“Well, actually…” Toby started, but then he paused. “I just think Corbin will be different,” he finally said.
“At the very least, I’ve made a new friend. I did invite him over for lunch today,” I admitted.
“Ohmygod!!! Sebbie! You have a date and you didn’t tell me!” Toby yelled.
“It isn’t a date,” I insisted. “I just invited him over for lunch.”
“Oh, it’s totally a date,” Toby said.
Shit. Was it a date? I bit my lip, then I mumbled, “Do you think that he thinks it's a date?”
“Do you want it to be a date?”
“Of course I want it to be a date! But what if I think it’s a date and he doesn’t think it’s a date? And I’m terrible at dates! We just went through the history of my disastrous dating life, and we didn’t even cover half the guys! Lunch with a friend I can deal with, but a date? He’ll probably accidentally catch on fire. And I’m not even cooking anything!”
“Sebbie, you’ll be fine. Corbin is super nice, and I promise that you don’t have to worry about setting him on fire.” Toby chuckled a little, obviously finding my dating crisis mildly amusing.
If I wasn’t in the middle of said crisis, I would have found it amusing, too.
Then, to make matters infinitely worse, I heard a tapping sound at my front window and then a caw.
“Oh my god,” I whispered. “I think he’s here.”
“Who’s there?” Toby whispered back. “Are you in trouble? Should I gather the troops?”
I rolled my eyes. “I think Corbin is here!” I hissed. “And now I don’t know if this is a date or not, and I’m totally not going to be able to stop thinking about whether or not I’ll get a goodbye kiss! Do I lean in for the kiss, or do I wait for him to make a move? And if he doesn’t think it’s a date, that’ll be totally awkward! I’ll be standing there like an idiot with puckered lips, and he’ll probably lean back, fall over, and get a concussion, because that’s my luck!”
Toby laughed, and I couldn’t help smiling in return. Okay, yeah, I was being a little dramatic.
“Go answer the door, and have a good date!” Toby sing-songed, and then he hung up.
I looked at the door, and then, as if on cue, there was a knock. I took a deep breath, walked to the front door, and opened it.
Corbin was standing there wearing jeans that fit him like a second skin and a black t-shirt, despite the fact that it was a cooler day for spring. Once again, I got a prime view of his very sexy tattoos and all his muscles expertly outlined by his t-shirt. His hair was down, and I couldn’t help thinking about running my hands through it. His scruff was sexy as fuck, and his lips were quirked into a smile.
“Hi,” I said, standing there kind of like an idiot.
I heard a caw, and Crow flew in, circled the living room, and then settled on the couch. I turned to watch her, and smiled when she fluffed her feathers. “Hi, Crow.”
She cawed at me, tilting her head a bit.
I turned back and almost squeaked, because Corbin was standingright there. Like, I could reach a hand out and touch that sexy chest.
I looked up, and he was staring intently down at me. He reached a hand up and brushed it along my cheek, and goosebumps rose along my arms at the featherlight touch.
“Hi,” I whispered again, staring into his eyes. He had the most beautiful eyes, and they were looking at me so intensely that a shiver ran through my body.
“Hi,” he murmured.
Then he leaned down, and ohmygod, he was going to kiss me.
I angled my face up and closed my eyes, and he cupped my cheeks with both hands as his lips pressed against mine.
His lips were warm, soft, and gentle. They lingered on my closed lips, and I heard him inhale. Then his tongue gently touched against my lips, and I opened my mouth to him.
He kissed me slowly, languidly, like we had all the time in the world. Our tongues flirted with one another, our lips pressed then eased, our mouths moving to get different angles and different tastes. His hands moved off my face and wrapped around my body, pulling me in close to him until our bodies were pressing together.
His hard body against mine was a sharp contrast to the gentleness of his kiss, and I pressed closer, feeling… impatient. I used my teeth to nip at his bottom lip, and I heard a low growl rumble from him.
