Those three little words punch the air from my lungs. She’ll text me. After years of reading her texts to others, the prospect of receiving a text from her is unimaginable.
“I’d like that,” I answer gruffly.
Entirely too soon, we pull into her driveway. She waits like a good girl for me to round the car and open her door for her. She’s smart, she knows I want to spoil her. And she lets me.She lets me.
I walk her to her door as I’ve dreamt of for years. After every run, as I watched her walk home, I wanted to accompany her. And now, I finally am.
She surprises me when, after unlocking her door, she turns to me. Expecting a goodnight, I offer one first.
“Goodnight, ange–whoa.”
My words are cut off by her tugging me down. As soon as I’m bent enough to be within her reach, her lips are on mine. Immediately, one hand finds her cheek, cupping her beautiful softness. The other encircles her waist, pulling her into me. Her arms wrap around my neck, chasing my heat.
Closing my eyes, I memorize the feel of her lips. The soft pillows as they change shape. Her slick tongue pushes its way into my mouth. The feelings of freedom and dominance as my tongue overwhelms her and enters her mouth overwhelm me.
She whimpers at the contact and the sound shoots straight to my cock. I pull my hips back, so she isn’t intimidated by it. A kiss does not mean sex, and I will never pressure her into that. She’s worth more than a quick fuck after the first date. I’m going to do this right. I’m going to court her, spend time and energy and money on her, then, once I’ve earned her, and only then, will I have her.
So, with every ounce of strength I possess, I break our connection. She moans in frustration, and I’m lost in the sound. Looking down, her swollen lips call to me, but I ignore them.
“Goodnight, angel,” I say in a husky voice, the effects of our kiss still evident.
“Goodnight, Bash.”
And with those sweet words, she opens her door, steps inside, and shuts it. Ending what might have been the best night of my life.
I settle into how unexpected tonight was. I was going to ask her out tonight, then we were going to go to trivia on Wednesday. I planned onconvincingthe place to make it animal-themed on Wednesday for Lizzy. It was unethical, and I’m normally vehemently opposed to cheating, but this was for my Lizzy.
She impressed me tonight. There’s nothing sexier than her mind. Her intelligence. She’s my perfect match intellectually. I can’t wait to learn more from her.
Chapter 21
Lizzy
“Does anyone have any questions?” As soon as the words leave my mouth, a plethora of tiny hands rise.
One of the kindergartners is doing a little wiggle dance since she’s so excited. I point to her, and she beams.
“Miss Lewis, why are Harry’s eyes funky?” the blonde girl asks.
I look down at the chameleon in my hands, and sure enough, one eye is directed towards the children and the other towards the wall.
“What a great question! Chameleons like Harry can look in two directions at once. Each eye rotates three hundred and sixty degrees. That means they can see everything around them.”
She nods at my answer, then sits back down. Another boy raises his hand and asks about what Harry eats, so I explain.
“Harry, like other chameleons, is primarily an insectivore. Can anyone guess what that means?” Trying to make the experience as interactive as possible, I wait for the children to answer.
Many hands raise in the air, so I tell them, “You can yell…”
My voice trails when a large hand raised in the back of the room catches my attention. I follow the hand down the attached arm until I’m met with the gleeful eyes of my very sexy neighbor.
He sends me a wink that I feel in my stomach. Butterflies flutter inside me, and when he mouths, “Insects,” I’m completely lost.
“Wha–” I start, only for him to cough and shake his head. He points at the children, and only then do I remember my surroundings.
“You guys can yell it out. What do you think insectivore means?” My voice has a slight wobble to it.
While they shout the correct answer, I take the moment to gather myself. The kids, I need to focus on the kids. I can talk to Bash in ten minutes when they go to the next exhibit.
