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Fitting his lips more perfectly to mine, he took command of the angle, pressure, and depth of the kiss. I was like warm wax in his masterful hands. He traced my mouth with the tip of his wet tongue.
When I parted my lips for him, he slipped his tongue between them. I clutched his shoulders. Digging my fingers into the soft cotton of his tank, I bunched it in my hands. He heard my silent plea and stroked his tongue to mine. Heat denotated within me that spread from my mouth to that spot between my legs.
I moaned, wanting him desperately. His kiss unleashed something that had been locked up inside. I started to climb onto his lap.
“Whoa.” His hands moving to my shoulders, he pressed me back into my previous position on the couch. His shortened breaths and my own pierced the sultriness between us.
“Did I do it wrong?” I touched my lips that continued to register the electrical pulse of being warmed by his.
“You did everything right.” His gaze drifted over me as he framed one side of my face in his hand. “You are everything right, Addy. I just have to stop, or I won’t be able to stop and keep the promise I made to myself to take things slow.”
Addy
Ileft Barry’s apartment, agreeing to meet him the next day.
After that kiss, my feet didn’t quite meet the ground. I kept touching my mouth and replaying the kiss in my mind. Years ago, kissing him had made me believe in the possibility of something between us. This time, though, it just felt exactly right.
The old Explorer sputtered briefly but evened out after I gave it time to warm up.
Would it be the same for me? Was I not damaged irrevocably? Did the sensual part of me only need to be awakened by the right man to function normally again?
Reaching my complex, I parked and took the stairs all the way to the top as if my tennis shoes had wings. Opening the door, I entered the apartment and could sense that it was empty. Now that Rachel and Claire had become residents, the place no longer felt right when they weren’t there.
I took a shower, wondering where my sister had gone so early in the morning. Claire was at school. Her friend Missy drove her there now.
Wrapped in a towel after stepping out of the shower, I looked at myself in the mirror as I blow-dried my hair. I noticed a difference in my reflection. My eyes were brighter. My lips slightly curved. The worry that usually weighted my brow had lifted.
All that from one simple kiss.
But one kiss from Barry wasn’t simple. It was more than I’d ever imagined. It was dangerous for me to feel so much. He could change his mind. He could leave, and I could lose him again.
But would that prevent me from doing it again?
No.I looked at myself and shook my head.
Getting dressed, I withdrew my usual work clothes from the dresser drawers. I hurriedly donned my clothing, not giving much thought to which pair of worn jeans I chose or which Footit’s-emblazoned T-shirt I wore.
Since I bartended most days and would for my shift tonight, I wore the black one with white cursive writing for the letters. Waitstaff like Rachel were free to wear any color T-shirt they wanted. They were available in hot pink, dark green, navy, and baby blue. Bussers like Bob wore plain white shirts with the lettering for Footit’s in black writing, along with their black work aprons. Footit’s wasn’t pretentious, but it was nice to have the staff wearing complementary colors that branded the bar.
I locked up the apartment and hit the landing, not noting the pop of gunfire in the distance. It was background noise.
Taking the stairs down at a fast clip, I noted the big Latino wearing navy La Rasa colors standing at the foot. His cigarette smoke wove around me when I stepped off the final step, but I kept my gaze down as I moved past him.
For the most part, I ignored La Rasa Prima, and they ignored me. I knew Martin was responsible for the protection Footit’s enjoyed. But I was never sure how extensive that protection was or how long it would last.
Thankfully, my SUV started up without any trouble. I pulled out of my parking space and put my blinker on at the end of the drive. A couple of turns later, the wholesale supply warehouse came into view. I parked, went in, and filled a flatbed cart with what I needed. The lines at the checkout were long.
Leaning against the handle of my cart, I glanced at my phone to pass the time. A text notification dinged.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: What are you doing, beautiful?
My heart sped up. Martin immediately coming to mind, I glanced around. Then I remembered. I’d given Barry my number but hadn’t assigned it. A couple of swipes later, I had him entered in my contacts.
ADDY: I’m in line at Cost Less. What are you doing?
BARRY THE BIG SEXY BEAST EVANS: Prepping for lunch at Pho B and thinking about you.
ADDY: I’ve been thinking about you too.
