by Chloe Grey
His lips curled into a smile. “How was—”
“His cock was as glorious as you said, Zane. All huge and thick and everything.” My cheeks started heating up. “I need to go. Kev is waiting for me.”
“I was about to ask how your dinner was and remind you that you forgot to order food for me last night, but I really appreciate the details and would like to hear more.”
“I gotta go,” I squealed. I didn’t mean to squeal, but my stupid tongue (or was it my throat?) decided to embarrass me even more.
“Kev, huh?”
I stopped turning the doorknob. “Huh?”
“Kev,” he said. “Not long ago, you were calling him Mr. Asshole two. This is a huge improvement.”
“I really gotta go.”
“Then go,” he laughed, his voice back to normal. “I’m not stopping you.”
I opened the door, but Zane spoke again before I could leave.
“Your kids with him are going to be so pretty.”
“Zane,” I groaned. “I don’t want to think about that right now.”
Before he could reply, I walked out and closed the door behind me. Kevin was waiting for me in our tiny kitchen, tapping the stove with a finger and gazing at apparently nothing. He came to attention when I walked to him, his discriminating blue gaze raking over my body.
“Hey,” he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“Sorry I took so long.” I closed the remaining distance between us and accepted the welcoming peck on my lips. He tasted of honey and peppermint—probably from the peppermint mouthwash I noticed in his bathroom.
“You look beautiful as always. But I stand firm with what I said. You look the best naked.”
We started cooking breakfast. I handed him the ingredients when needed and listened as he talked.
“Some people like to season their omelet during the cooking process, but my mom taught me it’s best to season before, so the seasoning is evenly spread out.”
“Just stick with the simples,” he continued, his voice so damn smooth and sexy as he sprinkled the seasoning to the beaten eggs. “There’s a reason why salt and pepper is the most used seasoning. You don’t need to go over the top with them. My mom always said less is more.”
He picked up the heated pan and dropped a knob of butter in it. “This is a non-stick pan. Do you see the butter? It doesn’t sizzle or make a sound when I drop it. You want the butter to melt onto the pan slowly, and you want a high-quality butter too. That’s the secret.”
That went on for almost ten minutes. I listened attentively, hanging on to every word he said. I wanted to learn how to cook, and a free lesson was a blessing. After the short lesson, we sat at the dining table with two plates and two huge and two delicious omelets. And I had cooked mine myself!
FOR THE FIRST TIME since we met, we walked side by side to work but we didn’t hold hands. We had talked about this on the drive to work. While we both agreed we wouldn’t keep our relationship a secret anymore and would inform anyone who asked that we were indeed together, both of us weren’t so eager to scream it to the world—at least not to our colleagues.
We crammed inside the elevator that was full of suits and smelled of a hundred different colognes all mixed up. I almost gasped when a hand squeezing the back of my thigh, just below my ass. I poked Kevin on the ribs, hard, when I realized it was him.
Sam stood up and greeted Kevin when she saw us. Kevin waved at her and walked straight to his office while I stopped in front of her desk for a little chat.
“That outfit looks so good on you!” Sam exclaimed with a wide smile. “Where did you get it?”
I told her where, and we made some small talk. Sam complained about the wedding again and asked me if I wanted to sneak away early to go to a karaoke bar.
“I don’t know...” I said, shifting on my feet. Kevin might not want to sneak out with us and I didn’t want to ditch him. I had to ask him first.
“It’s only a thought. Anyway, do you want to see more pictures of Wally? I took him to the dog park yesterday and I have some really cute photos.”
I told her I wanted to see them, and we chatted some more. Eventually, I had to get back to my desk before the boss got ticked off that I was spending office hours chatting and not working, especially when everyone around us was so busy.
Chapter 27
“Could you take a cab and go to a restaurant called Healthy Fuel for our lunch?”
I placed his schedule on his desk and watched as he made the surrounding glass walls around us opaque. “Yeah, sure. Do you like the place?”
“It’s decent. It’s just that I want us to start eating healthier from now on.”
I sat on the edge of his desk instead of the leather seats. “Still worried about me losing my curves?”
He smiled sexily, and I automatically broke into a grin. “That’s part of the reason. We should start heading to the gym together too. Having a workout partner again would be nice.”
“Sure.”
My eyes followed him as he stood up and rounded his desk, stopping inches away from me. Leaning down, he tilted his head and kissed me. I brought my hand to his cheek as his tongue slipped through my parting lips. The peppermint taste he had this morning was now faint, his honey taste blossoming.
He broke the kiss, stared at me for a little while, and then leaned back in to give me a little peck, making my insides go all warm and fuzzy.
“You don’t have plans tonight, right?”
“Nope.” I was still swooning.
“Good. Now you do.”
“Are we going to someplace nice?”
His eyes were bright. “Someplace special.”
“I can’t wa—” I giggled and slapped his arm when he slid a hand under my skirt. “Kev! Not in the office.”
“You’re wearing panties,” he commented dryly.
I looked around us, making sure the glass walls were still opaque before retorting a reply. “And they are not coming off.”
Even as I said that, his thumb hooked over my panties, tugging.
