by Moon, Mia
In all, great news. My job became a little easier and I could tackle my goals. As far as my professional life, everything was awesome.
On the personal front, however, I was already second-guessing everything.
Two handsome men wanted to hang out. Or date. Or…something. Wait. No. Four handsome men, if you counted Josh and Alex. But were they dates? No. They were just buddies. I was one of the guys to them. Ken’s friend.
But what if Ken wasn’t cool with me going on a date with Nathan? I didn’t owe him anything, but still.
What if Nathan wasn’t cool with me kissing Ken, and then sleeping in Ken’s bed—even if no actual penis in vagina action happened? Although Nathan and I weren’t a couple and I didn’t owe him anything, either.
Nothing like this had even remotely happened to me before. There was absolutely no overlap in my past dating life. How much information did I owe each guy?
So perplexing.
I wasn’t anyone’s girlfriend and there were no dates completed so far, so why was I worried? That ugly possibility of jealousy between the men kept rearing its head. If none of them knew each other, I wouldn’t be this worried.
But what if I was one kiss away from ruining their friendship? The very thought of that made me uncomfortable.
Over the course of the previous night, I'd learned that Alex and Nathan were friends since freshman year in high school, and they’d met Ken and Josh in hockey camp.
That was a massive bond to toy with. But what were my options? Blow off Nathan before our first date by telling the truth?
Sorry, I’ve just always wanted Ken and now I have a chance at him?
That hardly seemed fair. Plus, I was intrigued by the dark and broody-looking Nathan.
“It’s like every wish I ever made came true, with the worst timing,” I said to my ceiling.
A chime sounded, and my phone vibrated. I pressed the screen.
“Hello?”
“Violet?” It was Nathan.
Speak of the devil. “Hey, there. I was just thinking of you. What’s up?”
“Good thoughts?”
I grinned at the wall. “Very good.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Thought I’d give you a call and confirm our plans, unless you’re busy.”
I sat at my desk and stared at my computer screen. His voice was so freaking sexy. “I’m free.”
“Work’s coming along okay?”
“Yeah. Still have a lot to do today but I’m chugging along.” I closed my eyes and imagined his unusual green-gold eyes. Both and Ken and Nathan had stunning eyes. Ken’s was like staring at a Colorado sky in winter, on the first sunny day after a blizzard. Nathan’s were like a panther’s.
Of course, Alex’s brown eyes were warm and kind. And damn, Josh’s green ones were the color of rare sea glass.
I groaned to myself. Not a great sign to be thinking about all four hot guys at once. “How’s your day so far?”
“Busy. But I had a minute to call. About our date, I thought we could meet up before dinner and walk around downtown. Look at the shops.”
“Perfect.”
“There’s a row of restaurants and I’d let you take your pick.”
I scrunched my face, glad he couldn’t see me. “I hate to say this, but I am notoriously bad at picking where to eat. What I think sounds good is never what I end up wanting once I have a menu in front of me.”
He chuckled. “Okay, I’ll decide after I’ve walked you to near exhaustion up and down the cobblestones. You’ll eat or die.”
“Deal.” I grinned at my monitor.
* * *
Nathan appeared at four, on the dot, as promised. I’d only been waiting a few minutes outside the shop we chose as our meeting spot, but in truth I’d been so paranoid about arriving late I’d already spent fifteen minutes pacing the block.
I lived nearby, but I wanted to give myself plenty of time. Stranger things have happened than me taking more than twenty minutes to walk a five-minute distance.
I pulled my hand through my tangled brown waves, trying to fix what the breeze had ruined. I’d attempted to curl my hair, and now it looked like a windblown mess. Nathan looked pulled together. His dark hair was tousled from the walk, but in a casually messy way. And I’d like to mess it up even more, truth be told.
He had a hunter green sweater on under a brown leather coat and dark jeans. As handsome and sexy as I'd remembered.
He gave me a quick hug, pressing his solid frame against mine and making me swoon. “You look gorgeous,” he said, scanning me up and down. “I might just have you for dinner.”
I tried not to smile at his cheesy line.
“Too much?” He cocked an eyebrow.
"Nope. I'll give a B for effort and an A for delivering it without seeming creepy." I giggled.
He took my hand and looked me in the eyes, leaving me breaths under his gold-green stare. “I’m off my game, but the night is still young. I’ll make it up to you.”
I nodded and glanced around. “Where to first?”
“The knickknack store,” he said guiding me forward. “Don’t ask, I want you to be surprised.”
As we walked I searched the large window displays, wondering what he meant. After a few minutes, he pulled open a glass set of doors and ushered me into a shop the width of an alley.
The heat of the interior made me pull off my wool coat, and while I did that, I tried to take in the wall-to-wall assortment of trinkets. Everything from tiny ceramic frogs to large open-faced clocks decorated the store.
I leaned over and peered at small owl whose eyes were magnifying glasses atop a body made from assorted bolts.
“Knickknacks,” I whispered softly.
“Everything you could ever never need, all piled into a cozy shop,” the shop owner announced cheerily from behind the counter. “Let me know if you need any help.”
