Lizzie unlocks the door to her apartment and turns to face me. “My brothers were all boy and rarely wanted to play with me, but by the time Em came along, I had a sidekick for life.” Something crosses her beautiful face. Even in the dim light illuminating the stairway, I don’t miss the sadness in her eyes.
“You miss her.”
She sighs. “I miss them all, but I definitely miss her. She’ll be going off to college in a few months, and with me here, I don’t get to see her nearly as much as I used to. I’m hoping after her high school graduation, I can get her here for a few days or a week. I’ll have to work, but she really wants to come and just hang out.”
“I only got to spend a few minutes with her, but I enjoyed meeting her when she was here with your family,” I say, reaching up and giving a gentle tug to one of her curls.
“She’s feistier than I am,” Lizzie states with a cheesy grin. “She’s all Walker Meyer.”
I chuckle at the image she paints. “Well, thankfully she looks more like your mom than your dad.”
“She’s the perfect mixture of both in every regard,” she replies just as another yawn erupts.
“All right, I’ve kept you out here longer than I should. You’re exhausted.”
She nods. “Yeah.”
Stepping into her personal space, I keep her fingers entwined with my own, just so I’m not tempted any more than I already am to take this further than a kiss. Then, I move in, pressing my lips to hers and feeling that smoldering layer of desire ignite once more.
But somehow, I rein it in. I taste, but I don’t devour. If I do, I’m liable to throw her over my shoulder and extend our night together inside her apartment. While that’s what I’d love to do, that’s not taking this slow, the way we just discussed downstairs.So, I keep my wits about me and the kiss from escalating to steamy.
Instead, I savor. I revel in the feel of her lips, the slide of her tongue. My unoccupied hand comes up to cup her cheek, my thumb caressing the smooth line of her jaw. When I let it trail down her neck, she shivers, and I can feel the goosebumps on her skin.
“I’ll see you soon, Lizzie,” I murmur against her lips, placing one more chaste kiss to her skin.
“I’ll be here,” she whispers, her fingers gripping the side of my shirt as if it were the anchor she needs to keep her grounded.
Pulling back, I give her a slight smile, release her hand, and turn to head down the stairs. “Lock up.”
“I will.”
When I reach the base of the stairs, I glance back and say, “Now, Lizzie. Lock up now.”
“Yes, sir,” she states with a mock salute that makes my cock twitch in my pants.
She waves before slipping inside her apartment and closing the door. I listen for the sound of the locks engaging, and only when I hear the distinct sound do I push out the back door. I check the handle to make sure it’s also locked, and only then do I shove my hands in my pockets and make my way to my truck.
When I slide inside the cab and start the engine, I smile. I can still feel her against my lips, taste her on my tongue. As I throw the truck into reverse and pull from my parking spot, I realize I’m in trouble. Not the kind of mischievous trouble I found myself in when I was younger. This trouble causes a rapid beat in my chest.
That kiss wasn’t enough.
No, there’s no going back now.
I’m completely addicted to Lizzie Meyer.
I shut off the mower and leave it in the yard. Not because I’m lazy and don’t want to put it away, but simply because if I don’t go up to my deck and find out why Cade is here, he’s liable to sit there and drink all my beer without a care in the world.
“What’s up, dickhead?” I ask, dropping onto the Adirondack chair next to him.
“This the only beer you have?” he asks, making a face.
“You tell me. You were in my fridge.” I wait a few seconds before adding, “You know it’s barely eleven.”
He shrugs. “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”
I grunt in response and survey my backyard. It was one of the reasons I picked this house when I was looking. It’s spacious, has a firepit, and ample space for entertaining. “I thought for sure you’d come up to the Lizard last night,” I state.
He takes another pull from the bottle of beer. “I was gonna but found a friend to…entertain.” He waggles his eyebrows, as if I needed any further clarification as to what he meant.