“Kev,” I said slowly. “Get your hands off my panties.”
Surprisingly, he did. He released his grip and backed away, patting the center of his desk.
“What will it take for you to bend over and allow me to fuck you right here?”
I ignored the growing throb at my core and my increasing pulse. “That is not going to happen.”
“Are you sure?” He was smirking now, as if he was taking my denial as a challenge.
“Positively. We can do it as many times as you want in your bedroom but—”
“Our.”
“What?”
“Our bedroom,” he corrected me. “You’re moving in, remember?”
“Same thing,” I said. “We can fuck like rabbits there, but this is a place of business and I...” I laughed. “I can’t believe I’m lecturing my boss on professionalism.”
He exhaled and moved in close. Our lips were inches apart, our breaths mingling. I stared at his lips as he spoke.
“I just lose all sense when I’m around you. And I’ve never had this feeling with anyone —ever.”
“Someone has to be the brains.”
He leaned back and laughed.
We smiled at each other for a while. He took my hand and squeezed, and I looked down at the ground, blushing. Every time he showed me sweet affection, I acted like a lovestruck teenage girl. It was cringy, but hey, no one else was watching.
When I looked up again, he brushed locks of my hair behind my ear and stroked my cheek with his thumb.
“I’m so lucky to have you,” he whispered.
“Me too. This might be...” I hesitated. Should I say it? I should, right? Because I knew it was true. “This month... meeting you... this might have been the best time I ever had in my life.”
His brows lifted, but he said nothing.
I continued. “I know it sounds pathetic, but—”
“It is
n’t. I’m glad you think that. It means I’m doing something right.”
We were kissing again, my hands on the sides of his torso, feeling his hardened muscles under my palms, and his were somewhere lost on my body. We broke the kiss mutually, and he continued. “I’m loving my time with you as well.”
I caught sight of the huge clock perched behind him and cleared my throat. “I should get back to work. Clients are probably calling.”
He nodded, his eyes still on mine. “I’ll see you at lunch, okay?”
I let him go and backed off. “Okay.”
As I turned around and walked towards the exit, my chest pounding and my heart thrumming in my ears, I could only think of one thing. It was too soon. Way too soon. Way way too soon. I knew it, and if I told Zane, he would confirm it. I had always made the same mistake, but I knew Kevin Bond was going to be the exception.
He had to be. Because there would be no one after him, no hope for me left.
I was falling in love.
Again.
Chapter 28
“He went overboard, didn’t he?” Zane commented as he helped me hang the dresses Kevin had bought for me. “You’re so lucky, cookie. I wish my boyfriend treated me this well.”
“I’ll have to ask him to stop,” I muttered as I studied the new bright purple dress I was holding. “I feel bad making him buy all this for me.”
“Why? He has the money, and he wants to pamper you. Let him.”
I hung the last of my clothing into Kevin’s closet. “I don’t know. I just feel bad.”
“Don’t feel bad.” Zane crossed the room and plopped face down on my boyfriend’s bed with his arms spread wide. “Man, even his bed smells of pineapple.”
I smiled and sat on the edge, pulling out my phone and checking Instagram.
Zane spoke up. “So?”
I looked at him. “So what?”
“How is he in bed?”
I made a face. “Why are you such a perv? My sex life is private.”
Zane flopped to his belly and rested his chin on his hands. “Come on, cookie. He is good, isn’t he? I mean, fuck, just look at him. He excludes an aura of pure sex.”
I took a pillow and buried my face with it, so he couldn’t see me smiling. “Shut up.”
Zane was trying to pry the pillow away from me. I held firm. But Zane reached over and tickled my belly. I burst out laughing and loosened my grip on the pillow.
The pillow was tossed away, and Zane mounted me with an evil grin on his face. “He’s good, isn’t he?”
“Zane—stop!” I couldn’t contain my laughter as he tickled the spots under my ribs. I tried to grab his hands, but he was too agile. “Okay, okay! Yes, he’s—he’s good! Stop! He’s good!”
“I knew it.” He stopped ticking me and grinned triumphantly. “How about—”
Zane yelped as I shoved him off. His back hit the mattress, and before he could react, I jumped on top of him. Now it was my turn to tickle him.
“Cookie, no—don’t you dare!” But it too late. I tickled him everywhere, and he burst out laughing, trying to grab my hands or shove me off him. He did eventually, but at least I had gotten my revenge.
A minute later, we lay side by side, both of us panting and teary-eyed.
“Are you happy with him so far?” Zane asked, staring at the ceiling.
I nodded. “Yeah. He’s the best boyfriend I’ve ever had. He treats me well and makes me feel so valued.”
“About damn time someone does.” He sat up and looked down at me seriously. “Wait. When you guys get married, I can’t be the best man, right? Since you’re the bride and all.”
I laughed. “You’re thinking wayyyyy too far ahead.”
Zane was busy checking his phone. “Nevermind. There’s a thing called the man of honor. Nice.”
I shook my head. “Sometimes you’re so damn weird.”
“Do you think he’s the one?”
“Kevin?”
“Yeah.”
