I was surprised at how much we were able to accomplish once the initial tension between us was broken and I didn’t feel as distracted by her. It wasn’t that she lost allure, but now that I knew what it felt like to kiss her, and I could kiss her when I wanted, thinking about it didn’t consume me. Even though we’d only known each other for a matter of days, it felt surprisingly natural to interact with her like this.
“Back here bright and early tomorrow morning?” she asked as she packed her notebook into her laptop bag.
“I’ll be up early again, so whenever you’d like to show up.”
“I could probably come a little earlier, but I’m definitely not missing Marian’s breakfasts.” The dreamy smile that crossed her face made me a little jealous.
“Oh, I see how it is, already replacing me.”
“Well, she does have a pretty fabulous apron,” she teased.
“Using her for research?”
“Definitely not. I can’t say I imagine what she’d look like naked.” The look she gave me over her shoulder was almost predatory.
I walked around the side of the couch and grasped her hips, turning her around to face me.
“You think about me naked?” I couldn’t mask the huskiness in my voice, and her eyes widened.
She ran her hands up my chest and pressed herself against me as I pulled her hips snugly against mine. There was no question that I wanted her, but I wasn’t sure if all her teasing was simply that.
“More like fantasized. It’s all I can think about,” she whispered as she looked into my eyes. “Have you seen how hot you look?”
“You could stay tonight.”
Her breath caught as her fingers gripped my shirt tighter. “I, uh...”
Shit. I’d come on too strong. This was insane. I’d only met her yesterday. Simone and I had dated for weeks before I mustered the courage to kiss her properly. “Sorry. Shit.”
One of her hands gripped the back of my neck and pulled my face toward hers. My whole body shuddered as her lips gently caressed mine. Our lips met tentatively before she tugged my hair and pulled me into her.
It escalated quickly as she pushed up on her toes, then licked and bit my bottom lip. My head spun as I pressed my tongue against hers as I bent my knees, pushing my growing erection into her stomach.
I was fighting the urge to push her back onto the couch and strip her bare, but I knew that’d be going too far. We were barreling toward one-night stand territory, and I didn’t want to ruin things between us for a quick release.
After a few minutes, our lips slowed, and she pulled back from me, resting her head above my galloping heart. “As much as I’d love to, maybe we should save that for another day.”
I nodded and combed my fingers through her hair, willing myself to calm down. “That could be arranged.”
She giggled and stepped back, picking up her bag by its strap and settling it on her shoulder.
“I should go.” She pecked my lips again.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Two days, and I was already craving her presence in my life...in my home.
She stepped around me, and I followed her to the front door. Leaning against the doorframe, I watched her pull away, her taillights gradually fading as she retreated down the tree-lined drive. I wasn’t sure if I’d freaked her out, but maybe I needed to step back a bit. The only problem was I didn’t want to slow things down.
I obsessively checked my email for the rest of the night, waiting for a response from Adrian.
A few hours later, I gave up and went to bed. Tomorrow would hopefully give me some clarity in what was developing between Chase and me.
My phone was pinging long before my alarm went off.
Who the hell was texting me at 5:00 am?
Adrian: Did you get laid?
Adrian: Was it Chase?