wasn’t the same.
The part of his lips.
The increased intensity of his own chest rising and falling.
“You can’t have my virginity,” I whispered.
It took him a few more breaths to respond. And when he did, it blew my mind.
“What can I have?” he whispered back.
In that most unexpected moment, my foolish, adult teenaged heart cracked open and made room for Fisher Mann. And I immediately wondered how long it took to fall in love.
Years?
Weeks?
Seconds?
Did common sense and timelines rule emotions?
“What do you want?” My words were weak when I wanted—more than anything—to sound brave.
Something so very tiny shifted along his face, like he was smiling without actually smiling. His right hand slid off the wall and cupped my jaw, his thumb teasing my bottom lip that trembled like the rest of me.
“A-are you g-going to kiss me?”
His lips pulled into a hint of amusement. “I was thinking about it.” Fisher’s patience killed me, completely slayed me. It was as if he had to solve the world’s problems in his head before he kissed me.
But I didn’t want to be a problem of the world. I wanted to be the girl—the woman—he kissed on a Monday night for no good reason. Not everything in life needed an explanation. Couldn’t we steal a few seconds, a kiss, without accountability?
“Will you be done thinking about it anytime soo—”
Fisher kissed me.
It wasn’t hard or rushed. It didn’t make me feel inexperienced. And it didn’t feel wrong.
After a few seconds, he pulled back an inch, maybe two. I sucked in a quick breath, and he kissed me again. It was just like the first kiss.
Perfect.
And just like the first one, he pulled back, but this time he smiled. My own smile came to life too, big and embarrassing.
Every imaginable “what-if” dominated my thoughts. What were we doing? Did those two kisses mean the world to me and nothing to him?
Seventy-two hours earlier, he’d been upstairs showing Teagan the house he built. And she loved it. She didn’t question his abilities with a “seriously” because she was too mature for that.
What was he doing kissing me?
“I’m going to shower and grab dinner. I’ll see you in the morning. Five-forty-five?”
I nodded, still wearing that impossibly huge smile.
He disappeared from my bedroom, his footsteps fading as he climbed the stairs.
Chapter Twelve
I didn’t sleep that night. I tried, but I couldn’t sleep after that kiss. Well, those two kisses. It took too long to figure out why he did it. And I never came up with a good explanation.
My trek around the house to the garage was the longest walk of my life. I couldn’t breathe. It was eerily similar to how I felt the previous night. Would he be different with me? Regretful? Act like it never happened? Kiss me again?
I crossed my fingers for the third kiss. Which was why I brushed twice, flossed, and rinsed with mouthwash for a full minute. Just as I rounded the corner to an empty driveway, my phone chimed.
Fisher: You’re with Hailey today. Had to go out of town to pick up some things.
Not even a “good morning.” No XO. And not a single emoji. Did he not know how to use emojis? It was the most emotionless, lackluster text ever. It wasn’t the text you sent someone you’d kissed.
I typed my reply a dozen times and erased all of them. My drafts contained words like “good morning” and emojis. Hearts and kisses. Maybe it was a dream. Maybe it was another cruel lesson.
Reese: OK
As heartbroken as I was to be just as emotionless, I felt a sense of pride and maybe even a sense of maturity for keeping it professional. When I got to the office with my burning tongue (a minute of swishing mouthwash was a lot), Hailey greeted me with her usual bubbly smile and a stack of things to sort through. I got the feeling nothing had been sorted until Fisher hired me.
“Is it the weekend yet? Why did Monday feel like the longest day ever? It should be Thursday not Tuesday.”
“Mondays aren’t always bad.” I shrugged, depositing my backpack on the floor and grabbing coffee.
“Are you …” She tilted her head. “Blushing?”
“No.” I dipped my chin and dove into the messy piles of papers.
“You are. Did you have a hot date last night? A Monday date?”
“No.” I laughed like it was ridiculous. “No date.”
“Okay then. I noticed you left the party early. But so did Bossman and his new girlfriend. She was all over him. I imagine he had quite the Friday night. Was he in a good mood yesterday morning?”
“Um …” I tried to sound as aloof as possible. “Yeah, he seemed fine.”
“Did he mention her? Is it serious? This time of year, I only get to see him for a few seconds a day, at the most. He’s always on the go and constantly running thirty minutes behind.”
“He didn’t mention her. I don’t think it’s serious, but I’m not really sure.”
“Why do you think it’s not serious? Did he say something?”
