Without skipping a beat, he says, “I suggested the movies because he can come with us, if that’s what we have to do.”
“That’s not really a date then, is it?”
“I know you’re a package deal. And I fucking love that, because you’re two of my favorite people.” He takes hold of my hand and brushes his thumb over my knuckles. “If you want to get somebody to watch him for a few hours, I won’t complain about getting to kiss and touch you all night. But if that’s going to tip him off, I’m not pushing it.”
“I…I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m ready for real dating. Not with Jonas to think about.”
Sitting back, with the kind of wide-legged stance men always seem to have, he pulls the corner of his lip between his teeth. I’d remind him that the attentive stare he has is the same look he always bugs me about, but I can’t find the words. Time stretches on, the tension growing thicker, tauter, until it’s begging to snap. The longer we stay in this staring contest, the more I realize how easily I could lose myself in him.
My throat’s hoarse, giving my timbre a sultry undertone. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just trying to remember what the rule is for quicksand.” His Adam’s apple bobs. “When you know you’re sinking, do you fight it or do you give in?”
I remind myself to breathe. “You give in….”
“We’re in the quicksand together, honey. Quit fighting it.” He places his hand on the table, palm up. “Take my hand and give in.”
Without pause, my hand naturally fits in his, and I ground myself in the feeling of every callus and crease in his skin.
And suddenly I’m lifting from my seat, practically levitating, and moving to straddle his lap. When his lips find mine, I dive headfirst into the quicksand. It’s just the two of us here, sinking into bliss. He knots a hand in my hair. I inch my hips closer to his, giving in to the pull of desire. His tongue delves inside my mouth, and his fingertips trail down my spine. When they move to grab hold of my hips, digging into my soft flesh, I let out a small gasp.
Colt’s mouth paints the ridge of my jaw, then darts down to my pulse point, where he nips delicately. The heat between us is working away any remaining ache of my hangover, his hands burning deliciously against my skin. Fingers sliding back and forth along the waistband at the front of my pajama pants. I pull my lips in to wet them, leaning into the slow drag of his tongue and the way my thighs are now slick with arousal.
I grapple with the fabric of his shirt, needing it off. I needhis skin on mine. I need his hands on my breasts. I need his cock sliding inside me. I need, need, need…
“Drive-in theater.” He interrupts my spiral as his fingertips slip lower into my pants. “Next weekend.” He sucks my collarbone. “Find a babysitter.” His touch goes low enough to discover I’m waxed bare, with the exception of a dainty strip of hair. A groan rumbles in his chest. “And we’ll finish what we started here.”
Before I can attempt a roll of my hips to force him lower, he pulls his hand free of my pants and kisses me softly. Then he grabs my waist and lifts me from his lap. Back in my own chair, I sway in place, shell-shocked and panting with need. I stare at him. An irritated huff blows out of my nostrils.
“Our only agreement was kissing before the first date.” He seems awfully pleased with himself.Asshole.“But I know you’re a horndog, so I’ll leave you toenjoyyourself before Jonas comes home.”
“You’re sure you don’t want to watch me enjoy myself? You already did that last night, so waiting until after an official date has gone out the window.”
Sure, I have trouble with commitment and relationships, but I’m pretty damn proud of how sex positive and open I can be. And I hate giving Alex credit for any-fucking-thing, but at least a decade of being off-and-on with him means I’ve had a safe space to learn what I like and don’t like. Having a man watch me play with myself?Definite like.
“If I see your pretty pussy, or watch you come in broad daylight, I’m afraid I’ll be insatiable. I won’t be going home today. Jonas will catch us. It’ll all go up in fucking smoke, and I’m not going to regret a second.” He kisses me softly, then begins tidying our breakfast mess. Tapping the pink cinnamon roll box, he adds, “There’s two more in here, for you and Jonas to have later.”
“I’ll think about it…the date.”
His index finger points directly at me. “I’m gonna ask you out every day until you say yes.”
“What if I don’t?”
I hesitate to follow him to the door, hoping he’s about to change his mind and carry me to bed. He slips his shoes on, like this is a regular goodbye. And he kisses me, deepening it until I’m relying on the strength of his arms to keep me from melting to the ground.
“You will.” Hope lilts in his voice. “Because I’m pretty sure you want me almost as badly as I want you.”
He’s not wrong.After a final goodbye kiss, I peel myself away from him. “Remember, when Jonas is around, we’re only friends.”
“Pretending I’ve never kissed these lips—eventhought aboutkissing them—is going to be the hardest goddamn thing in the world. But I’ll do my best.”
Whit
My middle finger digs into the soft skin over my temple, and I stare at a slightly grainy image of a woman on the other end of a video call. A hiring manager who can’t seem to make up her mind exactly what the hell it is she’s wanting out of an employee. Doesn’t help that it’s Monday afternoon and I’mstilltrying to survive my lingering birthday hangover from Friday.
“Ms. Sharp, I sourced these candidates based on the list you sent me of ‘must-haves.’ To clarify, you’re now saying that some items on your ‘would be nice’ list are actually necessary for the job?” My eyebrows pull together. “Has the role changed?”
I try not to dissociate, reaching over to fiddle with the slightly off-kilter stack of paper loaded into my printer, listening to her pick apart the candidates it took me weeks to find for her. So many cold messages sent on LinkedIn, job postings on every hiring website, and paid advertisements for those postings.