I waved to the owner and nodded, speechless.
Nathan followed me as I moved in slow motion through the shelves, examining, touching, and studying at what I found. A rabbit made of cogs and small copper pipe segments caught my eye and I inspected it for several minutes.
I didn’t own anything like this, or like anything in this store, for that matter. My apartment was clear of clutter and I preferred it that way. I was a minimalist. But one little rabbit wouldn’t make a mess of things, would it?
I moved along and sifted through a basket of handmade beaded dragon key chains. “I never would’ve guessed you’d bring me to a place like this,” I said over my shoulder.
“Really? It seemed like the best place to start a date with an artist,” he replied.
I shrugged. “Maybe. I guess I’m not used to being considered an artist. Most of what I do is on the computer, and it’s treated like something else entirely.”
“Does that mean you’re not enjoying it here?” he asked poking the side of a contraption that seemed to be a steampunk-themed business card holder. Everything in the store seemed to have a steampunk vibe, with cogs and wheels and timepieces. Interesting.
“No, I love this. It’s like someone’s imagination exploded, and I get to sift through the pieces.”
There was something inspiring about the shop’s random assortment. My mind swam with innovative ideas I could incorporate into my game project, and I tried to jot everything down in my mental notebook. Maybe I’d come back here alone.
Then it hit me. “You know, I don’t live far away but I’ve never been here. I need to get out more.”
He shot me that panty-melting smile. “I’m glad you like it. We’re just starting.”
6
I scraped the last bit of creamy strawberry cheesecake from the plate and licked my fork clean.
“This was amazing,” I purred. “I’m usually not a cheesecake person. What do they put in this? Some sort of addictive substance?”
Nathan smiled at me, his eyes flitting to my lips, making me wonder if I had cream on them. I licked them and he
grinned. “I have no idea. I just know it’s the best in town for a reason. And I’ll know what to get you for your birthday dessert.”
I put my fork down and sighed, content. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a date this perfect. It’s gonna be hard to top.”
“Yeah?” He reached across the table and took my hand, his fingers curling around mine. “That means you want to do this again?”
During our time together I’d been asking myself that, over and over. Was Nate a better match for me than Ken? The chemistry was definitely there. Holding his hand felt meant to be, and unlike Ken he wouldn’t be jetting around the country half the year.
“I think so, except one thing.” The one thing that had been bothering me from the beginning. “Why didn’t you tell me you were friends with Ken when we first met? You acted so cool when I said I was there to see him, and since everyone else knew about me, didn’t you too?”
Maybe I should’ve let it slide, but it felt weird. He nodded slightly, and his thumb traced a slow circle over the back of my hand.
“I didn’t want to come across as a creep,” he said carefully. “Yeah, Ken’s mentioned you more than once, but when I sat down next to you I had no idea who you were. I honestly ended up by you because you looked cute and lost.”
I ignored the compliment, sweet as it was. “Coincidences happen, you didn’t have to hide the truth.”
“I know. It was nice to get to know you as a stranger. I wanted to avoid everything seeming one-sided. I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable. I wanted you to talk about yourself and just… see what would naturally happen.”
I searched his expression and words but found nothing but honesty. Put that way I supposed I could excuse the lie of omission. But talking to him made me realize something I’d missed before—to Ken’s friends I was just a girl.
If he had intentions of forming a relationship with me, wouldn’t he have told the men he considered his brothers how he felt, given that he’d told them other things? They knew about our past in high school and they knew random facts about me, so why wouldn’t they know if he had feelings? Or did guys not talk about that kind of stuff?
Maybe they didn’t.
Still, the guilt I felt for seeing Nathan slipped away. He had no idea what Ken wanted any more than I did.
“Do you forgive me?” Nathan asked.
“Yes,” I said glancing at his hand over mine.
The waitress returned the check and Nathan released my hand to put away his credit card. Our date was coming to a close, but I was greedy. Why did it need to end? The time had flown.
We stood and walked outside, quiet and probably both wondering what would happen next. I turned, trying to figure out to the direction of my apartment. The restaurant was an elegant hole in the wall—something I didn’t know existed—and it felt like we’d made a dozen turns to get here.
I studied the buildings, trying to orient myself while thinking of an excuse to prolong the night. He slipped his arm around my back, under my coat, trapping me and pulling me close.
I searched his eyes. Was this a goodbye kiss? I wasn’t ready to call it a night.
“Would you like coffee?” I asked out of nowhere.
“I would love coffee,” he said with a dramatic emphasis on ‘love.’
“My place is a few blocks away. It’s not fancy,” I offered with a grin.
He glanced over my shoulder. “You live downtown?”
“Sort of. It’s more like a few blocks and a quick run across a busy intersection,” I admitted. “But I have whipped cream I can put on top of the coffee.”
“You had me at busy intersection,” he teased. “Why don’t I just drive us? I would never live it down if our date ended with us being run over.”
I pretended to think it over before saying, “Deal.”
He bent down and kissed my forehead. “God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered. Pressing his fingertips against my lower back he nudged me to walk with him, sending little waves of giddy anticipation through me.
