Page 20 of The Status Situation

“This place is incredible,” she says happily, dropping onto the bench beside me. I pass her a snack bag of grapes, and her smile brightens. “And you brought snacks!”

“Couldn’t let you go hungry,” I tell her honestly.

The happy and carefree look on her face as she turns back to admire the view and pops a grape into her mouth is everything. We snack together in comfortable silence while I am feeling rather proud of myself for being able to throw all this together at the last minute.

“I’m sure all the women love it when you bring them here,” she says after a while. She’s attempting to sound casual, but I can tell by the way she shifts in her seat that she’s fishing. “It’s like the perfect date spot.”

I shrug, not looking at her. “I wouldn’t know. You’re the first one I’ve brought up here.”

“Wait, seriously?”

I just nod.

“I guess I must be special then.”

I don’t know if she means it or not, so I finally look over at her so she can see the truth in my eyes. “You are, Maria.”

The moment the words are out of my mouth, her demeanor shifts, and I watch in real time as she sort of recedes into herself a bit. “What makes me so special?” She asks quietly.

I take a second to ponder my answer because it’s not easy to put into words. “We click,” I begin carefully. “That’s the best way I know how to describe it. Things are comfortable with you, easy, and I haven’t felt that way with anyone in a very long time.”

“Can I ask—” She pauses and shifts in her seat, as if what she wants to ask me is difficult. I want to tell her that she can ask me anything, but I can already see how hard this is for her. So, I just keep munching on my grapes and give her all the time she needs. “What are we? Are we just friends? Are we dating?”

As hard as it is, I try to ignore the way my heart rate picks up. “Well, that’s up to you. Do you want to just be friends?”

“No,” she admits quickly, and it makes my heart soar. I’m glad we are on the same page because I don’t want to be just friends either. “I like you, Mark. A lot. So, if you told me that you just wanted to be friends, I’d probably walk away.”

“And why is that?”

She peers up at me from beneath her lashes, and I’m lucky I’m already sitting down because that one look is all it takes to steal every last drop of oxygen in my body. “Because I’m way too attracted to you to just remain friends. And watching you date someone else would break my heart.”

Taking her bag of grapes, I dump it back into the basket with my own. I turn my whole body to face her and then clasp her hands in mine, finding comfort in her touch. “I feel the same way. So, where does that leave us?”

“Figuring things out?”

I smile and brush a strand of hair out of her face. While it’s not exactly what I wanted to hear, I’m willing to go at whatever pace she needs. “Okay.”

“But… we aren’t going to see anyone else, right? While we are figuring things out. Are we exclusive?”

I had been trying not to think about her with another man, but the moment I do, it fills my heart with something that I’m not familiar with. Jealousy. I am not a jealous man, so that’s another thing she brings out in me. I know, without a doubt, that if I were to see her with another man, things would not end well. For anyone.

The air crackles around us with so much tension and unspoken emotions that it’s almost palpable. It prompts me to lean in closer. “I’d prefer it if we didn’t see anyone else.”

Her whole body relaxes in relief. “Okay. Good.”

The way her breath fans across my face has my gaze dropping to her lips. “Maria?”

“Hmm?”

“I want to kiss you again.”

She inhales sharply at my admission. “O-okay.”

With her permission, I crush my mouth against hers with the hunger of a starved man. A rumble of contentment shakes my chest when her tongue meets mine, and my hand moves from holding her hands to delving into her hair at the nape of her neck. My fingers tug at the strands, angling her head to deepen the kiss, and I am rewarded with a soft moan that goes right to my dick. My whole body feels like it’s on fire, slowly being consumed by a blazing inferno, and I willingly walk into the flames.

The kiss feels like it goes on forever, and yet there’s still no end in sight. Not that I want there to be. We are both breathing hard, and when her hands begin a slow, hesitant exploration of my chest and abs, a primal need begins to flood my veins. Still, I refrain and let her set the pace.

Time ceases to exist, and the snacks inside the picnic basket lie forgotten as Maria consumes my heart and soul. My restraint snaps for just a moment, and I growl against her mouth as I lift her into my lap so that she’s straddling me. She squeals in surprise and then giggles when her hair falls around our faces. I easily brush it out of my way and begin trailing kisses across her jaw and down the side of her neck. She gasps loudly, tipping her head to give me better access.