“I really hope so.” I grew quiet and whispered my fears. “What if it doesn’t work out, Zane? If Kev isn’t the one, what chance would I have?” I shot him a warning look. “And don’t give me the ‘there are seven billion people on Earth’ crap.”
“He’s the one, cookie. I can tell you are extremely happy with him.”
“I am. Hell, I think I’m already falling madly in love. Before you say anything, I know it’s way too quick, and I know I’m making the same mistakes when I swore I wouldn’t.”
“He’s that good, huh?”
I smiled, dreamily thinking of blue eyes and chiseled torso. “Yeah.”
“I can’t tell you how happy I am for you. Truly.”
“How about you?” I asked. “How are things with Jason?”
“Great. How about that? We move here, and our lives turn a complete three-sixty. It’s crazy how unpredictable life is.” Zane hopped out of bed and raised his arms over his head. “Anyway, where is Kevin? Shouldn’t he be back by now?”
I found my phone at the edge of the bed and looked at it. There was a new message. I jumped out of bed as soon as I read it. “I’ve got to go. Kev is waiting for me downstairs.”
“You’re wearing that for your date? Didn’t he say you were going someplace special?”
“He told me to wear casual, so...” I looked down at my pink T-shirt and cropped denim jeans. “I think I look alright.” I paused and glanced at Zane. “Don’t I?
“You do. You always do.” Zane pushed me towards the front door and blew me a kiss. “Enjoy your date.”
WE DIDN’T GO TO A RESTAURANT. Instead, we drove to a high-rise condo. We cleared past security at the gate and went underground to park. Kevin was full of surprises today. Were we going to eat at a restaurant here? Or was this where he actually lived? And most importantly—why were there roses at the backseat?
Kevin hopped out of the car and attempted to open the door for me. I didn’t realize that, and I got out of the car by myself, laughing when I noticed him standing at the front of the car, frowning cutely at me, if being cute while frowning was a thing—but he did look cute.
My boyfriend was sporting a light green shirt and ripped jeans, looking so goddamn breathtaking. His outfit was tight, and the shirt strained from his muscles every time he moved.
“Let’s go,” he said, taking off his sunglasses. He locked his car and guided me to the elevators with a hand against the small of my back, the bouquet of flowers on his other hand.
I knew what he was thinking as soon as the door slid closed and he pressed for the tenth floor. No one was in the elevator with us, and there was a camera perched at the corner above us.
He moved closer to me. “I can make you come before we hit the tenth floor. Want to bet on it?”
“Impossible,” I laughed, although I wasn’t as confident on the inside. “And don’t give me that crap about blind spots again. I only let you finger me at that time because... you know.”
He noticed me staring at the roses at his hand. “Sorry, babe,” he said. “These aren’t for you.”
It was stupid, but I felt a little pang of jealousy. I scrapped it up as an unintentional reflex. “Who are they for?”
“You’ll see. But...” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small fancy box.
Oh my god.
The flowers. The box. It all made sense.
He was going to propose to me. In a fucking elevator. I would have to reject him, of course. There was no way I was getting married. Not now. Not until my debts were all paid off and I had at least high five digits in my bank account. Not until I have no doubts Kevin was the man for me.
But then again, if he wasn’t, I was doomed. That would make eleven exes and zero chance for me to open up my heart again. Should I accept his proposal then? If I made him all mine, I wouldn’t have the sleepless nights of worrying I would end up old and alone.
Oh, god. I had no idea what to do.
“I can’t do it,” I shrieked
. “Not now, Kev!”
“What?”
“If we’re still together in, like two years, then I’ll do it. But not now. I can’t!”
“What?” He looked at me and then at the box. “I—this isn’t a ring, Audrey.”
“What?” I was literally panting in a fucking elevator. “What is it then?”
He opened the box, revealing a silver necklace. A diamond coin—the coin’s surface was littered with little diamonds—was adorned at the center with the letter ‘A’ engrained on it. “It’s just a necklace.”
“Oh.”
“Yes.”
“Oh.” I felt so stupid.
The elevator door slid open, revealing a couple in their forties. They looked at Kevin, the opened box he was holding, me with my wide eyes and heavy breathing. We all stood there like statues until the elevator door started to close. Kevin stopped it with a hand, grabbed mine, and escorted me away, nodding at the confused couple.
“You thought it was a ring?” he asked.
“I—I don’t know. What was I supposed to think? You had flowers and took out a box.”
“Babe, we were in an elevator.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t know what to think, okay?”
“It’s okay,” he said, and gestured to the necklace. “Can I put this on you?”
I nodded.
He stepped behind me, and I lifted my hair to make it easier for him. The silver was cold, and it bit my skin as he placed it around my neck. The necklace was small, almost like a choker, and I rubbed the coin between my thumb and index finger as he secured the back. It felt good, and expensive.
“There,” he said, circling back to my front. “Do you like it?”
I nodded again. “Thank you.”
“No need. Anything for you.”
We walked along the corridors hand in hand until we reached room 031. I assumed Kevin would retrieve a keycard from his pocket, but instead, he knocked on the door a few times and squeezed my hand.
“Don’t be nervous,” he told me.
I frowned. “I’m not nervous. I don’t even know what’s going on.”
He nodded and exhaled.