“No. Just a feeling. I’m not sure. Maybe guys don’t say much even if they do have serious feelings about someone. Like … they probably don’t send gushing texts or use a bunch of emojis.”
“Ha! Not my ex. He sent me the dirtiest texts all the time with a string of eggplant and peach emojis. I bet Bossm
an sends her dirty texts. I can see him having a dirty side.”
Hailey wasn’t helping my emotional situation one bit. Was he sending Teagan texts? Were they still together? Did he play me? The more I thought about it, I felt so played by him. He and Teagan were having a good laugh over my foolishness.
I spent the better part of my day silently fuming while sorting and alphabetizing invoices and receipts. Even the lunch Hailey brought me was left half-uneaten because I couldn’t stomach it and the very real possibility that I was a pawn.
“I’m taking off,” I said after placing the last sorted pile into the file box.
“Okay. Have a good night. Will I see you tomorrow?”
“Who knows. I never seem to know myself until the last possible minute.”
“Sounds about right.” Hailey laughed as I pushed through the door.
On the way home, I stopped at the grocery store and grabbed a few essentials. Then I made the short drive home, parking across the street just as Fisher pulled into the driveway on his motorcycle with a woman on the back.
Unbelievable.
My heart deflated as a cynical voice in my head laughed at me. I grabbed my two bags of groceries from the back and marched past the driveway to the path leading down the hill, not giving a single glance in the direction of Fisher and the dark blonde as they removed their helmets.
“Reese?” he called.
I walked faster.
“Reese?” His voice and the rest of his terrible self followed me.
I unlocked the door and picked up the bags, continuing into the basement like I didn’t hear him or see him. Then I told myself not to cry. I even prayed for my tears to stay in check. Crying after one kiss (well, two) was something an eighteen-year-old virgin would do. And even if that was me, I wasn’t offering that version to Fisher. Not anymore. He couldn’t be trusted with my heart. I wouldn’t have trusted him to hold my kite string on a breezy day.
“Why do you make me chase you?”
I hoisted the bags onto the counter and released a slow breath while plastering on a fake smile as I turned toward him. “The question is … why are you always chasing me? I’m just the girl living in your basement. The employee you see several times a week. Seems silly that you’re even giving me the time of day right now when you have some blonde waiting for you to … I don’t know …” Shrugging, I tapped my chin. “Kiss her. Or do more than that.”
Resting one hand on his hip and his other hand rubbing the back of his neck, he eyed me with no regret. “Are you done?”
My frown deepened. “Yes.”
“I’m not going to kiss the blonde because she’s my sister, so that would be weird. Occasionally, she likes to ride with me. That’s her red Honda you parked next to.”
After processing his explanation, I shrugged. “What about Teagan?”
“What about her?” He unzipped his jacket.
“Are you still with her?”
A slow grin made its way up his face as he shook his head. “I’m not sure I was ever ‘with’ her, but she’s not okay being ‘with’ me since you were in my bathtub.”
Was I a consolation prize? Since the beautiful doctor didn’t want to be with him, he got the naked girl in his bathtub? Was I even that? I felt certain he’d had sex with her, yet he didn’t think they were together? What could a simple kiss possibly have meant to him?
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have taken a bath in your tub.” Pivoting, I unloaded my groceries.
“I disagree. I gave you permission. I’m still giving you permission. Do you want to take a bath? Right now?”
Couldn’t he let me be mad for a few seconds? No.
Releasing an unavoidable laugh, I shook my head while closing the fridge. “I don’t want or need a bath right now. And where’s your sister?”
“She had to leave.” He slipped off his jacket and tossed it on the sectional.
I folded the paper bags, eyeing his moves as he made his way to me. A wall of shields lifted around my heart as an inner voice chanted, No. No. No.
“Did you get a lot of work done today?” He gripped my waist, and my hands flew to his shoulders because I wasn’t sure what he was doing. Then he lifted me onto the counter and stepped into the space between my spread legs.
Just like the previous night, everything in my body kicked into overdrive. “I …” Swallowing hard, I gave him a nervous smile. “I sorted and filed today.”
“That’s good.” He brushed my hair away from my shoulders and dipped his face into my neck.
I stiffened feeling the warmth of his breath spread along my skin. My hands slid from his shoulders to his hair, searching for control. If I didn’t want him to kiss my neck, I could have yanked him away.
But I did.
I wanted to be kissed where I’d never been kissed before. Boys had kissed me, but I’d never made out with anyone. No kisses on my neck. No hickeys.
