Page 24 of A Simple Love

“It will be over soon, Pauline. I can’t wait to see him, though.” I smile over at her while she’s still watching her belly, smoothing her shirt over her bump.

“Me too, Vic. We still have Tyler and Hayley’s wedding to get through though. And you get to start your first school year as a teacher right after that. Are you nervous?”

Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I readjust my seat on the stool. “I’m more excited than nervous. I’ve wanted this for so long, Pauline. I’m picking up my keys on Monday, then I have meetings and training throughout the entire month of August, and I still need to arrange and decorate my classroom. Who knows what shape it will be in when I get inside.”

“And how are things going with Ben and Mike?”

I let out a long sigh of frustration. The truth is, things are going really well. With both of them. And it surprises the hell out of me. I feel something for each guy in different ways.

Ben is handsome and refined, eager to show me new things and not afraid to tell me how much he likes me. And Mike, well things are just so effortless with him. And our physical connection is off the charts. I mean, I definitely feel something physical for Ben as well, but the heat between Mike and I forces me to change my panties at the end of each of our dates. That intense physical connection scares me though, because what if it fades? Is that all Mike and I really have? I mean, he took Lilly out on our date when he didn’t have to, and Ben doesn’t seem too interested in our sisters and that bond we share. Honestly, the more I debate between these guys, I feel like a ping-pong ball bouncing back and forth between the paddles, floating effortlessly through the air, but just waiting to fall over the edge of the table into the unknown.

“Um, it’s going. I’m so confused though, honestly,” I exhale loudly, Pauline tilting her head in concern as I continue. “I like them both, Ben more than I expected, and I am no closer to deciding.”

“Well, you still have time to figure things out. I mean, did you put a time cap on this little experiment of yours?” Pauline questions me, which really makes me wonder if I should put an expiration date on this whole debacle.

“I never put a limit on how long this whole thing would play out, no. Should I?”

Pauline shrugs. “Well, maybe if you knew you had a deadline, it would force you to really assess your feelings for each of them. What’s got you twisted up about it so far?” She reaches down under the bar to grab two beers for Tyler as he comes up behind me.

“Hey, Vic. Congratulations on your last day,” he greets me, accepting the beers from Pauline. “Hayley should be here shortly. She had to stop by her dad’s house for something on her way here.”

“No, biggie. I did just spent the day with her, you know.” I nudge him with my shoulder. “But thanks. It feels weird, but I’m excited.”

“Well, I know you’re going to be great. I’m gonna get back to Dean, but it looks like Mike just walked in,” he throws his chin in the door's direction, causing me to turn and drink in the sight of Michael Kelley in all his rugged glory. Tyler leaves Pauline and me just as I feel the temperature in the bar rise twenty degrees. That heat. It suffocates me any time Mike is around, his proximity like a match waiting to ignite a log that had gasoline poured all over it. One spark, one look from him, and I feel like I’ve stepped into an oven. The heat overcomes my body, traveling south and starts a throbbing between my legs that’s become much stronger each time he’s near. Being a virgin, I’m uneducated in sexual desires, but I’m sure the way my vagina feels right now is directly related to the tall, dark, and handsome man approaching me.

Mike’s hand reaches out to cup my face, his smile stretching far across his supple lips when he reaches me perched on the stool.

“Hey, Vic. You look gorgeous,” he rasps, his voice coating me in a silken wrap of warmth.

“Thank you. You look nice too,” I bat my eyelashes up at him, teasing him with my gaze as I take in the dirt on his cheek and think of dirty things I want to do with him. The notion of X-rated images flashing through my mind startles me, causing me to turn away from him abruptly and find my drink. A long drag of the ice cold liquid helps to cool me down, but the heat on my cheeks tells me my blushing is still strong. Holy hell! This reaction I have to Mike just keeps getting stronger. I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t thought of him in a sexual way before, but now that I know what it feels like to touch him, look deep in his eyes, and feel his want for me back—-the intense and diabolical thoughts are threatening to overtake my mind.

“Well, I’m going to go say hello to the boys, but what are your plans for the week? I want to take you out again soon,” his hand finds mine this time, the light brush of his fingers sends sparks up my arm and down my spine, increasing that throbbing between my legs. Pauline is just standing there on the other side of the bar, watching our interaction.

“I actually have to pick up my classroom keys on Monday, then I have a few meetings and training in the next few weeks. And somewhere in between all of that, I need to find time to arrange and decorate my classroom.” My mile long list of things to get done in the next month is suddenly overwhelming.

“I could always help you out if you need it,” he offers, the gesture meaning more than he probably realizes.

“I may very well just take you up on it. I’ll let you know, okay?” I shoot him a grin and one more brush of my hand on his face before he dips down to give me a quick peck on the cheek and turns in the direction of the table where Dean and Tyler are seated.

Turning back to face Pauline, who’s fanning herself with a menu, I find her shaking her head in amusement. “Holy crap, Vic. The heat radiating off you two is making me sweat even more than I normally do being almost eight months pregnant in the thick of the summer!”

“Right?” I whisper at her over the bar. “I mean, we all know that Mike and I have had a thing for each other for years, but now that we’ve finally been able to act on it, it’s….”

“Explosive?” She finishes for me, the bob of my head solid in agreement.

“Does it feel that way with Ben?” She prods, asking the question I keep debating in my mind.

“No, but it’s different. Ben makes me feel like a prize, even though I know that sounds bad. It’s like…. He knows what I’m worth and isn’t afraid to show me that. He makes me feel special and puts thought into taking me places and showing me things he thinks I would enjoy. We have fun, he isn’t afraid to tell me how much he likes me, and that’s refreshing, you know?”

“And how does Mike make you feel?”

The answer startles me. “He makes me feel desired and loved… I’m consumed in him when I’m with him, which scares the shit out of me.”

“Why does that scare you?” Pauline is laying down the law with these questions right now. Her blunt directness is exactly what I need to help me sort through the conflict in my mind.

I turn my head in search of Mike’s face, finding his dark chocolate brown eyes staring back at me.

“Because he has the ability to ruin me, Pauline. I feel like when I’m with him, I don’t need to breathe because he does it for both of us. But if something were to happen, if we broke up and destroyed our friendship, I don’t think I’d ever recover.”

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