I’m a little ashamed at how fast I answer, “I very much am.”
Her cheeks get rosy again, and just like that, I know she’s imagining my cock once more—which, to my dismay, hasn’t deflated through the whole encounter. I haven’t prayed in two decades, but if that’s what it takes not to head home with blue balls, I’m about ready to kneel and ask the Almighty to do me a solid. She intrigues me, and I’m dying to know what brought her here. Also, I’d love to see her under me, mewling my name as I fuck her hard and show her just how intense I can get.
“I might be in contact,” she replies.
“And when would that be, red?”
“I’m not sure yet. All of this is still being debated.”
I nod, take a long chug of my beer, and set the glass back down. “I don’t normally do this, you know.”
“You just said you only do hookups,” she points out, confused.
“Exactly. Meet. Fuck. Move on. What I don’t do are these little dates to get to know each other.”
“That isn’t what this was.”
“Then what was it?”
She thinks about her answer for a moment. “See it as a job interview. A way to assess if we’re compatible.”
“I see… And how did I do?”
The faintest smile makes the corner of her lush mouth twitch when she replies, “You did adequately, Mr. Clarke. I’ll probably be in touch soon.”
After a polite nod, she stands from the cushioned seat with her things and walks away. With what I can only describe as whiplash, I stare at the firm roundness of her bum, watching how the purple fabric of her dress clings to it. I almost regret seeing that third picture from Eli’s screenshots. I wish I could have discovered what it looks like in person. But I’ve looked at that picture quite a bit, enchanted by the constellations that her freckles form there.
She’s fucking stunning, and I’m a little offended that she never turns around to check me out one last time. Then, once she’s done getting her coat back, it hits me.
“Adequately?” I mutter to myself.
No, that won’t do.
I spring to my feet and hastily walk after her. She’s already in the lobby when I catch up, and I call out, “Jessica!” She doesn’t respond to it, which forces me to quicken my pace. “Red!” I call out again. This time, she stops and turns to me with a nonplussed frown.
There’s a large potted palm right by where she stands, so I clasp her wrist and pull her toward it. “Adequately?” I ask as I release her, a little vexed.
“Adequately is good,” she defends herself. “It could have gone a lot worse.”
“It isn’t good in my books. I can’t let you leave finding me ‘adequate.’”
“What’s your plan?” Her big blue eyes squint at me, wary.
I hope I’m right about her being a lawyer when I say, “May I offer a closing argument?”
She hesitates for a couple of seconds, wondering if she should allow it or not. Fuck, I don’t even know what I’ll say if she agrees. She’s close enough that I can smell the cherry scent etched on her skin and admire the specks on her face. But this means I can also see she’s breathing a little too fast, and her pupils are bigger than they were moments ago. I’m not the only one affected by the closeness of our bodies.
“Alright,” she eventually decides.
I’m not proud of what I do next, but I can’t think past my need for her, especially not with the way her lips are slightly parted, as if inviting me to act on my ludicrous impulse.
Because I’m not one to force a woman to do anything without her consent, Islowlylower my face to level it with hers. She tenses all over but doesn’t recoil, her gaze fixed on mine. When I’m sure she would have pulled away or pushed me if she didn’t want this as much as I do, I close the small gap separating us and press my mouth to hers.
I have no fucking idea what’s going on, but the softness of her lips feels damn right. Because I don’t know what to do now, I stay frozen in place. As closing arguments go, this one’s quite shit, isn’t it? She’ll give me a resounding slap, blush furiously, and leave me there like the moron that I am.The fuck am I doing?
The instant she rises a little higher to intensify it, all of my worries vanish. My hands reach out for her waist, and I pull her in as I tilt my head, aligning our lips and deepening the contact. I swear she melts against me, as affected as I am by this chaste kiss.
It’s when her slender hand rises between us to rest on my chest that I lose it. I tentatively lick the seam of her lips, a rumbly groan rolling in my throat. She surprises me once more with how receptive she is when she unlocks her jaw to grant me access. The invitation couldn’t be clearer, so I dip my tongue inside her warmth, licking with greed.
