Double fuck.
“Okay.” I squeak and then clear my throat.Get it together, man. Be fucking cool.
“Now?” If she notices my crash out, she doesn’t comment on it.
I hadn’t thought this far ahead, which in hindsight is a real bitch. In my defense, I figured she’d spend a few days thinking about the offer, not come back to me a day later.
“Why not?” I swallow thickly, a sweat breaking out on the nape of my neck.
“Alright,” she gathers her purse and finishes off her beer, “See you later, Scotty!”
“Going already?” He frowns at the two of us. “Noah hasn’t even finished his beer.”
“Gotta go see a man about a bone—wait, no!” Sidney’s face flames red. “A dog. We need to see a man about a dog, not a bone. No one’s boning here.”
“Jesus Christ,” I pinch the bridge of my nose.
Grasping her hand, I pull her out of the bar and toward my Mercedes parked across the street, bundling her into the passenger seat while she still glows red.
“Do you think they know?” Her eyes are wide, lit up by the glowing lights on my dash. “Oh god, they all know we’re about to fuck.”
I choke on my tongue, hands tightening on the steering wheel. “They don’t know.” I grind out.
“Right,” she wrings her hands, “But what if they suspect!? What if they ask!?”
“Sidney, who the fuck is going to ask you?”
She opens her mouth and then closes it again.
“Exactly, now please calm down,” I try to laugh to ease the tension between us, but it comes out strained and tight. “One step at a time.”
“Right,” she nods once, hard. “Got it.”
At my apartment building, I guide her inside, briefly greeting the doorman before we bundle into the elevator and I input the code for the penthouse. Sidney dances foot to foot the entire ride up, her bottom lip going red from all the biting she’s doing to it.
Once inside my apartment, I close and lock the door, taking a steady breath before I turn back to the only woman I have ever loved.
“Breathe, Sidney.”
She nods quickly and matches her breathing to mine, keeping those deep, soulful eyes on me as she steadies herself. “Where do we start?”
“The couch?” I suggest.
“Okay,” She whispers, turning and heading that way stiffly to lower onto the cushions. I fix us a couple of glasses of wine and then join her, folding myself down onto the cushion beside her.
It should not be this fucking awkward.
I allow my eyes to trace her face, taking in the features I have committed to memory. The freckles on her nose, the little scar on her brow, the plump lips and silky hair. I watch her delicate throat swallow; her pulse fluttering wildly.
“Do we just…” She leans forward, and I swear my heart stops, but then she throws herself away, shaking her head. “We’re not compatible!”
“Fuck it.” I growl, my hand grasping the back of her neck to bring her to me. I meet her in the middle, crashing my lips against hers.
For a few seconds, she remains stiff until I part her lips with my tongue, requesting access, and she loosens, opening for me to sweep inside. Her hands slide up the front of my shirt, fingers curling in at the chest to hold me to her as I explore her mouth, fingers threading into her hair.
Kissing Sidney is far more than I ever expected. I’ve dreamed of this moment, of tasting her lips. I’ve fantasized about their softness, how they would feel against mine, and it’s perfect. More than perfect.
She’s perfect.
