Page 57 of Choose Us
“Hi,” I said softly, keeping one eye on the fingers holding the melon cream. Brooke smirked and licked the cream from her fingers. I don’t think it was intended to be sexual. The scenario was far from it, but she could be sat in a dumpster reading a dictionary, and I’d find it sexy.
She stepped forward, moving her leg between mine. Her hand brushed the length of my arm. I didn’t move. I let her take the lead. She traced my bottom lip with the tip of her index finger, leaned forward, and took my bottom lip in her teeth tugging gently. The sensation took me completelyby surprise.
When she looked into my eyes, she didn’t hesitate. I could tell she felt the same desire I did. Before I could question whether it was the right thing to do, her mouth was on mine. I placed my hand on the back of her neck, pulling her in closer. Her lips parted. She allowed me to explore the inside of her mouth. The sweet melon taste only made me want her more.
The moment was sure to get out of hand, but—
“I think we’re being watched,” I said. Brooke released my mouth from her captivity and turned to observe a small woman stood in her green apron. She wasn’t being discreet. She clearly disapproved of two women using the alleyway behind her restaurant as a place to packon the PDA.
Brooke laughed and pulled me away. “She got more than she bargained for.”
“I think we both did.”
“Hmm, and it’s only 11 a.m.” Brooke grinned.
We’d been together for over two hours. She saw that as a good thing. I saw it as the opposite. We were being followed by a giant ticking clock. It was haunting me, and I didn’t know how to make it stop.
“Where to next?” I didn’t care, preferably anywhere that would slow the time down.
“There’s a department store around the corner. They do this amazing dish; I can’t remember what it’s called. Hold on, let me ask my friend from work.” She typed away on her phone. About a minute later itbuzzed back.
“That’s it,Tsukimi Tsukune.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“Japan’s answer to aScotch egg.”
I was intrigued.
We crossed the road and entered the large department store. It looked like a Japanese version of Selfridges. We passed through the cosmetics department and took the elevator to the food hall. We wandered each section until we came across a row of glass cabinets filled with savoury produce.
They had everything from skewered meat to prawns and raw sushi. Brooke pointed to a tray of golf ball sized fried goods. They appeared to be glazed in something and greasy, not normally my type of food, but I would try anything once. The balls were filled with chicken. They tasted like sticky barbecue glaze, and inside was a whole egg that oozed perfectly as I bit into it. The combination of the three elements moved it straight to the top of the list, above the slab of omelette and the gooeymelon bread.
“That was one of the nicest things I have ever tasted.” I licked my lips approvingly. “I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot onthis trip.”
“You’re attractive when you eat. Have I ever told you that?” Her eyes softened into a stare, and she didn’t break contact.
“Are you flirting with me, Brooke Jacobs?” I became consciously aware of my facial expressions. She looked at my lips. Suddenly, licking them seemed inappropriate. I could feel my jaw tense; nothing seemed natural anymore. I felt like I was under a microscope. Nervous.
Brooke grabbed me by the hand and pulled me towards the skirted figure sign that indicated the women’s toilets.
“Where are we—”
We dodged the cleaning attendant. She had impeccable timing and was just finishing up. When inside, Brooke slammed the door closed. The sharp clicking of the latch echoed as it fell into place followed immediatelybysilence.
“Does this feel familiar to you?”She grinned.
“Very.” I gulped.
“Sit down.” She pushed me back onto the toilet seat and straddled me either side. It was too much for my brain to handle: the adrenaline, the butterflies, the sexual tension. It all merged to create an almost out-of-body experience. It felt like a dream.
“Just like this?” I asked. My words came out a shaky exhale.
“Yes.” She leant forwards and breathed softly against my neck. Her lips skimmed the side of my jaw as she whispered, “I have missed you so much.”
Mybody froze.
My breathing was irregular.
