“You know, I haven’t really thought that far ahead yet.” I purse my lips while Jane rolls her eyes. “I know I kissed him first, but I don’t think I’ll be the one to rip off his clothes anddemand favors.” I smirk then get serious. “I have no clue when it might happen. I imagine he might want to wait a bit since he hasn’t been with anyone since Jenna…”
Ava speaks up, “I really think he likes you, so just keep doing what you’re doing, and the chips will eventually fall into place. I wouldn’t push it either if I were you, so good thinking on that note.”
“But if she’s shy like you, it will never happen either, girl!” Jane exclaims and Ava blushes, taking another gulp of her wine.
“Fair point,” Ava practically giggles into her drink, the glass muffling the sound. We all laugh harder.
After chatting for about another hour, Jane announces that she has to go ‘cuddle with her hubby’, leaving Ava and I jealous. We make plans to get together again soon and speak about the possibility of turning this into a weekly thing. I volunteer to host dinner at my house next Tuesday, standing up to gather my purse to leave as well.
“It was fun tonight, ladies. Thanks for having me!” Jane and I walk away, waving at Ava standing on her porch step. “And really, Ava, your house is beautiful.”
Ava grins proudly. “I’m glad you decided Jane and I were worth getting to know, and I’m kind of fond of this place as well.”
We say goodbye, heading off in our different directions. I’m really glad to have these two really great gals around. These past two weeks have been wonderful instead of boring, which is what I more or less expected it would be for at least the first month or two. Not only have I found the perfect pet and two new pals, I snagged the eye of probably one of the hunkiest men in town.
Chapter 7
Colin
Thursday could not have come soon enough. It seems like the more I glance at the damn time on the clock, the slower the hands move, inching past every second as slow as it possibly can. I have about a half hour before I can call it quits, then another hour before I told Sydney that I’d pick her up. We are going to the local hot spot, and the guys will both be there. They promise they will be on their best behavior, but who knows. Mark is my unpredictable one once he gets a beer or two in him. I’m sort of anxious to see what they think of her, yet at the same time, I really don’t care if they approve or not. I’ve already made up my mind. I plan to enjoy every moment possible with Sydney. I took so many moments for granted with Jenna, and I refuse to ever make that mistake again.
After my last appointment, I check in with Brynleigh about tomorrow’s schedule and say goodnight, hightailing it out of the office. I need to get home and let Amy run for a fewminutes before getting ready. I’m glad I already laid out what I wanted to wear and shaved this morning, so it’ll mean a quick shower and a little time to breathe. My five o’clock shadow isn’t bad, and she’ll see it sooner or later anyways. Amy bounds up to see me the second I open the door. Her front paws meet my chest with such exuberant force, it almost knocks me over.
“Goodness, did you miss me or somethin?” A big lap of a wet tongue slicks across my right cheek as I snicker at Amy’s glee. “Come on, girl, time to go outside!” I ease her down, striding toward the patio door, whistling while Amy trots at my heels. The moment the door slides open, she springs into a full force sprint for the hungry seagulls squawking on the shoreline. I let Amy run for a bit, then call her in for a treat. She rests on the bed while I shower, dress, and assess myself in the mirror.
“You think Sydney will like this outfit?” Amy perks her head up from the corner of the bed, wagging her tail frantically because I’m speaking to her. She answers me with a loud ‘grrrrumphhhh’ and jumps off the bed to come sit at my feet. I choose a medium-wash, faded pair of jeans with a dark blue and white plaid button-up shirt that I tuck in loosely at the belt and roll up the sleeves. I have on a brown belt with some leather flip flops. I fix my collar flat. I look pretty damn good for the little amount of time I had to spiff up. I check the time and see that I need to be at Sydney’s place in five minutes. I quickly brush my teeth and spritz on some cologne. I’m ready. After letting Amy out one more quick time in case she needs to pee, I grab my keys, lock up, and jog for my truck.
On the quick drive over to Sydney’s, my anticipation zings through me, but it’s not a nervous anticipation this time. I am flat out excited and can’t wait to kiss those lips again. I remember how soft her few kisses had felt on my trembling lips the other night.Fuck,I was so nervous that first time. I can’t wait to explore her more, to feel her tongue moving against my own. Iforce myself to stop thinking about it more before getting out of the truck with yet another boner threatening to scream from my pants. Yeah, that’d be super gentlemanly. I snort at the idea as I climb up the steps, but before I can ring the bell, the door flies open.
Sydney isn’t wearing a dress tonight, but she looks absolutely tempting just the same. Her long golden brown hair is curled into soft ringlets that my fingers are itching to comb through. Her green eyes are accentuated by soft brown shadows that make them pop, making me look twice. Those dark lashes flutter beautifully against the top of her slightly flushed cheeks, and her lips have a sheen to them that doesn’t look too glossy. They glisten as if she’s just bitten into a juicy peach and a few drops of it linger.Damn.She smiles wide, blowing me away, but I’m not done appreciating.