Two things happened at the exact same time, and I didn’t know where to give my attention because they both set me ablaze and out of my mind. Fisher’s hands shifted from my hips to my legs, his thumbs pressing on my inner thighs really close to my crotch as his lips pressed to my neck for only a second before he licked … he licked a path to my ear.
A sharp, audible gasp left my parted lips just as he sucked my earlobe into his mouth and released it a second later by dragging his teeth along it. All the weird things happened at once.
Heat in my cheeks worked its way down to everywhere.
Pressure built between my legs.
I swear it felt like I’d peed a little, but I knew better.
Heaviness in my breasts.
Even my nipples felt different—sensitive as they pressed against the fabric of my bra.
Copious amounts of saliva required constant swallowing to keep from drooling. I was afraid to be touched anymore yet needed to be touched. It was so foreign and impossible to articulate even to myself.
My grip on his hair tightened which made him chuckle, kissing along my jaw. I didn’t find anything funny. I was crawling out of my skin in the most wicked way.
“F-Fisher …” I closed my eyes because everything he did made the room spin.
When his mouth covered mine, he didn’t kiss me slowly like the first time. He kissed me like I’d always imagined a man kissing a woman.
This time he teased my lips with his tongue, tasting me like he’d tasted my neck and my ear. Then he kissed me hard again, and the foreign invasion of his tongue sliding deep into my mouth … well … I liked it.
So much.
Too much.
It felt sinful, but I didn’t want him to stop.
For a few seconds, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do with my tongue, but he showed me. Teased it. Teased me. And of all the lessons Fisher had tried to teach me up until that point, kissing was my favorite.
I was a good student. An eager student.
Then my phone rang, and I jumped, tearing myself away from him. I fished it out of my purse, a few inches away from where I sat on the counter. “Rory,” I said on a labored breath while I stared at the screen.
As I swiped the screen and brought it to my ear, Fisher stepped back, rubbing his well-kissed lips together while …
Oh my gosh!
He adjusted himself, and it gave me a moment’s pause, a little shock. I wasn’t experienced, but I also wasn’t stupid. I knew he was adjusting his erection, but for some reason I still felt a little shocked that kissing me did that to him.
Seeing my shock, he rolled his eyes and murmured, “Don’t look so surprised.”
I swallowed and cleared my throat, a tiny smile (a little triumphant) stole my lips as I found my voice. “Hey!”
“Hi. You sound happy. A good day?” Rory asked.
“Yeah, it was … fine.”
Fisher grabbed his jacket from the sectional and walked up the stairs. No look back. No kisses blown in my direction. I realized it was his way of giving me some privacy, but it was like th
e text … I wanted the emoji, the wink.
Something!
“I have some good news,” Rory said, bringing me out of my Fisher bubble.
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Things are going well here. And I’ll be home early. Next week.”
“That’s … great.”
Rory laughed. “Don’t sound so enthused. I thought you’d be excited. I felt bad leaving right after we reunited after so long. Once I get home, we’ll have all the time we want to do whatever you want. And I have so much to tell you. So many things have been left unsaid for too long.”
I wasn’t sure what that really meant.
“Have you met any friends at church yet? Or work? Hailey is sweet, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, I like her a lot.”
“Any boys at church that have caught your attention?”
“Uh … no.” My face wrinkled. “And let’s call them guys not boys. I’m not dating twelve-year-olds.”
“Sorry. Guys. Young men. And there’s no need to rush into anything. You are so young. Love can be incredibly messy and confusing. Find you first.”
“I’m not lost.”
“Reese, you know what I mean.”
“I actually like working for Fisher.”
“Well, sure. But there’s not a lot of room for advancement unless you’re going to actually learn to build stuff.”
“He’s going to teach me some things.”
“Oh, he is? Like … he’s going to teach you things about construction?”
“I think so. I asked him if he would.”
There was a pause before she replied with a “Huh … okay. He’s a talented guy. I’m sure he’s the best one to teach you things.”
I couldn’t have agreed more.
“Hope you’re being smart around his crew. He’s employed a lot of single guys who I’m sure will find you quite appealing, but they need to remember you’re eighteen.”
“Which means I’m an adult.”
She sighs. “Yes, but guys with five to ten years on you are not in your best interest right now unless you meet them at church. Alcohol. Sex. Drugs. I just don’t want you getting in over your head before you reach twenty. I’d love for you to find a group of friends close to your age.”