Mine.
“I wasn’t feeling sorry for you,” I whispered.
“Oh really.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Tell me, what were you doing then with that look on your face?”
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees. “That look on my face was me realizing that I’m about to marry an incredible woman.”
She studied me for a moment, probably looking for any hint of a lie. And when she couldn’t find one, she whispered, “You mean it.”
Not a question. A statement.
“I do,” I said in a low voice. Practice for the words to come.
There was just one more thing to practice.
Slowly, I leaned forward.
Her breath hitched.
And I waited. Because while the marriage might be coming soon, I wanted to take my time with her.
Her eyes fluttered close, lashes forming a thick fringe, and then my lips were on hers.
For a heartbeat, I didn’t move, just reveled in the fact that this woman was kissing me. That somehow, through all the fucked-up proposals and legal agreements, she had chosen to kiss me when there was nothing to prove. She had kissed me when it mattered most.
Her lips were as soft as the rest of her body, and I could only hold myself back for a second before I deepened the kiss, drawing my tongue along the seam of her mouth. A surprise moan built within her throat. Our tongues tangled, first curiously and then desperately.
The project was long forgotten as we gave in to what now seemed inevitable. Her hands fisted in my shirt, my palms skated over her curves. We weren’t close enough, sitting on our stools.
I stood over her, bending to kiss the column of her throat before kissing her lips again. God, I wanted more of her. I wanted to lay her on my project table and study each grain of her body, see the way she moved as I worked against her with my mouth, with my cock.
But her phone rang from within her purse, and I stepped back, gasping for air, grasping for any lick of sense, because I wanted to beg her to toss the phone against the wall and devote all of her attention to seeing where this kiss could go.
“Sorry,” she whispered, just as breathless as I was. “That’s my grandma’s ringtone.”
I nodded, pacing to clear my head while she went to get her phone.
“Hello?” she said, her voice sounding just slightly breathless. The only small comfort was that she seemed as affected by me as I was by her. “There’s an extra key under the mat,” she said into the phone. And then, she closed her eyes and sighed. “I’ll bethere soon.” When she hung up, she looked at me with a pained look. “Glamma locked herself out. And apparently, she brought the spare key inside last time she locked herself out, so she’s stuck on the porch until I can let her in.”
“Let’s go,” I said, walking to the door, but she caught my hand.
“Sorry about this...” Her gaze flicked to my mouth again, and I brushed my thumb over her lip, desperate to kiss her again.
“We have time,” I reminded both of us. “Let’s go.”
33.Jada
“For someonewho says they want grandbabies, your grandma’s a total cockblocker!” Rei said over our lunch break in the Caf. Several people turned to look at us, and Rei stared at them right back. “We’re all adults here! Cock! Cock block. Cock block sock fock.”
“Rei!” I said through giggles while everyone looked awkwardly away. “You’re like a naughty Dr. Seuss.”
She did a mock bow in her chair. “One of my many talents.”
“Humble too? This woman deserves an award!”
Chuckling, she said, “Enough about me! When are you seeing him next?”
“Saturday!” And I didn’t have to fake my excitement because I really was enjoying my time with him. Even if that brought up some complicated feelings because I knew he’d hate me soon.
