You don’t even like him, I tried to remind myself over the sound of my libido, which had had way too much sugar and caffeine and was spinning on the carousel of lust at a hundred miles per hour.
Mark cut off a bite of the fish and held it out to me on his fork. “You sure you don’t want a taste?” he asked in that deliciously low voice. “You might like it. Just take one little bite. There’s only a little left.”
An attractive man offering me fried food, nay, begging me to eat it, to taste him—wait,it.
I leaned over, and Mark slipped the fork into my mouth. The tremors of my teeth traveled through the fork, and he caught his lower lip in his teeth slightly as I took the bite. When the flaky fish hit my tongue, my stomach shrieked that if it did not have that food right now, it was going to hurl that sugar terrarium all over this nice restaurant, and wouldn’t that just be a shame.
I wrapped a hand around Mark’s that was still extended to me. He blew out a soft breath then strangled a curse when I wrenched the fork out of his hand, grabbed the half-eaten entrée, pulled it toward me, and scarfed down the remaining fish, potatoes, and greens like a starving lemming.
Mark stared at me in shock.
After I ate several bites of the salty, cheesy potatoes, I said around them, “You offered it to me! You can’t offer someone food then get mad when they eat it!”
* * *
“I could have orderedyou another entrée,” Mark said in bemusement as we left the restaurant.
You are a troll, Brea, I chastised myself.An absolute disgrace, really, when you come right down to it.
“I’m fine,” I said, still fantasizing about those potatoes…and that handsome man serving them to me. I did feel bad that I was being a weirdo on the date.
That was the point. You don’t want to lead him on and manipulate him. You are trying to drive him away.
“This was,” Mark said, eyes slightly narrowed, “probably the strangest date I’ve ever been on.”
I shrugged helplessly. “I’m just a weirdo.”
Mark laughed as he opened the car door for me. “You are completely unique. I’m quite infatuated with you.”
Geez, you kiss a guy once or twice, and suddenly he’s planning your future. And they say women are the emotional, irrational ones in a relationship.
But if Mark was being emotional, then I was being seriously horny. I couldn’t help but fixate on him—his hand on the gear shift, the other casually on the door rest, the streetlights flickering across his brow and straight nose and strong jaw—well, let’s just say it had been a while since I’d had any.
Mark pulled up in front of my apartment. “Brea,” he said in that deep voice.
Get out of the car, Brea.
No!My libido was still riding the carousel. Mark was even more appetizing than his dinner. He leaned over me and brushed his mouth over the corner of mine. Then he kissed me softly. It was just a taste, but like with the dinner, I was a starving woman and did not make good decisions. I tangled my fingers in his hair, crushing his face to mine.
Mark chuckled, the sound vibrating through me, then he angled his body to kiss me more deeply. I cursed the long skirt as his hands roamed over my body. One of his large hands slipped under my shirt to caress my breast. I moaned as his fingers trailed over my skin. I finally got ahold of myself as he started shifting the volume of the skirt fabric for better access.
“We have a big day tomorrow,” I said with a gasp, pushing him off.
Mark kissed me one more time then stepped out of the car to walk me to the door. “Shall I pick you up?” he asked, eyes a deep blue in the evening light.
“Nope!” I chirped, frantically trying to readjust my clothes in the dark.
Mark kissed me once again before he left. The only thing stopping me from dragging him up to my room was the fact that I, one, lived with my parents and, two, did not have a bed that Mark could fit in.
That went well.Which was terrible for obvious reasons.
“Gah! Why didn’t this work? I clearly wasn’t trying to make a good impression,” I fumed as I stomped up the narrow staircase to my parents’ apartment.
I felt nauseous from the amount of sugar I’d eaten. Then my phone dinged, and I truly almost puked.
Memphis Eve:You there? I’m stopping by.
22