* * *
I squirted a hefty dollop of whipped cream onto Nathan’s coffee as promised and presented it to him.
“Why do you have whipped cream?” he asked. “I swear no one keeps this stuff on hand at random.”
I bit my lip a moment while I topped my coffee with a fluffy white swirl. “Shots,” I admitted. “I read a book about a shot called a blowjob. It requires whipped cream and you’re supposed to do it with no hands.”
He stared at me, one brow arched.
“I’m serious, and it’s harder than it sounds. I nearly swallowed the shot glass.” I put the can down and shook my head. “Never again.”
“I have so many questions,” he said laughing.
As I sat next to him on the sofa, I feared that it would be awkward. I had a studio apartment and the bed loomed nearby. But something about his casual, sprawling limbs, his lazy grin and the way he glanced at me, calmed my nerves.
“You’re the first person I’ve had over,” I said as I realized it.
He took a drink of his coffee and wiped his lip off. “I feel honored.” He turned his head, taking the room in. He’d already complimented it, but now he seemed to scrutinize. “Not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
"Ah, you know. Girly things. Aren't women supposed to have curtains and art and, I dunno? Flowered sashes draped everywhere?"
My space was so bare it looked like I’d only lived there a week instead of two months, but I liked the Spartan look. “At first it was from being broke. Now it’s because it’s much easier to keep clean.”
He nodded and reached out to stroke my cheek. “Before I make an ass of myself, am I just here for coffee?”
I paused, both hands wrapped around my warm mug. It was a good question. “I wasn’t ready for the night to end,” I admitted. “But if it’s just about the coffee, is that okay?”
“Of course, it’s okay,” he scoffed. “I had a wonderful time with you.”
I felt my cheeks heating up and chugged my coffee to keep from saying something stupid. I wanted to snuggle with him on my couch. I wanted to bring him to my bed. I wanted — oh hell, I didn’t know what I wanted.
I drank some more. Nothing in my life had ever been more confusing than having such strong feelings for two different guys at once.
He took the mug from me, prying my trembling fingers from the ceramic. Wordlessly, I watched him set it down on my coffee table. It was for my own good. Clearly my panic was obvious. He turned sideways on the couch to face me.
Brushing his fingers through my hair he studied my face.
“You’re beautiful, you know that?”
I shook my head. I’d always had a difficult time with compliments.
He came close and I couldn’t do much but stare. His lips covered mine with a kiss firmer than I’d expected, hungrier than I could’ve imagined.
My heart pounded in my ears as I leaned into him, seeking more of his heat and urgency. His tongue tangled with mine, and his arms wrapped around me, encasing me, keeping me close.
He pulled back, just an inch, still close enough that his lips touched mine when he asked, “Too much?”
“No,” I promised. I was breathy and felt dizzy, and I wanted more.
My hands threaded through his thick and soft hair. We moved together, touching, holding, and between one blink and the next I was lying against the sofa arm and he was pressed against me, between my legs.
His hand roamed under my shirt, caressing the bare skin of my waist, then finding my breast. Goosebumps raced up my arms. I moaned against his mouth and squirmed, grinding against the thick bulge of his cock.
“I want to rip your clothes off and bury myself in you,” he whispered into my ear. “Can’t wait to find out how wet you are.”
My stomach quivered, and I had a passing thought that surely my ovaries had just exploded. Before tonight, I thought dirty talk was stupid, but damn, was I wrong. Nathan’s g
ruff voice could make anything sound sexy. He could read the phone book aloud and I would probably have an orgasm.
“Not tonight,” I managed to squeak out. I kissed him once more before pushing gently on his chest.
He stared down at me with a wicked grin. “Not tonight… but another night?”
I laughed and looked away, needing a break from his addictive sex appeal. “I’m sorry. I can’t think straight around you,” I breathed. “You’re—”
“Too much?” he finished.
I bit my lip. He knew exactly was he was doing. I looked back at him, and he drowned me in his eyes. Holding my stare, he rolled his hips against my core, reminding me of the potential for hours of carnal delights.
“You’re killing me,” I whispered.
“No, you’re killing me. I’m good at waiting, but you make it painful,” he replied. He pushed himself off me, eyes twinkling and smirk cocky.
“We’ve known each other three days.” I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Men are so dramatic.”
“It’s been way more than three days since I last fucked,” he corrected. “But okay.”
I knew my cheeks were bright red and I stood, fanning my face. Inside, my stomach flipped at the idea that he hadn’t been screwing everything in sight.
“This is what I meant before. You are not like most IT guys I’ve met.”
He sighed and rose. “Yeah. And you’re not like anyone I’ve ever met.” He stood close to me, looking down and playing with an flyaway lock of my hair. “When do I get to see you again?”
“I don’t know… It’ll take me a few days to get a feel for my new work schedule.”
He kissed my forehead. “Okay. I won’t crowd you, but I’m not going to let you forget about me.”
“Forget about you? On what universe?” I asked in disbelief. “Have you seen you?”
He growled. “You are going to make me too full of myself.” He went to the door and grabbed his coat off the hook. “I should go. If I don’t leave now someone will have to come pry us apart.”