And then suddenly the sound of the bar fills my ears. The laughter is amplified, the sound of glasses clinking, the conversations—everything. It seems like someone just turned the volume up, and I’m acutely aware of how crowded this place is and how many people could be watching me.
I hate myself for it, but I have to look up and glance around the room. She takes a step away from me so big she bumps the stool she’d been sitting on and it wobbles. She turns to steady it, and I try not to punch myself in the face. I’m so mad at myself for ruining what could have been the kiss I’ve been fantasizing about since Seattle.
“Stephanie!”
At the sound of her name, her head snaps up so fast some hair tumbles out of her twisty updo. I literally groan and, from across the room, I hear Larue yell, “YOU SUCK, WESTIE!”
Stephanie hears him, too, and simply lifts her arm above her head and gives the finger to his general direction. Then she steps away from the bar to greet the person who called her name: Daniel.
“I figured we’d bring the party here, and I could buy you and Maddie a drink,” Daniel says, and runs a hand through his short Supercuts-looking haircut.
“Oh, that would be great, but we’re actually on our way out,” Steph says with regret dripping from her voice that only I know is fake. “I’ve got an early day tomorrow.”
“Come on. Just one drink?”
“Sorry. And I’m…his ride home.” She points to me. “I can’t let him drive. He’s had a couple beers. He’s a total lightweight.”
She just threw me under the bus, and I don’t even care. In fact, it’s kind of cute. I bite my lip to keep from smiling and I nod. Daniel looks confused but nods. “Okay, then. Well, I’ll see you at the office next week.”
I watch Stephanie nod and smile brightly. Then she gives him a quick hug and reaches back for my hand. She’s trying to give him the idea that I’m with her. Like, actuallywithher as her boyfriend or something and, although I get a quick wave of panic like I’m conditioned to with any woman who insinuates anything about me in public, it washes away quickly, replaced by a wave of happiness. I want people to think I’m with her. That’s a first. So not only do I let her grab my hand but I also lace my fingers through hers and watch as Daniel notices.
Yeah, that’s right, douche, she’s taking me home.
Ty and Maddie are also walking toward the door. Larue is smiling at me and giving me the thumbs-up. Drew is too busy dealing with his drunken sort-of girlfriend to notice anything else.
Out on the sidewalk I don’t let go of Steph’s hand, and she doesn’t let go of mine either. We walk for a bit along the water, with Maddie and Ty a couple feet in front of us. Then Ty says he’s going to call two Ubers and announces he and Maddie will be staying at his place. He does it like he’s declaring his candidacy for president, all loud and definitive. His eyes are on me the whole time. When the Uber cars pull up to the curb, Ty gives me an exaggerated wink as he climbs into the back of his ride.
Despite the large space in the back of the Escalade we’re in, I sit right next to Steph and she drops a hand on my thigh. It’s just there, not rubbing or grabbing, just resting. It still feels fucking amazing. When I move and rest my hand on top of hers, she smiles softly to herself, her pink lips parting a little as she gazes out the window at the passing scenery. Man, she’s beautiful. Not pretty or cute or sexy or…Well, she’s all of those things but mostly just plain knock-the-wind-out-of-you beautiful. Fuck, I hope to God she’s going to let me have sex with her. This time, there’s no one to interrupt us.
The Uber pulls up in front of our places and we get out. I ogle her ass because I can and because it’s a mighty fine ass. Her step slows as she reaches the stairs. She turns to face me and suddenly I’m nervous, unsure and awkward. I’ve never been this way before. Like never. Not even when I was a teenager. Lizzie was my first real adult relationship, and I didn’t even feel this way when we got together. Maybe it’s because Stephanie’s looking at me with this expression I can’t read. It might be excitement, but it also might be fear or regret. The bet is on both our minds, I can tell.
“I was just kidding around back there, you know.” I find my mouth saying the complete opposite of what my heart and my dick are thinking. “You don’t have to…I mean it wasn’t a serious bet.”
“So you don’t want to sleep with me?” she questions, tilting her head and raising an eyebrow. Her arms cross in front of her chest.
I open my mouth and stare at her. I don’t know how to answer that. Do I tell her the truth or lie? What’s less offensive, wanting to bang her or pretending not to want to?
She smiles at the stupid look I’m sure is on my face. I clear my throat and shove my hands in my pockets. “I don’t want to force you to be with me just because you lost a silly bet.”
“I don’t make bets I don’t intend on keeping. Win or lose.” She unfolds her arms and puts her hands on her hips. “Do you?”
I shake my head no, because I don’t trust my voice to not crack, out of desire. She turns and walks up the stairs to my porch, not hers. Her perfectly round ass swings back and forth under the short, clingy lace skirt. She turns back around, facing me again from the top of the stairs. I look up at her. The moonlight is making the lighter strands of her hair glow a kind of golden color and her tan skin glisten, contrasting the light blue of her eyes.
“I want to kiss you,” I admit gruffly.
“I want to let you.”
And that’s it—the green light, the starter pistol, the rocket launching. I climb the stairs two at a time. When I’m one step below her, I reach out and grab her waist, pulling her in and up at the same time. She wraps her arms around my neck and as I step onto the top step, holding her an inch off the ground in my arms, our lips connect for the first time.
Chapter 14
Stephanie
His lips arefinallyon mine. My heart skips and then starts to race. I almost want to sigh with relief. I knew I wanted him, but I don’t think I even realized how much until we finally kissed. His lips are warm and soft and his stubble scrapes my chin.
I’ve never been attracted to athletic men, even though I’ve been around them more than any other kind, even lawyers. I always found them so chaotic. They’re loud and rough—both in physical appearances and mannerisms—and they’re energetic. Nothing is ever peaceful, and after my tumultuous past, I felt like I required orderly, calm, peaceful.
Avery Westwood has a structured life, but even he lacks a sense of calm and peace. Being around him has started to make me crazy and unraveled, and now kissing him intensifies those feelings but somehow fills me with peaceful feelings too. Everything gets frantic: my heart rate, the speed my blood travels through my veins, the way my thoughts ricochet around my brain. And yet it doesn’t terrify me. Kissing him is like finally scratching an itch that I haven’t been able to reach in months. It’s nothing but pure relief to finally end the frustration of not being able to satisfy a need.
