“Away from you!” I answered, waving my hand in the air.
We were having a pretty heated argument right there on the sidewalk in the middle of my neighborhood, but I couldn’t care about that.
“Selene!” he called, and I heard his footsteps behind me. I ignored him.
“Tinkerbell,” he tried again, like that nickname was going to get me to turn around. Another flop. “Babygirl,” he pressed, and I raised my middle finger at him.
“Now that I really consider it, it’s not so bad being behind you. At least this way I get a nice perspective on your ass,” he said, probably just to needle me, but I continued to walk forward determinedly.
“How good a look can you possibly be getting? I’m wearing a coat, genius,” I spit back, aware that he couldn’t have seen anything at all and that he was just trying to mess with me.
“I know your entire body by heart. How many times have I had you on all fours?” he said with a self-satisfied chuckle, and I stopped mid-step and looked around hastily, fearful that someone had heard him.
“Are you nuts?” I leveled a furious stare at him and adjusted my purse against my shoulder.
“You’re taking advantage of my patient nature here, Babygirl. I don’t chase after people, you know,” he answered, suddenly dead serious. The corner of my mouth quirked, and I narrowed my eyes.
“Apparently you do because you’re chasing me right now, aren’t you?” I asked sarcastically, and he cocked an eyebrow.
“Only because I want you to get back home safely. I promised your mother, you know.” He winked at me, and I felt the confidence drain out of me.
Did my mother seriously still plead with my dates to keep me safe?
But hold on a second…
How had Neil gotten past her thick armor in such a short time, anyway?
“Stop wondering why your mother trusts me. I’ll never tell,” he said, and my eyes went wide with surprise. Sometimes Neil’s ability to understand me actually scared me.
“I can’t deal with you anymore!” I continued walking.
For the first time, I missed us having sex without talking about anything.Absurd when, just a few minutes ago, the idea of only being “used” by Neil had genuinely upset me. Then, I was struck by a detail I had previously overlooked. Recently, Neil had been demonstrating a certain sexual restraint. On several occasions, he’d touched me without ever trying to cut to the chase. Each time, it felt like something was keeping him from letting go. Even in the pool house, when we had engaged in a kind of foreplay I had never even imagined doing with a man, he had stopped before he reached orgasm. The question was, why?
Lost in my thoughts, I failed to navigate around a pool of slush on the sidewalk. I slid across the icy concrete, and the heel of my boot snapped, making my ankle twist slightly.
“Nothing’s going right today,” I grunted in exasperation as Neil caught up with me. He looked at the shoe I would probably have to throw away and barely managed not to laugh at me. I fumed at him.
“Well, Cinderella, now that your slipper’s broken, where do you think you’re going?” he mocked me, but I refused to lose heart. On the contrary, I limped my way past him again. Maybe fate was against me, but like a true fighter, I wasn’t going to let anything keep me down.
“Come on, stop. You can’t walk like that,” came Neil’s voice from behind me, and moments later, he grabbed my wrist firmly enough to make me turn toward him. I was about to tell him to let me go when Neil moved to stand in front of me with his back facing my way and crouched down.
“I don’t know how long I’m going to be here, but I want you with me the whole time,” he admitted. “So get on.” He turned his face back slightly and pointed at his strong back, tucked under his tight leather jacket.
What?
“So I’m supposed to just mount you?” I leaned my head to one side and blinked several times.
“Yeah. I’d prefer to be the one doing the mounting, but I’ll settle for this,” he answered slyly. I should have been expecting that.
“Why do you always have to be such a perv?” I muttered, wrapping my arms around his neck. My fingers brushed against his hard pecs, and just then, his hands slipped down to the backs of my thighs so he could hitch me up. My coat briefly presented an obstacle, but he reached under it, andfinally Neil straightened up like I was no heavier than a feather. On instinct, I hugged his hips with my knees.
“You don’t mind my perverseness in bed,” he shot back wryly. “Hold on to me,” he added immediately, and I obeyed him. I also rested my cheek against his ear and let myself get drunk on his scent.
“People who see us are going to think we’re crazy,” I noted apprehensively as he walked on confidently, making me flinch a little with each step.
“So? How many times have I told you? Fuck what other people think,” he answered, and I huffed. Often, his replies left me at a loss for words, but instead of trying to think of something to say back, I just clung more tightly to him and enjoyed the warmth of his body. I could feel my heart throbbing in my belly.
“Keep going straight; I’m taking you to the best Coneys in Detroit,” I said, and he shot me a furtive glance over his shoulder. I studied his finely-drawn profile, his upturned eyes, and the long brown lashes from under which two beams of sunlight watched me.