Around her neck is a small gold chain with a diamond pendant heart resting perfectly above an ample, yet respectable, amount of cleavage.Did I just lick my lips? Shit.She’s wearing a caramel colored sleeveless blouse with a little flutter near the shoulders. Flutter…yeah, I think that’s what women call that. It’s got a matching belt that accentuates her waist. It’s not too loose or too tight, and it showcases her upper body perfectly. She has on straight-legged, medium-wash, faded jeans that draw the eye down long legs to a sexy pair of strappy heels. I can’t wait to see the back view. She doesn’t make me wait long for it because she turns around to grab a dark brown leather clutch, bending down to scoot Bitsy back and shut the door. I have to bite my lip to keep from reaching for her. Her ass is sculpted so nicely in those jeans, and the belt thingy on the back of her shirt ties in a bow to give a defined waistline.Mmmm.
“Sydney, you look great,” I appreciatively proclaim, noticing her blush. I don’t miss the way her eyes travel along my body either. Damn, I did good alright. She looks flustered. Afierce need to kiss her assaults me, and I fight to push it down. I mentally snicker and smile back as she replies with a kind ‘thank you’ and compliments me as well. I lead her to the truck, holding the door open as she crawls up into the cab.
Closing her door, I shake off my itching fingers as I round the front of the truck. I am literally aching to kiss her again. I ease into my seat, and she leans in, surprising me with a sweet kiss on my cheek. My eyes flutter shut in tortured bliss, trying to reign in my control, but hell, that was all the encouragement I needed. I pull that beautiful face staring back so intently to my lips and give her a slow lingering kiss that leaves us both breathless. Sydney lets out a soft sigh as I pull back and smile wide at her.
“Damn, I don’t know about you, but I’ve been thinking about doing that all week,” she practically purrs, her breath puffing lightly against my lips, and I have to rearrange my perpetual hard on.
“Me t– ” I begin to answer gruffly, but she leans back in, cutting off any more words with two shorter pecks and a coy grin.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. I don’t want to make a bad first impression on your friends.”
I happily hit the gas, driving toward town, excited to show her off to everyone in the bar. Mark and Trystan are going to love her.
Chapter 8
Sydney
Elated to see Colin walking up to the house, I throw open the door before he can even ring the doorbell. I’m glad I decided against another sundress and put on this super cute outfit. What guy can resist southern charm? I may not be from Louisiana, but Missouri is definitely more south in the Midwest compared to Maine. I also went with warm neutral shades for my eyes to help the green pop.
From the look on Colin’s face, he likes what he sees, and I might as well have been standing there naked. Blushing, we both exchange compliments. That crazy electricity is humming between us again. I can literally feel the indecision of both of us wanting to kiss the other. With it being early days, we haven’t quite gotten to that point of familiarity to be able to just grab a shirt and yank the other in for a kiss. He looks and smells utterly delicious. I’m digging this laid back, country boy vibe his outfit is throwing. It’s funny we both gravitated toward that tonight. Theway his shirt flexes across his chest and biceps has me suddenly wondering what he looks like without the shirt on. Does he have a massive blanket of fur, a light dusting of hair, or is his chest smooth like a baby's skin?Oh, please, no blanket of fur.I giggle inwardly at the thought.
His megawatt smile is icing on the cake that makes me all gooey inside.
By the time I get settled into my seat, the urge to kiss him is so strong that the minute he gets in, I plant a light peck on his cheek to test the waters. The atmosphere immediately shifts from that weird place we were in, and his eyes flutter shut as he inhales. When they pop back open, he turns to look at me and his eyes have turned a deeper blue, telling me he’s definitely in the mood for some kissing. Watching his pupils dilate with arousal leaves me squirming in my seat. I’m relieved when he finally takes in a deep breath, pulling my face to his for the slowest, most agonizingly perfect kiss possible. One that leaves us both trembling with excitement and quickened breathing. I would give anything to feel his heartbeat racing under my palms. The idea of crawling across his lap and kissing him so good that he turns off the truck and carries me back inside the house is so fricking tempting.
He looks surprised and relieved when I tell him that I’ve been thinking about kissing him all week. Before we get carried away, I peck him twice more and remind him that we have friends to meet. I want to make a good impression on Trystan and Mark. Showing up late from a makeout session probably wouldn’t appear very classy. We drive in comfortable silence toward the bar, his fingers all tangled with mine, but underneath that comfort is a burning sexual tension that’s begging to be released.
